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Bob Packard's Elliott Highway farm is as old as Michigan. Of course it's nothing like it was in 1837 when his family first tilled the soil.
Packard sees a combination of both improvements and degradations, but one thing is clear in his operation of the farm: He'll do his best to upgrade the condition of the land.
"I'd like to leave it a little better than when I got it," he said
That attitude, along with his actions, led the Lenawee Conservation District to choose Packard as the 2007 Conservation Farmer. Although Packard is in Florida for the winter, he'll be honored in absentia at the group's annual dinner meeting Thursday in Adrian.
Not all of the Packards stayed on the farm—at least not initially. Bob's father left the farm for a job near Detroit, but he returned in 1944 and that's where Bob grew up. He graduated from Morenci—a football standout—and joined in the farming operation in 1962.
The 925 acres he has under cultivation now includes about 240 acres of the original farm. After his father died, Bob got rid of the 20-some cows, but he kept a few pigs on the farm for a while. For the most part, it's been a life of corn, soybeans and wheat, although wheat has been absent from the Packard farm for several years now.
The list of Packard's projects through the Conservation District is extensive.
He's put in erosion control dikes, he's filled in gullies and he's planted grass strips along creeks. He's invested in tree-planting projects, built two ponds and practiced forestry management. He's also tried to improve conditions for wildlife and made a stab at bringing pheasants back to his property.
"Just about any program they had, I got into," Packard said. "I enjoy seeing them built and I know we're improving the land".
Packard also has his land grid checked for fertilizer, with a GPS-controlled truck applying varying output as it travels across fields.
Modern farming practices can improve the soil, he said, but at the same time they increase the opportunities for erosion.
"We're building the ground up more, but we can damage it more," Packard said. "Going to corn and beans, you have more chances for erosion."
In the past, the ground was often covered with hay to hold the land in place and serve as a natural fertilizer. To accommodate large farming equipment, fence rows have all but disappeared.
"Probably the worst thing we did was to take out all the fence rows," Packard said, noting the damage to wildlife and reduction in trees. "You just don't have enough cover for wildlife anymore."
Packard is convinced that his conservation efforts are making a difference. He can see it in the clarity of Black Creek that passes through his property on the way to the River Raisin.
Anyone participating in federally-backed conservation programs appreciates the financial incentives involved, but that's not what draws the attention of farmers like Bob Packard.
"You can make money from them," he said, "but that isn't the idea."
For him, it's all about taking care of the land.


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In our group we are mulling over the thorny question of: what constitutes professional attire in the ED?
Some of our docs, mostly the "old school" really prefer a shirt and tie, some with a white coat.
Some go more for business casual -- khakis and a collared shirt, no tie.
Some are hard-core scrubs guys.
There's no "right" answer. Administrators (who generally wear suits to work) tend to prefer the formal white coat and tie look. They think that patients will be more impressed/satisfied with a formally dressed doc (research suggests otherwise). And ties can be vectors of infection. And a white coat only looks professional when it is clean and pressed -- and I am incapable of wearing a lab coat for more than five minutes before it looks so rumpled you would think I slept in it. I like scrubs -- I joke that I chose this specialty because I would get to wear my jammies to work. Patients seem understanding of the scrubs-in-the-ER thing, too.
I try to look a bit more professional by wearing dress slacks/khakis with a scrub top. Also I like the pockets.
What do you do in your ER? What do you, as patients, prefer?
30 August 2007
What is professional?
In our group we are mulling over the thorny question of: what constitutes professional attire in the ED?
Posted by shadowfax at 10:52 AM
16 comments:
I don't so much care what everybody's wearing as long as I know who's who and that everyone's going to be professional whatever his or her job. In an ER, scrubs suggest someone who is ready to spring into action and possibly get bloody at any moment, which seems appropriate.ReplyDelete
Our ED has a fairly even mix of dress among the faculty...Not a lot of ties, but a few of the ladies seem to like their dressy clothes. A couple of the male faculty go for the golf shirt. If clothes, then coat. If scrubs, coat optional.ReplyDelete
Of the residents a few sport the BDUs & scrub top look, which is nice for the pockets as well as pants that don't fall off your bum. A couple still wear coats, but most would rather be dead that have to wear real clothes to work. I'm with them.
Once upon a time the ED was truly color coded...which was nice if you weren't there every day. Hell, it's how I met my husband. Nurses were maroon, respiratory techs were blue, doctors were green, paramedics were white on top/blue on bottom. (My husband was a paramedic then) There was none of this asking 4 different people who the nurse taking care of the patient is before you actually find a nurse who might know.
That's my rant for the day. Thank you, and have a good night.
- Anonymous8/30/2007 3:44 PM
Yes, I too am more concerned about knowing who's who and what role they're filling - so it's more about the ID tag. I want to know if you're an R2 or a fellow or what. And ideally whether you're in, say, internal medicine or just rotating through the department for a few months etc. One doesn't necessarily want to ask because there's a reflexive defensiveness, as though inquiring about someone's status is prelude to a "I only want attendings to touch me" comment. To some extent the dress patterns reflect people's roles, but that's becoming less and less reliable, as noted in this post.ReplyDelete
I'm in favor of large, legible ID badges with MD, RN, PA, NP, etc on them. Aside from that - attitude and knowledge impress me a lot more than clothing.ReplyDelete
I find the khakis + scrub top look highly tacky. Either go full-on with business casual + coat or scrubs.ReplyDelete
I don't mind the scrubs+coat look. The coat with embroidered name looks spiffy and reminds the patients who the doctor is, but can be easily removed for bloody messes.
- Anonymous8/30/2007 7:05 PM
When I covered the ER as a surgery resident I occassionally broke out the T-shirt with the "Trust Me I'm A Doctor" slogan.ReplyDelete
I'm not sure if it did anything for patient confidence but I got a kick out of it.
What isles said.ReplyDelete
Scrubs are fine. If I'm losing pints of blood and bits of me are missing, please do spring into action!
I think everyone would prefer a climate of getting seen to rapidly and professionally over one of getting seen to eventually but attractively.
- Anonymous8/30/2007 8:45 PM
When I come in with a roaring migraine, odds are my eyes are closed until I'm ready to leave, and I'm in too much pain to be able to coherently consider what anyone is wearing. That situation is also the only one where I don't ask to double-check whatever drugs are administered.ReplyDelete
If I'm coming in with an asthma attack, I'm more worried about my next breath, than what you're wearing.
And, if I'm coming in as the accompanying husband, son, or father, I'm way more concerned about your ability to think, and your knowledge, care, and compassion, to worry about your wardrobe.
So --- fell free to break out the flannel, if it'll make you happy...
- Anonymous8/31/2007 12:59 AM
I'm a member of the "go to work in my jammies" club unless I'm doing EMS ride-alongs (required in my residency) in which case I wear BDUs. I generally wear a lab coat to work (need the pockets) but take it off as soon as I get a chance. You can tell it's been a really busy shift if I'm halfway through and still wearing my lab coat.ReplyDelete
I'm with the "wear what ever you want" crowd.ReplyDelete
You can be buck naked and ride into my room on a circus bike as long as you make me better.
In our ED, most residents wear cargo type pants with a black scrub top with the hospital's logo on it. The attendings wear business casual and coats, or dress the same as the residents.ReplyDelete
Nurses wear navy blue. Nurse techs wear cranberry.
I agree that docs should dress professionally, with a coat, and upstairs in the hospital, they do--except on call nights, when they are allowed to change to scrubs and a coat. But in the ER, things can get very messy very quickly, so I agree with scrubs or casual clothes for docs in the ED.
All of us have to wear our ID tags with our names and titles on it.
Up on the floors, med-surg RNs wear white. Telemetry and ICU RNs wear ceil blue. L&D and surgery RNs wear green. Easy to tell who's who--except when the radiology techs wear navy, and then we think they're er nurses.
- Anonymous8/31/2007 3:12 PM
Me: scrubs, no coat.ReplyDelete
Unless you are over 90. All of my patients over 90 get a white-coated doctor. They are less confused that way, and I figure they earned it.
speaking as a patient, nurses and doctors who wear scrubs look nicer. friendlier. less frightening.ReplyDelete
business casual attire also gives the patient an idea of who the nurse or doc is, what their style is. that's always nice.
suits and labcoats look like walking text books, and tend to make me feel tense and ignorant.
- Anonymous9/01/2007 8:30 PM
As a patient I kind of prefer scrubs. It's the similarity to pajamas - I find it hard to get stressed when everyone around me is dressed for a slumber party.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous9/02/2007 10:54 PM
As a patient, I really don't care, but it seems reasonable to me to wear scrubs. Some areas of medicine can be very messy and I personally wouldn't want to wear my good clothes to drain pus or other fluids. I'm pregnant and my OB/GYN wears scrubs and a white coat. Fine with me. That's what I'd wear. What bothers me is wearing scrubs outside the hospital/office. I don't think you'd want to drag what was insided the hospital out (like to the grocery store) and all the germs from the outside in.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous9/02/2007 11:00 PM
I forgot to mention...ReplyDelete
When we lived in CA, my daughter's pediatrician wore aloha shirts and khaki shorts. That didn't bother me either. It didn't make me feel he was less of a doctor because he was dressed casually. I felt he was an excellent physician regardless of what he wore.

subset: commoncrawl


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So the much ballyhooed MLB Network invades the airwaves on January 1st and has set up permanent residence in Secaucus, N.J., home to the most depressing stop on the Northeast Corridor Line of New Jersey Transit and what was once considered the stinkiest place in America.
But now Secaucus is home to Harold Reynolds, Mitch Williams, Al Leiter and a handful of other ex MLB players who've signed on to the network as analysts. NJ.com has a slide show of the fancy new offices. And, hey — Friday lunches are free!
To up the baseball geek factor they've also lassoed SI's Tom Verducci and Jon Heyman. And they've also signed on former NESN reporter Hazel Mae and former FSN-er Trenni Kusnierek, to keep your hot stove-loving hearts cozy all winter. Over/under on weeks before HR goes all handsy-uncle hug on them is at three.
Tonight: Go return some presents. It won't be that crowded this evening.
Tomorrow: More slow news day madness and Best Of round-ups to make the day go quicker.
Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin.


text:
Alveo Kroma Tower Legaspi Village Makati Condo For Sale
This flat is perfect for young urban professionals who are looking for a place to call home within the upscale Makati Central Business District. See the artist rendition of the Kroma Tower studio below.
Alveo Kroma Tower Makati Location and Vicinity
Kroma Tower is located at the heart of the Makati Central Business District(MCBD). Right within the MCBD north cultural district in Legaspi Village, and along the vigorous street of Dela Rosa, it is within walking distance from key establishments such as Makati Medical Center and DLSU Graduate School of Business. Kroma Tower will also be directly linked to key establishments around MCBD with an integrated pedestrian walkway network.
Kroma Tower Availability Chart (as of February 10, 2014)


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The Bisons lost 5-1 Sunday afternoon to the Ole Miss Rebels at Oxford-University Park. Ole Miss swept the series 3-0. Each team had eight hits in the game.
Right-hander Dannie Strable, 2-2, started for the Bisons. He pitched 4.1 innings and scattered four hits. He allowed four runs, all unearned as a pair of errors proved costly to the Bisons.
Strable struck out one batter and walked three.
Ole Miss scored three runs in the third, one in the fourth and one in the eighth.
Gil Rehwinkel, Davey Hackett, Blake Fonfara, Josh Cotham and Alex Ross all pitched in relief for the Bisons.
Richie Goodenow and Diego Martinez led the Bisons with two hits each. It was the first multi-hit game of the season for Martinez. One of the hits for Martinez was his first double of the season.
The Bisons fell to 7-9. Ole Miss is 13-4.
The Bisons will return to play against a Southeastern Conference team Wednesday when Mississippi State visits Ken Dugan Field at Stephen Lee Marsh Stadium at 6 p.m.


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New Delhi [India], Oct 10 (ANI): Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) to take stock of preparatory measures in the wake of impending landfall of the cyclonic storm Titli along the coast between Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh by Thursday morning.
During the meeting, Cabinet Secretary underlined the need for storage of adequate food, fuel as well as maintaining power supply and telecommunication lines and suggested that the States take advance action in this regard. He also assured Centre's full support to Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
The meeting was attended by the senior officer from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Defence, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Integrated Defence Staff (IDS). The States of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal participated over video conference represented by the respective Chief Secretaries/ Additional Chief Secretaries.
The States informed about measures taken for evacuation of people from the vulnerable areas to safer places, issue of warnings to the fishermen not to venture out into the sea and stocking of adequate food, essential items and fuel supplies, as also preventive measures such as closure of schools and colleges. District and local officials have been alerted.
NDRF has deployed 14 teams in Odisha, four teams in Andhra and three teams in West Bengal along with necessary rescue equipments. Additional teams have been put on standby in the respective areas likely to be affected. In addition, the three states have deployed their own rescue teams along with power boats. Army, Navy and coastguard have also been put on standby so that they can be deployed at short notice as per requirement.
Indian Meteorological Department classified 'Titli' as a very severe cyclonic storm with very high wind speeds and it is forecast to hit the coast between Gopalpur and Kalingapatnam in Odisha between 6 AM to 9 AM on October 11, 2018. The wind speed at the time of landfall is predicted in the range of 145-165 km per hour.
After the landfall, the cyclonic storm is expected to re-curve north-eastwards and move long Odisha coast towards Gangetic West Bengal and will cause heavy to very heavy rainfall. (ANI)


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Protestors shut down I-94 near Lodge Freeway in Detroit
Police issue tickets, arrest 3 after protest brings traffic to halt
DETROIT – Two vehicles involved in what Michigan State Police are calling a protest brought traffic to a halt on EB I-94 near the Lodge Freeway in Detroit Monday morning.
Related: Detroit EFM protesters seek federal intervention
Police were able to pull the protestors over and write them citations.
Police issued five tickets to protestors for going under 45 mph on the Interstate. Three people were arrested for violations not related to the protest.
One person was arrested for driving on a suspended license, two drivers were arrested after it was discovered they had open warrants from Eastpointe and Detroit.
The vehicles involved had signs on them, one reading "Democracy" and another reading "Detroit emergency manager."
They are upset over Governor Rick Snyder declaring the city of Detroit is in the midst of a financial emergency and the search for an emergency financial manager.
Read more: Detroit City Council will appeal Snyder's plan for EFM
This isn't the first time EFM protestors have caused traffic tangles. On Wednesday, a handful of protestors slowed traffic on southbound Interstate 75 near Interstate 94 in Detroit. Traffic also was backed up on northbound I-75.
Detroit is abuzz over who Gov. Rick Snyder will appoint to try to right Detroit's financial ship. Two prominent names that keep getting mentioned are former Washington D.C. mayor Anthony Williams and former Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker. Yet, both men have adamantly saying they are not and will not take the job.
City courses are betting on someone from the law firm both Baker and Williams are associated with -- McKenna Long and Abridge out of Atlanta.
Copyright 2013 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Insurance coverage is one of the most important, yet overlooked, expenses until it is often too late. Over the last few years, the costs of premiums have risen substantially due to factors from both within and outside of the fitness industry leading to what some have called a "crisis."
"There are several factors that are impacting insurance rates from the continued fallout from Sept. 11, increased litigation and the stock market troubles," says Andrea Pugliese of Andrea Pugliese Insurance Services. "In 2002, rates were up 20 to 50 percent and we are probably looking at another 20 percent rise this year."
For every business, insurance included, economic woes of the last few years have impacted bottom lines. This need to make up losses from troubled investments, as well as the increases in the re-insurance market — the insurance that insurers carry to protect themselves — have added up to the rapid rise in rates across the board.
"In the past, insurance carriers were making money in the stock market so they were less worried about their loss ratios and were able to offer highly competitive rates," says Cheryl Meyers a senior underwriter with K&K Insurance. "Today, they can't support the combination of lower earnings on investments and higher loss ratios without charging more for the coverage. It's a case of accountability."
John Urmston, president of SFIC of North Carolina, also sees the economy playing a bigger role in rates than in years past and it isn't confined to the health and fitness industry.
"Rates are going up across the board through every industry; it is not a reflection of the clubs although their individual loss ratio plays a part, as always," says Urmston. "But the whole insurance industry is trying to recover their balance sheets and it is impacting rates."
Living in a litigious society has also added to the increased rates that insurance companies are charging their customers.
"Litigation in this industry is out of control. Unfortunately, we live in an age where accountability and negligence are not well defined," says Ken Reinig, president of the Association Insurance Group. "When someone flys off the back of a treadmill and is injured the club owner is often held at fault. Not that this is right, it is just the way our legal system works. Unless we see significant changes in the way people sue each other, we will continue to see rising liability insurance premiums."
But while the general economic and business climates have an impact on the insurance rates that fitness facilities are seeing, there are internal, industry-specific changes that are influencing costs, in addition to each company's record of loss ratio.
"The fitness industry is one that is considered high risk, and it is unlikely that your local State Farm agent will touch a health club," says Reinig. "There are very few legitimate options for club owners to choose for their insurance."
And, these options may continue to dwindle as several large insurance companies have specialty markets looking for safer and larger industries to tackle.
And the risks associated with health and fitness facilities are growing along with the clubs themselves.
Within the last decade, the typical fitness facility has grown from a small (5,000 to 10,000 square feet) fitness-only club to large (as big as 200,000 square feet), multisport facilities with various group programming, sports programs, children's facilities and more.
"Prior to 9/11, combination clubs were on the rise, and they are still growing," says Meyers. "Today, we are seeing clubs that are a little bigger and a little broader in their offerings and that has an impact on their coverage."
And this impact comes from the fact that increased offerings often result in increased risks.
"A club's loss ratio begins to expand as they do," says SFIC's Urmston. "And higher ratios often result in higher premiums."
Urmston explains that in a review by major underwriters of "thousands" of the clubs that his company works with they found that the claim ratios were very low with small, fitness-only facilities and became much higher when looking at large, multi-sport facilities.
"I'm not sure what the reasons were for the differences between the two. While there are risks inherent in things such as 80-foot climbing walls and children's programs, wet spots and treadmills are very common claims and most clubs have them regardless of the size," says Urmston. "I think the problem comes from the fact that the bigger a club becomes and the more offerings it has, the less personal control an owner has over the risks."
And while amenities such as climbing walls, diving boards, daycare and more add to the risk of operating a club, and in turn the club's insurance needs, often clubs add these operations without thinking of the impact.
"A low percentage of club owners come to us first when they are adding to their club, thinking of insurance as an after-thought," says K&K's Meyers. "A lot of owners think that everything is insurable, but it isn't always as easy as they think."
Mark Meck, VP of marketing at K&K, adds that it is important to be proactive when adding amenities.
"A lot of times an insurance carrier doesn't know that a club has added something until they visit them when talking about renewal," he says. "Or worse, when the owner makes a claim — that is the wrong time for an insurer to find out the club has added something."
In fact, according to many of the insurance companies, a claim on an unreported amenity may not be covered under a current policy — and the amenity may not be coverable at all depending on the company.
"The health club industry changes yearly as clubs strive to find and keep members by adding services and amenities," says Marisa Burke, marketing coordinator at the Philadelphia Insurance Companies, which has seen its rates rise between 7 percent and 15 percent on average year. "But it is important they check with their agent or carrier because not everything will be covered. For instance, we won't cover things like diving boards or climbing walls."
Despite the fact that insurance costs are growing steadily, depending on the part of the country, premiums can range from being a small portion of a company's expenses to a large portion.
According to Loretta Worters, VP-communications for the Insurance Information Institute, premiums can cost up to $50,000 a year for clubs in New York, compared to as little as $500 elsewhere in the country.
"But generally speaking, even with rate increases, insurance is not a big part of the budget," says Reinig. More often than not, club owners will pay more for their family's health insurance than for the club's property and liability coverage."
While an entire article can be written on controlling costs, insurance carriers suggest owners take these steps for starters.
- Better staff training.
- Well-written waivers.
- Great customer service (friends don't sue friends).
- Don't try to be all things to all people.
- Keep the facility well maintained.
- Keep equipment updated and well maintained.
- Use monitoring cameras.
- Use AEDs.
- Have specialists [i.e. therapists, trainers, etc.] not on staff bring proof of insurance.
- Know your local laws and regulations.


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Despite the wisdom of the Matagorda County medical community's pleas in a letter signed by 30 doctors, despite its own Administrative Law Judges' recommendations, despite the wishes of the residents of Matagorda County in the No Coal Coalition, Governor Perry's Commissioners at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) today granted the White Stallion coal plant permit to pollute.
This morning, while citizens from Matagorda County including a class of school children watched, Chairman Shaw and Commissioners Garcia and Rubio, criticized the recommendations from the state's administrative law judges and decided to grant the permit with special conditions. Sierra Club once again calls on the state legislature to reform the TCEQ so that it cannot continue to ignore federal and state air quality standards during the permitting process.
"Once again, the Commissioners are doing the work for the applicant and using this failed system to avoid public input." said Jen Powis Senior Regional Representative for Sierra Club. "Today's decision is another pitiful example of how Governor Perry and his political cronies ignore federal and state law and reward companies to pollute in Texas."
The Cronies — Perry's TCEQ Commissioners Shaw, Garcia, and Rubinstein


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Wendy Mitchell talks to Paul Wright about his debut feature For Those In Peril, which premieres in Critics' Week.
Scotland-based Wright's debut feature, For Those In Peril, stars George MacKay as young man struggling with daily life in a small Scottish fishing village after he is the sole survivor of a boat accident. It is produced by Warp X with backing from Creative Scotland, the BFI, Film4 and Screen Yorkshire.
He is an NFTS graduate and was a 2007 Screen International Star of Tomorrow. His acclaimed shorts include Believe and the BAFTA winner Until The River Runs Red. He is in the early stages of writing his next project.
For Those In Peril premieres in Critics' Week on Saturday and Protagonist handles international sales.
Why was this story the one you wanted to tell for your first feature?
It's about knowing the length that the story deserves. For this one there was enough things in there that excited me, I knew I could explore some different themes…He goes on quite a journey from the beginning to the end. It felt like it was a lot I could explore, to go deep and get my hands dirty a bit.
Does it feel like the same ethos as your shorts?
It was about getting the way I like to make films into a feature film. A lot of it to do was with mapping out the progression and layers so each of them developed as well. With the fragmented nature of my stuff, it does shift and change as the film progresses.
How did you upbringing influence the story?
I grew up in a similar village to where the film takes place, so the ocean is always part of everyday life. I grew up a 30 second walk to the ocean, it's always there visually and with sound. You hear stories, not specifically what ends up in the film, but the reality and how difficult making a living from the ocean is, and the flip side of that is that as a child you get brought up with the mythology of the sea and the surrounding villages. There was a blurring of the lines of what was real and what was unreal.
Which town did you shoot in?
Gourdon. Mood wise it felt right and also practically it had a lot of the things we wanted. To have that layer of authenticity and use some of the locals in the film. Grounding the story in reality was important reallyearly on because we didn't want a Disney version of the film. We were wary of avoiding the cutsey version. The locals were amazing, they got right behind us and really helped out.
Working with the low budget of the Warp X scheme really seemed to fit with what youwere doing creatively. Do you feel like you want to stick with low-budget films?
It's story dependent. I've always been fascinated with images and sound and I think that goes from the polished perfect kind of work to the kind of scuzzy distorted images and sounds. It suited the film we were making, the slightly lo-fi quality felt right. I wouldn't cut myself off from anything else. I just want to keep making films the way the story dictates. This film did have an ambition despite its budget restrictions. That was something we went for the whole way. The fragmented nature meant we had a lot of material we wanted to get – I guess time is always the biggest challenge. We were trying to get as much quality material within budget. It would have been nice to have a little more time, but that's the same way with every film no matter what the budget.
Where did you shoot the water scenes?
A lot of the water stuff was in the ocean, the heavy breathing and looking freezing was pretty authentic!
How did you work with your leading actor George MacKay?
We only had about two days rehearsing.What was important was we went through the script from start to finish, getting everything out there over one or two nights. We set up a shorthand from so that when we were on set and filming out of sequence, we knew the journey Aaron goes on throughout the film
I was very up front with what I was hoping to achieve with the film and the character, with leaving it open to him to bring his own interpretation of the character. He's a force of nature, our George. He's even every scene, he might have had a half a day off in six weeks. Physically and emotionally, for someone as young as he is, it was amazing what he gave us.
And did you eat local fish every day on set?
The fish & chip shop especially got quite a got business from us. Aye. It's one of the best in Scotland. Maybe not every day, but maybe 80% of the time to be honest (laughs).


text:
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- CHRISTOS DOUKAKIS - Owner/Pubisher - www.lastdaydeaf.com
Deal Type: Exposure Opportunity
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Song Quality: Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Nirvana, NIN, Indie pop


text:
On Monday, Celestalon kicked off the official Alpha Theorycrafting season by posting a Theorycrafting Discussion thread on the forums. And he was kind enough to toss a meaty chunk of information our way about Resolve, the replacement for Vengeance.
Resolve: Increases your healing and absorption done to yourself, based on Stamina and damage taken (before avoidance and mitigation) in the last 10 sec.
In today's post, I want to go over the mathy details about how Resolve works, how it differs from Vengeance, and how it may (or may not) fix some of the problems we've discussed in previous blog posts.
Celestalon broke the formula up into two components: one from stamina and one from damage taken. But for completeness, I'm going to bolt them together into one formula for resolve $R$:
$$ R =\frac{\rm Stamina}{250~\alpha} + 0.25\sum_i \frac{D_i}{\rm MaxHealth}\left ( \frac{2 ( 10-\Delta t_i )}{10} \right )$$
where $D_i$ is an individual damage event that occurred $\Delta t_i$ seconds ago, and $\alpha$ is a level-dependent constant, with $\alpha(100)=261$. The sum is carried out over all damaging events that have happened in the last 10 seconds.
The first term in the equation is the stamina-based contribution, which is always active, even when out of combat. There's a helpful buff in-game to alert you to this:
My premade character has 1294 character sheet stamina, which after dividing by 250 and $\alpha(90)=67$, gives me 0.07725, or about 7.725% Resolve. It's not clear at this point whether the tooltip is misleadingly rounding down to 7% (i.e. using floor instead of round) or whether Resolve is only affected by the stamina from gear. The Alpha servers went down as I was attempting to test this, so we'll have to revisit it later. We've already been told that this will update dynamically with stamina buffs, so having Power Word: Fortitude buffed on you mid-combat will raise your Resolve.
Once you're in combat and taking damage, the second term makes a contribution:
I've left this term in roughly the form Celestalon gave, even though it can obviously be simplified considerably by combining all of the constants, because this form does a better job of illustrating the behavior of the mechanic. Let's ignore the sum for now, and just consider an isolated damage event that does $D$ damage:
$$0.25\times\frac{D}{\rm MaxHealth}\left ( \frac{2 ( 10-\Delta t )}{10} \right )$$
The 0.25 just moderates the amount of Resolve you get from damaging attacks. It's a constant multiplicative factor that they will likely tweak to achieve the desired balance between baseline (stamina-based) Resolve and dynamic (damage-based) Resolve.
The factor of $D/{\rm MaxHealth}$ means that we're normalizing the damage by our max health. So if we have 1000 health and take an attack that deals 1000 damage (remember, this is before mitigation), this term gives us a factor of 1. Avoided auto-attacks also count here, though instead of performing an actual damage roll the game just uses the mean value of the boss's auto-attack damage. Again, nothing particularly complicated here, it just makes Resolve depend on the percentage of your health the attack would have removed rather than the raw damage amount. Also note that we've been told that dynamic health effects from temporary multipliers (e.g. Last Stand) aren't included here, so we're not punished for using temporary health-increasing cooldowns.
The term in parentheses is the most important part, though. In the instant the attack lands, $\Delta t=0$ and the term in parentheses evaluates to $2(10-0)/10 = 2.$ So that attack dealing 1000 damage to our 1000-health tank would give $0.25\times 1 \times 2 = 0.5,$ or 50% Resolve.
However, one second later, $\Delta t = 1$, so the term in parentheses is only $2(10-1)/10 = 1.8$, and the amount of resolve it grants is reduced to 45%. The amount of Resolve granted continues to linearly decrease as time passes, and by the time ten seconds have elapsed it's reduced to zero. Each attack is treated independently, so to get our total Resolve from all damage taken we just have to add up the Resolve granted by every attack we've taken, hence the sum in my equation.
You may note that the time-average of the term in parentheses is 1, which is how we get the advertised "averages to ~Damage/MaxHealth" that Celestalon mentioned in the post. In that regard, he's specifically referring to just the part within the sum, not the constant factor of 0.25 outside of it. So in total, your average Resolve contribution from damage is 25% of Damage/MaxHealth.
Comparing to Vengeance
Mathematically speaking, there's a world of difference between Resolve and Vengeance. First and foremost is the part we already knew: Resolve doesn't grant any offensive benefit. We've talked about that a lot before, though, so it's not territory worth re-treading.
Even in the defensive component though, there are major differences. Vengeance's difference equation, if solved analytically, gives solutions that are exponentials. In other words, provided you were continuously taking damage (such that it didn't fall off entirely), Vengeance would decay and adjust to your new damage intake rather smoothly. It also meant that damage taken at the very beginning of an encounter was still contributing some amount of Vengeance at the very end, again, assuming there was no interruption. And since it was only recalculated on a damage event, you could play some tricks with it, like taking a giant attack that gave you millions of Vengeance and then riding that wave for 20 seconds while your co-tank takes the boss.
Resolve does away with all of that. It flat-out says "look, the only thing that matters is the last 10 seconds." The calculation doesn't rely on a difference equation, meaning that when recalculating, it doesn't care what your Resolve was at any time previously. And it forces a recalculation at fixed intervals, not just when you take damage. As a result, it's much harder to game than Vengeance was.
Celestalon's post also outlines a few other significant differences:
- No more ramp-up mechanism
- No taunt-transfer mechanism
- Resolve persists through shapeshifts
- Resolve only affects self-healing and self-absorbs
The lack of ramp-up and taunt-transfer mechanisms may at first seem like a problem. But in practice, I don't think we'll miss either of them. Both of these effects served offensive (i.e. threat) and defensive purposes, and it's pretty clear that the offensive purposes are made irrelevant by definition here since Resolve won't affect DPS/threat. The defensive purpose they served was to make sure you had some Vengeance to counter the boss's first few hits, since Vengeance had a relatively slow ramp-up time but the boss's attacks did not.
However, Resolve ramps up a lot faster than Vengeance does. Again, this is in part thanks to the fact that it isn't governed by a difference equation. The other part is because it only cares about the last ten seconds.
To give you a visual representation of that, here's a plot showing both Vengeance and Resolve for a player being attacked by a boss. The tank has 100 health and the boss swings for 30 raw damage every 1.5 seconds. Vengeance is shown in arbitrary units here since we're not interested in the exact magnitude of the effect, just in its dynamic properties. I've also ignored the baseline (stamina-based) contribution to Resolve for the same reason.
As a final note, while the blog post says that Resolve is recalculated every second, it seemed like it was updating closer to every half-second when I fooled with it on alpha, so these plots use 0.5-second update intervals. Changing to 1-second intervals doesn't significantly change the results (they just look a little more fragmented).
The plot very clearly shows the 50% ramp-up mechanism and slow decay-like behavior of Vengeance. Note that while the ramp-up mechanism gets you to 50% of Vengeance's overall value at the first hit (at t=2.5 seconds), Resolve hits this mark as soon as the second hit lands (at 4.0 seconds) despite not having any ramp-up mechanism.
Resolve also hits its steady-state value much more quickly than Vengeance does. By definition, Resolve gets there after about 10 seconds of combat (t=12.5 seconds). But with Vengeance, it takes upwards of 30-40 seconds to even approach the steady-state value thanks to the decay effect (again, a result of the difference equation used to calculate Vengeance). Since most fights involve tank swaps more frequently than this, it meant that you were consistently getting stronger the longer you tanked a boss. This in turn helped encourage the sort of "solo-tank things that should not be solo-tanked" behavior we saw in Mists.
This plot assumes a boss who does exactly 30 damage per swing, but in real encounters the boss's damage varies. Both Vengeance and Resolve adapt to mimic that change in the tank's damage intake, but as you could guess, Resolve adapts much more quickly. If we allow the boss to hit for a random amount between 20 and 40 damage:
You can certainly see the similar changes in both curves, but Resolve reacts quickly to each change while Vengeance changes rather slowly.
One thing you've probably noticed by now is that the Resolve plot looks very jagged (in physics, we might call this a "sawtooth wave"). This happens because of the linear decay built into the formula. It peaks in the instant you take the attack – or more accurately, in the instant that Resolve is recalculated after that attack. But then every time it's recalculated it linearly decreases by a fixed percent. If the boss swings in 1.5-second intervals, then Resolve will zig-zag between its max value and 85% of its max value in the manner shown.
The more frequently the boss attacks, the smoother that zig-zag becomes; conversely, a boss with a long swing timer will cause a larger variation in Resolve. This is apparent if we adjust the boss's swing timer in either direction:
It's worth noting that every plot here has a new randomly-generated sequence of attacks, so don't be surprised that the plots don't have the same profile as the original. The key difference is the size of the zig-zag on the Resolve curve.
I've also run simulations where the boss' base damage is 50 rather than 30, but apart from the y-axis having large numbers there's no real difference:
Note that even a raw damage of 50% is pretty conservative for a boss – heroic bosses in Siege have frequently had raw damages that were larger than the player's health. But it's not clear if that will still be the case with the new tanking and healing paradigm that's been unveiled for Warlords.
If we make the assumption that raw damage will be lower, then these rough estimates give us an idea of how large an effect Resolve will be. If we guess at a 5%-10% baseline value from stamina, these plots suggest that Resolve will end up being anywhere from a 50% to 200% modifier on our healing. In other words, it has the potential to double or triple our healing output with the current tuning numbers. Of course, it's anyone's guess as to whether those numbers are even remotely close to what they'll end up being by the end of beta.
Is It Fixed Yet?
If you look back over our old blog posts, the vast majority of our criticisms of Vengeance had to do with its tie-in to damage output. Those have obviously been addressed, which leaves me worrying that I'll have nothing to rant about for the next two or three years.
But regarding everything else, I think Resolve stands a fair chance of addressing our concerns. One of the major issues with Vengeance was the sheer magnitude of the effect – you could go from having 50k AP to 600k AP on certain bosses, which meant your abilities got up to 10x more effective. Even though that's an extreme case, I regularly noted having over 300k AP during progression bosses, a factor of around 6x improvement. Resolve looks like it'll tamp down on that some. Reasonable bosses are unlikely to grant a multiplier larger than 2x, which will be easier to balance around.
It hasn't been mentioned specifically in Celestalon's post, but I think it's a reasonable guess that they will continue to disable Resolve gains from damage that could be avoided through better play (i.e. intentionally "standing in the bad"). If so, there will be little (if any) incentive to take excess damage to get more Resolve. Our sheer AP scaling on certain effects created situations where this was a net survivability gain with Vengeance, but the lower multiplier should make that impossible with Resolve.
While I still don't think it needs to affect anything other than active mitigation abilities, the fact that it's a multiplier affecting everything equally rather than a flat AP boost should make it easier to keep talents with different AP coefficients balanced (Eternal Flame and Sacred Shield, specifically). And we already know that Eternal Flame is losing its Bastion of Glory interaction, another change which will facilitate making both talents acceptable choices.
All in all, I think it's a really good system, if slightly less transparent. It's too soon to tell whether we'll see any unexpected problems, of course, but the mechanic doesn't have any glaring issues that stand out upon first examination (unlike Vengeance). I still have a few lingering concerns about steady-state threat stability between tanks (ironically, due to the removal of Vengeance), but that is the sort of thing which will become apparent fairly quickly during beta testing, and at any rate shouldn't reflect on the performance of Resolve.


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Enjoy the Des Plaines Oasis while you can, motorists. The Illinois Tollway plans to close the over-the-road rest stop on Interstate-90 next year.
Tollway officials say the removal makes way for a fourth lane in each direction from O'Hare International Airport to Elgin, part of a $2.2 billion rebuilding and widening project that includes the cost of decontructing the Oasis.
"The removal of the Des Plaines Oasis is bittersweet to those of us who have visited there and consider the Tollway oases to be an important part of our agency's history," Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur said. "But, in our view, the tremendous benefits that will result from this expanded roadway – faster travel times, less congestion, reduced pollution and enhanced regional mobility – far outweigh the loss."
Lafleur says the Tollway expects to make up the oasis' concession revenues from its other seven oasis sites within four years.
The closure of the Des Plaines building is expected to begin in April, followed with the removal of the over-the-road structure in June. Though the structure will close, two adjoining gas stations and convenience stores will remain open.
The new roadway is projected to accommodate up to 30,000 more vehicles per day, according to the Tollway. Much of its infrastructure is more than 50 years old, the Tollway says, and the pavement is nearing the end of its useful life.
Illinois Tollway Closing Des Plaines Oasis Next Year
Adjoining gas stations to remain open
Enjoy the Des Plaines Oasis while you can, motorists. The Illinois Tollway plans to close the over-the-road rest stop on Interstate-90 next year.


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The Rio Games got into full swing Saturday just hours after Friday night's high-energy opening ceremony. Dozens of competitions are being held Saturday in over 20 Olympic sports, ranging from archery to basketball, cycling, gymnastics, rowing, soccer, swimming and volleyball, among others. Twelve gold medals will be awarded.
Here's what to watch now on day 1 of the Olympics. Check back for more live streams throughout the day.
U.S. archers Brady Ellison, Zach Garrett and Jake Kaminski aim for gold in a matchup against South Korea at 4:07 p.m. ET.
U.S. & World
Medals will be awarded in four swimming events. The men's 400m individual medley final is scheduled for 9:03 p.m. ET, and the men's 400m freestyle final is at 9:30 p.m. ET. Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps are not competing in the individual medley this time around. Chase Kalisz, 22, who's Phelps' training partner, has the best chance to medal.
The women's finals for the 400m individual medley is set for 9:49 p.m. ET and the 4x100m freestyle relay final is at 10:24 p.m. ET. Katie Ledecky is going for a sweep of the longer freestyle races but she will also anchor the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay on Saturday.
Qualifying for men's team, individual all around, and individual event finals takes place today, started at 9:30 a.m. ET, with the U.S. team looking to redeem itself after placing fifth at the London games. Spearheading the team is 23-year-old Sam Mikulak, joined by returning Olympians Jake Dalton and Danell Leyva, along with Chris Brooks and Alex Naddour.
In the Women's Individual Epee, Courtney Hurley lost 13-14 to gold medalist Yana Shemyakina of the Ukraine. Hurley's sister, Kelley, was also knocked out. Brazil's Nathalie Moellhausen beat her 12-15 in what was Kelley Hurley's first Olympic start in the individual competition. The bouts continue all day.
It's the first time amateur boxers get a chance to compete against professionals at the Olympics. The U.S. team doesn't have any professionals with all six Americans making their Olympic debuts. First boxing round got underway at 10 a.m. ET.
Goalkeeper Hope Solo will appear in her 200th game for the U.S. women's national team in a group stage match against France at 4 p.m. ET. She'll be the first goalkeeper in history to reach the milestone in international play. This latest milestone comes after Solo became the first goalkeeper with 100 international shutouts when the United States defeated South Africa 1-0 at Chicago's Soldier Field. It was also her 150th career win.
Novak Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia face off against Croatia's Marin Cilic and Marin Draganja in the first round at 4 p.m. ET.
Venus Williams faces Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, a 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist, in the first round at 5:45 p.m. ET.
U.S. women's hockey team goes against gold-medal contender Argentina in their first match of group play at 4 p.m. ET.
The juggernaut of the USA men's basketball team, led by Carmelo Anthony , plays China. Tip is at 6 p.m. ET. Team USA aside, there are plenty of hoopsters from across the world to watch.
Three-time gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, 37, and 2012 silver medalist April Ross, 34, begin pool play at 11 p.m. ET, against Australians Mariafe Artacho, 22, and Nicole Laird, 23.
To watch all competitions live, visit nbcolympics.com/live-stream-schedule.


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Man gets 35 years after shooting party host
BRIDGEPORT -- A guest at a Christmas party, who fatally shot his host in the head after mistakenly thinking he had stolen his wallet, was sentenced Friday to 35 years in prison.
"I never imagined seeing myself in a situation like this and I want to apologize," Israel Gonzalez told Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin.
But the judge, while noting the 26-year-old Gonzalez had no previous criminal record, said a severe penalty was warranted.
"This was all because you had a stupid gun available. If you didn't have a gun that night, this man wouldn't be dead," Devlin said.
Gonzalez, who pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter with a firearm, broke into tears after police later found the wallet on a shelf where Gonzalez forgot he had put it for safe keeping, State's Attorney John Smriga said.
On Christmas Day in 2011, police found 29-year-old Noel Cosme lying in a pool of blood on his kitchen floor on Laurel Avenue. He had been shot once in the head.
Cosme and his brother had hosted a Christmas party at their home only a short time earlier. When police arrived, they began questioning the victim's brother and Gonzalez, who was standing on the front porch.
Police said Gonzalez initially denied knowing anything about the shooting, claiming he had been at a club in Port Chester, N.Y., at the time.
However, during the interview, detectives said they noticed blood spatter on Gonzalez's right shoe. When they confronted him again, police said Gonzalez began to cry and confessed to killing Cosme.
Gonzalez said when he couldn't find his wallet at the party, he accused Cosme of taking it.
When Cosme denied he had the wallet, police said Gonzalez told them he went to his car and retrieved a handgun from under the seat that he had purchased on the street two weeks ago.
Then he returned and shot Cosme, police said. Detectives later found the wallet on a shelf in the apartment where Gonzalez had put it for safe keeping.
email@example.com; 203-330-6308; http:// twitter.com/dantepfer


text:
Share series of audio files (i.e. podcast)
What it is:
If you have a lot of audio files you want to share with others, one of the best ways to do this is by means of a podcast. A Podcast is a series of audio (or video) files that are accessible via RSS. Watch the video below for more details.
Really any series of audio files can be made available as a podcast including class lectures and language learning resources. Podcasts are appropriate for audio that you want to share publicly.
What you need:
Easiest way to create a podcast is to first create a web site using a tools that supports RSS such as a blog.
How you do it:
Once you have a site with RSS, then all you need to do is add a post or content block to the site and upload an audio file. Create new posts or content blocks for each additional audio file.
Tips and suggestions:
Summarize your audio: Use your blog post to summarize the audio that is included with it
see: Recording/editing/formatting audio
Case Studies
Podcasting Lectures (James Morrison)


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Imagine not having use of your legs and visiting your fitness facility in a wheelchair. After expending an enormous amount of energy to change into your workout clothes and travel to the gym, would you be confronted with long flights of stairs, inaccessible equipment, a swimming pool without a lift and a bathroom lacking accessible stalls? If so, it's time to make a change and start serving the more than 20 percent of the population who has a disability, said Dr. James Rimmer, director of the Center on Health Promotion Research for Persons with Disabilities and the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD) in Chicago.
Fitness facilities that aren't welcoming to the disabled could soon face some stiff fines. While the current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) doesn't require clubs to make locker rooms, exercise equipment areas and swimming pools accessible to individuals with disabilities, the guidelines could soon change. The U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board recently finalized a revised set of regulations, the U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing comments on the changes and the government plans to release the new ADA guidelines in the next two to four years.
Many fitness facilities have a long way to go in terms of improving their accessibility, Rimmer said. He and his team assessed the accessibility of 16 for-profit clubs and 19 not-for-profit clubs in six areas — built environment, equipment, pools, information, facility policies and professional behavior. The researchers concluded that all 35 clubs had a low to moderate level of accessibility and individuals with disabilities or visual impairments had a difficult time accessing different areas of the clubs.
"Many people with disabilities have been shut out of the whole movement of health and fitness," said Rimmer, a professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago. "The perception is 'you already have a disability. Why would you want to become healthy?' We need to change that image because everyone needs to lead a healthy lifestyle."
Americans with disabilities have been shown to be more sedentary, have greater health problems and have more physical activity barriers compared to the general population, according to research by Rimmer and his team. A report titled "Healthy People 2010" found that 56 percent of people with disabilities engaged in no leisure-time physical activity. These individuals often aren't able to exercise outdoors due to damaged sidewalks, narrow walking paths, adverse weather conditions or unsafe neighborhoods.
"Here's a segment of society who needs fitness centers more than anyone else on the planet," he said. "Yet they can't wake up and put their shoes on and go for a run. The fitness industry has created machines for an able-bodied population, yet the people who really need this machinery aren't able to use it."
Effect of ADA on Clubs
The new ADA guidelines could help make fitness facilities more accessible to members with disabilities, but these changes may affect fitness facilities' bottom line, said Helen Durkin, director of public policy for the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). The organization submitted comments to clarify the ADA requirements governing public accommodation. The ADA guidelines require health clubs to provide a clear floor space of at least 30 inches by 48 inches around each type of equipment, but the regulation doesn't specify whether a health club would need to provide space around two different types and brands of equipment that work out the same muscle group, Durkin said.
"If there are six different machines that are working out pecs, we want to make sure that a club doesn't have to make sure that the space around all six machines are accessible," Durkin said.
By increasing the floor space around each type of equipment, it may be necessary to remove machines, which could have a detrimental effect on a health club's profitability, she said. Members could drop their membership if they were forced to wait in line for their favorite equipment, possibly negatively affecting net sales, she said.
However, Rimmer said all clubs would have to comply with the ADA, so members wouldn't gain anything by jumping from one health club to another club.
"That's not a good rationale for not doing it," he said. "If you lose members, you lose members. But you'll also gain members — people with disabilities and the elderly."
Brad Cardinal, an associate professor of exercise and sports science at Oregon State University, agreed. Two years ago, he conducted a field study of 50 fitness clubs in western Oregon. He found that while many of the clubs had compliant ramps or wide doors, only 8 percent of the facilities offered adequate accessibility to the exercise equipment. As a former club owner, he said he understood the need to pack as much fitness equipment in as possible, but floor plans still must be accessible to everyone.
ADA compliance is easiest when done during design and construction of a new club, and making existing clubs ADA-compliant may require costly renovations, but that's not always the case, said Amy Rauworth, associate director of operations and exercise physiology research for NCPAD.
"When most fitness facilities think of renovating to comply with ADA regulations, they may think they have to knock down walls, but they can make these changes at a minimal or no cost," she said.
However, the new regulations require removal of architectural barriers in existing clubs where removal is "readily achievable," and since much of the equipment is moveable with the right equipment, IHRSA has expressed concerns.
"If you applied this standard without any explanation, then this regulation would apply to the entire fitness floor and the position of the exercise pieces," said Durkin. "We don't want them to view equipment as an easily movable architectural barrier. This could have significant financial implications for clubs."
Overall, the ADA is a tricky law that is difficult for fitness professionals to understand, Durkin said.
"Clubs don't like this issue and don't want to think about it," she said. "When it happens to them, that's when they get concerned about it. It's so complicated, and there's no easy answers."
Improving Accessibility
But not all health clubs feel that way. The Osher Marin Jewish Community Center in San Rafael, CA, offers a therapeutic swimming program, wheelchair ramps, elevators and accessible restrooms and drinking fountains. And Liberty Fitness, an Austin, TX-based company with 61 women's 30-minute circuit training facilities in 16 states, installed the industry's first hearing-impaired circuit in its Riverside, CA, location. A blinking green light tells deaf or hard-of-hearing members when they need to change positions and a red heart-shaped sign tells them when it's time to stop exercising and do a heart-rate count. Owners Dianne and Larry Brown invested $10,000 in the research and development of the system after one of their members told them there was a large deaf community in Riverside, CA (17 percent of Riverside is deaf or hard-of-hearing, and a school for the deaf is located only four miles from their club).
CrossTrainers Fitness Forum in Clinton Township, MI, took accessibility to the next level by designing its workout facility for all abilities and disabilities. When a car accident left owner Christopher Grobbel paralyzed from the chest down, he opened a completely accessible 18,000-square-foot health club. In a section of the gym called Wheelchair Alley, members can use specialized devices and adaptive equipment for strength training to make it easier for them to transfer in and out of their wheelchairs.
About 5 percent of the club's 1,500 members have a disability, but Grobbel said he'd like to increase it to 25 percent. When trying to reach the disabled community, he said he faces three challenges — lack of public transportation, fixed incomes and sometimes lack of motivation to exercise. But he hasn't given up hope yet. Some of his members travel as far as 50 miles just to come to his club to exercise. He said in his club, able-bodied members work side-by side with members with disabilities. Grobbel said he hopes other clubs will follow his example and embrace this market.
"You can take a basic gym, train your people, space out the equipment and you're off to the races," he said. "The cost of making a club more accessible is so minimal compared to what you can do to enrich someone's life."
24 Ways to Improve Your Accessibility
Fitness facilities can improve their club's accessibility without breaking the bank. Here are 24 ways that your health club, rec center or military fitness facility can make some simple changes to help pull in new members, embrace a new market and help those with disabilities lead a healthy, active life.
A. Adjust closer pressure or add power openers at doors that require a lot of opening force to assist members with balance or strength difficulties.
B. Secure loose mats or install a new permanent floor surface to minimize a tripping hazard.
C. Lower a section of the check-in counter so members in a wheelchair can see employees.
D. Place detectable objects under a protruding hazard or lower a wall-mounted feature to prevent a hazard for those with vision impairments.
E. Diversify equipment/items so people with a variety of abilities can use them.
F. Add seating for those who need periodic rest.
G. Move/rearrange equipment to provide a convenient, accessible route.
H. Move/rearrange equipment so there is enough floor space beside at least one of each type of machine.
I. Include cardio equipment that can serve a wider range of users and machines that can be used by the upper body.
J. Rearrange/move equipment to provide clear floor space beside each type of weight machine with fixed integral seats.
K. Replace equipment with weight machines that have movable seats and other adaptable/adjustable features. Consider investing in machines with seats that flip up or swing out of the way.
L. Rearrange weight equipment to provide enough space for accessible routes to each type of machine.
M. Replace or modify the multi-station exercise machine so that seats can be removed or adapted.
N. Move/relocate a multi-station exercise machine to allow people using a variety of mobility devices to access it.
O. Ask staff to monitor and store unattended personal training items that can obstruct access.
P. Rearrange/relocate weight stands and benches to allow additional approaches and maneuvering choices for people using mobility devices such as wheelchairs, scooters and walkers.
Q. Move furniture and/or counters to improve access for employees with disabilities.
R. Adapt your programming for individuals who have varying levels of abilities.
S. Replace door hardware with handles such as loops or levers that can be operated with a closed fist.
T. Lower high shelves or replace with a magazine rack within reach of seated users and individuals of short stature.
U. Rearrange and/or replace furniture to permit an accessible route through a lobby and to offices.
V. Provide a dual-height drinking fountain with knee space to serve the needs of both standing adults and those who are seated in mobility devices.
W. Convert underused "junk" room space into an accessible unisex toilet/family changing room.
X. Replace room signage with signs that include raised type and Braille.
Source: National Center for Physical Activity and Disability, www.ncpad.org
What You Can Do
Improve your club's accessibility. Provide designated parking spaces, ramps and curb cuts, remove turnstiles and widen doorways to allow members with disabilities to easily enter your club. To make them feel comfortable once they're inside, widen the space around your equipment, make your bathrooms accessible and install lifts or elevators.
For More Information
Train your staff members. Teach your employees about your club's accessibility features and offer adaptive physical education training to your personal trainers.
Conduct an annual ADA audit. Download a PDF of the ADA standards at www.usdoj.gov or call the ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-514-0301 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
Apply for a tax credit. If you own or manage a small health club with less than $1 million in annual revenue or less than 30 employees, you can apply for a tax credit for improving your club's accessibility through the Small Business Administration.
Promote your club's accessibility on your Web site and in your advertising to show that your club is welcoming to new members with disabilities.
Access Board: www.abledata.com
Do you have a question on how to comply with ADA regulations? The Access Board offers free technical assistance.
Department of Justice: http://www.access-board.gov
Fitness professionals can request free ADA publications from the DOJ and call 800-514-0301 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-514-0301 end_of_the_skype_highlighting for personalized assistance.
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund Inc.: http://www.dredf.org
This organization provides training sessions, technical education and education for businesses.
Disabled Sports USA: http://www.dsusa.org
This group offers adaptive fitness instructor training to instructors, therapists, program directors and personal trainers and sells videos on how to modify fitness programs for people with disabilities.
National Center on Physical Activity and Disability: http://www.ncpad.org/exercise
NCPAD's Web site features an interactive illustration that shows a before-and-after makeover of a fitness facility as well as several fact sheets on adapting fitness programs for individuals with disabilities. The organization plans to soon publish a how-to booklet for health clubs who want to improve their facility's accessibility.


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I have a number of pieces from an older chess set. There are no markings other that 1979 Tolkien Enterprises. Does any one know about these? I can post images, I have found nothing online, or at the local game stores.
Many thanks...
[oversized images changed to links by White Council Moderator]


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Commercial, Products, Public Service, Services
By Staff Writer | October 1, 2012
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The helicopter equivalent of "if you build it, they will come" has got to be "if you provide the funding, they will acquire." None of the "need" for helicopters that fueled year-over-year growth before the global economic slowdown in 2008 has gone away—simply the money to acquire them.
Dublin, Ireland-based Milestone Aviation Group is offering one possible solution for operators. Started in August 2010 with $500 million in equity seed capital raised through a group of investors led by co-founder and Chairman Richard Santulli, the company has expanded rapidly with the recent finalization of a fleet purchase for 19 additional Sikorsky S-92s and the closing of a series of debt facilities totaling $400 million, including a $265-million debt facility from Deutsche Bank. I had the opportunity to interview Santulli—who founded fixed-wing fractional ownership provider NetJets in the mid-1980s (and served as Chairman and CEO until August 2009) after getting his start in the helicopter leasing business—about the evolution of rotorcraft financing.
Rotor & Wing: What will the debt facilities allow Milestone to do? Santulli: The good news is it proves that we can get debt. I laugh, but the market was looking at us saying, "you're a very young company," which obviously we were. A lot of the banks looked at us like a commercial airplane lessor, and we kept telling them that if you're looking at us that way, you're going down the wrong road. The reality was not too many financial analysts are actually that knowledgeable about helicopters. The fact that we were a young start-up, and add to that there weren't a lot of helicopter-specific financiers, it made it very difficult to do. R&W: What is Milestone's outlook? Santulli: We'll just keep growing. When we first started doing debt deals, we had a bunch of letters of intent. With the whole European crisis, it made it tough to get a debt deal done. But that's changed now, and we're very comfortable with our position in the market. Today we have a very large standing. R&W: Why the S-92?
Santulli: We bought the EC225 also. When we were looking at the marketplace, we realized that more and more is being done farther offshore. You look at oil production around the world and it's father offshore, so you need helicopters with more range that can carry more people, like the S-92 and EC225. We look at the S-92 as obviously a huge factor in the oil and gas market, but we also look at it as a very successful SAR machine. So it's the combination of search and rescue, and primarily oil and gas, that we love that helicopter.
If you look at the supply of heavies, and the supply rates, and you look at where they're going to be against the demand—especially if you assume the retirement of helicopters that are 25 years or older—the disparity between supply and demand is just very, very large.
R&W: What other helicopters types is Milestone interested in? Santulli: We're talking to everybody. Eurocopter with the EC175 and AgustaWestland about the AW189. We're waiting for the [Sikorsky S-76] D model to be certified as well. R&W: What's the response been from operators? Santulli: It's been terrific. You know, I did this back in 1980, and really the interesting thing is, most of the operators don't want to lease. That was true back in the '80s and it's true now—most operators would prefer to own the asset. Any time there's a new tender out there—not just the renewal of a contract—that means an operator has to acquire a new piece of equipment. And a lot of operators don't have the balance sheet, especially with the heavies, to actually debt finance, or put up 20 to 25 percent to do the debt financing. So we've convinced a lot of the operators by saying, "Listen, we'll provide 100 percent of the financing, it's true you're not going to own the asset but we're going to give you a fixed rent and if you can make money on the contract, then bid it." If you can't, you shouldn't bid a contract anyway, whether you own it or not.
Then also Bristow and CHC, the fact that we've announced deals with big operators, it really showed a lot of the other operators that, "Wait a minute, if these guys are leasing, then why shouldn't we?"
R&W: What role does the global economy play in an operator's decision to lease vs. buy?
Santulli: Well, first off, the banking market has been dramatically reduced, there are not as many banks willing to provide debt financing. Secondly, I just think that it's the fact that the operators now realize that the equipment costs so much more than it did 10 years ago because they're drilling so far offshore. And in order to compete they need access to the capital, from any source they can get it. All the operators we do business with, they do debt financing as well, but the question is, what's the appropriate balance? There is an appropriate balance—they should own some helicopters, and if they want to grow their business, unless they have big balance sheets, they're going to have to lease. There's no question about it.


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GPSpeak is a publication of the Northern Rivers General Practice Network, a support organisation for the general practices of the Far North Coast of NSW, Australia.
GPSpeak is published quarterly at the start of each season. Articles are published to the web on a continual basis. Newsletter containing the latest articles are sent to subscribers once or twice monthly.
All content in GPSpeak, unless stated otherwise, is licensed Creative Commons, Attribution Share-Alike.
The Northern Rivers Division of General Practice was formed in 1993 in response to a Federal government initiative to provide support organisations to Australian general practices. It changed its name to the Northern Rivers General Practice Network in February 2007 to reflect its broader role in communicating and supporting practices.
It lost its government funding in April 2012, as part of then Labor government's shift from Divisions of General Practice to Medicare Locals.
The Network covers an area from Ocean Shores in the north, to Maclean in the south and from the coast westward to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. There are approximately 200 members including active and retired doctors and doctors in training.
The Network has close links with the North Coast Primary Health Network and prior to that with the North Coast (NSW) Medicare Local. It also supports the Richmond Valley Clinical Society, an organisation that provides continuing medical education to the region's general practitioners and specialists.
The registered offices are:
Northern Rivers General Practice Network
PO Box 106
Lismore, NSW, 2480
Street address:
Northern Rivers General Practice Network
31 Keen Street
Lismore, NSW, 2480
The logo of the Network is the Richmond Bird Wing butterfly, ornithoptera richmondia, and although an endangered species can still be seen in Northern Rivers region. Conservation of this butterfly is very much dependent on the preservation and planting of the birdwing vine which provides the essential habitat for this butterfly's survival.


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Hummel Named CAA Player Of The Year & Defensive Player Of The Year; Musolf Named All CAA
By ODU Athletics
TIm Hummel
MANTEO, NC (May 15) - Old Dominion University junior shortstop Tim Hummel (Montgomery, NY.) was selected Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year on May 15. Sophomore first baseman Jared Musolf (Lakehurst, NJ) joined Hummel on the first team All-CAA squad.
Hummel ranked third in the CAA with a .405 batting average, second in runs batrted in with 63 and sixth in the league in stolen bases with 20. He also has a fielding percentage of .967 which is currently the best ever in Monarch shortstop history.
Hummel led the team in runs scored with 64, hit eight homers and his slugging percentage was .634. In CAA games, Hummel had 18 walks and 30 runs batted. Overall, Hummel walked 51 times which is five shy of the school 56 set by Ron Walker in 1997. He has 142 career walks which is a school best. He is currently one of 16 finalists for BASEBALL AMERICA'S National Player of the Year honors.
On the defensive end, Hummel has a .967 fielding percentage and has committed only nine errors. He is on pace to set a new school fielding record for shortstops.
Musolf led the Monarchs with a .422 average, second in the CAA to VCU's Jason Dubois' .430. Musolf knocked in 49 runs and was second to Hummel in runs scored with 54. Musolf hit .434 in 21 CAA games.
The Monarchs(32-20-1), who won eight of their final nine CAA games all on the road open the CAA Tournament Tuesday with #8 William and Mary. Old Dominion is the number one seed. Game time at the Coy Tillet Field is 4 p.m., followed by ECU and George Mason at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and children.
You can catch the totalcast of all of the tournament games by clicking on www.caasports.com.
1986 Todd Azar (Sun Belt)
1994 Kevin Gibbs (CAA)
1997 Ron Walker (CAA)


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The Fulton County Business Occupational Tax Division issues Business Occupational Tax Certificates to businesses that are located within the Fulton Industrial District of Fulton County only. The Fulton Industrial District of Fulton County includes those areas inside the #70 Taxing District. Business Occupational Certificates are issued on behalf of Fulton County by Revenue Discovery Systems (RDS), a third party contractor.
For questions regarding Occupational Tax Certificate renewals, lodging tax or alcohol/wine tax within the Fulton Industrial District please contact RDS at (800)556-7274. For questions regarding the issuance of a new Business Occupational Tax Certificate please contact the Fulton County Business Occupational Tax Division at 404-612-7722.
If your are unsure if your business is located in the unincorporated areas of Fulton County, Please click on the following link to confirm the appropriate Municipality to obtain your business license:
Please contact the appropriate Municipality to obtain a Business Occupational Tax Certificate:
New Occupation Tax Certificate/Business License applications:
The Fulton County Business Tax resolution mandates that all persons, firms or corporations located or engaged in business in the Fulton Industrial District register their businesses. Businesses are registered by applying for a Business Occupational Tax certificates and paying the associated administrative fees and Occupational taxes required for your business. Business Occupational Tax Certificates are valid for a calendar year, January 1st through December 31st and must be renewed by March 31st of each year.
For new Business Occupational Tax Certificates for new businesses within the Fulton Industrial District, application must be submitted in person at the following Fulton County Business License Office:
Fulton County Government Center141 Pryor Street, Suite 7064Atlanta, GA 30303Hours of Operation Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Phone: (404) 612-7722 Fax: (404) 730-7704
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Join our live RV chat - click HERE
Hi, Thanks for the comment. I have weighed the unit, loaded and with the tow vehicle attached. I have the tire pressure at the recommended pressure plus a couple of pounds. The psi was originally at 105 and I gradually reduced it to what I now have (84) and it did make a difference. Also I have had the front end aligned and that provided some improvement. I still think the handling should be better though.
Have the CASTER adjusted more POSITIVE BY TWO DEGREE'S.>>>Dan
I think your problem is all the crap that was added on. A stock RV should not need add on accessories to make it drive properly.
A stock RV should not need add on accessories to make it drive properly.
I don't think anything has been done to his yet as it is a unfortunate reality that the manufactures don't do a better job.
I guess I'm a slow learner. I have been looking at the CHF solutions and can't help but think that there is some reason the design engineers wanted the sway bar connections in the outside hole rather than the inside. I keep thinking if I move the connections to the inside hole I would be defeating some design/safety issue. That being said, the CHF on the front looks like it is a nonstarter with my chassis. In order to move the connections I would have to raise the ends of the sway bar and that would move the inside holes further away from the ends of the rods that drop down from the frame. It looks like those rods are just too short to make the connection to the inside holes on the sway bar. The rods are already located forward of the sway bar and are slanted towards the sway bar to make the connection at the outside holes. I think the connection rods would be an inch or two short of the inside holes. On the rear sway bar the CHF could be done but I would have to lower the sway bar ends in order to connect to the inside holes. It looks like that is certainly doable without causing any additional issues. That's where the nagging design issue thought come into play. Perhaps I am over thinking this but I can't help but wonder why the connections are in the outside holes to being with. I can understand why there are 2 holes in the sway bars, which is probably to make the bars fit different chassis. If anyone has any design insights I would certainly be interested in seeing them. On another issue I'm looking at rear track bars and I see some connect from the frame to the sway bar bracket that is welded to the axle and some are connected from the frame to bolts on the differential housing. I think the latter would put a lot of stress on those bolts. Does anyone have any thoughts on which is the better approach?
Thanks for the link for the adjustable links. I will look at that. Much appreciated.
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Happy Mothers Day
From all of us here
At Gaslamp Plaza Suites!
Enjoy a great stay at the Gaslamp Plaza Suites, in the Gaslamp District, downtown San Diego. We offer newly remodeled rooms. Complimentary continental breakfast served on our rooftop terrace which features an awesome view over San Diego. We are located close to the San Diego Convention Center, Horton Plaza Shopping mall, Petco Park, Seaport Village, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, Sea World and much more. Our great staff will make sure that you enjoy your stay. Welcome!


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Using the latest computer graphics is one way to make video games more life-like - but what about incorporating life itself into them?
Physicist Ingmar Riedel-Kruse and his team from Stanford University have done just that by creating versions of classic games that you can navigate by physically controlling living organisms. A game called PAC-mecium is Pacman with a twist: players use a console to change the polarity of an electrical field in a fluid chamber filled with paramecia, which makes the organisms move in different directions. A camera sends real-time images to a computer, where they are superimposed onto a game board (see video above). By looking at the screen, a player can guide the paramecia to eat virtual yeast cells and make them avoid Pacman-like fish. A microprocessor tracks the movement of the organisms to keep score. Another game called Ciliaball uses the same principle to play virtual soccer with paramecia stars (see video).
Biotic pinball uses a slightly different method to flick away paramecium "pinballs". A player controls a tiny needle that squirts a chemical repellant at approaching organisms (see video). An alternate two-player version of the game called Pond Pong places two needles on opposing sides of the gameboard and challenges you to aim paramecia into your opponent's pond.
Although the games are fun to play, Riedel-Kruse and his team also see them as educational tools. "Everyone should have sufficient knowledge about the basics of biomedicine and biotechnology. Biotic games could promote that," says Riedel-Kruse. The team hopes that other life sciences researchers will develop games that illustrate their work. They also think that the games could be used to run experiments during play and allow for crowdsourced results.
All of the team's game designs are published in a paper this month in Lab on a Chip. If you enjoyed this video, you may also like to see a laser gadget that plays Pong with cells.
This post originally appeared on New Scientist.


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Austin on target as Clarets win
Charlie Austin scored his 23rd goal of the season to set Burnley on their way to a first victory in six npower Championship matches as Derby were beaten 2-0 at Turf Moor.
Austin struck five minutes before half-time. The former Swindon striker was at his predatory best to turn the ball into the net after the visitors failed to deal with Kieran Trippier's cross.
Some more poor defending cost the Rams after 74 minutes when Michael Duff headed in the second goal.
In a game of few chances, it was enough to see Burnley maintain their recent stranglehold over Derby. The Clarets are now unbeaten in eight games against the Rams, winning six.
Danny Lafferty returned from injury for the hosts, replacing Joseph Mills at left-back in the only change made by boss Sean Dyche.
Derby manager Nigel Clough also made one change, recalling the fit again Mark O'Brien as James O'Connor dropped back down to the bench.
Rams goalkeeper Adam Legzdins saved early on from Martin Paterson before Chris McCann and Ross Wallace had efforts blocked by Richard Keogh and Conor Sammon respectively.
The visitors replied through Paul Coutts, an old favourite at Burnley's rivals Preston, but Lafferty got in the way of his shot.
Dean Marney headed weakly wide just after the half hour mark from a good far-post position before Austin struck.
Trippier's cross from the right-hand side was not properly cleared and Austin swept a low shot past Legzdins from 12 yards out.
Derby might have equalised before the break but O'Brien headed wide from Michael Jacobs' free-kick.
O'Brien made a block to deny Austin another goal early in the second half and Wallace's shot from the right side of the penalty area hit a post just before the hour.
Austin miscued from close range but Burnley eventually got their second goal when Derby seemingly ignored Duff and he headed in Wallace's corner at the far post.
Substitute Brian Stock worked Legzdins with a long-range effort late on.
Derby substitute Theo Robinson had the last chance of the game but missed the target from 12 yards out as the Rams suffered a seventh away loss in the league this season.
Source: DSG
Source: DSG


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Photos from the 1940s
These are two more that Ellen; I have these somewhere, but just scanned the photo, not the frame. Frames seem to be popular, as well.
Dated Jul 9, 1941... a few days after my second birthday - this is Billie Smith, by the way.
Here I am, a few years later, with brother, Jimmie:
April 25, 1945 - a few days after Jimmie's 1st birthday; a couple of months before my 6th birthday.
Families are Forever! ;-)


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Discover the best tools and strategies to better position your brand on the social network
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Brand Strategy on Instagram, a course by Julieta Tello
Learn what storytelling is and how to build your brand around it with Julieta, a marketing strategist specialized in engagement on the social network. Generate content with measurable results and discover how to create a successful and professional strategy to gain followers.
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Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It's free!
Thursday July 5, 2012 1:07 pm
7-inch iPad set to debut in October
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds, Rumors
A smaller iPad has been rumored to be arriving for over a year now, aimed to compete with 7-inch tablets like the Kindle Fire. Now, on the heels of the announcement of the Nexus 7 and Surface tablets, both Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal are reporting that sources are indicating that Apple is set to start production on a 7.8-inch iPad with the goal of launching it this October. Unlike the 2012 iPad model, this smaller slate won't be sporting a Retina display as Apple will instead opt for a 1024 x 768 panel to keep costs down. We know, it's another iPad rumor. The difference here, though, is that when you see major outlets like WSJ and Bloomberg reporting it, it's with great confidence. October should also see the debut of the next-generation iPhone as well.
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Much as houseboats don't make good houses or good boats, this multi-hyphenated creation from North Carolina offers too many choices in one $25,000 package. Why, I bet that floor wax would make a delicious dessert topping.
From the wilds of North Carolina and the visual insight of an animation artist, what began as a 1955 Dodge pickup has been chopped, dropped, shortened and cantilevered into a shape that suggests someone didn't clear the train crossing. A fully licensed daily driver allowed on public roads by lax Southern DMV standards, the exterior of Li'l Stumpy is 94% primer and 6% remnant of its former turquoise sheen.
Under the hood is a more traditional setup — a 400-inch Chrysler engine, tuned to about 400 hp, with several fast-going bits like a transmission cooler, Holley carbs and a custom-built driveshaft. The bed's bullet holes can be used to anchor tie-downs for loads that might otherwise slide onto the pavement, and the custom dash can be easily read while you squeegee dead bugs off your glasses.
Despite its obvious artistic appeal, the current possessor wants to part ways for $25,000 through Hemmings, or just $10,000 and a proper four-wheel-drive vehicle, which will promptly lose a wheel, be stretched five feet and be able to take short hops from a new roof-mounted propeller.


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Unframed, gallery quality, fine art print on paper.
| Material | Giclee print, on 210 gsm stock. | Finish | Matt paper. | Dimensions | 30x40cm, Print will fit standard frames sizes. | Origin | Printed in the UK
Objects are part of our life experience, our life history. The poetic forms and visual play in the objects of Untitled Story embrace this idea - create your own story. ×


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NFL AFC Championship: Manning's Broncos Super Bowl bound with 26-16 win over Patriots
The Denver Broncos could not afford to lose on Sunday. They would never have lived down breaking the record for the most points in a single season in NFL history, then losing a game short of the Super Bowl — to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, of all people.
MORE: Broncos 26, Patriots 16 | Box score/stats | Video | Track 49ers-Seahawks
They refused to let that happen, though. The enormity of their accomplishments, by the team and its 606 points, and by Peyton Manning and the marks he surpassed, came one step closer to being validated. They are in the Super Bowl, and Brady, Belichick and the New England Patriots couldn't do anything about it this time.
The Broncos' 26-16 victory wasn't as close as the score indicates. Plus, the Broncos' point totals and Manning's individual stats were pale imitations of some of the video-game numbers they put up all season long. But they took the field at Sports Authority Field at Mie High Stadium, took the game by the scruff of its neck early, and never let go.
MORE: Super Bowl date, location | Live scoreboard | Iyer's picks | Historic upsets
They made it clear that if they didn't drop 50 points on the Patriots (as they did to three teams in the regular season), it was largely because they didn't have to. They served up more than 500 yards on New England, though, as they did six times.
Had the Broncos – and Manning been unable to get past the Patriots, all of their records would have become a trivia question. They still have to beat the eventual NFC champions in two weeks at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium – but they are now one step away from avoiding the fate of previous teams that short-circuited scoreboards all over the NFL only to come away without the ultimate prize.
That includes the 2007 Patriots, the team whose record the Broncos broke this season, which scored 589 points, went into the Super Bowl 19-0, and got beaten up physically by the Giants – much the way the Broncos beat up this year's version. (It also includes the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, who fell in the NFC title game, and 1983 Washington Redskins, who were whipped in the Super Bowl.
The Broncos also would have lost the bet they made on Manning two years ago, after his fourth neck surgery and after a year of inactivity. Manning threw for more touchdowns and more yards than any player in history this season, and on Sunday against New England he controlled the line of scrimmage as well as he ever has in any game, certainly in any playoff game.
He finished with exactly 400 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and was barely touched all game long. He drove them to their first touchdown on a 93-yard, seven-plus-minute drive, marched them on another seven-plus-minute touchdown drive to start the second half, then chewed up nearly 5 ½ minutes more later in the second half for a field goal, after the fourth-down sack of Brady in Broncos' territory that essentially sealed the Patriots' fate.
His finest achievement was making the Patriots pay dearly for the absence of cornerback Aqib Talib for the last three quarters of the game – Manning masterfully used wideout Demaryius Thomas to pick apart everybody who tried to cover him.
It was a 180-degree turn from the first two playoff face-offs with Brady, when he looked lost and inferior. This week, Brady was scatter-armed, unable to sustain anything, bruised by the Broncos' defense, and left looking helpless on the sidelines much the way Manning did after losses to New England after the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
In addition, the Broncos' collapse the season before to Baltimore could not have been written off as a fluke, or a speed bump. The clock toward the end of Manning's career seemed to speed up after that, and to slow it this season, he needed to go through the obstacle that had defined his career – one that had managed to beat him after he'd led 24-0 at halftime earlier in the season.
It is a moot point now. The Broncos not only slayed ghosts, but made the greatest offensive season ever count for something.
MORE: Manning explains 'Omaha'
Russell Wilson: Like father, like son
PHOTO GALLERIES: Super Bowl MVPs | See every Super Bowl ring | Best players ever without a Super Bowl ring


text: The Nautilus Group, Inc. has elected mass retail marketing and operations veteran Donald Keeble to its board of directors. Keeble was with Kmart Corp. for 29 years, including two as its president of store operations. During his tenure at Kmart, Keeble led the retail industry's largest modernization initiative, involving 2,100 stores, and guided the company's largest-ever sales, general, and administrative expense reduction program. Since his retirement from Kmart Corp. in 2000, Keeble has served as president of AKK Consulting, which provides management and organizational consulting to a broad range of businesses. He also is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Spirit Entities, a contractor for water purification systems for export.


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Pointed Toe Studded Ballerina Leather Strappy Caged Flats
$ 119.00
- This style runs a bit narrow, please size up if you have wide feet or medium feet. Please keep your regular size or even size down if you have narrow feet.
- Genuine leather upper and insole; rubber outsole
- Point toe flats
- No authorized thirty party seller selling our products anywhere else. The item you ordered from third party seller is not our product. Ask customer services if you have any questions.
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