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So, finally, I get to describe the best part of these expeditions, and the real reason I do them: I love to "read the forest."
Looking up through the jumble of greens and browns, I know there is a story in here. On first pass, in the moment of engagement in the field, it's primarily a story of family. Of meeting old friends; of recognizing cousins I've long heard of but never yet laid eyes on; and of meeting strangers, and, while not knowing how they relate to the family, knowing that they do somehow. In one way this is the intellectual application of the framework of plant taxonomy I've built up over the years, a model of classification and morphology. But it keeps on grabbing me in a more visceral sense: it is simply fun to look through the forest, tree by tree, in a process of repeated expectation and fulfillment.
It's like any collecting activity: playing (the card game) "snap," collecting stamps, playing Pokémon! As humans, most of us get a kick out of the sifting of diversity, the recognition of the known, the pattern-seeking in the unknown. And I am tremendously fortunate to get to do this in the rainforest, where the objects of this seeking really are unknown (by humans). As far as I am aware, no one has ever put in any systematic (all taxa) forest inventory plots in these wet forests of Flores (see Monk et al. 1997). The best checklist we have (Whitmore et al. 1989) is already turning out to have many missing taxa, based on what I'm seeing here.
On a practical level, I start by approaching each tree "in order;" the tree-tagging and diameter-measuring team have gone through the 50m-by-50m plot earlier. I glance at the bark, and in a few cases I can already recognize the species from the color and pattern of fissures, flakes, stains, and texture, matching it mentally to one of the previously encountered species at this site. Only a few species or genera have distinct enough bark to suggest a tree's identity based on my own experience at other sites, and as ever, exceptions and 'false positives' abound. For example, most Calophyllum have a very distinct pattern of long, yellow, diamond-shaped marks on their smooth surface; but based on this, several times here I have mistaken some unrelated Malvaceae trees as Calophyllum. The relationship between bark surface and bark anatomy is fascinating and complex, having to do with how the inner-bark (the phloem) relieves the stress it is under as a ring of living tissue around a ever-expanding core of wood (the xylem): with fast, even growth leading to smooth bark, or random cracks, and growth concentrated in rays of cells leading to ordered fissures. Check out the classic bark papers (Whitmore 1962, 1963) by the tropical tree master, Tim Whitmore.
After scanning the bark for clues, I find a spot to see the leaves up above, which can take ages in a forest with lianas draped over the canopy. I look up with binoculars: what are the leaves like? How are they arranged on the branches? The general form of the canopy? Colors? Are there any fruits or flowers (usually the best plant parts to identify the species, but seldom available)? Using the rich terminology of plant morphology, I jot down key characters in my notebook. Then an assistant and I let lose a catapult-volley of pebbles at the branches, trying (and nearly always succeeding) to shoot out a few green leaves. Usually finding old, fallen leaves on the ground is also possible, but it can be very time-consuming if the tree sheds few leaves, and is prone to errors: even after years of doing this, I can still make mistakes collecting the right fallen leaves for a given tree, especially when the species is unknown but similar to other species present, and when the tree is a giant (and at the end of the day when I'm tired!).
Finally, I approach the trunk and make a small slash in the bark, going deep enough to expose a small patch of wood. Before any volatile compounds have time to evaporate, I sniff the slash. Many trees have a very distinct odor; at this site, there is a large Rubiaceae that smells like wintergreen (as in candy, or yellow birch), a Canarium like carrots, a Prunus like marzipan (almond paste), a Cynometra like wheat flour dough (without the yeast), the many Aglaia like their own delicious "langsat" (their fruit) smell, and finally a mystery plant that smells of a combination of tobacco and silage! I then take a close-up photograph of the slash, and of the fallen leaves. The tool of high-resolution digital photography in the field has revolutionized this process of morphotyping. Describing bark slashes in words is hard, and a blunt means to differentiate among taxa. But the combination of photos of a bark slash and a leaf's venation provides an amazingly fine tool for separating species: the visual characters are numerous while the variation within a species is surprisingly low (see pic).
In this way, I work through the plot, doing about 80 trees a day. Though not physically strenuous, the repetition gets tiring—approaching a tree, wandering around to find a spot to see the canopy, craning one's neck to look up, shooting pebbles with a catapult, stooping to find fallen leaves, and re-approach to the tree for the bark slash and note-taking. And sadly, my failing, post-age-40, close-up vision means that there's also a tiresome juggling of glasses for each tree! I soon learn the common species, and recording these doesn't take more than a few seconds. But in these forests you seldom go more than four or five trees before finding a new (to me) species that needs careful recording.
The other part of reading of the forest is the encounter with saplings as one walks about. Most of the saplings in the forest are young versions of the ones I've been learning in the plot, although there are also many saplings of liana species I haven't been recording explicitly. Drawing the connection between a sapling and its adult is a very satisfying event, because sapling leaves are seldom exactly the same as adult leaves (they tend to be larger and have greater interspecific variation in shape), and the recognition of being the same species gives immediate insight into the developmental changes that go on in a single plant as it grows up. Recognition of a sapling is also exciting because it provides access to characters that are
usually unavailable with just fallen adult leaves: are there stipules? What is the fine-scale orientation of the leaves? All these additional characters help one begin in that other satisfying process of matching an organism in the field to a description in a book, thereby allowing for identification of unknown plant types (morphotypes) to known taxonomic names. This book-browsing stage happens at the end of the day, with a cup of tea, and a laptop full of digital copies of reference books and interactive keys. I may solve a nagging mystery, or I may get confused. But the book data gets refreshed and thrown into the mental mix, to emerge perhaps the next day as a verbal "YES!" as I recognize another member of the Malesian tree family that I had always wanted to meet. Fun stuff!
Next week: what we're finding! (Hint: it's more diverse than I ever thought.)
- Monk, K. A., De Fretes, Y., & G. Reksodiharjo-Lilley (1997) Ecology of Nusa Tenggara and Maluka: Vol IV (Ecology of Indonesia series) Periplus Editions. URL.
- Whitmore, T. C. (1962) Studies in systematic bark morphology. I. Bark morphology in Dipterocarpaceae. New Phytologist 61(2):191-207. URL.
- Whitmore, T. C. (1963) Studies in systematic bark morphology. IV. The bark of beech, oak and sweet chestnut. New Phytologist 62(2):161-169. URL.
- Whitmore, T. C., Tantra, I. G. M., & Sutisna, U. (1989). Tree flora of Indonesia: Check list for Bali, Nusa Tenggara and Timor.


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[UPDATE June 2012: Most of my offerings at Lulu.com have been retired. The reason: it has been difficult to keep various guides on Facebook, WordPress, Blogger, etc. updated. Please stay tuned for new offerings soon!]
High-Definition Genealogy and The Connected Genealogist are proud to announce its new and FREE Getting Started With Facebook guide (opens in PDF) as well as updates to its Facebook listings of genealogy people, fan pages, groups and genealogy societies!
The new cheat sheet is designed for those genealogists who need some guidance on how to setup a Facebook account, how to configure account settings, how to protect privacy and more.
Getting Started With Facebook
In addition, here are some listings of genealogy-related people and pages on Facebook:
- Facebook – Genealogists
- Facebook – Genealogy Fan Pages
- Facebook – Genealogy Groups
- Facebook – Genealogy Society Pages
© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

subset: commoncrawl


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Facebook's Android Vet Jumps to DFJ as New General Partner
Bubba Murarka, Facebook long-timer and one of the minds behind Facebook's massive push into Android, will soon leave the company to join Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a Silicon Valley VC firm.
He'll be made general partner and managing director at his new gig at DFJ, where he'll spot new companies for investment potential and advise the firm's existing portfolio companies.
"Bubba has deep experience with building teams and delivering a product vision, which is important perspective for emerging tech companies," Andreas Stavropoulos, DFJ managing director, said in a statement. "He has expertise in scaling teams, working through complex partnership negotiations and designing creative experiences."
Murarka has been with Facebook since 2008, when he joined the company in a more biz-dev-focused role, where he worked on M&A teams and made deals with companies like Microsoft, Netflix and Yahoo.
Later in his time at Facebook, he switched over to product management, where he scaled the Android team up to 50-plus members and helped make the switch from HTML5-based apps over to native Android code. (Basically, it's the reason your Facebook app is a whole lot faster today.)
Before his time at Facebook, Murarka spent the better part of a decade at Microsoft in a number of different product and tech positions.


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Kenny's back down to 50 cents:
"If I'm being honest and completely transparent right now of the price that is being asked for some of the players that we've inquired about, for us, it's more detrimental to our present and our future than we'd like," said Williams, speaking in the White Sox dugout prior to Monday's contest at Safeco Field. "We'll see how that develops. But right now, I don't see anything materializing."
… "Real quickly, what it is is a limited market for us. What we view as potential help is, really, there's only a small group of players," Williams said. "And even with that, we all still have to have the conversation amongst ourselves and we kind of do it on a daily basis this time of year, amongst ourselves what we're looking at the right fit.
"The right fit, both skill set-wise, fit in the lineup or fit, whether it be a bullpen piece, a starter piece. Is it the right fit? Are you going to gain exponentially by making that move in lieu of staying with what you have? And I'm very mindful of how this team has banded together and overcome a mountain of hurdles to get to where they want to get right now.
"So, I think you have to be very cognizant of doing something that isn't, like I said, exponentially better and making sure it's not disruptive at the same time," Williams said.
… "If you're going to, again, make such a move, you'd better make sure that player is going to come here, and when the guy walks through the door, have the feeling that, 'OK, this is going to add to in a major way or tweak in a minor way,' such as we did in 2005 with Geoff Blum to where it is a need that is filled," Williams said. "Otherwise, you're better off standing pat.
"Obviously, we put the roster together thinking it can compete, it could be a winning roster, and I like the fight in them. But how they fought through some of the adversity lately has just been, and you take [Sunday's] game that was another one we should have won in Minnesota as well, you take those and then you go back through all the losses we've had in the past six weeks or so, and they have fought to the very end.
"As a general manager, you can only hope and pray that your coaching staff can get the guys to play at that level of intensity and the players themselves have to have it internally to keep that drive going," Williams said. "As I sit here, I'm very cognizant of all those things and we will go through our drills and have our conversations. But it's a very small group of players that may be potentially available and can help."


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BENEFITING: Project Hope
ORGANIZER: Project Hope
EVENT: 2012 Boston Marathon
Taylor Watts
Project Hope wrote -
At Project Hope we help families believe in their own possibilities and to break through the barriers that keep them poor. On April 16, our team of dedicated runners broke through the sweltering heat to run the Boston Marathon in support of Project Hope. Thank you to our team for directly impacting opportunities for homeless families in Boston, and thank you for connecting us to your generous supporters, who joined us in our mission.


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Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell names Nixon state CIO. Amid Virginia's troubled IT deal with Northrop Grumman, Nixon becomes state's third CIO in nine months.
A lawmaker who helped craft legislation that founded the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) is getting a chance to lead the agency as it tries to salvage its sputtering IT outsourcing deal.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell tapped state Rep. Samuel A. Nixon to become Virginia's CIO on Wednesday, March 24, in a move preceded days earlier by the governor signing legislation that gave him the authority to hire and fire the CIO position.
Nixon comes to his new job with more than 25 years' experience in the IT field, according to the governor's office. He currently is serving his ninth term in the Virginia House of Delegates and is a senior consultant with CapTech Ventures, an IT management and consulting firm based in Richmond, Va.
McDonnell said in a statement that after serving with Nixon for more than a decade in the Virginia General Assembly, he had come to admire the new CIO's intellect and knowledge of IT issues. "Sam's experience in this fast-changing industry will be of tremendous benefit at VITA. I know he will do a great job for the citizens of Virginia," McDonnell said.
Nixon, who will take over April 5, becomes the third person to serve as state CIO in the past nine months, following George Coulter and Lem Stewart. That turnover could be seen as the latest proof of difficulties and challenges ahead for the state's IT services pact with Northrop Grumman, a 10-year deal worth $2.3 billion.
Virginia's since-dissolved Information Technology Investment Board fired Stewart in June 2009 after he withheld payment of an invoice to Northrop Grumman because the vendor was "not meeting [its] contractual obligations." Stewart's replacement George Coulter had served in the post since August 2009. McDonnell credited Coulter with helping to stabilize VITA.
After a legislative audit last fall slammed the agreement's performance and prompted criticism from lawmakers, VITA and Northrop Grumman have been working together on a remedy plan in an effort to improve service. The Richmond Times Dispatch reported last week that McDonnell's administration is attempting to renegotiate the contract and that it could result in added taxpayer expense. A state budget on the governor's desk also may include staff reductions for VITA, the newspaper added.
McDonnell, who took office in January, said Wednesday that Nixon will play a key role in that renegotiation.
Nixon was one of the lawmakers who helped write legislation which created VITA in 2003 and moved the state toward an architecture that relies upon private-sector partnerships to deliver IT services and management.
Nixon will report to the governor through state Secretary of Technology Jim Duffey.


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All payment processed using PayPal as payment gateway. You can even pay without credit card.
More detail policy about return and refund > CLICK HERE


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Regardless of how careful we try to be with our devices, we are always bound to drop it off a table or some other object. Many search for the perfect case that brings comfort, but also protection. Today, we'll take a few moments to look at the Otterbox Commuter Series Case for Bold 9700/9780.
I've always wondered what all the hype about Otterbox was & I wasn't disappointed upon receiving this case. A two-part case, the silicone skin is what covers & protects most of the device. The polycarbonate outer shell give additional, more durable coverage in areas that may come in contact more often when dropped. The lightweight design makes a barely noticeable difference in weight, so you'll feel like it's not even there.
- Lightweight design
- Great color selection (Black/Back, Black/White, White/Pink)
- Case can be removed with ease using both hands.
- Protects all areas that would be scratch-prone.
- No Compatible/fitted for original 9700/9780 holster (had to improvise with a Bold 9000 holster for fit)
- The plastic Outer Shell sometimes gets caught on holster when being removed
Overall, Otterbox provides a great stylish, yet protective case you won't be embarrassed to have on your phone. You can get it today for only $30.35 (reg. $31.95) in our BlackBerryOS online store. For just a bit more than thirty dollars, you can't really beat that for other similar cases.


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Floodlights, new River players make for Copa Libertadores knockout drama
It is a new Copa Libertadores with a fresh calendar -- and some of the same old problems. The match between Guarani of Paraguay and Argentina's River Plate suffered an 11-minute hold up because of an old fashioned floodlight failure -- not an uncommon event at Asuncion's Defensores del Chaco Stadium.
This was always a game likely to generate more heat than light, though, for two reasons.
One was the fact that two River Plate players tested positive in post-match drug tests towards the end of the...


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|Baobei and his creations :)
While I was sitting inside Reever's room watching movie, Reever asked me to go out and guess what? He showed me his drawing creation that he did on the chair's carton boxes. He asked us (Ray and I) to buy his drawing and pay with real money. Hahaha.... Enjoy the photos below and if you are interested to buy.. just let me know... ;P
|Laogong and Baobei
|Me and Baobei - Discounted item especially for me hehehe.... :)
|My sis-in-law and mother-in-law :)
|My other sis-in-law's son with his mom's piggy drawing hehehe....


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hair...Labels: Current Affairs
I dreamt I was invited to a monument's grand opening, of which main statue was modelled after me.
It was yellowish in color, or greenish, or greyish, can't remember correctly. The pose was like New York's famous Liberty statue, but size's very different, my statue was only 10 feet tall.
I walked round to see its back, but stopped under the arm that carried a torch. "Was the sculptor in his right mind?" I exclaimed in horror, as I stared at the statue's massive amount of... armpit hair.
at 5:16 PM
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Don't Turn the Other Cheek
Source: Israel Today - Tsvi Sadan, Wednesday May 22nd 2013
A disturbing exposé in the weekend edition of the Hebrew daily Ma'ariv features the testimonies of Israeli soldiers serving in Judea and Samaria who, contrary to the ongoing lies about Israeli cruelty, are forbidden by from reacting like soldiers, even when their lives are in danger.
Due to Israeli army restrictions against using force on Palestinian assailants, we are treated to images where, for lack of any other option, soldiers are fleeing from the scene, locking themselves in their vehicles or forced to endure to verbal abuse and sexual gestures aimed at humiliating them, and to humiliate our soldiers is to humiliate Israel.
This policy of non-violence that calls on Israeli soldiers to "contain" themselves is based on the false supposition that human beings operate best when reason is detached from emotion. One can hear politicians and generals repeatedly say things like "we should follow our minds, not our guts." Therefore, since humiliation comes from the "gut," soldiers must learn to ignore it. But they can't, no one can.
"Containment" is an Orwellian term meant to hide bewilderment and fear. Global anti-Israel sentiments bewilder politicians and generals, and cause them to be indecisive. The fear factor, contrary to the slogan "we should follow our minds," is the fear of possible legal consequences that may result from decisive actions. Bewilderment and fear therefore paralyze our leaders, who in turn paralyze our soldiers.
Though it is tempting to compare of Israel's "containment" policy to the New Testament's virtue of "turning the other cheek," it is unlikely that Jesus even imagined that his lofty principle would be used to justify lack of faith and wisdom. I must say that this policy worries me, because I have seen it and its results before. Israel's unilateral and hasty withdrawal from South Lebanon in the summer of 2000 happened because of bewilderment and fear.
Israel's position on the effectiveness of the military zone in South Lebanon had for years been eroding. At first this erosion manifested itself in the construction of massive fortified military posts inside Lebanon and aggressive operations against Hezbollah. But as the erosion deepened, seasoned generals patented the "containment policy" in an attempt to justify passivity in order to minimize their own personal responsibility in case things went poorly. In its final stages, soldiers were ordered to lock themselves in their bunkers in case of attack. Hezbollah, as a result, was able to raise its flags undisturbed over "conquered" Israeli military posts. Finally, under negligent public opinion against an Israeli presence in Lebanon that grew out of proportion, Israel hastily withdrew, abandoning its allies in the process. A similar process preceded the so called "disengagement" from Gaza.
Ma'ariv's exposé shows serious erosion in Israel's position in regards to Judea and Samaria. If this kind of containment policy continues, its final outcome is already written on the wall.


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A space of their own
Vacation with the kids? For parents, going away with the children involves some challenges. In a matter of seconds, boredom can give way to chaos, peaceful play to squabbles. Best if the hotel helps to keep everyone happy so that parents and kids stay cool.
Vacations are supposed to be one thing above all: relaxing. A time to simply switch off and spend the day as you please. In the best-case scenario, tension melts away and your body becomes lighter, your head clear … and you morph into a mix of sloth and butterfly floating through the air.
But when you have kids, achieving that metamorphosis is not so easy. Vacation with offspring – as parents will generally agree – is different. Naturally, you look forward to spending time with the family. But when there's no nursery or school to keep kids on their toes and they are around you the whole time, they constantly bombard you with their moods and wishes. That can sometimes be pretty exhausting.
Even on vacation, parents are like restless weasels, making sure that boredom doesn't raise its ugly head, and that no one gets hurt or lost. They clear up after the children; fetch what they need, tidy away when they leave stuff lying around. "Mom, I want to play, Dad, I'm thirsty!" Parents need all the support they can get – especially when they want to get some rest and regeneration.
With this in mind, Lilian Roten, Vice President Brand Management Swissôtel of Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, came up with the idea of offering special rooms for young guests designed for three age groups: from zero to five, six to 12, and ages 13 and over. Roten is a devoted aunt who spends at least one weekend a year at a hotel with her godchildren. What she noticed on these trips was that children need a space of their own – even in a hotel.
Playstation, games and soft toys
Now Swissôtel has been offering rooms for children and teenagers since 2007. While these are located close to the adults' rooms (opposite, next door to or even adjoining them), they give kids a separate space in which they can play freely without interruptions from their parents or accompanying adults.
Kids of between six and 12 can also choose between DVDs, a Wii or a Playstation at the time the room is booked, but a selection of analogue games and card quizzes is always provided. Young guests will find a large and welcoming soft toy on their bed and popular heroes, like the characters from the Angry Birds movie, on the bedclothes. Tooth mug, bathroom mat and soap dispenser also feature colorful motifs in line with kids' trends. The young guests also receive an extra welcome in the form of milk and cookies – or if they prefer, hot chocolate.
We want to give children happy memories
"We cater to our young guests' individual preferences and needs," says executive assistant Marie Brandt of the Swissôtel Berlin on Kurfürstendamm. "Whenever we take reservations for our Kids Rooms, we ask probing questions. Since we started the Kids Rooms, we have amassed a very large stock of supplies to suit children's needs in all of our hotels. If a regular guests insists on Lillifee bedclothes, we can make that possible. "We want to give children happy memories," says Brandt.
In the rooms for over-13s, the decor is a little different again: more grown up, less colorful. These rooms contain latest-edition magazines in a variety of languages, and PlayStation controls are already laid out on the bed, ready for action. To keep the teens going, room service provides gummy bears and hot chocolate with marshmallows.
The Kids Room – Pack and travel with an easy mind
Parents traveling with under-fives will be delighted with Swissôtel's baby rooms, which have a cot right beside the parents' bed. Everything the little ones need is provided: diaper-changing pad, diapers, comforter and wipes, so parents can pack and travel with an easy mind. If the inevitable feeling of maybe having forgotten something arises, they know there's need to worry because all the important things are on hand at the hotel.
The bulkier utensils parents don't necessarily want to lug around with them, such as hot-water bottle, baby shampoo and bottle warmer, also await them at the hotel. At those Swissôtels that have a pool, water wings are also provided. On request, we also equip rooms with socket safety devices and edge protectors. And to make sure the little ones don't get bored, the rooms also come with coloring books and storybooks.
The kids' rooms can be booked for half the regular price and in combination with a double room. "We make everything as good as we possibly can for all of our guests, big and small," says Brandt. The more requests we receive, the better, because that way each individual Swissôtel increases its selection of kids' supplies and that means a better offering across the group. "'No' is a word we prefer not to use," says Brandt. The aim, after all, is to provide Swiss hospitality.


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November 15, 2012: Veteran Charity Scams
Bill Fine, WCVB-TV President And General Manager
It's said a veteran is someone who once wrote a blank check to the United States for the amount of 'up to and including… their life'.
With this quote in mind, we are particularly disgusted by organizations fundraising to help needy Veterans and pocketing most of the money.
Team 5 Investigates Sean Kelly exposed a contemptible bunch; the Massachusetts Veterans Emergency Fund and a group called State Wide Marketing.
When confronted, they threatened and hurled racial slurs at our crew, but most shamefully… of the hundreds of thousands they claimed to collect for Veterans, they kept more than 85%.
Both organizations are registered and report their "take" directly to the attorney general's office.
It's not illegal… But it *is* unethical, disgraceful and too common. According to a recent AG report, telemarketers keep an average of 55 percent of money collected. We urge Attorney General Martha Coakley to flag flagrant fundraisers who line their pockets with the public's generosity.
Especially those who deceptively advertise that 100% of the donation is turned over to those that should benefit from the contribution.
The ultimate burden falls on *your* shoulders. Research charities before giving. Reputable organizations will mail you donation requests and reveal what percentage goes to overhead.
It's up to all of us to do the homework – as we head into this season of giving – to avoid being taken and ensure the money goes to the source we designated in the first place.


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Commentary Where You Least Expect It
In my last post, I weighed the advantages of purchasing entire commentary sets rather than individual volumes, and I promised to show you how larger sets can be mined for hidden gems.
Imagine for a moment that you're preaching through Ephesians 4, a passage which is concerned with the need for Christians to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." You go to your bookshelf, which contains every volume of Word Biblical Commentary (isn't imagination fun?), and pull out the volume on Ephesians. You turn to the section on Ephesians 4, and read all about "The Church's Calling to Maintenance of the Unity It Already Possesses." When you're done, you return the volume to the shelf. Not once have you consulted any of the other volumes of that massive commentary set. That's the way a print commentary is typically used.
Here's the thing about the folks who write commentaries: they rarely confine their comments to the passage they've been asked to write about. And that's as it should be. The really good commentators help you connect the passage they're commenting on with other passages. Most of the time they'll just mention several related verses, but sometimes they'll write an extended excursus about a related passage or a major theme which recurs throughout the Bible. Those are the hidden gems that you'll never find by grabbing the relevant volume of a print commentary.
Accordance commentaries are divided into different kinds of information called "fields." These typically include the Reference, which is the verse reference of the passage being commented on, the article Titles and body Content, and the Scripture field, which includes any Scripture references cited in the body of the commentary. By searching one or more of these fields, you can find discussions of your passage of study in the most unexpected places. To show how this works, I'll use the Word Biblical Commentary: Old Testament module (WBC-OT), which contains 32 volumes of commentary. I'll change the field pop-up menu to Scripture and enter Eph. 4 in the search entry box. Doing that alone would find me every reference to Ephesians 4 in these 32 volumes, but I don't just want the casual references to Ephesians 4; I want to find the places where Ephesians 4 is mentioned in connection with the idea of "unity." To do that, I'll open the More options section where I can search an additional field. I'll choose Content from the pop-up menu and enter the word "unity" in that entry box. When I perform this search, I get eight hits.
The first set of hits comes in the commentary on Nehemiah, where the author uses the unity of the Jewish people in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem as "an exemplary illustration of much NT language about unity in the Church." Would you have thought to look in the commentary on Nehemiah 3 for a discussion of unity in Ephesians 4? Neither would I!
The next set of hits comes from the comments on Psalm 86:11:
V 11c is a "penetrating climax" (Kidner, II, 312), a key statement in the psalm. A reverent and obedient response to God involves a "united heart" (i.e., "mind" or "will") toward God (cf Jer 32:39–41; Ezek 11:19–20). The uncentered and divided will toward Yahweh is destructive (cf Ps 12:3; IQH 4.14; James 1:8; 4:8). There is a unity in Yahweh himself (a "oneness") which is complemented by a "oneness" in his people's response to him (cf Deut. 6:4–5; 10:12; Eph 4:1–6).
Once again, we've found an interesting connection with Ephesians 4 that we would never have found with a print commentary. And that's just one half of one commentary set. Searching WBC-NT or another commentary series will turn up additional comments on Ephesians 4 in volumes which are not specifically focused on Ephesians.
It is these hidden gems which were largely missed by previous generations of pastors, students, and scholars who knew only to go to a specific volume of commentary. Accordance's ability to find those gems quickly and easily is another reason to consider purchasing commentary sets as opposed to individual volumes.
Archived Comments
Is there a way to do these searches irrelevant to a particular commentary selected? Ie, can I search for references to Eph 4 and "unity" in all my commentaries (e.g., NICNT, WBC, NAC) in a single search or do I have to duplicate the search for each commentary I own?
David Lang
Stephen, the Search All window doesn't support searching multiple fields, but you could search all your commentaries for Eph. 4, then open the ones of interest in a Tool window and add the Content field search for unity to filter the results.


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Dear Annie: I have a problem that I have never seen in your column.
My 64-year-old father-in-law sends my middle-aged husband pornographic pictures. My husband and I share the same email address, and the last picture was extremely explicit.
My husband does not check his email regularly. When he does, he ignores most of his father's stuff, thank heavens. I haven't deleted these emails, but I now think my father-in-law is a total creep. Is there anything I should do? I hope he sees himself in this letter. — Offended Wife
Dear Offended: Is your husband aware that his father is sending him these photos? If not, tell him. Then ask whether he wants to receive these pictures. He may not care, or he may prefer not to confront his father. Since they're meant for him, he should have the final word, although you can encourage him to tell Dad to stop. We also recommend that you open your own email account so you are not subjected to this assault on your senses. Although why you would voluntarily open any email from this man is beyond us.
Dear Annie: I'm 14 years old and adopted. As I've gotten older, the feeling of wanting to know my real family has grown stronger. Because my adoption wasn't open, I can't meet my biological family. I know the government means well by these laws, but it makes me feel empty inside.
My adoptive family drives me insane with the excuse, "I can't tell you much until you're 18." Isn't there something they can tell me? Can the government really bar me from seeing my birth family? — Left Lonely in My Heart.
Dear Lonely: First of all, your "real family" is the one that raised you. There are legitimate reasons why birth records are not intended to be seen by kids under age 18. Reunions with birth parents sometimes work out OK, but they also can be difficult, unpleasant, depressing and a huge disappointment, especially if you are expecting too much. Teenagers, in particular, often go through emotionally rough waters, becoming upset with their adoptive families and mistakenly believing the biological family would be easier. Your parents are simply trying to protect you.
But we understand that this is hard and unsatisfying for you. There are counselors who specialize in this field. Ask your parents to make an appointment for all of you to talk with someone who will assist in figuring out the best way to deal with your frustrations and how much information your parents can give you. They can get a referral from your pediatrician.
Dear Annie: "In Turmoil in Kansas," the 45-year-old gay man, could have been me 16 years ago. I lived alone in Michigan, but I had no job, no social life, no partner and only one friend — and he lived far away. I was in the closet and didn't know anything about PFLAG. I found that smoky, noisy and crowded bars were not for me. I was so scared to tell anyone I'm gay.
I am now 46, have a great partner, live in Florida, joined the local PFLAG chapter, have two great jobs and am out to everyone, including my very accepting parents — something I never expected. I never go to gay bars, although I have many gay pen pals.
In two years, I'll be moving to Boston to live with my partner, who is transferring jobs. Isn't it great how life can be so wonderful after being depressed and lonely for so long? Please tell him not to give up hope. — Sarasota, Fla.
This Classic Annie's Mailbox column was originally published in 2013. To find out more about Classic Annie's Mailbox and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit Creators Syndicate at www.creators.com.


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Before the 2010 season began, Earthquakes general manager John Doyle gave MLSsoccer.com his assessment of rookie defender Ike Opara.
"He's going to be just fine," a grinning Doyle said, putting an emphasis on the last two words that made it clear he feels the former All-American's ceiling is significantly higher than simply middle-of-the-road.
In just his second professional game, Opara started to live up to that assessment. His size and speed helped keep Chicago's powerful pair of forwards, Collins John and Brian McBride, off the scoresheet. And in the 82nd minute, he headed home his first MLS goal to secure a 2-1 San Jose victory that spoiled Chicago's home opener.
Watch: Full match highlights
"I think it was just a huge relief for the whole team," Opara told MLSsoccer.com when asked about his emotional response to career goal No. 1. "It wasn't just me; we were battling the whole game to put that one away."
Opara originally moved up to provide another target for a San Jose corner kick, but hung around the box as the Quakes maintained possession. Eventually, Bobby Convey stepped in from the right wing and delivered a perfectly weighted ball across the goalmouth that Opara was able to neatly tuck away at the far post.
"The ball was on the wing for a good couple minutes, it seemed like," Opara said. "Arturo [Alvarez] had it, Bobby had it, and I was just recirculating my run. Bobby put a world-class ball in. He really set me up for success."
It wasn't all perfect for Opara. He nearly put Chicago ahead in the 48th minute when he uncorked a back pass that wasn't where goalkeeper Joe Cannon expected it. Cannon wanted it at his feet, while Opara wanted to play it wide in case of a bad hop. The ball wound up going out for a corner, but missed being an own goal by maybe a foot.
Then, with the score tied at 1-all in the 73rd minute, Opara lost a long, cross-field pass from fellow rookie defender Steve Beitashour in the lights of Toyota Park. That allowed Patrick Nyarko to steal the ball practically off Opara's foot and drive into the penalty box. Cannon came off his line and Nyarko fed Collins John, who blasted away from 15 yards out, only to see Jason Hernandez making a right-footed kick save at the line.
"As a young guy in this league, you're going to go through growing pains," Hernandez said. "There's a maturing process. We do our best to help [Opara] along, and he responded great. He made one or two mistakes tonight, but he followed that up with one or two great plays, and we'll take that any day of the week. He did a great job tonight."
The same could be said for plenty of the Earthquakes, who erased the memories of their disappointing season-opening 3-0 loss to Real Salt Lake two weeks ago.
Joey Gjertsen, inserted into the starting lineup, forced the action on multiple occasions, creating San Jose's best scoring chance in the first half—a one-on-one chance in the 37th minute that Chicago goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra did well to stop—and chasing down a weak Chicago back pass in the 49th minute, starting a chain of events that ended with Alvarez collecting a loose ball at the top of the box and chipping it home over Dykstra for a short-lived 1-0 lead.
Gjertsen's efforts were matched on the opposite wing by Convey, who called being pulled at halftime of the RSL defeat "the most embarrassing and disappointing thing" in his 11-year pro career.
Saturday, Convey went from box to box, providing critical help in the defensive third but also stirring up the Quakes' attack.
"When he's dynamic and making plays, he's one of our most dangerous guys, one of our best assets," Hernandez said of Convey. "Tonight proved it. He did a lot of things that aren't going to show up on the stat sheet, but he made a lot of good runs, had a lot of good passes, and was really a thorn in side of Chicago's defense. If Bobby continues on that road, he's going to give a lot of teams trouble."
San Jose made the most of it, delivering the Fire their first loss in five home openers at Toyota Park. It was the Quakes' first win in Chicago since 1999. Next up is another shot at RSL – this time in U.S. Open Cup action on Wednesday.


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See what questions
a doctor would ask.
Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24: A genetic disorder characterized by the deletion of a portion of the long arm of chromosome 2. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24 is available below.
See full list of 39 symptoms of Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24
Read more about treatments for Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24
Read more about causes of Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24.
Prognosis for Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24: The prognosis varies depending on the type and severity of symptoms that develop. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment can improve prognosis and quality of life.
More about prognosis of Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24
Types of Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24
Read about other experiences, ask a question about Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:
Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24 is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of
Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). This means that Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24, or a subtype of Chromosome 2, monosomy 2q24,
affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)
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Copyright © 2014 Health Grades Inc. All rights reserved. Last Update: 13 August, 2015 (4:44)


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Deputies with the Erie County sheriff's Marine Unit have arrested a 32-year-old man for boating while intoxicated after he was stopped for going too fast near Gallagher Beach on Sunday night.
The deputies spotted a personal watercraft going faster than the permitted 5 mph within 100 feet of shore at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. After they detected a strong alcoholic odor and conducted field-sobriety tests, the deputies charged Ian Piercy with BWI. He refused to submit to a chemical breath test, according to police reports.
Piercy also was charged with operating a personal watercraft after sunset and operating at more than 5 mph near shore, authorities said.


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These rules are in the alpha stages. Some things are not very smooth yet, and I haven't made up my mind on some things.
Things You Will Need
1.Non Lego stuff
Just a tape measure, some dice, and Paper. Different colored dice are a good idea, but not necessary. You are going to need to keep track of some stuff, so write it down on paper.
2. Lego stuff
For the battlefield, you are gonna want some terrain that blocks the line of sight of units. This could be anything from mountains to buildings.
Each players base will have 4 different buildings you will need to play.
1. Command center
2. Factory
3. Barracks
4. Power station
Also some walls
5 Resource stations, one of which will be worth more than the others, so build it to look special.
Resource station
Resource station, worth more
You will also need to build:
50 Tanks
35 APCs
12 Artillery
You can raise or lower these numbers, but this is the max amount of each unit that I have decided upon. You probably won't have all these on the table at one time.
Pre-Game setup
Before you can jump into the strategic action that is Colony Wars, you must first set up the battlefield.
I play on a roughly 4x2 feet area.
First place the terrain and resource stations. Resource stations should be spread out evenly around the battlefield. The Resource station worth more should be in the middle. Leave roughly a 10x10 inch square in the corner for the the player's bases
Then both players will roll the dice to choose sides. The highest roll gets to choose which corner to put their base in.
Place buildings however you want in your 10x10 inch corner. Then set up walls.
Example of a battlefield I set up
Game phases
After the battlefield is set up, players roll off again to determine who goes first. Highest roll wins.
Colony wars is played in 5 phases
1. Production
2. Movement
3. Combat
4. Infantry Actions
5. Post Production
Phase 1: Production
The production phase is where you build stuff.
The two buildings you build stuff from is your barracks and your factory. Tanks and Artillery are built from your factory and APC's are built from the barracks
Both the Factory and Barracks have 1 production slot and 1 upgrade slot. These can be upgraded to increase the number of production slots, but more on that later.
The first thing you do in the production phase is total your Resource Points. This is your money in the game. It's abbreviated as RP. RP is gained at the beginning of your turn.
Power Station- 10RP
Resource Station- 5RP
Big Resource Station- 10RP
Count up the total RP you gain that turn and add it to your reserve. Write it down!
Next its time to build your units. Units are built instantly upgrades are completed in post production
After all units and upgrades have been purchased, subtract the total RP you spent from your reserve you have written down.Production Options wrote:Factory Options
Tanks- Squad of 5- 5RP-Uses 1 Production Slot- Built instantly
Artillery- Squad of 3- 10RP- 1 Production slot- Built instantly
Tank- Speed Upgrade- adds 2 inches of movement - 5RP- 1 Turn
Tank- Reactive Armor- Every time a tank sufferers a hit that will kill it, roll the dice. on a 5 or 6, the hit is ignored- 10RP- 2 turns
Artillery- Better stabilizers- Increases the Accuracy to a 4+ instead of a 5+- 10RP- 2 turns
Factory- Extra Production Slot- adds another production slot. Lets you build 2 units per turn. 10RP- 2 turns
Barracks Options
APC- Squad of 5- 5RP-Uses 1 Production Slot- Built instantly
Unmanned APC- Squad of 10- 5RP-Uses 1 Production Slot- Built instantly
APC speed upgrade- adds 2 inches of movement- 5RP- 1 turn
APC reactive armor- Every time an APC sufferers a hit that will kill it, roll the dice. on a 5 or 6, the hit is ignored- 10RP- 2 turns
APC anti armor rocket- adds a anti tank rocket to the lead APC. Weapon strength d6+1-5RP- 1 turn
Infantry: specialized breaching training- roll 2 dice instead of one and pick the highest if you are the attacker in infantry combat.- 10RP - 2 Turns
Infantry: Storm Troopers- replaces one standard marine squad with a Storm Trooper Squad. -10RP -2 turns
Barracks- Extra Production Slot- adds another production slot. Lets you build 2 units per turn. 10RP- 2 turns
Now is a good time to show you the stat cards for the different units
M= Movement
AR= Armor
R= Weapon Range
AC = Weapon Accuracy
D= Weapon Damage
Tank wrote: Tank
The main combat unit in the game. Good armor, firepower, and decent speed.
AC 3+ D 1d6
APC wrote: APC
Fast unit meant to transport infantry around. Can be bought unmanned and used as a light tank.
AC 3+ D 1d6-1
Special rule
Fast: Adds +1 to reaction test rolls
Movement PhaseArtillery wrote: Artillery
Powerful long range guns meant to destroy enemy units from afar
AC 5+ D 1d6+1
Speacial rules
Artillery: Does not need line of sight to fire.
Barrage: Fires 3 shots per unit.
Slow: Subtracts 1 from reaction test rolls.
Pretty straight forward. Each unit can move up to the amount on the profile. Can also elect not to shoot in the shooting phase to go an extra amount equal to half of the total inches the unit can normally move.
Example: A tank can move 6". It can elect to boost instead of shoot and move 9" APCs would move 12" and artillery would move 6"
All units in the game are bought in squads of 10,5 or 3. These squads don't have to stick together however. You can have them go in different directions if you wish. Make sure that it is easy to see which squads are which
For sake of time, you don't have to precisely measure each unit when it moves. Take the unit closest to the direction you want to move the group, measure it precisely, then place the other units around the one you measured.
Combat phase
The First thing you do in the Combat phase is plan your attack. Declare which squads are attacking which. This is very important when it comes to the reaction test.
Example: Player 1 declares that squads A and B are firing at Player 2's squad 1, and squad C is firing at squad 3
Squads cannot split fire, so make sure you separate them in the movement phase
Reaction Test
Next is to take a Reaction Test.The Reaction Test determines which squad shoots first in an engagement.
Both players roll the dice. In order for one player to go before another, he must beat the opposing player's roll by 2. If neither player rolled 2 higher than the other, they fire at the same time.
Example: Players 1 and 2 take a reaction test. Player 1 rolls a 4. Player 2 rolls a 5. Since both are within 1 of each other, they fire at the same time.
Another Example: Players 1 and 2 take a reaction test. Player 1 rolls a 2. Player 2 rolls a 4. Since player 2's roll is 2 higher than player 1's he shoots first.
If the player whose turn it is at the time of the test gets to go first, he then fires his squads at the at the enemy squads he selected. Do this one squad at a time. If one squad completely destroys the targeted squad, the other squad does not get to shoot, so plan your attack wisely!
Example: Squad 4 completely destroys all the units in Squad F. Squad 5 also had targeted Squad F. Squad 5 does not get to choose a new target.
If the other player (the player whose turn it isn't) wins then his squad gets to fire at an enemy squad that targeted him.
Example: Player 2 wins the reaction test. His squad was targeted by the enemy's Squad 4 and 5. He elects to fire at Squad 4.
If no one wins, all firing is done at the same time. The player whose turn it isn't still gets to choose which squad to shoot at.
Combat is done in 2 phases
1. Shooting
2. Damage
When a squad shoots, it fires one shot per unit in the squad(except artillery).
Get one die per shot and roll them all at once. To determine which shots hit, look at the units Accuracy. Tanks and APC's have a 3+ accuracy, so rolls of a 3 or higher hit their target. Shots that don't hit are discarded.
Shots that do hit, hit the units in the enemy squad closest to the shooting squad
After determining which shots hit, roll the dice again to determine damage. To destroy an enemy unit, the damage roll must exceed the enemy units armor rating. destroyed units are removed from the battlefield and put back into the unit reserve.
Example: Tank Squad A shoots at Tank Squad 3. Squad a must roll higher than a 3 (Tanks armor rating) in order to destroy it.
Mixed Squads
In instances where a squad has more than one type of unit in it, roll the damage dice one at a time.
Infantry actions
Infantry can perform two actions
1. Capture buildings
2. Assault Enemy buildings
Building Capturing
Infantry's main job is to capture and hold buildings and Resource points
For infantry to capture a building or resource point, move an APC within 2" of the Building then place the infantry stud on the baseplate.
Infantry can only hop out and move into a building during the Infantry Action Phase.
Buildings can only hold a garrison of 5 squads.
This Resource Station is occupied by 2 squads
Infantry Combat
Infantry's second job is to assault and clear out enemy buildings and Resource points.
To assault an enemy occupied building, move the an APC within 2" of and building and place the infantry stud on the baseplate.
Only 5 squads can assault a building at one time
Then both players roll dice one at a time. The highest dice roll wins. If there is a tie, the defender wins. This is continued until either the defender kills off all the Attacker's squads, or the Attacker kills off all the Defender's squads
Storm Troopers
Storm troopers are elite infantry.
Storm Troopers allow for 2 rerolls during Infantry Combat. multiple squads of Storm Troopers will give you multiple rerolls.
In infantry combat, Storm Troopers will die last. Regular Marine squads will die quicker than these elite troopers.
Post Production
In this phase, upgrades advance in turns.
Upgrades are completed or they advance a turn if they take longer than one turn to complete.
Like I said guys, these rules are in their Alpha stages. PLEASE ask me questions if one arises. FEEL FREE to give advise or input on these rules. TELL ME if a rule doesn't work


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Zuzu Restaurant, Napa, California. Napa Valley. Zuzu serves tapas: small plates of food to accompany a drink. On the bar, with two glasses of sherry, (foreground, clockwise) queso frito: pan fried Manchego cheese with roasted poblano chiles; roasted spaghetti squash with apple cider syrup and midnight moon cheese; leblebi: garbanzo bean soup, roasted peppers, poached eggs and harissa; Moroccan barbecue glazed lamb chops.
- Filename
- USA_060123_780_rwx.jpg
- Copyright
- ©Peter Menzel, www.menzelphoto.com
- Image Size
- 1024x681 / 365.0KB
- Contained in galleries


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This is what you call a missed opportunity. A totally original Bond game, scripted by a Hollywood screenwriter, voiced by Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, starring a digitised Joss Stone and developed by the team behind The Club and Project Gotham Racing, Blood Stone should have been a blinder.
The fact that it fills the gap left by the postponement of the 23rd Bond film could have been the icing on the 007 cake. Instead, Blood Stone is a half-decent action-er spoilt by some fairly major flaws. It's not quite a dud, but it's more Octopussy in quality than You Only Live Twice.
The general storyline isn't bad by Bond movie standards, even if there's a slightly odd feeling that it begins with one evil plot and villain, then expands outwards just to beef up the running time. It sort of comes together in the end. Bond's initial battle against a nasty Russian oligarch takes him from Athens to Istanbul, Monaco and Siberia, and from there events lead him onwards to Bangkok. We get all the things we expect from a modern Bond tale - exotic locations, car chases, boat chases, stunts, hard-hitting fight sequences and a spot of gunplay - and the vocal work from Dench and Craig is a fair replication of what we heard in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. The score, too, is classic Bond.
Unfortunately, the execution falls flat. The biggest disappointment is how dated Blood Stone is technically. In-game graphics aren't bad, but the character models lack detail and the scenery is often bland, primitive and poorly textured. The cutscenes are supposed to carry the story, but our digital Daniel Craig seems incapable of doing anything more than moving his lips and eyes, and the rest of the cast aren't much more expressive. Uncharted taught us that, if you want to make a game that feels like a movie, then it has to look like a movie in the close-up scenes. We've seen Heavy Rain, Enslaved and Mass Effect 2 pull off a similar effect. Blood Stone falls painfully short.
The gameplay is a little better. Most of the time, Blood Stone is a cover-based shooter in the Uncharted/Gears of War mould, with Bond crouching down behind walls or lurking behind doorways and blasting away at whatever terrorists/assassins/hired goons the game throws at him. However, the game differentiates itself with a mechanic where you can attack closer foes with one-button, hand-to-hand takedowns, and earn "focus" points from these which you can use to pull off slow-motion, automated executions. We saw this idea in the under-rated Splinter Cell: Conviction, but it's a good way of rewarding players who use stealth and strategy rather than rely on straightforward blasting, and the game is at its best when it encourages you to sneak around, ambush your foes and act decisively - just like Bond does in the movies.
Sadly, this doesn't always happen, and while there are some great levels, with Bond infiltrating a Monaco casino or hiding from the police in Bangkok, there are also plenty of levels where we're back in shooting gallery mode, clearing each room of enemies in sequence then moving on to the next. Plus, while the use of a smartphone to give Bond tactical info and highlight objectives is a nice move, it can turn the game into a bit of a breadcrumb trail. There's scope for strategy, but not enough freedom to really make it interesting.
Oddly, given Bizarre's heritage, it's the driving portions that feel most disappointing. They're unquestionably the best looking parts of the game, but the gameplay isn't tight enough. Some sequences are dull and go on too long, while others are spectacular but so packed with sudden death drops and hard-to-dodge obstacles that getting through is more a test of memory than reaction. In this respect, Blood Stone needed to live up to the example set by Split/Second. It doesn't even come close.
- HP's new Omen gaming PCs explored: We tear down these gaming beasts to see what's under the hood (promo)
Multiplayer is equally unexciting. We get team deathmatch, deathmatch and objective-based team modes, but there's little inspired about the map design, the weapons or the gameplay, and certainly nothing to match the rich co-op and competitive modes of Splinter Cell: Conviction.
Blood Stone can be fun, and the music, dialogue and locations go a long way towards giving the game a Bond feel. If only the animation were better, the visuals more advanced and the gameplay tighter and more distinctive, we might have had a Bond game to rival the original Goldeneye. Instead, it's the sort of deeply average game you could easily polish off with a weekend's rental. Let's hope that when James Bond does return, he brings his A game with him.


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Saturday, May 10, 2008
Once more with feeling
Sorry folks, this link to Episode 19 should work now...
Posted by DJ DJ at 11:31 AM 2 comments:
Monday, May 05, 2008
#19- Love and Economics
A new episode finally! I'm trying to wrap my head around the ways that relationships are not only a way to feel good but a way to make things happen in an economic sense.
Posted by DJ DJ at 2:20 AM 3 comments:
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text:
Previously on — Mia started dating an Asian brain surgeon, to the
Regarding the debate
Apparently, that scene
Pencil me in — Zoe and Eric are lazing around in their bed, sharing
Their son calls out from
Eric, always the last to
Zoe, always the last to
Kids today — Since she has no one to cuddle with since Davis started forwarding
Speaking of the cheater,
Juliet: How are you?
Let's review. He's had
Then, natch, Davis throws the old girl
Davis: You look great, by the way.
Juliet does look great,


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H.O.M.E. of Daytona Beach believes that everyone who seeks a safe place to sleep should have one. It is important that the term "shelter" not get lost in the vernacular when discussing homelessness. Housing and shelter are not the same thing. Right now in Volusia County, a shelter is the only option for single homeless men and women who have not been diagnosed with a disabling condition or medical condition that puts them in a high-risk category. Currently "the scattered housing approach" only reaches out to the high-risk chronically homeless. This excludes a large majority of the homeless population.
H.O.M.E. of Daytona Beach supports programs that house families, veterans, and the chronically homeless. However, we perceive a serious lack of programs designed to recognize the needs of single homeless men and women who are not veterans and who do not fall into a high-risk category. H.O.M.E. of Daytona Beach was hoping that the recent vigil would bring focus on the large group of homeless men and women who aren't served by the scattered housing approach. We were seeking to heighten the awareness concerning a great need for shelter.
In Volusia County there are innovative programs being funded that reach out to veterans, families and the high-risk chronically homeless. However, there are no programs to help house single homeless men and women who have found themselves on the wrong side of advantage and need a helping hand. These men and women cannot just be expected to pull themselves up by their "bootstraps"; they often suffer from low self-esteem, a serious lack of confidence, depression and exhaustion.
Too many homeless men and women have died on the street because of exposure to the elements, and illnesses that sleep deprivation causes. Until we recognize the needs of the street homeless and help them, homelessness will continue to rise and men and women will continue to die.
Daytona Beach
Carter is founder and president of H.O.M.E. of Daytona Beach Inc., which provides a voice and support network for homeless people in the Halifax area.
In response to the recent letter about Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood:
How can one talk of disrespect and then turn the page to disrespect Police Chief Mike Chitwood?
He is here to keep the town safe. Get off his back; stop finding fault and let him do his job. It takes a tough person to be in this tough town called Paradise.
The economy of the United States is like a big wooden house that is infested with termites. The owners (Congress) of the big wooden house are trying to fix the problem by using new untreated wood to replace the bad wood, while the termites just love new wood to eat.
It seems that the termites are paying Congress to keep putting out new untreated wood (money) for them to eat. The termites are the oil companies, who — with the high price of gasoline — are pulling billions of dollars out of the U.S. economy. This is what is causing unemployment, high food prices and lower tax revenues coming in. It's hurting business everywhere.
Congress needs to treat for the termites, not just give them more wood to eat. The treatment is very easy: Price controls on gasoline. The first month, lower the price including all taxes to $3 a gallon, the second month lower the price to $2 a gallon, including all taxes; the third month and for the next year lower the price to $1 a gallon including all taxes.
The U.S. sold more of the oil products made in the U.S. to other countries than it imported. Stop the sale of oil products to other countries! If the oil companies refuse, then nationalize them — remember, this is a war for the welfare of our country.
If this was done the economy would come back very fast, prices would come down, more people could find jobs, tax money would increase and fewer people would be getting unemployment money. It seems that Congress works for the oil companies and not the people of the United States. This is acting in bad faith to the voters.
Ormond Beach
In his recent inaugural address, President Obama told us that a decade of war was coming to an end. Did he simply mean a turn of the calendar, or did he actually mean that we are close to the end of hostilities?
Let us fervently wish for the latter. During this Nobel Peace Prize winner's first administration, American forces conducted over 20,000 air strikes, eclipsing the two administrations of George W. Bush in both frequency and scope, ranging from Afghanistan (at least 18,274 since 2009), to Iraq (116), to Libya (1,460). In addition to these conventional sorties, "surgical" strikes by unmanned drones have also targeted Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. These last, to my way of thinking, are the most disturbing. I shudder to think of the implications of a drone operator, seated comfortably at a console thousands of miles from his or her target, totally detached from the resultant carnage he or she has wrought. In far too many of these operations, innocent civilians have died.
President Obama went on to say that the United States would "protect its interests" around the world. What interests? Those of the millions of Americans who long for peace, or those of corporate empire-builders who seek to bring the entire world under their thrall, and freely call upon our troops to do their bidding? Does the old corporate axiom, "What is good for General Motors is good for America," still guide our military and foreign policy? History would suggest this is so.
Are we truly on the verge of beating our swords into plowshares? Will American industry, as President Obama and others have suggested, turn its energies toward bringing the troops home and putting these stalwart young men and women to work rebuilding and revitalizing America? Or do we face an indeterminate future of ceaseless conflict in the name of "spreading democracy?"
Ormond Beach


text: Hi, I have read many of the howto documents regarding multi-server and DNS server setup, but none of them are clear on configuring DNS records for these primary servers. The DNS servers are working fine and I have setup the DNS records at my hosting provider. I have created websites on my multi-server setup and they are working fine. Here is where I have trouble, say I have the following primary servers setup in my configuration: web.server.com - 184.108.40.206 db.server.com - 22.214.171.124 mail.server.com - 126.96.36.199 git.server.com - 184.108.40.206 ns1.server.com - 18.104.22.168 ns2.server.com - 126.96.36.199 In ISP Config 3, what DNS records are needed to do the following: (1) Create records to access web.server.com via https://www.server.com:8080 instead of https://22.214.171.124:8080 (2) Create records that will make use of db.server.com as well as 220.127.116.11. (3) Create records that will allow me and my clients to access my mail server like this https://mail.server.com. I don't even think the server is setup properly to access webmail via https://220.127.116.11, but that information was not provided in the howto documentation. (4) Create records that will allow me to access my git server via git.server.com instead of 126.96.36.199. These are the howto documents that I referred to during the multi-server setup, and I am unable to complete the setup with the information provided: http://www.howtoforge.com/virtual-m...ns-servers-on-debian-squeeze-with-ispconfig-3 http://www.howtoforge.com/multiserv...se-servers-on-debian-squeeze-with-ispconfig-3 http://www.howtoforge.com/how-to-ru...and-secondary-with-ispconfig-3-debian-squeeze Is there someone who can help me complete this setup? Thanks in advance... Darin


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Program will train volunteers to install energy-saving features into houses with more than 70 low-income homeowners in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Texas
CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (Sept. 10, 2009) - Habitat for Humanity International and Exelon Corporation today launched a pilot program to weatherize 70 low-income households, helping to reduce energy use and utility bills for homeowners. The partnership is the first Habitat for Humanity International program to improve the energy efficiency of existing houses belonging to low-income homeowners. Exelon and Habitat volunteers kicked off the program today with the weatherization of a Chicago Heights home.
In addition to donating $300,000 to fund the program, Exelon is providing technical expertise and will donate an estimated 7,000 Exelon employee volunteer hours for the program. Over the next 10 months, Habitat and Exelon will design the projects and develop training programs for volunteers and Habitat partner families across Exelon's service territories of northern Illinois, southeastern Pennsylvania and Texas.
Weatherization projects will cost $2,000 to $8,000 per home and include improvements such as weather stripping, caulking, adding or replacing door seals, installing water-saving toilets, replacing showerheads, replacing water heaters and furnace filters, installing CFL bulbs, and insulating attics, basements and outer walls. The advisory committee for the program, which includes representatives from Exelon, Habitat and the Dow Chemical Co., estimates that participating homeowners could save between 12 percent and 25 percent on their utility bills.
"This partnership allows us to make houses more sustainable through energy efficiency," said Mark Andrews, senior director of U.S. programs at Habitat for Humanity International. "Through our work with Exelon, we have identified affordable, sustainable improvements that homeowners can make today to use less energy."
"Exelon is committed to helping customers and communities reduce their carbon footprints and energy costs through easy, low-cost solutions," said Joseph Dominguez, Exelon senior vice president of corporate communications and public affairs. "Our partnership with Habitat for Humanity supports both Habitat's mission of affordable home ownership and Exelon's plan to eliminate the equivalent of our carbon footprint by 2020."
Of the more than 70 projects, 35 to 40 projects will be in northern Illinois, approximately 30 will be in southeastern Pennsylvania, and five will be in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Homeowners will be identified by participating Habitat affiliates and must demonstrate need and a willingness to partner with Habitat as well as invest sweat equity hours to qualify for the program. Exelon and Habitat for Humanity International intend for the program to serve as a model for similar programs in other U.S. cities starting in 2010.
Frank and Tina Alston are the homeowners of the Chicago Heights house where Exelon and Habitat kicked off the program today.
"We are thankful to have had a Habitat home in which to raise our family," said Frank Alston, "and with these new weatherization home improvements, we look forward to using less energy, doing our part to improve the environment, and lowering our utility bills."
Exelon is also providing Habitat partner families with existing no-cost and low-cost energy efficiency programs available to customers of Exelon's energy delivery companies - ComEd in northern Illinois and PECO in southeastern Pennsylvania. These programs focus on helping customers manage and reduce their energy costs.
Exelon's partnership with Habitat for Humanity also encompassed the build of an energy-efficient home in Waukegan, Ill., in July. Exelon employee volunteers and Habitat for Humanity's Lake County affiliate constructed what will be the first Habitat house in Illinois to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S Green Building Council.
For Exelon, this program supports Exelon 2020 - the company's strategy to reduce, offset or displace more than 15 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2020. Energy efficiency is widely viewed as one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as demonstrated by the $5 billion allocated for low-income weatherization programs under the federal stimulus package.
The Dow Chemical Co. and Whirlpool Corp. also are supporting the weatherization program. Dow will donate insulation, volunteer labor and expertise, and Whirlpool will donate energy-efficient appliances for the projects.


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Contact Us
Riverside Partners in Women's Health has locations throughout the region. In Gloucester, we can be reached at:
7547 Medical Drive • Suite 1200
Gloucester, VA 23061
(804) 693-2670
Office hours are Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
After hours
If you need to reach us after hours, please call our physician-on-call at (757) 594-2000. In case of an emergency, go to a Riverside Emergency Room or in the case of a potentially life threatening condition or eminent birth, call 911.
To make an appointment, please call the office at (757) 534-5700 during office hours or request an appointment using MyChart. We are unable to accept walk-in appointments. Please provide 24 hours notice if you need to reschedule an appointment.
Refills and referrals
If you need a referral or a prescription refilled, please call the office or use MyChart. We handle requests during office hours only except in the case of emergencies. If you have an emergency prescription refill, please call (757) 594-2000.
Riverside Partners in Women's Health
For your convenience, Riverside Partners in Women's Health has locations throughout the region. Learn more.


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President Monson Has Traveled the World
Contributed By From the Church News
Related Links
- Part 1: Read a message from President Monson about his five years as prophet.
- Part 2: Read highlights of the prophet's teachings during the past five years.
- Part 3: Learn about historic changes during President Monson's ministry.
- Part 5: Follow a timeline of events during President Monson's five years as prophet.
Since becoming the Church's 16th President on February 3, 2008, President Thomas S. Monson has traveled to many places in the world, addressing members, meeting with government leaders, and dedicating temples.
Following is a list of his major travels during the past five years.
The list does not include travel associated with administrative meetings or other Church business or for family responsibilities.
• February 10, for dedication of Rexburg Idaho Temple.
• May 24–25, to Canada for May 25 Canada stake conference for 47 stakes and five districts broadcast from Brampton Ontario Stake Center.
• May 29–June 3, to Brazil for May 31 missionary meeting in Portao Chapel with 185 missionaries in Brazil Curitiba Mission; May 31 youth cultural celebration for Curitiba Brazil Temple; June 1 dedication of Curitiba Brazil Temple; June 2 meeting with vice president of Brazil José Alencar Gomes da Silva in Brasilia, Brazil; and June 2 member meeting with more than 7,000 in Brasilia.
• August 9–11, to Panama City, Panama, for August 9 youth cultural celebration for Panama City Panama Temple; August 10 dedication of Panama City Panama Temple; August 11 meeting with president of Panama Martin Torrijos and his wife, Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos; and August 11 meeting with all missionaries of Panama Panama City Mission.
• August 23–24, to Twin Falls, Idaho, for August 23 youth cultural celebration for Twin Falls Idaho Temple and August 24 dedication of Twin Falls Idaho Temple.
• November 15–16, to Mexico City, Mexico, for November 15 youth cultural celebration in Azteca Stadium for rededication of Mexico City Mexico Temple and November 16 rededication of Mexico City Mexico Temple.
• March 20–22, to Draper, Utah, for dedication of Draper Utah Temple on March 20, 21, and 22.
• May 1, to Orem, Utah, to speak in commencement of Utah Valley University and receive an honorary doctorate.
• May 1–2, to Cedar City, Utah, to speak in May 2 commencement of Southern Utah University and receive an honorary doctorate.
• June 29–30, to Colorado for June 29 concert by Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square at Red Rocks Amphitheater, near Morrison, including VIP reception where he gave remarks prior to concert.
• July 19–20, Washington, D.C., for July 20 meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House to present his genealogy to him, with Elder Dallin Oaks.
• August 21–23, to South Jordan, Utah, for dedication of Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple August 21, 22, and 23.
• October 9–11, for October 9 visit to Nauvoo, Illinois, including Nauvoo Illinois Temple and historic buildings, meetings with missionaries and temple workers, and program; October 10 visit to Kirtland, Ohio, including Kirtland Temple and other historic buildings and meetings with missionaries; and October 11 visit to Connecticut.
• April 22–23, to Ogden, Utah, to speak in April 23 commencement at Weber State University and receive honorary doctorate.
• May 1–2, to Vancouver, British Columbia, for May 1 youth cultural celebration and May 2 dedication of Vancouver British Columbia Temple.
• May 22–23, to Arizona, for May 22 youth cultural celebration held at Eastern Arizona College, and May 23 dedication of The Gila Valley Arizona Temple.
• June 9–16, Philippines and New Zealand, including June 12 youth cultural celebration at Cebu Coliseum and June 13 dedication of Cebu City Philippines Temple and June 15 visit to Hamilton New Zealand Temple and Church College of New Zealand.
• August 28–31, to Kyiv, Ukraine, for August 28 cultural celebration for Kyiv Ukraine Temple and August 29 dedication of Kyiv Ukraine Temple.
• October 20–25, to Rome, Italy, for October 23 groundbreaking for Rome Italy Temple.
• November 18–22, to Hawaii for November 20 youth cultural celebration and November 21 rededication of Laie Hawaii Temple.
• April 30–May 1, to Atlanta, Georgia, for April 30 youth cultural celebration and May 1 rededication of Atlanta Georgia Temple.
• May 6, to St. George, Utah, to speak in centennial commencement of Dixie State College of Utah and receive an honorary doctorate of humanities.
• June 24–28, to Canada for June 25 dedication of Thomas S. Monson Camp for Young Women and Families at Lakehurst, Ontario, Canada, near Peterborough; June 26 joint sacrament meeting of Etobicoke Ward and Churchville YSA Ward and visits with members; and June 27 visit to Toronto Ontario Temple and concert of Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in Toronto, including VIP reception where he gave remarks prior to concert.
• October 30, to Ogden, Utah, for northern Utah stake conference for 74 stakes, broadcast from Dee Events Center.
• May 5–7, to Kansas City, Missouri, for May 5 youth cultural celebration and May 6 dedication of Kansas City Missouri Temple and visit with missionaries at Liberty Jail.
• October 11–22, to Germany for October 13 member meeting in Hamburg; October 14 member meeting in Berlin; October 15 dinner in Dresden; October 16 visit to Radebeul, Friedensburg, and Freiberg Germany Temple; October 20 member meeting in Munich; and October 21 member meeting in Frankfurt and visit to Frankfurt Germany Temple.
• October 29, to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, for dedication of Calgary Alberta Temple.
• November 17–19, to Boise, Idaho, for November 17 youth cultural celebration and November 18 dedication of Boise Idaho Temple.
• President Monson did not travel prior to February 3 anniversary.


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Jennifer Lawrence Gets a Pixie Cut [PHOTOS]by Karen Lanza | PopCrush
Jennifer Lawrence just made it official: The hot new hairdo for fall is definitely the pixie cut!
The 23-year-old 'Hunger Games' actress is only the latest female celebrity to show off her take on the dramatic short 'do (following the likes of fellow Jennifers Aniston and Hudson) — but considering her age, Academy Award and way with a quote, she's probably the coolest.
J. Law posted a pair photos showing her haircut on her Facebook page today (Nov. 6). The pics were taken while she prepared for a global Google+ Hangout celebrating upcoming sequel 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.' Here she is adorably trying on Google Glass:
West Hollywood stylist Riawna Capri gave Jennifer the cut and color a few weeks ago, a source tells Us Weekly. Another source describes the 'do as "kind of a punk pixie cut that has a few longer pieces on one side but is shorter everywhere else."
Jen attended the Google+ event with hunky co-stars Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson, but we think everyone might have just been staring at her hair.


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Part-time Duxbury police officer Melvin E. Dyer has died from injuries he suffered when he was hit by a car 10 days ago at the Marshfield Fair. Dyer was directing traffic at the fair.
A part-time Duxbury police officer has died from injuries he suffered when he was hit by a car at the Marshfield Fair 10 days ago.
Melvin E. Dyer, 67, of Marshfield, was directing traffic at the fair when he was hit. He had been in the hospital since the Aug. 16 accident and died late Monday night.
Dyer was a 20-year veteran of the Marine Corps and served in Vietnam. He had been on the Duxbury Police Department for about a year.
He taught all our senior citizens and all our kids gun safety at the Marshfield Rod and Gun Club," Police Chief Mark DeLuca said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon at the police station. "He was an extraordinary man.
"The Duxbury Police Dept. will miss him, and our prayers are with his family"
Dyer was a former part-time deputy sheriff in Plymouth County. Sheriff Joseph D. MacDonald said Dyer had retired from the sheriff two weeks ago.
"I think he wanted to slow things down a little bit," MacDonald said.
MacDonald also said that Dyer talked fondly of his time in the Marines and his role as a drill instructor.
Marshfield police today said that they are seeking a charge of motor vehicle homicide against the driver of the car, Kristen M. Wusteney, 25, of Marshfield, Police said a citation was issued today.
That is in addition to previously announced charges of negligent operation, speeding and failing to stop for a police officer.
Dyer was working a paid detail at the intersection of Route 3A and South River Street when he was struck by a silver Toyota sedan at about 10 p.m.
Witnesses told police that Dyer had stopped traffic on Route 3A to let vehicles exit a private parking lot. One vehicle, heading north on Route 3A, did not stop and hit Dyer, police have said.
Details have not been released because the accident is under investigation but Marshfield Police Captain Phil Tavares said "speed could have played a factor but (there is) no indication of alcohol or drugs."
Patriot Ledger


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Kickstarter Channeled $274M Worth of Funding to Indie Projects in 2012
We've written before about unreliable estimates for the size of the total crowdfunding market, but here's one that's a bit more concrete. Kickstarter, which is thought to be the largest player (some others, like Indiegogo, don't release stats) said today that 2.24 million users provided $274 million in funding for 18,100 successful projects in 2012, with total funding up 238 percent from the year before. There were also a bunch of great Kickstarter parodies last year.


text: We brought you the first shots of the 2009 Mazda Furai Concept a couple weeks ago, and some hot video yesterday, now we've got photos from the floor of the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. In person the Furai is poetry even without the motion - long and low and wide, it is a monster in Nagare clothing. All it needs is me in a matching fire suit and helmet.


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Nelson Piquet Jr. will be running this new livery in the NASCAR Truck race in Charlotte, NC this weekend. Created by UK-based artist Death Spray Custom, the unique livery is a shocking foray into credible design for the popular race series.
"I'm used to the usual boring stuff from race car design," Nelson told us yesterday morning. "It's always interesting to get something different looking."
"Obviously the NASCAR fans are going to find this a bit different at first," the former F1 driver continues. "But I think the look is so strong that they're going to love it."
[gallery 5911078] "I left it all to Death Spray. At first, NASCAR didn't approve it because they require designs to be completely symmetrical side-to-side, but we went back for some tweaks and now it's good."
"I think it's a different look obviously. Something not many have done in this industry. I always like doing something outside of the box and I've always tried to do that with Alpinestars. I'm sure it will grab the fans attention."
"To me, it's like a carnival in Brazil. A lot of different colors together and each represents something different," finishes the Brazilian driver. "It's so bright and colorful, it just brings up a lot of memories."
A commemorative t-shirt and paper craft model will go on sale to show off the "Heat Signature" truck, which was inspiration by thermal images and movement.
"As an artist, I am drawn to transportation and sport," Death Spray stated. "One of my main themes is the subject of mobility through all vehicles, as well as the way we interact with brands. To see one of my creations adorning a Nascar Tuck is a great opportunity."