text:
Our neighbors returned from a weekend away at a resort with their two teenagers. They described to us the wonderful food buffet at the resort. The brunch buffet, they reported, had everything, the meats, the scrambled egg bar, tremendous fruit spreads, all the pancakes and toppings you could think of, ten different types of dishes, salmon, croissants, you name it, they had it. They couldn't hold back their dismay as they told us how their two boys came back from the buffet with a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal! "They can have that at home any time," they exclaimed. They could have anything they wanted, a feast fit for a king, and they passed it all up for a bowl of cold cereal.
Lent is a time that we are invited to change our lifestyle in preparation for Easter. Like anything else in life, the more we understand what is happening, the more we indulge in the banquet, the more we will experience God's healing presence in our lives. I won't be able to highlight all of the delicacies that are laid out before us during this Lenten season, so I will highlight three of the dishes that families can partake in as a way of connecting to the banquet ourselves and teaching our children to partake. Notice the first connection, though. The most effective way to teach our children the joy of the liturgical life of the Church is to embrace it in our own lives.
Make a commitment on how you will fast during Lent
As Orthodox, we fast from food to be able to fast from sin. And it is our sin that keeps us from experiencing God fully. This connection between how we eat and how we sin is what the Fathers of the Church are clear on. This connection is also something that is lost in contemporary society. In America today, we don't hear a lot about how fasting can help a marriage stay together or how a family can learn to love God through fasting. As a therapist, I see marriages fail because people cannot control how they act towards each other. Essentially the more we indulge ourselves in whatever we want, the more we become enslaved to our desires, rather than free to love. Fasting is not magic, but when we feast at the banquet of our souls through fasting we see God transforming our worldly desires towards His Kingdom. Opening up our marriages and families to fasting opens up our hearts to be filled with the Grace of God and be truly free.
Fasting rules for families is a personal thing. Each family will do it differently. In consultation with your Priest or Spiritual Father, consider following the fasting guidelines of the Church. Consider what you did last year, and take a step further this year. For some, this might mean fasting from meat and dairy the first and last weeks of Lent. For others, it is time to fast from dairy products during every week of Lent, or on Wednesdays and Fridays. Learning to partake of fasting from the buffet of the Church during Lent means letting go of control of our diet and giving this to God. Fasting is not just about food, but also about healing our souls. It is a challenge for us today, but like any sacrifices we make in faith, God's blessings that come from it are uncountable.
Before Lent starts, decide as a family what your church service schedule will be. Families do this all the time at the beginning of the soccer, football, or basketball season. Families look ahead to commit their evenings and weekends to the sport schedule. The coach demands it and families do this. We do this for earthly rewards: a championship team or to help our kids develop their sports skills. Planning in advance that you will go to every Wednesday night Pre-Sanctified service, or Friday night Salutations service, or Saturday night Vespers is a commitment towards heavenly rewards of peace and healing. Planning ahead what services you will commit to is a way of setting your family's Lenten journey within the life of the parish; right where it belongs.
Now what should we do if our kids don't want to go? Or maybe we have mixed feelings about going. Attending the services requires a commitment of our time that will pay off in transforming our hearts and lives towards receiving God's Grace. God's Grace heals the ills of our souls, but services don't have to be boring. Spend time as a family to make it meaningful. Learn about the service. Ask your Priest to teach what is happening to you and why. Participate in the services by learning the hymns and prayers. Suggest coordinating a potluck or discussion group at Church after service for families. This could mean coordinating activities for kids and discussions for adults. Do a family activity following the service that everyone will enjoy, like a family night at home. Like many good things in life, until we learn to love the medicine of worship in our lives, a teaspoon of sugar helps it go down. There are few things as boring as an Orthodox Church service that you are not connected with and there is nothing more transforming than living a life of worship.
Make a commitment to family prayer at home during Lent
Kids are more likely to feel at home at church if their home feels more like a church. While I am not suggesting that we walk slowly and use quiet voices at home, Lent is a great time to build your family icon corner, or come together before your icon corner in prayer. Mom and dad must be taking things seriously if they are lighting a candle before the icons and bowing their heads in prayer. If we are singing Church hymns at home, our kids will feel a familiarity when the hymns are sung at Church. Lent is a time to consider coming together as a family before the icons instead of before the television. If you don't think you know how to do this, talk to your Priest about how to start to pray or find people to teach you about this.
Consider specifically incorporating the Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim as a family. Each evening, following dinner, or before bedtime when everyone is together, gather at the family icon corner and say the prayer all together.
O Lord and Master of my life, give me not the spirit of sloth, faintheartedness, lust for power, or idle talk. (prostration)
But grant me, your servant, the spirit of moderation, humility, patience, and love. (prostration)
Yes, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brothers and sisters. For you are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen (prostration)
After each verse, do a full prostration, or bow, in front of the icon of Christ. This is the same prostration the Priest does at the beginning of services. Nothing shifts a family prayer time like doing prostrations together. Christ is present as we gather, and through the icons. Bowing down to Him makes it real and requires a step in faith. Paradoxically, it strengthens our faith, which is what we need as we try to turn our lives towards Him.
So the Lenten buffet is laid out before us to nourish our souls and prepare us to receive Christ at Easter. We can partake of fasting, church services, and prayer in the home. I have not mentioned many of the other 'dishes' available like confession, forgiveness, almsgiving, reading the scriptures, pilgrimages, reading the lives of the Saints, or memorizing scripture or prayers. The banquet is set for us to partake as much as we desire.
The goal or purpose of Lent is not to fast or pray. The goal of Lent is to experience God directly. Helping our kids 'get more out of Church' means helping them experience God directly. Lent is a time for families to reorient themselves towards God, but it takes a commitment to open our families to the life in Christ and open our homes to God's saving Grace. The feast is there for us to partake of, but we can also walk right by, grabbing a bowl of cold cereal. Remember, though, that after a bowl of cereal you will be hungry again in an hour. But God promises those who partake, that "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."
An article by Philip Mamalakis, PhD
Source: http://www.antiochian.org/699


text:
This wasn't the kind of shutout University of Texas football fans had in mind.
For the first time since 1937, the school failed to produce a single pick in the NFL draft.
That's right, Texas is in another depression.
In fact, it wasn't a great weekend for Texas or USC, which had only three players drafted.
It wasn't that long ago, January 2006, that USC and Texas met in, arguably, the most talent-rich national title game ever contested.
That thrilling 41-38 victory by Texas at the Rose Bowl produced 14 NFL draft choices in the 2006 draft, seven for each school. Each team had two players selected in the first round.
According to a 2012 story in the Austin American-Statesman, 27 starters from that game went on to play in the NFL (17 for Texas and 10 for USC).
That was then, this is now. USC can blame scholarship reductions and NCAA sanctions for its low number of NFL picks this year, but what is Texas' excuse?
Texas is college football's biggest cash cow, generating $109.4 million in football operating revenue in 2012-13.
Not surprisingly, Texas and USC have new head coaches. Mack Brown resigned after last year's 8-5 campaign; Lane Kiffin was fired during the season by athletic director Pat Haden. USC responded with a 10-win season that ended with a Las Vegas Bowl win over Fresno State.
New Texas Coach Charlie Strong may give the Longhorns a talent boost. His old school, Louisville, produced four NFL picks last weekend, including three first-rounders.
Not surprisingly, the Southeastern Conference led all leagues with 49 NFL picks, 11 in the first round. The Atlantic Coast was second with 42, followed by the Pac 12 (34), Big Ten (29), Big 12 (16) and Mountain West (16).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It looks like your browser is out of date.
To use all features of KLM.com safely, we recommend that you update your browser, or that you choose a different one. Continuing with this version may result in parts of the website not being displayed properly, if at all. Also, the security of your personal information is better safeguarded with an updated browser.
A simple pub or neighbourhood café may be hard to find in Los Angeles. This city is all about seeing and being seen, so going out is a stylish affair which centres mostly around the city's fancy hotel bars. After all, the places where famous people mingle is definitely the place to be.
Hotel bars have always been the favourite haunt of the rich and famous. In Los Angeles, the hotel bar concept underwent a great revival in the 1990s and the trend is here to stay. You don't need to be a lead actor in a blockbuster movie or an accomplished film producer to join in, just as long as you dress the part. And everyone else certainly does.


text:
...hobby horses and merry-go-round horses.
Last year's Advent Calendar post:
Advent Calendar Day 4: Christmas Cards
Enjoying your ornaments, really love the horses! :-)))ReplyDelete
Awww. You remind me of all the rocking horses and carousel horses I have accumulated over the years. And not just ornaments. They are my favorite too.ReplyDelete
Carol - Glad you enjoy them. I didn't realize at first that I had a horse theme going among the ornaments, but then realized I just cannot pass up hobby-horse type ornaments when I see them!
Michelle - Would love to see your rocking/carousel horse collection!


text:
ROCHESTER — The following items are based on 1,119 entries on the Rochester Police Log from March 12 to 18:
Tuesday, March 12
8:06 a.m. — Dalton Bruce Caswell, 19, of 66 Littleworth Road, Dover, is arrested on a warrant.
8:41 a.m. — A woman who works in a downtown financial firm reports that her car was broken into.
8:43 a.m. — A Village Lane toter is missing.
11:16 a.m. — There has been a hit-and-run at Hannaford on Milton Road.
11:27 a.m. — A Vinewood Lane car has been scratched up.
12:16 p.m. — This is from the horse's mouth: Old Dover road, two hogs head south.
12:17 p.m. — A Rochester Hill Road home is burgled. All the jewelry is gone.
3:00 p.m. — Walmart needs police to take over an internal case.
3:49 p.m. — On South Main Street a beggar stands, a sign for money in his hands.
4:13 p.m. — Kristopher E. Dube, 31, of 113 Ridge Road, Middleton, is charged with a probation violation.
7:32 p.m. — Two people have entered a room at the Route 125 Motel and taken a woman's clothes, backpack and iPad.
11:28 p.m.— On Congress Street a group of noisy teens, are smoking "something" and not being laid back.
Wednesday March 13
11:06 a.m. — The Brock Street crossing guard has found a bag.
11:37 a.m. — A purse has been lost on a bus.
1:12 p.m. — A hooded male is walking up and down Charles Street. He has allegedly been sitting on people's porches but denies this. He's waiting on his mother to get back to Ela Court.
1:43 p.m. — Three people trying to break into a garage on Academy Street turn out to be the residents.
1:43 p.m. — A short haired cat that's chipped and spayed, from its Royal Crest home has strayed.
2:13 p.m. — A toter is taken from Chestnut Street.
2:51 p.m. — A vehicle is speeding in the wrong lane into incoming traffic on Chestnut Hill Road.
3:13 p.m. — A Portsmouth credit card has been stolen and used at Hannaford in Rochester.
4:19 p.m. — A Portland Street mother wants to check that a bike dropped off for her son is not stolen.
4:33 p.m. — There are drugs in a sandwich bag on a Portland Street lawn.
4:39 p.m. — Shane E. Johnson, 28, of 13 New York St., Dover, is charged with willful concealment at JC Penney, and arrested on a warrant.
5:13 p.m. — Alonso Perez, 21, of 20 Farmstead Road, Farmington, is charged with operating without a valid license, after a traffic stop on Walnut Street..
7:35 p.m. — A man who lives near downtown says "he wants to go to jail," he "used his mother's credit card" and thus deserves no bail, he asks cops to speed up their trip, because he thinks his mom will flip — but the family says they'll deal with it, for humans can be frail.
7:54 p.m. — On River Street, a gentleman has kicked the mirror off a car, a shovel-wielding lady then has smacked his windshield — how bizarre! The reason why? There is no telling, suffice to say there's screams and yelling.
8:07 p.m. — On Haven Hill Road a truck pulls over and dumps a bike in a ditch. Police later find it is covered in rust.
9:45 p.m. — At Cumby's on Knight Street, a woman's handbag is taken from the counter — in error. It is returned to her, everything intact.
10:21 p.m. — People are out front on Congress Street being too loud.
11:04 p.m. — Timothy J. Lafond, 34, of 3A Pleasant St.is arrested on a warrant; Melisa L. Potvin, 43, of 3A Pleasant St., is also arrested on a warrant.
11:21 p.m. — Jason Lee Gautreau, 29, of 51 Champions St., Lebanon, Maine, is arrested on a bench warrant and charged with being a habitual offender and a one-way road (Brock Street) violation.
Thursday, March 14
12:52 a.m. — Someone has tried to pull down lights wrapped around a post on Salmon Falls Road.
5:52 a.m. — Construction barrels have been rolled into Brock Street, police are told.
7:13 a.m. — Tips have been stolen at Aroma Joe's on Highland Street.
8:30 a.m. — Colonnade Apartments suffers from a noisemaker.
11:27 a.m. — An iPhone found at the station is returned to its owner.
1:19 p.m. — On Milton Road a man has been following a woman and mouthing crudities at her.
1:44 p.m. — All Points Travel finds a wallet.
3:32 p.m. — A vehicle is broken into in the Frisbie lot.
4:15 p.m. — Kids fire objects at a vehicle on Cove Court. Their parents become obnoxious when confronted.
4:36 p.m. — A backpack found at Rochester Crossing is reunited with its owner.
4:46 p.m. — Two people invade a home on Limestone Lane, and threaten violence.
5:29 p.m. — Kids lobbing a football around on Walnut Street, near power lines, are given a warning.
5:57 p.m. — A Meaderboro mailbox is mashed.
8:43 p.m. — Nicholas Bedell, 27, of 372 Foxes Ridge Road, Acton, Maine, is charged with driving after suspension and arrested on a warrant.
11:05 p.m. — There's blasted music on Glen Street.
Friday, March 15
2:45 a.m. — Police check on a man sleeping in a car on Cormier Drive. He had a spat with his girlfriend.
7:53 a.m. — James Chaplain, 46, of 44 Ruskindale Road, Mattapan, Mass., is charged with disorderly conduct.
10:11 a.m. — Waste Management guys are doing their best to fix a trash situation on Pleasant Street.
11:00 a.m. — A Ford truck is caught on video causing damage at a car wash on Washington Street.
12:30 p.m. — A Glen Street woman reports people smearing food on her windows in retaliation for complaining about noise.
12:54 p.m. — A theft occurs at Walmart.
1:14 p.m. — A Frisbie patient throws a phone at a nurse.
1:25 p.m. — A tire is slashed at Walmart.
3:47 p.m. — A burglary is reported on Ebony Drive.
4:10 p.m. — Katrina Spencer-Williams, 21, of 252 East Side Drive, Alton, is charged with willful concealment at Walmart.
4:12 p.m. — A soon to be divorcee says her husband has child porn on his computer.
5:07 p.m. — A man in his 50s begs for money on the Common.
5:18 p.m. — A Xbox has been stolen from Lafayette Street apartment.
5:39 p.m. — There's a disturbance at Royal Crest MHP.
5:54 p.m. — Two 16-year-olds are charged with willful concealment at Kohl's.
5:56 p.m. — A woman catches her young teen grandson "having intimate relations with his girlfriend in the basement." It starts a family ruckus.
7:47 p.m. — Robert S. Thomas Jr., 25, of 16 Pine St., Apt. 17, is charged with simple assault.
10:08 p.m. — About a dozen people have a slugfest on North Main Street.
11:05 p.m. — A North Main Street man reports his Smith & Wesson 9mm is missing.
11:29 p.m. — A La Corona staff member finds she is the victim of a hit-and-run.
Saturday, March 16
12:19 a.m. — A Pine Street uncle punches a Pine Street nephew right in the face.
3:00 p.m. — At Northgate, a woman's car windows are smashed and tires flattened after an argument.
4:29 a.m. — A dud five bucks at the Milton Road Shell, is just an old bill, so all is well.
9:35 a.m. — Judith Hoell, 58, of 10 Hollis Lane, is arrested on a warrant.
9:42 a.m. — At Woodland Green, a man's girlfriend is in jail and her mother has come round to try and take her stuff.
11:18 a.m. — Jaime L. Deyoung, 24, of 10D Academy St., is charged with violation of probation or parole.
11:27 a.m. — A black lab is running loose on Pickering Road.
11:30 a.m. — A postal worker on Quaker Lane is obliged to spray a loose black lab that just went after him.
11:39 a.m. — At the station, a man reports getting four duff checks totalling over $2,000. He will now talk to his attorney.
12:44 p.m. — Leslie Faith Letourneau, 59, of 236 Main St., Somersworth, is charged with issuing bad checks.
3:34 p.m. — Jewelry has been stolen from a home on Spruce Street.
3:47 p.m. — Robert Kay, 51, of 69A Lafayette St., is charged with simple assault and reckless conduct.
4:16 p.m. — Cindy Beckman, 43, of 12A Beaudoin Court, is charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct, and contempt common law.
4:22 p.m. — A diner leaves the Dynasty and a bill for almost $30.
5:03 p.m. — An Estes Road shed has been vandalized.
5:21 p.m. — At the Rochester Residence Inn a man steals a lady's confederate dollar. Fearing attack, she has put on several extra coats but is now sweating, and feels her head is going to explode. Dispatch tells the caller to take the coats off again.
8:22 p.m. — A four-wheeler is missing from a Front Street property.
Sunday, March 17
2:22 a.m. — After a traffic stop on Rochester Hill Road, Christopher Paul Phinney, 44, of 316 Upper Cross Road, Lebanon, Maine, is charged with driving after suspension, and arrested on two warrants.
2:45 p.m. — A man is harassing a resident on Sandstone Lane. He's out there leaning on the door bell.
3:08 p.m. — Steven E. Moore, 39, of 37 Highland St., is charged with operating without a valid license.
3:12 p.m. — A dog from Pearl Street's heard on Hickey, barking day and night. Come quick, eh?
7:10 p.m. — Two thieves drop merchandise outside Big Lots after an employee and customer give chase.
8:57 p.m. — Joanna Murphy, 28, of 54B Chamberlain St., is arrested on a bench warrant.
9:53 p.m. — Police respond to a disturbance on Blackwater Road.
Monday, March 18
12:09 a.m. — On Winter Street, two gents beat up a third. A woman who poses the question "How much?" also seems to be involved.
2:01 a.m. — Two teens on Ledgeview Road lurk behind trees and may be trying to break into cars.
3:08 a.m. — Four teens emerge from woods opposite the Route 11 Shell, and then go back in.
8:30 a.m. — A Hansonville Road man seeks help to get his cocker spaniel out from under his porch. It was hurt in a dog fight.
9:13 a.m. — A wallet found at Rochester Crossing gets back to the right person.
10:30 a.m. — Two cell phones and a laptop have been stolen from a Portland Street apartment.
10:46 a.m. — An injured neutered male cat with extra toes, found on Beaudoin Court, is taken to a vet.
11:12 a.m. — A Ten Rod Road resident reports a multiple checks fraud.
11:39 a.m. — Loose dogs bug a fenced dog on Lincoln Street
12:12 p.m. — Joyce Abram, 82, of 134 Piggot Hill Road, Milton, is charged with operating without a valid license.
12:30 p.m. — A beagle is found on Whitehill Road.
4:22 p.m. — A burglary is discovered on Ten Rod Road.
4:49 p.m. — An elderly woman hits a car in the Care Pharmacy lot and takes off. The victim's bumper is scratched.
5:21 p.m. — A debit card is found in the Lilac Mall parking lot. The owner will pick it up.
5:47 p.m. — A North Elderberry Lane home is burgled. Xbox stuff is stolen.
6:47 p.m. — A car driving slowly around Maplewood Avenue arouses suspicion. It is a mom teaching her son to drive stick shift before his test.
7:16 p.m. — Screens at the K. of C. Hall are vandalized.
7:32 p.m. — A bearded man begs for money on Hancock Street. He has to be forced out of someone's vehicle. Police move him along.
8:15 p.m. — A case of beer is snatched from Cumberland Farms on Knight Street.
8:44 p.m. — Someone reports a fraudulent credit card charge of over $1,500, through Lowe's.
10:00 p.m. — A loud bass at Seasons Lane causes shock waves of resentment.
10:44 p.m. — There's partying, banging and stomping on Wakefield Street.
11:17 p.m. — Four fellows with flashlights arouse suspicion on Ledgeview Drive. They are tackling a flat tire.


text:
Staff writer
The sanctuary of Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church was filled and overflowing Tuesday with more than 600 Tabor College students and staff, community members, and coaches and athletes from around central Kansas who came together to weave and be wrapped in a blanket of love and comfort as they paid tribute at memorial service for Tabor student-athlete Brandon Brown.
Brown, a redshirt junior on the football team who transferred to Tabor from Santa Ana (Calif.) Community College, passed away Saturday from injuries he sustained Sept. 16 in an assault in McPherson.
"We don't understand God, we don't understand his ways," said Tabor College President Jules Glanzer. "But he understands us. God understands the pain of losing a son and losing a friend."
Brown's academic adviser, Aleen Ratzlaff, said football was a means to a greater end for Brown.
"In deciding to come to Tabor, his goal was to get his life on track, earn his college degree, and to be the father he needed to be for his two children. Football was going to make that possible."
Smiles and laughter mingled with tears as a slide presentation of Brown with family, friends, and teammates played.
Tabor vice president of enrollment Rusty Allen challenged those assembled to bring meaning to Brown's death.
"What if Brandon's tragedy moves us to following Christ more intentionally so that our world becomes more like God intended it?" Allen asked.
As the service came to a close, people were mostly silent as they walked out of the church. Hugs and conversation gradually picked up as a long line of students headed back to campus. Tabor canceled afternoon classes so students could spend time together.
Above the sizzling of burgers and fries at the snack bar in the student union, the sounds of voices singing along to a ukulele could be heard. Many football players were gathered around, and junior defensive lineman Lepanona Fuimaono was jamming on the uke.
"This is Brandon's favorite song," Fuimaono said, as he started playing Usher's "Nice and Slow."
Fuimaono later explained the music was part of his Samoan heritage.
"We call it jamming sessions back home," Fuimaono said. "Before funerals we will cook and have jamming sessions. It makes us relax and not think about too much."
Three hours later, Fuimaono and more than a dozen players and students were still there, singing, talking, and working on paintings.
"We've got a lot of funny stories, too many funny stories," Fuimaono said.
"He imitates the Star Wars character, what's its name? Yeah, Ewoks," Fuimaono said, laughing at the memory of the 6-foot 3-inch, 280-pound Brown mimicking the miniature creatures.
Junior linebacker Ilai Eteaki and Brown played defense together at Santa Ana before joining the Bluejays this fall.
"As soon as he found out I was coming and the other guys were coming, he wanted to come because he could get a degree and better himself," Eteaki said.
While they are still in shock, the players said the team is motivated by Brown's example and memory.
"More fire, more will to play for him — we want to play hard," Fuimaono said.
"Sometimes people take practice for granted and just want to go out there and get it over with," Eteaki said. "You look at it from Brandon's situation, he really wanted to be here and play. Even when he was fighting for his life it just showed. It makes people appreciate the time you have and just work harder."
The tragedy has led to personal growth as well.
"It makes us more humble, it makes us stronger inside, it makes us a different person. It taught us alot of lessons," Fuimaono said.
"Some people pray when it's bad, when you should pray either way. You should always have your faith in God, good, bad, medium, small, whatever. That's something I learned coming here," Eteaki said.
The show of support for the team has been gratifying and overwhelming, Eteaki said.
"It's nothing like what I would see back home. Here it's random people who don't even know Brandon," Eteaki said. "Back home we would have more support from people who know Brandon, but here it's like none of these people actually knew Brandon, and they still come out to support us. I thought that was pretty cool."


text: This weekend I attended the International Food Bloggers Conference held this year, right here in Portland. It was three days of work (I volunteered), networking, and learning. This post is from a crazy attempt at "live food blogging" during a speed tasting event we did on day 1. By […] Food News & Product Reviews Live Food Blogging at the IFBC Portland 2 comments


text:
Freshies, Northern hospitality, and WG (winter glory) on Lassen Peak (10,400ft)
I woke up at 630am, erectile slightly angry because I had somehow snoozed my alarm at 5:45am and slept an extra 45 minutes. I have developed a special wakeup routine for nights spent in the back of my car in cold weather. First I awkwardly grope for my keys in the center console, dosage with as much of my body still in my sleeping bag as possible. In this same position, cheap I start the car and wait for the warmth to come. 5 minutes later I deftly unzip my seeping bag and get all my clothing on in one fell swoop before the cold can have its way with my bare skin. Then I open one of the back side doors and swivel around in order to get my legs out of the open door. Given that nobody else is around, I automatically unzip my fly and let the evening's urine deposit fall on the ground...ahhhhhh. The next step is preparing the magic liquid...coffee. I walk around to the back of my car and open the hatchback, set up my dual burner stove and pour water into my pot. 5 minutes later I pour 2 cups of the boiling water into my thermos which contains a generous serving of high quality instant coffee (not the supermarket brand), and then pour in some creamer which I dirtbag (take lots of free stuff, usually condiments) from every gas station and/or supermarket I go into along the way (I know Nate will disagree with my definition of gourmet). The coffee gives me energy to cook my gourmet breakfast, which varies, but on this trip consisted of plain instant oatmeal with honey drizzled on top, a banana, funky little yogurts I bought in Canada, a couple handfuls of Gorp, and half a liter of water with vitamin powder. The morning light, dim and colorless, slowly began to drown out the stars as I slipped into my snowboarding boots and inspected my snowboard, which was in splitboard mode for my ascent up Lassen Peak. A man in mountain attire strolled by...the only other person in the parking lot at 7am. "Where you headed?" he asked. "Up," I replied. "Me too," he said. And so it was. We started cross country skiing at 8am, Collin with a telemark setup, me with my splitboard. He moved fast. We skinned (cross country skied with traction skins stuck to the bottom of the skis) through a forest of towering pine trees. The surface of the snow was smooth and gave just enough under our skis for good traction, but not enough to impede travel. About 1.5 miles in, Collin stopped for a break. He asked if I smoked as he removed a giant spliff from his chest pocket. He told me it was grown by Mexican mafia that had been squatting on his family's land. It was mixed with other herbs grown in their greenhouses and very pleasant. I began to take more notice of what looked like a universe of twinkles playing on the surface of the snow. The early morning light threw shadows everywhere and added to an already intensely pristine setting. The wind was nonexistent and the temperature rose sharply with the sun, which was a nice change from the hand chilling 17 degrees that greeted me when I stepped out of my car to pee first thing in the morning.
Our ski tracks were the first of the day, and in fact the first of to be laid in the fresh snow on account of the weather system leaving Northern California only the day before. The same weather system which barraged me and my car on my way north, the same weather system which attempted to cast gloom on my Canadian vacation, but failed miserably. Now that weather system had given up, or perhaps just moved on to flatter land, where high mountains will not threaten to rob it of its precious moisture. Before long we were above tree line and were afforded an incredible view of Chaos Crags, which loom below and to the North of Lassen Peak, still clear of snow due to wind patterns, formed by volcanism less than a century ago. Beyond the immediate subpeaks of Lassen, Mt. Shasta appeared as a dim mass of rock and snow with over 4000 feet of glaciated glory above where the trees stopped. To the west, the trinity Alps dominated the horizon, short in stature but hardly in grandeur...a land best appreciated from within.
Directly above us, the Northwest face of Lassen Peak stood stoically below a fingernail moon and a cerulean sky. Its proximity and my excitement both belied the toil and punishment that awaited any would-be ascender. Its northern slopes held what little snow had escaped the wrath of the wind and were glazed over with plastic ice.
I found this surface to be incredibly hard to zig zag up despite the gripping skins on the bottom of my splitboard, so I strapped the board to my backpack and went straight up the 50 degree face in a direct line, kicking what little of my snowboard boots I could into the surface and putting all my weight on my toes. My calves bore the strain during this final 500 foot push to the top of the skiable snow. Sweat drenched every article of clothing I was wearing, and exhaustion began to rear its ugly head, but my perseverance was fueled by a continuous adrenaline rush. Thanks to my everlasting aerobic conditioning and the mental fortitude gained from enduring through much harder and more desperate mountain situations in the past, I was able to block all the pain from my mind. Instead my senses were tuned to the beauty which spanned to every horizon, and the thought of a downhill run through untouched snow and crisp forest. Collin and I both agreed that the snow above approximately 9500 feet was too thin to enjoy, and he stopped next to a peculiar vent of steam next to some exposed rock, where he built a shelf for the both of us to sit on and relax before we handed over the hard work to gravity.
The initial 400 feet of descent was more than decent, and while Collin turned hard and often as telemarkers do, I lightly rode my back edge over slightly icy crust and only turned about 3 times. We re-entered tree line through a wide and well curved gully. This was the most fun downhill part of the ride, like a half pipe with no lip. Then the terrain flattened out and for the next 15 minutes I cruised through trees until I slowed to a stop on a flat populated with trees that were very well spaced and incredibly tall. Bright green lichen grew all along the bark like a 1 month beard. That was the end of the "fun." For the next 2.5 hours I followed Collin's tracks through cross country terrain, struggling awkwardly to ski downhill with my faux cross country ski setup and one trekking pole because my other one had broken. This was pure punishment, plain and simple. The very forest that had enchanted my morning now succeeded in harassing me in the form of dense trees, icy shade, short visibility, and deep creeked gullies. The surrounding ridgelines prematurely set the sun, and my hopes of making it back to the car before dark became desperate. Panic was suppressed by the comfort of having tracks to follow and the headlight, whose presence I routinely reassured myself of by rolling it around in my pocket. But soon we hit a trail marked by reflective discs nailed to trees, which Collin recognized as a trail that would bring us right back to the car. This comforted me, but my spirit was instantly lifted when I suddenly emerged over a small hill to see the parking lot. Collin invited me to eat dinner and stay with his mother and father who he lives with along with his girlfriend. We arrived at their house no more than 20 minutes later and were immediately treated to an incredible homecooked meal consisting of vegetables from their garden and a fine fish stew. The warm dinner and easy conversation was quite a treat, especially since that morning I had imagined my day ending in my chilly car, drinking harsh coffee and eating canned chili before returning to my sleeping bag for a night of mediocre sleep. Their house is beautifully rustic, and after dinner we headed down to the dry cedar wood sauna which Collin just finished building. There I sweat out the days built up toxins and periodically went outside to cool off under an ice cold outdoor shower fed by the creek which runs through their property. Collin and his family are far from simple people, but they have managed to artfully construct a life of relative simplicity for themselves, grounded in self-subsistence, love and respect for each other and the land, and hospitality unmatched in my travels. That night I slept in their guest room, sore from a day of grueling adventure, tired from a trip of intense emotion, and more content than I had been in a very long time.


text:
Horseshoes dates back to ancient times, when Grecian soldiers, attempting to model Olympic discus throwing, started pitching their horses' discarded shoes. These days, shoes thrown by players are about twice the size of actual horseshoes.
Young or old, you know the game of horseshoes. That unmistakable clank of the shoe wrapping around the stake signaling a ringer defines summer like iced tea or watermelon.
And while you've likely played at family get-togethers or in the park, you might consider setting up a court in your own back yard this summer — especially after you learn all the game has to offer.
"Pitching is a family sport," says longtime pitcher Joe Beneky, of Springfield, Ill. "You have to be a good baseball player to play baseball or basketball player to really enjoy basketball. But with horseshoes, everyone can play, and it really brings the family together."
Horseshoes dates back to ancient times, when Grecian soldiers, attempting to model Olympic discus throwing, started pitching their horses' discarded shoes. These days, shoes thrown by players are about twice the size of actual horseshoes.
"It's not hard to get started," says Austin Bailey, also of Springfield, how is a nationally ranked horseshoe pitcher. "Your 7- or 8-year-old can hold the shoes and play with you. It's good family-friendly competition."
Kits that include the shoes and stakes are available at local retailers, such as Target or Wal-Mart, and range from $20 to $60.
"A lot of people don't even realize they're doing it, but pitching is also really good exercise," Bailey says. "You're walking back and forth down the court almost 20 or 30 times."
An average-sized person typically burns up to 150 calories an hour pitching horseshoes. That factors in the walking but also the constant bending and continuous swing movements that work your back and shoulder muscles.
Instead of plopping down on the couch after dinner to watch the latest rental with the kids, challenge them to a game of horseshoes.
Here's how to get started:
Standard horseshoes weigh 2 pounds, 10 ounces. Stronger-quality brands, such as Ted Allen or Six Pac horseshoes, can be ordered online or by phone.
Beginners start with flip shoes. You grip in the middle and the shoe stays open when it hits the stake. Experienced players use turn shoes, which must be rotated a certain way to stay open on the throw.
The stake — often iron — should rise 14 inches above the ground and should be about 1 inch thick. Install your stakes so they lean toward each other slightly.
You need a barrier around the stakes to protect the grass. Beneky recommends blue clay, which doesn't stick to your hands or shoes. You could also use strips of carpet or sand.
"Put the stake in a piece of wood so it doesn't come loose," he says. "If you just put it in the dirt, it's going to go one way or the other when you toss."
Keep on hand rulers for measuring close shoes and a straight edge for determining points.
How to play horseshoesThe horseshoe court should be 40 feet long with stakes at both ends. Senior citizens and women throw at 30 feet. Juniors pitch at 20. Horseshoes is a two- or four-player game. Either compete against a single opponent or play with another person as a team. At one horseshoe pit, start your backswing. Before your backswing is complete, step forward. Bring your arm forward and release the shoe at an eye-level. Aim for about 3 to 4 inches off the ground. Ringers, where the shoe encircles the stake, earn you three points. If the shoe lands within 6 inches of the stake, you score one point. If you throw one or two ringers and your opponent does the same, your points are canceled out. Shoes that land more than 6 inches from the stake earn zero points. You have 30 seconds to throw your shoe(s). Games typically last until someone earns 40 points. Beginners start around 25.
Sources: National Horseshoe Pitchers Association, local horseshoe pitcher Joe Beneky
On the 'Net:
National Horseshoe Pitchers Association


text:
Contact Us
At Fed Square we are always keen to hear from you.
Please feel free to contact us with general or specific enquiries and we will do everything we can to assist.
We're always happy to receive questions or receive feedback. Please provide your feedback below.
Your message will be forwarded to the relevant person who will provide a response to you as soon as possible. Please note, web queries are addressed during business hours.
By providing your information, you accept the terms of Fed Square Pty Ltd's Privacy Policy.
+ 61 3 9655 1900 (phone during business hours only)
Fed Square Pty Ltd
Federation Square
Corner Swanston & Flinders Streets
Melbourne VIC 3000


text:
The U.S. economy created 168,000 private-sector jobs in December.
But all private-sector jobs are not alike, of course.
One way to examine them is by determining which are the mostly the result of market forces and which are the result of debt-fueled government subsidies.
Alan Tonelson of the U.S. Business and Industry Council:
This morning's jobs report shows that the economy's subsidized private sector (industries like health care services that receive big government subsidies) is back as a major source of new hiring.
If a stronger but sustainable U.S. recovery depends on reinvigorating industries not heavily dependent on government largesse, then this hiring out-performance by the subsidized private sector is a bearish indicator.
As Tonelson figures it, the subsidized private sector created 65,000 net new jobs in December nearly 40% of total private-sector job growth, about the same as throughout the recovery. But is that a lot or a little? Tonelson:
Such subsidized private sector job creation represents major out-performance, since these industries' share of total nonfarm employment was only 15.32 percent in December.
Certainly an interesting way of analyzing the health of the U.S. labor market, particularly the growth of jobs in unproductive, government influenced sectors such as healthcare and education. These numbers made me recall this bit from economist Tyler Cowen on the EconTalk podcast
Consider our economy right now: about 17% of it is health care; about 6% in terms of GDP is education; and with some overlap, 15-20% is what we call government consumption-government activity, not just transfers. At all levels of government, including state and local.
Add those all up, take out the overlap, and it's a pretty big chunk of the economy, like 20-30%. Those are all sectors where there are massive subsidies, massive distortions of incentives, a lot of bad policy; and it's hard to measure value.
This economic recovery has been weak, but is it sustainable even at this low level without more help from debt-strapped Washington? Is it even a recovery if you define one as private-sector led growth?


text:
Klaudia C
Look At Me
Published: 1 year ago
Model: Klaudia C
Producer: Body In Mind
12 Photos
This gallery is a sample courtesy of Body In Mind.
Visit Body In Mind for complete sets, poster-size definition, hotter action and videos!
Did you try my new site?
Same style as HQBabes but harder content!


text:
Many Ohio teachers soon will have access to an online system in which they can quickly analyze students' progress and pick the most appropriate curriculum or lesson plan for them.
Many Ohio teachers soon will have access to an online system in which they can quickly analyze students� progress and pick the most appropriate curriculum or lesson plan for them.
The Ohio Department of Education is teaming up with Massachusetts� education agency to develop the online �instructional improvement system� as part of their federal Race to the Top grants, state officials announced yesterday.
�It has never been more important for educators to use modern technology to give students customized learning options based upon real data about their needs,� said Michael Sawyers, acting superintendent of public instruction. �Creating a statewide instructional-improvement system is truly the beginning of a new era in Ohio education.�
The system will help teachers fine-tune and individualize instruction by providing them with online access to: academic curriculum, standards and lesson plans; quick and easy-to-use tests to determine students� progress and where they need help; data analysis; and a portfolio of all students� work.
The two states hired Atlanta-based Thinkgate, LLC to develop the system, which should be available to teachers in the 2013-14 school year. Ohio�s share of development costs, $138,367, will be paid by the state�s federal Race to the Top grant. About two-thirds of Ohio school districts are participating in the Race to the Top initiatives, and teachers in those districts will have exclusive access to the system for the first two years. After that, it will be available to teachers statewide for an estimated fee of $2.75 to $5 per student.
John Charlton, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education, said the system will be a powerful tool to help teachers improve student performance through very personalized instruction.
Ohio will spend an additional $1.7 million to link its system with ILearnOhio.org, which provides online Advanced-Placement and college-credit courses for high-school students, webinars for students who need remedial assistance, and other resources. ILearnOhio was developed by the Ohio Board of Regents, the Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology, and the Ohio Resource Center.


text:
Assessment Plan Guidelines
Assessment Plan Guidelines for New or Revised Programs
Identify and list the student learning goals for this program.
Example 1: Oral and Written Communication Skills
Example 2: To understand some of the historical traditions in the visual arts and be able to meaningfully relate works of art within those traditions
Articulate multiple measurable student learning objectives (outcomes) for each goal.
Example 1: Students will be able to present economic theory and applications in written form.
Example 2: Students will develop a visual memory capable of identifying and knowing works of art, acquiring knowledge of basic historic data, learn and appropriately use terminology of the field, and comprehend historic continuities.
List and describe the appropriate methods that will be used to assess how well students are meeting the articulated objectives (outcomes).
Example 1: Students must write a paper in Senior Seminar that involves presenting and testing economic theory.
Example 2: Students must successfully complete examinations that include identification of works of art, definition or identification of people, places, things and broadly based essay questions that require relating various aspect of the visual arts and historic period and/or culture. Also the above will be evident in classroom discussion of works of art and theory.
Include a timeline for implementation of the assessment plan. An annual update including assessment results and intended changes based on the results is due to the Office of Accreditation, Assessment and Learning by July 31.
Example 1: Data gathered each semester and analyzed annually.
Example 2: Assessed during Art 35601, 45095


text:
Login | Checkout | My Account | Shopping Cart Now in your cart 0 items
All Other Sea Weeds
What is Irish Moss?
Irish moss, or carrageen moss (Irish: carraigan, little rock), is a species of seaweed which grows abundantly along the rocky parts of the Atlantic coast of Europe and the Americas as well as parts in the Pacific. In its fresh condition the plant is soft and cartilaginous, varying in color from a greenish-yellow, through red, to a dark purple or purplish-brown. The principal constituent of Irish moss is a mucilaginous body, made of the polysaccharide Carragenan of which it contains about 55%; the plant also has nearly 10% of protein and about 15% minerals, specifically rich in iodine and sulfur. Because of the abundant cell wall polysaccharides it will form a jelly when boiled or processed with water expanding from 20 to 100 times of its weight.
Use in the food industry:
Irish moss is used in bulk by the food industry to make jellies or aspic and as a smooth binder. This can go from ice creams, deserts, drinks, savory foods and flans.
Cosmetically used:
Emulsifier in skin creams, gels, shampoos, and as a skin softener. And it nourishes and protects your skin from environmental elements. It is an anti-tissuive, and effective against halitosis, the formation varicose veins.
Irish Moss , when mixed to body lotions, turns your dry, rough, patchy skin into smooth, silky, hydrated, glowing skin . It moisturizes and treats even the most unmanageable skin problems , including eczema, psoriasis, rashes and sunburns . It supports skins natural moisture barrier-keeps harmful, drying external elements out and beneficial moisture in. Helps support healthy skin appearance.
Health Benefits:
Irish Moss contains A,B,C,D vitamins that nourishes the skin In addition to its functional benefits. Raw Irish Moss is an excellent source of minerals. This almost-tasteless seaweed is loaded with life-enhancing nutrients such as sulphur compounds, protein, iodine, bromine, beta-carotene, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, pectin, B-vitamins and vitamin C. Notably absent from a vegetarian diet, sulphur-containing amino acids, such as taurine, are abundant in Irish moss, more so than in any other type of seaweed!
it has been used to treat peptic and duodenal ulcers when used as a gelatinous substance and to inhibit arteriosclerosis. Irish moss is reported to be effective against, cancer and radiation poisoning (possibly because of the iodine content of Irish moss), it protects from obesity and cholesterol build up. Irish moss has a well documented anticoagulant effect on the blood, and clears up many bladder complaints. Irish Moss gives excellent sources of calcium, magnesium, sodium and iodine (essential to normal thyroid function).
It is used to increase the metabolic rate and give strengthen connective tissues, including the hair, skin and nails.
Our Irish Moss bags
Place a handful or all of your Irish Moss into a tall container. Rinse well 3 or 4 times and let soak up to 6 hours in the fridge. Change the water at least twice a day. Check on hidden sand, small stones or other impurities. Don't worry about the fragrance when the sea moss is ready to use, it is practically odorless and tasteless.
If you do not have enough time you may soak the Irish Moss in lukewarm water for a few hours only. However, it will lessen a little of its gelatinous effect and you should use a little more in your recipe. The moss is ready when it has a creamy white color and nearly double size and weight than its dry original state.
According to your recipe blend the Irish Moss and water together until it is well broken down and very creamy. Before adding other ingredients make sure that you blend all chunks of the moss which might kept sticking on the lid and the walls of the blender. Irish Moss will make any liquid fluffy and is a substitute for gelatin and other thickeners such as agar agar, pectin, soy lecithin, tapioca or corn starch.
Dry Irish Moss can stay up to a year in a cool dry place as the salt will preserve it. If you have soaked more Irish Moss than you need you may keep it in the fridge and change the water every day and it will keep fresh up to 3 weeks. You may also blend the Moss with little water until you get a thick creamy consistency and store it in a closed glass jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, this is a nice idea when you frequently use Irish Moss, and you have the paste ready.
Nutritional Information
Serving Sizes: 100 grams or 2 tbsp (1/8 cup)
Total Calories: 49 calories in 100 g
Serving Weight: 100g ≈ 0.220lb ≈ 3.53oz
Caloric Density: 0.49 calories / gram
Calorie Sources: 90% carbohydrates; 8% proteins; 3% fats
Fats: 0.16 g (1 calorie, 0% by weight)
Carbohydrates: 12.29 g (44 calories, 12% by weight)
Proteins: 1.51 g (4 calories, 2% by weight)
Alcohol: ~
Water: 81.34 g (81% by weight)
Fat Composition: 56% polyunsaturated; 33% saturated; 11% monounsaturated
Trans Fat ~
Dietary Fiber 1.30 g (1% by weight)
Cholesterol: ~
Caffeine: ~
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.


text:
I was out one evening with a fabulous and worldly uncle. I said something which must have seemed charmingly (I hope!) naïve and dewy-eyed because he turned to me and said, "Oh my god! You are even worse than a hopeless romantic…you're a hopeful romantic!"
A hopeful romantic? I guess I could do worse…
I suppose it was the hopeful romantic in me that stopped by the plant vendor's stall at the market to look at the little herb pots. I suppose it was that same hopeful romantic that led me to this little one and to inquire about her with the amiable purveyor. Perhaps it was this hopeful romantic that stubbornly believed I could make things grow in my apartment where I have nary a plant box, much less a balcony, much less a garden…where I can't even open the windows because of the dust. And I'm sure it was this same hopeful romantic who went ahead and purchased the plant when she heard it was lemon thyme (lemon thyme!) and blithely "forgot" the fact that a thyme plant had suffered tragic death in our flat.
But isn't she lovely? And she smells wonderful!
Lemon Thyme (thymus citriodorus) is a hybrid thyme that has a gorgeous lemony scent and, I'm assuming, flavor (I haven't tried it yet!). I think it would get on great with fish and chicken, and just about anything you can imagine both lemon and thyme in. It looks like regular thyme but the leaves are edged with a light yellow border. Like regular thyme, it thrives best in full sun, so I have positioned it on a stool by the window, with the blinds angled to beam the sunshine on it.
Lemon thyme also has many medicinal benefits. Some of these are: anti-ageing properties, relieving muscle spasms, aiding the immune system, easing digestion, relieving asthma, and promoting relaxation.
You can find out more about lemon thyme here and here.
If anyone has any tips for caring for this plant your suggestions are exceedingly welcome!
So let's see…looks pretty, smells good, most likely tastes good, and it's good for me! Plus I now have an entry for Weekend Herb Blogging*** that actually involves my own herb…which I incidentally bought during the weekend. Now if only it lives long enough for me to be able to harvest a few sprigs, then I'll have a recipe (or two, or three) to go with it. Here's hoping!!! :)
***Weekend Herb Blogging is an event created by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and she is hosting this week's round as well :)


text:
thomasgwillis indiewebcamp.com is where all the info is, all the conversation happens in #indiewebcamp on freenode. Hope to see you there :)
thomasgwillis indiewebcamp.com is where all the info is, all the conversation happens in #indiewebcamp on freenode. Hope to see you there :)
Attempt to climb Esya thwarted by bad weather, closed bus station and confusingly numbered buses. Went for a 4 hour walk along the coast, which ended in a tasty kebab accident. Now reading Tufte at the office.
Laurent Eschenauer any chance you could add class=h-card to your great #indieweb at-name autolinking so microformat entity expansion works?
Turns out the #microformats 2 JSON structures enable safe entity expansion just like twitter entities.
In my reply contexts I am not wanting to embed 3rd party HTML in my site, so I take the p-summary and strip tags. But, I want embedded h-cards to be expanded just like at-mentions on twitter. Pseudocode:
let h-card = canonical JSON structure for a note, with .summary as a plaintext representation of the content;
for item in h-card.children:
if not in_array('h-card', item.type) continue;
let html = HTML representation of the child from properties.url, name, etc;
replace item.value in h-card.summary with html
Example here.
Aaron Parecki testing reply context microformat entity expansion, please ignore :)
Nick Charlton aw, I was hoping it would be called "How To Build AWESOME FLYING ROBOTS" ;)
sophiedennis nice one, it looked like great fun :)
Laurent Eschenauer force of habit — I've been syndicating my twitter replies for months now, it's hard to get out of the flow :)
Laurent Eschenauer upvoted :)
Aaron Parecki just testing reply contexts, please ignore this note :)
Ben Werdmuller I shouldn't worry about it, that trend doesn't scale either way — "Top 10 under 10!" "Top 4 under 4!" "Top 1 under 1!" "Top 1000 under 1000!"
#TIL the smiley is owned by a company :( :S :/
sandeepshetty pingback, but Aaron Parecki is sending/accepting webmention (also built a webmention -> pingback proxy) and the rest of us are working on it. General consensus is that it's way easier than pingback :)
I love it when there's lots of snow on the ground. It enables us to see in (blurry) 4D.
And I get to draw googly eyes on all the bins.
8474 #steps today
Miyazaki says, "Our job as animators is not only to draw scenes. We must find the minimum necessary and important lines for the specific movement in a given action. The techniques of animation drawing are not the same as those of painting a still picture. Animation is a consequence of the audience's perception of movement created by sequential drawings. For this reason, each drawing in the sequence -- especially the lines -- should not be drawn too detailed; rather, they should be drawn less [detailed] and create an instant pause in the sequential movement." (source)
Sounds a lot like UI design to me.
If you want to generate real PDFs from HTML (i.e. with page breaks and real text, not just vast screenshots inside a PDF) then wkpdf is the way to go. Super fast, installs easily, great output.
Historically, I consider this thread to be the #indieweb equivalent of this tweet.
Another quick pingback sanity check test:
Laurent Eschenauer great work getting #indieweb comments working :)


text:
January 2004
Microbial forensic data must hold up to the scrutiny of scientists as well as judges and juries. Source: Microsoft Images.
Editor's Note: This article is comprised of excerpts from a comprehensive, original paper on microbial forensics by Abigail A. Salyers. The paper is also provided on this website as a supplement to this article.
What is microbial forensics?
You have probably heard of commonly used forensic methods such as the analysis of striations on bullets to identify the gun used to commit a crime. But what if a microbe is the weapon of choice, as can occur if a bioterrorist comes to town? Microbes as weapons is not a new topic. There have been reported cases, for example of HIV-infected people intentionally infecting others.
Moreover, microbes can be involved in cases of medical negligence in which a surgeon or nurse causes a patient to contract a post-surgical or other hospital-acquired infection due to inadequate hygiene. There is currently a lawsuit making its way through the Scottish courts against a hospital alleging that inadequate hygiene resulted in the death of a patient.1 It is also conceivable that outbreaks of foodborne disease could spawn lawsuits alleging either negligence or intentional contamination. Tracing the infecting microbe to the company and person(s) of origin will be critical in such cases.
Microbial forensics is the term that is applied to this new type of forensic analysis. Molecular techniques have been used for years to trace outbreaks of microbial diseases, a practice called molecular epidemiology. In fact, there are currently surveillance systems that store and make available DNA fingerprints for microbes that are likely to be involved in hospital-acquired infections and foodborne infections (e.g., PulseNet of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control [CDC], a surveillance system for tracking infections such as Salmonella).2 Although these surveillance systems are still only a few years old, they are rapidly growing in sophistication.
What distinguishes microbial forensics from molecular epidemiology is that microbial forensic data must hold up not only to the scrutiny of scientists in the health care community, but also to the scrutiny of judges and juries. Nonetheless, work done to date on microbial epidemiology will provide an invaluable starting point for the additional work that needs to be done to make microbial forensics ready for its day in court.
The bioterrorism connection
A good example of the problems that need to be solved is provided by the response to the anthrax attack of 2001, in which spores of the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, the cause of anthrax, were disseminated via the mail.3 The effects of this crime extended far beyond the deaths of the 5 people who died of inhalation anthrax.
If a suspect is ever arrested and charged with perpetrating the anthrax attack, spores will be an important part of the physical evidence.
- Prosecutors will have to prove that spores isolated from the suspect's home or laboratory are in fact THE spores, the ones introduced into the envelopes and mailed.
- The problem with making such a case is that spores of B. anthracis are found widely in soil, especially farm soil in the southern U.S. So the prosecution will have to prove that any spores submitted as evidence were the spores used in the attack and not simply spores that had been tracked into a house or laboratory from a nearby field.
The problem
Proving the assertion that the spores introduced as evidence were the ones used to contaminate the envelopes used in the anthrax bioattack may not be as easy as a laboratory scientist, who is familiar with DNA-based molecular epidemiology methods, might think.
- Spores of different strains of B. anthracis and of the vegetative (actively dividing) form of the bacteria, unlike diatoms, look very much alike.
- In fact, different strains of B. anthracis are also very similar to each other at the genome sequence level.
- Given that the error rate for DNA sequencing is not zero, proving that a particular isolate of B. anthracis is the same as the strain used in the bioattack may prove to be difficult.
So, if the assertion to be proven is that the spores found in the home or laboratory of a suspect are the same as those mailed in the envelopes, questions about the meaning of slight variations in test results will have to be answered.
The beginning of a solution — the scientific community responds
The response of the scientific community to the challenge of the hoped-for anthrax court cases provides a good illustration of how scientists proceed in such cases.
- One thing was very clear from the outset — that too little attention had been paid previously to microbial forensics.
- This realization caused scientists to start back at the very beginning, by meeting to identify what information is available, what research remains to be done, and how to proceed as expeditiously as possible.
- Paul Keim, a leader in the early development of DNA-based methods for identifying individual strains of B. anthracis, set the process in action when he approached the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) about convening a meeting of experts to consider the subject.4
The American Academy of Microbiology is an organization that has a long history of assembling small groups of experts and challenging them to define the future needs for work in a new area of microbiology and was thus the obvious organization to spearhead such an effort. A group of 35 scientists with expertise that might be able to help answer the question of what needs to be done to validate tests that could be put to forensic use was identified by the AAM and met in June 7-9, 2002, in a bucolic setting in Burlington, Vermont. The author of this article was one of the attendees.
For the first time in the history of these AAM-organized meetings, three scientists from the FBI were included. The FBI scientists, all of whom had had direct involvement in investigation of the anthrax case, helped provide the occasional reality check, as other scientists not familiar with work in the field grappled with the question of how to establish standards for evidence collection and for analysis and interpretation of the plethora of new molecular tests, more of which are being published every month. The anthrax attack was not the only example of the possible use of microbial forensics considered by the group of AAM experts. Other examples included intentional contamination of others by HIV-positive individuals and outbreaks of hospital-acquired or foodborne disease. Understandably, however, the anthrax bioattack dominated the discussion.
"Microbial Forensics: A Scientific Assessment," the report of the conclusions reached by this group of experts, has now been published by the American Academy of Microbiology.5 (See "article references" at the end of this article for information on how to obtain a copy of this report.)
Identification of key challenges and recommendations for finding solutions
Challenge #1: Collecting specimens at the attack site
The first challenge is proper collection of evidence at a site where the release of an infectious microbe is suspected.
Challenge #2: Recognizing that an attack is occurring and diagnosing the disease
In the case of the anthrax bioattack, the agent responsible was identified almost immediately. In other cases of intentional disease transmission, the identity of the microbe being used in the attack may not be apparent so quickly. This is where physicians and other health care workers come in. The physicians are the ones who will recognize, diagnose and treat infected patients.
Challenge #3: Analysis of specimens
The next challenge is the analysis of the specimens collected by first responders and by microbiologists subsequently sent to the site.
Challenge #4: Validation — quality assurance and control
The next challenge is, in some ways, the most formidable one, rigorously validating each analytical method by establishing its limitations, its sensitivity, and its reliability. Also important is the robustness of a method — the assurance that the method can be used successfully in many different laboratories and field conditions, always giving the same results. The credibility of analytical results relies absolutely on proof that the analytical procedure has been thoroughly vetted by experts.
Is all this effort worth the cost?
You do not have to be an expert to realize that the research described in the forgoing material will cost a lot of money. Not only will it be expensive to solve these problems for B. anthracis but also, if full preparedness is the goal, it will be necessary to go through the same process for other agents that might be used in a bioterror attack. What is the taxpayer getting for this large expenditure of money, especially if no further attacks occur?
- One possible benefit is that having a well-prepared response plan in place might deter at least some potential terrorists.
- Perhaps the main benefit, however, is that much of the outcome would also be applicable to tracing natural outbreaks of disease.
- Also, there have been cases in which infected people have intentionally infected others and such cases may well end up in court.
True, specific tests for B. anthracis or Variola (the smallpox virus) would not themselves be of much use, but the development of procedures for reliable collection and storing of microbial specimens and for QA/QC (quality assurance/control) of new molecular tests for identifying and tracking a disease outbreak could be very beneficial in many different infectious disease situations. If, for example, there was a sudden cluster of cases of a disease like Ebola, having a plan for a rapid and effective response could quickly limit the spread of the disease.
Communicating research results
Application of research done on responses to bioattacks to natural disease outbreaks is not a guaranteed benefit, however. Scientists who work in the areas of epidemiology and diagnosis of infectious diseases have always had a tradition of free communication with each other through speeches at open meetings and publication of papers in widely disseminated journals. By contrast, the scientists and politicians who have controlled much of the research on bioterrorism and biodefence have become accustomed to a security system that controls information flow and classifies much of the information obtained.
If those who are responsible for protecting the public against bioattacks insist on keeping most of their discoveries out of the public domain, the public will not be well served. The free communication of scientific findings, free of government censorship, has been proven to be an essential precondition for scientific progress. Also, if an analytical method, for example, is going to be useful in gathering evidence that may be used in court, it must be made available to law enforcement personnel and to lawyers and juries. That is, it will have to become public information.
For these reasons, many scientists are concerned that classifying information about analytical methods will severely limit its use in disease situations that are not bioattacks. There is currently a debate underway about what types of microbiology research results should be published freely. Leading scientific societies such as the American Society for Microbiology and the National Academies of Science have come out in support of free publication of any scientific results that have not been classified, but not all people, especially politicians, agree with this stance.
Editor's Note: This article is comprised of excerpts from a comprehensive, original paper on microbial forensics by Abigail A. Salyers. The paper is also provided on this Web site as a supplement to this article.
© 2009, American Institute of Biological Sciences. Educators have permission to reprint articles for classroom use; other users, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com for reprint permission. See reprint policy.


text:
The status of biological instruction, especially in the high schools, disturbs Woese. "Biology is poorly taught in general at the high school level," he says, referring to the polarization of evolution by the scientifically heterodox. "Scientifically, the matter is simple. The essence of biology is evolution, and biology should be taught from an evolutionary perspective. Yet, although evolution is covered to some extent in high school biology courses, it bears the scarlet letter and is taught in a guarded fashion, embalmed in caveats. The reason for this is obvious, as are the pressures on textbook publishers."
Woese removes himself from the "politically cathected" evolution vs. creationism issue. "I like my science pure. I don't see any fundamental contradiction between science in the big view and religion in the big view."
Woese believes biology itself has ironically locked arms with the creationists in putting negative pressure on biologic instruction. "It comes from within the core of biology itself," he says. "Biology today is structured about the molecular paradigm. Molecular biology, which derives from classical physics doesn't see evolution as basic, that it's an almost trivial collection of 'historical accidents'.
"I am not at peace with the state of biology today," he says. "It is in a revolutionary mode, and the revolution needs some guidance of the kind it is not receiving. The way we teach biology is not right. Evolution should be the centerpiece."
I mean, its appeaserery, but its fine. So why the weird switch? Maybe someone else has, erm, 'Flew' over the cuckoos nest? Or maybe Brandon Keim didnt report, ah, accurately?
In any case, you all really should read the rest of the article the above quote came from. Its a lesson in how paradigm shifts in biology really occur (PARADIGM!!!!). Woes had an idea. He was shunned for his idea. He didnt found a 'think tank.' He didnt push to get his ideas in high school textbooks. He didnt go on country-wide-church speaking tours telling radical Christians that microbiologists were Nazis who hate Jesus.
He kept doing research anyway, building evidence to support his claims.
Scientists are slaves to data. We must go where the evidence leads us. And Woeses data smacked biologists over the head: Archaea are real*.
* Archaea have their own viruses too, but thats a whole nother story :P


text:
GENEVA – After 23 years as a judge in Kane County, F. Keith Brown is ready to step down from the bench.
"It's time for some new challenges," the 57-year-old said.
Although Brown's retirement from his circuit judge post with the 16th Judicial Circuit is effective Saturday, he expects his last official duties as judge will be completed today.
By Monday morning, he had two meetings and one decision left – as well as the task of cleaning out his office in Courtroom 340 in the Kane County Courthouse.
The downtown Geneva courtroom – which he first toured as a sixth-grader – was the site of such milestones as his swearing-in ceremony and his first jury trial as a judge – a case involving a Class X felony, Brown said.
Like the other judges of Courtroom 340 before him, Brown has left his mark on the bench: His name is etched in the drawer for the two blocks of time he served in the courtroom.
"I always thought that was kind of cool," he said.
Brown's judicial career started in July 1991 with an appointment to associate judge, which he served as the presiding judge of the traffic and family divisions. He also presided over such matters as DUI, mental health, small claims, juveniles, paternity, domestic violence and child support matters.
He was elected as a circuit judge in 1996.
Brown said he likely will be remembered most as chief judge, a title he held from 2008 to 2012. His accomplishments during that time include establishing the Kane County Branch Court in St. Charles, starting the process of upgrading the court case management system and, he said, creating ways to get more probation fees paid.
Brown is leaving with plans to stay involved with the county's Judicial/Public Safety Strategic Planning and Technology Commission – which he chairs – and, he said, the regret of leaving Kane County without an African-American judge.
Brown, an African-American, said that when he was a practicing lawyer, he represented a client who didn't feel he was getting a trial before his peers. The jury members, prosecutors, bailiffs and all but one security member were white, he said.
"Minorities were appearing in court but had no other role," Brown said.
Brown was the first African-American judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit, he said. He said he aimed to bring greater diversity to the bench, which includes women and Hispanics.
Brown's final days as judge have included a retirement reception, as well as drop-ins by fellow judges.
"It's been an emotional week for me," he said.
But, he said, he has accomplished about everything he wanted to accomplish as a judge, has maxed out his pension and doesn't want to be defined just as a judge.
He is looking forward to doing mediation and arbitration work for Chicago-based ADR Systems; traveling; pursuing philanthropic work; and spending time with his two grandchildren, he said.
Brown's retirement could lead to one fewer judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit because of a provision in the law that limited the 16th Circuit to Kane County and moved Kendall and DeKalb to the 23rd Judicial Circuit, Kane County Court Administrator Doug Naughton said. He said the law states that the first resident circuit judge in Kane County to retire would result in the transfer of that position to the 23rd Judicial Circuit.
Chief Judge Judith Brawka intends to ask the Illinois Supreme Court to authorize a new associate judge, Naughton said.


text:
Huelskamp announces staff office hours
Congressman Tim Heulskamp's staff routinely hosts office hours in locations across the First District.
During these hours, a staff representative will be available to listen to constituent concerns and offer assistance to those trying to navigate bureaucratic red tape. Constituents seeking assistance are encouraged to bring any relevant documentation.
A Heulskamp staff member will be in Marion from 11 a.m. to noon May 15 in the commissioner's room in the courthouse.
For more information, or to schedule an individual appointment with a staff member, contact Heulskamp's Dodge City office at (620) 225-0712.


text:
Bull market bear market
Bull market bear market nonsense
Each point on this chart represents a month's worth of data; the worst one day crash (black Monday) is just an insignificant blip on this long-term chart, clearly proving that until Fiat money is eliminated that stock market crashes from a long-term perspective represent buying opportunities.
The stronger the deviation, the better the opportunity; markets always revert to the mean. No matter how much one might be tempted to disagree, the above charts state otherwise.
There are two main underlying themes behind every single market crash; a euphoric crowd and an extremely overbought market. Both elements were missing this time around, clearly highlighting that something else is at play here, and it smells dangerously akin to market manipulation. Market manipulation via weaponized news?
From a long-term perspective, this sharp pullback is creating another once in a lifetime buying opportunity event. The crash of 2008 was one of the most painful in recent history and yet despite this vicious pullback; the Dow is still trading well over 200% above its 2009 lows.
Another myth that is peddled over and over again is the issue of how long it takes a market to recoup it has lost gains. Our response is who cares? What matters is the stocks you are buying and not a particular market index. A vast number of stocks had already tacked on gains of several hundred percentage points before the Dow traded above its 2008 highs. The same is going to happen this time around. Strong companies will recoup their gains 2X to 3X faster than the broader markets, so when the Dow trades past 27K, some of these stocks will be showing gains in excess of 100%


text:
2049 W Dickens Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60647
Logan Square
Logan Square proves that it is hip to be square after all. The Northwest Side neighborhood, named one of the coolest in the country, attracts residents with its artistic bohemian vibe, park-like boulevards and thriving dining scene. The Logan Square…Learn More
School Assignment Data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics
View More Area Schools
CTA Rail
at Western (0.46 miles away)
Union Pacific North, Union Pacific Northwest, Milwaukee District North, North Central Service, Milwaukee District West, Union Pacific West
at Clybourn Metra (0.61 miles away), Clybourn, Western Ave Metra, Western and others


text:
Management studies in South America- Eligibility and admission procedure
After the states of South America attained their independence, they needed to adapt their education sectors to the new political, economic and social circumstances. Despite extensive reform efforts at the beginning of the 1990s, the education systems are still unable to provide children and young people with an education of adequate standard.With some locally specific variations, all five states in the region share a number of challenges, such as the low standard of school infrastructure and a lack of practical pre-service and in-service training for teachers. Curricula that are overly theoretical in nature allow hardly any scope for pupils to develop their own personal interests, and there is a lack of career guidance. The education ministries are not yet able to achieve the targets set out in the different national education strategies.
Application Requirements
- Academic Records.
- 3 A-levels.
- The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.
- At least 4 'Group A' Advanced Placement subjects.
- A University Of London International Programmes qalification.
- A foundation programme.
- A year of university study from another institution.
- Applicants to whom university make an offer on the basis of an undergraduate degree are normally expected to obtain a B+ or the equivalent overall, but higher marks in specific subjects may also be necessary.
Standardized Test
- Cambridge CPE
- Cambridge CAE
Work History
A number of professional and vocational courses require relevant work experience. For instance, many MBAs or master's courses in information studies require at least a couple of years' work experience.A detailed Resume is an important part of your application. It should include all information of professional work experience along with the details like positions held, achievements and range of work.
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of reference or recommendation letters play a very important part in your admission especially in courses that earn you a master's or doctoral degree. A recommendation letter is a signed statement from a person who knows you well professionally or has taught you in a subject that is related to the course you are applying to. It should list your positive and negative qualities, strengths and other such information.The author or teacher must indicate his position, how long he/she has known the applicant and in what capacity. He/she should briefly discuss the need, importance and usefulness of the study the applicant proposes to undertake. Authors are usually asked to rank applicants in their letters of recommendation, which helps admission officers to interpret the academic credentials of foreign students. Students should obtain letters of recommendation (often on the prescribed forms sent by the institutions) from teachers who know them as a person as well as a student. You may like to request your author to give concrete examples that may show your qualities and help your case.Many universities have their own format and questions that have to be answered by the person who is giving the letter of recommendation on your behalf. Letters, which do not give enough information, can jeopardize a candidate's chances of selection.
Statement of Purpose (SOP)
The personal essays, and/or statement of purpose, also play a very important role in the process of evaluating your application for both admission as well as financial aid because it gives the faculty assessing your application their most significant impression of you as an individual.A personal statement should include reasons for choosing this particular course, your area of interest, the suitability of your education and experiential background for this course and your personal and present future goals.
Research Proposal (for research programmes only)
In addition to the above requirements, students applying for a postgraduate research program must also submit the following documents:
- Detailed research proposal
- Abstracts
- Research publications etc.The admission committed may also require special recommendation letters from professors of the academic institution where you last studied.A number of professional and vocational courses require relevant work experience. For instance, many MBAs or master's courses in information studies require at least a couple of years' work experience. Most Uzbekistan universities are pretty strict about this.A detailed Résumé is an important part of your application. It should include all information of professional work experience along with the details like positions held, achievements and range of work.
Posted By
GSP Admin


text:
In today's competitive business environment, we're all looking for ways to increase savings, improve quality and increase customer satisfaction. The logistics behind your freight transportation can impact these goals significantly.
That's why you want to work with a logistics services provider that has strong, reliable resources. Resources that can deliver your freight on time, intact, at competitive prices, while keeping you informed along the way.
Volume-leveraged economies of scale, backed by technology and responsive support for:
For NEW Customers -
We appreciate the opportunity to move your next shipment.
Get a quote today!
With locations coast-to-coast, there is one conveniently located near you.
Find a location near you!
For more information, call or email us today. Contact DLS Worldwide
You can view our rates below. Please contact us for login information.
Published Tariff
forgot password?
save my account log in
Watch the Logistics Advantage Video and see why you can rely on RRD Logistics.
Watch Now
We'd like to share our corporate news, marketing collateral and other information with you.
Learn More
Feel confident in knowing that however RRD helps you achieve your goals, you have the support of a company with the most experience in the market today.


text:
2 Night Transatlantic Cruise
The most exciting and glamorous way to cross the Atlantic is by cruise ship! Days at sea may be spent taking advantage of the many onboard activities available on today's modern ships. Whether you want to catch a movie, catch some rays or catch up on some reading you can do as much or as little as you choose.
Note: Cruise itineraries are subject to change.
Please verify ports and times with the cruise line directly.
© 2019. The Cruise Guy®
and The Leisure Pros(sm) are registered marks or servicemarks of


text:
The capital markets environment remained strong overall, but less dynamic than the cyclical high reached in 2016. Record-low unemployment rates and healthy property fundamentals make Los Angeles a particularly attractive market for investors. Capitalflows, however, shifted to secondary and tertiary markets as investors explored alternative sectors and regions for higher yields. Overall, volume eased slightly and pricing stabilized.
Tight pricing and limited availability of investable stock dampened total acquisitions activity but it remained elevated compared with long-run averages. In H1 2017, investment reached $13.0 billion, a year-over-year decline of 12.9%, but on par with 2014 and 2015 levels. Individual asset sales, the best indicator for investment momentum, declined by only 2.5% year over year. Los Angeles ended H1 2017 as the largest market in the nation by total volume, surpassing Manhattan, the perennial leader.
Cross-border buyers actively invested in Los Angeles real estate and represented 14.0% of total acquisitions in H1 2017. Canada became the largest foreign investor in Los Angeles, accounting for over half of international capital. Qatar, China and Germany were also large sources of capital.
After gradual cap rate compression since 2010, local cap rates largely stabilized in H1 2017, with prices holding relatively firm. Industrial was the only sector in Los Angeles with tightening cap rates, while the office and multifamily sectors remained unchanged and retail and hotel cap rates increased. The outlook for cap rates and returns on cost in the second half of 2017 is for continued stable pricing. If rates do change in H2 2017, a modest increase is likely.


text:
Matt Hageman of Dixon, Ill., fired a final round of 6-under-par 66 to claim the top spot on the leaderboard at the Medicus Preseason Junior in the Chicago Southland Sunday. His tournament total of 4-under-par 140 was good for a one-shot margin over Josh Clay of Canton, Ohio.
Beginning the day five shots behind the leader, Hageman recorded five birdies over his first seven holes to make the turn with the lead after opening with a5-under-par 31on the front side.
Hageman is one of several Junior Players working with Chuck Evans and Tracy Lehnecker at the Medicus Golf Institute Player Development Program based in Destin Fl.
"Coming into the round, I knew I wasn't going to hand the tournament over," Hageman said. "If I lost, I didn't want it to be easy for the other guys. I was actually a little ticked at myself after the front nine because I missed two birdies inside 12 feet, but I just kept pushing."
Hageman's only bogey of the day came after a wayward drive on No. 14. He rebounded with a birdie on the par-5 15th to build a one-shot advantage coming down the stretch. After Clay's approach nearly found the cup from under a tree and rolled to less than a foot for birdie on No. 17, Hageman had to work to stay focused.
"The No. 1 rule is to always expect anything, but I didn't expect that," Hageman said. "The nerves really kicked in and I had to back off a few times. But I was able to calm myself down and stuffed one right in there next to his."
Carrying a one-shot lead into the final hole, Hageman made a crucial up-and-down for the first victory of his AJGA career. The weekend was both eventful and memorable for the 17-year-old.
"After the first round, I hopped in the car and we drove two hours home to make it to my prom," Hageman said. "I was up at 4:30 in the morning to get back for today's round. But I had my first prom and now my first AJGA win. It could be the best weekend ever."
Clay carded a final round of even-par 72 to finish second with a tournament total of 3-under-par 141. Tyler Klava of Pace, Fla., recorded a two-day total of 2-under-par 142 to finish third. Brett Patterson of McMinnville, Tenn., finished fourth at 1-over-par 145 and Brenten Blakeman of Burr Ridge, Ill., rounded out the top-five with a total of 3-over-par 147.
Medicus Golf and The Medicus Golf Institute are dedicated to enabling all golfers to "Live Their Vision" in reaching their potential. By expanding its corporate vision, mission, products and services, Medicus Golf will enable golfers to learn and grow — both as a person and as a player — in a series of new and exciting developmental formats.
Medicus Golf enters its third year of sponsorship of the AJGA by supporting the Medicus Preseason Series. The Medicus Learning System, a comprehensive series of golf training aids, is dedicated to assisting golfers of all ages.
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA, the largest Association of its kind, has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and 30 foreign countries.
Titleist, the AJGA's National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association's success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA's second Premier Partner.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. More than 160 former AJGA juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Cristie Kerr, Pat Hurst, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Julieta Granada.
For more information on the Medicus Preseason Junior in the Chicago Southland, please call AJGA National Headquarters at (770) 868-4200 or visit the AJGA Web site, ajga.org.


text:
Monday, December 07, 2009
At myself.
At society.
At the universe.
So I go all innocently into the bookstore to pick up a DVD to watch this Sunday afternoon. There standing listening to a CD with earphones on is a guy. Not just any guy but a guy with (I don't know what the right terminology is ...) severe facial 'differences'. Really, really severe. I work with people who have differences, I am a person with differences, and of course 'every single person is different in their own way' (yada yada yada). So for me to say DIFFERENCE, that's what I mean here.
And my first response. No, not repulsion - though I saw that on the faces of others around me. No, not revulsion - although I saw that on the faces of even more. No, I felt fear.
Freaking. Fracking. Fear.
And it pissed me off. I know the source of the fear. Growing up with fairy tale monsters all ugly and deviant. Growing into movies and television where ugly is sin and evil and loathsome. Being spoon fed a fear of a fellow human being. Being force fed a terror of another living breathing person. Not being strong enough to see these messages as propaganda, not being able enough to thwart their intention, no, me - who bangs on and on about difference and tolerance and all that other stuff that I thought I believed in - I felt an immediate and irrational fear of a guy listening to a CD.
I didn't hear the exchange between him and the clerk as he left. But it was friendly in tone. The guy with a different face smiled a different smile - which only emphasized the difference.
And then he was gone.
No carnage was left behind.
No half devoured children bloodied the floor.
No all he left behind was a roomful of people who didn't deserve his presence.
14 comments:
- rickismom said...
a powerful post.
- 7 December 2009 at 01:27
- Shan said...
Good, you're lucky - most people go through their whole lives not acknowledging their own feet of clay.
- 7 December 2009 at 03:05
- OhWheely . . said...
How brilliant that the guy doesn't let the reactions of the people around him prevent him from venturing out. Someone did a good job of instilling in him a self-worth that over rides all that prejudice.
Yay for him.
- 7 December 2009 at 05:00
what does LAMTBB mean?
- 7 December 2009 at 12:45
Hi Dave, glad that even someone as highly evolved as you are still has room for self-knowledge and growth.
By the way, I've started reading your blog on my mobile a lot - I never miss a post but because it's not a fancy iphone or blackberry or anything I have trouble posting comments. This may be true for other fans as well, so don't worry if you have fewer comments now and then, we're definitely still reading!
- 7 December 2009 at 12:50
- Kate said...
Hmm. Yes, we are still human after all, aren't we? The fact that you acknowledged it, means everything.
- 7 December 2009 at 16:30
- Dave Hingsburger said...
Look At Me The Big Bigot
- 7 December 2009 at 18:41
my first thought was something like welcome to the human race my friend. It is almost as if we are biologically programmed to fear difference. The hard part is challenging ourselves - that is how we bring about change.
- 7 December 2009 at 19:51
- Moose said...
I have a firm belief (ok, I have a lot of them) that we all think stupid things from time to time. We are all, at our core, bigots of some kind or another. Whether we're raised to believe something we later discover isn't so, or we've had a bad experience with someone who slipped something biased into the recesses of our mind, or whatever the cause, we all sometimes think "wrong" thoughts.
I also believe that what's important isn't having the thoughts as much as what you do with them.
So, yeah, you thought something biased. But you realized it was biased. I don't think you should spend time kicking yourself over it. Learn and move along.
In my unhumble opinion.
[And speaking of bad thoughts: my captcha word is: DROOL.]
- 7 December 2009 at 21:07
- Kristin said...
Even the best of us occasionally trip over our feet of clay. Don't beat yourself up too much over this. Just learn from it.
- 7 December 2009 at 22:12
- Bibliotekaren said...
ditto what Moose said better than I would have said it...
- 7 December 2009 at 22:16
Dave, *what Moose said*
I catch myself having ingrained, bigoted reactions all to often. I, too, should know better due to my own experience, but...
Again, as Moose said, it's what we do with it.
- 7 December 2009 at 22:26
- enablescotland said...
We've all done it Dave. The difference is, I hope, that we go away and think about it that night and try to make sure we don't do it again.
- 8 December 2009 at 09:18
I think we're all uncomfortable around things that we haven't been exposed to before - especially in this society where obsessive pursuit of an unattainable perfect is expected.
The first time I meet someone who has a difference that I haven't "experienced" before (ie/ via personally, family, friend, or person I support...)I feel nervous. For myself, it's a worry of acting ingenuine, or saying or doing something unintentionally that may hurt feelings. It's an exposure thing I suppose. Once you get your head around the, "we're all us" sentiment and realise your reactions are due to your own internal experiences and nothing to do with the individual - things click into place. I relate to what you are saying. Especially for people in the field who strive extra hard to "have the answers", and educate others... it stings more when you realize your own insecurities.
"Shameless: The Art of Disability" - you may enjoy that one Dave! David Roche (a humourist, speaker, educator, and person with a disfigurement) is one of the five people featured in an all round fantastic documentary by Bonnie Klein.
- 8 December 2009 at 12:39


text:
1. Change Management form display issueSaroj Sahu Apr 2, 2012 5:55 AM (in response to Mussie Zemikael)
It looks like you did not rearraange or set the various panel attributes on the CHG form properly. The CHg form fields are organised into a number of panels and panel holders and the size attributes need to be set properly.
2. Change Management form display issueMussie Zemikael Apr 2, 2012 6:40 AM (in response to Saroj Sahu)
Hi Saroj,
Thanks for the response, that is what I initially thought as well. But I did the change again, just removing some fields and adding others without changing any other field but still I am getting that blank banner on the top.
3. Change Management form display issueSaroj Sahu Apr 2, 2012 12:07 PM (in response to Mussie Zemikael)1 of 1 people found this helpful
I think in the process of adding new fields you have increased the height of the panels that contain the data fields. So you have to adjust the minimum width of the containing panels / panel holders according to your new size. As a pointer you may need to set this proprty for the panel holder "z2PLH_ConsoleFlashBoards" and the panels inside it. It is not possible for me to give all details on this forum. However I believe adjusting the height/width, minimum height/width attributes of these panels should resolve your issue.
4. Change Management form display issueMussie Zemikael Apr 2, 2012 11:33 PM (in response to Saroj Sahu)
Thanks Saroj, I will give this a go and let you know.
5. Re: Change Management form display issueMussie Zemikael Apr 3, 2012 2:10 AM (in response to Mussie Zemikael)
Hi Saroj,
I have double checked this by comparing both (changed and unchanged), they have the exactly the same size and other properties.
Are there any other fields you can think of?
6. Change Management form display issueSaroj Sahu Apr 3, 2012 4:36 AM (in response to Mussie Zemikael)
In the changed version I think you need to update the height/width as per your new panel height after adding the fields. I am sure it has something to do with these properties only.
7. Change Management form display issueAshwanth Padmanabhan Apr 20, 2012 12:35 AM (in response to Saroj Sahu)
This s cumbersome process of aligning panels to add fields... I have observed that touching the panel size position yields this kind of result better have a page(tab) defined in and put in ur custom fields over thr.... Like work info, task....
8. Change Management form display issueMussie Zemikael May 3, 2012 4:48 AM (in response to Ashwanth Padmanabhan)
Hi Guys,
I found the cause of this issue, I have made few ootb fields hidden and then dragged them further down in the blank area. Aparently you drag the fields too far down this creates a gap on the top (as shown in the screenshot), so all I had to do is drage the hidden fields up in to the form and this resolved my issue. Thanks all for your help.