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Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases
1. DFWED Pathogenesis, Evolution, and Comparative Genomics of Salmonella serotypes
P. I. Fields
Salmonella is one of the most common foodborne pathogens in the US. It typically causes gastrointestinal illness, but specific serotypes are associated with invasive disease. Additionally, some serotypes are associated with specific animal hosts. Our current knowledge of the genetics and pathogenesis of Salmonella is restricted to just a few common serotypes. However, "Salmonella" consists of two species, seven subspecies, and more than 2500 different serotypes; and, some serotypes have been shown to differ by more than 10% in gene content. Our research is focused in two areas. We are studying the genetic basis for serotype variability, and are applying this knowledge to the development of molecular methods for the identification of serotype. And, we are characterizing specific Salmonella serotypes with respect to genome content and/or genome sequence in order to better understand the evolution of Salmonella, and the pathogenic and epidemiologic differences between serotypes. A better understanding of the pathogenesis and diversity of Salmonella serotypes can be applied the development of improved diagnostic and subtyping methods, as well as to prevention and control strategies.
2. DFWED Development of Novel Molecular Methods for Subtyping Bacterial Foodborne Pathogens
E. Hyytia-Trees, E. M. Ribot
An estimated 48 million illnesses are caused by foodborne pathogens in the United States each year resulting in approximately 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. An estimated 3.6 million illnesses are attributed to foodborne bacterial pathogens such as Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Listeria, and Salmonella spp, among others. We are interested in developing and applying novel DNA-based molecular subtyping methods, especially next generation sequencing, as part of our efforts to improve the way we characterize and study these human pathogens and measure the impact they have on public health. Our primary objective is to develop cutting-edge subtyping tools for use by PulseNet, CDC's National Molecular Subtyping Network for Foodborne Disease Surveillance, that are based on comparative sequencing and/or analysis of multiple loci such as housekeeping and virulence genes, tandem repeats, and single nucleotide polymorphisms. We are also interested in developing culture-independent approaches (focus on metagenomics) for the identification and characterization of foodborne pathogens directly from clinical specimens to further enhance PulseNet's laboratory-based surveillance activities.
Lanier, W.A., Hall, J.M., Herlihy, R.K., Rolfs, R.T., Wagner, J.M., Smith, L.H., and Hyytia-Trees, E.K. (2011) Outbreak of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections associated with rodeo attendance, Utah and Idaho, 2009. Foodborne Path. Dis. 8, 1-3.
Hyytia-Trees, E., Lafon, P., Vauterin, P., and Ribot, E.M. Multilaboratory Validation Study of Standardized Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Analysis Protocol for Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli O157: A Novel Approach to Normalize Fragment Size Data Between Capillary Electrophoresis Platforms. 2010. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. 7:129-136
Zhang, W. et al. 2007. Probing genomic diversity and evolution of Escherichia coli O157 by single nucleotide polymorphisms. Genome Res. 16: 757-767.
Hyytia-Trees, E., Smole, S.C., Fields, P.A., Swaminathan, B., and Ribot, E.M. 2006. Second Generation Subtyping: A Proposed PulseNet Protocol for Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Analysis of Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli O157 (STEC O157). Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. 3:118-131.
Ribot, E.M., Fair, M.A., Gautom, R, Cameron, D.N., Hunter, S.B., Swaminathan, B., Barrett, T.J. 2006. Standardization of Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis Protocols for the Subtyping of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Shigella for PulseNet. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. 3:59-67.
3. DFWED Molecular Epidemiology of Waterborne and Foodborne Protozoa
L. Xiao
Research in the laboratory focuses on the development of molecular tools at species, genotype and subtype levels, and usage of these tools in investigating the transmission of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Cyclospora, and microsporidia in humans and animals, and in detecting and tracking these organisms in environmental samples. Specific research areas include (1) molecular taxonomy of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Cyclospora, and microsporidia in the context of public health, (2) assessment of the public health importance of zoonotic parasites, (3) determination of risk factors, infection sources, and pathogen spread in outbreak and endemic settings, (4) population genetics and transmission dynamics of enteric parasites, and (5) assessment of source and human infection potential of oocysts/cysts/spores in water, food, and environment.
Feng, Y., Yang, W., Ryan, U., Zhang, L., Kvac, M., Koudela, B., Modry, D., Li, N., Fayer, R., Xiao, L., 2011, Development of a multilocus sequence tool for typing Cryptosporidium muris and Cryptosporidium andersoni. J Clin Microbiol 49, 34-41.
Feng, Y., Li, N., Dearen, T., Lobo, M.L., Matos, O., Cama, V., Xiao, L., 2011, Development of a multilocus sequence typing tool for high-resolution genotyping of Enterocytozoon bieneusi. Appl Environ Microbiol 77, 4822-4828.
Feng, Y., Zhao, X., Chen, J., Jin, W., Zhou, X., Li, N., Wang, L., Xiao, L., 2011, Occurrence, source, and human infection potential of Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp. in source and tap water in Shanghai, China. Appl Environ Microbiol 77, 3609-3616.
Wang, R., Wang, H., Sun, Y., Zhang, L., Jian, F., Qi, M., Ning, C., Xiao, L., 2011, Characteristics of Cryptosporidium transmission in pre-weaned dairy cattle in Henan, China. J Clin Microbiol 49:1077-1082.
Feng, Y., Xiao, L., 2011, Zoonotic potential and molecular epidemiology of Giardia species and giardiasis. Clin Microbiol Rev 24, 110-140.
4. DFWED Application of Bioinformatics Tools to Improve Subtyping of Bacterial Foodborne Pathogens
M. M. Freeman
Foodborne diseases are a significant burden on the health care system, with around 76 million Americans becoming ill annually. The main bacterial culprits are shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter and Listeria monocytogenes. These organisms are tracked by PulseNet, CDC's National Molecular Subtyping Network for Foodborne Disease Surveillance. PulseNet identifies clusters of similar strains based on patterns generated by PFGE (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis). While PFGE remains the "gold-standard" for subtyping bacterial foodborne pathogens, new molecular techniques continue to be explored by our group. Next generation methods for molecular characterization and subtyping, ideally, would take less time, cost less and be more discriminatory and epidemiologically relevant than PFGE. Additionally, being able to link data generated by new methods to existing data is necessary to validate the new method. The PulseNet database of PFGE patterns spans over 14 years and 8 different organisms and contains corresponding isolate and demographic data that is amendable to data mining projects. Hypothesis-driven searches may uncover previously unknown trends in bacterial diseases and outbreaks that could explain past events or help prevent future outbreaks. Bioinformatics tools can point to new ways to analyze these data and other information associated with over 300,000 PFGE fingerprints currently contained in the PulseNet national database. Finally, we aim to apply informatics to help interpret genomic data in the context of bacterial foodborne outbreaks. Powerful analytical tools should shed light on new methods or uncover novel approaches subtype strains.
Zhang, W. et al. 2007. Probing genomic diversity and evolution of Escherichia coli O157 by single nucleotide polymorphisms. Genome Res. 16: 757-767.
Hyytia-Trees, E., Smole, S.C., Fields, P.A., Swaminathan, B., and Ribot, E.M. 2006. Second Generation Subtyping: A Proposed PulseNet Protocol for Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Analysis of Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli O157 (STEC O157). Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. 3:118-131.
Ribot, E.M., Fair, M.A., Gautom, R, Cameron, D.N., Hunter, S.B., Swaminathan, B., Barrett, T.J. 2006. Standardization of Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis Protocols for the Subtyping of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Shigella for PulseNet. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. 3:59-67.
5. DFWED Environmental Microbiology Investigations of Waterborne and Environmental Diseases
V.R. Hill
This laboratory serves as a core CDC resource for development and implementation of environmental microbiology techniques with two general focus areas: 1) recovery and detection of pathogens and microbial indicators of fecal contamination in environmental samples and 2) survival and inactivation of microbes in environmental systems (e.g., drinking water). The Environmental Microbiology Laboratory works with Global and Domestic Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programs, as well as subject-matter expert programs focusing on specific pathogens and diseases. The laboratory has capacity and expertise in applying environmental microbiology techniques to the study of bacteria, viruses, and parasites in environmental samples. Techniques employed include sample collection (e.g., microfiltration, ultrafiltration), sample processing (e.g., centrifugation, immunomagnetic separation), bacterial culture (agar and broth), bacteriophage plaque assays, tissue culture for virus quantification and parasite infectivity analysis, fluorescence microscopy, nucleic acid extraction and molecular amplification of DNA and RNA (e.g., qPCR, RT-qPCR, isothermal amplification), and analysis of molecular products (e.g., pyrosequencing, Luminex liquid phase microarrays). Disinfection research includes work on recreational water applications (e.g., hyperchlorination of swimming pools to inactivate Cryptosporidium) and drinking water applications (free chlorine and monochloramine inactivation of enteric viruses).
Yoder JS, Straif-Bourgeois S, Roy SL, Moore TA, Visvesvara GS, Ratard RC, Hill VR, Wilson JD, Linscott AJ, Crager R, Kozak NA, Sriram R, Jothikumar N, Mull B, Kahler AM, Schneeberger C, da Silva AJ, Beach MJ. (2012) Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis Deaths Associated with Sinus Irrigation Using Contaminated Tap Water. Clin. Inf. Dis., 54:805-809.
Prithiviraj J, Hill VR, Jothikumar N. (2012) Rapid detection of microbial DNA by a novel isothermal genome exponential amplification reaction (GEAR) assay. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 420 :738-742.
Hill VR, Cohen N, Kahler AM, Jones JL, Bopp CA, Marano N, Tarr CL, Garrett NM, Boncy J, Henry A, Gómez GA, Wellman M, Curtis M, Freeman MM, Turnsek M, Benner Jr RA, Dahourou G, Espey D, DePaola A, Tappero JW, Handzel T, and Tauxe RV. (2011) Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 in water and seafood, Haiti. Emerg. Infect. Dis., 17:2147-2150.
Hill VR, Mull B, Jothikumar N, Ferdinand K, and Vinje J. (2010) Detection of GI and GII Noroviruses in Ground Water Using Ultrafiltration and TaqMan Real-time RT-PCR. Food Environ. Virol., 2:218-224.
Kahler AM, Cromeans TL, Roberts JM and Hill VR. (2010) Effects of source water quality on chlorine inactivation of adenovirus, coxsackievirus, echovirus, and murine norovirus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 76:5159-5164.
Smith CM and Hill VR. (2009) Dead-end hollow fiber ultrafiltration for recovery of diverse microbes in water. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 75(16):5284-5289.
Shields JM, Hill VR, Arrowood MJ, and Beach MJ. (2008) Inactivation of Cryptosporidium parvum under chlorinated recreational water conditions. J. Water Health, 6(4):513-520
6. DFWED Comparative Genomics of Botulinum Toxin Producing Bacteria
B. H. Raphael
Foodborne botulism is a rare and potentially fatal disease resulting from the ingestion of a paralytic neurotoxin. Botulism is also reported in infants and in individuals with wounds where the organism colonizes and produces toxin the gut or other tissues, respectively. Because of the extreme potency of botulinum neurotoxins, they are considered a potential bioterrorism agent. The National Botulism Laboratory Preparedness Team (NBLPT) is engaged in applied research activities involving: 1) the detection of neurotoxin in various matrices, 2) the detection of botulinum toxin producing clostridia using molecular methods, and 3) novel methods for the molecular subtyping of botulinum toxin producing clostridia. Opportunities exist for development of DNA microarrays as a strain subtyping method and as an approach to provide insights into the phylogenetic relationships among botulinum toxin producing clostridia.
Raphael BH, Luquez C, McCroskey LM, Joseph LA, Jacobson MJ, Johnson EA, Maslanka SE, Andreadis JD. 2008. Genetic homogeneity of Clostridium botulinum type A1 strains with unique toxin gene clusters. Appl Environ Microbiol. 74(14):4390-7.
Raphael, BH, Choudoir MJ, Luquez CL, Fernandez R, Maslanka S. 2010. Sequence diversity of genes encoding botulinum neurotoxin type F. Appl Environ Microbiol. 76(14):4805-12.
7. DFWED Investigation of antifungal resistance in yeasts and molds
S. R. Lockhart
Infections due to the yeast Candida are the third most prevalent nosocomial bloodstream infections and cause considerable morbidity and mortality. Mold infections, especially Aspergillus spp., are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among transplant patients. The antifungal armamentatrium to fight these infections is limited and the organisms are capable ofdeveloping new mechanisms of resistance. The Antifungal Research Unit of the Mycotic Diseases Branch performs surveillance for these fungal infections and specializes in antifungal susceptibility testing of yeasts and molds. We are interested in surveillance for antifungal drug resistant yeasts and molds, especially Candida, Cryptococcus and Aspergillus, as well as characterizing the molecular mechanisms responsible for this resistance. Our group has recently reported on the susceptibility of Candida and Aspergillus isolates from US transplant patients, the presence of specific mutations in Aspergillus fumigatus isolates that render them resistant to itraconazole and the molecular mechanisms of echinocandin resistance in isolates of Candida glabrata. Current research includes US candidemia surveillance, surveillance for Cryptococcus gattii in the Pacific northwest and the establishment of species-specific antifungal breakpoints for uncommon Candida species. Opportunities are available for a fellow to explore mechanisms of antifungal resistance, especially in Candida and Aspergillus. We are also interested in exploring the molecular mechanisms and possible genome rearrangements responsible for fluconazole and echinocandin co-resistance in Candida glabrata.
Lockhart S.R., J.P. Frade, K.A. Etienne, M.A. Pfaller, D.J. Diekema and S.A. Balajee. (2011) Azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus isolates from the ARTEMIS global surveillance is primarily due to the TR/L98H mutation in cyp51A. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 55:4465-4468.
Lockhart, S.R., A.J. Zimbeck, C.B. Bolden, J.W. Baddley, K.A. Marr, D.R. Andes, T.J. Walsh, C.A. Kauffman, D.P. Kontoyiannis, J.I. Ito, P.G. Pappas and T.C. Chiller. (2011) In vitro susceptibility of Aspergillus isolates to echinocandins from patients enrolled in the Transplant-Associated Infection Surveillance Network. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 55:3944-3946.
Lockhart, S.R., N. Iqbal, D. Wagner, P.G. Pappas, D.R. Andes, C.A. Kauffman, L.M. Brumble, S. Hadley, R. Walker, J.I. Ito, J.W. Baddley, T. Chiller, and B.J. Park. (2011) Comparison of in vitro susceptibility characteristics of Candida species from cases of invasive candidiasis in solid-organ and stem cell transplant recipients: Transplant-Associated Infections Surveillance Network (TRANSNET) 2001-2006. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 49:2404-2410.
Zimbeck, A., N. Iqbal, A.M. Ahlquist, M.M. Farley, L.H. Harrison, T. Chiller, and S.R. Lockhart (2010). FKS mutations and elevated echinocandin MIC values among Candida glabrata isolates from US active surveillance. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 54:5042-5047.


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Upbeat Latino feel song with acoustic guitars, accordeon, brush drums hip hop beat, bass guitar and percussions.
Perfect for your commercials, vacation videos, documentary movies and many more!
Full version (dur. 2:03) and one loop (0:39 – 1:17 in preview) included in the ZIP file.
Thank you for listening and if you purchase please rate this song * * * * *

subset: commoncrawl


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Company Profile
Pride Mobility Products Corporation
Exeter, PA, United States
Phone: 800-800-8586
Web Site: www.pridemobility.com
Company Description:
Pride Mobility Products® Corporation is the world's leading designer and manufacturer of mobility products including Jazzy® Power Chairs, Go-Go® Travel Mobility, Pride® Mobility Scooters, Pride® Lift Chairs, and Pride® Lifts and Ramps. The Pride® family of companies also includes Quantum® Rehab, a leader in complex rehab power chairs with the Q6® Series of power bases, TRU-Balance® Power Positioning Systems, and Q-Logic Drive Controls, as well as Stealth® Products, the foremost manufacturer of positioning components. Headquartered in Exeter, Pennsylvania, Pride also has operations in Australia, Canada, China, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Pride is dedicated to providing expertly designed, engineered, and tested products incorporating technologically innovative features enabling consumers to achieve the highest quality of life and mobility goals.


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Hi There, I'm new to the forums but I'm looking for some support or insight into my latest issue! A little background or BF experience-
Here's what is happening. I have twin, eleven month old boys who have been exclusively nursed. They do eat solids, but breast milk from the source is their primary nourishment, and food is our way of rounding out the the pyramid.
Well, this past Tuesday I developed blisters on my nipples. Back in April I had a milk blister on the tip of my nipple and a blocked duct and developed mastitis. It was the worst but these blisters are different. I do not think they are milk blisters.
I have two on my left nipple and about a dozen on the right. they are small and white, and incredibly painful. They are on the side of my nipple and on my areola.
I tried to breastfeed my boys despite the blisters. And I tried to self treat by lathering on the Lansinoh, but by Thursday it was just too painful and I had two more blisters Thursday morning than I had the night before. So I went to the doctor.
My doctor decided that it looked like contact dermatitis. Which is plausible as I am highly allergic to most things. Current theory being that Monday when I took the boys out to play, they touched a leaf on the ground then put their fingers in their mouths or that they put leaves in their mouths or ect... before I nursed them and that's how contact was made. (The boys' mouths look fine. They have had no issues.)
So the doctor gave me a steroid shot and told me to stop nursing. I have a pack of steroid tabs that will take me six days to finish. And I have two little babies who are not very happy about having their number one pass time being suddenly removed from their lives. Plus, I'm crazy engorged because I went from six to eight twin nursing sessions to nothing!
I am pumping, but doing so with caution as to not irritate the skin. So I only pump when I'm too engorged to stand it.
My question(s) to everyone is-
have you experienced blisters like these? were they anything other than contact dermatitis? what was your treatment?
have you ever had to stop breastfeeding cold turkey? what got you through it?
Have you ever stopped breastfeeding, then re-lactated? this is what I'm hoping to do...


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While I'm in-between games, I've been finding myself painting. If, for some reason, you enjoy my work, please, take a moment to check out my Etsy shop. If nothing else, it will help me to getting back to the campaigns.
fter about a year and a half of not playing, I've started up a new game, Gamma World – Oasis which I'm hoping will last longer than this and Sir Horatio's
It's been far too long since we played S.P.I.R.E. in any capacity. It has a lot to do with not having a place of my own to host it, it takes a lot of energy to do the things I want to do, and then transport them, reasonably, to a new game.
Will S.P.I.R.E. be reborn? Perhaps. But for now, we're locking the door.
After a short hiatus, I think it's high time that S.P.I.R.E. reopens for business. Kicking ass and taking names in Sharn, our crack team of investigators will show the criminal element of the city what it means to feel pain. Or something along those lines.
I'm going to be reevaluating what direction the campaign has been going, and I'll be taking any input the players (and people watching the campaign) have to offer to make S.P.I.R.E. one of the most action-packed D&D games out there. So keep an eye out for the future adventures of everyone's favorite adventuring party as they put the gangs of Sharn in their place!
(Next game should commence next weekend, provided all goes well).
As most of you are aware now, I'm taking a short hiatus from running S.P.I.R.E., just long enough to get my taxes back in and take care of a few things outside of the game. I don't intend on things waiting too long, just long enough to let me get some business put aside. The adventures of the Bad News and the Meanwhiles will pick up where they left off fairly soon.
In the meantime, Steve's running his game, Shadows, on a weekly-basis. Except, perhaps, next weekend, which is my birthday, where I expect to be showered with expensive gifts. Gimme gimme.
Client: S.P.I.R.E. (Self-Interest)
Synopsis of Risk: Seeking to undermine Flex's power base, we've begun a direct assault on the Daask gang.
Date: Nymm 3, 998 YK
Location: Sharn, Breland
Details: Briefed the Bad News agents on our current standing with both the Daask and Flex Mentalo – it is apparent that Flex is making use of the Daask gang to help him in whatever he's plotting; this furthers our incentive to engage the Daask directly. Instructed the team to locate, then destroy, the few elemental vessels in the Daasks possession. Taking advantage of Echelon's expertise in creating explosive devices to help facilitate the destruction of the Daask's vessels, the team formulated a plan to both locate and deal with the aforementioned vehicles.
Informed the team of a former Daask contact, Gnezb Bonestink (the mention of this name put Pepper Pinchpenny into laughing fits – must take time with her in regards to her professionalism in these serious matters). The task of finding Gnezb was relatively simple. With Kos' and Nocturne's extensive contacts throughout Sharn, they were able to establish that he was often found gambling in a small tavern named the Dead Wench.
After gathering up the available members of the Bad News (Pepper, Kos, John, Nocturne and a new recruit, Masyiss, a changeling arcanist of some sort), they made their way to the Dead Wench. After brief negotiations with the proprietor of the establishment, they found their way towards to the back room of the tavern, where Gnezb was found, nearly naked, with a group of other card players. Gnezb had accrued quite a debt with the other players. At first, Masyiss attempted to join the game, but shortly after being caught attempting to cheat, he placed all of the players (including Gnezb) into a magical slumber, and with the rest of the members of the Bad News, fled at high speeds before the guards or the ogre bouncers were able to intervene.
Taking Gnezb back to S.P.I.R.E. HQ, the party interrogated the goblin as to the whereabouts of the Daask ships – he was more than willing to help, so long as he was given help in staying out of sight of the Daask and any other debtors. There was some disagreement amongst the group, but, they finally settled on accepting his advice, so long as they could 1) clothe him in some of Reldin Renaldo's clothing (which they took without permission – I'll be sure to inform him as soon as I'm able) and 2) keep him locked up in Echelon's lab. I'm not certain either is a particularly safe choice, least of all for Gnezb, but these are risks we must take. Juliet is currently tending to the goblin, making sure that he is not forgotten amongst Echelon's devices.
The information they garnered from the goblin was as follows: one ship could be found at a Sarlonian neighborhood airdock, another at a warehouse, also located in the Sarlonian district, and the third was most often "joyriding" far above Sharn. With this knowledge, they formed a plan to steal the first ship to ride to the second, where they would destroy the second airship, ride the first to the skies, and destroy the final ship; scuttling the first ship in the process, having Rayen Kirsdarken pilot our own ship for the purposes of rescue.
As of the moment of this writing, the plan has been going forth with minimal issues; the first ship has been taken, although with a bit less finesse than one would hope, and the second ship has been secured, with Echelon planting his arcane explosive just below the elemental ring. I am awaiting further reports on this. No injuries reported.
The plan was simple, if the rock heads could just get it in and let it rattle about for a bit. Finally, enough cracks were formed and things began to seep in. We work our way on board the ship at the public docks, steal it, take it to assault the second ship, and finally take it to the third ship, blow it up, then ride this ship out to somewhere safe and leave it in a lot more pieces than we found it.
Of course, even the best plan can hit snags…
The guards, perhaps quicker than the normal dregs at the docks, didn't believe my bluff, so we did what Bad News does best…Assault. Thankfully, Pepper got the ship moving before the reinforcements arrived. Just barely. We took some lumps, but it wasn't too terrible.
The second airship assault required a bit quicker thinking, something I'm afraid Bad News might need a bit more of. The ship was behind a protective gate and the only entrances were from above. We spent a fair bit of time jawing about this and that, and finally I convinced the group into a plan of action. While we prepared to slide down ropes into the ship below some skylights, Pepper would move our stolen ship in close to the front. Rook…er…Masyiss (I think, never worry about their names until they survive a few fights) was going to work some magic on the releases to the gates so we can get to safety before Echelon lights off his bomb.
Thankfully, things went fairly well, and we are now on our way to the third airship.
John leans against the ships mast and shares another one of his stories.
(post Florida game 9)
"I had never really participated in a large amount of anarchy, aside from the printing press incident, but that was "to demote the spread of anarchy", is what they told me in the brief. But enough of that. Back to the story."
"There was one mission, in particular, that involved a lot of explosion and a bit of foolery on my part. We were sent to destroy an opposing creation forge (i.e. a forge that was supplying another army with warforged) and we were given a good amount of explosives to do it with. As usual, Crank grabbed all the bombs and placed them "carefully" in a regulation "Bomb Utility Tote and Transport". Damn, what a bolt monkey he was." (John quickly examines his street sign.) "We had some regulation equipment other than Cranks BUTT too, but who's complaining.
"Anyways, we get to the creation forge, work our way in, and we find ourselves up against the biggest load of bolts and widgets I've ever seen in my days. It was alive, but I'm not sure if it was a remote or if it was sentient, which didn't matter, really. Buck, the berserker unit, hefted one of the bombs and pitched it at the giant's head. By some kind of luck the bomb got wedged inside what might have been a jaw actuator or a steam release valve, I couldn't see. Then we charged its legs, busted them up enough that it couldn't chase us out the building, and made a mad bashing dash for the exit. And then it's head exploded.
"Up until then, the run had been pretty simple.
"The moral, I suppose, is that we shouldn't be relaxing just yet. There's bound to be some kind of big, nasty trial at the end of this little romp of ours."
(somebody asks about John's foolery in the story)
"Oh yeah, that. Well on the way out, I had… missed on a hammer swing and smashed my foot open." (John points to his left foot, which is conspicuously dissimilar from his right foot) "Crank was "kind" enough to find a replacement without putting it in his brief. That's what happens when you miss your signals."
(Looks to the bow where Masyiss is standing) "Hey rookie! Quit jacking off and help us get ready for the next fight."
It has been a month and three days since the old man passed on. Though I haven't yet had the nerve to wear his face in public. Perhaps I might have taken on his life for a time, maybe even convinced his friends and associates that he would be taking an extended vacation in the coming weeks…maybe then I would have alleviated my own sense of paranoia.
Killing seems so much simpler when the dead are faceless minions. Alas, again I must reassure myself then I had no other choice.
For what it's worth I gave Tom a quick death, as I would have hoped for had it been my throat at the knife.
Leaving the lesser districts of Sharn, I've employed myself with a local group known as Spire. A rag tag PI team whose agenda I have no real intentions of pursuing, but for now they'll pay the bills whilst I play the part of the learned wizard.
On our first little escapade we sought out a goblin named Stinkbone, apparently residing at the Dead Wench tavern.
Not the most intriguing of names, but again, this is why I left the lower districts.
Finding the little sausage with not but a tabard left to his person after a poor bit of luck playing cards, I tried what I could to free him of his debt to the table. But alas, cheating does not always work in ones favor. So instead I put them all to sleep, robbed the lot of fools and dragged the retch out by his ankles. Dropping him at the Warforged's feet I took a small share of the gold for myself and left the 'adventurer's to their duties.
Two hours later, after having my fill of the brothel and noting the subtle twist of colors as my trip set in, I found my way back to Spire's little enclave and set down at their table to catch the back half of some overtly complicated plan of attack.
Apparently the group planned to commandeer an airship, use it to bomb another and then crash the latter into a third vessel all in the name of injuring some arms dealer's pipe line.
Of course who am I to argue with a good bit of anarchy at the expense of others?
So, tagging along as my contract dictated I aided as best I could and even took my share of bangs and bumps along the way.
Not how I had expected to spend my day, but the Dream Lilly might have had something to do with my falling about.
Ah but life is never as sweet unless it is threatened upon by death, yes?
Whence we arrived at the second airship and I began to come down, it was of course my stroke of genius that spurred the group to open the gate locks and escape back to our stolen ship before the bomb did its little number on the warehouse and all of its contents, including the other ship.
From here I expect we'll be off to our last destination…a last stop and a sudden drop for those aboard the third airship.
Whilst I take the time to write this all down, some very interesting questions grip my curiosity.
For one, who owns all these ships? And what in all creation did he do to attract such anger from Spire? Selling arms illegally is one thing, but the real question is who he is selling arms too, and who does that bother so?
Secondly, I think perhaps it is a bad idea to write such delicate thoughts down where someone's grubby little hands might find and read them, outing me to the group in all of my despicable nature….
(Standing at the bow of the ship, Masyiss lights the parchment on fire, letting it blow away in the wind)
Here's Ashton Sperry's take on the crew of S.P.I.R.E. – they'll be being used as minis during the game proper!
Left to Right: Nocture, Kos, Ironwood, "John", Pepper
Attendance: Colin, Craig, Steven, Shannon, Skippy
XP per Attending Player: -


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THE CLOCK is this week ticking down on Mauricio Pochettino and Nicola Cortese's short-term plans for Saints.
The January transfer window shuts this Thursday night and every club in the top flight then has to stick with what they have through to the end of the season.
Unlike in the Football League, there is not a somewhat generously named emergency loan window to fall back on.
Whatever your targets, you need to ensure you have the players in to achieve them when 11pm comes around on Thursday, January 31.
Because after that time, there is no turning back.
Thus far, Saints have only signed only one player during the window – £4m Norwegian centre half Vegard Forren.
There is little doubt the centre of defence was the major priority.
It could even be argued that Saints could do with another centre half – Davide Astori is still being linked – with Forren joining the currently injured Jose Fonte, Maya Yoshida and Jos Hooiveld as cover in that area.
However, Saints will be weighing up priority areas if they are to go back into the market and tie up any more deals.
You can never have too many good players, of course, and you can always attempt to sign a player better than what you have already got.
But if Saints are not looking to do that, then they have the necessary strength in depth in pretty much most areas.
There is not a position where they do not have two choices – with decent first team experience – from which to choose.
That is not to say the quality wouldn't go down if the first choice was out, but at least there is proper cover available.
Due to that, Saints will surely only sign again if it is to improve their first choice side.
Philippe Coutinho has long been linked with Saints.
He is well known to new manager Mauricio Pochettino who had the Inter Milan playmaker on loan at Espanyol last season.
If he does sign it will be another suggestion that Pochettino has been waiting in the wings for some time.
The rumours surrounding Coutinho first surfaced a few weeks ago when Nigel Adkins appeared safe in his job.
Or, of course, it could just be a bizarre coincidence ...
Coutinho would bring Brazilian flair, but it seems likely he is on the verge of signing for Liverpool rather than Saints.
But if Coutinho does rejoin Pochettino, you cannot help but look at who he might replace – club captain Adam Lallana, when fit again, £12m summer signing Gaston Ramirez or the in-form Jason Puncheon who has performed so admirably this season.
Puncheon is out of contract at the end of this season and has yet to sign a new one.
You can't get all those three, plus Coutinho and a striker such as Rickie Lambert, in the same team.
And that's before you take into account the presence of Guly do Prado.
Saints have shown a real penchant for signing attacking players over the past year.
They are undoubtedly looking to find players that can fit into the style that Pochettino has been brought into the club to achieve.
But they must also ensure a careful balance is struck.
That surely will be top of the agenda as the executive chairman and his new manager mull the final few days of their first transfer window together.
More Saints news
- Hesketh: I haven't given up on Saints
- Hasenhuttl succeeded where many have failed
- GOSSIP: Gabbiadini linked with Saints exit
- Targett: Saints boosted by the return of Ings
- Ex-Saint backed by Gary Neville for Man Utd role
- Former Saints duo listed for Man Utd job
- Rare top-six win can be 'a springboard'
- Hasenhuttl: Hard work is paying off


text: I am not anti Parker, I just have an anti Parker palate. Don't like big fruit, hedonistic (hell, don't even know if I can spell it correctly) and certainly dislike high alcohol and oak. I bought '99 and '01 and only bought a case of 2000. If that makes me a Bordeaux nut, so be it. Opened a bottle of '00 Meyney, my idea of the best QPR property in Bordeaux. Approachable but will be good for at least another 6-8+ years. Nice big dark fruit, not sweet or over-the-top, chewy, substantial body and just what I hoped for. This property did not sell out to the modern style point gods but did reveal the ripe approachable vintage. The bigest compliment was that my wife liked it. Will wait a couple of years before I open another one but I like Bordeaux with some age. Good stuff.drink.


text:
Eloise's Nostalgic Art-Filled Room
Name: Eloise (7 months)
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
I chose the wall color of the nursery before I knew the gender. When I found out 'it's a girl', it was an easy choice for me to do a painting of The Wizard of Oz because it's one of my all time favorite movies!!
I then chose the crib bedding based off the painting. I also fell in love with the rug!! It is like a patchwork quilt meets tile and will be able to transition with any wall color change.
Because I chose The Wizard of Oz to go in the nursery, my husband wanted to choose the next artwork that I did. He wanted me to do portraits of our dogs Stella (left) and Banjo (right). I also found that sassy antique doll at a flea market and I bought it one week before I found out I was carrying a girl and it wound up being the color scheme of the room.
The wall of artwork is one of my favorite elements in the nursery. It's a wall of nostalgia. I created a collage with my drawings from childhood in the top left, and the other child's drawing is one that my mother did as a child (who passed away 10 years ago), and the other illustrations were done by my daughter's great grandmother.
The changing table is also an antique kitchen cabinet with a metal top and the cabinet below holds tons of diapers and wipes! It helps to have things in specific bins to help with organization! I downloaded free vintage style tags to help label the items. I love the lighted globe to make a nice night light for the room to get the baby ready for bed.
Thanks Ginger! Readers, see Ginger's artwork here.
(Images: Ginger Williams-Cook)


text:
Below is an easy Navigation List for my full site.
Just click an link at the top of each category to go to the desired page.
A variety of books are available for purchase at Marty's publisher's website. New titles are being added all the time so check back often.
Prints can be ordered framed, mounted and matted, or as a print only. Prints are of the highest archival quality and will enhance your home or office. Use this page to select your print size, framing options, mat board options. The site will show you exactly what the finished product will look like.
Marty appears nationwide as the "Paddling Gourmet" as well as presenting a variety of outdoor and travel related programs. This page details his many offerings.
A wide variety of outdoor programs are available on a contract basis. Click the image on the left to see a list of programs that are offered. Consulting services are also available.
Click the link above for Marty's favorite camp recipes.


text:
|2012-11-29, 22:00
|Link #1361
Toji Affairs Secretary
Join Date: May 2009
Location: the Philippines
I don't know how there's still an Evil Shiro running around.
But I now know that the reason why Weissman decided to blow himself up is because he no longer needs the 50-odd year old body he has. His theme is "the eternal", and based on this, he is probably able to transfer his soul from one body to another making him truly immortal. Just like Orochimaru.
Heck, the experimentation, the theme of "the eternal", the longing for chaos, and his linkage to a famous creature in Japanese folklore (the Yamata no Orochi and possibly the youkai Hagoromo Gitsune) make the two all too similar.
There's still a likelihood of Neko and Shiro as successful products of an experiment linked to Weissman as well. Maybe Weissman created a "too perfect" subject and plans to get rid of him, or Weissman deliberately threw him off Himmelreich as the wrench on the gears that is the peace among the Kings.
Also, with BRS TV fresh on my mind and with what happened in the Railgun manga, how they "recall" someone and ending up not fully recalling said person make it seem that their memories are suppressed rather than erased completely.
Last edited by Marcus H.; 2012-11-29 at 22:20.
|2012-11-30, 00:55
|Link #1363
Join Date: May 2009
Eternal would be "永遠", which is not the term Munakata used when describing Weissman's element.
|2012-11-30, 03:15
|Link #1364
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Los Angeles, California
Age: 34
First the bad Engirsh
the "trying too hard to be cool "slow walking scenes"
the "Sword of Damocles" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA(that almost made me delete this show right there.)
the nail in the coffin was the nonsense scene of that one girl chasing the silver head dude around, and all of a sudden *INSERT RANDOM NAKED GIRL TO KEEP YOU WATCHING* after that I just clicked delete.
such a shame too as the animation was amazing, but the show itself just seemed insulting. 1/10 (10 points for the animation, -9 for "Sword of Damocles")
|2012-11-30, 03:39
|Link #1365
Join Date: Aug 2007
I was reading through this really detailed and cool post on the chinese forums summarizing why Shiro is practically confirmed to be the Silver King.
But amongst all the points raised, my favorite has to be the one regarding the Sword of Damocles, that I summarized here.
|2012-11-30, 03:48
|Link #1366
Toji Affairs Secretary
Join Date: May 2009
Location: the Philippines
|2012-11-30, 04:08
|Link #1367
Ava courtesy of patchy
Join Date: Jan 2009
I do agree though that they insert too little plot at ep 1 to hook some people who jus tried watching it to test the water though.
|2012-11-30, 04:47
|Link #1368
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: DP 原画 --> ヨハネ
So Lt Kokujyouji became the Gold King? It's clear now why he shares such a close bond with Weissmann.
Also, Weissmann and Shiro's Damocles Sword being the same....yeah, that confirms it. Shiro is the Silver King and most likely Weissmann himself.
And Neko....she's really similar to Weismann's sister. Probable link?
I hope Mikoto doesn't die...
Also....you follow Sound Horizon too?
|2012-11-30, 06:02
|Link #1369
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Characters who are supposed to be Japanese speaking English with an accent - HAHAHA ENGRISH (even though it was grammatically correct)
Sword of Damocles = HAHAHA WTF (but all that pretentious namedropping in other shows is A-OK? at least here the naming makes sense.)
Ah well, there's no point in trying to convince anyone by now. K is obviously no Tolstoy but at least it's trying something a bit different from the usual anime routine, and so far it's doing it well, too bad most people seem to want the usual anime routine.
|2012-11-30, 12:12
|Link #1370
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
noobita- Same sword, same personality, how Shiro remembers being called "Weisman". It all just fits.
|2012-11-30, 16:52
|Link #1371
Join Date: May 2012
Age: 40
And looks like "neko" is the reincarnation of weissman(shiro) big sister(same hairstile, hair color and based on the attachment of her with weissman and the neko music in ED), this the reason of neko feelings for shiro(she is a brocom) and maybe the attachment of shiro for her(if him really is the silver king)
Last edited by ellessarr; 2012-11-30 at 17:10.
|2012-11-30, 18:07
|Link #1372
Join Date: Aug 2007
Anyways, I tried to make a more comprehensive post that sums up most of the evidence presented in favor of the Shiro=Silver King theory. Please take a look if you're interested.
|2012-11-30, 19:01
|Link #1373
Join Date: May 2009
On topic, I was thinking. Could Evil!Shiro has a way to bring Weissmann's sister back to life, which would explain their meeting.
Like say, if there is a way to retrive his sister's soul, and Evil!Shiro can use his power to swap the soul into the body.
|2012-11-30, 19:40
|Link #1374
Join Date: Aug 2007
I thought Revo did a good job in composing his first RPG soundtrack. All the songs really sounded like music you'd expect from an RPG - and pretty good ones, at that. The album and single are definitely more than a little different from SH's usual work(for one, you don't see me posting tl;drs regarding "Bravely Default" theories, haha...), a lot more straightforward and pop-ish, but I love the melodies nonetheless. I know that some people couldn't stand the change though...
|2012-11-30, 19:56
|Link #1375
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Hi! I've been lurking in this thread for a while, but couldn't resist posting.
Also, a few observations:
-Shiro and Weissmann both use 'boku'. If I remember correctly, Evil Shiro used 'ore' in the video.
-In the first episode, Shiro is on the rooftop and suddenly says: "Japan is at peace. What a wonderful country!" Taken on its own, this seems like a pretty random statement, but if you realize that he's actually Weissmann and lost his sister in the war, it takes on a bit of irony. Or something.
|2012-11-30, 20:56
|Link #1376
Psycho Falling Deep
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: The Anime World
Age: 23
That was a pretty good episode, everything is coming together and is soon to collide which I can't wait to see. I'm hoping it's not just 1 side versus the other, I really enjoy multiple factions all confronting each other at once
|2012-11-30, 21:48
|Link #1377
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: DP 原画 --> ヨハネ
Don't think Evil Shiro would revive anyone though.
Weissmann's power is "unchanging" wonder what is Kokujyouji's though.
And what happened to Weissmann's sister. If say she was prevented from decomposing by the "unchanging" ability, shouldn't her body technically have survived the Himmelreich's crash
EDIT: OK, just read your post. I hope Shiro's loneliness isn't resolved through him dying for to save everyone...possibly to stop an out of control Mikoto.
Last edited by Cosmic Eagle; 2012-12-01 at 00:15.
|2012-12-01, 00:38
|Link #1378
Deadpan Rambler
Episode 9:
So many happenings on this episode... The Silver King is dead (although he might return one day), Mikoto is back...
Spoiler for Totsuka's killer:
Very crazy episode! I wonder what's next, a homo fight between Mikoto and Reishi?
|2012-12-01, 02:22
|Link #1379
Join Date: May 2009
Spoiler for Gold King:
|2012-12-01, 03:07
|Link #1380
Join Date: Oct 2004
After watching episode 9, I can be sure that they play way too many suggestive men kissing! I just don't see it as the good strategy for boosting DVD sale. Why work so hard to break into a niche of niche market.
In the meantime, the story is getting interesting. The Red King is continuing his friend's vengeance journey. The Blue King loses face since the helicopter accident, but he is not giving up. The Gold King is upset about losing an old friend, but he still grants the wish to Blue King. The "immortal" Silver King is dead, or is he? The Colorless King tries to attack Red King, but his plan is backfired. His ability is probably possess other people, or the body snatcher thing. An unlucky student was burned in the dorm. His ability is unknown. Since Black Dog is student of former Colorless King, maybe he knows the answer. Maybe the Neko girl is associated with Colorless King. She can manipulate other people's senses and feed them fake memory. She can even perform psychotherapy on Shiro!
My final impression is it shares similar attributes with other show. The Seven Color Kings reminds me about Accel World's Color Kings. Those color may suggests the sentai anime(ie Voltron). The color gangs has the similar to color gangs in DRRR. Finally, the Neko girl's ability is like the Campus Queen of To Aru Index.
|action, bishonen, fantasy, gang, supernatural
|Thread Tools


text:
Texas State's Outdoor Center offers Bobcats adventures out of bounds
By Catherine Harper
Amid a beautiful campus and sunny days, it's almost impossible to stay inside as spring approaches at Texas State. Luckily, there are many resources to facilitate outdoor activity provided by Texas State's Outdoor Recreation Program — a fast and easy way to connect with campus and beyond in the great outdoors.
The Outdoor Center, located in Sewell Park, houses information about the program, offering students and faculty a direct path of interaction with Texas State's beautiful surroundings. Among a wide variety of activities, the Outdoor Center provides access to regional and national outdoor resources as well as opportunities for trip planning and preparation guidance.
Additionally, the Outdoor Recreation Program is comprised of six main program areas including the RockWall Climbing Center, Sewell Park, Equipment Rental, University Camp, the GOAL Challenge Course and the Adventure Trip Program.
Jump into the six program areas below:


text:
Grand Theft Auto IV Walkthrough
|To Live and Die in Alderney
Go and visit Phil at his office along the West River in Alderney. When you arrive, you'll find Phil talking (or doing something) with Pegorino's wife, but Phil orders you to be quiet about it. Niko turns the tables on him a bit, however, pseudo-blackmailing him and asking him for help in finding the guy he needs to find (it's been a while since we've gone down that road). Phil gets mad that it appears he's being blackmailed, but he has a soft spot for Niko and agrees to help out. And before you know it, you're outside, getting into a car of your choice and off on your way to finding the person Niko seeks.
Phil orders Niko to head over to the "old mansion" in Westdyke, which is a sector of Alderney located at the far north end of the borough. Here, you will be able to meet up with a friend of Phil's who has managed to procure some weapons for the family's use. This old mansion is actually an abandoned one, and it appears like a really safe place for such an exchange to go down. But Phil's friend was extremely careless, and the feds appear on the scene as the weapons are being shown. The three men have no choice but to jump in the cars there and make a run for it. Phil will drive on his own, and the careless partner will drive with Niko, acting as your gunner.
As with previous chases, the idea here is to stay on Phil, not to mess with the feds and cops who will be on your tail. You can add some gunfire if you want, but your friend in the car with you should have plenty to contribute on his own. Your priority, therefore, should be to stay on Phil as best you can. There will be plenty of diversions, in the way of traffic and things of that nature, which should be avoided at all costs. But remember -- stay on Phil, and you'll be just fine.
|Give us feedback!
|Continue Walkthrough...
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text:
I took DS(9months) to the doc today because he and DD6 have had some sort of virus over the past week (sudden temp, runny nose, dry cough...). I was concerned he had an earache because he had been pulling at both ears, but I know two top teeth are coming in, so thought that might be the reason for pulling his ears also. Ears look great, so I guess it was the teeth BUT he hasn't gained even an ounce in two months. He's gone from 25th percentile at 6 months to 5th percentile at 9 months.
I have been worried a couple weeks now as when I'm pumping I'm getting close to nothing, but I know that can simply be my body not responding to the pump and have nothing to do with my actual supply. But then the last week to two weeks, his we diapers have drastically gone down. Last night, I changed his diaper around 9-ish before bed, he nursed almost all night long as he wasn't feeling well and didn't sleep more than 30 minutes at a time, and his diaper was dry when we woke up at 8:30 this morning....not wet AT ALL.
I spoke to the pedi about this today, but we were there for a sick visit and didn't get a lot of time to discuss this. She says we need to be adding more solids. He doesn't like to eat, really, and VERY easily chokes on his solids....even just the baby food that's "textured." She says he'll learn, but I really feel there's something more to it than him just not knowing how to eat!!!!! I'm truly concerned!!!!
Any advice? Any thoughts? She said he was old enough now to add whole milk foods like yogurt, cheese, etc. to his diet and I'm trying my hardest to get more into him, but he's just not having it. Him teething isn't helping this either!!!! I even offered him some milk in a bottle, thinking it's probably time to supplement (please don't yell at me for this, I'm stressing and really don't know what to do at this point!), but he doesn't want anything to do with taking a bottle!!!! The only bottles he ever gets are breast milk at the sitter's 2-3 days a week and he just doesn't like it! What can I do to help my baby gain?


text:
Rangers ready to get down to business in games
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- First baseman Prince Fielder and third baseman Adrian Beltre did not play in either intrasquad game but are expected to be in the starting lineup when the Rangers open Cactus League play at 2:05 p.m. CT on Thursday against the Royals at Surprise Stadium.
Fans can listen to the game live on Gameday Audio.
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- First baseman Prince Fielder and third baseman Adrian Beltre did not play in either intrasquad game but are expected to be in the starting lineup when the Rangers open Cactus League play at 2:05 p.m. CT on Thursday against the Royals at Surprise Stadium.
Fans can listen to the game live on Gameday Audio.
Yu Darvish will start for the Rangers, who will be the visiting team at the stadium they have shared with the Royals since 2003. It will be the first of 28 Cactus League games for the Rangers before they return to Texas on March 27. Four of those games will be against the Royals, and the Rangers are 29-24-2 against their complex partners since moving to Arizona in '03.
Fielder and Beltre have been doing their work on the side the last few days, but the plan is for them to be ready to go on Thursday against Royals starter Bruce Chen.
"Obviously, I feel decent at the plate, but there is a long time left in Spring Training," Fielder said. "It will be nice to face some live pitching though."
The Rangers had intrasquad games on Monday and Tuesday. During those games, the Rangers placed extra emphasis on situational hitting and fundamental defense. After every half-inning, before the teams switched sides, the Rangers worked on one specific bunt defense play.
"The last few days, we've played clean sharp baseball," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "I've seen fundamental execution and I've seen guys try to do what the game asks them to do. Once the bell rings, there is no telling what will happen. But I am pleased with what I've seen."
Washington likes to use his projected Opening Day lineup in the first Cactus League game, but he will be missing three starters on Thursday. Alex Rios is still out with a sore big toe on his left foot, second baseman Jurickson Profar (shoulder tendinitis) has only now begun a throwing program and catcher Geovany Soto isn't expected to be ready until mid-March after undergoing surgery on his left ankle on Saturday.
Washington said J.P. Arencibia will be behind the plate, utility infielder Adam Rosales will be at second base and Michael Choice will be in right field. It will be the beginning of a busy spring for Choice, who is the leading candidate to get the most plate appearances in the Cactus League.
Choice is competing for a spot on the team as a reserve outfielder and platoon designated hitter, and the Rangers want to see him as much as possible this spring. Other players competing for spots on the bench or in the bullpen will get similar consideration, but this is Choice's first spring with the Rangers after being acquired from the Athletics in the offseason.
"I want to get a darn good look at him," Washington said. "He better get his pillow because he's going to be on those long bus rides."
Rosales is competing for a spot on the bench as a utility infielder along with Josh Wilson, Brett Lillibridge and Kensuke Tanaka. Top Minor League prospects Luis Sardinas and Rougned Odor are in camp, but the Rangers aren't considering them for a utility spot. The Rangers want those two playing every day at Double-A Frisco.
Choice is competing for a backup outfield spot along with fellow right-handed hitter Alex Castellanos and left-handed hitters Brad Snyder, Bryan Petersen, Engel Beltre and Jim Adduci. Castellanos, acquired on waivers from the Red Sox this winter, can also play third and second base.
The Rangers also want to take a hard look at Kevin Kozmanoff, who was a starting third baseman for the Padres and Athletics from 2007-10, and see if he has anything left. They also want to see if he can play first base, which he has done on occasion in the Minor Leagues.
"He has been very good so far," assistant general manager Thad Levine said. "He came in highly recommended by our scouts. He has good makeup, plus glove and plus power. We're eager to see him in games and see how it plays out."
The Cactus League also allows the competition for spots on the pitching staff to begin in earnest. Darvish starts on Thursday, with Tommy Hanson following him on the mound. Alexi Ogando starts Friday against the Royals, and Martin Perez starts Saturday against the Athletics in Phoenix. Then comes Robbie Ross on Sunday against the White Sox in Surprise and Colby Lewis against the Indians on Monday at home.
With Matt Harrison not expected to be ready by Opening Day, Hanson, Lewis and Ross are among the candidates for the final two spots in the rotation behind Darvish, Perez and Ogando. Nick Tepesch is also a candidate but is sidelined with some stiffness in his back. Tepesch is scheduled for live batting practice on Friday.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the pitchers get through their innings and do what they have to do," Washington said. "I expect the pitchers to be ahead of the hitters, and I expect them to take advantage of it."
Sunday will mark the scheduled Cactus League debuts for closer candidates Neftali Feliz and Joakim Soria. Tanner Scheppers is another candidate but currently behind because of some earlier back spasms. He is scheduled to throw live batting practice on Thursday.
That will be in the morning. In the afternoon, the Cactus League begins.
"We know from this point on, we have a game every time we come to the park," Washington said. "Before you know it, we'll be on a plane to Texas."
T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Postcards from Elysian Fields, and follow him on Twitter @Sullivan_Ranger.


text:
Twenty-six boats are competing for a purse of almost $14,000.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH — How far would you drive for tuna fish?
How about fresh tuna? The freshest.
Very early Friday morning — so early, it was practically Thursday night — Ricky Virgin steered his boat, Virgin Hooker, through Ponce Inlet and pointed it south. From 2 a.m. to daybreak, he worked the throttle, and, given the modern focus on petroleum, Ricky Virgin will answer your first and obvious question.
"I think we used 240 gallons of fuel," said the 44-year-old DeLeon Springs native and Pierson resident, who, though raised in a West Volusia area famous for its freshwater panfish, is completely hooked on offshore fishing.
Friday, on the first day of the 37th annual Striker tournament — the marquee event of New Smyrna Beach's annual FishStock extravaganza — Virgin's infatuation with "big boy" fishing paid off.
At roughly dinnertime on the main stage, Virgin's crew pulled a tuna off the scale hook that had checked in at more than 50 pounds. How good was their haul? That one was their "throw-away" fish. Only two fish per species are counted, and yes, the Virgin Hooker brought in two tuna bigger than that one — Jeff Rogers boated one weighing 69.8 pounds; boatmate Aaron Watson was close with one that weighed 64.6 pounds.
With nearly $14,000 in total purse money available for the 26 competing boats, and with rough seas in the forecast for Saturday's final day of the two-day event, Virgin is rooting for an abbreviated Striker tournament. Yes, his two monster tuna has his boat 80 pounds ahead of the second-place entry.
Virgin's 150-mile journey took him into some turbulent seas Friday, and he'd just as soon stay at the dock Saturday and await his winning spoils.
"It's supposed to be rough," he said, "and we've had enough of rough."
Drew Townes, who along with Dan Jacobs organizes the event, says they'll defer to NOAA when it comes to making the call to fish or not Saturday.
"We'll look at the 4 a.m. forecast, and if there are warnings, we won't go," Townes said.
As Friday's weigh-in festivities closed around 7 p.m., the competitive component of FishStock gave way to those other great community dockside mainstays — music, food and drink. FishStock, now part of New Smyrna Beach's six-week Beach Weeks festival, is a boat show, party, shopping center and competition.
Saturday, the big offshore artillery shares the competition stage with the river trollers who will compete in the weekend Redfish-Trout Challenge — the forecast for rough offshore conditions won't affect the flats-boat crowd, so they might be the main attraction.
Meanwhile, if the Striker is reduced to a one-day tournament, the boys of the Virgin Hooker won't go hungry — not anytime soon, anyway.
"That's what we fish for — the tuna," said Virgin. "It'll last us awhile."
And how best to eat the freshest tuna available? The man whose boat brought it to the dock doesn't hesitate.
"Seared," said Virgin. "In a skillet or on the grill. Seared. Seared on the outside and raw in the middle — the only way to eat it."


text:
While most high school students were eating turkey and watching football this Thanksgiving, Alice Pyle was doing something much more impressive.
While most high school students were eating turkey and watching football this Thanksgiving, Alice Pyle was doing something much more impressive. 18-year-old Pyle was one of just 200 teens from across the country to be chosen as a member of the 2012 Great American Marching Band.
Pyle received a letter in May inviting her to send in an audition tape for the band. And before the aspiring musician knew it, she and her clarinet were on a plane to New York City for a six-day, whirlwind trip of a lifetime.
Because the band is made up of students from all 50 states who have likely never met, let alone played music together, rehearsal was a key part of Pyle's time in the big apple. The first day, they rehearsed for nine hours straight.
"It wasn't hard for me to learn the formations because I have marching experience," Pyle said.
But nevertheless, the band rehearsed for nearly six hours a day for the next two days. The group also made time for some sightseeing at Times Square and Rockefeller Center. Pyle also celebrated her 18th birthday on the trip with a cupcake and some new friends.
And then the big day came- Thanksgiving. The band did a run through of their performance at 3 a.m. in Herald Square, and then proceeded to the staging area at the beginning of the parade.
"We were about a block from the start of the parade" Pyle said. "It was neat seeing all the people lining up to watch the parade. There were little kids in awe of all that was going on."
The kids weren't the only one's in awe, though. Pyle, a tiny high school senior who had never been to NYC before, was mere feet from stars like Whoopi Goldberg and Don McLean.
During the 2.5 mile parade route, Pyle and her band mates played a rendition of Maroon 5's hit "Moves like Jagger." The biggest part of their performance though, was the Feature Show.
Pyle explained the 75 second performance:
"The feature show happens right in front of Macy's," she said. "It's where the MC's are. We played Lazy River and did special formations. Basically, we were told to wait on the red ready line and when they said go we marched on, did our drill and then marched away."
And while Pyle is able to share her experience as if it were effortless, the teen admitted that she was terrified.
"It all went so by so quickly," she said. "I was nervous but I didn't have time to think about it. We marched for more than two miles but to me it felt like it lasted a minute."
And although the actual parade flew by, Pyle said she made many close friends and even more memories.
"I have always loved marching band," she said. "This was even more fun though because I had the chance to meet so many people who love the same things I do. You meet 200 people you've never seen before and are friends in five minutes."
The experience will also benefit Pyle's future; following her graduation this May, she will march with the University of Kansas marching band in the fall and also plans to be in the school's wind ensemble.


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NYC Parks Summer Movie Series: The LEGO Movie
Thursday, August 7, 2014
8:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
Please note: This event has already taken place. Please use the Search options on the right to find upcoming events.
See our city one movie at a time. Throughout July and August, NYC Parks is showing free movies in its parks and recreation centers! No RSVP required, just bring yourself and a blanket to sit on.
In The LEGO Movie, an ordinary LEGO minifigure is mistakenly placed on a team whose quest is to save the world from an evil LEGO tyrant! Rated PG.
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Intel Core I7 6950X Extreme Edition Broadwell-E CPU Review
Intel Core i7 6950X Extreme Edition Broadwell-E Testing:
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In each of these tests, the additional core count helps drive performance except in Pro Show Gold, where the Core i7 6950X does not seem to scale as well as in other tests.


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My own "dogmatic tradition" was actually the Romanidian view, but then I came around to seeing things differently. That said, I am not convinced that we (me, you, ozgeorge) actually have different views on the subject, I just think there is a stubborn insistence in misreading the Western position and where it is coming from that was not characteristic of Orthodox teachers and theologians in the past.
Actually there is no damage done to the gospel because of the Immaculate Conception. You assume that because Mary was concieved free from Original Sin that she is Intrinsically different from the rest of humanity. However that means that you must assume that Original Sin is intrinsic to being human. This is completely fasle. When man was created he was created in the state of original perfection with no OS. OS was added to humanity later so it is actually extrinsic to the human person. Because it is extrinsic if one person does not have OS and another does then they are only extrinsically different and not intrinsically different. Furthermore, to be free from OS does not make some one less human. It actually means that a person has a more fully actualized humanity because OS is not proper to the human person but, rather, a defect imposed by sin. All of us who are concieved with original sin have a broken or damaged human nature. But Mary, because she does not have this broken or damaged human nature is not less human but more. Finally, you assume that because she does not have original sin that she does not have a free will. Again this is an invalid conclusion. Ask your self the following question. Were Adam and Eve created with OS? The answer is a resounding "NO". Yet did that prohibit them from possessing a free will? Absolutely not! We know from the scriptures that they did in fact have a free will and we know this because they did, in fact, choose to sin. Being free from the stain of OS does not mean that one does not have a human free will nor does it mean that one does not still have the free choice to sin or not to sin. In fact, a preson who is concieved with out original sin would have a greater freedom to choose not to sin because such a person who have an undamaged will. Again you claim that Mary's freedom from OS undermines her free will? Did Adam and Eve's freedom from OS undermine their free will?Just to clarify what the IC is. It simply means that from the first moment of her existance, Mary, just like Adam and Eve, was free from Original Sin. Is does not mean that she had no free will. It does not mean that the she could not have chosen to sin. It does not mean that she was not humjan. It simply means that she was created with a perfect human nature just as Adam and Eve were.
Uh, I think I asked you only for a correction of my restatement of the text of the Immaculate Conception dogma articulated by Pope Pius IX in 1854. I didn't ask for a complete RC spiel on how the Immaculate Conception is consistent with the [RC view of the] Gospel of Jesus Christ, particularly because that isn't what the OP requested on this, the [Orthodox] Faith Issues board.
All I did was correct your misunderstanding. It took some explaining to so but for you to accuse me of more than correction is just silly. Don't start problems where there are none. I think that is called "trolling".
I asked the question, so it is my prerogative to define and explain my question and what a satisfactory answer to my question is.
2. The dogma sets Mary apart from the rest of humanity in a way that is detrimental to the Gospel. If she was consecrated from her conception for the purpose of bearing the Son of God into the world, and if she was rendered, by God's grace, intrinsically different from the rest of man, then she is not truly and fully human with human free will. She could not have chosen to obey her calling if she was predestined to do so. The great example for us and the act that made salvation possible is Mary's free will obedience to God's plan of salvation, when she could very well have said to God, "No, I will not submit to your plan." She needed to obey out of the freedom of her will, something the dogma of the Immaculate Conception denies her.
Human nature was not redeemed in Mary and then passed on to Christ, it was redeemed in Christ. The only conception that was immaculate was Christ's because as I believe Hipplytus said, he wove humanity into his divine nature as an act of his will. At this point it was purified.Some here are trying to argue that because various Fathers don't condemn the Immaculate Conception that therefore it's ok to believe. Then they try to find quotes from Eastern Fathers that make it sound like one could extrapolate an immaculate conception doctrine from them. No! It was not taught as the consensus of the Fathers. People were deified without this doctrine. The faith survived without this doctrine. No Father has systematized even speculation on this doctrine. There is no need to believe it and speculation on it is dangerous. A friend of mine ended up going into schism and becoming an Eastern Catholic over this speculation. Let's stick with what we know, and not venture to guess on what we don't. Are any of us really qualified to speculate on something our Fathers have not defined?
I have had lengthy discussions about this over at Monachos and also at Energetic Procession, and I don't want to rehash it again.A starting place would be these blogs from Ephrem Hugh Bensusan:http://razilazenje.blogspot.com/2006/03/original-sin-in-eastern-orthodox.htmlhttp://razilazenje.blogspot.com/2006/12/ancestral-vs-original-sin-false.htmlhttp://razilazenje.blogspot.com/2007/01/original-sin-west-haters-strike-back.html
Don't believe everything you think.
The more I know, the less I know.
Bravo!And yes, the Immaculate Conception makes the Virgin Mary the Redeemer of our Fallen Nature.
Right. Well.....I've noticed for a long time that you are a big fan of Bensusan. (Your old avatar even came from his blog, if I am not mistaken.) He makes some good points that should be taken into consideration and given serious thought, but in my opinion it is going too far to say that the West has been unfairly "slandered" when Orthodox theologians have opined that it tends to have different views than the Orthodox do concerning original sin.
Quite apart from all the opinions voiced here by Peter, Ozgeorge and Anastasios, (which I agree with), I would like to say: lex orandi, lex credendi.....or perhaps "by their fruits you shall know them." If the West is pretty much the same as the East on the issue of original sin, why is it that the West seems to have had so many more neurotic "hang ups" with hellfire through the ages? Quite a few Western children have been scared out of their wits by Western clerics and theologians who have threatened them with fire and brimstone because of their innate "wickedness". Of course, Many Eastern children have been turned off the Orthodox Church as well, but for different inexcusable reasons than the inexcusable reasons that have come to pass in the West, as far as I can tell. I'm sure you'll come back now with some quotes from Kalomiros or one of the Eastern Fathers or a hideous icon of the last judgment or tell me that this really has nothing to do with how the doctrine of original sin is perceived. But I think it does. I think there is a difference, and the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.
I think there has been a misunderstanding. I am not advocating the IC, but am in fact against it. I am only attacking the underpinnings of certain arguments against it (i.e. that it supposedly comes from a false conception of Original Sin).
St. Gennadius Scholarius believed in the Immaculate Conception in a very Scotistic sense. I think its wrong and shouldn't be dogmatized, but I have no problem accepting it as a private theological opinion about which men may disagree.
Yet you did say in one of your first posts on this thread that you deem it acceptable for Orthodox to believe in the Immaculate Conception as a private theological opinion, even though you personally disagree with the doctrine.(emphasis mine)Therefore, I see Anastasios actually understanding you correctly.
I found this article regarding St. Irenaeus's view of the original sin quite enlightening. http://zimmerman.catholic.ac/evolution12.htm...Maybe this doesn't address directly the definition of original sin, the Augustinian view that makes Immaculate Conception necessary in the minds of some, and an Orthodox defense against this. But this does, however, frame our understanding of original sin within the backdrop of a totally different understanding of the narrative of the creation of Man and his fall. Now, does an Irenaean view of the Fall make an Augustinian view of original sin even possible?
Yes, but I am not trying to show that the IC can be "extrapolate[d]" from the Eastern Fathers.
And not by the aforesaid things alone has the Lord manifested Himself, but [He has done this] also by means of His passion. For doing away with [the effects of] that disobedience of man which had taken place at the beginning by the occasion of a tree, "He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross;" rectifying that disobedience which had occurred by reason of a tree, through that obedience which was [wrought out] upon the tree [of the cross]. Now He would not have come to do away, by means of that same [image], the disobedience which had been incurred towards our Maker if He proclaimed another Father. But inasmuch as it was by these things that we disobeyed God, and did not give credit to His word, so was it also by these same that He brought in obedience and consent as respects His Word; by which things He clearly shows forth God Himself, whom indeed we had offended in the first Adam, when he did not perform His commandment. In the second Adam, however, we are reconciled, being made obedient even unto death. For we were debtors to none other but to Him whose commandment we had transgressed at the beginning.
Well, you have tried to show how a Western view of original sin can be extrapolated from the Eastern Fathers.
St. Irenaeus doesn't dwell on the subject of Original Sin at length,
Of course not, because he held to a totally different view of the sin of Adam and Eve.
Instead of a major fall from a state of perfection through willful rebellion, the sin of our first parents was to Irenaeus the impetuous disobedience of young, inexperienced children.
Instead of the stain of depravity and guilt that comes from an Augustinian view of the Fall, we see in Irenaeus an emphasis on the curse of death and increased human weakness in the face of temptation.
(I'm trying to find specific quotes from his writings to serve as examples, but the web site to which I posted a link earlier today doesn't want to open.)
Peter, however we define Original Sin, we can all agree that at some point at Adam and Eve didn't have it. Nonetheless, they had real and free human wills. The same would be true of the Theotokos if she were born of the IC.
Maybe I should reassign the emphases in the above paragraph to make it express my reasoning more clearly, since I misled you into arguing about the affect of freedom from Original Sin on free human will. Maybe someone is totally free to exercise her own free will, but can she REALLY submit freely to her calling if she is predestined to do so? The question I really meant to broach regards the interplay between God's sovereign predestination and man's free will.
Our Lady, bearer of the Christ, also her savior, had a body uninjured by sin, because from her conception she was given the grace to be free to remain pure and undefiled.
And each one is a partaker of this spiritual origin in regeneration; and to every one when he is re-born, the water of baptism is like the Virgin's womb; for the same Holy Spirit fills the font, Who filled the Virgin, that the sin, which that sacred conception overthrew, may be taken away by this mystical washing.
This is my view. Should not be surprise, since I did become a Catholic after considering EO. The IC allowed Our Lady to become the New Eve. It gave her true free will, unimpeded by original sin. She could have sinned, but she chose not to. The IC made her truly free to make that choice. The IC is so important to my understanding of Mary that my belief that she was sinless throughout her life would not hold without it. Romans 3:23: "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Our wills were corrupted by the Fall---we are enslaved in sin, from the beginning. But enough of our wills remain to choose Christ, who "make(s) all things new." Our Lady, bearer of the Christ, also her savior, had a body uninjured by sin, because from her conception she was given the grace to be free to remain pure and undefiled.
Well, like I said, St. Irenaeus also sees a solidarity of all men in Adam's sin.
The essay opens fine for me.
But how does this address the question of the OP? How does this explain how it's possible to hold to belief in the Immaculate Conception and be Orthodox? (You may have noticed that I haven't yet moved this thread to Orthodox-Catholic Discussions. The way the OP voiced his question does make this an issue internal to the Orthodox Faith.)
I read several books on Orthodox views of Our Blessed Virgin Mother and I appear to continue to hold to the Immaculate Conception. I once thought I read the Bishop Ware stated that it was okay. Is it okay?
I make take some slack for saying this, but my impression of Metropolitan Ware is that he places too much emphasis on the distinction between dogma and theologoumena. In other writings, he has hinted that the only things we are strictly obligated to accept are the dogmatic definitions. While this may sit well in ecumenism, I don't believe it is a fully accurate presentation of the Orthodox Faith. While non-dogmatic teachings are in the realm of theologoumena, all theologoumena aren't equal. Those theological opinions that we are taught in an ordinary fashion that have been affirmed at all times and all places by the faithful, are as much of an obligation for us to believe as are dogmatic definitions. In fact, dogmas come from this body of universally accepted theologoumena and are meant to be defenses of them. The Immaculate Conception of the Theotokos fails to be a teaching held by the faithful of all times and all places, as it began in the West in the 12th century and enjoyed a long period of divided loyalty in the West and even gained some adherents in Orthodoxy. However, that doesn't change the fact that this teaching is new and innovative and is not and cannot become an Orthodox belief. At best, it is a speculative, theological opinion, which has much to disprove it and little to support it. While you cannot be called a heretic for holding to it as an opinion, you may become a heretic once you try to defend it, as it isn't based on sound Orthodox principles. God bless,Adam
I didn't desire to get everyone in a conflict.
"From the Orthodox point of view, however, the whole question belongs to the realm of theological opinion; and if an individual Orthodox today felt impelled to believe in the Immaculate Conception, he or she could not be termed a heretic for so doing" (Ware, The Orthodox Church, 260).This is the quote I was familiar with and the one I believe affords me recognition of the Immaculate Conception as acceptable for me to claim.
Which is possible if St. Irenaeus also sees the biblical narrative of the fall of Adam and Eve as an allegory of the fall of all mankind rather than as a literal historical account.
The Immaculate Conception of the Theotokos fails to be a teaching held by the faithful of all times and all places, as it began in the West in the 12th century and enjoyed a long period of divided loyalty in the West and even gained some adherents in Orthodoxy. However, that doesn't change the fact that this teaching is new and innovative and is not and cannot become an Orthodox belief. At best, it is a speculative, theological opinion, which has much to disprove it and little to support it. While you cannot be called a heretic for holding to it as an opinion, you may become a heretic once you try to defend it, as it isn't based on sound Orthodox principles. God bless,Adam
Why would he even have a reason not to, btw? There was no "evolution" back then.
So, because there was no theory of evolution back in the second century, St. Irenaeus had no reason to believe in anything other than a literal interpretation of the Creation of Man narrative? You mean to say that the theory of evolution is the only reason anyone could understand these narratives as allegory?
I'm sorry, but that line of anachronistic baloney just doesn't even come close to meeting the standards of intellectual rigor you try to display here.
Well, it's pretty much the only reason people see the need to do it today. The Fathers "allegorized" the scriptures and drew deeper meaning from them, so to speak, but in doing that they saw no need to disregard the narrative as fictitious and not historical. The only reason Origen did so was because of his theological presuppositions (i.e. preexistence of souls).You can't please everyone. I think, if anything, forcing the Genesis narrative as pure allegory with no history onto the Fathers is "anachronistic baloney."
Pure allegory... historical narrative... Which view is Patristic isn't even my point. Besides, I don't see what this has to with any dogma of Original Sin and/or the Immaculate Conception.
The article [http://zimmerman.catholic.ac/evolution12.htm] goes on to show how, OTOH, Irenaeus saw Adam and Eve as mere children in the process of growth and development, children whose sin grew out of their desire to grow up too fast, such that they tasted of experiences for which God had not yet made them ready. God had already planned to walk with His children and guide them along the path to deification, but sin only made this work more difficult.
Yes, let's avoid another thread split. Anyway, you attempted to explain St. Irenaeus' writing of a kind of solidarity of all men in Adam's sin by way of a supposedly allegorical view of Genesis, so how the Fathers viewed this matter is relevant to that at least.
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Chris Field
PhD Student
University of Connecticut
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Office: BioPharm 310
Phone: (860) 486-3005
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75 N. Eagleville Road, Unit 3043
Storrs, CT 06269-3043
I recently rejoined UConn EEB after working for several years as a conservation practitioner at a national non-profit. My experiences working on the "front lines" of conservation have steered my research interests toward addressing questions that can directly influence the way conservation is done on-the-ground. Specifically, I hope to apply and advance ideas from population biology, evidence-based conservation, and systematic reserve design, with the ultimate goal of providing practitioners with the information and tools needed for making smarter conservation decisions.
In addition to conservation research, I've spent time studying bird song, the demographics of early-successional birds, and the transmission dynamics of zoonotic diseases. Uniting all of my past and present research projects is a general interest in better understanding and evaluating the quantitative methods by which we make inferences about ecological patterns and processes. I'm especially interested in Bayesian analyses in WinBUGS and R; I'll be posting the code from some upcoming projects on this page.
Invited presentations
Field, C., Osborne, D., Richardson, S., Shallow, J., Tepper, H. 2010. Audubon's Atlantic Flyway Initiative. National Land Trust Rally 2010. Hartford, CT.
Field, C. 2009. Breeding Bird Atlases as tools for conservation. Connecticut Ornithological Association Annual Meeting 2009. Middlesex, CT.
- National Audubon Society ACE Award
- Audubon Connecticut Excellence Award
- Quebec-Labrador Foundation Sounds Conservancy Grant
- People's Bank Community Foundation Award
- Summer Undergraduate Research Fund Award
Recent bird sightings from the UConn campus and nearby areas