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Petroglyph Games released the Universe at War: Earth Assault patch 2 today. This patch focuses on game balance changes, but also adds 4 new skirmish/multiplayer maps. The patch weighs in at just under 29MB's, so you should have the patch quickly and be ready to play.
Download patch 2.
General/Gameplay Changes
Four brand new skirmish/multiplayer maps have been added:
Washington D.C. (1 vs 1)
Atlatea (1 vs 1)
Arecibo (1 vs 1)
Grand Canyon (8 players)
Atlatea, Arecibo, and Washington D.C. have been added to the Ranked game map
Most Abnormal Game Exit crashes should now be a thing of the past (oh man am I
glad to type that)
That occasional invulnerable walker thing? Fixed.
Walker hardpoints are now always customizable after loading a saved game
Camera distance increased by 22%
Map transfer support added (maps go in Data\CustomMaps)
Mod support added (full mod tools coming soon)
AMD driver and detection issues resolved
UI response time and behavior has been improved
DirectX 10 performance improvements
All shadows should now touch units' feet
Miscellaneous AI improvements
Quick Match should now be more responsive when matching
Players can no longer modify their settings in a Custom session once the host
has started the countdown
Outdated replays now appear in red to indicate that they were recorded with a
different version
Replays no longer quit at the point another player leaves the game
Newly recorded replays should behave better in general (alternate universe
replays should no longer happen)
The camera view can now be rotated via the keyboard (left and right arrows)
Removed 5 cows from Appalachia southwest starting area
Several Russian and Korean language audio/text fixes
General terrain and map beautification. Also, more crushing!
Civilian pathfinding optimized for better performance
The Inverter shield is now lowered upon being EMPed
Conquerors no longer pass through buildings while using Vortex
Masari Knowledge Vault upgrades are no longer cancelable by attacking the
upgrade in progress
Altea's Peace now shuts off Saucer foo behaviors
Allies can no longer be taken over by Mind Magnets
Phased units are no longer targeted by Mind Magnet
Avengers no longer spawn when Masari vehicles are uploaded by Vertigo
Vertigo can no longer upload other Vertigos in multiplayer games (the
ramifications were just too confusing)
Midnight basketball league for at-risk youth added
Masari balance changes
Figments no longer require Knowledge Vault Tier 1 upgrade for production
Figment damage vs infantry increased by 50%
Figment damage vs vehicles, walkers and structures reduced by 60%
Figment health reduced by 15%, DMA pool reduced by 50%
Figment cost reduced from 55 to 50, and build time reduced from 50 to 45
Figment Light Mine damage vs infantry increased by 50%
Figment damage vs vehicles and structures reduced by 30%
Peace Bringer Disintegrate damage reduced by 30%
Peace Bringer Tractor Beam range reduced by 20%
Peace Bringer Tractor Beam speed modifier reduced from 90% to 30% (Mirabel can
now flee!)
Peace Bringer global damage increased by 50%
Peace Bringer range reduced by 40% in both Light and Dark mode
Sentry DMA Pool reduced by 50%
Skylord range increased by 18% in Light mode
Skylord damage vs vehicles and structures increased by 15%
Skylord price increased from 160 to 175
Disciple damage vs infantry reduced by 50% in both Light and Dark mode
Disciple damage vs vehicles, structures, and aircraft increased by 40% in both
Light and Dark mode
Conqueror Light mode range reduced by 10%
Conqueror Light mode FOW reveal reduced by 10%
Guardian Turret FOW increased by 10%
Guardian Turret rate of fire increased by 10%
Knowledge Vault Tier 2 upgrade build time reduced from 100 to 85 seconds
Oracle range reduced by 35% in both Light and Dark mode
Oracle cost increased from 60 to 80
Oracle build time increased from 40 to 45 seconds
Oracle beam weapon min range increased by 10%
Sky Guardian price increased from 50 to 60 credits
Sky Guardian build time increased from 35 to 38 seconds
Sky Guardian upgrade price reduced from 75 to 50
Sky Guardian upgrade build time reduced from 50 to 40 seconds
Sky Guardian range in Light mode reduced by 15%
Sky Guardian min range properly set
Dark matter weapons now do 25% less damage vs dark matter armor.
Hierarchy balance changes
Gravitic Turret now has a minimum range of 40
Gravitic Turret price increased from 300 to 400
Radiation Spitter Turret Cost increased from 450 to 475
Monolith Stealth reveal refresh timer updates more often
Walkers now bring all turrets to bear on targets
Walker Foo Chamber healing amount increased by 10% per second
Nufai Phase Claw damage vs vehicles and infantry increased by 20%
Brute damage vs infantry increased by 15%
Brute charge ability now does 100% damage to all unbuffed turrets
Brute Death from above damage vs all vehicles reduced by 15%
Lost One damage vs aircraft increased by 20%
Walker Arc Turret damage increased by 20% vs aircraft
Monolith Beam weapon damage vs infantry increased by 10%
Mass Drop damage vs Aircraft increased by 100%
Defiler popcap increased from 2 to 3
Defiler build time increased from 24 to 26 seconds
Defiler Project Radiation Ability recharge increased from 20 to 28 seconds
Novus balance changes
Amplifier spin-up time per damage stage reduced by 3 seconds
Corruptor stealth reveal refresh timer updates more often
Corruptor damage vs all infantry types increased by 10%
OHM damage vs heavy infantry increased by 15%
Blade Trooper damage vs all infantry increased by 60%
Dervish Death Blossom range reducedby 30%
Redirection Turret FOW reveal increased by 15%
Redirection Turret projectile chaining damage reduced by 10%


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Irving, TX – Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin did not practice all week due to a strained hamstring and the starter has been ruled out for Sunday's Week 4 game against the San Diego Chargers.
Austin exited Sunday's 31-7 win over St. Louis due to the injury, being held to just two catches for 22 yards for the game.
Reserve wideout Dwayne Harris, who is bothered by a hip pointer, also has yet to practice this week, but he is listed as questionable.
If he and Austin aren't able to go against the Chargers, rookie Terrance Williams would likely see the majority of snaps opposite Dez Bryant.
Austin had missed six games in 2011 due to lingering hamstring issues.
All-Pro defensive end DeMarcus Ware, battling a shoulder stinger, was a limited participant all week and is listed as probable.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Russian language is the real hero of Tolstoy's masterpiece; it is his voice of truth. The English-speaking world is indebted to these two magnificent translators, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, for revealing more of its hidden riches than any who have tried to translate the book before. — Orlando Figes
After reading their 2007 translation of War and Peace, Orlando Figes, the eminent Russian historian, did not mince words about Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. And so, neither will I: When I found out that I had the opportunity to interview the translators, I was giddy as a girlish Beatles fan circa 1964.
As the bestselling and award-winning translators of sixteen great works of Russian literature, Pevear and Volokhonsky are something of a rock star duo in the literary world. The fluency of their translations, grounded in a nuanced understanding of the time and place that the source texts were written, have given cause for many of us to fall more deeply in love with The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Notes from Underground, The Master and Margarita, Dead Souls, and the fiction of Anton Chekhov, among many others. The pair have been working together since 1986; Pevear has also published individual translations from French and Italian. As a duo, they were twice awarded the PEN Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize. Their 2004 translation of Anna Karenina was an Oprah's Book Club pick.
The couple, who are married and live in Paris, added a new title to their oeuvre just last month: The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories, by Leo Tolstoy. The collection includes eleven glittering and strange tales, among them "The Kreutzer Sonata," "Master and Man," "The Prisoner of the Caucasus," and the novella Hadji Murat, which was Tolstoy's final work. While Pevear and Volokhonsky have previously translated the short fiction of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Anton Chekhov, and Nikolai Gogol, this is their first turn at the stories of Tolstoy. The ones they've chosen are largely from Tolstoy's later years; together, the stories wrestle with questions of war, honor, death, sex, obsession, resentment, redemption, crime, and innocence. Seven of the stories collected were never published in Tolstoy's lifetime.
So how do they do it? Pevear and Volokhonsky are candid about their tag-team approach to translation. Volokhonsky, a native speaker of Russian, pores over the original text first and creates a transliterated draft marked with her comments about the author's literary style. Pevear, who does not read Russian, works from that draft to polish the English text, discussing pressing questions that emerge along the way with Volokhonsky. Should any disagreements emerge, Pevear makes the call. As Volokhonsky recently told Jeffrey Tractenberg in the Wall Street Journal:
Richard is a native speaker of English. I'm a native speaker of Russian. My task is to explain to Richard what is happening in the Russian text. Then it is up to him to do what he can. The final word is always his. I can say this is not quite what the Russian says. Either he finds something that satisfies me or he says no, this is how we're going to do it. We discuss endlessly and sometimes it becomes a nuisance because we return to it again and again even after the manuscript goes off. But we really don't quarrel. It would be much more interesting if we did.
Pevear and Volokhonsky do agree, however, to refrain from using contemporary expressions in their translations, choosing to remain faithful to the style of the novel's time. Their current project? A translation of Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago.
In kind with their team approach, Pevear and Volokhonsky approached this email interview for The Millions as a pair.
The Millions: Your newest translation together is The Death of Ivan Ilyich & Other Stories. Why did you choose to do this particular book?
Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky: Quite simply because these later stories are among Tolstoy's greatest works. In fact, the short novel Hadji Murat is perhaps the finest thing he wrote, and he seems to have known it. After all his storming against the notion of beauty, he could not help himself, being a born artist, and "in secret from himself" (as he put it) wrote his most perfectly beautiful work – "beautiful" in the way that The Iliad is beautiful. "Master and Man" is also a perfect work of a very different sort, vividly told and deeply moving. But even the opening story of the collection, "The Prisoner of the Caucasus," which he wrote for a children's reading book in the simplest style possible, is gripping and unforgettable. How could we not want to translate them?
TM: Having also translated War and Peace and Anna Karenina, what have you found to be unique about how Leo Tolstoy worked in short fiction, compared to his novels?
RP and LV: Tolstoy's two big novels, like almost all of his work before 1880, portrayed people of his own class, the landed aristocracy, and their social milieu. Most often his heroes were self-conscious men, seekers of the meaning of life – in other words, self-portraits to one degree or another. In his later stories, there is much more variety: one hero is a narrow-minded bureaucrat, another is a well-to-do peasant, still another is a sort of holy fool, and finally there is the Chechen chief Hadji Murat. "The Forged Coupon" portrays people from all levels of Russian society, from the tsar to the lowest criminal. And there is a corresponding variety of "worlds." That's one thing. Another is the effort Tolstoy made to rid his art of what he considered the "superfluous detail" of the novels. His compositions became tighter, more formal, without losing any of the sensual immediacy that was the essence of his art.
TM: What are the greatest misconceptions about Tolstoy?
RP and LV: The greatest misconception might come from believing what Tolstoy said about his artistic work after his "conversion to true Christianity," as he called it; that is, from believing what he preached in the series of tracts and polemical works he wrote after 1880. He was never able to practice what he preached. He remained a deeply divided and contradictory man all his life. And that nourished his artistic work. We took a phrase from W. B. Yeats as the epigraph for our introduction to Anna Karenina: "We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry." That is even more true of Tolstoy in his later works, because his inner quarrel was more intense. "The Kreutzer Sonata" was meant to teach a lesson about the evils of modern marriage, but it does something quite different and humanly much more complex. Another misconception is that Tolstoy only wrote those two huge, unreadable novels.
TM: Together, you've worked your way through some of the greatest fiction ever written. What are the unique pressures you have as translators of fiction that is both beloved and so highly regarded?
RP and LV: The pressure comes more from the quality of the writing itself. There are two questions that it might seem quite proper for a translator to keep in mind, but that in fact will spoil the translation. The first is, "What will the reader think?" And the second is, "How do we say that in English?" A good writer does what he or she has to do in the writing so that it "goes right," as Robert Frost put it. There is at least as much intuition as intention in the process. A good translator has to follow that process far more consciously than the writer and yet come as close as possible in the new language to the instinctive "rightness" of the original. The greater the writer, the closer you want to come. That is both the challenge and the joy of it. But exactly what that "rightness" is remains undefinable, which is why there is no such thing as a definitive translation.
TM: Only about three percent of books published in the U. S. are in translation; the rate is even lower for translated fiction. What do you make of these numbers?
RP and LV: There are a number of things that might be made of them. The percentages are much higher in Europe, of course – 12% in Germany, 15% in France, 24% in Spain. We might say that that's because Europe is small, a sort of family of countries, despite all past wars and present rivalries. And so translation comes naturally, like overhearing a conversation in the next room. But the analogy doesn't quite work, because Europeans also translate a great deal of American writing and writing from all over the world. And Russia, which is a rather large country, has always given great importance to literary translation and has produced many superb translators. Is it American insularity, then? A lack of curiosity about what happens elsewhere? But what about the statistics for Great Britain? Surprisingly, they are about the same as for the U. S. Which suggests a linguistic insularity specific to English itself: if you speak the language of the hegemony, why notice the babble going on around you? It might also be a question of the market and marketing. Americans read an enormous amount of junk, which is dutifully supplied to them by publishers – unless it is actually the publishers who create the taste for junk. In either case, publishers are not likely to pay for the rights to translate junk and turn over a good percentage of the book's earnings to the original publisher. They tend to pick up the small number of books that win the major European prizes, hoping that the momentary notoriety will create a market among more discerning readers with a minimum of advertising. But, on the positive side, we do have publishers who have consistently gone against the market statistics and made a point of publishing translations: Dalkey Archive Press, for instance, and first of all New Directions. Among major publishers, Knopf, Vintage, and Everyman's Library, who publish most of our translations, are the exception that proves the rule.
TM: Your translations have achieved immense acclaim and success. Particularly in context of the low numbers of translations in the U. S., as well as the many other versions available of some of the books you work on, what is it about your translations that resonates with readers?
RP and LV: We're the last people who can answer that question.
TM: Russian or otherwise, who are the writers you'd most love to see translated into English? What books are U. S. publishers and readers lacking?
RP and LV: There are three fine Italian writers of the twentieth century who should be translated into English: Alberto Savinio, Cristina Campo, and Guido Ceronetti. A very few of Savinio's many books have been translated and gone out of print. One book by Ceronetti (who is still living) was published by Farrar, Straus in 1993. No English translations of Campo have been published as far as we know. Then there is the French poet Jacques Darras, who is incidentally a major translator from English. Some of his more scholarly books have been translated, but not his remarkable poetry and artistic prose. And there is the fine essayist and "culturologist" Sergei Averintsev, one of the most important Russian thinkers of recent times, a brilliant and witty writer. A few of his essays have been translated into English, but nothing like the substantial collections available in Italian, German, and French (the French publisher Cerf has recently commissioned a translation of Averintsev's complete works).
TM: What books have you decided not to translate, and why?
RP and LV: We have decided not to translate Turgenev, because not everyone can be Mrs. [Constance] Garnett.
TM: Does contemporary literature lack the deep engagement the Russians had with the mysteries of life, like the existence of God and the meaning of death? If so, why do you think this is and what is lost?
RP and LV: These questions are very difficult to talk about or even to formulate correctly. They lead to glittering generalities that are almost certain to be wrong. But we might say tentatively that the qualities we find in nineteenth century Russian literature came in part from the late maturing of Russian culture, which reached its "golden age" not in the time of Shakespeare or Molière or Cervantes, but in the age of Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. These writers belonged fully to the nineteenth century, with all its social and spiritual conflicts, but at the same time they were creating the language and the forms of their literature, and posing these "accursed questions," as Dostoevsky called them, for the first time. There is a primary energy in their work. As for what may have been lost, writers themselves have little choice about these things; they are determined by forces much larger than the individual will. Besides, what is lost here is found there.
TM: What is the social resonance of Tolstoy's ideas today? Why do we keep turning back to him?
RP and LV: There are people all over the world who are still taken with Tolstoy's social ideas – that is, with "Tolstoyism," as he and his followers defined it: the radical simplification of life, egalitarianism, non-violent opposition to the state, pacifism, vegetarianism, post-marital chastity. But that's probably not what you mean by "Tolstoy's ideas." We turn back to him, we keep reading him, because in his artistic work he deals with universal conditions and almost never with topical issues, and because he has such an extraordinary gift for concrete realization.
TM: Judging by your output, you both seem to work so much and so efficiently. Do you have time to read for pure enjoyment? If so, what have you read recently that you have loved?
RP and LV: Dorothy Sayers' mystery novels, Don Quixote in Liubimov's Russian translation, The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis, the essays of Eliot Weinberger (Oranges and Peanuts for Sale and An Elemental Thing), the journals of Kornei Chukovsky, Guido Ceronetti's La Pazienza dell'arrostito (The Patience of the Roasted), Martin Chuzzlewit…


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Members of Beyond3D Show PSN Servers Were Patched Up to Date Prior to being Hacked
Bitmob has recently posted some detective work performed by the talented members of Beyond3D that shows Sony's Apache servers were running version 2.2.17 which is the most recent version available. They did this very simply by pulling up the info in Google webcache from March 23 showing the last update of the server.
Furthermore they provide the full statement from Dr. Stafford saying that he has no information about what protections they had in place, showing that he has been quoted out of context and spread across the internet like a wildfire with the incorrect information.
All this info coming after Sony claimed the servers were patched and updated as well.


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Fall's Hottest Shoe Trend In 10 Awesome Options
Watch out Hugh Hefner, Palm Beach doyennes, and cigar-smoking British lords—we've got our eye on your footwear. That's right, the smoking slipper is officially the hot new shoe of the season. Indeed, we've spotted 'em against the red-lacquered walls of Christian Louboutin boutiques, on the Alexander McQueen runway, and snuggling the toes of front-row fixtures like Lauren Santo Domingo, Giovanna Battaglia, and Leandra Medine this past Fashion Week. These slip-ons pack a bigger style punch than other heelless options, and given their structure and plush material, their comfort one-ups the competition, too. Equal parts leisure and luxury, this perfect fall flat can be classic, quirky, or edgy—and we've curated a list of the best options to get you in on the trend. Studded bad-boys, cheeky velvet cats, or woven zig-zags...whatever you're feeling, the trek from your bed to your office just got a whole lot easier.


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This limited edition Aluminum Print, designed by Thinus Mathee, comes with a numbered and signed certificate of authenticity. Printed on a .045" thick aluminum sheet, this print is crisp, high gloss, lightweight, and water resistant. It comes with a proprietary 1/2" aluminum shadow mount allowing for easy installation.
On a visit to Italy in 2016, I noticed the integral strand of the bicycle in the social fabric weave of normal Italian. Some were fashionable by brand, some by wear, but from what I could gather, the bicycle was a normal choice of transport. It was not a phenomenon that needed to be accommodated in the public transport system, such as in my own country. It seemed like it was the system. As I walked through parts of Rome, Cremona and to a lesser extent, Milan, I found them locked up in the streets, waiting patiently to take the rider to where they wanted to go. Maybe, the bicycle's important thread in the fabric of society was accentuated by my viewing of the 1948 film "Ladri di Biciclette" (Bicycle thieves).
Sasolburg, South Africa


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Very unlikely, according to the CDC, but not impossible either — which is why they have already begun to take precautions about travel and security. The agency today declared a Level 1 alert for the outbreak:
This is the highest level of emergency response at the CDC and, according to an agency spokesperson, it has been activated because of the surge of personnel being sent into the affected countries. The CDC's emergency operations center is now assisting the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, which specializes in the study and research of Ebola. …
According to the CDC, level 1 is "all hands on deck." The CDC has only been to level 1 three times in the history of the emergency operations center, which opened in 2003. Previously, it was activated for Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009.
The State Department evacuated two American medical workers with the virus last week in elaborate isolation chambers, so the danger won't be from treating them but from potential travel risks. The CDC has a Level 3 travel alert for West African nations already in place, and airline and airport personnel have been warned to look for travelers displaying any symptoms of illness. Even then, it still takes contact with bodily fluids to transmit the disease, the CDC insists, and only if they are currently symptomatic:
How is Ebola transmitted?
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected symptomatic person or though exposure to objects (such as needles) that have been contaminated with infected secretions.
Can Ebola be transmitted through the air?
No. Ebola is not a respiratory disease like the flu, so it is not transmitted through the air.
Can I get Ebola from contaminated food or water?
No. Ebola is not a food-borne illness. It is not a water-borne illness.
Can I get Ebola from a person who is infected but doesn't have any symptoms?
No. Individuals who are not symptomatic are not contagious. In order for the virus to be transmitted, an individual would have to have direct contact with an individual who is experiencing symptoms.
Popular Mechanics explained in March why it's really, really unlikely that Ebola will establish itself in the US (via Mitch Berg):
However, despite its severity, Ebola is an unlikely candidate to cause widespread epidemics. Ebola outbreaks in humans begin with direct contact with an infected animal. In Africa, fruit bats are considered to be natural reservoirs for the disease, but chimps, gorillas, and antelopes are also known to carry the infection. Currently there are no natural reservoirs for Ebola outside of Africa, which means it's a lot less likely that Ebola could establish itself anywhere else, says epidemiologist Stephen Morse, from Columbia University.
After the initial transmission from animal to person, the disease spreads from person to person through direct contact with the blood, saliva, and other bodily fluids of infected people. Compared to airborne diseases, which have pandemic potential, the spread of Ebola is slow because it relies on direct contact. And because it kills its victims so quickly, there isn't much time to spread the disease to others.
In developed countries, the spread of Ebola can be thwarted by isolating infected patients and wearing protective clothing. "Standard hospital hygiene goes a long way," says Matthias Borchert, an epidemiologist at Berlin's Charité University of Medicine.
In previous cases where Ebola infected people outside of Africa, potential outbreaks were swiftly curtailed. In England in 1976, a laboratory worker accidentally pricked himself with a contaminated needle, but thanks to safety precautions, he was the only person infected and nobody died. In 1994, a Swiss zoologist began feeling ill eight days after performing a necropsy on a dead chimpanzee in the Ivory Coast's Taï National Park. When antimalarial drugs and antibiotics didn't help, the patient was flown back to Switzerland. She recovered 15 days later, after which laboratory tests showed that she had been infected with Ebola. But because the patient was kept in isolation and healthcare workers were careful about wearing masks and gloves, none of the 74 people she came into contact with contracted the disease.
That certainly explains why the CDC approved the transit of the two infected Americans back to the US, too.
Congress will get briefed today on the CDC's efforts to develop an effective treatment/vaccine and safeguard against an outbreak in the US, as KGNS in Laredo, Texas reports today:
Thursday, lawmakers hear from the CDC, the State Department, and others [i]ncluding Samaritan's Purse, the relief organization whose two American ebola patients are in Atlanta being given an experimental treatment.
Wednesday, the CDC upped its alert to level one, signaling a serious health emergency that could last a while.
Meanwhile, a weird dust-up began yesterday when the always-provocative Ann Coulter criticized the two Americans now being treated in the US for going to Africa in the first place. In a Human Events piece headlined "Ebola Doc's Condition Downgraded to 'Idiotic'," Coulter slammed Dr. Kent Brantley for putting his talents in service to poor Africans while poor Americans are still in need:
Whatever good Dr. Kent Brantly did in Liberia has now been overwhelmed by the more than $2 million already paid by the Christian charities Samaritan's Purse and SIM USA just to fly him and his nurse home in separate Gulfstream jets, specially equipped with medical tents, and to care for them at one of America's premier hospitals. (This trip may be the first real-world demonstration of the economics of Obamacare.)
There's little danger of an Ebola plague breaking loose from the treatment of these two Americans at the Emory University Hospital. But why do we have to deal with this at all?
Why did Dr. Brantly have to go to Africa? The very first "risk factor" listed by the Mayo Clinic for Ebola — an incurable disease with a 90 percent fatality rate — is: "Travel to Africa."
Can't anyone serve Christ in America anymore? …
Right there in Texas, near where Dr. Brantly left his wife and children to fly to Liberia and get Ebola, is one of the poorest counties in the nation, Zavala County — where he wouldn't have risked making his wife a widow and his children fatherless.
But serving the needy in some deadbeat town in Texas wouldn't have been "heroic." We wouldn't hear all the superlatives about Dr. Brantly's "unusual drive to help the less fortunate" or his membership in the "Gold Humanism Honor Society." Leaving his family behind in Texas to help the poor 6,000 miles away — that's the ticket.
Today's Christians are aces at sacrifice, amazing at serving others, but strangely timid for people who have been given eternal life. They need to buck up, serve their own country, and remind themselves every day of Christ's words: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you."
There may be no reason for panic about the Ebola doctor, but there is reason for annoyance at Christian narcissism.
Erick Erickson at RedState wrote that he was neither angered nor outraged by Coulter, but very much disagreed with her argument (both RedState and Human Events are sister publications to Hot Air within Salem Communications):
Liberals treat prosperity in America as a zero sum game — if there are winners, there must be losers. They are wrong. Christians should not do the same with Christianity — surely a Christian may lose his life, but even then he is a winner. There are no losers except the Devil himself when a Christian goes therefore unto all the nations.
How many Liberians might come to know the Lord because of Dr. Brantly's sacrifice? How many Americans, in an age of growing hostility to Christians, might see his sacrifice and pick up their own crosses? How many Liberians might grow in affection for the United States through Dr. Brantly's sacrifice? We may never know the answer to any of these. But history itself shows us many will be saved and many will turn their hearts toward this great country. Christians should be focused on saving souls where the Lord leads them and lends them talent and we should all praise the work of the Holy Spirit in so doing.
Surely Christians in America can spare one man to Africa or even ten. After all, Christians are to save souls, not just American ones. Had Dr. Brantly gone to our southern border and provided his services there, some would attack him there too for helping illegal aliens.
But Dr. Brantly, as do we all, goes where the Holy Spirit leads. I don't think we should be in the business of questioning the motives or direction of any Christian led by the Lord to any corner of the Earth — particularly when the missionary is prepared to lay down his life for a stranger merely because Christ said, "Go ye therefore . . .".
Elizabeth Scalia is both angered and outraged:
Others tell me it is "schtick" meant to "make us think" but if that's what Ann Coulter is serving up with her "charity begins at home" number, she's doing it badly. Leading people into productive thought shouldn't involve dragging them through a toxic swamp, where all sorts of rank and dubious detritus may become attached to our thinking. …
And how does she think Americans will be inspired to seek out God? By turning their backs on the needs of people facing horrific realities, and encouraging medical doctors who might help them to move to where the rich people are and preach the gospel to them while cutting their bunions.
That's the ticket. …
Make no mistake, what Ann Coulter has shown us is her Strange God, the one wrapped up in red-white-and-blue. Coulter's "patriotism" has been placed before the Creator, who will have no god before him. It stands so profoundly between her and the Creator that she can no longer see anything but the stars and stripes, and the mythical "city on a hill", which looks like heaven to her, its glowing nimbus all that prevents the world from a thousand years of darkness.
When ideologies become our idols — and they are rampant, virulent idols running through our society, at this point — we lose sight of God, and we begin to lose our souls, too.
Put me in between both. There is nothing wrong with a critiquing eye on the use of resources for any legitimate enterprise, and Coulter has an argument on cost in this particular case. Disdaining Brantley as a "Christian narcissist," though, is profoundly uncharitable, especially given the situation at hand in West Africa. The history of Christianity is thankfully filled with people who dedicated themselves to corporal acts of mercy in far-off lands to help people while trusting in God's strength. We have Christianity in the West in large part because both Peter and Paul went abroad to preach the Gospel rather than remain mired in Jerusalem because they had yet to convert, heal, and/or save every single person there. If the Holy Spirit called Dr. Brantley to Liberia to minister to the deathly ill, he's in good company — and it's hardly worthy of Coulter's time and talent to second-guess that call.


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Let's say you meet someone for the first time, and during that meeting, you have a great conversation and realize you have some common interests. You seem to look at things about the same way.
You just get a feeling that this is a good person and you may think, "You know, we could be friends."
"Could be" is the key phrase, of course. Because, I'm sure you realize, it would take some specific actions to move from "we could be friends" to "we are friends." And one of the things you'd have to do is stay in touch. You'd have to talk again. You'd have to be in contact with each other.
Now, if you're starting to ask yourself why I'm telling you something so obvious, it's because experience has shown me that a lot contractors act as if "staying in touch" is a principle they've never heard of.
And that's scary, frankly.
In most cases, it costs you in marketing expenses around $275 - $325 to gain a new customer. If you don't keep that customer, you've spent an awful lot for a "one-time" service call.
Each name in your database only represents "could be" customer potential. No, they're not active customers any more than a one-time meeting with someone qualifies them as a friend. You've got to take action for that to happen.
The simple fact is this: regular contact keeps customers. That involves a number of tried-and-true techniques, such as follow-up phone calls after repair or service calls, thank you letters, holiday cards, "customer-only" direct mail offers, and a customer retention newsletter.
If done correctly, that last item — the newsletter — is the centerpiece of a well-run customer retention program. In fact, if you only do one thing, make it a newsletter that goes out at least twice a year.
Fill it with interesting "home care" tidbits so it's not perceived as "advertising" and thus forges a far better image and strengthens the relationship. Better relationship equals better retention.
How to Get a Customer Newsletter
- You can do it yourself. If you're prone to writing, designing, graphics, editorial layout, and have experience crafting an informative newsletter that can also sell, then go for it! Many times I speak with contractors who do it themselves the first time, then "run dry" for info on subsequent efforts.
- Hire it out. An ad agency or newsletter creation service can create a special one for you, customized exactly as you want it. Unless your database is more than 10,000 or so, the costs can be significant.
- Use a "syndicated" newsletter. This is also known as "semi-custom." It is very fast since the template for the newsletter and most of the content is already done. This also makes it far less costly. Some companies offer 'ads' for your company. Stay away from the overly slick fluffy ones since they don't appear "local" enough to consumers.
A good syndicated customer retention newsletter costs less than $3 a year per customer including postage! Not a bad return on investment, especially since it involves returning customers. Every customer who has written you a check in the last 48 months should be receiving your newsletter.
Always remember, your company's current customers are the absolute #1 source of your future sales. When you lose customers, you lose all of their future business and all of their referrals to your competition. When you keep customers, you keep that pool of sales for yourself. And isn't that a scenario worth considering?
Adams Hudson is president of Hudson, Ink, a creative marketing firm for contractors. To receive a free sample of our Fall newsletter, fax your letterhead with the request to 334/262-1115 or e-mail your address and request to [email protected]. For other free marketing articles and reports, check out www.hudsonink.com or call 800/489-9099.


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Kohler Archer Collection 60" Drop In Jetted Whirlpool Bath Tub with Reversible Drain
Model: K-1122-58
- Biscuit$2,306.10Special Order
- Black$2,350.16Special Order
- Dune$2,306.10Special Order
- Ice Grey$2,306.10Special Order
- Thunder Grey$2,350.16Special Order
- White$2,226.004 In Stock
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Product Overview
This product has additional required/recommended options. To configure, add to your cart.
- Tub Waste Required
Product Features:
- Kohler tubs are fully covered under warranty for up to a year after installation
- All jets are fully adjustable for water intensity and direction of flow
- Jets can be turned off completely
- Finger pads on outer ring for easy adjustment
- Shallow recess for ease of cleaning
- Tub is constructed from an Acrylic material making it strong and flex resistant
- Whirlpool hydrotherapy tub - provides one of the most relaxing and invigorating bath experiences available
- The Archer Series takes its design from traditional Craftsman furniture
- Revealing beveled edges and curved bases for a clean, sophisticated style
- Single-speed whirlpool with 8 fully adjustable color matched jets offers optimum performance and value
- Hydro-massage flow and direction that can be controlled at each jet
- Comfort height design - provides a lower wall to step over when entering the bath, while maintaining the comfortable soaking depth of standard tubs
- Installs in a drop-in configuration
- Tub comes standard with molded lumbar support, furthering the users comfort
- Textured bottom surface.
- Equipped with an overflow assembly permitting the user to enjoy a deep soak without worrying about spillage
- ADA compliant - complies with the standard set forth by the American's with Disabilities Act
- Product Meets or Exceeds the Following Codes/Standards: ADA, ICC/ANSI, CSA, ASME, ASTM, UL
- This tub coordinates seamlessly with other products from the Archer Collection
Product Technologies and Benefits:
- Acrylic Material - A strong, flex resistant material with a smooth finish that resists chipping and cracking, as well as being easy to clean.
- Whirlpool Tubs - Kohler Whirlpool tubs are designed to deliver powerful jets of water and air that are fully adjustable in direction and massage intensity, thus allowing your own personal massage.
Product Specifications:
- Overall Height: 19" (measured from the top of tub rim to the bottom of basin)
- Overall Width: 32" (measured from back most to front most point on outer rim)
- Overall Length: 60" (measured from left most to right most point on outer rim)
- Basin Width (Bottom): 19-11/16" (back to front measurement of the bottom of basin walls)
- Basin Length (Bottom): 45-1/8" (right to left measurement of the bottom of basin walls)
- Basin Width (Top): 25-5/16" (back to front measurement of the top of basin walls)
- Basin Length (Top): 52-3/4" (left to right measurement of top of basin walls)
- Water Depth: 15" (depth of water at tub's maximum capacity)
- Maximum Water Capacity: 58-gallons
- Drain Location: Reversible (right or left)
- Drop-In Cutout Required: 58-1/2" X 30-1/2"
- Pump Voltage: 120V
Variations of K-1122:
- K-1123: soaking bath version of this tub
- K-1123-W1: soaking bath and bask heated surface version of this tub
- K-1122-G: bubblemassage air bath version of this tub
- K-1122-GW: bubblemassage air bath and bask heated surface version of this tub
- K-1122-VB: vibracoustic version of this tub
- K-1122-VBW: vibracoustic and bask heated surface version of this tub
- K-1122-H: whirlpool and heater version of this tub
- K-1122-W1: whirlpool and bask heated surface version of this tub
- K-1122-XHG: whirlpool and bubblemassage air bath version of this tub
With everything that Kohler does it lives on the leading edge of design and technology, while maintaining a constant level of quality regardless of price. Kohler sets the standard of excellence in its field, and yet is constantly striving to improve.
From sustainable products in the kitchen and bath, to engines for lawn tractors and generators, to power systems that protect data centers and urban landscapes all over the world; this is what the Kohler Company is all about.
Additional Kohler Links
This product is listed under the following manufacturer number(s):
- Kohler K-1122-47*
Almond - Kohler K-1122-96
Biscuit - Kohler K-1122-7
Black - Kohler K-1122-K4*
Cashmere - Kohler K-1122-NY
Dune - Kohler K-1122-95
Ice Grey - Kohler K-1122-55*
Innocent Blush - Kohler K-1122-33*
Mexican Sand - Kohler K-1122-G9*
Sandbar - Kohler K-1122-6*
Skylight - Kohler K-1122-Y2*
Sunlight - Kohler K-1122-58
Thunder Grey - Kohler K-1122-0
White - Kohler K-1122-45*
Wild Rose
*Denotes a finish or option that has been discontinued.
Manufacturer Resources
Dimensions and Measurements
Included Components
Characteristics and Features
Electrical and Operational Information
Warranty and Product Information
Kohler Hydrotherapy - Whirlpool Tubs
Kohler Whirlpools are engineered to maximize the benefits of targ...


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Let's Talk Soak-off Gel Nail Polish
Last February I had my first experience with what is now becoming a major trend in nails; Soak-off UV Gel Nail Polish. You see my pal Heather Park from SeoulDiva had been raving for months about this NYC salon Sakura and showing off her wicked cool nail art designs using the CalGel brand of soak-off polish. Heather has managed to get more than a few of her friends hooked on Sakura including MAC Artist Keri B. who has posted some her designs on Twitter. You can read about my experience and see some more CalGel designs HERE.
Since that time Fanatics have emailed asking about CalGel and the other brands of soak-off polish on the market, including OPI's new Axxium product so I'm giving you the 411 on the whole soak-off phenomenon after the jump. |
What is Soak-off Gel Polish?
Unlike a traditional nail polish, soak-off gel polish is painted on with a brush and each layer is "cured" under a UV light to dry. Soak-off Gels come in a wide array of colors and finishes and like our "frankenpolishes" they can be mixed to create new colors. The purple on my tips (above) was a custom blended shade.
What are the benefits?
Dry time – The UV light dries the polish within minutes which means no dry time, no smudging, no dents. Talk about the perfect winter pedicure choice
Long lasting – Soak-off Gel lasts from 2-3 weeks with no chipping.
Less damaging – Unlike traditional enhancements you don't have to fear the drills or filing down of your nails.
Works on natural nails – While you can add length if you choose, Soak-off Gel Polish can be used over a natural nail like traditional polish.
You can layer polish on top – If you want to change your color mid-manicure, you can. Paint right over Soak-Off Gel with regular nail polish and remove it with non-acetone remover.
What are the negatives?
Cost – Soak-off Gel Polish can only be applied by a professional and the service is more costly than a traditional manicure. If you are really skilled, you can buy a UV light and gel polish online but it's not a cheap set-up.
Removal – While Sakura offers fill-ins, if you want to change your color, you must completely remove the polish every time. You can either pay to have the polish professionally removed or do the soak-off process (or to the MUA nail board "foil method") at home. Soak a piece of cotton in acetone and then wrap the nail with aluminum foil. For me, even after soaking, I still had to file some of it off.
Nail growth shows – One of the reason's my pal Heather tends to wear CalGel designs with a clear base is because it makes nail growth less obvious. If you choose a dark, solid color, by week two, growth will be very apparent.
Time – Getting a Soak-off Gel manicure can take longer than a traditional manicure. Especially if you are getting a gradation, nail art or using a dark color. I've heard with the darker shades, you need quite a few coats to get it the right color.
Several brands make a soak-off product with a wide array of colors. The most talked about brands include Akzentz, Bio Sculpture Color Gel, CalGel, Dashing Diva Gelife, IBD, and OPI Axxium. Akzentz, Bio Sculpture, CalGel and IBD come in a range of colors and finishes including glitter. Gelife is currently offering sheer, natural shades to enhance the nail's natural beauty but I hear they intend to offer additional colors. Axxium comes in 26 colors based on existing OPI polish shades including You Don't Know Jacques, Russian Navy, I'm Not Really A Waitress, Lincoln Park After Dark and Bubble Bath.
Where can I get a Soak-off Gel Manicure?
I suggest contacting the companies to locate a salon near year using their products but make sure you investigate the salon and ask how long they've been using the product. If you are interested in nail art or gradations, ask about their experience doing those as well and inquire about a website or online gallery of their work.
I emailed CalGel and found a salon on the west side of Cleveland and my salon John Robert's Salon & Spa just started offering OPI Axxium. The last time I was there all the stylists I talked to who were wearing it, were really pleased.
And if you're in Rhode Island, I suggest you check out the Nail Gallery from Gel Essentialz and book an appointment with Gina Silvestro ASAP. My friend, Celebrity Manicurist Elle, told me about Gina and she creates some sick designs.
So how many of you are curious about Soak-off Gel Polish? Have you tried it? Tell us about your experience, including which brand you used, in the comments!


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Kawaii Naruto mini 3D sticker
- UV and water resistant
- Scratch proof
- High-quality print
9 in stock
Returns & Exchange
You can apply for an exchange within 7 days of the product being delivered.
Returns are only possible if there are some manufacturing defects in the delivered product. Return requests are to be raised within 3 days from the time of delivery in case of manufacturing defects.
For more info click here.
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All orders are processed within 12-24 hours.
Estimated delivery time
For metros: 1-4 days.
For the rest of India: 5-8 days.
(Please note: All the COD orders may take up to 24-48 hours to be processed.)
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Orlando Leyba is stand up comedian who connects with all audiences through his unique life experience, and perspective. Orlando has a knack for finding humor in just about anything that crosses his path. With his animated demeanor, Orlando entertains the audiences through his dynamic storytelling and undeniable likeability allowing them to come along for the fun ride of his life experiences. He has been working hard... making his mark on the comedy scene. Most recently making his Debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, EntreNos on HBO, TruTV LaffMobb's LaffTracks Just For Laughs and his very own comedy special, Adorable, airing on HBO and was a finalist in NBC's 'Stand Up Showcase. He also played Wabo in the animated Kids film Luis and The Aliens. Orlando has become a regular at comedy festivals, and clubs throughout the U.S and Canada.
1h 30m
February 29th, 2024
March 3rd, 2024
21 and over only with ID
Unfortunately, tickets for this event are no longer available.
We are a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) and operate within the code of practice STAR sets down for its members.


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Mushroom Bourguignon
december 22, 2015
Mushrooms aren't something my family eats often, for two reasons. First of all, our weekly produce boxes never contain them. Secondly, our kids don't like them. But I like them! So to celebrate the first soggy weather we've had in four years of drought, I slow cooked a pound and a half with coriander, black pepper, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary in wine.


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Results that shine!
Opalescence has shown to be effective for removing some or all of the internal tooth discoloration due to congenital, systemic, pharmalogic, traumatic, etc., factors and aging. Great success with fluorosis and even tetracycline staining.
The Opalescence refill kits are perfect if you already have bleached your teeth and need to touch up. Most individuals will do a touch up whitening every 3 to 4 months - depending on their personal habits. If you smoke, drink coffee, tea or red wine, you may need to touch up every 2 months.
Just use your own trays with our bleach to keep your teeth as white as possible.
The delicious melon or mint flavored Opalescence gel is worn overnight, while you sleep for ultimate performance and maximum convenience. The patented formula bleaches in as little as 30 minutes in 1-3 daily treatments or for 1-6 hours daytime (if worn overnight, gel will stay active for 8-10 hours).
The active ingredient in Opalescence, carbamide peroxide, has been recognized by the FDA for many years as an oral antiseptic and is now used for its superior tooth whitening properties. Fluoride and potassium nitrate are added to reduce the amount of tooth sensitivity.
Opalescence has a shelf life of 24 months refrigerated (12 months un-refrigerated). Recommended refrigeration temperature range is between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 8 degrees Celsius).


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Far Cry 4
Ubisoft Montreal may have worked itself into a corner. With Far Cry 3, the studio created an unhinged murder named Vaas Montenegro. This pirate leader was, unpredictable yet so charismatic that fans loved hating him. How could Ubisoft Montreal possibly up the ante with Far Cry 4? Their answer is a man named Pagan Min.
Finding Inspiration
Creating a visual style for a villain isn't easy, and Ubisoft agonized over the Pagan Min's design. The developer wanted their main villain to be a confident character, but one who was also brash and prone to violent outbursts.
"We wanted someone who was a new generation of criminal who would piss off his father and had a bit of punk-rock mentality," says Far Cry 4 narrative director Mark Thompson. "But we couldn't latch onto the visuals. We had these Gaddafi-style concepts of a guy in ridiculous military garb who had given himself fake ribbons as prizes. It looked cool, but it wasn't original."
Ubisoft Montreal eventually honed in on characters like Beat Takeshi from Brother and Ichi from a Japanese movie called Ichi the Killer. Both of the characters from those films wore vibrant suits that helped them stand out from the crowd. This inspired Ubisoft Montreal's concept artists to render Pagan in a bright pink suit.
"That visual really pushed the character forward," says Thompson. "Because we realize that the story wasn't as interesting as the visual, so that drove us to come up with a backstory that was more interesting."
Back To the Drawing Board
The redrafted story became about a young man named Pagan Min. However, Pagan's birth name is actually Gang Min. Born the son of a mid-level drug boss in Hong Kong, the Min family was well off, but not without its conflicts. Pagan's mother was a British expatriate, and Pagan's mixed heritage caused his father a great deal of shame among the criminal elite.
As Pagan grew up, he started to work for his father, but his father was always a small fish in a big pond and Pagan had bigger ambitions. Pagan saw his father – and his contemporaries – as relics of the past. They were dinosaurs, and it was time for a change.
"Pagan was a bit of an outsider to his father," says Thompson. "He's always been a bit of a peacock; slightly more flamboyant than his father was comfortable with. So after his father was killed, Pagan took the name Pagan Min – naming himself after the Burmese King who killed his father. That was Pagan's message, he didn't want to say that he killed his father, but he named himself after the man who did."
Pagan took his family's modest fortunes and built a small private army. But small armies don't go unnoticed, especially within the Golden Triangle (one of the world's largest regions of opium production located between Myanmar, Laos and Thailand). Pagan's father had had a lot of powerful friend within the criminal underworld, and Pagan was turning them into a powerful enemies. Not long after Pagan made a grab for power, the "dinosaurs" put a price on his head.
Looking for sanctuary, Pagan sought refuge in a small failed state in the midst of a civil war. This country was Kyrat, and Pagan believed he could become the country's savior. In 1987, as an arrogant 21-year-old, Pagan entered Kyrat and began a bloody siege that ended only after Pagan was firmly seated on the throne.
The young overlord's new Royal Army corrupted existing business and infrastructure, and many of the profits from the heroin trade boosted Pagan's coffers. Kyrat's new monarch even planted his face on the money, and his official department of communications started blasting propaganda from radio towers scattered across the country. Kyrat became a fractured reflection of its narcissistic ruler.
Bringing Pagan to Life
In order to realistically portray such a sadistic yet colorful character, Ubisoft knew that they'd need a strong, charismatic actor. Ubisoft landed on veteran voice actor Troy Baker, who's roles as Booker DeWitt in Bioshock Infinite, Joel in The Last of Us, and Delsin Rowe in Infamous: Second Son (as well as dozen's of other characters) have made Baker a familiar voice in the industry.
"There was something arresting about his performance," says Thompson. "We saw probably 100 to 200 video auditions beforehand, and up until that point we hadn't seen anyone who had the confidence that Pagan Min needed. This is a man who wears a pink suit, takes over a country, installs himself as king, and says, 'You're all my subjects, you love me,' The actors we saw up until that point didn't have that. Troy Baker, right now, knows that he's hot s---. He has an air of confidence. The room was silent when he auditioned."
Challenging The Throne
Pagan may be powerful, but his power isn't unchallenged. Early into Pagan's leadership, a resistance movement led by a man named Mohan Ghale frustrated Pagan's supremacy with tactful guerilla skirmishes. However, Mohan and Pagan weren't just fighting for a country; they were fighting for the love of a woman named Ishwari. When this awkward love triangle ended with Mohan's death, Ishwari fled the country, and Pagan retreated into his palace, leaving Kyrat to his lunatic governors.
This is where players enter into the story. As Mohan's son – a man named Ajay Ghale – players return to Kyrat for the first time since they were a child in order to scatter their mother's ashes across the top of Kyrat's tallest mountain.
"Pagan has lots to reveal about your mother," says Thompson. "Pagan has a personal connection to you that you don't understand, and he uses that as a weapon against you. He's fun and charming, but also terrifying – evil, but weirdly friendly. He can come talk to you very matter of factly while everyone around you is being murdered. Your whole world is falling apart, but for him it's 11 o'clock on a Tuesday."
This is the opponent players will have to face down as soon as they cross Kyrat's borders. Pagan is a psychopathic mess who is terrified of dying alone without a legacy, so how will he treat the son of his one true love and his most hated rival? Players will have to wait until Far Cry 4 releases this fall to find out.
Don't forget to click on the banner below to assess our entire month's worth of Far Cry 4 content.


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Medicine can now prevent a host of diseases with a mere shot of vaccine. Polio and smallpox are almost non-existent, and mumps and chicken pox are rarely seen nowadays. And for the first time, the prospect of eradicating a specific cancer through vaccination is possible. The newly approved human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is designed to curb the 230,000 worldwide deaths due to cervical cancer, which is caused solely by HPV. And the hepatitis B virus, responsible for 70 percent of all liver cancer deaths, is also preventable with a vaccine.
Cancer researchers are working on the next era of vaccines designed to treat cancer that has already developed. These vaccines don't rev up the human immune system to attack an invading microbe, but prime the system to go after a unique biological tag found only on tumor cells.
For example, brain cancer researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are testing an experimental vaccine that homes to a protein studding the surface of glioblastoma cancer cells. It tricks the body into thinking this protein is foreign and infectious, which alerts killer immune cells. The same kind of strategy is producing very promising results in clinical trials at M. D. Anderson of vaccines for advanced myeloid leukemia as well as other forms of leukemia, aggressive lymphoma and melanoma.
Because of the preliminary nature of therapeutic cancer vaccines - none has yet been approved for use anywhere in the world - researchers can only describe their findings as "promising." But their hope in the therapy is clear. In fact, several M. D. Anderson vaccine clinical trials have shown strong anti-tumor activity and one produced the first clinical demonstration that a vaccine could produce complete molecular remission - meaning, no biological evidence of cancer remained in some treated patients.
This wealth of cancer vaccine research at M. D. Anderson - possibly the most varied and advanced in the nation - has come about because of the strong interest from M. D. Anderson physicians and researchers in basic immunological science. They believe that the human immune system can be used against cancer, and that vaccines may represent the cutting edge of immunologic cancer treatment.
"Hypothetically, once the immune system has been sufficiently stimulated, it would be able to find and destroy every single tumor cell throughout the body," says Yong-Jun Liu, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Immunology and director of the Center for Cancer Immunology Research (CCIR).
"It could do this without destroying healthy tissue," he says. "That's the goal we strive every day for." Liu and other CCIR researchers believe that, ultimately, the best use of such vaccines will be to eliminate the minimal disease that remains after initial cancer therapy.
"When there is too much disease, the immune system is overwhelmed and a cancer vaccine may not be helpful," says Jorge Cortes, M.D., a professor in the Department of Leukemia. "But after patients have been treated, there is often a low level of disease, so our idea is that we can add a vaccine at that point to eliminate the cancer before it has a chance to grow back again."
"This is an exciting time in cancer research, given our increased understanding of the molecular nature of cancer and the immune response," says Patrick Hwu, M.D., chair of the Department of Melanoma. "Our ultimate success will likely depend on the rational combination of appropriate chemotherapies, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy, such as therapeutic cancer vaccines."
Starting with leukemia antigen
All of the cancer vaccine tactics being developed and tested at M. D. Anderson aim to mislead the cancer patient's immune system into thinking it is attacking bacteria or a virus (see sidebar). They are designed to strengthen the body's natural defenses against a cancer that has already developed, and this could stop an existing tumor from growing further, prevent cancer from coming back after it has been treated, or eliminate cancer cells not killed by previous treatments.
These efforts are concentrated on a subset of cancers that M. D. Anderson researchers believe are most amenable to cancer vaccines - the leukemia and lymphoma blood-based cancers (because red and white blood and lymph system cells are easier to reach and manipulate) and a few solid tumors, including melanoma, which seem to elicit a natural, if weak, immune response.
In 2003, recognizing this focus, M. D. Anderson opened its Center for Cancer Immunology Research, which is believed to be the first comprehensive program in the United States in which both basic and clinical immunologists work together in open laboratory environments to develop immunological treatments for cancer.
The four M. D. Anderson departments that collaborate within the Center for Cancer Immunology Research - Immunology, Lymphoma and Myeloma, Melanoma, and Blood and Marrow Transplantation - have built up strong basic and translational research programs to develop novel vaccines, manufacture them in on-site cell processing facilities, and test them in patients.
Among the scientists who are leading this effort are Larry Kwak, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Lymphoma, and Patrick Hwu, the Department of Melanoma chair, both of whom were recently recruited from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They join Liu, a leading immunologist who came to M. D. Anderson in 2002 from the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, and Jeffrey Molldrem, M.D., professor in the Department of Blood & Marrow Transplantation, who helped pioneer cancer vaccine research at M. D. Anderson.
"We have a number of homegrown vaccines, pioneered in research laboratories at M. D. Anderson, that are true examples of translational research," Kwak says. "The Center for Cancer Immunology Research exists in part to take promising therapeutic agents from our own institutional pipeline into patient care, and this strategy is thriving."
Molldrem's vaccine, developed about 10 years ago to treat advanced myeloid leukemia, demonstrated success from the beginning, and now is being tested across M. D. Anderson in different types of leukemia that originate from myeloid blood cells.
Molldrem and his team were able to find that a special tumor antigen, which they called PR1, is over-expressed in myeloid leukemia cells. The vaccine combines PR1 with a substance that stimulates the immune system and directs T cells to kill the leukemia and leave normal cells alone. The first test of the peptide vaccine demonstrated that it could produce complete responses in some patients with advanced myeloid leukemia for whom no other therapy had been successful.
Such early success "startled" Molldrem, he says. "Initially, we were just trying to see if we could boost immunity to the antigen we had identified - we didn't expect molecular remissions, especially in a phase I trial and in such a refractory group. That's never been described before for any vaccine," he says.
Further testing has shown that the vaccine can induce complete responses in 20 percent of patients with advanced acute leukemia for whom all forms of chemotherapy had failed. Furthermore, the vaccine also appears to offer an immune memory after only three doses, says Muzaffar Qazilbash, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation who is leading an ongoing clinical trial.
The PR1 peptide vaccine is slated to be tested at M. D. Anderson in other kinds of leukemia of myeloid origin, such as acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and pre-leukemic myelodysplastic syndromes.
A vaccine can even be useful in patients who respond well to treatment, says Cortes, because even the best therapies may not eliminate all traces of disease. For example, Cortes is testing the PR1 peptide vaccine in CML patients who have done well with Gleevec therapy, which keeps the cancer at bay when continuously used, but does not eliminate it. "Even with the great drugs that we now have to treat CML, we get to the point where the last bit of disease stubbornly remains, and we may need something else to keep it under control or eliminate it," Cortes says. "There is some evidence that an immune response can play a role in eliminating these cancers, so using a vaccine is a great idea."
Cortes has just opened a clinical trial testing the concept in CML patients who will continue to be treated with Gleevec. Twenty patients will receive the vaccine and another 20 will receive a combination of the vaccine and interferon, which stimulates an immune response. "Gleevec was the first major breakthrough in CML treatment, and, in my opinion, the next one will be immune modulation," Cortes says.
Testing personalized vaccines
Early vaccine research in lymphoma (a cancer of lymphocytic white blood cells) dates back to studies in mice in the 1970s when a lymphoma tumor antigen was found. That discovery led Kwak, then at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to test a highly promising lymphoma therapeutic vaccine. First reports of its success, in 1999, demonstrated complete molecular remissions and long-term disease-free survival in 75 percent of patients who used the vaccine after chemotherapy for lymphoma.
The vaccine, now known as Biovaxid after being licensed to a biotech firm by NCI, is now being tested in a national phase III clinical trial. This study, led at M. D. Anderson by Sattva Neelapu, M.D., assistant professor of lymphoma, is testing the therapy in 460 patients with follicular lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The difference between this vaccine and the PR1 peptide vaccine is that it is an "idiotype" vaccine, tailored to the patient's unique tumor antigens, says Kwak, who has continued his vaccine studies at M. D. Anderson. In this individualized therapy, cells are harvested from a patient's lymph node, and the unique cancer markers on the outside of their cancer cells are identified. To create the idiotype vaccine, researchers fuse the antigen-bearing tumor cells to antibody-producing mouse cells that act as mini-factories, churning out large quantities of the protein antigens, which are then given back to patients with an immune system booster.
In a bid to see if a more "robust" cancer vaccine can be produced, Neelapu, who was part of Kwak's team at the NCI, has opened two trials at M. D. Anderson in which healthy volunteers are vaccinated. These trials, in which Sergio Giralt, M.D., a professor in the Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, is collaborating, are for treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who are slated to receive a stem cell transplant from a matched donor.
In this strategy, which will also be tested in patients at the NIH, stem cell donors will be vaccinated with the patient's tumor antigen. "The donor has a healthy immune system and can mount a reaction against the antigen," says Neelapu. Those primed stem cells will then be given back to the patient, "improving the chance of a graf-versus-myeloma effect," he says.
Also being tested at M. D. Anderson are two different idiotype vaccines to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes.
One of the vaccines, co-developed by William Wierda, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Leukemia, with collaborators at the University of California, San Diego, uses gene therapy techniques. Tumor blood cells are extracted from patients, and then sent to a cell processing facility at M. D. Anderson, where the cells are infected with a virus that carries a gene that activates the immune system. When the cells are given back to the patients, the transformed leukemia cells manufacture the activation protein and thereby function as a vaccine, says Wierda. "Leukemia cells efficiently stimulate T cells to react against them as well as against nearby leukemia cells that haven't been infected by the virus," he says. The clinical trial is enrolling patients and will test whether a single dose of the vaccine can produce an immune reaction against the leukemia.
The second vaccine, known as MyVax and developed by Genitope Corporation, is now being tested in a phase I/II trial at nine institutions. It combines an idiotype antigen from individual patient's tumor cells with an immune stimulant derived from shellfish. "Because this trial is in the early stages, the intent is to see if the vaccine stimulates an immune response to the point that chemotherapy treatment can be delayed in these patients," says Wierda, who is leading the trial at M. D. Anderson.
"The chemotherapies that we have now for CLL are very successful in putting patients into remission, but the majority will relapse," says Wierda. "If we are able to stimulate an immune reaction against leukemia cells while there is minimal disease, it could offer us a curative strategy."
Expanding melanoma's immune army
Melanoma is one of the few solid tumors that the human immune system seems to "see," says Hwu, the Department of Melanoma chair. But that natural T cell response to an antigen on the melanoma cell is too weak to conquer a growing tumor, so researchers led by Hwu have found ways to isolate T cells from patients' tumors, grow them in large quantities in the lab and give them back to patients. This strategy, known as "adoptive T-cell transfer," differs from that taken by Kwak, because Hwu is providing more immune system "ammunition" to attack the already existing tumor antigens.
Before coming to M. D. Anderson from the NCI in 2003, Hwu found this method could shrink tumors in about half of patients with metastatic melanoma - a higher response rate than any other therapy for this advanced cancer.
His challenge, however, has been to come up with ways to grow the T cells efficiently, Hwu says. "We are trying to develop a way to make this process easier and more effective."
Hwu has begun testing what he hopes is an improved version of this approach. It involves isolating a patient's dendritic cells (immune cells that first detect microbes and alert T cell killers) and infusing them with billions of T cells that have been isolated from patients and expanded in the laboratory. Before patients receive chemotherapy to treat their melanoma, investigators take a blood sample to isolate the dendritic cells, which are then grown in the laboratory and exposed to the patient's melanoma antigen, says Willem Overwijk, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology. "The dendritic cells take up the antigen and are ready to present it to T cells, which will cause the T cells to become activated," says Overwijk, who helped develop this approach.
A clinical trial testing this protocol opened in early 2006, after Hwu and his research team worked for two years with the NIH and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the protocol. In this phase I/II study, 50 patients will all receive a short course of chemotherapy while their cells are being grown in the lab. Half then will receive an expanded mixture of their own dendritic and T cells, while the other half will receive only T cells.
"This novel trial is so incredibly complicated and involved that few places can do it," says Overwijk. "M. D. Anderson has the infrastructure and the expertise to make it possible to do all this in house. It may take this kind of effort to make an impact in treatment of melanoma."
While adoptive T cell transfer may be required for advanced melanoma, earlier stage diseases may be treated with vaccines alone. In another trial for patients with early stage melanoma, Hwu and his team are combining a vaccine to stimulate T cells with the prostate cancer drug Lupron, which obstructs production of testosterone. It turns out, says Hwu, that when sex hormones are blocked, the thymus gland begins to produce new T cells. This is a "wonderful surprise," says Hwu, because the thymus gland largely shuts down T cell production after puberty. "The drug will produce a working thymus, which will be primed by the T cell vaccine," he says.
Another solid tumor - one that is even more treacherous than melanoma - appears to respond to a novel vaccine being developed and tested at M. D. Anderson.
This vaccine significantly increased life expectancy in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most dangerous type of brain tumor. The results were so surprising that the trial was stopped before full accrual, and a pharmaceutical company acquired the rights to the drug. A larger, multi-institutional, randomized study is being planned, says Amy Heimberger, M.D., an assistant professor of Neurosurgery who led the trial, conducted at both M. D. Anderson and at Duke University Medical Center.
She describes the vaccine as an easy to use "off-the-shelf" treatment that can potentially help up to 50 percent of all GBM patients keep their cancer at bay for a period of time. Interim results of the Phase II clinical trial show that the vaccine significantly delays progression of tumors until the cancer finds a new growth pathway.
According to results Heimberger presented in April at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), median survival for the 23 patients tested is at least 19 months, and only four patients have died from the cancer, That figure surpasses the median survival of 14 months for patients with GBM who are treated with the most current chemotherapy and radiation, and the 4-month median survival for untreated patients, she says.
"We can't say this vaccine is better than chemotherapy because we haven't tested the two treatments head-to-head yet," she says. "However, so far, results have exceeded the expectations we had for this vaccine."
Heimberger and a team of researchers designed the vaccine to alert the brain's immune system to the presence of just one type of protein that studs the outside of a glioma tumor. This protein, epidermal growth factor variant III (EGFRvIII), is found on 30 percent to 50 percent of brain tumors, as well as on some breast and non-small-cell lung cancers, but not on normal tissue. Heimberger believes EGFRvIII drives gliomas to spread, which could explain why these brain tumors are unusually dangerous and invasive.
The vaccine contains a synthesized piece of the EGFRvIII antigen, as well as compounds that stimulate immune system dendritic cells, which then activate the immune system in general and killer T cells in particular. "It tricks the body into thinking that EGFRvIII is foreign, and the T cells are sent in to kill the tumor," Heimberger says.
"This is a proof of concept, and optimal use of the vaccine may be with chemotherapy to further retard progression," says Heimberger. "Still, this is exciting to us because people have been trying to use immunotherapy against gliomas for a long time."
Learning to Turn the Human Immune System Against Cancer
It is significantly more challenging to develop vaccines against cancer than against bacteria and viruses, says M. D. Anderson's Patrick Hwu, M.D., chair of the Department of Melanoma.
Preventing infection with a vaccine is relatively straightforward, he says, because it capitalizes on the body's elegant immune system, which is primarily set up to recognize and attack foreign proteins ("antigens") found on invading microbes. "We live in a sea of bacteria and viruses, and our immune system has evolved to recognize the biology of these pathogens in order to mount potent responses against them," he says.
So a traditional vaccine introduces a non-infectious "bit" of the pathogen antigen to a body that has not been infected by it before, and this brief and harmless exposure activates the immune system against the microbe and sets up a long term memory that confers lasting protection.
But cancers are "derived from our own tissues, and therefore our patrolling immune system is not programmed to recognize cancer cells as foreign," says Hwu.
"The immune system is not very willing to attack things that look like itself or the host, and there are all kinds of regulatory circuits that keep the immune system down if everything appears to be normal, even though it might not be," says Willem Overwijk, Ph.D., a translational scientist who works on melanoma vaccines.
That may be because "cancer does not really threaten the existence of the human species, as do infectious diseases, because most cancers occur after age 65," speculates Yong-Jun Liu, M.D., Ph.D., head of M. D. Anderson's Center for Cancer Immunology Research and chair of the Department of Immunology.
However, Liu adds, the existence of autoimmune disease indicates that the immune system is capable of attacking "self" tissue. "The trick is learning how to get it to attack malignant tissue instead," he says.
Another major problem is that viruses and bacteria cause a lot of damage to tissue, which produces inflammation - another red flag that stokes the immune system to act. An effective vaccine might have to do the same, researchers say.
The challenge, then, is to "create" a lasting immune response through a vaccine. While past decades of effort in this direction have only produced tepid results, experts now believe they know enough about human immunity to design rational approaches.
"Cancer vaccine strategies have a long history in medicine and that history hasn't been very favorable," says M. D. Anderson leukemia physician and researcher William Wierda, M.D. "We've gone through periods of excitement and disappointment, and now we are in a period of excitement again."
One reason, he says, is that the research community has been able to find pieces of protein antigens either on the outside or the inside of tumors that are relatively unique to cancer cells. The job now is to manipulate the immune system's dendritic sentinel cells and the destroying T cells to hunt them down and destroy them in the same way that those cells attack microbes.
"A fundamental understanding of the immune system has only been developed over the last four decades or so, and that knowledge is critical for developing cancer vaccines," says Jeffrey Molldrem, M.D., professor in the Department of Blood & Marrow Transplantation.
"For instance, one of the trickiest parts is to identify which antigens to direct the immune response against any given tumor type," he says. "There can be tens of thousands of different proteins and protein variants getting turned over at different times in a cell, so trying to identify which ones the T cell actually sees is kind of like finding a needle in a haystack," Molldrem says. "But now we have a molecular scale for understanding how it works, which is an important tool for directing immune reactions against a tumor."
Investigators at M. D. Anderson now have a toolbox of protein antigens that they can use to create vaccines. The idea is to take specific antigens that are over-expressed on certain tumor cells and manipulate them to stimulate the body's T cells to destroy all cancer cells expressing that antigen, says Hwu. Another strategy is to grow T cells which recognize the tumor, then administer them back to the patient to destroy the cancer cells.
Scientists are also working to imprint each newly primed cell with a long-lasting memory that will enable it to fight cancers as they develop, again in the same way that polio and measles vaccines work over time, Liu says. Patients can then be immunized against cancer recurrence or even against cancer development.
"We are applying principles learned from the natural immune response to pathogens in the generation of new anti-tumor vaccines," Hwu says. "As cancer researchers, our goal is to harness the power of the immune system against cancer."
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Materials provided by University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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There are lots of articles and essays of interest to modern Pagans out there, sometimes more than I can write about in-depth in any given week. So The Wild Hunt must unleash the hounds in order to round them all up.
– The Olympic flame for the 2012 London games was lit yesterday at the Temple of Hera in Greece, though it did go out briefly during the ceremony. Luckily there was a back-up flame, and the torch started on its week-long journey around Greece. Once in Britain it will make a 70-day circuit in the lead-up to the Olympics. Despite the pageantry, some aren't impressed, while others made snarky jokes about the flame going out. Still, it's always nice to see echoes, reminders, that the Olympics are a pagan invention. Created to honor Zeus.
– In a historic first yesterday, Galina Krasskova, a Heathen, gave the opening prayer at a conference on women and indigeny being held at the United Nations. The first Heathen to ever do so. You can find the text of her opening ancestor prayer, here. I could be wrong, but I believe this conference was part of the larger 11th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), which I mentioned earlier. Congratulations to Galina on this achievement!
– Andrew Brown at The Guardian interviews an unnamed hip vicar who is allegedly dating a Witch, and opines on how to get the post-Christian generation back in the Anglican pews. Quote: "He said the only way was to go straight for the most improbable part of the story. If you're teaching the virgin birth, point out at once that there were many virgin birth stories around at the time. Caesar Augustus himself was meant to have been the child of a God. So what was different about a God who chose a poor Jewish girl and not a princess for his bride? What changed if the Christian story were true and not the official one?" So, there you go? I guess?
– Congratulations to everyone's favorite German Catholic mystic, Hildegard of Bingen, now St. Hildegard of Bingen thanks to Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church. Though, a Catholic blogger points out she was already a de facto saint for years. In any case, here's to the "Sybil of the Rhine."
– The Epoch Times profiles New York City Councilman, and congressional candidate, Dan Halloran. Not a single peep about his religion, in any context. Luckily, The Wild Hunt spends plenty of time on the subject.
– Speaking of politics, former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson recently won the Libertarian Party's nomination for president. He's gotten quite a bit of media attention recently, with many wondering if this will be a breakout year for the Libertarians. Pagan Newswire Collective Managing Editor Cara Schulz got to spend the day with Johnson not too long ago, and Schulz followed up with the candidate to see if he regretted courting our community's vote during a virtual "town hall" session with representatives from Pagan and Hindu media. Quote: "There was no consternation within my campaign about any of the feedback that we got on that event. No consternation." You can read all of my coverage of Johnson, here.
– An Australian paper reports on two horse killing in England, linking them to the occult, Satanism, and the recent "super moon." Actual solid evidence for this theory? Zero.
– Peter Berger, writing for The American Interest, defends Andrew Bowen's Project Conversion, which I've mentioned a few times previously here at The Wild Hunt. What I find most interesting about the article is his refutation of "secularization theory—the notion that modernity necessarily brings about a decline in religion." Berger notes that it "should be replaced by a theory of plurality—a situation in which many religions co-exist and interact with each other." Sign me up as a proponent of plurality theory.
– TheoFantastique interviews Noel Montague-Etienne Rarignac, author of "The Theology of Dracula: Reading the Book of Stoker as Sacred Text." The book aims to reread "the horror classic as a Christian text, one that alchemizes Platonism, Gnosticism, Mariology and Christian resurrection in a tale that explores the grotesque." Sounds very interesting, especially if you're a fan of Stoker and Dracula.
– An interfaith memorial service for Pagan author, elder, and priestess, De-Anna Alba, also known as Wendy White, will be held tomorrow, Saturday, May 12, 2012 in California at the Church of the Incarnation. De-Anna, author of "The Cauldron of Change: Myths, Mysteries and Magick of the Goddess," was one of Circle Sanctuary's first priestesses and was Circle Sanctuary's first church secretary. She assisted Selena Fox with publications, events, music, networking, and other endeavors. Selena Fox will give her eulogy and will be among the officiants at De-Anna's interfaith memorial service this Saturday. Selena also will be among the officiants at De-Anna's Pagan memorial service and cremains interment at Circle Cemetery in Wisconsin on July 21.
– In a final note, rest in peace Maurice Sendak. Let the wild rumpus start!
That's it for now! Feel free to discuss any of these links in the comments, some of these I may expand into longer posts as needed.


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Well it's the first Monday back since this amazing trip and some folks have wasted no time in putting up their posts. I WAS going to do a recap of the week but over at SQLCruise.com Brent has done a great job recapping the week in detail. Instead this post will focus on the value returned from the experience. Before I start I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to the sponsors for making this event possible:
- SQLSentry (Special double-huge thanks to them as I was one of the fortunate four attendees who won this cruise courtesy of them!)
- Quest Software
- Redgate Software
- MSSQLTips.com
It's hard to talk about SQLCruise without first talking about the SQLSaturday that preceded it. SQLCruise was purposely scheduled to coincide with SQLSaturday #40. As any SQLSaturday event, it was great but what really made this one special was its tie-in with the cruise event. Tim Ford (Blog | Twitter) and Brent Ozar (Blog | Twitter) kicked off the event with a great keynote speech. The general theme of the talk was that the true value of this event was not what you were learning up on screen (which is also important) but the real value is what you learn from everyone around you at the event and the relationships you build. This theme was solidified by Brent and Tim's personal stories of how they journeyed from being the ones in the chairs listening to speakers to being the ones up front presenting to the crowd. If you ever get a chance to hear these two give this talk/presentation I highly recommend it, especially since it starts off with an especially cool high-wire video.
This focus on the relationships you create and foster at technical events became a recurring theme throughout the week. After SQLSaturday the revelry of the presenters, attendees and SQLCruise-ers carried over to the after party at On the Border. The next day was an event that was not officially planned for SQLCruise but Gareth (Twitter) and Jen Swanepoel (Twitter) were kind enough to host the SQLCruise attendees at their house for a bon voyage BBQ. A huge thanks goes to Gareth, Jen and their amazing neighbors for putting on such a great event! Being able to interact with everyone in a relaxed, casual environment made it that much easier for everyone to get to know each other before departing. The funny part about this whole event is that many of us already "knew" each other via Twitter/Facebook/blog interactions but for many of us this was the first time we'd met face-to-face. In addition to meeting all the great SQL folks this was also an opportunity to meet everyone's significant others which is always great.
Finally Monday rolled around and we got to finally board the Carnival Imagination and set sail on SQLCruise! As I mentioned earlier, and as Brent said in his recap, some of the most valuable things you learn during events like this are not on a slide deck. Be it the gatherings on the back of the ship on the "SQL Lounge" or the intimate classroom settings, it was invaluable to be able to interact with everyone freely. Another great advantage of being out in the ocean the distractions are kept to a minimum as the usual hub-bub of calls from work, email-checking, and A.D.D.-fueled internet browsing was not to be found. Brent and Tim had both mentioned one of their initial plans was to keep the class size to a small size specifically for the advantages a small group provides. One of the great benefits that came out of it in the formal class schedule was the flexibility of changing up the lesson plan. Initially we had a session on "Hidden Booty in SQL Server" scheduled but as conversations developed we all realized that the entire group was more in the intermediate to senior skill level. In addition to the higher-than-exepected skill sets, many of us had lots of questions of Brent regarding the Masters program he had recently gone through. Based on this scenario Brent put together a new presentation on MCM Trivia. I believe he put this together before watching Matlock reruns on his laptop and burning the midnight oil until 7pm!
SQLCruise was an absolutely amazing experience and thankfully this social experiment went so well that there are already plans in the works for two more next year! Not only did I walk away from this class-cation with a wealth of new technical knowledge (now I know what round-robin is/how it works as well as what a merry-go-round scan is!) but also some extremely valuable relationships and friendships. When was the last time you walked away from a training event and actually MISSED the attendees and classes? I cannot stress to you enough how highly I recommend you attend one of these events in the future! I guarantee not only will you better yourself as a SQL professional but you'll have a greater appreciation for what an amazing community we're fortunate enough to be a part of. If you're interested in joining a future SQLCruise adventure make sure you sign up for the mailing list to get all of the latest news and updates. Thanks again to our sponsors and Tim and Brent for putting together such an amazing event!


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"I'm not really thinking about the ranks. I don't care about what the
fans think or how confident Michael is; I'm just thinking about beating
him Saturday night." - Alan Belcher
Trash talk and boisterous predictions are standard fare in sports.
Someone on one team chirps about their counterpart the day before the big game. A defensive player claims he's not worried about what the prolific quarterback and the opposing offense is going to do on Sunday. Roughly 487 athletes every year guarantee their team is going to win their league's respective championship.
This is going to be their year, and they're going to run over whoever stands in their way.
In some ways, mixed martial arts is no different. Fighters make boastful promises of first round knockouts and wildly entertaining fights, disparaging the person they'll share the cage with in the future and soft-selling their skills. Some riff on pro wrestlers like "Superstar" Billy Graham or The Grappler, while others try really hard but come up short.
Trash talk isn't for everybody.
In basketball, hockey, football, or baseball, your predictions and proclamations can be scuttled by poor play around you. Innumerable variables contribute to the end result, and often take the ability to make good on those pre-game promises away from the one doing all the talking.
That why those rare instances where an athlete makes good on their promises stand as iconic moments in their sport's history. Mark Messier's three-goal night against the New Jersey Devils. Babe Ruth's called shot. "Broadway Joe" announcing the Jets would beat the Baltimore Colts.
Most fall flat, and it has gotten to the point that guarantees have become so commonplace and overused that we barely even acknowledge most of them now, other than to shake our heads and laugh at the latest ridiculousness being uttered.
While there are just as many people making just as many promises in mixed martial arts, there is one colossal difference between the fighters talking trash and offering up predictions and their ball-and-stick brethren: eventually, you have to step into the cage and back up your words.
After infinite amounts of talk, Alan Belcher has reached the point where he's done talking.
For the last several months, across various platforms and mediums, the confident middleweight who fights out of Biloxi, Mississippi has talked a blue streak about Michael Bisping. Even before the two were officially aligned as opponents, "The Talent" freely shared his thoughts and opinions about the tenured middleweight contender who first made his mark by winning season three of The Ultimate Fighter. Once the UFC opted to pit the verbal sparring partners opposite one another at UFC 159, Belcher's output increased.
There were challenges and bets, NFL defensive linemen wanting to put $300,000 cars up for grabs, and videos mocking everything from the manner in which Bisping speaks to a super-imposed Belcher pointing and laughing as a replay of Dan Henderson's knockout win over "The Count" at UFC 100 rolled in slow motion.
Usually it's Bisping who is spitting venom and making the most of every opportunity to mock and prod his opponents heading into a fight, but in the preamble to this weekend's event at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, the man from Orange County, California by way of Manchester, England had been seriously outdone.
Once fight week arrived, however, the two middleweight combatants traded places on the trash talking front.
While Bisping used Monday's media conference call to land a couple clean verbal jabs on the man he'll trade actual strikes with on Saturday night, Belcher was reserved. The hyper-confidence that carried his pre-fight videos and blogs was replaced by a voice that sounded contemplative, and answers that were stripped of any and all window dressing.
"It puts me back in the top of the division," Belcher said flatly when asked where a weekend victory over the perennial contender would put him in the division. "We're both coming off losses. We've both had wins and losses in our career, and now we're going to see who the best is out of us two. I'm not really thinking about the ranks. I don't care about what the fans think or how confident Michael is; I'm just thinking about beating him Saturday night."
Not one to let an opportunity to speak his mind in front of a captive audience, Bisping barged in on the question, giving his own thoughts on what a win would mean for his opponent.
"Let me just add to that," Bisping began. "A win over me for Alan Belcher would be by far the biggest win of his pathetic career. No one gives a f*** about Alan Belcher."
Calmly, Belcher replied, "That's right – so you better not lose to me. We'll see Saturday night."
Normally these calls and fight week itself are when the athletes who are about to step into the cage and settle their differences empty out their clips, taking every opportunity they can to get in one more shot. Belcher, it seems, entered fight week in a different frame of mind.
Late in Monday's media call, the newly minted 29-year-old was tossed the question equivalent of a batting practice fastball right in his wheelhouse.
"Michael has said he'd like to pit his Muay Thai against your Muay Thai in the center of the cage. What do you think about that?" floated out over the center of the plate. Here you go, Alan; park this one in the left field seats.
"I welcome it. What am I supposed to say to it?" Belcher responded somewhat sheepishly. "My Muay Thai versus Michael Bisping's? I'm supposed to sit here and say, "My Muay Thai is better than his," but no one is going to know until Saturday night."
Though some may view the answer as a wasted opportunity – a weakly hit ball back to the mound on a pitch that begged to be blasted into the second deck – the fact that it was devoid of the moxie and swagger that carried his commentary leading up to this fight speaks to the difference between guarantees in most sports, and making promises in the fight business.
All the talking in the world doesn't mean much if you can't back it up when the cage door closes. While it's great for drawing attention to the bout, putting a few more butts in seats, and selling a couple more pay-per-views this weekend, there comes a point when the tickets are sold, the people are hyped, and all that remains is going about the business of backing up everything you've said over the last two or three months.
The time for talking is over.
Now it's time to fight.
Jamahal Hill Talks UFC 300 Main Event
Hall Of Fame


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Dear All,
It is a great privilege to join this forum as I am new to Java programming. I have been reading a book teaching how to create Java games and practicing the programing activities that are contained in this book. However, I have hit a roadblock. I will provide details regarding this issue in the proper section on the forum. I would like to provide an early "Thank You" for your help. It will be great to get to talk to all of you as I begin my journey with Java.