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Coffee Bean Review: George Howell's Terroir and Barismo in Massachusetts
Finding a fantastic local roaster can be a tough chore in the sea of specialty and non-specialty grade coffee roasters out there. But if you live in or around Boston you're in luck: The coffee community has been growing rapidly and two local roasters in particular seem to be spearheading the movement.
Like-minded yet extremely different in selections, George Howell's Terroir in Acton and Barismo out of Arlington offer intelligent and thoughtful coffees in the Northeast US. On top of roasting coffee, Terroir and Barismo have helped introduce new technologies aimed at making coffee better.
I had the pleasant opportunity of experiencing both roasters and was surprised by the coffees they're offering along with their continued pursuit of quality in the coffee industry.
George Howell's Terroir Coffee Company
I first ran into George Howell's Terroir Coffee Company while visiting a coffee conference in Atlanta, Georgia. George was displaying his ingenious invention, the ExtractMoJo, a digital coffee refractometer and software combo that defines extraction rates in coffee, essentially telling the barista what the percentage of total dissolved solubles are in each cup. Turns out that an extraction rate of 18 to 22 percent makes a good cup of coffee. Reading solubles may seem odd, but the ExtractMoJo creates a guideline for a barista to recreate delicious coffee over and over again (see coffee and espresso brewing control charts at Home-Barista.com). This little piece of equipment has quickly spread into an excellent observation tool when tasting coffees. Any company with the tenacity to engineer a new barista tool must offer some amazing coffees, and Terroir doesn't disappoint.
I jumped over to the home of my friend Nicholas Lungaard, a forums moderator for specialty website Home-Barista.com, after he called me and mentioned he got some of George Howell's coffee. We tried the Daterra Brazilian Northern Espresso, which included multiple cultivars (varietals) from the coffee growing Daterra region. Described by George as honey textured, exceptionally sweet, with the aroma of marzipan, this coffee claimed its description immediately. We brewed this coffee two different ways, as an espresso and as a siphon for the sake of the home barista who may not have a commercial espresso machine and grinder in their living room. The siphon brewed coffee was incredibly nutty and sweet, and the espresso had a well-rounded cocoa mouthfeel and tons of clean wood tones. This goes to show that even espressos can have a unique personality in other brewing methods.
One last thing about George Howell: He was one of the founding members of the incredibly inspiring Cup of Excellence programs in South and Central American countries, sometimes paying in upwards of $90 a pound directly to farmers for exceptional coffees.
Down Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington lies Barismo's small but efficient retail and wholesale coffee brewing roastery, open for business seven days a week. The young upstarts who run Barismo are genuinely passionate and enthusiastic about serving precisely made coffees and explaining why temperature control and water flow rate are so important. Their passion about this is so great that they've been lending a helping hand in the development of the Luminaire Bravo-1, a water distribution and temperature control device that will drastically increase the repeatability of your local cafe's pour-over coffee program by offering easily accessible, temperature-stable hot water.
I had the pleasure of trying a fully washed and sun dried coffee ("washed" refers to a processing technique that cleans all the pulp off of coffee berries in order to pick the highest quality beans from the farm) from El Salvador called Las Nubes. Fully washed coffees tend to have a very clean mouth feel and lively acidity, and this coffee showed notes of dried peach and cedar. The lingering flavors reminded me of slightly sweet lemon tones and brown sugar.
I received another coffee from Barismo called El Llano from the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica. Another washed coffee (these guys love their washed processed coffees, and I do too), this Costa Rican is made up of two different coffee varietals, Caturra and Catuai. These varietals can also be found in Brazilian coffees and tend to offer a hefty mouthfeel and very concentrated and even flavors. This coffee rang with lime zest acidity and carried through, juicy and dense. I made both of these coffees using a Hario V60 and water temperature of 196°F.
Barismo offers multiple brewing instructions on their website and are generally only a phone call or email away. Tea fans, take note: Barismo source all of their wonderful teas from friends and family in Taiwan, and they all are equally amazing.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Is the LTE iPhone upon us? AT&T and Verizon are installing LTE equipment in Apple stores!
August 18, 2011 by Chad Faith | Leave a Comment
Filed Under Cellphones, Technology
Recently, the guys at Engadget have published the first picture of an LTE equipment from AT & T installed in an Apple store located in the U.S. The installation of this type of equipment is more than strange; considering that at the moment, there are no iPhone terminals compatible with this technology. The information provided by the people at Engadget comes from an article published by BGR that stated that mobile operators are already testing iPhone terminals compatible with the LTE technology. Although these devices are available in AT & T stores, the operator has not yet launched the network on a national level. What is more, the end of the year is the probable date at which this event will occur.
According to the latest info, we found out that Verizon installed equipment in Apple stores for the same kind of LTE networks, a sign that Apple has indeed manufactured iPhone terminals compatible with the LTE network from Verizon. At the moment, neither of the two American networks have an LTE network launched nationwide so it is very unlikely that Apple will release an LTE Phone that does not have any LTE networks on which to operate. If we take a look into the past, we will remember the fact that the iPhone 2G was released with EDGE connectivity only because the network of AT & T could not support 3G connectivity. Since then, starting with the iPhone 3G, Apple has constantly improved the speed of the connections to the data networks.
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Colombia offers a bold menu for travelers seeking adventure. With paragliding over Medellin's peaks and valleys, hiking through the lush scenery of the coffee region, idling on horseback through the canyons of Los Nevados National Natural Park and trekking through the muddy jungle of Tayrona, the country lacks nothing for the wide-eyed eco-tourist. One of Colombia's best-kept secrets, however, is a small island that is just a two-hour flight from Bogota — the island of San Andres.
It is believed that San Andres was discovered by Christopher Columbus and was home to the famous Captain Henry Morgan. Legend has it that some of Morgan's treasure is still buried there, but the island's real richness lies in its natural wonders. Part of a trio of islands with Providencia and Santa Catalina, San Andres was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2000 in honor of its extensive coral reef. Fifty-seven coral species, 12 mangrove species, three marine plant species and four types of sea turtles are residents here. The islands are especially known for their incredible array of ocean colors that can be seen by airplane as visitors descend, earning the area its nickname, "Sea of Seven Colors."
Most operators recommend spending four to six days on San Andres to enjoy the island's offerings. Snorkeling and diving are of course some of the most popular activities. Experienced divers and beginners alike will find the underwater world easily accessible, with warm waters year-round and Caribbean colors blazing under the sea. For a glimpse of the island's privateer history, divers can enjoy an assortment of shipwreck dives.
Visitors can also spend a day taking the ring road around the island, stopping at Johnny Cay, Morgan's Cave and La Piscinita to see marine life. Colombian Journeys, a local partner of Big Five Tours and Expeditions, offers an eight-day tour that includes stays on San Andres, on Providencia and in Cartagena.
Getting to San Andres is relatively easy — direct flights to San Andres's Gustavo Rojas Pinilla airport from Bogota or Cartagena are offered by Satena, Aires, AeroRepublica and Avianca. Or, visitors can travel internationally via Copa Airlines, Air Transat, Taca and Tame. But plan ahead — many flights are only offered once a week, adding to San Andres's desert island charm. Adventuresome travelers can follow in Captain Morgan's wake and opt to reach the island by sea.
San Andres also offers a comfortable place to crash after a day of exploring the island. The Hotel Casablanca lets visitors unwind in one of its 89 guestrooms, while offering a view of Johnny Cay, four on-site dining options, beach access and a commitment to eco-sustainability. And, of course, a bottle of rum.
Big Five Tours and Expeditionswww.bigfive.com/country/colombia
Colombian Journeyswww.colombianjourneys.com
Hotel Casablancawww.hotelcasablancasanandres.com/en


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Lionel 6-29232 'Lenny the Lion' HI
Road Number 9697
Size: O/O27-Scale -(1/48)
Material: Plastic & Metal
Manufacured by: Lionel
Release date: 1996
Made in the USA
These are New in the box
*NOS (New Old Stock).
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Hello users! The forum's administration team have recently been made aware by the site's hosting provider that someone has made a complaint about a thread on this site. Now, I'm sure most of you can guess who made the complaint
The post in question could be been perceived as a threat against the proprietors of Bitcoin 24. The post has now been edited.
Because of this complaint we must request that no threats can be posted on this website. This is a website to share information and discuss the ongoing legal movement to get our funds back. I'm sure some of you are very very angry about having your funds lost but you must keep your thoughts to yourself if they could be construed to be a threat.
Thank you for your co-operation and hopefully we will get our assets back from the Polish prosecutor and Simon Hausdorf and the other BTC24 proprietors
Threats must NOT be posted! Please Read...
Discussing the ongoing legal proceedings and all things relating to Bitcoin-24
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Oscar Pistorius Cleared to Leave Country
Bail softened, so accused sprinter free to compete internationally if he wants.
March 28, 2013 -- A South African judge has eased the bail restrictions on Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend, paving the way for the Olympic sprinter to leave the country and compete in competitions.
Judge Bert Bam says the international athlete known as "Blade Runner" must provide authorities with his travel plans at least a week before he leaves the country. He must also return his passport to the court within 24 hours of returning to South Africa
Pistorius, 26, says he shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, by accident, mistaking her for an intruder on Valentine's Day. For now, Pistorius stands accused of premeditated murder. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 4.
Pistorius, who was not at the bail hearing in Pretoria, was granted bail Feb. 22 for about $113,000.
Full Coverage: Oscar Pistorius Case
His lawyer Barry Roux said that the original bail restrictions imposed on Pistorius amounted to "house arrest." Prosecutors said they opposed any relaxing of the bail restrictions.
Roux said Pistorius has no desire to return to the track now, but "this might and this will change." He said Pistorius should be allowed to travel for international meets under "controlled" circumstances, where he would require advanced permission from police and would have to give details of his travel schedule before he left South Africa.
The judge ruled that Pistorius could return to his luxury home, where Steenkamp was killed. Under the bail conditions set last month, Pistorius was also not able to return home as long as it was deemed an active crime scene.
The state alleges that Pistorius deliberately shot and killed Steenkamp in a fit of rage, but he claims he thought there was an intruder hiding behind the bathroom door when he opened fire. When he realized it was his girlfriend, he tried to resuscitate her but it was already too late, according to his affidavit, read aloud in court during the four-day bail hearing last month.
Meanwhile, Steenkamp's family members are reportedly considering filing a civil suit against the Paralympian, but for now, they're keeping a low profile as they continue to mourn the loss of their daughter.
It has been a busy week for the Pistorius family. Pistorius' older brother, Carl, pled not guilty Wednesday for the culpable homicide of a female motorist outside Johannesburg in 2008. The judge adjourned the trial until next week so the family's lawyer could focus on Oscar Pistorius' hearing.
ABC News' Liezl Thom and The Associated Press contributed to this report.


text: I remember reviewing books like Baby Bargains, Consumer Reports and going to big box stores like BabiesRUs to test out car seats before Isabella was born. I had no idea that picking out a car seat and understanding how to use it was going to be like studying for a CPA exam! This is where I began my quest to pick the safest car seat and understand how to use it best to protect my little bean! Luckily, I was a research queen and didn't mind the investigative work I had to immerse myself in. I also recently took the Child Passenger Seat Technician Certification course which allows me to install car seats correctly. I wanted to share how important it is to keep your baby well protected because motor vehicle crashes are one of the single greatest killers of Americans. For parents who want the quick and dirty low down on what to look for in a car seat (or infant carrier) and how to use it here's what Itsabelly Baby Planners recommends. If you have any tips not mentioned here please share them with us!


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'Band of Brothers' vet William Guarnere dies at 90
PHILADELPHIA — William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, one of the World War II veterans whose exploits were dramatized in the television miniseries "Band of Brothers," has died. He was 90.
His son, William Guarnere Jr., confirmed Sunday that his father died at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Guarnere was rushed to the hospital early Saturday and died of a ruptured aneurysm early Saturday night.
"He had a good, long life," his son said.
The HBO miniseries, based on a book by Stephen Ambrose, followed the members of Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division from training in Georgia in 1942 through some of the war's fiercest European battles to the war's end in 1945.
Its producers included Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. Guarnere was portrayed by the actor Frank John Hughes.
Guarnere, whose combat exploits earned him his nickname, lost a leg while trying to help a wounded solider during the Battle of the Bulge. His commendations included the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.
In 2007, Guarnere helped write a nationally best-selling memoir called, "Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends," with fellow Philadelphia veteran Edward "Babe" Heffron and journalist Robyn Post.
William Guarnere Jr. said his father and Heffron met during the war and remained friends until Heffron died in December.
"Now they're together again," the son said.
Jake Powers, who operates a Band of Brothers tour company in Grafton, Mass., said Guarnere worked behind the scenes to ensure that his comrades received the recognition they deserved.
"He did more things behind the scenes for other veterans than (for) himself," Powers said.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete Sunday.


text: At Lakeshore every member matters. Our goal is that everyone find a place to serve God in and outside the Church. Browse the links on this page (above) to find what Lakeshore has to offer. Please, contact us if you need more information, want to participate, or would like to assist with any other ministry opportunities.


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AT&T Earnings: $3.8 Billion Net Loss, $32.6 Billion in Revenue, 1.1 Million New Wireless Customers
AT&T reported a big fourth quarter loss, though it was narrower than the one posted a year earlier as the company saw a significant jump in wireless subscribers.
The company posted a net loss of $3.8 billion, or 68 cents per share, on revenue of $32.6 billion. That compares to a net loss of $6.7 billion, or $1.12 per share, on revenue of $32.5 billion in the same quarter a year ago.
Excluding various pension, storm and other charges, the company said its adjusted per-share earnings would have been 44 cents per share, up 10 percent from a year ago but a penny below what some analysts were expecting.
On the wireless front, AT&T said it added 1.1 million total wireless subscribers, including 780,000 new contract customers. It also added 246,000 non-phone "connected devices" in the quarter.
The company added that 6.6 million subscribers, or 9 percent of contract customers, are on one of its new shared data plans. In all, the company said that two-thirds of its smartphone customers — some 31.7 million — are on some sort of tiered data plan. Interestingly, the company said more than 25 percent of shared data plans are opting for a pool of 10 gigabytes or more of data.
It said it had a record quarter for Android and Apple smartphones, selling 8.6 million iPhones in the quarter. Roughly 9 in 10 new contract customers are opting for a smartphone.
AT&T also saw gains for its U-verse high-speed Internet TV service. The company added 192,000 TV subscribers, reaching 4.5 million in total and added 609,000 U-verse Internet customers. That gives it 7.7 million total U-verse Internet subscribers and allowed the company for the first time to have more U-verse Internet subscribers than it did DSL.
The company also said last week that it would have a variety of one-time items this quarter including a $10 billion pension-related charge as well as $175 million in costs due to Hurricane Sandy and other storms.
It also said it would be under profitability pressure after selling 10.2 million smartphones last quarter, given that such devices typically carry higher subsidies than traditional phones.
But, on the call, AT&T's CFO said that the company is more than happy to make such an investment, given the higher monthly revenue generated by smartphone customers.
Update, 1:30 pm PT: On a conference call with investors, AT&T said it has closed 50 different deals to boost its wireless spectrum holdings, moves that increased average national spectrum by a third.
Also of note, greater than 15 percent of its shared data customers are switching over from an unlimited data plan. The 6.6 million devices on such plans represent about 2.2 million accounts, for an average of three devices per Mobile Share account.
1:55 pm: CEO Randall Stephenson said the company expects per-share earnings growth at least in the high single digit percentage range as well as greater than 2 percent revenue growth for 2013.
"I like how we are executing," Stephenson said. "I like the moves we are making."
Asked about recent quotes saying AT&T might be interested in making acquisitions overseas to continue its growth, Stephenson said that the U.S. is outpacing other countries in next-generation networks which could create opportunities amid inevitable consolidation.
"Most people expect the rest of the world will catch up," Stephenson said.
One of the questions, Stephenson said, is whether AT&T can expand at the service or application level outside the United States. For example, AT&T is licensing its new Digital Life security service to other carriers.
Also of note, AT&T said it will be watching to see how consumers take to T-Mobile's shift to handset financing as opposed to subsidies. Stephenson said he "kind of likes the idea" and AT&T might follow suit.


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Wrestling is having a bit of a rough go of things lately.
There was the Olympics news, of course. Then the news about Jacob Volkmann being cut by the UFC came out, followed by even bigger news about one of the company's most renowned wrestlers, Jon Fitch, being released.
Matt Grice has a wrestling background. On Saturday, Grice (16-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC) meets Dennis Bermudez (9-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC 157 at Honda Center in Anaheim in a fight on the FX-broadcast prelims.
Before hearing the Fitch news, Grice didn't think the UFC cutting Volkmann had anything to do with it being a warning to wrestlers who might, ahem, grind things out for decisions.
"I don't really think it's a message to wrestlers," Grice told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "Most wrestlers don't shy away from the standup game, and most of us aren't afraid to throw our hands. Volkmann had some run-ins in post-fight interviews and got in some trouble. He rubbed some people the wrong way. They had the chance, and they let him go. I honestly think it had to do with his other antics."
Grice's most recent two wins have been decisions, but he has 10 of his 15 victories by stoppage, even if it was the UFC's intention to send a message to fighters who don't finish fights.
Against Bermudez, Grice will be looking to get his first UFC win streak going. He beat Leonard Garcia this past June for his first win at featherweight after losing his 145-pound debut against Ricardo Lamas.
And when it comes to wrestling on Saturday, Grice believes he has the edge.
"I think I'm the better wrestler and the better wrestler for MMA," he said. "I respect Dennis' skills and think he's a real tough guy, but I still think I am (better)."
Grice's day job is as a police officer, and the schedule keeps him completely booked during training camps.
But that's something he believes actually winds up helping him along the way.
"The only time I'm home in my three-month camp is when I'm sleeping," Grice said. "I work 10-hour shifts for eight days straight, and then I get six days off. Those six help me recover. But I wouldn't trade it for anything because I enjoy being busy. It helps me stay more mentally focused. If I have too much time on my hands, I may sit around. But I'm on such a tight schedule, it helps me keep everything in focus."
And that focus has him confident heading into UFC 157, where he'll try to top Bermudez, who was a "TUF 14" finalist at lightweight.
"(Wrestlers are) all hard-headed – that's why we're in this business," Grice said. "On any given night, I think I can beat anybody and I'm sure he feels the same way. On Saturday night, I guess we'll find out."
For more on UFC 157, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by "Gorgeous" George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian "Goze" Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.


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Name: US Bank Mill City Branch (Helpline Number/Toll Free Number/Contact Details)
Location: Mill City, Oregon, United States
Category: Banking, Banks, Financial Services, Personal Banking, Business Banking
US Bank Branch Address: 400 NW Santiam Blvd, Mill City, OR 97360-2225
US Bank Branch Phone Number: 503.897.2361
Fax Number: n/a
WhatsApp Number: n/a
Email IDs: n/a
Opening Hours
Mon to Fri: 10.00am-3.00pm
Sat: Closed
Sun: Closed
Services Available
Notary Services, Foreign Currency, Money Orders and Cashier's Checks
Wire Transfers, Prepaid Visa Cards, Debit Card Replacement, Medallion Signature Guarantee
Cash Advances, Wealth Management, Mortgage Services
Business and Commercial Banking
Official Website: www.usbank.com
Facebook Fan Page: facebook.com/usbank/
Twitter Handle: twitter.com/usbank
Instagram Handle: instagram.com/usbank/
YouTube Channel: youtube.com/user/usbank
LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/company/us-bank
Head Office: Minnesota, United States
About: US Bank is a leading banking services providers in United States. The first National Bank of US Bank was opened in 1963. It is the 7th largest bank in the country. Services which are provided by the bank are retail banking, commercial banking, investment banking, private banking, financial analysis, and private equity. As of December 31, 2018, 74,000 employees working in US Bank. In United States, the bank has more than 3,000 branches where all these services are available.


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Mobile Spa Connection Ottawa0 sur 5
Ottawa And Surrounding Areas
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa, Ontario
Unwind, Relax, Enjoy...
We bring the spa to you!
We bring everything needed to provide relaxing spa services in your own home, or location of choice!
Spa Parties are great for any occasion - a few of the most popular include:
- Birthday Celebrations
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Book Online at www.MobileSpaConnection.com
Email us at: firstname.lastname@example.com
*Please note: Not all spa's accept WaySpa Gift Certificates - please inquire, prior to booking.


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A Longmont lawmaker has introduced a new bill that seeks to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote when they get their driver's license.
The voter registration would then activate on their 18th birthday.
The legislation is backed by New Era Colorado, a youth civic group started by University of Colorado graduate Steve Fenberg. The group hosts a range of voter registration events on college campuses throughout the fall, including a trick-or-vote event where members go door-to-door in student-dense neighborhoods surrounding the CU campus and register students to vote.
Fenberg said the pre-registration could help boost young voter participation in elections.
"Sixteen is a natural time when young people begin interacting with the government," he said.
The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont, will likely have better luck passing through the Democratic-controlled Legislature this year. A similar bill has been introduced the past two years. Last year, it died in committee on a party-line vote, with Republicans striking it down.
Some Republicans say they are concerned the pre-registration measure opens up opportunity for voter fraud if, for example, a young person moves out of state and re-registers there.
The bill has been assigned to the state affairs committee. High school students, civics teachers and principals — including some from Boulder — are expected to testify in favor of the legislation when it comes up for its first hearing, likely next week.
Fenberg suspects opponents may criticize the cost of the project — though, he said, it's a small change to the software that can be done for a minimal price.
One year, the fiscal note attached to the bill estimated it would cost $2,000. The next year, the estimate was $70,000.
Last year, New Era's registrants turned out to vote at a rate of about 86 percent.
The share of young voters, ages 18 to 29, increased from 14 percent of the Colorado electorate in 2008 to 20 percent in 2012, according to New Era.
Following the 2012 presidential election, estimates of the national turnout of young voters — a demographic that was loyal to Democrats in key swing states, like Colorado — was about 51 percent.
Julia Harrington, a CU senior and legislative affairs director for the CU Student Government, said she sees the bill as a benefit for young voters.
While in high school, she volunteered with animal shelters and for a math and science initiative that worked with middle school students. Eager to expand her civic participation, she said she registered to vote as soon as she turned 18.
But, she said, most students don't register until there is a presidential election coming up.
"I think this bill would be an excellent resource for students and youth to become engaged earlier and know early on that they're a part of the political process," she said.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Brittany Anas at 303-473-1132 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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No ordinary time
Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination underscores the battles to come over Roe v. Wade and religious liberty
Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination underscores the battles to come over Roe v. Wade and religious liberty
As sex trafficking mutates to survive COVID-19, church closures and social isolation threaten those who have already escaped the life, in unanticipated ways
The city's laissez-faire drug policies leave addicts dying without hope
Armenian Christians mourn and seek refuge while a border battle flares
Andrée Seu Peterson / Janie B. Cheaney / Joel Belz / Marvin Olasky / Mindy Belz / The Editors /
History / Health / Medicine / Religion / Lifestyle / Education / Sports / Business / Law / Technology / Science
Dean's List / Metro Minute / Snapshots of China / Sophia's World / Whirled Views /
Q&A / Children's Books / Books / Documentary / Music
Quick Takes / Quotables / Human Race / News
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has long been seen as a person more suited to punditry than the presidency. (See "Don't run, Newt," April 14, 2007.) Successful columnists go wild with big ideas-as Gingrich has-but a president has to be extraordinarily careful in what he says and what he does. He does not have to be the idea creator himself but must be a good judge of the ideas of others.
Gingrich says he has changed and become more self-disciplined, but since he has been out of public office for 13 years he hasn't had the opportunity to show the New Newt. Other questions about Gingrich stem from his marital history: He twice dumped wives while they were ill and married much younger women with whom he had been committing adultery. Gingrich was 56 at the time of his last divorce.
But Gingrich says he has also changed spiritually and is now a serious Catholic. He is appealing to Christian voters by campaigning at events put on by groups like the Minnesota Family Council, where-as wife Callista recounted-"we screened our documentary film, Rediscovering God in America, and Newt gave a speech about reconnecting faith, family, and freedom in America." Gingrich said on the Christian Broadcasting Network, "Things happened in my life that were not appropriate. . . . I felt compelled to seek God's forgiveness."
What about the forgiveness of political allies whose trust they say he betrayed?
Last month eight of Gingrich's former House colleagues told me in hours of telephone conversations that Gingrich hasn't sought it. As former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., put it, "I do not recall Newt ever apologizing to the caucus about his affair. It is one of the gaping holes in the story. . . . It is almost unforgivable and a real weakness of leadership when you jeopardize your followers. . . . Why should those who followed him in 1998 follow him now? Will he put his followers at risk again?"
My interviewing was part of an attempt to reexamine an extraordinary statement by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Gingrich's chief lieutenant from 1995 through 1998. In the course of a long interview last fall, he told me that President Bill Clinton "found out about the Gingrich affair and called Newt over to the White House for a private meeting between the two of them." Armey argued that Clinton pressured Gingrich to go easy on that year's impeachment drive "or I'll start telling your story." He claimed the two leaders "had many meetings that we didn't know about where they'd drink wine and smoke cigars and talk about their girlfriends."
When Gingrich's press secretary complained about Armey's statement, I told him WORLD would be glad to print a rebuttal. The Gingrich aide didn't pursue it, and at the time it didn't seem important to probe any further the character of Newt Gingrich, private citizen. All that changed when Gingrich announced his campaign for the presidency on May 11. Armey said the story originated with a Gingrich confidante or Republican leader from the 1990s, but he could not remember which one. Interviews with former congressmen Tom DeLay, Bob Livingston, Bob Dornan, and many other GOP generals and sergeants turned up no one willing to acknowledge that role. Gingrich in an email to me insisted, "I never discussed my personal life with Clinton."
Gingrich did partially clear up one mystery: University of Oklahoma historian Steve Gillon, who documented in The Pact (2007) several semi-private meetings to discuss Social Security that Clinton and Gingrich had with their chiefs of staff present, told me that Gingrich had once mentioned a private session with Clinton at the White House where he drank Irish whiskey. When Gillon during that and subsequent interviews asked for details, Gingrich clammed up. This time, though, Gingrich admitted via email that they occurred: "The private sessions with Clinton were about the future." A Gingrich ally told me the former speaker had told him there were two such meetings.
In the absence of testimony from either Bill Clinton or someone who heard from Gingrich directly an account of these secret meetings, Armey's story is unconfirmable. His overall point, though, was that Gingrich had been extraordinarily reckless and had left himself open to pressure that the White House was willing to use. Such conduct, he suggested, means that Gingrich's candidacy is not worthy of support.
One overlooked part of the story is that when Gingrich's affair began, in 1993, it was morally wrong but-politically-perhaps not as astoundingly reckless as it now appears. Gingrich then was House minority whip, but Republicans hadn't had a House majority for nearly four decades and almost no one expected them to have one anytime soon. Senior Democrat Wilbur Mills two decades before, and presidential candidate Gary Hart a decade earlier, had fallen politically through sex scandals, but minority whips did not get that much public attention. Gingrich met Callista Bisek at a fundraiser for his friend, Rep. Steve Gunderson: Bisek and Gunderson came from the same town in Wisconsin, and he had hired her for his staff. Gingrich's second wife Marianne was rarely in Washington. The last six of their 12 years of marriage had been rocky. She knew him too well to idolize him. Now a cute 27-year-old Midwesterner did.
Suddenly, in November 1994, with the surprising GOP success in the congressional elections, Gingrich became for a short time the most-watched man in American politics. During that short time he may have ceased his adultery: A team of television journalists caught wind of his conduct and staked out his Capitol Hill apartment for a week, without success. But that self-control was apparently short-lived. Security guards later told Armey that Bisek came to Gingrich's apartment building so often they thought she lived there.
So much for the personal story, but many 1990s GOP leaders still wonder whether Gingrich's private conduct affected the way he carried out his public responsibilities. They replied-some on the record, some on background-to three questions of mine with facts and theories:
First, did President Clinton know about Gingrich's affair?
Second, if Clinton knew, why wouldn't he have arranged for this information about a political enemy to go public, or used it privately to pressure Gingrich?
Third, did Gingrich's actions at some point indicate that he was pulling punches to preserve his reputation?
Then comes the question that moves from past to urgent present, now that he is running third in the early presidential candidate polls: Who do you think Newt Gingrich is now?
Did Clinton know? One possible source of information was Beryl Anthony, D-Ark. The brother-in-law of Vince Foster, the Clinton confidante who committed suicide in 1993, Anthony is now a retiree who spends part of the year in western North Carolina. He told me that in 1994, "I called the press and told them there was a story that they should pursue." But Anthony denies having told anyone in the White House.
Journalists who for various reasons did not pursue the Gingrich rumors were another possible conduit. David Corn, then Washington editor for the left-wing magazine The Nation, has mourned "The Big One That Got Away." Corn had heard about Gingrich's affair but did not keep poking around. The one hint in a major newspaper or magazine came in a 1995 Vanity Fair article by Gail Sheehy, who wrote that Gingrich had "female admirers" including "Callista Bisek, a former aide in Congressman Steve Gunderson's office who has been a favorite breakfast companion."
By 1996, the porn magazine Hustler also was aware of the affair, according to publisher Larry Flynt's later account. Once the affair became public in 1999, residents of Whitehall, Wis., the hometown of Rep. Gunderson and Bisek, said rumors of the affair had long swirled around. (New York Post headline, "NEWTIE'S CUTIE COULDN'T KEEP A SECRET.")
One likely conduit-according to Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., former Rep. Bob Dornan, R-Calif., and others-was Rep. Gunderson, who now runs an association for charitable foundations. As a congressman, Gunderson hired Bisek and helped her move to the Agriculture Committee staff where she served as an assistant clerk. Frank told me regarding Gingrich's affair that "Gunderson knew about it. He was complicit."
In 1989, when House Minority Whip Dick Cheney became secretary of defense, Gunderson managed Gingrich's campaign to succeed Cheney. Gingrich won 87 to 85 and Gunderson became chief deputy minority whip. Gunderson resigned his leadership position in 1993, decrying what he called the Republican move to the "hard-right." He retired from Congress in 1996.
By then Gunderson was open about his homosexuality, and that created tensions. Gunderson had problems to the right-Dornan was his particular nemesis-and on the left, as Barney Frank, D-Mass., criticized Gunderson's ties to Gingrich and other conservatives: "He's helping people who are very anti-gay to appear a little less nasty." Dornan says he confronted Gingrich once in late 2000 or early 2001 in a Fox green room and told him, "Newt, you know that Steve Gunderson was telling Barney Frank everything about Callista. They were jerking your chain." Dornan says Gingrich responded, "Well, I always thought they knew."
Dornan says the transmission chain was Gunderson to Democrats and onward to Clinton. Frank said he heard about the affair in 1998 but did not tell anyone. Gunderson did not respond to my request for comment. Other former congressmen thought the Gunderson scenario made sense, but Armey thinks it's more likely that transmission came through the Agriculture Committee staff, where Bisek worked and Democrats and Republicans worked together closely to promote their interests: "If anyone on the Ag staff knew, the Democrats would know about it." Democrat Anthony speculates that news would have flowed to the White House through the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Whatever the conduit, all the sources for this part of the story agreed that once Gingrich became speaker, those most committed to studying his activities would learn about his adultery.
If Clinton had this information about Gingrich, why wouldn't he have arranged to have someone on his team leak it to a reporter in a way that would get the news out without White House fingerprints on it? Why wouldn't Carville & Co. have used it in 1998 when Bill Clinton's presidency was hanging by a thread that Republicans were eager to cut? That year the extramarital histories of Henry Hyde, R-Ill., and Bob Livingston, R-La., became public. Why not Gingrich's?
One argument is that outing Gingrich was logically inconsistent and politically unnecessary. The Clinton position all along was that his sexual activities were no big deal, so making a big deal of someone else's would seem hypocritical. Given Frank's knowledge, it's significant that Salon.com quoted him in August 1998 as opposing the tactic of bringing up sexual affairs because Clinton would "win the fight without it, and it looks nasty; it looks as if you have no defense. It becomes a mutual suicide."
Another reason is that Clinton involvement in outing others could increase impeachment hazards. Clinton's many supporters argued that the president's perjury was of the garden-variety, self-protective kind seen ever since Eden, not a high crime and misdemeanor. Using executive branch resources to blackmail the highest-ranking member of the House, though, was a different matter that-if it could be traced to the White House-might lead to the impeachment and conviction that Clinton was desperately trying to prevent.
Hustler investigator Dan Moldea, who dug up dirt on Hyde, Livingston, and others, said he knew he "might be called to testify, somewhere or someplace. Consequently, I was extremely careful about whom I did and did not contact. Neither Flynt nor I even considered any communication with anyone at the White House. And the White House never attempted to contact us. . . . No member of our team ever approached any of our targets and posed any threats and/or ultimatums-or participated in any other activity that could even remotely be viewed as blackmail or extortion."
Some doubt that account, and doubt also the view that the best bet for Clintonites was a middle ground between exposing Gingrich and ignoring his affair: Subtly indicating that they knew, with Gingrich's knowledge of their knowledge serving as some restraint on his conduct. James Rogan, a thoughtful member of the House Judiciary Committee then, and now a California Superior Court judge, thinks that theory gives the Clinton administration too much credit: Some might think the White House "had a cruise missile that could have taken out the command and control center of their enemy," but "when I was in D.C. the Clintons knew only one kind of warfare-bare knuckles."
Maybe, but Salon.com often served as a Clinton mouthpiece, so three stories in August 1998 are worth noting. The first, on Aug. 3, noted rumors concerning Gingrich but argued that Clinton should "forswear the kind of nastiness they have deployed against him. To respond in kind would do further harm to the nation without helping him."
The second possible warning shot, on Aug. 5, reported a potential Clinton administration plan to expose GOP sexual improprieties (with Newt Gingrich the first person named as "under scrutiny") and quoted one "close ally of the president" saying, "We're talking about the Doomsday Machine here. Once the Doomsday Machine is set in motion, there will be no stopping it."
The third Salon.com story, on Aug. 28, reported that "Newt Gingrich did a strange thing this week: He restrained himself. . . . Newt is subdued, his criticism of Clinton muted. . . . It's tempting to congratulate Gingrich for his understanding of human frailty, but don't mistake his comments for Christian charity. . . . It's not compassion that tempers the speaker's censure of Clinton's self-destructive sexual compulsions. It's self-protection. Gingrich, lest we forget, has a closet full of sexual misconduct. . . . Gingrich is wise to remain hesitant to resume his once obligatory role of attack dog. Better that he growl harmlessly, while staying securely on his leash."
Was Gingrich on a leash? Gingrich vigorously denied that in emails to me: "There is no example in my career of my backing down out of fear over anything. . . . My father spent 27 years as an infantryman. One of my closest friends is an 8 year POW in Vietnam. It would be impossible to blackmail me."
For evidence to support his contention that he did not back down in his battles with Bill Clinton, Gingrich pointed to Gillon's The Pact-but that solid historical work does not provide much of a defense. Gillon writes that in 1998 Gingrich "went from blasting Clinton in April for being the most corrupt president in history to giving him a free pass in August"-the month that those Salon.com warnings emerged. Gillon refers to Gingrich as "uncharacteristically uncertain" and sending "mixed signals." He suggests that Gingrich in criticizing Clinton "must have realized that he was vulnerable to similar charges." He reports that conservatives felt Gingrich "had gone soft on the president."
One of Gillon's sentences is particularly memorable: "While listening to a Republican debate about censure, Gingrich stuffed his tie in his mouth and bit it-a sign of his frustration at keeping silent on an issue about which he felt so strongly."
Gingrich also suggested a look at press coverage. That also does not help his case. Reporters who followed Gingrich were surprised to see him, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution put it in September 1998, "publicly urging caution and forgoing by the dozen opportunities to speak out." Many other journalists were also surprised, as were numerous Republican leaders and Marianne Gingrich herself.
Gingrich's third suggestion, to look at the work of James Rogan, did provide support to his contentions, because Rogan has just published a detailed and well-written memoir of the Clinton impeachment process, Catching Our Flag. Although Rogan does show Gingrich blowing hot and cold, he explains that Gingrich hung back at the request of other Republicans, who saw Henry Hyde as a better face for the House GOP on this issue. Furthermore, Rogan repeatedly reminded Gingrich that he should lie low because of a constitutional conflict of interest: Should Clinton leave office and be replaced by Vice President Al Gore, the speaker of the House was next in line of succession.
Rogan argues that a Gingrich facing White House pressure "would have behaved far differently than he did in my presence," but other congressmen who interacted with Gingrich smelled a rat. Tom DeLay, for example, said, "Newt Gingrich's heart was not in the impeachment. You could tell that he was against everything that was going on." Dornan claims that Gingrich at one point ordered Hyde to "wrap up this investigation or I'm taking it away from you," with the result that the case moved forward without adequate preparation: "Gingrich had cut Henry Hyde's legs off."
Hyde died in 2007. His friend David Schippers, whom Hyde hired to be chief investigative council for the impeachment inquiry, is still angry at Gingrich for, he says, "pulling the plug on everything" except the Lewinsky matter. Clinton committed a wide variety of impeachable offenses, Schippers told me, but Gingrich and Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., merely "released all the sexual stuff. That killed us." Schippers, a Chicago Democrat, says Republican Judiciary Committee members were "100 percent Yankee Doodle Dandy Americans. The sellout came from the leadership."
With other parts of the investigation sidelined, Schippers says, the Clinton forces could plausibly claim "it's all about sex." Schippers argued that the constitutional conflict of interest problem Rogan cites "could have become overcome immediately" by Gingrich dropping out of proceedings completely, "but he stayed involved. He kept putting up roadblocks."
This investigation started with Dick Armey's contention about Gingrich's meetings with Clinton. Gingrich insists there was no blackmail, and my sense is that he's telling the truth-but knowing blackmail is possible plays on a man's mind. Based on all the interviews, it's clear that Gingrich had secret meetings with Clinton and that Democratic Congressmen Beryl Anthony and Barney Frank knew about Gingrich's affair. It seems highly likely that the White House knew about the affair and that Gingrich suspected Clinton knew. It seems likely that this concern affected his conduct in some way.
One other aspect is clear: Gingrich's affair contributed powerfully to the conclusion reached by many Americans that the GOP was a party of moral hypocrites who talked about family values but did not practice them. He hurt not only his wife but the "Republican revolution" and the followers who trusted him. He cannot succeed now by referring to the harm he did in an offhand way. If Gingrich wants to show that he has changed, he needs to review what he did in greater depth and tell the whole story. He won't win by showing himself as a master of public policy. He needs to show an understanding that honesty is the best policy. He needs to show that he has mastered himself.
What now? Former Rep. Hoekstra's view is mine as well: "Newt is a person I am conflicted about. I like him. He is very smart. But he appears to have an 'I complex' (similar to Obama) that may be a fatal character flaw if he hasn't addressed it. We all make mistakes. We should all learn and change from them. That's the question that needs to be answered about Newt."
Has he changed? One congressional ally of his during the 1990s says, "I don't know. He's struggling." As are many-but they're not all running for president.
For an update, see "Changing horses: GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich suffers exodus of senior campaign staff members," by Marvin Olasky.
1993: Gingrich/Bisek affair begins.
1994: Republicans gain a majority in Congress.
1995: Gingrich's first year as speaker; Clinton/Lewinsky affair begins.
1998: Clinton's perjury and obstruction of justice leads to impeachment in December.
1999: Gingrich, no longer in Congress, announces he is suing for divorce, and his affair becomes public.
2000: Gingrich marries Bisek.
2011: Gingrich runs for president.
The nation should be grateful to Gingrich for his role in promoting historic welfare reform in 1995 and 1996. He has my personal gratitude for publicizing a book I wrote on poverty-fighting. Gingrich has recently been ridiculed for saying that as speaker he was so passionate about changing the country that he "worked far too hard" and let other passions get the best of him. But one night in 1995, close to midnight, we were talking in a Washington restaurant. He seemed exhausted and I asked how to pray for him. He said, "You know, the physical things." It seemed he was referring to his 18-hour days. Maybe he was referring to something else.
The press meme in recent weeks has been that Gingrich is not as smart as many thought. Here's a disagreement: On coming up with brilliant ideas he leads the GOP presidential peloton. But the physical things, and in particular the heart things, cannot be separated from the brain. In 1999 I wrote a history book that profiled 13 American leaders and concluded that unfaithfulness in marriage was often a leading indicator of unfaithfulness to the country. I couldn't overlook the questions about Gingrich. That many of Gingrich's views are mine as well does not allow me to ignore his record.
This doesn't mean we should hiss Gingrich now. Even the apostle Paul wrote about his own ongoing struggle with sin. This means that we cannot choose sinless political leaders-they don't exist. All face enormous temptation and have great opportunity to sin. All will fail, maybe not committing adultery but disappointing us in some way. That's why we need to look for leaders who not only vote the right way and say the right things but see themselves as sinners relying on grace. Leaders of that kind are more likely to avoid self-righteousness, accept criticism, and learn from errors.


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Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Mid-Life Crisis
I hope you had a good weekend. I hate the Monday holidays. Mainly because I am usually off on Mondays and when everyone else is off on Mondays, I just don't feel very special. And you know it is all about me.
Did I tell you I am reading a book called I Sold My Soul on eBay? This guy, an atheist, decided to sell 50 trips to church on eBay. He was willing to hear what someone had to say and give them 50 chances to convert him. He ended up selling this particular service for $504. This book chronicles events of his church experience. It is well-written but hard to read. This guy goes into church,critiques what he sees, and he tells you what he is thinking. That is kind of like a patient, who let's say is a computer programmer, who tells you how you should do your fillings or even worse, how to run your practice.
I don't think that churches can't learn from him, but he says things like, "I keep hearing them talk about being saved. Do I need to be saved if I don't feel lost? I feel like I have it all together and I know for sure that I am not lost at the present time." But most things churches do (and people in them believe) would seem silly to someone that has NO faith. I just don't want to read about how silly me and my church look.
I watched an old movie this weekend called "Causalities of War." It has Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox in it. It is pretty good. It is about five guys on a long mission during the Vietnam War. Along the way, the guy in charge raids a farm village and kidnaps a young woman. One of the five is very vocal about how he thinks this is wrong. They take her along with them and you can imagine what they do with her, all along the one guy protesting. When they get back he tells his superiors, "What happens in the bush, stays in the bush." Then he goes to the highest guy he can find; the general says, "Forget about it." Well, he takes it all the way to the top and is finally vindicated. It was pretty good.
Alright - enough of the fluff, let's get to the topic...
I was thinking a lot about Friday's blog. I know it might have struck a chord with a lot of you, but I feel like there might be an underlying issue. Fifteen years after becoming a dentist, i sit and think a lot to myself. Sometimes I think to myself, "Damn, this is awesome. I absolutely love what I do."
But you know what? There are also times when I say, "This is it?" I look around and think, I went to four years of college, four years of dental school and worked my ass off as an associate for 8 years. Then I bought this practice and I am seven years into that and...
Most of the time it is a grind. It is becoming less and less exciting to see the same things over and over again. I understand this feeling, and I understand see how people can see that same thing going on in a lot of avenues of their own lives. For instance, their spouses...
My assistant is a mother of two. Her daughter and son-in-law moved away for work and her son is still in town but is trying to go to school and work and is not around alot. She told me she was sitting in the pool this weekend floating by herself. Her husband was sitting inside watching golf and she could not help think to herself, "Is this it?!?!"
It is this way with so many things in life. How about kids? Everyone says kids are so great. And they are. They really are, but there is a point where you say to yourself, "What the @$#%$T$@% was I thinking?" And I haven't even hit the teenage years yet.
How about your car? I can see how having a nice car is cool. It is nice having luxury. I don't have this, but I do get to ride in nice cars once in awhile and I can see how it is addicting. And when you have a nice car but it is 3 years old and all the new cars have so many more bells and whistles, you start to feel a desire for a new one. Same with houses. I love my house but I can tell you when I go to the muckity muck neighborhoods I start to say, "Man, I want that."
Why would it be any different with our spouses and our professions? Now I know I have talked about this recently but it keeps coming up (I guess I am mid-life crisis age so it is hitting home). I think what happens is we get into thinking it is going to be great and it is great. But even great can get boring. And great sometimes doesn't buy us all we want. So we start to change. The things that made us great at what we do get put to the side. The things that made us sleep better at night are not that important. It could start to become about YOU, and that could be bad.
I can see how some people get cold. They don't care about the relationships anymore. The tooth probably can get away with doing a filling but why bother with all that, when "well, let's see how this goes," will get you by? Let's take all the emotion out of it. "It needs a crown," and walk out of the room. I don't need to know about all the money issues you are having. Do you see what I am saying? Or am I rambling?
I mean, we all get those patients that come in for a "second opinion" after their dentist told them they needed 20 fillings. You look in there and don't see any issues at all.
Some dentists get tired of being at the office. You can see how people can get tired of sitting around the office. They don't have any patients so they don't come in. Why would they? Me, even if I don't have any patients, I am still coming in. There is so much that can happen while I am here - and besides, at this point in my life, I don't have much going on outside of here. What is happening is that dentistry is becoming a means to an end, and that is bad.
If you are young, you must prepare for the day that everything you find exciting can become mundane. But how do you prepare?
I have to tell you that luckily I don't feel this way. I feel like if I make the day exciting it will be less mundane. I try to have fun. I play around all day. I play 80s music. I joke constantly. As far as making teeth more, I have begun to study more and have been reading more peer-reviewed articles. I still love getting to know my patients. I try to make the office fun for me and my staff and my patients. I might do a surprise root beer float party at the end of the day. I cut out comics to put up in the staff lounge. My motto is "Fight complacency."
And the same with my marriage. If it becomes mundane and boring then you can see how people will think the grass is greener on the other side. I am not going to tell you how I make my marriage less mundane (let's just say a trip to the adult toy store is in order... OH GROSS!!!!) because you have to figure it out yourself.
Mid-life crisis or mid-practice crisis, some of us have been through it. Some of us are in it. Some of us think it will never happen to us (to you young guns, imagine doing your 30,000th filling) and that is great, but know that it might happen.
My last bit of advice is this - make practicing fun. Make life fun. (Am I sounding like Tony Robbins or what?) I am not saying quit practicing dentistry or leave your wife. No, I am saying remember why you fell in love with it and do that (maybe it involves a trip to the adult toy store).
Have a great Wednesday. See you on Friday.
8 comments:
Wow, reading your blog is often like having a conversation with myself!
I am right there, much like yourself. Successful, but not TOO successful that I can afford the really fancy cars, houses or holidays, but I am sure I have a better living than 95% of the population.
But I do find, 15 years into practice, that often trudge into work instead of skip.
Maybe it is the sameness, the repetition, the feeling that you are often not making the difference that you thought you would, or that your best work is often overlooked by a patient who only cares about cost (or not paying their copayment) and not your quality. Or maybe you are really honest in your work, but that one patient who you have probably bent over backwards and forwards for far beyond what your staff thinks you should have done questions your integrity. These are the things that make me not enjoy dentistry and sometimes wish I was doing something else.
But then I see a patient who is just ecstatic about the changes in their mouth after we are done, or I see a child after successful orthodontics and they have a gorgeous smile and I know their confidence is sky high and I feel like what we do really, really matters. Its not the money - their are far easier ways to make money than to have blood and spit on your face, but in the end we all hopefully got into this profession to be healers.
Thanks for your blog - again.
- September 8, 2010 at 5:43 PM
I've been married over 20 years and I think that every marriage reaches a point where a trip (or 2 or 3) to the adult toy store is definitely in order!
Keep on writing. Great blog as always.
- September 8, 2010 at 9:47 PM
- Suzan said...
Blood and spit on your face...very funny! You touch on something very much in my consciousness; getting in to this profession as a healing art. Ugliness is being treated as a disease; the commoditization of a healing art and for some it doesn't sit well. I've been hearing from dentists all over the world...feeling what seems apparent in this blog.
I risk sounding commercial or preaching to the choir. However, living by the motto; I am responsible for the purity of my motive and the integrity of my actions; here goes.
Dr. Martin Seligman from Penn State has put science behind postive psychology and points to, in essence, relational practice as a significant component of happiness. As you say Ken, making a meaningful difference is a huge part of happiness; keeps you going and engaged. Dr. Seligman has the research to prove it. I'm all for optimism but there's more science to the art of happiness and from my experience profound joy in practice isn't an act nor a problem of attitude.
To transition from the blues and boredom, to be happy I believe is to truly practice relationally. The behavioural skills to authentically help people change, (desire health over remedial care),to have profound relationships, to truly make a meaningful difference relies on skill...not just good ole boy intuition. I'm talking about understanding that replaces teaching and selling. It's counterintuitive.
Interestingly, the word verification showing is swamp. If dentists invested a miniscule proportion of what they spend on the clinical science and/or technology on truly understanding behavior, they would feel less in the swamp and keep the alligators from licking at their heels.
Your writing is testimonial John to the fact that people are drawn to where they feel understood; behavior 101. Practice really doesn't have to be a daily grind.
Don't let the alligators get ya! You do a great service John by offering your colleagues hope and understanding. I applaud you!
- September 9, 2010 at 4:22 PM
Interesting comments, Suzan. I will look up some of Dr. Seligman's ideas. I don't mean to sound down on our profession - after 15 years I can count many, many more successes in my job than failures; but sometimes you wish your work had greater reach and that the differences you make are not just limited to a tooth (or teeth) at a time.
Its not that I don't do the kind of dentistry I want - I am part of a group family practice and we pretty much do everything, from OS to implants to ortho in house. Our practice, by any definition, would be considered successful. But as I said earlier its not about the money. Its about the profession itself.
I find the most rewarding patients are not necessarily the financially lucrative ones but the ones that make me proud to be a dentist because I have done something to cure a part of what ills them.
Money of course is important, but if your spirit fades then money won't make you happy either.
Thanks again for the thoughts and sounding board John.
- September 9, 2010 at 11:26 PM
- DMDrep said...
Wow, I am so glad I came across your blog. I am reading this thinking this is me! I am e Dental Supply guy that goes around to offices, and have had a great life and career (25 years already at 43).
I have been asking myself a lot lately is that all there is? What have I done to make this world a better place? I wish I transformed peoples lives the way a dentist does - creating a beautiful smile and helping people feel better about themselves. But alas, I am just a guy who mostly comes around and tells a few jokes and hopes for someone to order their bread and milk from me....
I started writing like yourself and have been able to develop a following of several thousand people - and it now feels like maybe I do offer a little more than just a few sundry items....maybe I have made a little difference in this world....like the way you have for me today...
Thanks for your blog and talking as openly and honestly as you do. Keep making people smile, it's a wonderful gift!
- September 10, 2010 at 9:42 PM
- gatordmd said...
It is my pleasure.
I think you will like some of my past blogs too....I did talk about transforming people's lives through creating beautiful smiles. But you have a lot of reading to do.
Oh and about those several thousand followers of yours...why don't you tell them about The Daily Grind?
And I would love to read your blog but I couldn't find it.
Can you help me with that?
Thanks for your kind words,
- September 13, 2010 at 1:53 PM
- DMDrep said...
I do have a lot of reading to do! I will post a link through my facebook, Twitter and blog - just reading a lot more the last few days. We are so similar in so many ways - I can really appreciate what you have to say.
My blog is at www.dmdrep.com - you can subscribe with an rss feed, or even via email. Most of my friends are linked through Twitter @dmdrep or through Facebook/warrenbobinski or on my facebook/dmdrep fan club. Facebook has a huge networked dental community where I have met a lot of talented dental friends like yourself.
Thanks again for sharing your successes in Life and Dentistry. It's my motto, and I really do appreciate it.
Warren Bobinski
Success in dentistry and Life...
- September 13, 2010 at 8:40 PM
Well Ok, I can see the marriage thing ;0) But the truth is, after 29 years in this business, I seem to love it more every day! I can't get enough CE's, I love to learn. I'm a junkie when it comes to product knowledge. When the new Komet burs come in, my face lights up! My boss tells me I'm the biggest tooth nerd he's ever met. I work 5 days a week in a growing practice, I teach one day week, I write articles and have begun speaking also. I am so blessed with a career that I dearly love. As for the marriage, I'll stop at the adult toy store on the way home ;0)
- September 13, 2010 at 9:37 PM
The statements expressed on this blog to include the bloggers postings do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), nor do they imply endorsement by the AGD.


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As good picture quality is expensive to implement and difficult to explain, manufacturers seeking to differentiate between scads of televisions are turning to increasingly esoteric extras like passive or active 3D, 120Hz/240Hz/480Hz, QWERTY remote controls, and laundry lists of streaming video services. Philips has a new one: Wi-Fi MediaConnect. The feature, available on the PFL5706/F7 series reviewed here, enables the TV to display whatever's on the screen of a laptop PC that's running special software, without a wired connection between the two.
When it works the system functions well, but after our initial "Wow, cool!" reaction, we found MediaConnect's appeal more limited than most of those other extras. After all, isn't the point of Internet TV to ditch your PC altogether, or at least make its interface more like a DVR and less like a computer? Moreover, there are devices that provide the same function that work better than MediaConnect, as we'll discuss below. If you must have wireless PC projection built in, however, and don't mind this TV's mediocre picture quality, Philips is the only game in town.
Series information: We performed a hands-on evaluation of the 40-inch Philips 40PFL5706/F7, but this review also applies to the other screen sizes in the series. All sizes have identical specs and according to the manufacturer should provide very similar picture quality.
|Models in series (details)
|Philips 40PFL5706/F7 (reviewed)
|40 inches
|Philips 46PFL5706/F7
|46 inches
|Philips 55PFL5706/F7
|55 inches
|Design highlights
|Panel depth
|4.3 inches
|Bezel width
|2 inches
|Single-plane face
|Swivel stand
Nobody will mistake the PFL5706/F7 for a fashion-forward TV. Its biggest concession to style is the rounded shape of the corners and stand base. The thick bezel is basic glossy black, the stand doesn't swivel, and the panel itself appears chunky by today's standards--more so than many other non-LED LCDs.
|Remote control and menus
|Remote size (LxW)
|8.7x1.8 inches
|QWERTY keyboard
|Illuminated keys
|IR device control
|Menu item explanations
|Onscreen manual
The PFL5760 has a pretty basic remote and menu system. The remote lacks any illumination, and while the layout is fine, its buttons are too similar in size and shape, the labels are in tiny print, and Exit and Menu inconveniently occupy the same key. The menu is sparse with minimal icons and no explanatory text, and we often found the transparent settings background made values difficult to read. On the other hand, we liked the Home menu with its big icons for selecting from the major functions and found the overall system fairly simple to navigate.
|Key TV features
|Display technology
|LED backlight
|3D technology
|3D glasses included
|Screen finish
|Internet connection
|Built-in Wi-Fi
|Refresh rate(s)
|Dejudder (smooth) processing
|Other: Wi-Fi MediaConnect PC screen projection
Philips' main differentiator for TVs is MediaConnect, discussed above, which allows the PFL5706 series to display the contents of a laptop PC screen wirelessly. The appeal of this feature is pretty limited, however. First off, with numerous streaming-video sources built into the TV (or your Blu-ray player or other device), using a laptop as a source seems kludgy and inconvenient. If you need to, however, you can get the same functionality by wiring any laptop via HDMI or VGA to any TV, or wirelessly via products like Veebeam and Intel Wireless Display. MediaConnect is for someone who wants to watch Hulu.com or other free Web-only video sources, or display video files stored on a PC, frequently enough to demand a built-in wireless approach.
Having installed the MediaConnect software, which is only available for PCs and comes with robust hardware requirements, we found using the feature was a mixed bag. When it worked the experience was good: picture quality was basically identical to what we saw on the PC's screen, audio was in sync, and playback was stable as long as we remained in range. The only issue was a 2-second delay in the TV's response that--similar to Veebeam--makes performing input-dependent tasks on the big screen well-nigh impossible.
Unfortunately the system only worked with one of the two routers we tried, a new Apple AirPort Extreme, and failed when used with an older SMC Barricade--our current AV lab workhorse that works flawlessly with many other Wi-Fi home theater products. While Philips doesn't provide an official list of recommended routers, a company contact gave us a list of models his lab has tested and confirmed to be compatible. Others may work fine, but then again they may not.
Distance was also a major factor. We couldn't get MediaConnect to work from the next room, about 40 feet away, even though the TV's other streaming services like Netflix worked fine from there via Wi-Fi. Philips claims a maximum range of 70 feet with no obstructions, and says the closer the PC and TV are to the router, the better. We experienced better stability and range when we connected the TV via Ethernet instead of using the TV's Wi-Fi connection. See Philips' FAQ for more information.
As with any such system, your mileage will vary depending on local conditions and hardware, and our testing lab is a pretty unforgiving location. Overall, however, we prefer Veebeam or Intel Wireless Display, both of which use dedicated hardware that doesn't depend on your home network's wireless router.
Aside from MediaConnect, and the welcome inclusion of built-in Wi-Fi, the PFL5706 is a fairly standard midrange non-LED LCD TV.
|Streaming and apps
|Amazon Instant
|Hulu Plus
|Web browser
|Other: Blockbuster, Film Fresh, vTuner, CloudTV, Vudu Apps
Philips' Net TV service has a good selection but nonetheless lacks quite a few major services that its competitors support, as shown in the chart above. Still, we're happy it uses the newer Netflix interface, including search.
The main Net TV interface for accessing applications and services was relatively sluggish at times. Backing out of apps was also annoying; many times we had to exit Net TV completely, then re-enter. Streaming quality was fine, although we missed having picture controls for the video services.
Unlike most other major TV makers, Philips doesn't put an app store on its TVs, although Vudu Apps is available with items like Twitter and Facebook as well as numerous others. Vudu's interface is clean and easy to navigate, and its apps are generally well-implemented, although most occupy the whole screen, so you can't watch TV while using them. Standouts include access to numerous full episodes of the PBS staples "Nova" and "Nature" (albeit in painfully low quality), Wikipedia, and a solid selection of podcasts. We love that the apps display star ratings, although we couldn't figure out where they came from, and we wish categories were more specific given the numerous choices. Check out the Vudu Apps site for a full listing of available apps, but know that most of the premium show-based apps (such as "Dexter" and "True Blood") offer clips and not full episodes.
The CloudTV service is something we haven't seen on other TVs. It's a sort of meta-app that offers a second Facebook app as well as a clock/weather/stocks/scores widget (which again occupies the whole screen) and a bunch of ad-supported games--none of them widescreen, unfortunately. Also unique to Philips TVs in our experience is Film Fresh, DivX's pay-per-view cloud video rent/buy service with both movies and TV shows. In vTuner's video section you'll find a bunch of podcasts broken down nicely by genre, many of which populate the main Net TV page as well. The TV also has vTuner's Internet radio app.
|Picture settings
|Adjustable picture modes
|Fine dejudder control
|Color temperature presets
|Fine color temperature control
|Gamma presets
|Color management system
|Other: Settings assistant
The selection here is anemic. Philips doesn't include independent input memories, just a bunch of global presets that apply to all inputs. The presets can't be separately adjusted, and when you do adjust any of the picture parameters and then select another preset, you'll find that your adjustments have been erased. We were also peeved at the lack of a dedicated backlight control, something found on most other LCDs regardless of price. In short, people who like tweaking the picture will want to choose another HDTV.
Philips' Settings Assistant shows you a few images and asks you to choose between them. It can be used for very basic settings if you don't have much time, but there are better ways to set up your TV by eye.


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When you order your pottery you will be prompted to choose your color palette. If you need more than 1 palette you can order it as a extra item. If you need black, gray, brown, or white (not included in any palettes) please order these separate too. Paint brushes are not included but are available for $5 packs for 10 brushes!
Wolf Goblet
Select Your Palette


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BalticClimate videos and photos
Target Area Assessments
In order to systematically identify and analyse the challenges and chances posed by climate change in the BalticClimate Target Areas (TAs) a lot of information and studies are needed. To facilitate and to structure this work efficiently, the whole process has been divided into three stages:
- a preparatory inventory phase
- a vulnerability assessment phase
- a capitalization phase
This three-step process has been drawn up in order to ensure that the work with Implementation Cases and the vulnerability assessments taking place in the TAs are fully integrated and that they feed into the development of the BalticClimate ICT-Toolkit. The main outputs, which should be transferable at the local and regional level throughout the BSR, will be the legacy of the BalticClimate project. Thus, it is crucial that Project Partners test and suggest improvements for each of the main activities conducted and outputs obtained during the TA assessments.


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@Perdig Great job on this! Just what I need.
It really works great on iPhone, but not so well on Android:
Its very laggy on Android 4.0.3, any solutions to this?
I have anther HTC Android phone but when I zoom, the whole application zooms. Do someone know how I could prevent this?


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Snow returns to the metro
A winter storm packing snow and wind swept through Iowa and Nebraska, slowing morning commutes, closing schools and leaving portions of major highways shut down.
Schools calling off classes for the day include Omaha Public Schools, Westside Community Schools, Papillion-La Vista and LIncoln.
- See more closings here
- Latest road conditions (NEBRASKA | IOWA)
A section of Interstate 80 near Lincoln, Neb., was closed Wednesday by jackknifed trucks. Another section from York to Aurora closed due to ice, high winds, blowing snow and zero visibility.
Omaha police stopped taking accident reports due to the high volume of accidents early Wednesday. Officers have since resumed taking those reports.
Lincoln has about 6 inches of snow. Portions of south-central Iowa had more than 7 inches.
As the storm tracks eastward across Iowa, whiteout conditions are reducing visibility.
Transportation officials report significant slowdowns and backups in central and eastern Iowa as crashes and jackknifed trucks block roads.
Winter storm warnings and advisories remain in effect. After the snowfall ends, temperatures will fall, with readings below zero by Friday in much of the region.


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Earlier this month, we heard that Richard Garriot — son of an astronaut and granddaddy of science fiction/fantasy games like the Ultima series — would officiate a wedding in zero gravity.
Here are the pictures from the blessed event. Note the lack of vomit and the lack of upskirt shots on the fabulous wedding dress.
The bride and groom, New York couple Noah Fulmore and Erin Finnegan, are huge sci-fi fans according to a June 2 press conference the couple held to discuss their extraordinary wedding plans. They wanted to do something sci-fi-ish and weird for the wedding — so who better to oblige them than the creator of Tabula Rasa?
The zero-g ceremony was facilitated by the Zero G Corporation, a federally-approved tourist flight service that simulates spaceflight by flying in parabolic arcs between 36,000 and 24,000 feet. (Flying up, then dropping down and then going back up again.) The flight costs $5,200 per person.
Couple married in zero gravity [Reuters]


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Ferguson To Premiere As Host on Monday, January 3, 2005
CBS and Worldwide Pants today announced that actor/comedian Craig Ferguson will take over as the new permanent host of CBS' THE LATE LATE SHOW. Ferguson replaces former host Craig Kilborn, who stepped down as host of the late night talker in August.
THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON will kickoff the New Year with Ferguson's inaugural broadcast on Monday, Jan. 3 (12:37-1:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
"Craig is a smart, funny and versatile personality who we feel can build a following on late night television," said Rob Burnett, President and CEO of Worldwide Pants, Incorporated. "This was a difficult decision to make among talented candidates, but Craig is clearly a gifted comic who will be an outstanding host of the Late Late Show."
Ferguson served two stints as the guest host for THE LATE LATE SHOW. His first leap into late night television was for two nights, Oct. 14 and Oct. 15. Ferguson, along with three former guest hosts, was then invited back in November for an additional week-long hosting stint. Ferguson drew the first week of shows, Nov. 8-Nov. 12.
Ferguson is best-known for his work on the comedy series "The Drew Carey Show" where he played Carey's boss, Nigel Wick. The multi-talented entertainer also wrote and starred in the feature films, "Saving Grace" and "The Big Tease." Ferguson also spent some time behind the camera making his directorial debut in 2003 with the critically acclaimed film "I'll Be There," which took home Audience Awards for Best Film at the Aspen, Dallas and Valencia Film Festivals.
Before taking the reigns at 12:30 AM, Ferguson will visit the 11:30 PM hour with an appearance on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman" on Tuesday, Dec. 14.
THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON will be broadcast weeknights (12:37-1:37 AM, ET/PT) following the "Late Show with David Letterman" on the CBS Television Network. THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON is a production of Worldwide Pants Inc. Todd Allan Yasui is executive producer.


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In this project, you will create a train that will ride around on a track. When the track leaves the ground (or is very hilly), the train becomes more like a roller coaster.
Once it becomes a roller coaster, loops, corkscrews, and other things become possible
The main purposes of this project is to demonstrate your fundamental knowledge in Computer Graphics and to give you experience in working with OGRE3D. The core of the project is a program that creates a 3D world, and to allow the user to place a train (or roller coaster) track in the world. This means that the user needs to be able to see and manipulate a set of control points that define a curve to represent the track, and that you can draw the track and animate the train moving along the track. It will also force you to use OGRE3D to create an fundamental interactive framework and proper user interfaces. The framework will be similar to the framework provided for Introduction to Computer Graphics and you can use it as a reference.
Basically in this project you will need to:
- Create a framework asthis onein OGRE3D.
- Provide a user interface to look around the world, as well as providing a "top down" view.
- You must have a "ground" (so the track isn't just in space).
- Provide a user interface that allows control points to be added, removed, or repositioned.
- Allow for the control points to be saved and loaded from text files in the format used by the example solution.
- Provide lighting.
- Allow things to be animated (have a switch that allows the train to start/stop), as well as allowing for manually moving the train forward and backwards.
- You should have a slider (or some control) that allows for the speed of the train to be adjusted (how far the train goes on each step, not the number of steps per second).
- Add the basic functionality:
- Draw a track based on the control points.
- Rail ties: ties are the cross pieces on railroad tracks. Getting them right (uniformly spaced) requires good arc-length parameterization. In the example code, you can turn the arc-length parameterization on and off to see the difference.
- Arc-length parameterization: Having your train move at a constant velocity (rather than moving at a constant change of parameter value) makes things better. Implementing this is an important step towards many other advanced features. You should allow arc-length parameterization to be switched on and off to emphasize the difference, you should also provide a speed control.
- Control the orientation of track: the simple schemes for orienting the train break down in 3D - in particular, when there are loops. Make it so that your train consistently moves along the track (so its under the track at the top of a loop).
- One good way to provide for proper orientations is to allow the user to control which direction is "up" at points along the curve. This allows you to do things like corkscrew roller coasters. The sample solution does this (its why the framework has an orientation vector for each control point). Note that the train still needs to face forward, the given orientation is just a hint as to which way up should be.
- Simple physics: Roller coasters do not go at constant velocities - they speed up and slow down. Simulating this (in a simple way) is really easy once you have arc-length parameterization. Remember that Kinetic Energy - Potential Energy should remain constant (or decrease based on friction). This lets you compure what the velocity should be based on how high the roller coaster is. Even Better is to have "Roller Coaster Physics" - the roller coaster is pulled up the first hill at a constant velocity, and "dropped " where it goes around the track in "free fall." You could even have it stop at the platform to pick up people. Note: you should implement arc-length first. Once you get it right it is much easier.
- Draw a train on that track.
- Have the train oriented correctly on the track.
- Have a rider: Little people who put their hands up as they accelerate down the hill are a cool addition. (I don't know why putting your hands up makes roller coasters more fun, but it does). The hands going up when the train goes down hill is a requirement.
- Headlight for the Train: Have the train have a headlight that actually lights up the objects in front of it. This is actually very tricky since it requires local lighting, which isn't directly supported.
- Multiple cars
- Have Real Train Wheels: Real trains have wheels at the front and back that are both on the track and that swivel relative to the train itself. If you make real train wheels, you'll need arc-length parameterization to keep the front and rear wheels the right distances apart (make sure to draw them so we can see them swiveling when the train goes around a tight turn).
In the sample solution, the wheels are trucked (they turn independently), but each car still rotates around its center (so its as if they are floating above the wheels). You can do better than that.
- Add advanced features
- Add shadow: shadow gives the user sense of space. It is important to add shadow in the interactive graphics applications.
- Non-Flat Terrain for the ground: This is mainly interesting if you have the train track follow the ground (maybe with tressles or bridges if the ground is too bumpy).
- Have the train make smoke: Steam trains are the coolest trains, even if they are being a roller coaster. Having some kind of smoke coming from the train's smoke stack would be really neat. Animate the smoke (for example, have "balls of smoke" that move upward and dissipate).
- Add sky with sky box, sky plane, sky sphere, and etc.
- Load in models created by blender, Maya, 3DMax, and other 3D tools.
- Scenery: having other (non-moving) objects in the world gives you something to look at when you ride the train.
- 3 Shaders: Graphics Processing Unit(GPU) has become very important aspect in graphics. We would like to explore the usage of them such as environment map, particle simulation, water simulation, and so on. Everyone has to write 3 shaders
- a readme.txt which should explain the following:
- A list of all the features that you have added, including a description, and an explanation of how you know that it works correctly.
- A discussion of any important, technical details (like how you compute the coordinate system for the train, or what method you use to compute the arc length)
- Anything else we should know to compile and use your progra
- 3 screen shots
- Source code and media information
- A 1~2 minutes video


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BEIJING -- Americans unfurled a religious banner in the heart of communist China and other foreign activists protested Wednesday on a range of issues, but authorities handled them with uncharacteristic restraint two days before the Olympics start.
The demonstrations were small -- groups of no more than four people -- and no arrests were reported.
The soft touch suggests Beijing might be hoping to repair its image abroad, which has taken a hit over hot-button issues like its human rights record and its policies in Tibet and Sudan.
But the rare public protests were quickly condemned by Olympics organizers, who are determined to make sure the communist government's plan for the Beijing Games goes off without a hitch.
"We express our strong opposition," Sun Weide, spokesman for the Beijing Olympics organizing committee, said after four pro-Tibet activists were led away by police after putting up banners on light poles outside the National Stadium.
Also known as the Bird's Nest, the stadium is where the opening ceremony for the games will be held Friday. It was the first protest at a games venue.
"In terms of assembly and demonstrations, China has related laws and regulations," Sun said. "We hope that foreigners will respect the related Chinese laws and regulations."
Those rules -- stringent in normal times -- have been tightened further for the Olympics. Beijing has said it would allow applications for public protests in three designated areas, but it's not clear if any had been accepted. None of Wednesday's protests were in the designated areas.
The government also has used its visa rules to try to keep out foreigners who might want to protest -- former Olympic speedskater and Darfur campaigner Joey Cheek had his visa pulled Wednesday hours before he was to travel to Beijing.
The International Olympic Committee, which has faced criticism for giving the games to China despite its rights record, urged Chinese authorities to respond prudently to protesters.
Organizers should expect people to "use the platform of the Olympic Games to draw attention to their causes," said IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau.
"The IOC are confident Beijing city authorities will assess the situation reasonably and act with tact and understanding," she said.
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, a Tibetan activist fell 15 feet while staging a mock hanging from the roof of the Chinese consulate. The demonstrator fell on to a balcony when the rope from which she was suspended snapped. She was placed on a gurney but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, a San Franciso Fire Department spokeswoman said.
In China, three Americans spent almost an hour in Beijing's Tiananmen Square criticizing the government's handling of issues ranging from forced abortions to the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement to pro-democracy demonstrations in 1989.
"It was important for us that there be a clear voice speaking out against the Chinese government's abuse of human rights," the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition in Washington, told The Associated Press by telephone afterward.
The three erected a banner in front of communist strongman Mao Zedong's mausoleum that said "Christ is King" and knelt and prayed. Brandi Swindell, national director of the activist group Generation Life, put out seven roses in memory of those who died in the military crackdown on the Tiananmen protesters.
They said plainclothes security agents and police officers tried to block the banner with umbrellas and started shoving the group when they tried to walk around the square. The agents eventually pushed them out of the area and made them sit nearby for almost an hour, checking their passports, before letting them go, Mahoney and Swindell said.
Sun said the Tibet demonstrators were "persuaded to leave" by police, and were not detained.
Foreigners who protest Beijing's human rights record or official policy of atheism on Chinese soil would normally face deportation. Chinese who demonstrate would face detention and hours of questioning by police, at least.
Tibet has been an extremely sensitive topic since protests against almost 50 years of Chinese rule turned violent in the region in March, prompting a crackdown by security forces.
Also Wednesday, a documentary about Tibetans voicing opposition to the Olympics was screened for a few journalists at a small hotel near Tiananmen Square.
"If the 2008 Olympic games take place, then they should stand for freedom and peace. As a Tibetan, I have neither freedom nor peace. Therefore I don't want these games," said one unidentified monk who was interviewed for the 25-minute film.
The filmmakers said later that the hotel was shut down by authorities but a woman who answered the telephone at the front desk said she knew nothing about the screening and that business was normal.
At least one athlete promoted a political cause.
Amanda Beard, the Olympic 200-meter breaststroke champion, unveiled a poster of herself naked in support of the anti-fur activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The launch has been planned for a hotel but happened outside the Athlete's Village after Chinese authorities canceled the hotel event.