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Ex-marine uncovers reptilian aliens who turn out to be A's fans.
Ex-marine Kyle Odom was arrested on Tuesday after shooting a prominent preacher twelve times in Idaho after claiming that the padre was in cahoots with reptilian aliens from Mars that have been here "long before us" have technology "millions of years ahead of ours." These aliens had been harassing him for about two years after he contacted one during a meditation session. These hyper-sexual, paranoid aliens rule the Earth and have made President Obama their sex slave — a species of "amphibian-humanoids" that include dozens of U.S. politicians.
"The Martians came to Earth here before humans, live underground and bred humans so they can walk among us," Odom wrote.
This blog was contacted by Ubbesk, the supposed leader of the alien species who wanted things to be cleared up.
"We have never contacted this man, Ubbesk said, and I have 4 witnesses that can tell you I was at a spring training game in Mesa on the day I supposedly contacted Mr. Odom."
Ubbesk then went on to say that he has high hopes for the team this season and he is highly disappointed in the play of Billy Butler.
"The guy is a disgrace to the human species…I will never figure out why humans feel the need to consume so much pre-packaged crap."
Gettin' slammed at the ol' yard.
People often wax nostalgic about baseball with its poetic and graceful nuances; and I understand the feeling as I often do the same– yet there is a darker, more ominous underbelly that isn't quite as idyllic or sophisticated: alcohol.
Drinking is just as ingrained in the rich tapestry of the game as hot dogs, Cracker Jacks, bloated payrolls and greedy owners–just ask Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Harry Caray or Cleveland Indians fans on ten-cent beer night.
Before baseball became the voracious, obnoxious corporate entity that it has become today it was just a simple, no-frills place for the working-class to let off some steam and have a beer or three. Baseball represents a lot of different things to a lot of different people; and for some it isn't always a wholesome night with the family that stands up, yawns and quietly leaves in the 7th inning. These are true fan testimonials:
–I was completely blasted, as well as pretty stoned during Game 20 of The Streak. I sobered up pretty damn quick though when the Royals started coming back!
–I drank a bottle of Jose Cuervo in the parking lot before a game. I was barfing into an empty Gatorade bottle all game and no one seemed to notice since everyone had their eyes on the field.
–My Dad looked out at the field in the 4th inning (we were both about 8 beers in at that point), and turned to me saying, "Holy shit, did you realize there's a ballgame going on?!" We were still more sober than the girl puking on the subway on the way home.
I miss Opening Night in the late 70's early 80's when fans were crazy, there were fights and people going nuts for foul balls. I got knocked down 8 stairs at age 10 from the mob going after a foul ball…good times.
–We were swearing at the umpire and a row of 50-year-old duds told us to shut up. We all sat down, everything settled and we went back to watching the game. That's when my buddy comes back from the bathroom and spills a beer down the back of one of these guys on accident. I thought it was going to be an all out brawl… They were livid and we couldn't stop laughing.
Anytime I went with my dad and uncle back in the early 70's especially the World Series in 74. I was 6. The bleachers were cheap and beer was sold in the stands.
–World Series…can't remember if it was '88, '89 or '90. I was in the old bleacher area walking back from the bathroom or something. I looked up on the grassy area way up top in the back, and ESPN had set up a place for their crew to sit, with cameras and everything. I saw Peter Gammons, Bob Ley and someone else. A few of us were looking up at them, waving, smiling, etc. Some REALLY drunk dude walks up to me and asks what we are looking at. I pointed up and said, "It's ESPN, Peter Gammons and Bob Ley!" (I was about 11 years old so I was very excited). Drunk dude, yells up in a drunken slur, "Hey Peter!!!!….." (who then looks down and smiles) "…Fuck You!!!!…." Drunk dude then hurls his cup of draft beer up right at them! Cops then come and pull dude away. It was pretty funny.
–For my 40th on a Friday night, I had a suite and my friends kept buying me double 7&7's from the suite bartender and the Irish Bar. I was so drunk and not my usual, respectable self. My sales guy came by to visit and I was apologizing, profusely, for being inebriated. Half of my friends in the suite were Giants fans, the other half A's fans and one lone Dodger fan. My favorite moment was when a friend walked into the suite stopped and said, "Whoa! There are Giants fans in here…what are they doing here?" I think I was hung over for the next two days but still made it to Saturday and Sunday games that weekend. That was the last time I drank that much at a game. Never again.
–My buddy started making fun of a drunk Giants fan throwing up in the parking lot before the game. We almost had to throw down with his friends when we asked if he "had too much of that championship champagne."
–Once, I was in the bathroom near gate D and the guy in the stall next to me was plastered. He sang "We Are The Champions" by Queen until he threw up on the floor.
–One time I got kicked out of the bleachers for having a flask, but then came back through the season ticket holder line.
–The last time I went to the Coliseum the bleachers were teeming with rowdy drunkenness, sort of good-natured heckling, pot smoke and "e-smoke." Strangers were handing me hot links, chicken and pickle sandwiches and falling all over me. Fans kept getting kicked out and booing the staff every time they hauled off some poor fool that was passed out or slugging whiskey. Some guy nodded off and barfed three seats away. I'm a Mariners fan so I was glad the fans would rather have a good time, smoke, get drunk, dance, barf and get thrown out rather than pick on me. And really, why waste your time on anything else–that's some real shit right there. Beats the fucking Dodgers fans I can tell you this. Salt of the earth.
Happy Holidays!
Hope you experience a most pleasant celebration of your planet's winter solstice…and a most logical New Year. –Mr. Spock
I have post-capitalist ennui, but it all seems worth it as we drive the long windy road into the mountains. I hadn't seen snow for almost 20 years. This is one of the disadvantages/advantages of living in California, you don't have to worry about the weather too much as you go about your daily routines. We finally reach our destination–a beautiful two-story cabin deep in the woods. I had been admiring the look and serenity of the snow during the long trip and could finally touch it. My admiration for the substance quickly turned less poetic and became more biological survivalist theory as I tossed the stuff like a celebrity throwing out the first pitch. My hand was frozen solid.
My girlfriend and I decided not to celebrate Christmas this year–well, at least not in the traditional sense. Life had gotten in the way and the next thing you know we were thrown into the bizarre world of family, gifts of things we didn't need, overindulgence of food we would never eat otherwise, and drinking copious amounts of alcohol in order to bring the gelatinous madness together. We didn't even get around to the trivial task of buying a tree. Seems a bit silly….don't you think?
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie….Cocaine
Joaquin Andujar, who famously supplied fellow teammates Lonnie Smith and Keith Hernandez with copious amounts of cocaine in the 80's died recently on September 8th, 2015 at the age of 62. In memory of Andujar I've decided to pleasure you with some of the best quotes concerning the yayo that Eric Clapton famously crooned about in song.
"If I have a near-beer, I'm near beer. And if I'm near beer, I'm close to tequila. And if I'm close to tequila, I'm adjacent to cocaine." ― Craig Ferguson
"Happiness lies within one's self, and the way to dig it out is cocaine." ― Aleister Crowley, Diary of a Drug Fiend
"It's not the side-effects of the cocaine – I'm thinking that it must be love. — David Bowie
"This original version of Coca-Cola contained a small amount of coca extract and therefore a trace of cocaine. (It was eliminated early in the twentieth century, though other extracts derived from coca leaves remain part of the drink to this day.) Its creation was not the accidental concoction of an amateur experimenting in his garden, but the deliberate and painstaking culmination of months of work by an experienced maker of quack remedies." ― Tom Standage, A History of the World in 6 Glasses
"Until you've got your mouth full of cocaine, you don't know what kissing is. One kiss goes on from phase to phase like one of those novels by Balzac and Zola and Romain Rolland and D. H. Lawrence and those chaps. And you never get tire. You're on fourth speed all the time, and the engine purrs like a kitten, a big white kitten with the stars in its whiskers." ― Aleister Crowley, Diary of a Drug Fiend
Cocaine is God's way of saying you're making too much money. –Robin Williams
(Cocaine) is neither moral nor immoral — it's a chemical compound. The compound itself is not a menace to society until a human being treats it as if consumption bestowed a temporary license to act like an asshole. –Frank Zappa
If we could sniff or swallow something that would, for five or six hours each day, abolish our solitude as individuals, atone us with our fellows in a glowing exaltation of affection and make life in all its aspects seem not only worth living, but divinely beautiful and significant, and if this heavenly, world-transfiguring drug were of such a kind that we could wake up next morning with a clear head and an undamaged constitution — then, it seems to me, all our problems (and not merely the one small problem of discovering a novel pleasure) would be wholly solved and earth would become paradise. –Aldous Huxley
A story about another humid summer night.
"Look at everything. Don't close your eyes to the world around you. Look and become curious and interested in what you see." –John Cage
I am sitting on a friend's second story balcony on a humid 95 degree evening listening to the A's play the Indians on my tiny little portable radio. She lives in a sort of "urban" environment, so I enjoy watching the hobos, tweakers, weirdos, wackos, dog walkers, college students, yuppies, drunks and working class mothers that are usually shuffling by my metal, eagle perch..day after day. An impenetrable mass of prejudices, clichés and trite remarks.
First Inning: Rookie Chris Bassitt gives up 3 runs in the first inning on an error and a Carlos Santana blast to deep center. (Has any musician lost so much credibility so fast in the history of music?) Josh Reddick gives the fans in attendance and listening across the airwaves a small semblance of respect with his RBI double effectively erasing the goose egg and making our desperate fandom seem incipient of a team that could possibly throw a monkey wrench in another team's plans. The people continue shuffling by, sometimes even looking up and making eye contact with me. An overwhelming feeling envelops me– all of our lives are tedious and pointless and I feel justified as I'm listening to a game that consists of silly boys swinging wood and touching balls.
Bottom 4th: An old man with a cast, wife beater and a mouth that he literally and seemingly can't close like a gaping, jagged, and putrid cave calls out to a woman who lives in the building. She is in her early 40's and dresses quite strange– all her clothes seem to be thrifted, yet she mishmashes them together in a way that would put a young fashionista to shame; always changing her clothes multiple times daily. She also walks with her right hand in the air with a sort of aristocratic delicacy, as if holding a tiny cup of tea. Brett Lawrie (who probably wears wife beaters as well.) is doubled off of second to end the inning. The radio continues to crackle over the hum of life and observation.
Top 6th: a group of drunk, reveling young people stroll by with a girl exclaiming,
"I've waited 21 years for this!"
The girls are wearing giant, clunky high-heels that seem to be all the rage these days. They can barely walk in them and it seems as if every synapse in their still maturing/intoxicated brains are working overtime during every excruciating step. Chris Bassitt gets out of a jam and is pitching very well.
Top 8th: A mulatto girl with a blond mohawk is talking to the 300 pound fat man who sits in his car for hours blasting house music (a genre of electronic dance music) and staring at his cell phone. The fat man is very meticulous about parallel parking as this simple task always takes over a minute each time. The A's make a pitching change…R.J. Alvarez, another recent AAA cannon fodder call-up who gets a pop-up on a bunt attempt. 3 drunken girls stumble by with the one in the clunky shoes in the middle being held up by the other 2.
Bottom 9th: Carlos Carrasco twirls a complete game 2 hitter as he gets Josh Reddick to ground out in a moment of anti-climax. The A's went down quickly and orderly in a game that lasts only 2 hours and 15 minutes which proves the dog days are already here with 2 months left in the season. A girl pees in a bush as her boyfriend looks on, while the man who rides the cruiser bike with classic rock pouring out of a ghetto blaster dangling precariously from his handlebars rides by. I wonder why he is always shirtless.
Final Score: Indians 3, Athletics 1
40 years ago this month…Reggie gets his ass kicked.
Reggie Jackson had always gotten along with Bill North, and publicly praised the young center fielder several times for his fielding prowess. Sometime in mid-April, however, Bill failed to run hard to first on a routine ground-out. When he returned to the bench, Reggie harshly berated him in front of his teammates for not hustling. The seeds of The Fight were sown.
"He had crossed me, in some way, a couple of times," Bill recalls without going into detail. "I tried to set him up for a month." He gave Reggie the silent treatment despite Jackson's torrid start, and refused to talk to him on or off the field. He would not congratulate Reggie after home runs. During this period, North lifted his average above .200, swiped seventeen bases in the month of May alone, and played exceptional defense. By the day of The Fight, he was batting .228 and leading the league in stolen bases. Jackson remained hot, batting .390 with a league-leading 15 home runs, and the A's were first in the A.L. West.
Finally, prior to a night game on June 5, in the locker room at Tiger Stadium, Bill made a remark that infuriated Reggie and ignited the brawl. The superstar, who was not yet dressed for the game, charged North and the two wrestled on the floor, in full view of teammates and sportswriters. Catcher Ray Fosse, pitcher Vida Blue and others were able to separate the two, only to have the combatants tangle again a few minutes later. "It wasn't a regular clubhouse fight," said an A's teammate anonymously. "There was no backing off. They went at it hot and heavy — twice." When the dust settled, the consensus was that North had won the fight. Jackson ended up with a bruised shoulder and battered ego. Fosse suffered a separated cervical disk in the melee and was out of action until late in the season. Both North and Jackson played against the Tigers that night. Bill went 2 for 3 with a double, run scored and RBI while Reggie went 0 for 4. For the rest of June, the powerful right fielder batted .197 with just three doubles, no home runs and four RBI.
Bill looks back upon the incident with much more humility than braggadocio. "I had extracted my ounce of retribution," Bill admits, but believes the path chosen to settle their score was from youthful ignorance. The Fight and its aftermath enabled Bill and Reggie to move forward as teammates with renewed respect for each other. Today, North says, they maintain a genuine friendship. Reggie Jackson wrote this about Bill in his autobiography: "North was a feisty little guy with a hair-trigger temper, and one of the reasons he was such a winner on the field was because he had a lot of piss and vinegar in him."
originally written by Tim Herlich.
Rollie Fingers riding a dolphin and other random thoughts.
Most of the Athletics sights in internet-land played the typical baseball writing game of follow the leader and were frothing at the mouth at the signing of Barry Zito. We here at the 'Fro, however, felt a keen sense of bafflement and confusion. Zito, A) didn't play last year and B) had ERA's of 4.03, 4.15, 5.87, 4.15 and 5.74 his last 5 seasons. To put it bluntly–he sucked.
And as much as we admire Charlie O. Finley and Bill Veeck for their "circus like" candor, I just didn't see Billy Beane, the paradigm of rational thought, as nostalgic, a clown-enabler or the type to give into Zito's sense of entitlement to waste a Spring Training spot that a young player could desperately need to further his career. Zito, although once an Athletic, had erased any positive emotion from my mind when he signed with the Giants–all but stoking provincial animosities and spitting in Oakland's face. Due to popular belief, emotions still exist in baseball, although the numbers-crunchers would tell you otherwise. They try to rationalize the signing with "low risk-medium return" hyperbole to the point of vomit inducing fervor, all but erasing the "gut feeling" that made Earl Weaver so successful. Perhaps the Athletics would have been better off using the 1 million they gave Zito to hire some people who actually NEEDED the money to help promote and to get "fringe fans" to buy tickets. It is common knowledge that their promotional representation in the Bay Area is a mockery to the fan base that is consistently criticized in the media for lack of support….
Jason Giambi retired, finally ending his reign as a PED user, MVP, lovable lug, Yankee, douchbag, party boy, laughing stock of New York and finally, grizzled, useless DH. (The above sentence bringing to light Tina Turner's "We don't need another hero" in my synapse hell.) Oddly enough, Giambi was quoted as saying, "I've done everything I can in my career." Touche, Jason. In the end Giambi was seen as sort of a rascal despite his Yankee short-comings…and I've always had a soft spot for rascals…what would life be without them? Now Giambi can finally experience what other baseball retirees had to go through– the life of an Average (albeit wealthy) Joe, where no one knows who you are and no one cares until you show up at a fan-fest or baseball card show in a lonely, trash strewn strip mall. Good luck, Jason.
The most hated Oakland Athletics (according to my readers)
1.) Jim Johnson –This one doesn't surprise me as it's still fresh in everyone's mind. I disagreed with the signing from the very beginning because A) I don't believe in giving closers big money B) despite having 50 saves in Baltimore the year before, (hands down the most overrated statistic in sports) he still managed to blow 9 games…a horrible percentage. C) He just looked like a creep.
I was spot-on as the fans quickly grew tired of pitches that had zero movement and blown saves in bunches. Eventually he was run out-of-town until signing with Detroit who grew tired of him as well and sent him to AAA Toledo to waste away in the city known for unemployment and the smell of shit in the air…a fitting ending to the season for Johnson and perhaps an omen.
2.) Daric Barton — This guy never had a nickname, yet as far as I was concerned it should have been "The Cockroach." (He was deemed "Churro Vendor" by this blog because readers thought that it would be a better suited job.) Barton was acquired in the trade with St. Louis for Mark Mulder (Dan Haren was also acquired in the trade supplying 43 wins and an All Star appearance, so the trade worked out pretty well overall.) and was slated to be the Athletics first baseman for years to come. The only problem was that he couldn't hit a lick, but for some reason stuck around for EIGHT seasons, being shuttled back and forth to Sacramento (AAA) so much that he sort of became their unofficial mascot. The cherry on top of the shit-heap was when he was put on waivers twice in one week and not one team claimed him.
3.) Brian Fuentes/Bob Geren — Yet another closer that didn't live up to his deemed position. His goofy face, big ears and screwy delivery added to the fire when the blown saves started to add up. Things got so bad that my mother, a neophyte baseball fan, would storm out of the room whenever he came into the game. A reader of this blog summed it up perfectly when she sent this response: I hate Brian Fuentes with a passion. He is a horrible closer. He blew 4 saves in eight days when he was with the Rockies. I cried a little when I had found out we picked him up in 2011. My dad kept trying to say he was good, and he was briefly, but I just told him to wait. It quickly turned into "OH (f-bomb)! Fuentes is coming in. There goes the game." The only saving grace was when he criticized then manager Bob Geren's (probably the least liked manager in Oakland history and an ex-Yankee, so who really gives a darn!) "unorthodox managing", handling of pitchers and "zero communication." Then ex-closer Huston Street piped in saying of Geren that "he is the least favorite person I have ever encountered in sports." Ol' Bob was let go after the 2011 season leading to the signing of another Bob (Melvin) and Fuentes' career was over soon there-after.
Honorable mention:
Arthur Rhodes (yet another stinky closer.)
Luis Polonia (not sure about this one as he was busted for raping a woman as a Yankee. Perhaps the reader hated dripping jheri curl mullets.)
Nick Swisher (was sort of a lovable hick/douchbag until he got Yankee-itis and then began thinking he was a much better player than he really was.)
Jon Lester (more Yo hangovers)
Jeremy Giambi (strip clubs, drunkenness, a scolding by Brad Pitt in the locker room and the prancing "non-slide.")
Bobby Crosby (a high pick that couldn't do much of anything after his rookie year and even had his dad criticize Billy Beane in the media.)
Buddy Groom (dumb name, psycho looking face, and one of the worst LOOGY's of all time.)
So long, J.D., you will be missed.
"We needed to do something that wasn't timid."
–Billy Beane
Billy Beane waltzed into the saloon again with guns blazing as he traded Josh Donaldson to the BlueJays for Brett Lawrie and 3 prospects, 2 of which are supposedly ML ready. I saw this coming when Kyle Seager, an inferior third baseman, signed a huge contract with the Mariners–all but pushing the A's out of the picture for an extension during arbitration. Donaldson also had endeared himself to his already rabid fan base by calling owner Lou Wolff a cheap son of a bitch on Twitter, or in his own words, "they have plenty of money, my friend. they just tell everybody they don't.
The fans are predictably upset and tired of the Oakland owners playing with MLB's piece of the profit-share pie for ultimate profit. There is an underlying stench of betrayal, lack of loyalty and an overall disregard to the fan base. Donaldson was the Athletics most popular player and maybe the most popular 3rd baseman in franchise history. (sorry Chavy!) J.D. was very likable with his defensive hustle, power when the game was on the line and awesome trademark mullet/mohawk/rat-tail combo. He was visibly shaken and spoke to reporters about the trade: "I'm so shocked, I just got off the phone with Billy Beane, and I guess they got an offer that they couldn't resist. I'm definitely a little emotional about it. Oakland is my home. At the end of the day, it's a business, as much as it hurts emotionally. The guys in that clubhouse are my brothers."
I was/am a huge fan of J.D., and although I've analyzed the trade with a heavy heart, I am trying to stay positive and see the pot of gold through the rainbow, or as the Dalai Lama says, "In order to carry a positive action we must carry here a positive vision."
1. It is no secret that Beane loves pitching, and the two minor league pitchers we received in return (Sean Nolin and Kendall Graveman) put up some good numbers last year. You can be positive both of these gentleman will start a handful of games in an Athletics uniform next season all but assuring Jeff Simardizija or Scott Kazmir will be traded in a packaged deal for oh, say….Justin Upton.
2. Brett Lawrie plays 3rd base with a little bit of second sprinkled in…the dude has a shit load of tattoos and epitomizes the word "bro" more than anyone in my own personal life. The ladies might see him as a "sexy scumbag." As far as on-the-field he is much younger than Donaldson (25) and is just a notch or 2 below J.D. on the offensive and defensive side. A major concern is his history of injury. He is definitely serviceable with the talent to be really good.
In the end Donaldson says this to the fans of Oakland:
"To the fans of Oakland: Thank you for all the memories on and off the field I truly am blessed to have been part of it. We have had a lot of great memories together and the memories I will have will always hold a special place for me. Everyday I wore that uniform with pride, and gave you all that I could. Thank you again!!"
Strap yourselves in Oakland fans….this is just the beginning.
Hot Dog Eating a Hot dog.
As longtime readers know, I like to incorporate different facets of life into this blog, mostly from the realm of modern art and literature. It tends to get a bit tedious talking about baseball players and stats and free agency and Bud Selig's ego and PED's and Hall of Fame voters and the widening strike zone until I'm blue in the face. We're getting closer to the Christmas holidays, I drank too much Crown Royal and I'm feeling a bit silly.
John Kilduff was a loco personality. He hosted a "painting show" that I would watch late at night here in Los Angeles while sucking on the hash pipe. I was supposed to be writing a thesis on "Modern Art and Capitalism," but this show seemed more interesting and vital at the time. I couldn't tell if the guy was gifted or if he was a charlatan looking to make a buck, (he turned out to be both) and I loved it. Some of his work had titles like, "Hot dog eating a hot dog," and "African-American titty burger." All this talk is meaningless, you simply must see for yourself…


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Many people get introduced to the powerful BEAM LiFE Coaching process, by attending one of Eva's workshops. Participants come away with tools they can immediately implement to reduce stress, anxiety and feel more connected with themselves—allowing them to make decisions which support the kind of life they want. Click on the workshop topics below to find out more, or join our email list to hear about upcoming events in your area.
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Deep Into Defense Mode Live
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Feel Better Now: Find Your Brilliance Workshop
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Social Ease in the World of Autism
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J.D. Okhai Ojeikere, 1974.
Credit: Musée du Quai Branlyn.
Credit: Musée du Quai Branlyn.
The show combines western and non-western, ancient and contemporary pieces. Diverse items, such as a skull from Papua New Guinea, a photograph by Man Ray of Duchamp's star "haircut," and a limestone sculpture of Marie-Madeline from the earth 14th century, work together to reveal human history's overwhelming preoccupation with this organic material.
Preserved Skull. Iatmul, early 20th century / Musée du Quai Branly, photo Patick Gries.
(L) Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp tonsured by George de Zayas, 1919 / Credit: Man Ray Trust/ADAGP, Paris, 2012
(R) Statue of Sainte Marie-Madeleine, by the Ecole Francaise. / Credit: RMN-GP/Jean-Gilles Berizzi
The objects in the exhibition show hair as a frivolous frippery for fashion but also its use as a political statement, a sexual symbol, a spoil of war, a fetish, a tool of sacrifice or punishment, an object of loss that symbolizes time passing, illness and death, or simply as vehicle for artistic expression.
Figurine from a Turkish shadow puppet theater show. The hair of the four men is being used as reins as they pull a figure in a carriage.
Claude Germain/Musée du Quai Branly
Claude Germain/Musée du Quai Branly
(L) Coiffe de chef Fang, Pahouin, avant 1899, Gabon, Afrique / © musée du quai Branly, photo Claude Germain.
(R) Samuel Fosso, from his series "African Spirits," 2008.
One of the themes of the exhibition is how hair -- blonde, brunette or red; straight or frizzy; long, short or shaved -- has been used to convey and establish standards of beauty. Hair "is loaded with cultural meaning because it signifies an very human capacity for self-conscious manipulation, management and display."1 Examples in this section include wigs from Papua New Guinea, photographs by JD Okhai Ojeikere (top photo) and Samuel Fosso (above), as well as paintings by Ingres, Jean-Louis Bezard, and an installation by Annette Messager (below). But is the quest for beauty a question of mere frivolity? Or is there something more serious below the surface? The rituals, the care, the modifications; do they not also betray a vital urge to create something out of the ordinary and cast off the ugliness of banality?2
The dance of the scalpWith its metamorphic properties, hair can take on an infinite variety of physical and symbolic forms, varying between cultures and the social groups, trends and periods within each culture. Symbolically hair can represent normality and individuality, conformism and rebellion, seduction and repulsion. It classifies and differentiates people. But there are obvious paradoxes: shaved head or flowing long hair can be the hallmark of a rebel, a lout, an artist or a king, but also of a hermit, a mourner, a tramp... and colors come with their own stereotypes.
© Annette Messager - Adagp, Paris, 2012
© Annette Messager - Adagp, Paris, 2012
Bezard Jean-Louis (1799-1881) featuring Clotaire 1er, king of Francs.
The Bouffant Belles, a running team from Texas, in the starting blocks, 1962.
Credit: Neil Barr
Credit: Neil Barr
Obviously color, length and style of hair can also be a key component of seduction. From Antiquity to the present day, hairstyles have been in a constant state of flux, evolving hand-in-hand with fashion, convention, and discipline. Curls, fringes, long flowing locks...depending on the tastes of artists and their eras, hair has been used in different ways to represent seduction. The mythology and symbolism of hair help blur the boundaries between conformity and licentiousness, morality and sensuality, masculine and feminine.
(L) Brigitte Bardot and Alain Delon, Sam Lévin, 1958. / Médiathèque de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine
(R) Evariste Vital Luminais. Norman pirates in the 9th century (1822) / Credit: Jérôme Mondière
(R) Evariste Vital Luminais. Norman pirates in the 9th century (1822) / Credit: Jérôme Mondière
(L) Marble bust of Catharina Frederika of Württemberg by François Joseph Bosio ©Château de Versailles et de Trianon.
(R) A 19th century bust of an African woman by Charles Cordier, who devoted his career as a sculptor to showcasing the diversity of human physiognomy.
(R) A 19th century bust of an African woman by Charles Cordier, who devoted his career as a sculptor to showcasing the diversity of human physiognomy.
Another theme of the exhibition deals with hair incorporated into relics, tokens, and talismen. In many cultures, hair retains the aura and energy of its owner and therefore some objects are considered "magical" or thought to be endowed with special powers. The practice of wearing belts made of hair is testament to this power. Acquiring hair which belonged to an important figure, and preserving this hair in a weapon or magic charm, is supposed to convey power and good fortune.
(L) An ornament for a man's belt, made of women's hair, from the Aguaruna tribe of the Rio Manarnon region in South America.
(R) A mask from the Makonde people of Tanzania
(R) A mask from the Makonde people of Tanzania
Both: Claude Germain/Musée du Quai Branly
Some societies place great value on physical trophies of victory, an extreme example being the practice of headhunting. Trophies, scalps and other totems are supposed to carry a certain energy, often associated with crop fertility, group prosperity and peaceful relations with deceased ancestors.
takes on an infinite variety of physical and symbolic forms, varying between cultures and the social groups, trends and periods within each culture. This floating symbol can represent normality and individuality, conformism and rebellion, seduction and repulsion. It classifies and differentiates people. Faced with this enormous diversity of artworks and objects, we are struck by the obvious paradoxes: shaved head or flowing long hair can be the hallmark of a rebel, a lout, an artist or a king, but also of a hermit, a mourner, a tramp...
A shrunken head from Ecuador.
Credit: Claude Germain/Musée du Quai Branly
Credit: Claude Germain/Musée du Quai Branly
At times, hair is believed to be imbued with the power of its original owner, and worn as a symbolically-charged personal adornment. This was particularly popular in the nineteenth century, when hair jewelry, such as bracelets, lockets, and broaches, formed of type of dialogue between this life and the great beyond. These delicate creations were often souvenirs of long-lost childhood, or tokens dedicated to the memory of those who had passed.
S.E locket, circa 1900 ©Collection Jean-Jacques Lebel
The loss of hair is a powerful biological process, but hair when shorn for donation (as with reliquaries), punishment, or political resistance it is a powerful symbol of social codes and sexual politics. Deliberately renouncing one's hair can involve a complex combination of commitments and conventions, as with hair lost by nuns entering certain religious orders, or in initiation rituals in Papua New Guinea. The phenomenon of shaving the heads of women accused of sleeping with the enemy was a notable feature of the conflicts which ravaged Europe in the period 1933-1945. These 'carnivals of ugliness', as Alain Brossat described them, took palce in Spain, Germany and of course in France, with the events in Chartres recorded for posterity by Robert Capa (below).
Hairpiece cut from a young woman named Emma when she entered the Carmelite order. (Circa 1900)
André Malraux bought the object at a Paris flea market and gave it to a friend for his twentieth birthday.
Credit: Collection Jean-Jacques Lebel.
Credit: Collection Jean-Jacques Lebel.
Robert Capa. Chartres, August 18, 1944.
Woman shamed for having a child with a German.
Woman shamed for having a child with a German.
Evariste-Vital Luminais (1822-1896).
Le dernier des Mérovingiens.
Musée des beaux-arts, Carcassonne.
Le dernier des Mérovingiens.
Musée des beaux-arts, Carcassonne.
Immune to decay, from birth to death and beyond, hair has the ability to straddle this life and the next, and acts as a quintessential symbol of both the superficial and the profound.
An ornament from the Marquesas islands.
Credit: Claude Germain/Musée du Quai Branly
Credit: Claude Germain/Musée du Quai Branly
The exhibition will be on display until July 14, 2013.
1. Geraldine Biddle-Perry and Sarah Cheang "thinking about hair," Hair, Berg, p10.
2. I've used substantial content from the English translation of the exhibition press release, available on Artdaily.org


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An American Bridge Association tournament is part of the schedule at the Airport Bridge Club, 247 Cayuga Road, Cheektowaga, next weekend, with pairs games at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, May 5; 11 a.m., 3:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, May 6; and a team game at 10 a.m. next Saturday, May 7. Times are approximate. All players are welcome. Hospitality includes lasagna at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, chicken at 2:30 p.m. Friday and sub sandwiches during the team game Saturday.
The Airport Bridge Club also is offering extra points at pairs games this Saturday, April 30, and Monday, May 2, to Wednesday, May 4. The Bridge Center of Buffalo is awarding extra points at all games Monday to next Saturday.
Congratulations to Ron Henrikson and Martin Pieterse, leading Buffalo area master point winners at the Rochester Spring Sectional Tournament last weekend. They finished second in the two-section pairs game last Saturday and collected 7.48 points. Congratulations also to two couples from Niagara County, James and Paula Jones and John and Barbara Scott, who came in second in the Swiss team competition last Sunday, winning 7.22 points.
Western New York Unit 116 regularly sponsors special games. Currently they include:
Club-run unit games – Sunday, May 15, to Saturday, May 21, at participating clubs.
Strawberry Social – Saturday, June 11, 12:30 p.m., Lockport Duplicate, 33 Ontario St., Lockport.
Summer Picnic – Sunday, July 24. Two sessions. Erie County Fairgrounds, Hamburg.
Tournament calendar
Unit 112 Charity Sectional – Broome West Senior Center, 2801 Wayne St., Ithaca. Saturday, May 14, and Sunday, May 15. For info, click this link.
Cleveland All-American Regional – Embassy Suites, 5800 Rockside Woods Blvd., Independence, Ohio. Tuesday, May 24, to Monday, May 30. For info, click this link.
District 5 Spring Sectional Tournament at the Clubs (STaC) – At local ACBL-sanctioned bridge clubs. Monday, June 13, to Sunday, June 19.
Buffalo "Future Stars" Non-Life Master Sectional – Bridge Center of Buffalo, 3362 Sheridan Drive, Amherst. Friday, July 8, and Saturday, July 9.
Hamilton Sectional – Royal Canadian Legion, 435 Limeridge Road East, Hamilton, Ont. Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, July 17. For info, click this link.
Rochester Summer Sectional – Moose Club, 5375 West Henrietta Road, Henrietta. Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, July 17. For info, click this link.
Syracuse Regional – Holiday Inn, 411 Electronics Parkway, Liverpool. Monday, Aug. 1, to Sunday, Aug. 7. For info, click this link.
Pittsburgh Labor Day Regional – Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh Airport, 1111 Airport Blvd., Pittsburgh, Pa. Tuesday, Aug. 30, to Sunday, Sept. 5. For info, click this link.
Lake Erie Sectional – The Bridge Center, 1221 Grant Ave., Erie, Pa. Saturday, Sept. 10, and Sunday, Sept. 11.
Buffalo Fall Sectional – Main-Transit Fire Hall, 6777 Main St., Amherst. Friday, Sept. 16, to Sunday, Sept. 18.
Rochester Fall Sectional – Location TBA. Saturday, Oct. 15, and Sunday, Oct. 16.
Buffalo Regional – Adam's Mark Hotel, 120 Church St. Tuesday, Oct. 18, to Sunday, Oct. 23. For info, click this link.
District 5 Winter Sectional Tournament at the Clubs (STaC) – At local ACBL-sanctioned bridge clubs. Monday, Dec. 5, to Sunday, Dec. 11.
Cleveland Rock and Roll Regional – Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, to Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017.
Buffalo Winter Sectional – Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, to Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017.
St. Catharines Sectional – Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, to Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017.
Toronto Easter Regional – Tuesday, April 11, 2017, to Sunday, April 16, 2017.
Buffalo Spring Sectional – Friday, April 21, 2017, to Sunday, April 23, 2017.
Upstate New York Regional – Rochester. Monday, May 1, 2017, to Sunday, May 7, 2017.
Cleveland All-American Regional – Tuesday, May 23, 2017, to Monday, May 29, 2017.
District 5 Spring Sectional Tournament at the Clubs (STaC) – At local ACBL-sanctioned bridge clubs. Monday, June 12, 2017, to Sunday, June 18, 2017.
Buffalo Fall Sectional – Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, to Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017.
Buffalo Regional – Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017, to Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017.
District 5 Winter Sectional Tournament at the Clubs (STaC) – At local ACBL-sanctioned bridge clubs. Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, to Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017.
Bridge club websites:
Click names for links.
The Duplicate Bridge column is compiled weekly by News Staff Reporter Dale Anderson. The print version normally appears in the Life & Arts section in the Saturday edition of The Buffalo News. If it's not in its usual place, try the Sports section.
The online version contains unabridged scores and a longer list of notices. Deadline for submission of scores and notices is Tuesday night.
Sometimes the online version does not materialize on the Buffalo News website. When that happens, you can find it as an appendix to Dale Anderson's bridge blog at http://newsdupli.blogspot.com/
Email email@example.com or email@example.com. Office phone is (716) 849-4420.
A Silver Life Master since 2011, Dale Anderson reached a milestone – a career total of 2,000 master points – at the Buffalo Spring Sectional Tournament earlier this month. And now that the ACBL has created a new master point rank – Ruby Life Master, for those with more than 1,500 points – he's in it. He blogs about his progress toward Gold Life Master (2,500 points) and other bridge adventures here.
Duplicate scores
Week of April 18 to April 24
ACBL Sanctioned Clubs
Airport Bridge Club Monday morning – One winner. A: Martin Pieterse and Art Matthies, 64.59%; B: Bill Boardman and Joe Rooney, 60.41%; Nancy Kessler and Ross Markello, 57.92%; Judy Kaprove and Nadine Stein, 57.78%; C: Florence Boyd and Ruth Wurster, 56.67%.
Airport Bridge Club Tuesday morning – North-south, A/B: Nancy Kessler and John Kirsits, 55.53%; C: Pat Lakeman and Mary Terrana, 53.91%; east-west, A: Florence Boyd and Tom Koralewski, 59.17%; B: Ken Meier and Gay Simpson, 56.51%; Alicia Kolipinski and Dorothy May, 55.47%; C: Sharon Chang and Linda Milch, 54.66%.
Airport Bridge Club Wednesday morning – Howell. A: Tom Koralewski and Jerry Geiger, 63.69%; B: Chuck Schorr and Vince Pesce, 60.71%; Jerry Bierman and Mike Silverman, 52.98%; C: Marilyn Sultz and Mary Terrana, 47.02%.
Airport Bridge Club Thursday morning – North-south, A: Mike Ryan and Jerry Geiger, 55.77%; Alan Greer and Elaine Kurasiewicz, 54.76%; B: Mike Silverman and Jerry Bierman, 52.42%; C: June Feuerstein and Barbara Sadkin, 50.60%; east-west, A: John Ziemer and Liz Clark, 57.74%; B: Martin and Barbara Pieterse, 56.85%; C: (tie) Sharon Chang and Ron Henrikson, Ruth Wurster and Marilyn Sultz, 52.98%.
Airport Bridge Club Friday morning – Howell. A: John and Martha Welte, 59.61%; B: Janet Frisch and Dale Anderson, 58.92%; C: Linda Vassallo and Wilson McClaren, 55.46%; Tom Koralewski and Sandi England, 53.59%.
Airport Bridge Club Saturday morning – North-south, A: Alan Greer and Nancy Wolstoncroft, 63.94%; Jerry Geiger and Liz Clark, 63.68%; B: Cleveland Fleming and Ted Kahn, 43.75%; C: Doanne Jackson and Pam Murphy, 41.56%; east-west, A: Ross Markello and Shirley Cassety, 59.23%; Chuck Schorr and Barbara Libby, 58.75%; B: John and Martha Welte, 58.13%; C: Myra Razik and Sandi England, 53%.
Bridge Center of Buffalo Monday evening – Howell. (Tie) Martha Welte and John Welte, Christy Kellogg and Bert Hargesheimer, 56%.
Bridge Center of Buffalo Tuesday noon – Non-life masters. North-south, A/B: Jim McClure and Judy Zeckhauser, 58.52%; Paula Rosen and Maryann Szafran, 56.25%; Joe Miranda and Denise Mattingly, 54.73%; C: William Noltee and Ed Morgan, 53.60%; east-west, A: Kathy Stamm and Celine Murray, 57.58%; B: Joel Brownstein and Sol Messinger, 57.01%; C: Lynn Witmer and Jewel Marshall, 55.68%.
Bridge Center of Buffalo Wednesday morning – Howell. A: Christy Kellogg and Gay Simpson, 68.52%; Davis Heussler and Bud Seidenberg, 66.67%; B: Joanne Kelley and Berta Brown, 51.48%; C: Pat Lakeman and Elaine Moon, 49.26%.
Bridge Center of Buffalo Thursday noon – 0-750 Game. North-south, A/B: Violet Makhija and Laurie Foster, 62.97%; Agi Maisel and Carla Press, 59.18%; Joe Miranda and Usha Khurana, 56.89%; Vince Taeger and Ted Kahn, 54.35%; C: John Bava and Burt Freiman, 47.83%; east-west, A/B: David Whitt and Sharon Wilcox, 61.95%; Larry and Dorothy Soong, 56.85%; Kathy Stamm and Celine Murray, 56.67%; C: Carol Roth and Rose Ann Grimaldi, 53.83%.
Bridge Center of Buffalo Thursday evening – Howell. A: David Hemmer and Saleh Fetouh, 60.42%; B: Gary Schmitt and Penny Shui, 55.56%; Bill Rushmore and Art Morth, 55.21%; C: Gene Nawotniak and Chip Kean, 52.08%.
Bridge Center of Buffalo Friday morning – Howell. Betty Metz and Marietta Kalman, 56.94%; Dick Czarnecki and Anne Watkins, 54.17%.
Bridge Center of Buffalo Saturday noon – Howell. A: Sharon Benz and Chris Urbanek, 61.48%; B: Fran Kurtz and Pat Burns, 56.67%; (tie) Christy Kellogg and Bert Hargesheimer, Ten-Pao Lee and Joyce Kindt, 56.30%; C: Alex Kowal and Linda Burroughsford, 50.37%.
Bridge Club of East Aurora Wednesday morning – Ken Meier and Joe Rooney, 63.1%; Joanne LaFay and Lillian Gotshall, 58.33%; Rob Hessel and Dave Larcom, 52.38%.
Bridge Club Meridian Monday morning – North-south, A: Bud Seidenberg and John Lyth, 60.83%; B: Clare Gareleck and Gay Simpson, 49.17%; C: Dorothy May and Ken Meier, 47.92%; east-west, A: Barbara Libby and Elaine Kurasiewicz, 57.50%; B: Amita Arora and Rajat Basu, 57.08%; C: Joyce Frayer and Mary Ball, 52.50%.
Delaware Wednesday evening – North-south, Ed Harman and Jeff Bender, 70.7%; Al Dickman and Chuck Heimerl, 58.6%; east-west, Sandy Marcussen and Anne O'Connor, 57.1%; (tie) Henry Chudy and Vince Taeger, Alicia Kolipinski and Ron Henrikson, 53.6%.
Lockport Duplicate Tuesday evening – James and Paula Jones, 63.68%; Jeff Bender and Gabe Tannenbaum, 60.30%; Joyce Kindt and Bob Lederhouse, 54.05%; Jasbeer and Violet Makhija, 53.36%.
Lockport Duplicate Saturday afternoon – Connie Swick and Bob Lederhouse, 57.30%; James and Paula Jones, 55.21%; Miriam Regnet and Roy Crocker, 55.09%; Madhav and Beena Deshmukh, 51.56%.
Other clubs
ABA Humboldt Bridge Club Tuesday evening – Howell. Shirley Thompson and David Mathis, 62.50%; Pamela Murphy and Doanne Jackson, 58.33%.
Amherst Senior Center Monday afternoon – North-south, Chuck Heimerl and Sam Grossman, 65%; George Mayer and Peg Gorham, 57%; east-west, Lori Repicci and Joe Day, 66%; Terry and Bram Hamovitch, 63%.
Amherst Senior Center Thursday morning – North-south, Shirley Cassety and Sam Grossman, 57%; Bruce and Jill Brown, 51%; east-west, Carol Neuhaus and Paul Ziebarth, 65%; Martin Schaus and Ruth Walsh, 57%.
Canterbury Woods Duplicate Wednesday – North-south, Dick Munschauer and Harris Goldstein, 66.7%; Eleanor Murray and Fred Nadel, 56%; east-west, Bill Hambridge and Sandy Recoon, 61.5%; Charles Banta and Betty Bowling, 56.3%.
Clarence Senior Center Thursday – Howell. Kathy Borcik and Bill Westley, 69%; Ellen Lochead and Bill Rogers, 55%.
Town of Tonawanda Senior Center Wednesday – Mike Brown and Ron Fill, 69.5%; Christel and Frank Bernard, 66.7%; Idamae Klipfel and Bob Rivard, 55.6%.
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Transfer news from Newcastle United, Stoke City, Hull City, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Celtic.
Manchester United and Manchester City are said to be in the hunt for the same player. Argentine defensive midfielder Bruno Zuculini of Racing Club has been linked today. The 20-year-old is expected to join Pellegrini at City, although United are said to be keen.
It is believed he will join for a £1.5 million fee.
Hull City are being linked with attackers this morning. Steve Bruce has guided his Tigers side to a promising start to the season but still feels reinforcements are needed in order to secure Premier League football.
Today it is Shola Ameobi of Newcastle United and Jordan Ayew of Marseille - the latter being linked with a £3.5 million move to the KC Stadium.
Stoke City are reportedly after Luuk de Jong. The Dutch international has lost his place at Borussia Monchengladbach and has not started a single game for the Bundesliga outfit this campaign.
He wants first-team football to assure him of a place in the Dutch national team next summer and The Potters are now set to join PSV Eindhoven in his pursuit.
Danny Ings, who has been linked with Liverpool, is also being targeted by Celtic. Neil Lennon reportedly wants to buy British talent and recently missed out on Huddersfield striker James Vaughan.
Despite previous reports that Barcelona were not after David Luiz it is now being reported, that they are.
Barca need to strengthen their defence and are looking at the Brazilian - who has fell out of favour with Jose Mourinho.
The deal however would be worth a whopping £29 million - but his swashbuckling defensive style suits the play used at the Nou Camp.
An apparent loan deal for Iago Aspas has already fallen apart according to the press today. Liverpool were ready to give the summer signing a chance for first-team football in Spain - after struggling since his Anfield arrival.
Valencia and Real Betis have been linked with a move but injury problems seem to have put an end to that possibility.
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A local maskmaker is targeting Wesen to create Luchador masks that bestows great power to its wearer. As Nick, Hank, Monroe and Rosalee work to stop the killings, Capt. Renard considers an offer that will bring him closer to claiming his destiny. Meanwhile, Eve's further investigation of a recent incident raises new questions.


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- Home
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In March of 2010 the U.S. Government enacted the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (commonly referred to as, FATCA, to improve tax compliance by U.S. citizens, residents, or persons qualified as US taxpayers and entitles having significant affiliation with US persons.
Under the Act, foreign financial institutions are required to report annually on the financial assets and offshore accounts of US citizens and residents, to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
1. The name;
2. The address;
3. U.S. Tax Identification Number (TIN) of each account holder;
4. Account Number;
5. The year-end account balance or value;
6. Gross receipts of the account; and
7. Gross withdrawals or payments from the account
As a US citizen or US resident applying for an account, Banks are required to request that US Applicants complete and return the Form W-9 – Request for Tax Identification Number and Certification to us by (DATE)
Where an applicant's US citizenship has changed or are no longer considered a US resident, Banks are required to confirm this by competing a Form W-8BEN – Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for US Tax Withholding and Reporting for the US Internal Revenue Service and update account information.
In this case when applying for an account or changing the status of an existing applicants will be required to provide the following documents:
• Enunciation of your US citizenship acknowledgment by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, if applicable.
• If US citizenship, due to birth, was not acquired a written explanation of the reason will be required.
• A valid passport,
• A recent utility bill or recent mail from a financial institution showing your full name and present address.
• In the event you are unable to visit us, kindly contact the writer before the date last mentioned to make alternate arrangements.
For more information please follow the link: IRS Gov FATCA
The FATCA regulations are being imposed by the American IRS on all non-US Financial Institutions who wish to deal with US citizens.
There are severe restrictions on Financial Institutions who opt out of complying with the FATCA regulations and Caye International Bank is registered with the IRS to be fully compliant with is new regulations. This allows us to continue to serve not only all our US clients but also all our non US clients who need to send money to or from US banks.
The extra workload and compliance required by Financial Institutions, including ourselves, is not insubstantial and we are having to follow the rest of the industry and charge a fee to our clients to cover the extra costs incurred.
Q: I'm Not a U.S. citizen does any of this apply to me?
A: Yes, I'm afraid it does. We are needing to review ALL our accounts, as such the $100 compliance review fee is being applied to every account
Q: When will the Compliance review fee be charged to my account
A: The $100 fee will be applied on the 31st October 2013.
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A: Yes, different accounts can have different signatories, and so each needs to be reviewed.
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What a week it has been ... suffering a little jet lag but very excited to be heading off today to Canberra to prepare for our "Stitching in the Hills" weekend which starts tomorrow afternoon at Warrambui just north of Canberra .... Sylvia and I have prepared a treat for all the ladies who will be attending and we are looking forward to catching up with lots of regulars and some new faces for a fantastic weekend of fun and laughter, stitching and eating, and maybe a little walk in the sunshine ... looks like the weather will be great in the Hills !! The kits are all ready and packaged, the patterns look great and we are anticipating another creative weekend! Here are some of the ladies from last year enjoying our Saturday night celebrations !!
You might be able to work out that there was an "orange" theme to our Saturday evening !! This years theme is "rainbow" which basically covers everything so we are looking forward to what the ladies come up with !!
It was lovely to be back at Needlework this week after three and a half weeks away ... lots of lovely projects being worked on by the ladies and Jennifer had finished off her embroidered and appliqué big hexagon quilt .... lots of meaningful sayings embroidered into this quilt with lots of lovely memories too .... beautiful work Jennifer !
Scrappy Saturday Sprouts
2 hours ago


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Mason Kordish
Valley View, Senior RB
The Valley View senior ran for 175 yards and scored three touchdowns as No. 1 Valley View withstood a furious battle against No. 4 Western Wayne and remained undefeated at 7-0.
Age: 17.
Family: Mom, Robin; sisters, Kourtney and Kassandra; stepfather, Joe; late father, Randy.
You had a big game against Western Wayne, what was the key to the win? Western Wayne is a tough team. They are really underrated. My line and my receivers and my fullbacks all really blocked well and made blocks down field. But, Western Wayne was a very physical team.
This was only the second really close game you have had, how do you think the team responded? We haven't really had too many close games. You can't take any team lightly, we are getting everybody's best game. The line did very well blocking. Our defense just needs to pick things up a little.
You have also contributed on defense in the secondary, how well has this unit played? We have been playing really physical defense. Everybody has to just continue to stay in their gaps and to be play makers on that side of the ball.
Cougars football is important in your family with your late father, Randy, and your uncles, Robert and Randy Castellani, being all-time greats, how important is that pride to motivate you? You can say that it really motivates me. I want to be considered one of the greats like my uncles and my dad. My uncle Randy used to coach me as a kid. It's almost like I always play to make them proud.
Do you remember your first game played as a varsity Cougar? I remember it well. It was against Lakeland two years ago. We lost, 13-12 in overtime, and ever since then, it's been like we have to play hard each and every game because the games are played and when they are done, they are gone. They go by so fast. This being my senior year, I want it to slow down, because I don't want it to end.
What's it been like to play with all of the success the team has had this season? I think the biggest thing has been our preparation before games. In the weight room, watching and studying films and our game plans are all so important. We prepare for each game one at a time.
You wear No. 34 in honor of your father, how emotional do you get before a game? My dad wore that number. I always idolized my dad. I haven't had him here with me since I was 4 years old. I hear the stories of how tough he ran and I watch the old films of him running. I try to resemble my game after his.
This has been a very difficult schedule for the Cougars, how well has this team handled it and next up is unbeaten Dallas? We have responded really well. We have been able to hold on and win these tough games. I think we have worked well in dealing with adversity. We have a very seasoned line. I trust them and everybody else trusts them. With Janaasah Boone at quarterback, he brings a whole new dimension to the offense.


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Finally Stepping up to the Threat of Insider Movements
by Bill Nikides
I think I have experienced three great events in my life as a minister of the Gospel: I helped revitalize the International Presbyterian Church (IPC) and I oversaw the creation of the Presbyterian Church of Bangladesh (PCB). Nothing however feels more satisfying than what took place on Friday, 10 June 2011 when the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) voted overwhelmingly to declare unfaithful to the word of God insider Bible translations replacing "Son", "Son of God" and "Father" from the text. It also contained a provision calling for a study committee to examine both the far-reaching consequences of insider movements and their impact on local churches both in the PCA and among our sister churches in the nations.
The vote came by way of approving Overture 9, drafted in Potomac Presbytery by my old boss and great brother, Rev Scott Seaton. Scott and I concluded last year in Scott's living room that we were not prepared to have insider movements contaminate the PCA or pervert indigenous fellowships in Asia and Africa with a false gospel. So, we decided that, whether we stood alone or not, in terms of official PCA agency support, that we were going to do what was right.We were aided by many more people along the way.
If defined "providential." We two former MTW officers were joined by Dr David Garner, Associate Professor of Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, my old Beeson Divinity School classmate Rev. Travis Hutchinson, other comrades brought in to craft our response, scores of friends that travelled all of the way to Virginia Beach just to stand with us, and finally letters from the suffering persecuted churches of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, and Malaysia. It was amazing. We weathered every kind of procedural maneuver, and nearly died several times but God would not be denied.
Setting the Stage for the Historical Vote
The vote came in three stages. First, the original overture came before Potomac Presbytery at McLean Presbyterian Church in late February. It was hotly contested by a number of people to include the most powerful elder in the Presbytery. A number of visitors attended to include Rev Edward Ayub of the PCB and Dr Dave Garner of Westminster Theological seminary, both of whom spoke to the assembly. Others ofus were visitors, some of which represent support for the measure and others, such as one couple from Frontiers (the guy is also a PCA teaching elder like me) who favored some forms of insider movements. The voting came several times, along with rancorous debate by one elder who strongly felt as though the issue was both insignificant and unworthy of the presbytery's time.
I had to suppress the urge to lose my sanctification. I remember thinking, "What could be more significant than having a brother elder, from a denomination we helped start, ask for help in countering the spread of translations in his country that were funded by our churches and distributed against the express wishes of national churches?" It really boggled my mind.The key point came as Rev. Skip Dusenberry, the regimental commander at the Citadel in my freshman year; a man I had not seen since 1974, spoke decisively for the measure, even adding the vitally important amendment of a study committee. If that isn't God, what is?
Back From the Brink
In a way, the overture should have never even made it to the General Assembly. Rick Brown, a noted advocate of insider bible translation had bragged repeatedly that he had information that the measure would be scuttled. I do not know what insight he had, but we can say definitively that he is no prophet. Before the overture headed to GA, it was reviewed and assessed by the permanent Committee for MTW. There the basic overture condemning insider translations was affirmed but the study committee stripped based on the statement that MTW already had extensive resources available for the use of the local church in understanding insider movements and their translations. We subsequently discovered, and the coordinator affirmed, that no extensive resources existed at all. In all, there was only one real article available. When the overture made it to Virginia Beach, it, following normal procedures, went to a Committee of Commissioners for MTW. These men quickly overturned the recommendations of MTW and CMTW, restoring the entire overture. They made a serious mistake however. Following the advice of the administrative committee of the PCA, they divided the combined overture into two parts; one for the basic measure addressing insider translations, and the other focusing on the study committee.
It very nearly tubed the whole thing, for when it arrived in front of the entire assembly for vote, Dr David Coffin of Potomac Presbytery moved that it was out of order. Basically he was proposing that dividing the measure was not strictly legal and had to be thrown out. The assembly agreed that it was, but, in a manner reminiscent of everything else we had experienced, the measure did not die. The assembly voted to allow the Committee of Commissioners to rework the overture and present it a second time. We thought that would happen the same day, but things were dragged out until the final day of GA. When it did, enough men showed up for the vote and the rest is history.
Getting in the Last Word
The following few words approximate how I addressed the General Assembly. I had a few notes that I will convey here, but as always, I spoke extemporaneously as well. Scott Seaton and Travis Hutchinson preceded me and Dave Garner capped off our appeal.We had two votes Friday; one of which approved the modified overture and the other voted on it.After all that struggling (and it was some fight) as both MTW and the Committee for MTW strongly committed against include a study committee, the first vote passed by a ratio of 3-2.The final vote was a massive landslide.
I feel like a babe in a parliamentary wood. I am shaking as I address you knowing that most of you know far more than I about these proceedings. I only speak because I know something and it is a something that perhaps none of you know first-hand. You see, I know insiders; not in some academic way but personally.
I spent five great years as MTW's Regional Director responsible for oversight to Muslim-focused church planting in South and East Asia; oversaw the creation of the Muslim Background Presbyterian Church of Bangladesh; serve currently as a director for i2 Ministries and Advancing Native Missions (ANM) in South Asia. I am also a co-author of an insider movement critique due for publication this October. Finally, I have, along the way, managed to personally interview well in excess of 200 insiders, former insiders, and national Muslim background Christians.
There is a vast but bridgeable gap in understanding and perspective between journal articles and editorial pieces written by Westerners and what insiders, former insiders, and national Muslim background churches say.
We need to know what is what. The fact that all of the first generation of insiders were actually documentably baptized Christian converts, that reentered Islam, scandalously at the encouragement, often financially, of Western missionaries, but only after a public ritual of purification, should give us pause and consider that we indeed lack dependable information.
There is a vast difference between our paltry available resources here and adequate information for churches making decisions.We need tools that help us understand who and what we support.We need to study this because visible, Muslim convert and persecuted churches, some of which are reformed and covenantal bodies we helped to start, and continue to support, are asking for our help. These are modern day Macedonian men asking for us, the visible, historical church of Jesus Christ to come and help.
Bill Nikides is a missiologist and key writer on issues pertaining to Insider Movements


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Sales Performance
3 Things You Can Learn from Lost Deals
We've all been there: your team goes through the painstaking process of qualifying a lead, researching a company, negotiating pricing and then POOF! The deal is gone.
Sales Performance
We've all been there: your team goes through the painstaking process of qualifying a lead, researching a company, negotiating pricing and then POOF! The deal is gone.
Zendesk Sell News
Last week we took a look back at some of our favorite moments from the first three sessions of our annual Forecast sales event. Now, it's time for part 2 of our Forecast 2016 recap!
Sales Management
Ask any sales leader and he or she will tell you: it's a tough job! Here are 7 deadly mistakes that can have serious long-term effects on both your team and your business as a whole - and how you can avoid them.
Zendesk Sell News
It's been over a week since our Forecast 2016 sales conference, and we still can't stop thinking about all of the awesome people we met, speakers we heard and things we learned.
Science of Sales
While Death of a Salesman is often interpreted as an exposé around the pressures and difficulties of the American Dream, it can also tell us a lot about sales itself.
Science of Sales
With 60% of companies no longer confident in achieving their sales targets, it's time for sales leaders to leave the art of sales behind and start adopting a more scientific approach.
Sales Management
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Let's take a look at how you can make sure your sales team and tools are collecting the quality and quantity of data needed to yield actionable insights.
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05 Fine Art
Taken in and around Avebury stone circle, near Marlborough, Wiltshire, England
Ute Helmbold / portrait
Portraits of illustrator, Professor Ute Helmbold
Impressions from Wiepersdorf a village south of Berlin. This picturesque village, situated in what was the GDR, lies at the foot of the Kunstlerhaus Schloss Wiepersdorf. The former home of Bettina von Arnim. The style of this series was influenced by postcards of the region from the 40's & 50's


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Our Achievements
70 Years old woman becomes mother by IVF Technique
IVF failures - Despite failure of IVF thrice in Rajasthan Smt. Saroj r/o Abohar (Name Changed) did not loose heart and contacted National Fertility Centre, Hisar. Advanced IVF technique - Blastocyst culture technique was applied and only one embryo was transfered and she became pregnant and delivered one baby. It means IVF failure 2-3 times should not stop us from continuing our efforts.
Do not go for IVF in Batches
Ethically IVFET should not be done in camps by preponing or postponing the menses of ladies. Because rate of maturity of eggs is different in different women with the result that 4-5 days difference is in maturity of eggs is but natural. Every IVF centre should have its own team to do IVF in routine according to the menstrual cycle of the patient and not by inviting team from out side to dispose of a large number of cases in one or two days which shows irresponsibility and it jeopardizes quality of treatment which is very expensive. Government is supposed to be strict in such cases and issue guidelines for the awareness of patients.
Our Team
How Is It Done
In simple terms, IVf means fertilisation outside the body. After ovarian stimulation, eggs are collected from women's ovaries and then fertilised by husband's processed sperms in a petridish or a test tube in a controlled laboratory environment. The resulting embryos are deposited in to the women's uterus by embryo transfer. If the process is successful, one or more embryos will implant in the lining of the womb and the women will become pregnet.
Micro-manipulation requires skilled embroyologist. In cases of obstructive azoospermia (sperms are taken from Testis), severe oligospermia, pervious failed fertilization, anti-sperm anti-bodies, one sperm is injected in one mature oocyte using micro-manipulators. The resulting embryos are transferred into the uterus.
Embryo freezing facility at our centre enables us to preserve extra embryos. So that if one IVF cycle is not successful, these preserved embryos can be used for transfer in next cycle and patient does not need to undergo repeated IVF cycled. This prevents discomfort to the patient and extra cost of fresh cycle.
embryo freezing
Our centre does not guarantee conception to any patient under any circumstance. No sex selection technique is used. It is a punishable Offence under law.
© 2010-15 National fertility & Test Tube Baby Center. All Rights Reserved.


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Wonga scandal: How did Church of England get into such an unholy mess over payday loans?
Evidence that the Church of England can't tell the difference between right and Wonga. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, claims that if payday lenders were to be put out of business it would leave the poor and the desperate at the mercy of loan sharks.
Turning the other cheek towards the Wongas of this world he claims to see a plus side. At least he reckons, "they do not send people round with baseball bats".
True, your reverence. But as we now know they do send people round with fake solicitors' letters demanding immediate payment or else. Which, while less injurious to customer life and limb, could also be filed under threatening, scary and likely to pile on considerable pressure.
The Church, which invests in Wonga, is currently facing an ungodly dilemma of its own making.
Previously Most Rev Welby had made it clear that he believed that payday lenders should be put out of business. Entirely.
But, oops, this was before he was informed that the CoE's financial wing had sunk something in the region of £100,000 into the company.
Following criticism of this odd state of affairs, the Church's Ethical Investment Advisory Group launched a review. (Although you would think that "Church investing in Wonga" would fairly obviously constitute an ethical no-no.)
Please log in or register with belfasttelegraph.co.uk for free access to this article.
The EIAG, however, found that the investment could be defended arguing: "It is no more realistic to desire that they invest only in morally perfect companies than it is to desire that any of us should relate only to morally perfect individuals."
Then the inevitable wee bit of preaching: "In any event, such an objective would rather miss the point of the Gospel. It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."
The payday lending community (if we can call it that) may indeed be sick. But I doubt if most church members welcome CoE outreach to this particular example of the halt and the lame. I imagine most godly souls – in common with the rest of us – reserve their sympathy for the poor (in every sense) and the vulnerable who, having turned to the likes of Wonga, find themselves saddled with a 5,000% interest rate and a spiralling debt they haven't a hope in hell of repaying.
It's been suggested that another reason for CoE reluctance to cast out Wonga is that if the Church pulls out its hundred grand it could lose several millions on the deal. (No, I don't understand that calculation either. It's not just God that works in mysterious ways. Finance is also inscrutable.)
But here's the thing. Shouldn't the Church just take such a loss on the chin? For no other reason than that it's the right thing to do. Or rather, that trying to make money out of Wonga induced misery is a very wrong thing to do.
Citing his fears about the boys with baseball bats the Archbishop argues that: "One of the worries at the moment is if payday lending declines very rapidly and credit unions do not take up the slack, where will people turn?"
I am going to suggest something pretty retro here, your grace, but what if they were to, say, turn to the Churches?
Why should the devil have all the good short term loan options?
Would it not be possible for various of the extremely wealthy Churches to club together and take up some of that aforementioned slack? Thus cutting out entirely the baseball bats, the fake solicitors' letters and interest rates on a par of impossibility with your rich man trying to make it through the eye of a needle.
During that scene where Jesus is said to have overturned the tables of the money lenders in the temple, does Mr Welby assume dispensation would have been given to a stall manned by a creepy trio of pensioner puppets?
Straight talking money, is the cynical slogan of Wonga. Time surely, for a bit of genuine straight talking and more precisely, straight thinking from the Archbishop and from the Church.
God knows, like all those Wonga repayments, it's overdue.
MLAs should take break from holidays
Our hard-working MLAs are due a bit of a break soon. Somewhere in the region of nine weeks which they are due to have off over the summer months.
No one begrudges them this extended vacation (we don't, do we?). After all they only get a couple of weeks off at Easter. And a week or so at Halloween. And a couple more over Christmas/New Year. But given that the summer break falls during such a traditionally fractious period could there be an argument for changing or even curtailing this very long MLA getaway?
If only because keeping them in situ might concentrate minds on reaching compromise. It may be a bit of a tongue-twister but the question does have to be asked... should Stormont shut up for summer?
Some 'Suarez-style' teething problems
This is Dog Awareness Week — a campaign aimed at highlighting shocking statistics which reveal that up to nine postal workers are attacked every day by household pets.
Not all of these are seen by their owners as savage beasts, either. Even normally placid Rover can turn nasty if he feels his territory is being invaded.
But that's small comfort to the 3,000-odd posties per annum who are injured by snarling animals. Some have been hospitalised with bites. Imagine facing that on a regular basis. They deserve our full sympathy.
But you do wonder if there aren't also a few postal workers in Uruguay who know how they feel? Presumably there will be a similar sense of trepidation delivering mail addressed to a Senor L Suarez.
Belfast Telegraph


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Our local depots serve travellers across Europe. Here, you can pick up and drop off your campervan.


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Colleges offering graphic design classes typically offer a minimum certificate program and higher levels of degrees to students and one such college is taking the step to offer new graphic design programs to students in the area.
McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, IL recently announced that it will offer an Associate of Applied Science Degree as well as three certificates in graphic design.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, graphic design schools are preparing students for a growing industry. The average wage for a graphic design is $20.92 per hour or $43,500 annually.
The new programs at this school are expected to prepare students for careers in graphic design, art direction, art education, multimedia and animation, and all other careers relating to the arts. The degree program can be completed in 2-years by full time students and prepares students for all forms of graphic design and communication.
Ancillary classes are standard to the type of degree being offered and include subjects such as English Composition, Speech and Public Speaking, Creative Writing, Ethics, Interpersonal Communication, Computer Literacy and electives.
Graphic design classes will include a vast array of specialized courses to prepare students for a career in graphic design. Those include subjects such as internet technology, typography, color and art theory, portfolio design, the history of graphic design, digital drawing, and animation. Student will also need to purchase and take classes on graphic design software programs such as Adobe Design Suite.
Students in graphic design also take classes that focus on web design since the majority of graphic designers work on web based projects. The degree program at the school will also include training in web design and principles of advertising, to include web design aesthetics, scripting, logic, and programming languages.


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I've been sliiiightly out of commission this last week. I didn't make a Krychocosm, for one, but I think that's pretty excusable, considering the fact that Chris and I were out of town for our friends David and Bethany's wedding from Friday to Sunday, and Sunday was our first anniversary. We got all gussied up fancy-shmancy went to Cheesecake Factory.
|Photo courtesy eataroundokc.com
Then, we stayed at the gorgeous Skirvin-Hilton hotel in OKC!
|Photo courtesy www1.hilton.com
Also, there are pretty flowers sitting on my coffee table.
Isn't that awesome? God is good.
In the car yesterday, Chris and I were listening to Avril Lavigne's Let Go. Great memories. I am unashamed that that CD is still one of my favorites -- not only does Avril have a beautiful voice, I identify (and did in the past) with many of her songs.
My mentioning this sparked an interesting conversation, in which I tried to explain why I -- very normal (well...), very girlish and very peppy -- felt so in touch with very punk, very edgy and very angst-y Avril. In fact, since Let Go came out, my heart has hurt for her many times as I listened to the sad stories contained in her songs.
Chris listened to the lyrics of "Anything But Ordinary" and said, "Okay, I can see why you identify with her, in some good ways and bad ways." For example: A good way is that, as the song says, "I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please." A bad way is my unhealthy restlessness and discontent, reflected in the lyrics, "Is it enough to love? Is it enough to breathe?" And later, "[I'll do] anything to make me feel alive."
I mused that I wasn't sure someone like Avril and I would be friends if we actually knew one another. Then, the thought hit me (hear me out on it): There are really only a few types of people in the world.
I think we all have our categories of pain and insecurity that overlap with a larger chunk of humanity than we can fully comprehend. At the same time we're utterly unique, we're also so very similar. Isn't that crazy?
P.S. More not-so-happy mail. Got a manuscript back today that I've sent in twice (graciously, the editor let me make corrections and try again the first time). Once again, she made edits and said to fix it up and send it back to her. Meh. Let's try this dance again...


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Campus Health
Return to Clinical, Class, and Lab Following Illness or Injury Policy
To determine the student's ability to return to normal academic activities in the classroom, lab, and/or clinical to ensure the health and safety of the student, as well as their faculty, classmates and patients.
The student must present documentation from their personal healthcare provider to the Campus Health Center prior to returning to the College following an absence caused by orthopedic pain/injury, including back/neck pain, surgery, pregnancy, delivery or other health related situation that may impact the student's ability to engage in normal classroom, laboratory or clinical experiences. Documentation must indicate the date that the student may return to normal academic activities, and must specify any restrictions if applicable.
Students who are enrolled in any clinical or laboratory experience must provide evidence that they satisfactorily meet the technical standards of performance for the program in which they are enrolled. Students with restrictions or who no longer satisfy the technical standards of performance will not be permitted to return to the clinical setting. Participation in the laboratory setting may be restricted depending on the nature of the experience. Restrictions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Infectious Conditions:
Before returning from an absence related to an actual or probable infectious condition including, but not limited to, pink eye, diarrhea/vomiting, rash, draining wounds or influenza, the student may need to be seen by the Campus Health Center for clearance to return to the academic setting (classroom, lab, or clinical). The student may also be requested to present documentation from their personal healthcare provider stating that they are no longer infectious and may return to normal academic activities in the classroom, lab, or clinical settings.
All documentation related to the issues above shall be presented to the Campus Health Center where it will be placed in the student's medical file. Misrepresenting your personal circumstances to a member of the Campus Health Center, clinical agency, faculty, or College official constitutes academic dishonesty and is grounds for disciplinary action.
Tobacco-Free Environment
7/12; 10/15
To provide a healthy campus environment, to promote healthy lifestyles and to improve the quality of life for our community.
Learn more >
In Case of Pandemic
A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza A virus emerges for which there is little or no immunity in the human population and the virus begins to cause serious illness and then spreads easily person-to-person worldwide. The federal government, states, communities and industry are taking steps to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic. NMC has created a Pandemic Preparedness plan, with the primary goal of protecting the health and lives of the NMC community. Policies have been developed to mitigate the impact of pandemic or other public health threat based on best practices and/or recommendations from the CDC, WHO, US Department of Health and Human Services, and Douglas County Health Department.
The NMC Plan is based on leveled criteria as determined by the Federal Government Response Stages and the WHO Phase and Level Criteria, and will be made readily available if and when the pandemic risk is elevated to level 4 or above.
Update: Pandemic Alert was issued June 11, 2009- refer to Pandemic Incident Management Plan
Update: August 10, 2010- WHO declared H1N1 Pandemic over
The current WHO phase of pandemic alert for avian influenza H5N1 is 3.
Currently, the avian influenza H5N1 virus continues to circulate in poultry in some countries, especially in Asia and northeast Africa.
This virus continues to cause sporadic human infections with some instances of limited human-to-human transmission among very close contacts. There has been no sustained human-to-human or community-level transmission identified thus far.
AED Use in Emergency
To electrically terminate rapid ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation in the unconscious, pulseless patient with the Zoll AED+Plus unit, located in public spaces at the College (including the Alumni Center). This procedure may be implemented by a first responder, professional or non-professional
Use the AED when a suspected cardiac arrest victim has an apparent LACK OF CIRCULATION as indicated by:
- Unconsciousness and
- Absence of normal breathing; and
- Absence of a pulse or signs of circulation.
- When a victim is less than 8 years of age or weighs less than 55 lbs (25 kg), the Zoll AED Plus should be used with Zoll AED Plus Pediatric Electrodes. Therapy should not be delayed to determine the patient's exact age or weight.
DO NOT use the AED when the patient is:
- Conscious; or
- Breathing; or
- Has a detectable pulse or other signs of circulation.
AED Inspection and Maintenance
To establish regular inspection and maintenance plan for the AED unit.
The Methodist Health System Biomedical Electronics Department is scheduled to conduct quarterly checks of all AED units at Nebraska Methodist College buildings (including Clark, Leinart, Josie's Village and the Jean Beyer Alumni Center and any other buildings that come under ownership of the College.)
- A representative from the Biomedical Electronics Department requests a key from Campus Security to inspect all AED units.
- Security will send a report to the Campus Health Center indicating the date, time, units inspected and results.
- The SHC representative on the Safety and Health Committee will bring a copy of that report to the next Committee meeting for discussion and inclusion in the Campus Safety and Health Records Book.


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App-V: Beyond Trust unable to Trigger SFTTRAY /REFRESHALL under different user context
I recently dealt with an issue where a customer had several machines attempting to perform a non-interactive DC Refresh via a third-party program. This program called Beyond Trust was failing with the following error in the SFTLOG.TXT:
[03/23/2011 13:52:50:127 SRVC ERR] {tid=1654:usr=steveth}
Failed to open connecting process handle to track process termination (PID 7604, error 5).
NOTE: This does not have to happen with just this particular program. This could also occur with any program that attempts to process this command under the context of a user account (with or without UAC disabled.)
ALSO NOTE: This is not to be confused with the similar process termination error (997.)
Simple elevation to the user's context will not suffice. The call to refresh against the server will still need to be called from the credentials of the targeted user account in which it must be able to also call SFTDCC at the same time.
The best resolution to this issue would likely be to use something such as the built-in Scheduled Tasks within Windows to achieve offline non-interactive refreshes against the App-V server. Then simply create and distribute the *.job file for this.
Specific information related to the SchTasks command is found here:


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Performance Therapy is a systematic approach towards successfully treating soft tissue structures, integrating the use of advanced soft tissue skills with functional strengthening techniques.
When joint structure is torn or damaged, spasm, inflammation and finally the infiltration of adhesion formation occur during the healing phase. Muscle does not heal by formation of new muscle, but by scar tissue. These adhesions disrupt the normal muscle function, which in turn affect the biomechanics of the joint complex, and can lead to pain and dysfunction. An acute injury does not have to occur in order for adhesions to develop. Often, an injury caused by repetitive movements or constant pressure/tension can cause adhesion formation.
Performance Therapy is specifically designed to assess the kinetic chain, locate and release adhesions, and restore proper muscle-contractual timing patterns. This method softens, stretches and releases the fibrous scar tissue, resulting in decreased restriction to circulation, increased range of motion and increased strength. After this is achieved then the functional exercises begin. Repetitive strengthening is necessary to maintain proper muscle memory, to keep the adhesions released and to insure joint integrity.
In order to better understand function and the kinetic chain of movement (how the body works together through movement), we have learned that the human body operates on a link sequencing system consisting of bone, soft tissue, and neurovascular structures. Neural patterns must fire in a specific order for this link system to successfully perform a given task. No one body part operates successfully without the contribution of another. The key component of all movement is the body's core/trunk (abdominal, hip, and low back area). The core serves as a force coupled in the kinetic chain between the lower and upper extremities. Ground reaction forces travel through the lower extremities, through the core, and to the upper body when movement or application of strength occurs in a given task. A weak core will result in postural distortions, biomechanical dysfunction, and inefficient movement patterns.
In the past, therapists treated patients statically when they are laying down, instead of functionally. In Performance Therapy, instead of just assessing a patient statically, we also assess and test functionally with gravity and movement naturally being a factor. In the real world, we are constantly in a battle with gravity and force using multi-joint and multi-directional movements. Some examples of this would be: bending down and reaching to your side to pick up something off the floor, putting a baby in a car seat, or swinging a golf club.
When a patient comes to Performance Therapy concerned about a problem, we take these steps to help them:
"My weekly visits to Performance Therapy allow me to compete at a high level injury free. Brad and his staff are knowledgeable in all aspects of the body and have always been able to answer any questions I have when it comes to stretching and injury prevention. Definitely credit them for keeping me healthy as I hear up for the upcoming season."
Cory Leslie
Furman Elite/Nike Pro Athlete