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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Jewish officials in Israel and abroad are outraged that Pope Benedict XVI has decided to lift the excommunication of a British bishop who denies that Jews were killed in Nazi gas chambers.
The decision by Pope Benedict XVI to welcome back the bishop has infuriated Jewish officials.
The pope's decree, issued Saturday, brings back into the Catholic Church's fold Bishop Richard Williamson and three other bishops who belong to the Society of Saint Pius X.
The liaison for Vatican-Jewish relations -- Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity -- said he was not consulted.
"It was a pope decision" he told CNN in a phone interview. "I have my opinions about it, but I do not wish to comment on a decision made by the pope."
The Society of Saint Pius X was founded by Archbishop Lefebrve, who rebelled against the Vatican's modernizing reforms in the 1960s, and who consecrated the men in unsanctioned ceremonies. As a result, Pope John Paul II excommunicated the four in 1988.
Within the Catholic Church, many Vatican analysts suggests that in an attempt to heal one rift with ultra-conservative church members, the pope is risking creating a wider gap with those more liberal groups that have fully embraced the changes and reforms.
The church's decision to lift the excommunication comes a few days after a Swedish television aired an interview with Williamson in which the 68-year-old claimed the Nazis did not use gas chambers.
"I believe that the historical evidence is strongly against -- is hugely against -- 6 million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler," he said in the interview, which appeared on various Web sites since its broadcast. What do you think?
"I believe there were no gas chambers," he added.
He added: "I think that 200,000 to 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps, but none of them by gas chambers."
Prosecutors in Regensburg, Germany, where the interview took place -- and where the pope once taught -- are investigating Williamson's comments on suspicion of inciting racial hatred. Holocaust denial is treated as a crime in Germany.
Bishop Bernard Fellay, who now heads the society, distanced himself from Williamson's position. He told the Italian newspaper La Stampa that Williamson was responsible for his own opinions.
Rabbi David Rosen of the American Jewish Committee called the move by the Roman Catholic Church "shameful."
By "welcoming an open holocaust denier into the Catholic Church without any recantation on his part, the Vatican has made a mockery of John Paul II's moving and impressive repudiation and condemnation of anti-Semitism," he said.
Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, also expressed disappointment at the pope's decision.
"The decree sends a terrible message to Catholics around the world that there is room in the church for those who would undermine the church's teaching and would foster disdain and contempt for other religions, particularly Judaism," he said. "Given the centuries-long history of anti-Semitism in the church, this is a most troubling setback."
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi called Williamson's remarks "absolutely indefensible."
He said the Vatican's decision to accept Williamson was part of its desire to normalize relations with the ultra-conservative group, and had nothing to do with the bishop's personal views.
But Rabbi Rosen dismissed as meaningless the Vatican's claim that the decision to welcome back Williamson did not mean the pope shared his views.
That explanation "does not resolve the question of how can the pope or the Vatican -- committed to fighting anti-Semitism which the late Pope John Paul II called "a sin against God and man" -- embrace someone who denies or at least minimalizes the Holocaust.
The move has the potential to set back Jewish-Catholic relations, which was strained by Pope Pius XII. The Pontiff during World War II, he is accused by some historians of failing to speak out against the Holocaust.
"While there are still hundreds of thousands of living Holocaust survivors amongst us who carry the scars of the Holocaust in them, to accept back a Holocaust-denying bishop raises questions if the Vatican under Pope XVI has learned the lesson of the Holocaust," said Amos Hermon, who heads the Task Force Against Anti-Semitism at Israel's Jewish Agency.
Some theologians say the decision by the pope -- who said he wanted to unite the Catholic church -- could be counter-productive. "This is not so much an act of grace as a surrender," Vatican analyst Marco Politi told The Times of London.
Pope Benedict was seeking reconciliation, "but the new era has begun with a lie. The pope has made a openly declared and unshakeable anti-Semite a legitimate bishop," Politi added.
The pope has twice visited synagogues, in the U.S. and his home country Germany, but recently stated, according to The Times, that dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims "in the strict sense of the word" was "not possible."
After his 14th birthday in 1941, Benedict -- then called Joseph Ratzinger -- was forced along with the rest of his class in Bavaria, southern Germany, to join the Hitler Youth. However his biographer John Allen Jr., said Ratzinger's family was strongly anti-Nazi.
CNN's Shira Medding in Jerusalem and Alessio Vinci in Rome contributed to this report.


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Fireworks III.jpg
4th Of July celebration in Biscayne Bay, Miami, Florida, USA. 2008.
- Copyright
- © 2008 Daniel Korzeniewski. All rights reserved.
- Image Size
- 4292x2844 / 10.2MB
- Keywords
4th, america, americana, attraction, bay, bays, beach, biscayne, blast, bridge, bridges, building, canal, canals, caribbean, causeway, celebrate, celebrates, celebrating, celebration, celebrations, channel, cities, city, cityscape, cityscapes, dade, day, downtown, dusk, explosion, firecracker, firecrackers, fireworks, fl, fla, florida, fourth, fourth of july, independence, inland, julia, july, landscape, landscapes, lights, miami, neon, night, nights, ocean, oceans, outdoor, overpass, overpasses, reflections, scape, scapes, scenic, scenics, sea, shot, sightseeing, sky, skyline, skylines, southeast, state, sunshine, tour, touring, tourism, tourist, tours, town, towns, travel, travels, tropic, tropical, tropics, tuttle, urban, urbanization, urbanizes, urbanizing, usa, vacation, vacations, water, waterfronts, waterway, weather
- Contained in galleries

subset: commoncrawl


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Every December, trendsetters, astrologers, and clairvoyants test their credibility with a slew of prognostications – only some of which ever come true. Here at CNBC, we also like to show off our talent for predictions. Since we've got our finger on the pulse of the news and the global markets, our financial contributors are usually pretty smart about what the next year will bring.
We asked the CNBC Fab Five -- Maria Bartiromo, Jim Cramer, Larry Kudlow, Joe Kernen and Tyler Mathisen -- to ponder a few weighty financial questions and give us their wisdom. Below is our annual look-ahead to what we call The Big Picture.
Let us know if you agree – or if you don't – with their predictions for 2013.
1. What is the biggest threat to the U.S. economy next year and what has the greatest potential to boost business in 2013?


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Gumtree.com was started in March 2000 as a local online community notice board. The company has grown to cover over 70 cities across 8 countries, and is now the UK's biggest website for local community classifieds, including flat share, flat rentals and jobs — with more than 1 million live ads at any one time, and over 5.5 million visitors per month.
Their 'Growing' Challenge
From the beginning, Gumtree needed a database to power its operations that would be reliable, robust and affordable - but most of all: scalable. The company chose MySQL, and has never looked back. According to Phil Chambers, Gumtree's head of technology, "We've used MySQL from the very start and have matured right along with several versions of the product. Due to MySQL's open source foundation, it has a very low barrier to entry and it's been very easy to recruit people who understand it. It was very important for us to select a database that would grow with our needs. It's absolutely critical to us. Without it, we wouldn't have a business."
Their Scale-Out Solution
Gumtree employs ten replicated MySQL source/replica database servers to manage its transaction data, and to power all of the searches on its site. The company subscribes to the MySQL Enterprise offering to help guarantee their database application reliability and uptime. According to Chambers, the 24-hour technical support via MySQL Enterprise has been excellent, "They've never failed to come up with a solution to anything we've posed to them. It is MySQL's technical expertise and business insight into what it actually takes to support high-growth, high-volume businesses that really set them apart."


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The most beautiful tours
Those who love hiking will love the Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola. The Apartments are located amidst some splendid mountain landscape, hence, the perfect starting point for the most beautiful hiking tours. All you need to do is choose a tour, which exactly matches your requirements.
Alpe di Cisles
4-5 hours
From the Col Raiser cable car (2107 m) we take the path n. 4 that leads through a grove to the Refuge Firenze (2037 m) in 20 min. From here we take the path n.2 / 3 for the Puez and through a valley of pastures and a sparse hill of stone pine where usually many horses can be spot, we will arrive slightly uphill to the junction for the Sieles Pass. Here we take the trail 2B on the left and reach the grassy terrace of Plan Ciautier (2263 m) along the slopes of the Odle. From the trail are clearly visible the paths to the climb of Sass Rigais and Furcela de l'Ega. Continuing sideways slightly uphill we reach first Piera Longia, distinctive spike of very scenic rock and then the homonymous Malga (farm). Once passed the gate delimiting the Odle Puez park we descend towards Troier Hut (2271 m) and then along a bridle path in a few minutes we arrive at Daniel Hut (2196 m) for a deserved stop. To return, we continue to follow down the bridle path passing by the Fermeda Refuge, the Cuca Hut and Gamsblut Hut (1952m). From here we keep on going on a grassy descent to reach the saddle of Sangon Hut (1813 m). We pass in front of a small lake, on which surface the Odle is reflected, and going slightly uphill we get to the Juac Refugee (1903 m). Here we take the path n. 3 which going through a grassland brings us back to the hamlet of Daunei and then finally to the Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola.
San Giacomo church
4 hours
We start directly by the Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola and take the way to Plan da Tieja (St. Christina). From there we take the direction to Plesdinaz to reach the trail nr. 32. This trail we take until Col de Flam and the San Giacomo church. From that point we reach the Anna Valley. In the nice hut Anna Valley we take our lunch. After the break we go along the Anna Valley and reach Ortisei. From Ortisei we take the bus back to Selva (Hotel Oswald). From the Hotel Oswald we take the way back to the Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola.
To the Rifugio Stevia
5 hours
Medium - Short
From our Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola we reach the hamlet of Daunei. After the Pension Daniel, we follow the road first and then path n.3 going through hay meadows. After the gate, delimiting the entrance to the Puez-Odle Park, the path starts to climb through a sparse wood, and then through a waterlogged stretch up to reach the green meadows of Juac (1900 m, about 1:15 h from Selva). From there we take the path n. 17 that goes to the right side, crosses some clearing first and then goes up and down through some gravely gullies until reaches the edge of the larch forest. Here the trail starts to climb halfway up and then with steep bends rises up with the help of steps to the S. Sylvester Pass (2380 m) from which we can enjoy a beautiful panorama of the Val Gardena and the Vallunga canyon. From here we keep on following the trail n. 17 which bends left and brings in 15 min at Stevia Refugee (2312 m). Continuing on the grassy highland covered with edelweiss we can get to the top of Stevia (2555 m) in 30 min and then we return to the refuge for a well deserved break! We return back along the same path 17 and at the junction with the trail that comes from S. Sylvester Pass, we take the left path 17b, Troi Palota. We keep on going halfway down along the ridge, we cross over and start the descent on the green meadows of Steviola. The trail then begins to decline at bends along a gravely canyon up to a grassy floor and then descend steeply along other bends dominated by the rocks of Steviola, offering spectacular views on Selva and Val Gardena. The path finally enters into the forest to reach the hamlet of Daunei. The easy path n. 3 finally brings us back to the Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola.
To the Rifugio Vicenza
5-6 hours
Medium - Short
From the mountain station of the Ciampinoi cable car (2256 m) we take the path number 21 and go down to the grassy Sella de Tieja (2096 m), then we proceed uphill around the Piz Sella. At the intersection with the path that comes from the Comici Refugee we take a right down towards a small pond, at which we turn left to the path n. 526. The trail goes first through a band of debris under the breathtaking wall of the north face of Sassolungo, 1000 m high, then across a landslide area and finally arrives to the pass of the Col de Mesdì (2114 m), disseminated with trees and rocks, where we meet the path coming from Mont Seura. From here the trail (n. 526) becomes narrow and goes down a steep bend and then it surrounds the western base of the Sassolungo. Going then uphill the trail bends among gravel and debris scattered with sparse vegetation to reach the mouth of the Sassolungo valley from which we can see the destination of the hike, the Vicenza Refugee (2253 m) perched beneath the towers of Sassopiatto. On the way back we go down from the Vicenza Refugee through the deep Sassolungo valley along the trail or the service road up to the meadows of Plans de Cunfin until we reach the bridle road and we turn right in direction of Mount Pana (1637 m). From there a path leads into the forest to Ciaslat first, and then to the hamlet of La Selva, and finally back to the Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola.
To the Rifugio Puez in the Nature Park Puez-Odles
6 hours
Medium - Long
From the Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola we go to the Dantercepies cable car and from the top station (2305 m) we go halfway along a path which brings to Clark Hut (2222 m). From here we start to climb along the Alta Via n. 2 entering the Park Puez-Odle. The trail climbs between gravel, Mughi pines and boulders up to a pass. It then descends among pinnacles and climbs to a steep ramp up to the Cir Pass (2469 m, 0:45 h). We pass through the gate and descend obliquely in the upper Val de Chedùl, then with a steep climb we reach the Crespeina Pass, indicated by a Cross and dominated by Sass Ciampac. The path descends with broad bends on a grassy meadow from which the Crespeina Lake is visible on the left. We then again go uphill onto rocky slabs, we cross a ridge, descend to the plateau Crespeina and halfway up after a short distance we come to the Ciampac Pass (2366 m) which offers a spectacular view over the canyon that leads to Alta Badia, dominated by Sass Ciampei and Sassongher. The trail then proceeds between the rocks, crosses a plateau bordered by impressive slopes offering a magnificent sight on the Vallunga canyon, Selva and the Scilliar. After one last stretch halfway up we get to the Puez Refuge (2475 m) for a break. We then continue on the trail to the left, still on the Alta Via n. 2. The trail runs halfway up overhanging the rocky wall above the Vallunga canyon, to reach the grassy hollow of Alpe di Puez (Munt de Puez). Here at the junction we leave the Alta Via leading to the Firenze Refugee and begin to descend the left into a deep valley. Further down the trail enters a sparse wood, and continues to descend halfway down until the junction at the beginning of the green pastures of Prà Ri (1790 m). Then the path proceeds through the initial stretch of Vallunga among woods and meadows until reaches the car park (2:15 h total) , and finally back to the Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola.
Tour around the Sassolungo & Sassopiatto
6-7 hours
Medium - Long
From the station of the Ciampinoi cable car (2256 m) we take the path number 21 and go down to the grassy Sella de Tieja (2096 m), then continuing uphill around the Piz Sella to reach the Comici Refugee (2153 m) on the slopes of Sassolungo. Then we move on path 526/528 through the undulating meadows at the foot of the north-east wall (1800 m high) of the Sassolungo, rising vertically over the pastures. The path windes in the labyrinth of rocky boulders called "the city of stones" to reach the Sella Pass Refugee (2160 m). From behind the little church we follow sign n. 4 and take the famous Frederick Augustus trail that connects Passo Sella to the Alpe di Siusi, named after the King of Saxony, a lover of mountaineering and climbing, that in the years preceding the outbreak of World War I stayed several times in South Tyrol. We proceed past the Salei Refugee (2222 m) going up to the Forcella di Rodella (2318 m) via a wide grassland crossed by chairlifts. From here we proceed towards the west, passing near the Frederick Augustus Refugee and take a path that descends into a canyon of dark earth between rocks of tuff. Without large gradients the trail passes through the steep grassy slopes on the south side of Sassolungo, crossed by canals, and reaches the Sandro Pertini Refugee (2300 m, from Sella Pass 2 h). From here the trail continues between short rocky stretches toward the Sasso Piatto Refugee (2297 m, 1 h). We then follow the path to the Alpe di Siusi until the junction where we take the trail n. 527 to the Vicenza Refugee, which leads through a beautiful landscape. We proceed on a grassy plateau strewn with stone pine at the foot of the wild peaks of Sassopiatto and then across a scree until we get to the Vallone del Sassolungo. From the intersection with the path that leads to Vicenza Refugee we take the trail n. 526 that goes first halfway up under the wall of Sassolungo and then with 2 steep hairpin bends leads us to the Col de Mesdi. We keep on path n. 526 through a grassy plateau and then descend to the Plan de Sasslonch until the crossroads at which we take a left on the trail/road that descends in the Val d'Ampezzan reaching the farm Ciaslat. Here we cross the track, that in winter is the Ski World Cup downhill slope, to reach the hamlet of La Selva and following the path parallel to the road we return to the Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola.
Sella Cross
6 hours
We start from the Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola and go to the Oswald bus stop. From there on with the bus to the Passo Pordoi (ca. 35 min. by bus). At the Passo Pordoi we take the cable car to Sas Pordoi ( 2.926 meter) and have a breathtaking view of the Dolomites: Marmolada, Sassolungo, Sassopiatto, Monte Pelmo, Monte Antelao, Civetta. From here with the path number 627 we cross the Sella massive. In the middle of the cross we take a break at the Bamberger hut (Rif. Boe 2.871 Meter) and from there to the Piasciadu hut ( 2.585 Meter). A little break and than going up though Val Setus (in very few parts with rope). To the right in the direction of Passo Sella (2.221 Meter) and than with the chairlift to Dantercepies (2.298 Meter). A last unforgettable view of the whole Gardena Valley and with the cable car down to Selva. And from Selva back to the Apartments Residence – Wellnes Ariola.


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General settings of the AEM Forms app let you specify settings such as fetching attachments, offline mode, landing screen, default category, and autsave frequency.
When you synchronize your app with the AEM Forms server, all the forms and defined tasks are downloaded to your mobile device.
The out-of-the-box AEM Forms app solution does not download the attachments associated with each form when your app is synchronized.
In the General tab, change the download attachments, offline mode, landing screen, autosave, and synchronization settings. You can change the Home screen of your app.
Navigate to the General tab on the Settings screen
To go to the Setting screen, select the Menu button at the upper-left corner of the Home screen, and then Select Settings.
In the Settings screen, select the General tab.
General Settings screen
The options may display differently on different mobile devices.
You can make the following changes to the settings of your app.
Fetch task attachments: To specify whether or not to download the associated attachments when each task is downloaded to your app.
Offline mode: To enable or disable the offline service for AEM Forms app. See Working in the offline mode for details.
Landing screen: To set the start location (Home screen) for the app.
Available options:
Default category: Lets you select the category of forms to show in the home screen. When you select All, you can see the all the forms in the home screen. Categories are populated based on the forms loaded in the app. Forms are available in the app based on the form settings specified in the AEM Forms server.
Autosave Frequency: To set the frequency at which your mobile app saves form data locally.
Synchronization Frequency: To set the frequency at which your mobile app is synchronized with the AEM Forms server in the online mode.
Clear Local Data: Clear the database, including settings and local data for all users and file storage from the device.
Clearing the cache will immediately log you out of the app.
However, you will be prompted to confirm the clear cache operation.


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The president of the film academy says the two accountants responsible for the best-picture flub at Sunday's Academy Awards will never work the Oscars again. Cheryl Boone Isaacs said Wednesday that Brian Cullinan, the PwC representative responsible for handing over the errant envelope that led to La La Land mistakenly being announced as best picture rather than Moonlight, was distracted backstage. He tweeted (and later deleted) a photo of Emma Stone in the wings with her new Oscar minutes before giving presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway the wrong envelope for best picture. Cullinan and his colleague, Martha Ruiz, have been permanently removed from all film academy dealings, Boone Isaacs said.
The academy president broke her silence four days after the biggest blunder in the 89-year history of the Academy Awards. She told The Associated Press that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' relationship with PwC, which has been responsible for tallying and revealing Oscar winners for 83 years, remains under review. PwC released a statement late Sunday and another Monday taking "full responsibility for the series of mistakes and breaches of established protocols" during the Oscar show. The company did not immediately respond to email and phone messages sent Wednesday. Though the academy released a statement late Monday apologizing to the artists of Moonlight and La La Land, Boone Isaacs said she waited to say more until her team had a better understanding of what led to the error. She praised presenters Beatty and Dunaway, and host Jimmy Kimmel for gracefully taking charge of the situation. She also lauded La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz, whom she said "went from a nominee to a winner to a presenter in a matter of minutes." Horowitz, still holding the Oscar he thought he'd won, was the first to announce that Moonlight was the actual winner. Boone Isaacs lamented that "the last 90 seconds" of the telecast have overshadowed what she described as "the most brilliant and wonderful show." Also on Wednesday, the academy addressed another embarrassment on Sunday's show, apologizing to the Australian movie producer it incorrectly displayed during the in memoriam segment. In a statement, the academy extended "our deepest apologies" to producer Jan Chapman, whose photo was mistakenly used in the tribute instead of Chapman's colleague and friend, the late Janet Patterson. Chapman had said she was "devastated" by the error.
Topics Oscars


text: Ha! :-) I've put a few GigE systems in the Top100, and if the stars align you'll see a Top20 GigE system in next weeks list. That's ONE GigE to each node oversubscribed 4:1. Sadly no flashing lights, and since its 100% water cooled with low velocity fans, there is almost no noise. On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 10:23 AM, John Hearns <hearnsj at googlemail.com>wrote: > > > 2009/6/16 Egan Ford <egan at sense.net> > >> I have no idea the state of VMs on IB. That can be an issue with MPI. >> Believe it or not, but most HPC sites do not use MPI. They are all batch >> systems where storage I/O is the bottleneck. > > > Burn the Witch! Burn the Witch! > > Any HPC installation, if you want to show it off to alumni, august > committees from grant awarding bodies etc. and not get sand kicked in your > face from the big boys in the Top 500 NEEDS an expensive infrastructure of > various MPI libraries. Big, big switches with lots of flashing lights. > Highly paid, pampered systems admins who must be treated like expensive > racehorses, and not exercised too much every day. They need cool beers on > tap and luxurious offices to relax in while they prepare to do that vital > half hours work per day which keeps your Supercomputer flashing away and > making noises. > > > _______________________________________________ > Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org sponsored by Penguin Computing > To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit > http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://www.beowulf.org/pipermail/beowulf/attachments/20090616/fa6d9a64/attachment.html>


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Feb 28, 2011 | |
Gene packed nanoparticle causes breast cancer cells to self-destruct |
(Nanowerk News) Scientists at Queen's have shown that they can deliver a gene directly into breast cancer cells causing them to self-destruct, using an innovative, miniscule gene transport system, according to research published today (28 February) in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics. | |
Using a transport system called a Designer Biomimetic Vector (DBV), Dr Helen McCarthy, from Queen's School of Pharmacy, funded by Breast Cancer Campaign, packaged a gene into a nanoparticle 400 times smaller than the width of a human hair, allowing it to be delivered straight into breast cancer cells in the laboratory. | |
The gene called iNOS, is targeted specifically to breast cancer cells using the DBV where it forces the cells to produce poisonous nitric oxide; either killing the cells outright or making them more vulnerable to being destroyed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As this approach leaves normal healthy breast cells unaffected, this would overcome many of the toxic side effects of current treatments. | |
Further investigation is needed but it could be trialled in patients in as little as five years. Dr McCarthy's next step is to turn the nanoparticles into a dried powder that could be easily transported and reconstituted before being given to patients. | |
Dr McCarthy said: "A major stumbling block to using gene therapy in the past has been the lack of an effective delivery system. Combining the Designer Biomimetic Vector with the iNOS gene has proved successful in killing breast cancer cells in the laboratory. In the long term, I see this being used to treat people with metastatic breast cancer that has spread to the bones, ideally administered before radiotherapy and chemotherapy. | |
Dr Lisa Wilde, Research Information Senior Manager, Breast Cancer Campaign said: "Gene therapy could potentially be an exciting avenue for treating breast cancer. Although at an early stage, Dr McCarthy's laboratory research shows that this system for delivering toxic genes to tumour cells holds great promise and we look forward to seeing how it is translated into patients." |
Source: Queen's University Belfast |


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Just days after getting arrested for head-butting his new bride and losing his job,word on the street is that Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson has allegedly been creeping with a woman he met while playing for the New England Patriots.
Get "The Rickey Smiley Morning Show" Highlights Delivered Daily!
Beverly Shiner, 30, let the cat out of the bag to RadarOnline.com that she dated Johnson from January until May this year, during which time Evelyn was busy making wedding plans – and the woman claimed dirty dog Chad didn't even try to hide his sneaky ways.
After first making contact by following him on Twitter, Shiner claims that 34-year-old Chad sent a personal message to her with his number inviting her out for dinner.
"I Googled him before we met and saw he was engaged, but at the time there were reports that she had broken it off because she thought he was cheating, so I assumed they had split up," she told Radar.
But when she got over to his Foxborough, Massachusetts, home she found women's toiletries in the bathroom and realized they were clearly still very much a couple.
"While I was there he called Evelyn and asked if she could order a pizza to be delivered for him, and even had her pay for it on her credit card," Shiner told Radar. "I thought it was odd and wondered if she was really his fiancee or just a secretary."
Mother-of-two Shiner revealed that despite her initial suspicions she still slept with Chad that fateful night in January, and alleges she went on to have a relationship that lasted over three months.
"When he was at the Super Bowl (on February 5) in Indianapolis, he was texting me and saying he was missed me," she confessed, even though Evelyn was at the big game with him along with his children.
After the Patriots lost to the New York Giants and Chad's season — and ultimately his career with the team — was over, he went back to Miami to live with Lozada, and even though Beverly didn't see him for another month, she claims he continued to text and say how much he wanted to be with her.
"We would get together when he was in back up in Boston," she said, explaining how she would follow social media fanatic Evelyn on Twitter to find out when she was in and out of town.
"She eventually blocked me after she read a reply I tweeted to (Basketball Wives costar) Kenya Bell after they had had fight over kitten heels, I said Evelyn was trashy and I couldn't believe 'he was marrying that.'"
The affair finally came to a head in the beginning of May, Shiner claims, when after spending a passionate night together, Beverly was heading back over and he didn't reply to her texts or calls.
"He had asked me to come over so I drove there and knocked on his door and he didn't answer even though I could hear his X Box playing. Then I texted him the next day and he didn't apologize," she told Radar.
"I got upset and told him, 'You are not the guy I thought you were,' to which he replied that he had been sleeping and warned me, 'You're overstepping your boundaries a little bit. I'm not your man, keep your comments to yourself.'"
This entire story sounds like a reality show, this cannot be real life!
Keep Up With Rickey Smiley … LIKE Him On Facebook!
VH1 Pulls "Ev & Ocho" Show After Domestic Violence Debacle
Too Soon? Eric Williams Goes In On Evelyn Lozada On Twitter
Check Out This Haute Evelyn Lozada Gallery!
Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson Allegedly Cheated On Evelyn Lozada Before Wedding was originally published on hellobeautiful.com


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Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic, which means the drug alters the sight and sound perceptions. It also generates a feeling of detachment or disassociation forms the environment. It also blocks painful sensation to the brain. Doctors commonly use the drug before surgery or certain medical procedures.
The drug comes in liquid or powdered form and users sometimes snort, smoke or injects the drug. The US government placed the drug under controlled substances in 1999. Ketamine has a reputation of being a 'date-rape' drug. Because the drug produces dreamlike state and users find it difficult to recall memories. In severe cases, users who abused the drug at high doses experience "K-Hole" or near death experience.
Quick Facts about Ketamine:
- The US military used Ketamine as anesthetic during the Vietnam War
- Ketamine is commonly used as anesthetic medicine in veterinary.
- Since Ketamine is an odorless and colorless drug, it is often used as a date rape drug.
- The drug is so powerful that the use is consigned to animals.
- In a report of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1.5% of 12th graders used ketamine in 2014.
- According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services or SAMHSA, 41,000 people ages between 12 to 17 years of age reported using ketamine at some point during their lifetime in 2013.
History of Ketamine
Calvin Stevens, an American scientist first synthesized ketamine in 1962 at the Parke-Davis Laboratories. Ketamine was initially named CI-581 and derived from PCP. Experts considered these drugs as hallucinogens and more potent than other hallucinogen drug categories.
Why was the Ketamine made?
The purpose of ketamine is to replace another anesthetic, PCP. The drug can cause long lasting and intense hallucinogenic effects. Also, it produces psychotic symptoms like deliriums, delusions, and psychosis.
Why is Ketamine abused?
Accessibility makes ketamine prone to abuse. Users can easily steal ketamine from veterinary clinics or get from black markets. The drug can also obtain in Mexico and those who want to get the drug can just cross the border.
What are the signs and symptoms of Ketamine addiction?
Ketamine has a short-acting drug and blocks pain. Users may find it difficult to react to a painful situation while they are under the influence. It also makes their movement appear exaggerated because the movements are slower than normal. Users may slur while talking and confused. Signs and symptoms of ketamine abuse are similar to alcohol abuse.
Signs and symptoms of ketamine abuse include:
- Depression
- Reduced ability to think or learn
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of memory
- Disorientation/ Confused
- Feelings of detachment/dissociation
- Hallucinations
- Slowed or difficult breathing
- Mood changes
What are the side effects of Ketamine?
Short-Term Effects of Ketamine
Ketamine produces a sudden high that usually lasts for an hour. Users may experience the feeling of relaxation floating sensation and hallucinations.
Short-term Effects of Ketamine includes:
- Drowsiness
- Increased heart rate
- Elevated blood pressure
- Double vision
- dream-like state
- flushing or redness of the skin
- loss of appetite
- nausea
- pain at the injection area
- seeing double visions
- uncontrolled eye movements
- unusually warm skin
- vomiting
- weight loss
Long-Term Effects of Ketamine
It is difficult to discern the long-term effects of ketamine since it is often mixed with other drugs. However, here are the common effects of ketamine to the human body.
- As an anesthetic, it reduces even eliminates pain this can lead to more injuries as the user does not react to the pain.
- Severe abdominal pain
- kidney problems (prolonged heavy ketamine use can result in the thickening of the bladders thus preventing urine from passing through)
- mental disorders
- ulcerative cystitis
What are the treatments available for Ketamine addiction?
Ketamine treatment includes a program which helps the user to get rid of drug dependence via detoxification. This process will remove all traces of ketamine in the body. However, the user may experience withdrawal symptoms. The withdrawal symptoms of ketamine are not as uncomfortable compare to other drugs. The main point of the treatment aims to keep the user having a relapse and stay off ketamine.
Ketamine withdrawal symptoms include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Dilated pupils
- Chills
- Cravings
- Involuntary eye movements
- Tiredness
- Nightmares
- Sweating
- Stiff muscles
Under a medical care, these symptoms are likely to cause any harm to the user. An inpatient rehab is always recommended to ensure the safety and care of the user. However, depending on the user's condition, outpatient rehabilitation can also help them recovery from addiction.
Therapists can monitor and assess the user while attending activities and therapy sessions. Counseling and psychotherapy can help the user identify the source of the addiction. Also, counseling can assist the user deal with their daily stressors and help with the relapse.
Ketamine Withdrawal Timeline | |
1 to 3 days | Users may experience intense withdrawal symptoms just after 24 hours from the last intake of ketamine. Symptoms of fatigue, shaking, insomnia, depression, hallucinations, rage, double visions and hearing loss may occur during this time. |
4 to 14 days | For two weeks, withdrawal symptoms may continue but will begin to subside after 14 days mark. |
15 days and beyond | In this window, the physical symptoms start to disappear. However, the psychological issues will still persist like depression and anxiety. |
The most important part of the treatment is sustained recovery. This is the hardest stage of the treatment. Users often times can still get intense cravings of ketamine and can go back to using the drug. But with the right support and skills absorbed in treatment, users can fully regain their lives back.


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ELDER, WILLIAM, Baptist and Anglican clergyman and author; b. 15 Dec. 1784 in Falmouth, N.S., the second of eleven children of Matthew Elder and Rebecca Jenkins; m., probably between 1811 and 1813 in Chester, N.S., Elizabeth Fraile, and they had seven children; d. 10 Nov. 1848 in Sydney Mines, N.S.
The 19th century witnessed an astonishing religious controversy centred on the proper mode of baptism, and nowhere was this controversy more venomous and vituperative than in Nova Scotia. Scores of books and pamphlets were issued and, as Methodist historian Thomas Watson Smith stated it, "many pens, wielded by men of no mean skill, were worn out in the contest." The genesis of the Nova Scotian debate is to be found in William Elder's 1823 pamphlet Infant sprinkling, weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, and found wanting. Although treatises on the subject had appeared in Nova Scotia as early as 1811, Elder's was the first work published to refute another author, and it sparked an outpouring of the printed word that filled the religious press of the Maritime provinces for the next half-century.
Elder's father, a Presbyterian from County Donegal (Republic of Ireland), immigrated to Nova Scotia some time before 1780 and became a prosperous farmer in Falmouth. The family achieved considerable prominence in the next two generations. William's brother John was a magistrate and later sat in the House of Assembly; a sister was the mother of David Allison, second president of Mount Allison Wesleyan College; a nephew, another William, became professor of natural sciences at Acadia University. Writing in 1841, Elder noted that his "early years were not spent in academic groves," and he augmented his local schooling with disciplined reading and study. Certainly his publications demonstrate a profound knowledge of the writings of both classical and modern theologians.
As a young man Elder left home for Halifax, where he obtained an important position at the dockyard and began attending services at the Baptist church of the Reverend John Burton. He was deeply influenced by Burton and, under the latter's guidance, became a Baptist licentiate. The Baptists had continued to grow in number since 1800, when Anglican bishop Charles Inglis* had noted "a great rage for dipping" in the province. The expansion was spearheaded by a group of remarkable preachers who made up in fervour and conviction what they lacked in formal education; among these men were Joseph Dimock, Harris Harding*, and Edward Manning*. On 4 Jan. 1820, Elder became one of them. Before an immense audience gathered at Dimock's church in Chester, he was "set apart." The Reverend David Nutter preached the ordination sermon which lasted for over three and a half hours. According to Ingraham Ebenezer Bill*, "the stillness of death reigned in the solemn assembly, and no one complained that the discourse was too long."
Embarking immediately on evangelistic work, in 1821 Elder settled in Granville and began ministering to a church of 12 members. He was active in the Nova Scotia Baptist Association, serving as clerk and four times as moderator. Elder was diligent in touring the back settlements and his name figures prominently in the ordination of ministers and the founding of new churches. By 1823 he had moved from Granville to a new settlement soon to be named Bridgetown [see John Crosskill*], and was augmenting his meagre income from the church by making axes and horseshoeing. In 1828 he participated in the founding of the Nova Scotia Baptist Education Society, of which he became a director; this organization was the genesis of Horton Academy and eventually of Acadia University. In 1833 Elder and the Reverend Richard W. Cunningham made an extensive missionary tour of Cape Breton, an account of which was published in the Baptist Missionary Magazine of Nova-Scotia and New-Brunswick. It was the last labour of his ministry in the Baptist faith.
Elder's 1823 pamphlet was written in response to the appearance in 1822 of a work by the Reverend George Jackson, a Methodist, whose purpose was to substantiate the legitimacy of infant baptism by sprinkling. Elder's refutation was gentle and respectfully worded and in turn was skilfully rebutted by Jackson, the Presbyterian minister Duncan Ross*, and others. Now began a period of intense mental agony for Elder, culminating in 1834 with a second pamphlet and the reversal of his views – the only case on record where the great debate actually succeeded in changing someone's mind. Elder's Reasons for relinquishing the principles of adult baptism pleaded that his church be tolerant and recognize the legitimacy of other points of view. Baptist reaction was immediate. A council of elders convened in the same year expelled him from all Baptist fellowship in spite of his moving exposition to them. The deluge of print now began in earnest, led by Edmund Albern Crawley*'s lengthy attack and the scurrilous pro-Elder response by Thomas Taylor.
Meanwhile, Elder, after taking charge for a year of the Congregational Church at Liverpool, was ordained deacon in the Church of England and was appointed the first rector of Trinity Church, Sydney Mines, in 1841. His reasons for embracing the established church were set out in a pamphlet published that year. Elder was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John Inglis on 23 July 1843 at Sydney. A tribute to Elder by his son Samuel, written in 1848, paints a revealing portrait of Elder's ministry at Sydney Mines. Samuel, himself a Baptist clergyman, wrote on his first visit home in seven years: "On Sabbath morning last, I attended service in the little church, my father officiating. There was a queerness of feeling in looking at my venerable parent in his priestly robes, and somehow they did not seem to suit him. The Episcopalian character appeared on the surface but Dissent still looks through. . . . I can never see anything in my father but a Baptist minister – a bishop of Paul's liking."
Elder died suddenly on 10 Nov. 1848. The great controversy over baptism continued for many more years. Elder stands apart from others engaged in it because of his tolerance in an age of dogmatism and his ability to compromise in the face of overwhelming sectarian inflexibility.
In addition to his writings in the minutes of the N.S. Baptist Assoc. and in church magazines, William Elder is the author of Infant sprinkling, weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, and found wanting, in five letters, addressed to the Rev. George Jackson . . . (Halifax, 1823), Reasons for relinquishing the principles of adult baptism, and embracing those of infant baptism . . . (Halifax, 1834), and The claims of the established Church of England to the favorable consideration and affectionate support of British Christians . . . (Halifax, 1841).
Of the 13 books and pamphlets dealing with Elder's theology published between 1823 and 1845, the most important are the following: Alexander Crawford, Believer immersion, as opposed to unbeliever sprinkling; in two essays . . . to which are added three letters to Mr. Ross of Pictou, containing strictures on his first letter to Mr. Elder of Annapolis (Charlottetown, 1827); E. A. Crawley, A treatise on baptism, as appointed by our Lord Jesus Christ . . . containing a reply, to Mr. Elder's letters on infant baptism, and a solemn appeal, in favor of a spiritual church (Halifax, 1835); George Jackson, A further attempt to substantiate the legitimacy of infant baptism and of sprinkling, as a mode of administering that ordinance, in a series of letters addressed to the Rev. William Elder . . . (Halifax, [1823]); Matthew Richey, A short and scriptural method with Antipedobaptists; containing strictures on the Rev. E. A. Crawley's treatise on baptism, in reply to the Rev. W. Elder's letters on that subject (Halifax, 1835); James Robertson, A treatise on infant baptism . . . (Halifax, 1836); Duncan Ross, Baptism considered in its subjects and mode: in three letters, to the Reverend William Elder . . . (Pictou, N.S., 1825); and Thomas Taylor, The Baptist commentator reviewed; two letters to the Rev. William Jackson, on Christian baptism . . . (Halifax, 1835).
Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown Branch (Bridgetown, N.S.), "Book of Bridgetown pictures," comp. E. R. Coward (ms photo albums, 4v., plus scrapbook, 1958), 1: 22–23. Atlantic Baptist Hist. Coll., Acadia Univ. (Wolfville, N.S.), Samuel Elder, diary. PANS, MG 100, 138, no.9 (typescript). Baptist Missionary Magazine of Nova-Scotia and New-Brunswick (Saint John; Halifax), 1 (1827–29): 256, 380; new ser., 1 (1834): 73, 126. Joseph Dimock, The diary and related writings of the Reverend Joseph Dimock (1768–1846), ed. G. E. Levy (Hantsport, N.S., 1979). [John Inglis], A journal of visitation in Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, and along the eastern shore of New Brunswick, by the lord bishop of Nova Scotia, in the summer and autumn of 1843 (3rd ed., London, 1846), 32–35. George Jackson, An humble attempt to substantiate the legitimacy of infant baptism, and of sprinkling, as a scriptural mode of administering that ordinance . . . (Halifax, 1822). N.B. and N.S. Baptist Assoc., Minutes (Saint John), 1820–21. N.S. Baptist Assoc., Minutes (Halifax), 1822–35. Morning Courier: Parliamentary Reporter and Literary Gazette (Halifax), 14 Nov. 1848. J. V. Duncanson, Falmouth – a New England township in Nova Scotia, 1760–1965 (Windsor, Ont., 1965; repr. with supp., Belleville, Ont., 1983). Bill, Fifty years with Baptist ministers. A. W. H. Eaton, The history of Kings County, Nova Scotia . . . (Salem, Mass., 1910; repr. Belleville, 1972). E. E. Jackson, Windows on the past, North Sydney, Nova Scotia (Windsor, N.S., 1974), 95. G. E. Levy, Baptists of Maritime prov.; With the pioneer Baptists in Nova Scotia; a sketch of the life of David Nutter (Wolfville, 1929), 55. Elizabeth Ruggles Coward, Bridgetown, Nova Scotia: its history to 1900 ([Bridgetown, 1955]), 69–70. Saunders, Hist. of Baptists. Smith, Hist. of Methodist Church, vol.2.
© 1988–2024 University of Toronto/Université Laval
Cite This Article
Franklyn H. Hicks, "ELDER, WILLIAM (1784-1848)," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed February 22, 2024, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/elder_william_1784_1848_7E.html.
The citation above shows the format for footnotes and endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used in other citation formats:
Permalink: | http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/elder_william_1784_1848_7E.html |
Author of Article: | Franklyn H. Hicks |
Title of Article: | ELDER, WILLIAM (1784-1848) |
Publication Name: | Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7 |
Publisher: | University of Toronto/Université Laval |
Year of publication: | 1988 |
Year of revision: | 1988 |
Access Date: | February 22, 2024 |


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The stakes couldn't be any higher: a case of life and death for one man fighting his health insurance company. And this story may make you angry.
We always hear horror stories about health insurance companies denying claims. But some experts say this case could take the cake.
You're about to meet a man who is dying. There's a drug that could literally save his life, but he's been battling his insurance company for more than a year to get it. And there's a new twist in this case that no one saw coming.
Know a scam? Been ripped off? Click here to email Rossen Reports
Kevin Dwyer can't breathe. He can't even sleep without choking. His condition is so serious, his new wife, Katie, has to help clear his lungs every day.
"What are you afraid of?" we asked her.
"Of him dying," she said.
"I didn't think it would come to this, this fast.," Kevin told us. "It's come down to fighting for my life."
Kevin has cystic fibrosis: a deadly disease clogging the lungs, causing dangerous infections, even internal bleeding. The average lifespan of a patient is 37 years old. Kevin is now 40.
"I'm suffocating to death very, very slowly," he explained.
"Because your airways are closing,"
"And it's getting worse, rapidly," Kevin said.
So why is his sister Martha, who has the exact same disease, doing so well? Her lung function is stable, even improving. "I feel able to hope for the future in a way that I never could before," she said. "It's everything."
And she credits a little pill for all of it: A new drug called Kalydeco that is actually slowing the disease in some patients and, ideally, extending their lives.
But it's expensive: $25,000 a month. So Kevin and Martha, brother and sister, asked their insurance to cover it.
They have the same insurance company: United Healthcare. They have the same mutation of cystic fibrosis. They see the same doctor, who wrote the same letter to United: that both will likely "benefit from treatment with Kalydeco." But in a stunning twist, Martha was approved and Kevin was denied.
"It crushed me," Kevin told us. "I mean, I, I was devastated, I was baffled. "
"Have you said to the reviewing company, 'You already approved my sister. What do you mean you're denying me?'" we asked.
"That was part of my appeal, I sent in a copy of my sister's review," Kevin explained. "I let them know. I said, 'You've already approved this. We sent in the exact same information. Here's the information again.'"
"What was the response?"
"Denied," Kevin said.
In fact, Kevin was denied four times. The company's reason: Kalydeco is not FDA-approved for his mutation. But remember, Martha has the same mutation, and she got approved, her reviewer saying the drug is "medically necessary" while Kevin's reviewer said: "Not medically necessary."
Healthcare advocates like Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health inititatives, Community Service Society of New York, say the system is broken. "It's too random," she told us."It can't be like Russian roulette."
"So what needs to happen here?" we asked.
"There needs to be more transparency, more accountability," Benjamin said."It shouldn't be luck of the draw."
And now time may be running out. Two years ago, Kevin was a model of fitness. Today he can barely make it up a flight of stairs.
"I want to live to the end with him," Kevin's wife Katie said. "And I certainly don't want him to leave me."
"If I don't get this medication, I don't know what other options I would have," Kevin said. "It is completely life and death."
We contacted United Healthcare for comment on our story: Why were they denying his claim? And we got action. United Healthcare did a complete reversal and has now approved Kevin's claim, due to the "unique circumstances" of his case. So he's finally getting the drug.
"I'm ecstatic obviously, and (there is) a big sense of relief,'' Kevin said in a live appearance on TODAY Tuesday. "This was a long, stressful battle."
When Kevin received the life-changing phone call that his claim was approved, he reflected on all those who helped push for it to happen.
"There was a moment after I hung up where I sat stunned in silence and then I just cried,'' he said. "All these emotions, joy, relief came out. This was a big effort."
"When we received the call that Kevin was going to be getting this drug, many of the fears that I had for our future were lifted a great deal,'' Katie said on TODAY. "I feel as though now we can really start getting excited about our future."
The couple appeared on TODAY along with Kevin's sister, Martha, who knows the beneficial effects of the drug after having taken it herself.
"It took so much work,'' Martha said. "We did so much research before we even submitted the first claim, and we knew that his drug would help us especially when I got the drug and started taking it and knew how much better I felt. Kevin just had to keep fighting."
Kevin said he expects to start taking Kalydeco starting on Wednesday.
"In two weeks, I had noticeable improvement in my lung function, but within days Kevin will feel a difference in the way he can clear his lungs and the energy he has,'' Martha said. "He's going to feel it right away."
Statement from United Healthcare:
"We cover gene therapy where it is FDA approved or where an independent expert deems it medically necessary, as we did for Ms. Weber. Although two independent medical experts in Mr. Dwyer's case agreed with FDA guidelines that Kalydeco gene therapy is only proven effective for a gene mutation that Mr. Dwyer does not have, we will support his request due to the unique circumstances. Gene therapy is a complex and fast evolving field, and we base decisions on medical facts while maintaining a sense of compassion."
Statement from MCMC, the independent medical appeals company that granted Martha the drug but denied Kevin:
"MCMC provides independent reviews of medical claims. These reviews are conducted by highly qualified and board-certified physicians and address a variety of issues including the medical necessity of the treatment in question. In conducting these reviews, the physicians use peer reviewed literature and prepare a clinical assessment of the patient's medical record. With respect to medical necessity reviews, the reviews conducted as part of the process established by the State of New York Department of Financial Services ("NYDFS") entail the use of a broader definition for what is considered "medically necessary" versus reviews conducted for some health plans. In medical necessity reviews conducted on behalf of health plans, the reviewer typically considers issues such as the health plan language and whether or not the treatment is FDA approved. MCMC does not disclose confidential information regarding individual claims reviews. However, the two cases in question were reviewed under different protocols (NYDFS review in one instance, Health Plan review in the other) for two patients with the same disease, but with different case histories. Those factors, along with the fact that the FDA did not approve of the treatment/drug in question for their specific disease, resulted in different outcomes in these two cases."
Many states have consumer assistance programs that can help you file health insurance appeals (free of charge) , and fight health insurance denials. For more info, click here.
Do you have an idea for an upcoming Rossen Report? Email us by clicking here.


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Why join the AFCA? Best of all, let others know you are a member every time you post on the forums! Get rid of that pesky "non-member" flag by your name! Gain access to the various "Members-Only" areas of the website. Browse the full images in the galleries, and view the entire "Info Section". Receive complete information on regional fan meets, which are hosted by members around the country throughout the year. See demonstrations on restoring fans. Sell or trade your extra fans. Get assistance in fixing your fans. Make friends who share your interest in fans (some have been fascinated with fans since childhood). Fan Fair is open only to members. We have a great annual convention, which moves to different parts of the country every year. It has auctions, seminars on restoring fans and the history of fan manufacturers, a bourse (swap meet), how-to demonstrations, tours of local fan collections, museums or fan factories, and a lot of time spent with friends who don't think you're crazy just because you collect fans. "The Fan Collector" magazine is sent only to members. It has terrific color photos and articles about fans, manufacturers, and collectors who will turn into friends. (Well worth the membership dues alone!) Also note that by joining the AFCA you will have full access to the forum. You will be able to interact by replying to other threads plus gain access to the members only forum. In 2020 dues are $50 per year if you live in North America. If you're under 18 and live in North America, you can join for only $25 per year. Memberships for those outside North America are $75 per year. By the way, a membership makes a wonderful gift. Start dropping hints! Receive a membership directory that lists contact info for all of the members and also their "other interests." You may find someone who shares another hobby with you. Receive a New Member Packet that, among many other items, includes an archives order form. You can order reprints of old technical articles, line drawings, and ads pertaining to fans in your collection. Back issues of "The Fan Collector" from previous years are also available for purchase. Receive info compiled from membership surveys about various fans (serial numbers, dates of production, rarity, etc.) We run on a calendar year (January-December). You can join anytime and receive all of the year's magazines. Everyone is up for renewal each January. Ok, Let's do it! Just write a check or money order in the appropriate amount, payable to AFCA, and send it in with the membership form from the website. http://www.fancollectors.org/howtojoin.htm |
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Worldview: All eyes are on the U.S. – by Trudy Rubin
The Obama administration's policy on Syria is a strategic disaster that undercuts its entire foreign policy from the Middle East to Asia. If you think I'm exaggerating, read on.
Bashar al-Assad – whose exit President Obama has demanded for more than a year – is poised to crush the Syrian rebellion, using money, weapons, and manpower provided by Russia, Iran, and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah. Washington claims to support moderate rebel fighters, but so far it has delivered only food rations and medical kits – no help against Assad's missiles and bombs.
After months of debate, White House officials finally announced last week that they will send military aid to the rebels (supposedly because Assad used chemical weapons). But the announcement only made the administration look feckless: The aid will include small arms and ammo, but not the heavy weapons required to stall Assad.
Antiaircraft weapons, crucial for holding off Assad's air assaults, aren't even being considered. This plan is too little, too late.
Meanwhile, the White House « strategy » for Syria – based on the hope that Moscow would push Assad to relinquish power at peace talks in Geneva – has collapsed. Why would Assad (or Russian leader Vladimir Putin) bend when victory is in sight?
Obama doesn't seem to grasp that Syria has become a strategic contest that the whole world is watching – one that involves core U.S. security interests. The president's indecision on Syria has signaled to Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah (not to mention China and the Taliban) that they can ignore Obama's tough talk. It has also strained relations with Arab allies who fear Iran and want to see its hold on Syria broken.
Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.), who has long been out front on Syria, spoke last week with Gen. Salim Idris, the military leader of the Syrian opposition, who urged America to send antitank and antiaircraft weapons to prevent rebel strongholds from falling.
« If the U.S. is not prepared to provide more robust assistance, » Casey said, « I fear that the moderate opposition forces will be defeated. » That would embolden Iran and Hezbollah to act more aggressively throughout the region, undercutting core U.S. security interests and threatening Israel. « The time for U.S. action is overdue, » Casey insisted, rightly. « Assad must go, but this will not happen without decisive leadership from the United States. »
Yet, two years and 93,000 Syrian deaths later, Obama's advisers still dither, treating the conflict as a local matter, not a wider strategic threat. No doubt the options are daunting, and, at this late date, the chances slimmer than ever for a stable Syria. But the administration's reluctance is based on refutable myths.
Myth One: The lesson of Iraq is that we shouldn't get involved in another Mideast conflict.
Reality: The cases are critically different. We invaded and occupied Iraq. In Syria, no one is calling for boots on the ground. The opposition is fractured, but includes militias headed by former army officers or moderate Muslim civilians. The CIA spent a year vetting rebel commanders and had identified several responsible ones by last fall. But Obama rejected proposals from David Petraeus and Hillary Clinton to arm them.
Myth Two: Arming rebels would undercut peace prospects.
Reality: The only hope for serious peace talks lies in convincing Assad and his backers in Moscow that he might lose.
Myth Three: If we send arms to the rebels, they may fall into al-Qaeda's hands.
Reality: Jihadi groups linked to al-Qaeda already have plenty of weapons, provided by wealthy Gulf Arabs. It's the more moderate commanders who are short of weapons. Indeed, U.S. policy has undercut the moderates and enabled jihadis to become the most prominent rebels, even though their numbers are relatively small.
Myth Four: It's time to let someone else do it.
Reality: Outsourcing the arming of rebels to Qatar and Saudi Arabia led to the results we most feared. Lacking strong U.S. oversight, the Gulf states armed their favorite militias, often hard-line Islamists. They also ignored U.S. pleas to unify the militias into a coherent force. Meanwhile, the Europeans and Turks remain reluctant to help unless Obama takes the lead.
Myth Five: Arming the rebels will fuel a sectarian war between Shiites and Sunnis.
Reality: Helped by Iran and Hezbollah, Assad is provoking sectarian slaughter to convince Syrians that they need a dictator. The longer this war goes on, the greater the bloodshed. It has already spread beyond Syria's borders, with dangerous implications for the entire Middle East.
Myth Six: We can afford to stay uninvolved and let the Syrians sort it out themselves.
Reality: Syria has already become a proxy war, with Iran and Moscow testing Obama's willingness to defend U.S. interests. A swift delivery of antiaircraft and antitank weapons to vetted rebel commanders would make Assad's allies think twice about the dangerous game they are playing. And it would counter the growing global perception that Obama has abandoned America's historic leadership role.
E-mail Trudy Rubin at firstname.lastname@example.com. Read her blog at www.inquirer.com/worldview.


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An overlooked aspect of systemic racism is how it hampers the ability of the Black entrepreneur to obtain funding to support their business dreams.
Every entrepreneur needs supportive conditions to flourish. One of the pillars of the proverbial American Dream is the opportunity to leverage the entrepreneurial spirit, energy, and infrastructural support uniquely provided by the United States to make a better life for oneself.
Unfortunately, the cancer of racial bias and its attendant manifestations entrenched through the alarming levels of income inequality and racial disparity of shared prosperity has metastasized into investment and funding ecosystems.
Paradise Lost
"Credit disparities are where past injustices lead to present disparities," says Mehrsa Baradaran, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine.
However, despite institutional shackles to business growth, minority owners do more than enough to pull their weight.
The Center for Global Policy Solutions, a think tank, and advocacy group report that in the throes of the Great Recession and its aftermath (between 2007 and 2012), minority-owned small businesses added 1.3 million jobs to the U.S. economy.
Forbes reports that almost within this same period and beyond (2007 and 2017), minority-owned small businesses experienced growth at a rate 10 times faster (79%) than the general growth rate for U.S. small businesses, reaching 11.1 million.
Yet, Black entrepreneurs seem to constantly have their back against the wall. In Silicon Valley and beyond, they receive less than 1% of venture capital, according to estimates from Harvard Business Review.
But it isn't only Black entrepreneurs that suffer. These discriminatory financial practices are costing the US economy as much as 9 million in missing jobs and $300 billion in lost national income.
Negative bias
Racial bias in both lending and equity is the most overriding factor responsible for Black entrepreneurs' struggles to obtain business funding.
According to Forbes, structural racism and power imbalance is fuelling discriminatory financial practices and crippling the growth efforts, especially during early-stage financing. Venture capital (VC) financing startup ecosystems are heavily biased toward startups operated by white males.
Part of the problem is a glaring lack of representation: an anemic less than 1% of US venture capital-backed firms are Black, and their proportion in decision-making roles within Venture Capital companies is equally appalling. Until recently, data from credible digital surveys haven't included the race of the respondents, making it tough to get a clear picture of interracial skills gaps in different industries.
Despite how dismal the current situation might appear, there should probably be a special section dedicated to gender bias against African American women because they bear the worst brunt of lending discrimination.
According to digitalundivided's Project Diane, an organization that provides insights into the state of Black women founders, an infinitesimal .0006% of VC funding went to black women-led startups between 2009 and 2017.
There is nothing to suggest this has improved; in all likelihood, it has probably grown worse.
This negative bias is illogical, especially toward Black women, who are among the best-educated and most entrepreneurial groups in America, according to the U.S. Census data.
Lower net worth
The cycle of wealth disparity perpetuates itself through the funding — or lack thereof — of Black founders by banks and other institutional investors because they lack assets that can be used as collateral.
Therefore, banks' traditional bias against applicants with meager collateral and little cash to spare coincides with the condition Black owners often find themselves. The Pew Research Center reports that the median white household enjoys a wealth gap that is 20 times more than the median Black household. Meanwhile, white household assets are 18 times more than their Hispanic counterparts.
Because of this predicament, minority owners are thus less likely to own expensive assets or homes that banks normally favor as collateral. Consequently, non-minority business founders start at a distinct advantage, with 16% more capital than their minority counterparts.
A good or perfect credit score is often a proxy or strong requirement for business loans. Good credit history is usually correlated with wealth, and the average minority owner's credit score is usually 707, which is about 15 points lower than the average comparable small business owner.
The fear of being declined maintains this gap as 19% of minority businesses fail to apply for small business loans since it seems like a far-fetched, impossible task to accomplish.
Opportunity blindspots due to lack of diversity
Investors often don't understand the investment focus of Black entrepreneurs, nor do they appreciate the opportunity for returns on the investment their business deals represent. The different perspective of the minority entrepreneur is based on the fact that they encounter different problems within their community, and consequently, see different solutions.
Because the VC decision-maker that the Black founder is pitching to haven't had similar life-experiences, the tendency for them is to "evaluate a company and gain a frame of reference through all the other deals they've already seen," says James Norman in the Harvard Business Review.
This pattern matching — which is employed by VCs to mitigate risk — even works against seasoned investors like Monique Woodward who has been a venture partner at name-brand companies such as 500 Startups. "Even after seeing the data, many LPs (limited partners) don't understand this investment focus or see the opportunity for returns," she declares.
To correct for bias in pattern recognition, some VCs and accelerators such as Village Capital are implementing a Peer Selection process grounded in the belief that like-minded entrepreneurs would be more adept at recognizing good opportunities than traditional investors.
Heightened risk-aversion to minority businesses
Institutional lenders tend to see Black businesses as more risky investments than their counterparts. This risk-averse behavior is rooted in the fact that the structural representation of these investors doesn't reflect the race, ethnic, or gender diversity of the overall society.
The good news, however, is that over the past few years, online brokers have gone through a reboot, and now most of them have stock trading apps that cater to young, tech-savvy investors. In other words, as more people get into investing online, it's clear that racial profiling won't matter as much. For the time being though, research from the Small Business Administration shows that the location of a business, more so than the ethnicity of the owner, still plays a stronger role in the approval or denial of a business loan.
There can be no real equality without a level-playing field for economic opportunity. When Black entrepreneurs and people of color are denied adequate capital, their business cannot reach its full potential.
The growing income inequality is caused and exacerbated by racial bias that pervades the loan lending and investment funding system.
To prevent Black entrepreneurs from being hampered due to funds, part of the remedy requires policymakers to consider social and economic inequities when formulating policies to ensure greater access to capital is made available to minority-owned firms.
Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org
Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.


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After the first 3 weeks of "introduction to Maya" we got a great teacher called Erik C. Schmidt. He was born in Denmark. Then he moved to America and worked there in many films (Spirit, Eldorado, Bolt, etc.) as a professional animator and supervising animator both in 2D and 3D in such studios like Disney and Dreamworks.
Erik C. Schmidt |
Week 1 We started the animation basics with simple objects like the Pixo lamp and the floursack. At the beginning we only had one day for every animation. It was quite fun and sattisfying to animate the lamp because you can get a result very fast. The assignment was to animate: sniffing, laughing, and looking around. We had to animate the floursack (I did a ballet spinning) dancing and jumping off somewhere.
Here are some of the daily animations:
Week 2-4
The following 3 weeks we get into character animation first just making poses to express different emotions. Mostly used Hogan rig, because it is quite simple. Then we did little pieces like weight shifting, a take, a bow, lifting weight and the last week the walk and run cycle. During these tasks we learned how to use the graph editor and a specific workflow. These are Erik's good advices to be aware when you are animating in 3d. They were very useful.


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Basic facts about muscles
Did you know you have more than 600 muscles in your body? These muscles help you move, lift things, pump blood through your body, and even help you breathe.
When you think about your muscles, you probably think most about the ones you can control. These are your voluntary (VOL-uhn-ter-ee) muscles, which means you can control their movements. They are also called skeletal (SKEL-i-tl) muscles, because they attach to your bones and work together with your bones to help you walk, run, play an instrument, or cook a meal. The muscles of your mouth and throat even help you talk!
Keeping your muscles healthy will help you to be able to walk, run, jump, lift things, play sports, and do all the other things you love to do. Exercising, getting enough rest, and eating a balanced diet will help to keep your muscles healthy for life.
Why healthy muscles matter to you
Healthy muscles let you move freely and keep your body strong.
Healthy muscles let you move freely and keep your body strong. They help you to enjoy playing sports, dancing, walking the dog, swimming, and other fun activities. And they help you do those other (not so fun) things that you have to do, like making the bed, vacuuming the carpet, or mowing the lawn.
Strong muscles also help to keep your joints in good shape. If the muscles around your knee, for example, get weak, you may be more likely to injure that knee. Strong muscles also help you keep your balance, so you are less likely to slip or fall.
And remember—the activities that make your skeletal muscles strong will also help to keep your heart muscle strong!
Different kinds of muscles have different jobs
Skeletal muscles are connected to your bones by tough cords of tissue called tendons (TEN-duhns). As the muscle contracts, it pulls on the tendon, which moves the bone. Bones are connected to other bones by ligaments (LIG-uh-muhnts), which are like tendons and help hold your skeleton together.
Smooth muscles are also called involuntary muscles since you have no control over them. Smooth muscles work in your digestive system to move food along and push waste out of your body. They also help keep your eyes focused without your having to think about it.
Cardiac (KAR-dee-ak) muscle. Did you know your heart is also a muscle? It is a specialized type of involuntary muscle. It pumps blood through your body, changing its speed to keep up with the demands you put on it. It pumps more slowly when you're sitting or lying down, and faster when you're running or playing sports and your skeletal muscles need more blood to help them do their work.
What can go wrong?
Almost everyone has had sore muscles after exercising or working too much. Some soreness can be a normal part of healthy exercise. But, in other cases, muscles can become strained. Muscle strain (streyn) can be mild (the muscle has just been stretched too much) to severe (the muscle actually tears). Maybe you lifted something that was too heavy and the muscles in your arms were stretched too far. Lifting heavy things in the wrong way can also strain the muscles in your back. This can be very painful and can even cause an injury that will last a long time and make it hard to do everyday things.
Contact sports like soccer, football, hockey, and wrestling can often cause strains. Sports in which you grip something (like gymnastics or tennis) can lead to strains in your hand or forearm.
The tendons that connect the muscles to the bones can also be strained if they are pulled or stretched too much. If ligaments (remember, they connect bones to bones) are stretched or pulled too much, the injury is called a sprain (spreyn). Most people are familiar with the pain of a sprained ankle.
How can I keep my muscles more healthy?
Physical activity
Muscles that are not used will get smaller and weaker. This is known as atrophy (A-truh-fee).
When you make your muscles work by being physically active, they respond by growing stronger. They may even get bigger by adding more muscle tissue. This is how bodybuilders get such big muscles, but your muscles can be healthy without getting that big.
There are lots of activities you can do for your muscles. Walking, jogging, lifting weights, playing tennis, climbing stairs, jumping, and dancing are all good ways to exercise your muscles. Swimming and biking will also give your muscles a good workout. It's important to get different kinds of activities to work all your muscles. And any activity that makes you breathe harder and faster will help exercise that important heart muscle as well!
Get 60 minutes of physical activity every day. It doesn't have to be all at once.
Eat a healthy diet
You really don't need a special diet to keep your muscles in good health. Eating a balanced diet will help manage your weight and provide a variety of nutrients for your muscles and overall health. A balanced diet:
- Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt.
- Includes protein from lean meats, poultry, seafood, beans, eggs, and nuts.
- Is low in solid fats, saturated fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), added sugars, and refined grains.
- Is as low as possible in trans fats.
- Balances calories taken in through food with calories burned in physical activity to help maintain a healthy weight.
As you grow and become an adult, iron is an important nutrient, especially for girls. Not getting enough iron can cause anemia (uh-NEE-me-uh), which can make you feel weak and tired because your muscles don't get enough oxygen. This can also keep you from getting enough activity to keep your muscles healthy. You can get iron from foods like lean beef, chicken and turkey; beans and peas; spinach; and iron-enriched breads and cereals. You can also get iron from dietary supplements, but it's always good to check with a doctor first.
Some people think that supplements will make their muscles bigger and stronger. However, supplements like creatine can cause serious side effects, and protein and amino acid supplements are no better than getting protein from your food. Using steroids to increase your muscles is illegal (unless a doctor has prescribed them for a medical problem), and can have dangerous side effects. No muscle-building supplement can take the place of good nutrition and proper training.
For more information on a healthy diet, see www.choosemyplate.gov/.
Prevent injuries
To help prevent sprains, strains, and other muscle injuries:
- Warm up and cool down. Before exercising or playing sports, warm-up exercises, such as stretching and light jogging, may make it less likely that you'll strain a muscle. They are called warm-up exercises because they make the muscles warmer—and more flexible. Cool-down exercises loosen muscles that have tightened during exercise.
- Wear the proper protective gear for your sport, for example, pads or helmets. This will help reduce your risk of injuring yourself.
- Remember to drink lots of water while you're playing or exercising, especially in warm weather. If your body's water level gets too low (dehydration) (dee-hahy-DREY-shun), you could get dizzy or even pass out. Dehydration can cause many medical problems.
- Don't try to "play through the pain." If something starts to hurt, STOP exercising or playing. You might need to see a doctor, or you might just need to rest for a while.
- If you have been inactive, "start low and go slow" by gradually increasing how often and how long you are active. Increase physical activity gradually over time.
- Be careful when you lift heavy objects. Keep your back straight and bend your knees to lift the object. This will protect the muscles in your back and put most of the weight on the strong muscles in your legs. Get someone to help you lift something heavy.
Start now
Keeping your muscles healthy will help you have more fun and enjoy the things you do. Healthy muscles will help you look your best and feel full of energy. Start good habits now, while you are young, and you'll have a better chance of keeping your muscles healthy for the rest of your life.
Anemia. Anemia (uh-NEE-me-uh) is a condition in which your blood has a lower than normal number of red blood cells.
Atrophy (A-truh-fee). Wasting away of the body or of an organ or part, as from deficient nutrition, nerve damage, or lack of use.
Cardiac (KAR-dee-ak) muscle. The heart muscle. An involuntary muscle over which you have no control.
Dehydration (dee-hahy-DREY-shun). A condition that occurs when you lose more fluids than you take in. Your body is about two-thirds water. When you get dehydrated, it means the amount of water in your body has dropped below the level needed for normal body function.
Involuntary muscle. Muscles that you cannot control.
Ligament (LIG-uh-muhnt). Tough cords of tissue that connect bones to other bones at a joint.
Skeletal (SKEL-i-tl) muscle. Muscles that attach to bones.
Sprain (spreyn). A stretched or torn ligament. Ankle and wrist sprains are common. Symptoms include pain, swelling, bruising, and being unable to move the joint.
Strain (streyn). A stretched or torn muscle or tendon. Twisting or pulling these tissues can cause a strain. Strains can happen suddenly or develop over time. Back and hamstring muscle strains are common. Many people get strains playing sports.
Tendon (TEN-duhn). Tough cords of tissue that connect muscles to bones.
Voluntary (VOL-uhn-ter-ee) muscles. Muscles that you can control.
For more information
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Information Clearinghouse
National Institutes of Health
1 AMS Circle
Bethesda, MD 20892-3675
Phone: 301-495-4484
Toll free: 877-22-NIAMS (877-226-4267)
For telecommunications support, dial 711
Fax: 301-718-6366
Email: email@example.com
Website: https://www.niams.nih.gov
If you need more information about available resources in your language or another language, please visit our website or contact the NIAMS Information Clearinghouse at email@example.com.
This fact sheet was made for you by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health. For more information about the NIAMS, call the information clearinghouse at 301-495-4484 or toll free at 877-22-NIAMS (226-4267) or visit the NIAMS website at www.niams.nih.gov.
NIH Publication No. 15-7579(M)
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We're likely to see or hear less about the operations of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation legislation, passed four months after Obamacare. Most of us don't work at banks or financial institutions, which will have to grapple with its myriad provisions and the regulations to be issued thereunder, and we tend to toss out those disclosure forms our bank sends out.
But Dodd-Frank may produce more problems than it solves. That is the thesis of David Skeel, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, in his new book, "The New Financial Deal: Understanding the Dodd-Frank Act and Its (Unintended) Consequences."
Skeel does not find fault in Dodd-Frank's effort to regulate derivatives -- contracts in which one party agrees to pay another in case of changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates, oil prices or just about anything else -- with provisions encouraging them to be conducted through clearinghouses.
Derivatives were an obvious target for regulation, since it was derivatives based on the value of mortgage-backed securities that did much to trigger the collapse of Lehman Brothers and AIG in 2008. Skeel calls these Dodd-Frank derivative provisions "an unequivocal advance."
But he sees serious problems in what he describes as the two themes that emerge from the law's 2,319 pages: "(1) government partnership with the largest financial institutions and (2) ad hoc interventions by regulators rather than a more predictable, rule-based response to crises."
The prime mover behind these policies, he argues, was Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who as a junior Treasury official played a role in the bailout packages for the Mexican peso in 1994-95 and the hedge fund Long Term Capital Management in 1998. They're his models for future regulation.
As president of the New York Federal Reserve, he played a key role in fashioning responses to the financial crises of 2008. Dodd-Frank, Skeel argues, was written to give regulators powers they felt they lacked when they allowed Lehman Brothers to go into bankruptcy in September 2008.
Lehman's collapse, followed by the Bush administration's demand for the $700 billion TARP legislation and especially its initial rejection (reversed four days later) in the House, led to staggering losses first in the stock market and then in the economy at large.
Skeel is one of many who argue, persuasively in my view, that the real mistake here was not the failure to bail out Lehman but the apparently successful bailout of a smaller investment bank, Bear Stearns, in March 2008.
The Bear bailout created expectations that the Federal Reserve and the Treasury would bail out every big financial institution -- expectations strengthened when the government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in August 2008 and AIG in early September.
Lehman could and almost certainly would have sold itself out of trouble, Skeel argues, if its executives had not had such expectations.
Dodd-Frank's provisions requiring special treatment of the very largest financial institutions create similar expectations, Skeel says. And it enables those "too big to fail" institutions to borrow money at lower rates than smaller banks. Similarly, Fannie and Freddie -- with their implicit government guarantee -- were able to borrow cheaply and engage in the practices that brought them down, which has cost taxpayers $140 billion.
Skeel is a specialist in bankruptcy law, and he argues that the relatively fixed rules of bankruptcy could better handle the breakdown of big financial institutions than the discretion Dodd-Frank gives to regulators.
One reason Dodd-Frank is tilted against bankruptcy, he says, is congressional committee jurisdiction lines: Dodd-Frank was the product of banking committees, and bankruptcy is handled by the judiciary committees.
Solutions? Skeel argues that small amendments could improve the law. Remove the special treatment for derivatives in bankruptcy. Allow investment banks to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy without liquidation. A special panel of judges could be set up to handle financial firm bankruptcies. And, based on his criticism of the Chrysler and General Motors bankruptcies, he argues that bankrupt firms should not be able to sell assets without an auction allowing outsiders to bid.
Not everyone will agree with Skeel's analysis and recommendations. But they're worth looking at.


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Roundup - Recent Sips and Bites
A few wines of interest from the past few weeks that don't get their own post:
2003 Marechal Savigny Les Beaune Vieille Vignes, $ unknown (restaurant purchase). I have come to expect excellent wines from this producer, and I remember enjoying the '03s in general. If I'm not mistaken, it was this wine that won the NYTimes tasting panels' "Village Burgundy" blind tasting a little over a year ago. We were not so impressed this time, though. Maybe this wine is not that long lived, as the '03s are low in acidity. Not likely - it's only 2007. In any case, reserved aromatics, some red fruit and a bit of earth. Somewhat flabby palate reflecting the same. Not terribly complex, some baked characteristics. Pleasant, but not worth seeking out. Maybe the restaurant (Savoy) didn't store the wine properly...?
2005 Paul Pernot Beaune Clos du Dessus des Marconnets, $22. Back here I first wrote about this wine, so this is the second bottle we opened. I will admit - I was worried based on recent bottle variation issues, that this wine might not be a good as I remembered. Wrong. just as good. We enjoyed it with rack of lamb and turnip puree, and it the wine was excellent. Interesting aromatics, loaded with underbrush and dried leaves. Also some sour cherry and strawberry. Light to medium bodied texture, great acidity and balance, there is still some sappy baby fat on the palate. The fruit is ripe and lovely. It might be hard not to drink all of this young, but I am curious to see how it ages. This is honestly a steal at under $25.
2005 Desvignes Morgon Javernieres, $21. I really liked this wine the first time I tasted it. It was every bit as good this time, but it definitely needed some air time to get there. Plenty of fresh strawberries and raspberries and a little funk on the nose. Zippy and juicy palate of ripe strawberry with nice dusty tannins. An excellent Beaujolais.
2005 Jean Manciat Macon Charnay Franclieu, $17. This is a real find for me because I have basically given up on Chardonnay at this price point. I just never like it as much as I like other whites at the same price point. But this wine is an exception. Nice aromatics - ripe stone fruits, some citrus, some tropical fruit. And this is steel fermented wine - no oak! These are the aromatics of the grape as grown by this producer. The wine is lean with good acidity. There are floral and mineral flavors to go along with the citrus and stone fruit. A definite re-buy for me - this is as good as any white I know of that is currently on shelves and under $20.
2003 Bergstrom Pinot Noir Cumberland Reserve, $34. A few years ago I was a real fan of this wine. Not so sure now. It is a brawny style, rich and heavily extracted. And it clocks in at 14.5% alcohol. I wanted to like it because I have a few more bottles, but BrooklynLady and I agreed - it's just not that good. Sappy pine smells, and lots of heat from the alcohol. Unfocused palate without any defining characteristics. BrooklynLady said that she would not have known it was Pinot had I not told her. Is this Bergstrom in general or just this cuvee, I wonder. In any case, I would have to taste first before buying any further Bergstrom.
2003 Delesvaux Coteaux du Layon Selection de Grains Nobles, $30 (secondary market). For some reason I often find particularly good deals on Loire dessert wines on web auction sites like Wine Commune. Good can mean half price or better, as in this case. I don't seek out Loire whites from '03, as the heat kind of did away with the acidity, but supposedly the sweet wines survived well. Not sure I agree based on this as an example. This wine was amber in color with pronounced ripe pineapple on the nose, some caramel too, with a little whiff or roast nuts. The palate was not as complex as the nose - honeyed with some mineral notes, but too much flab. Acidity definitely lacking, and the wine wasn't balanced because of it. One interesting thing - the texture was almost aloe-like in viscosity.
2005 Eric Texier O' Pale, $15. I loved this wine at the Real Wine Attack tasting so I was curious to see how it would show at home with food. Deetrane and his family came over for brunch one sunny morning and we sat on the deck eating omelets and BrooklynLady's popovers with her homemade peach conserves (last summer's batch now gone). Why not the O Pale, at only 7% alcohol? Made from 100% Viogner grapes from Condrieu, this wine was every bit as delicious as I remembered. A nose full of orange blossoms, light and lovely stone fruits, and confectioner's sugar on the palate. Good acidity and balance for an inexpensive sweet wine. Deetrane was swooning over this stuff, by the way...
2005 Texier Cotes du Rhone Brezeme Roussanne, $20. Didn't love this one at the same tasting, but it was the only Texier wine that didn't impress me, so I decided to get a bottle and try it at home with dinner. BrooklynLady and I have been working on our roast loin of pork lately, experimenting with different herbs in the marinade. Here is our new favorite method:


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This is a new edition of a classic in country and angling literature, first published in 1958 but long out of print. It features specially commissioned illustrations by noted wildlife artist Mick Loates.
Introduction by John Bailey, coloured frontispiece and other illustrations by Mick Loates, pp. xiv, 218, hardback, Henry Williamson Society, 2008
This is a newly illustrated edition of a much-loved classic of country and angling literature first published in 1958. Whether the reader is an angler, naturalist, country lover or simply receptive to Williamson's unparalleled prose, A Clear Water Stream embraces all these passions.
The Williamson family moved to Shallowford on the River Bray in North Devon in 1929. With his typical zest, the author set about revitalising the river, stocking it with both trout and salmon, and building low weirs, thus creating new pools and improving the flow of water.
Mistakes were made, with sleepless nights spent worrying over poachers, predators, and upsetting the natural balance. Williamson's error was to apply a chalk stream ethic to the Bray, an upland, acidic water. His introduction of water-crowfoot, a relatively uncommon plant in the West Country upland streams at that time, was the cause of much consternation among regular and visiting fishermen.
There are tales of entertaining sojourns to the Hebrides, Florida and Canada, and joyous moments with his children, but throughout, the thread - which is the stream - enchants us to the finale.
Henry Williamson's impassioned observations were later to become the genesis for his classic work Salar the Salmon.
A Clear Water Stream is a delightful tale, interspersed with the author's deepest emotions. Henry Williamson's message, nearly eighty years later, stands as a prophetic work of genius. The River Bray today runs clear, vibrant and pure. Perhaps aided by the author's intervention, crowfoot remains but growth has stabilised. Salmon and sea trout still ascend to the foot of Exmoor and the diminutive but beautiful wild brown trout continue to dimple the river's surface.
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NFL Iron OnsProperty categories:
American football (known as football in the United States and gridiron in some other countries) is a sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field 120 yards long by 53.33 yards wide with goalposts at each end. The offense attempts to advance an oval ball (the football) down the field by running with or passing it. They must advance it at least ten yards in four downs to receive a new set of four downs and continue the drive; if not, they turn over the football to the opposing team. Most points are scored by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins. |