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Jurors got to hear George Zimmerman's story in his own words for the first time Monday as his interviews with police were played in court.
The former neighborhood watch captain is charged with second-degree murder for killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, on February 26, 2012. Zimmerman told police he was pursuing the teenager because there had been a rash of crime in the area. A confrontation ensued, and Zimmerman said he was forced to kill Martin.
"I tried to defend myself," Zimmerman said during his first police interview the night of the shooting. "He just started punching me in the face, and I started screaming for help. I couldn't see. I couldn't breathe."
Tape of Zimmerman's retelling of the confrontation between himself and Martin could bolster the defense's key contention: that Zimmerman reacted in self-defense.
Zimmerman began his interview with investigator Doris Singleton by saying that there had been a lot of crime in the area and that he had started a neighborhood watch program. He said he spotted Martin, who he thought looked suspicious, and began to follow him.
At some point, Martin circled the night watchman's car as he followed him through the neighborhood, Zimmerman said, then the teenager disappeared into the "darkness."
"The dispatcher told me 'Where are you?' and I said 'I am trying to find out where he went,' and he said, 'We don't need you to do that,' and I said 'OK," Zimmerman told the investigator.
Zimmerman then started to head back to his car, he said, but never got there.
"He [Martin] jumped out from the bushes, and he said 'What the [expletive] is your problem, homie?' And I got my cell phone out to call 911 this time, and I said, 'I don't have a problem.' And he goes, 'Now you have a problem,' and he punched me in the nose," Zimmerman told the investigator.
Zimmerman said the blow knocked him to the ground and Martin got on top of him.
"He puts his hand on my nose and my mouth, and he says 'You are going to die tonight," said Zimmerman. "As he banged my head again, I just pulled out my firearm and shot him… He is mounted on top of me, and I just shot him, and he falls off. And he's, like, 'Alright you got it, you got it.'"
Zimmerman met with police the day after the shooting to walk them through what he says happened the night he shot Martin. This interview was videotaped and also played for jurors on Monday.
The lead investigator on the case, Chris Serino, met with Zimmerman briefly the night of the shooting and again three days later. He was the same officer who responded to the Martin family's missing persons report, and he had some tough questions for Zimmerman to answer. He wanted to know why Zimmerman never identified himself as a neighborhood watch captain.
"Was it fear, precaution, safety or all of the above?" asked Serino.
"I didn't want to confront him," said Zimmerman.
Zimmerman insisted several times during this second interview that he didn't follow Martin and that he only exited his vehicle to find a street sign so he could give the location to police. Serino wanted to know why, after three years of living there, Zimmerman didn't know the names of the streets in his neighborhood.
"To be honest with you, I have a bad memory anyway," said Zimmerman.
Serino also wanted Zimmerman to tell him why he felt Martin looked suspicious.
"He was looking at the house intently, the same house I had called about before. He stopped in front of the house," said Zimmerman. "You know what, he's not walking briskly to get out of the rain. He didn't look like a marathon runner who trains in the rain. He was just walking slowly and I said something's off. So that's why I called non-emergency."
Serino went on to play that call that Zimmerman made to police, stopping it along the way to press Zimmerman on certain statements he made, such as when he said the suspect looked like he was on drugs.
"On drugs, why?" asked Serino.
"He kept looking around. Looking behind him, just kept shifting where he was looking," said Zimmerman.
"'Something's wrong with him' -- what's that statement?" asks Serino.
"I don't know," said Zimmerman.
At another point in the call, Zimmerman insisted to Serino that he wasn't following Martin, saying, "I was just going in the same direction as he was."
"That's following," Serino responded.
Serino also pointed out a specific point in the call where he says it would have taken Zimmerman a minute and 20 seconds to return to his car.
"You're in the rain getting wet… you see where the obstacle is here? I want you to think about that. I'm speaking for you... it doesn't sound like you quite recall exactly what happened at that point," said Serino. "It sounds like you're looking for him... you want to catch the bad guy. [Expletive] punk can't get away... Did you pursue this kid? Did you want to catch him?"
"No," said Zimmerman.
The investigator then played a 911 call made by one of Zimmerman's neighbors, which captures screaming in the background and the gunshot that killed Martin.
"You hear that voice in the background? That's you. You hear yourself?" asked Serino.
"That doesn't even sound like me," said Zimmerman.
"I can't pinpoint where you were smothered, that's the problem I'm having," said Serino. "We don't hear [Martin] at all either. Is he being quiet? Is he whispering to you or something? Is he calm?"
"He's on top of me and he's telling me to, 'Shut the [expletive] up, shut the [expletive] up,'" said Zimmerman.
When defense attorney Mark O'Mara got his chance to cross-examine Serino, he tried to downplay some of the Serino's aggressive questioning, referring to it as a "challenge interview" and calling it a police technique.
"It's either going to tell you that you got him... or it may confirm that he's, for the most part, telling you the truth," said O'Mara.
"Yes sir," said Serino
"In this case, you didn't have much to hit him with?" asked O'Mara.
"No, sir, I did not," said Serino.
At one point during his interview with Zimmerman, Serino bluffed that he may have video of the incident shot on Martin's cellphone.
"I believe [Zimmerman's] words were, 'Thank God, I was hoping somebody would videotape it,'" said Serino. "Either he was telling the truth or he was a complete pathological liar. One of the two."
Serino says nothing indicated to him that Zimmerman was a liar.
"You think he was telling the truth?" asked O'Mara.
"Yes," said Serino.
Earlier Monday, in a surprise move, prosecutors called FBI senior scientist Hirotaka Nakasone to the stand to testify on whether it was possible to conduct voice analysis of the screams on a 911 call from the night of the shooting.
Nakasone has already testified as a defense witness in an evidentiary hearing about the admissibility of voice analysis technology, and was slated to be called by the defense during its case.
Nakasone said the science of voice recognition cannot reliably identify the screams on the call, but he did say that someone who knows whoever was screaming on the call may be the best person to identify the voice. Prosecutors may have called Nakasone to help support the testimony of Martin's parents, who may testify that they recognize the screams as coming from their son.
Referring to the limitations of the technology, defense attorney Don West asked, "Science really doesn't help us in this case figure out who is screaming?"
"Unfortunately, that is correct," said Nakasone.
Testimony is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. ET Tuesday, when lead investigator Serino is expected to get back on the stand and continue answering questions from the defense.
HLN is live-blogging Zimmerman's trial. Click here for HLN's live blog of Friday's testimony. Read below for minute-by-minute updates:
5:57 p.m. ET: The judge has recessed court for the day. Testimony will resume Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. ET.
5:56 p.m. ET: Serino had told Zimmerman he believed Martin may have videotaped the incident.
"I believe his words were, 'Thank God, I was hoping somebody would videotape it,'" said Serino. "Either he was telling the truth or he was a complete pathological liar. One of the two."
Serino says nothing indicated to him that Zimmerman was a pathological liar.
"You think he was telling the truth?" asked O'Mara.
"Yes," said Serino.
5:52 p.m. ET: There was a pause in Zimmerman's timeline that concerned Serino.
"It just seemed excessive," he said.
5:50 p.m. ET: Serino had asked Zimmerman why he didn't identify himself as neighborhood watch.
"Did his answer to you, satisfy you?" asked O'Mara.
"Not necessarily, "said Serino. "He had made reference to mentoring children, specifically African America children. Why it didn't occur to him to try and say something to someone he was following..."
"In hindsight, that might have resolved things?" asked O'Mara.
"Of course," said Serino.
5:48 p.m. ET: Zimmerman's injuries were life-threatening in Serino's opinion.
5:45 p.m. ET: Serino says there were "external concerns" about Zimmerman profiling Martin. Zimmerman told him he would have acted the same if the person was white.
5:43 p.m. ET:"Regardless of what was going on, I still kept an open mind that he could be a victim," said Serino, in reference to telling Zimmerman that he would have to go to bat for him.
5:42 p.m. ET:"In this case, you didn't have much to hit him with?" asked O'Mara.
"No sir, I did not," said Serino.
5:41 p.m. ET:"It was more challenging than the first interview. But on a scale of challenging interviews it was mild," said Serino.
5:39 p.m. ET:"'It's either going to tell you that you got him... or it may confirm that he's for the most part, telling you the truth," said O'Mara.
"Yes sir," said Serino. He said he was being gentle and didn't have anything he was ready to challenge Zimmerman with yet.
5:36 p.m. ET:"That's where you go in and try to undermine an interviewee's story to them. Or you challenged them -- we go back and forth, first you're being nice then you're not being nice. You set them up and you knock them down," said O'Mara.
Serino says the idea is to discover truth.
5:34 p.m. ET: Serino says he was under pressure to get the case moving forward. He says he wasn't ready for a "challenge interview" with Zimmerman.
5:32 p.m. ET: Serino says he spent most of the night of the shooting trying to identify Martin. He also says there were no witnesses who could say how it all started except for Zimmerman.
5:28 p.m. ET: The jury is being seated.
5:25 p.m. ET: The court reporter is reading Serino's testimony back in court.
5:22 p.m. ET: The judge has dismissed the jurors to take up a matter outside of their presence.
5:19 p.m. ET: The attorneys are at a sidebar.
5:18 p.m. ET: Serino says Zimmerman's recreation video didn't have inconsistencies with the witness statements he was able to collect.
Defense attorney O'Mara asks Serino if his evidence at the time supported self-defense.
"I had information that would have supported that, yes sir," said Serino.
5:14 p.m. ET: Defense attorney O'Mara asks Serino for any inconsistencies between Zimmerman's recreation with police and his first interviews with investigators.
"I can't think of none off hand. None that come to mind right now," said Serino.
Serino says he expects some inconsistencies in a person's stories.
"We're not robots as people," said Serino.
5:11 p.m. ET: Zimmerman was "a little more animated" the next day, according to Serino, for the recreation he did with police.
5:08 p.m. ET: Serino says there was nothing in Zimmerman's first interview with him that contradicted the evidence he had at that point.
5:05 p.m. ET: Zimmerman had said he was unavailable the next day because he had class.
"It just appeared odd that he had that on his mind based off of what just happened to him... it struck me as being different," said Serino.
It was also concerning to Serino that Zimmerman had plans to go to work the next morning but Serino says there was nothing in Zimmerman's words that suggested an uncaring attitude.
5:01 p.m. ET: When it came to anxiety and nightmares, Serino says he was more worried about them being caused by Zimmerman having feared for his life, not the physical trauma.
4:57 p.m. ET: Serino says Zimmerman seemed flat. He offered to get him any help he needed and told him he might experience anxiety and nightmares because of the shooting. The attorneys are at a sidebar.
4:54 p.m. ET: O'Mara asks Serino if he had an concerns with Zimmerman's story the first time he talked with him, after having talked to some witnesses.
"I had none at that time," said Serino.
"Did he seem to be sidestepping your answers in any form or way?" asked O'Mara.
"No sir," said Serino.
"Did he seem to do anything that evidenced to you that he was being less than straightforward with you?" asked O'Mara.
"No, he was being straightforward in my opinion," said Serino.
4:50 p.m. ET: The attorneys are at a sidebar.
4:49 p.m. ET: Serino says you want to "lock them into a statement" so "the information he provides can be as pristine as possible without being contaminated by outside influences." He says Singleton had the first interview with Zimmerman and that he wasn't infected with any information while he was waiting for his interview with Serino.
4:46 p.m. ET:"[He was] always was willing to answer all of your questions?" asked O'Mara.
"Completely, yes," said Serino.
"Did he evidence any anger or disdain towards Mr. Martin?" asked O'Mara.
"No sir," said Serino.
4:43 p.m. ET: Serino says no areas of concern stuck out to him immediately in the case.
4:41 p.m. ET: Serino says he interviewed eyewitness John Good before talking to Zimmerman. He also spoke to several other "earwitnesses" before speaking to Zimmerman.
4:38 p.m. ET: Serino tells defense attorney O'Mara that he became the chief investigating officer on the case. He says he determined what needed to be followed up on and delegated interviews to other officers. Serino says he hasn't testified on any of these aspects of the case, just the statements made by Zimmerman.
4:36 p.m. ET: A medical examiner's photo shows Martin's bare chest and the gunshot wound that killed him. Serino says he showed it to Zimmerman to show him how skinny Martin was in relationship to Zimmerman. Prosecutor de la Rionda has finished his direct examination.
4:33 p.m. ET: Zimmerman's sister is in court today.
4:30 p.m. ET: The attorneys are at a sidebar.
4:29 p.m. ET: At about 52 minutes into the interview, prosecutor de la Rionda points out what Zimmerman says the screams don't even sound like him. There are three streets in the neighborhood, according to Serino.
4:28 p.m. ET: The jury is being seated.
4:26 p.m. ET: The judge is on the bench and the attorneys are at a sidebar.
4:07 p.m. ET: The audio has ended. Prosecutor de la Rionda points out that Zimmerman said the screaming for help didn't even sound like him. Serino remembers Zimmerman saying that. The judge has dismissed court for a 15-minute recess.
4:06 p.m. ET: "I can't pinpoint where you were smothered, that's the problem I'm having," said Serino. "We don't hear him at all either. Is he being quiet? Is he whispering? Is he calm?"
"He's on top of me and he's telling me to, 'Shut the [expletive] up, shut the [expletive] up,'" said Zimmerman.
4:03 p.m. ET: Serino plays a 911 call for Zimmerman, which was made by a neighbor and captures screaming in the background.
"You hear that voice in the background? That's you. You hear yourself?" asked Serino.
"That doesn't even sound like me," said Zimmerman.
Serino starts playing the 911 call again.
4:01 p.m. ET: Serino says it took Zimmerman a minute and 20 seconds to walk back to his car. He asks Zimmerman if he stopped at the T in the sidewalk. Zimmerman says no.
"You're in the rain getting wet... you see where the obstacle is here? I'm speaking for you... it doesn't sound like you quite recall exactly what happened at that point... It sounds like you're looking for him... you want to catch the bad guy. [Expletive] punk can't get away," said Serino. "Did you pursue this kid? Did you want to catch him?"
"No," said Zimmerman.
3:56 p.m. ET:"It sounds like you're running, too," said Singleton.
"No, it was just windy," said Zimmerman.
3:55 p.m. ET:"At this point he has to be hiding from you?" asked Serino.
"I don't remember," said Zimmerman.
"The law of physics says he's hiding from you. He couldn't have made it home and come back to attack you in that time," said Serino.
"I wasn't following him, I was just going in the same direction as he was," said Zimmerman.
"That's following," said Serino.
3:52 p.m. ET:"It sounds like he's running as to get away from you... but what kind of run was it? You can't say?" asked Serino.
3:50 p.m. ET:"'Something's wrong with him' -- what's that statement?" asks Serino.
"I don't know," said Zimmerman.
Singleton is asking him where he is and Zimmerman says he doesn't remember.
3:48 p.m. ET: Serino starts playing Zimmerman's non-emergency call for him. He stops it and asks Zimmerman to explain again why Martin looked suspicious. He also stops it when Zimmerman says the suspect was on drugs.
"On drugs, why?" asked Serino.
"He kept looking around. Looking behind him, just kept shifting where he was looking," said Zimmerman.
3:46 p.m. ET: Serino tells Zimmerman to close his eyes and put himself back in the zone from that night.
"What the [expletive] is your problem?" asks Serino.
"I don't have a problem," said Zimmerman.
"What did you say the first time he hit you?" asked Serino.
"I don't think I said a thing," said Zimmerman.
Serino jokes that the one-word association thing never works and the video ends. Serino and Zimmerman move to Serino's desk. The next part is audio.
3:43 p.m. ET: Zimmerman says he had his flashlight in his hand but it wasn't working.
3:41 p.m. ET:"I didn't want to confront him. I was happy he was staying in the area so the police could question him," said Zimmerman.
3:39 p.m. ET:"He can see you're following him... instead of having conversation with him, you put up your window?" Singleton asked.
"Yes ma'am," said Zimmerman.
She explains how that might have seemed creepy to Martin.
3:38 p.m. ET: Zimmerman says he didn't want to give the operator his address because he was afraid Martin was still within earshot.
"He came up out of nowhere. I didn't even see him," said Zimmerman. "So when he popped up, he just caught me off guard."
3:34 p.m. ET: Zimmerman says the operator never told him to stay in his car, just to not follow Martin.
In reference to Martin having his hand in his waistband: "I thought he was just trying to look tough or intimidating," said Zimmerman.
"You didn't think he had a weapon?" Singleton asked.
"No, not at the time," said Zimmerman.
3:32 p.m. ET: Zimmerman says he has an unsecured holster for his gun.
"He was mounted on me but he had pressure on my mouth and nose, suffocating me," said Zimmerman. He says Martin eventually let go of his mouth and nose. "That's when I grabbed his hand and grabbed my firearm and fired. Once he let go that I realized I didn't need my hand and he was going to kill me," said Zimmerman.
3:30 p.m. ET: Serino asks Zimmerman why he doesn't know the street names after living in the neighborhood for three years.
"To be honest with you, I have a bad memory anyway," said Zimmerman.
3:28 p.m. ET: Serino asks Zimmerman if he told Martin he was neighborhood watch. Zimmerman says no. Serino says that maybe if he did, they wouldn't be there.
"Was it fear, precaution, safety or all of the above?" asked Serino.
"I didn't want to confront him," said Zimmerman. Serino says Martin may have perceived him as a threat and that when he was reaching in his waistband, he may have been reaching for his soft drink.
Singleton, the other officer in the room, asks why Zimmerman ran after Martin if he was afraid of him.
"I didn't run after him, no. I walked to find a street name or a street sign," said Zimmerman.
3:24 p.m. ET:"I ended up on my back and he was on top of me, mounted. And he kept punching me and when I started yelling for help, that's when he grabbed my head and started slamming it," said Zimmerman.
3:22 p.m. ET:"He was looking at the house intently, the same house I had called about before. He stopped in front of the house," said Zimmerman. "You know what, he's not walking briskly to get out of the rain. He didn't look like a marathon runner who trains in the rain. He was just walking slowly and I said something's off. So that's why I called non-emergency."
Serino asks him about the "profiling" aspect of the incident. Zimmerman says he would have done the same thing if the person was white.
3:20 p.m. ET: Zimmerman tells Serino about another incident where he called the non-emergency number. He says he spotted a man looking into windows. Police cleared the house and said the doors and windows were all open. Zimmerman says that the next week, the same guy broke into a house and stole a laptop but maintenance guys gave police the guy's location and arrested him.
3:17 p.m. ET:"Do you have any prior training in law enforcement at all?" asked Serino.
"Just the legal side of it," said Zimmerman. Serino asks if he has any training in how to identify suspicious people. Zimmerman mentions his neighborhood watch training.
3:14 p.m. ET: Zimmerman is read his Miranda Rights and is making small talk with Singleton. He asks her if she positioned herself strategically between him and a neighbor. She says she was just trying to hear the neighbor better.
3:10 p.m. ET: The prosecutor plays video of another interview Serino conducted with Zimmerman, this time on February 29, 2012.
3:07 p.m. ET: The video zooms into Zimmerman's injuries. There are two butterfly bandages on the back of his head. "He was just focused on my head," said Zimmerman.
3:06 p.m. ET: Zimmerman walks back to the car with investigators and tells them he saw something on his door about Martin living in the neighborhood. He also tells investigators about his broken nose and the cuts on the back of his head. "She says I could use stitches but she'd rather not put them in," said Zimmerman.
3:02 p.m. ET: Zimmerman says he thought he didn't shoot Martin because Martin sat up said something like, "You got me." He says he got on Martin's back, straddled him and spread his arms out, holding his hands down.
3:00 p.m. ET:"That's when I started screaming for help -- 'Help, help' – as loud as I could," said Zimmerman. "I felt like my body was in the grass and my head was on the cement. He was slamming and slamming."
2:58 p.m. ET:"He looked back and he noticed me and he cut back through the houses… he had his hand in his waistband," said Zimmerman.
"And then I thought to get out and look for a street sign," said Zimmerman. He said he didn't see Martin anymore but was looking for an address. Dispatch asked him if he was following the person and told him not to so he says he started walking back to his vehicle.
2:52 p.m. ET: Zimmerman shows police where he says Martin was walking through homes.
"He was just leisurely looking at the house," said Zimmerman.
"He kept staring at me and kept staring around," said Zimmerman. "I don't understand why somebody would be stopping in the rain."
2:49 p.m. ET: The prosecutor is playing video of Zimmerman's walk-through of the neighborhood that he did with police.
2:48 p.m. ET: Serino says he became aware of a missing persons report for Martin the day after the shooting. Serino went and met with Martin's dad at his home, which is in Zimmerman's neighborhood, not far from where the shooting took place. Serino says Martin's dad identified him from a photograph of his body taken on the scene.
2:44 p.m. ET: Prosecutor de la Rionda shows Serino a close-up image of Martin's face after he was shot and pronounced dead. Serino says he showed this image to Zimmerman, who said he didn't know the young man.
2:42 p.m. ET:"When he came up to me, he said, 'You got a problem?' and I said, 'No.' I went to reach for my phone… and then he said, 'You have a problem now' and punched me in the face."
"He tried to smother my mouth and my nose. When he did that, I tried to slide out and squirm and realized my shirt came up. I felt him slide his hand toward my right side and said, 'You're going to die [expletive.]'" Zimmerman says Martin reached towards his gun and he shot him.
"He kind of sat up and said, 'You got me.' I don't remember if I pushed him or he fell," said Zimmerman.
"When he was hitting me I don't know what he was hitting me with... so I grabbed his hands when I was on top of him," said Zimmerman.
"He told me he was going to kill me," said Zimmerman.
2:38 p.m. ET: Serino starts to recount Zimmerman's story. He reported a suspicious person and called the non-emergency number for police.
"I want to retrace your path -- exactly what happened. I want to videotape this," said Serino.
2:35 p.m. ET: Serino had a brief interview with Zimmerman right after midnight and audio was recorded. That audio is being played in court.
2:34 p.m. ET: Martin was unidentified at the time. They tried facial recognition with the officers on scene, they canvases the area and also took fingerprints but found no match.
2:32 p.m. ET: The prosecution has called Chris Serino to the witness stand. He is a patrol officer for the Sanford Police Department. Zimmerman was not at the scene when he arrived, but Martin still was.
2:30 p.m. ET: Singleton has been excused but she is still subject to recall.
2:29 p.m. ET: The attorneys are at a sidebar.
2:28 p.m. ET: O'Mara asks Singleton if she had any evidence of Zimmerman having ill will, spite, hatred or animosity in her presence. She says no. Singleton says she would feel comfortable enough to re-holster her weapon if another officer arrived on scene or if the person she was apprehending was laying flat and not moving.
2:27 p.m. ET: Singleton says she can't say if it was Zimmerman who was screaming for help. Prosecutor de la Rionda has finished his questions.
2:25 p.m. ET:"You weren't able to get into Mr. Zimmerman's mind at the time he did the shooting, were you?"
"No," said Singleton.
2:23 p.m. ET: Prosecutor de la Rionda asks why Zimmerman would holster his gun if he was so afraid of Martin. The defense objects and the judge sustains. Singleton says she keeps a gun on a suspect until he or she is apprehended.
2:22 p.m. ET: Prosecutor de la Rionda asks Singleton if she's just giving her opinion and if it's up to the jury to decide which inconsistencies are significant. She agrees that it's up to the jury.
2:19 p.m. ET: Singleton is pointing out bushes and an air conditioner on a photo of the neighborhood. O'Mara asks if it's possible Martin could have appeared out of nowhere -- not out of the bushes -- and the prosecution objects. O'Mara has finished his cross-examination.
2:15 p.m. ET: Singleton says she wasn't concerned when Zimmerman told her he got on top of Martin after shooting him. She says she doesn't think it's unusual for Zimmerman to have called Martin a "suspect" when his name wasn't known.
2:13 p.m. ET: Singleton says she would have thought Zimmerman would know the street names since he's neighborhood watch.
2:12 p.m. ET: Zimmerman told investigators Martin both ran and walked away. Singleton noticed the inconsistency but didn't find it significant.
"I just assume that he had come in and out of view at least twice -- whether or not he was running or walking, I don't think mattered," said Singleton.
2:09 p.m. ET: Singleton says she didn't notice any inconsistencies with Zimmerman's statements.
"Most people don't tell you the same story the same way each time," said Singleton. Traumatic events can effect someone's ability to retell stories multiple times, according to Singleton.
2:07 p.m. ET: "Did he evidence that he was angry with Trayvon Martin?" asked O'Mara.
"No," said Singleton.
"That he had hatred toward him?" asked O'Mara.
"No," said Singleton.
"That he had anything that would suggest to you a bad attitude towards Trayvon Martin?" asked O'Mara.
"No," said Singleton.
2:05 p.m. ET:"He gave me like a blank stare on his face and said, 'What do you mean you don't know the victim?'" He also said to her, "He's dead?!" Then she says Zimmerman hung his head down.
2:03 p.m. ET: O'Mara is asking Singleton about Zimmerman noticing her cross necklace. She says Zimmerman told her, "In the Catholic religion, it is always wrong to kill somebody." She says she told him, "If what you're telling me is truthful, then I don't believe that that is what God means when he means to kill somebody."
2:00 p.m. ET: Singleton says she didn't have any information that she could have given to Zimmerman. O'Mara asks if this was a "virgin" interview where she was getting all the information from Zimmerman. She says that's correct.
1:56 p.m. ET: The attorneys are at a sidebar.
1:53 p.m. ET: Singleton says Zimmerman didn't know of the evidence from the scene at the time because she didn't know about it. She now knows there was an eyewitness and 911 calls that documented the screams.
1:50 p.m. ET: Singleton says most people agree to talk with her. As soon as they refuse, she has to stop speaking to them until their attorney is present. Singleton says that never happened with Zimmerman, he never reserved his right to remain silent.
1:47 p.m. ET : "I wanted to be able to help people," said Singleton. She says she's glad she made the decision to go into law enforcement.
1:46 p.m. ET: Prosecutor de la Rionda has finished his direct examination. Now defense attorney Mark O'Mara is asking Singleton when she considered going into law enforcement.
1:45 p.m. ET: When Singleton talked about identifying the victim, Zimmerman said, "He's dead?!" She told him, "I thought you knew that." And then she says he "slung his head and shook it."
1:43 p.m. ET: Singleton says she was wearing a small cross and Zimmerman asked if she was Catholic, telling her, "In Catholic religion, it's always wrong to kill somebody." She told him if it was really self-defense, God would excuse that.
1:41 p.m. ET: Prosecutor de la Rionda shows a DNA swab to Singleton. She says she was present when the sample was taken.
1:38 p.m. ET: Video of Zimmerman getting a DNA swab is played in court.
1:35 p.m. ET: When first seeing Zimmerman, Singleton says she saw he had some blood under his nose and some under one of his ears. She also noticed a cut on his nose.
1:31 p.m. ET: The judge is on the bench and the jury is being seated.
12:29 p.m. ET: Judge Nelson has recessed court for lunch. The live blog will pick back up when testimony resumes at 1:30 p.m. ET.
12:26 p.m. ET: Zimmerman's signed his sworn written statement.
12:24 p.m. ET: Occasionally, Singleton is having some difficulty reading Zimmerman written statement. The written statement seems to match up with what Zimmerman told Singleton during the recorded interview.
12:20 p.m. ET: De La Rionda is showing the jury Zimmerman's written statement. Singleton is reading the statement as it displayed on an overhead projector.
12:16 p.m. ET: Zimmerman's written statement is four pages long.
12:14 p.m. ET: Singleton also had Zimmerman make a written statement the night of the shooting.
12:11 p.m. ET: Zimmerman told Singleton he got out of the car to check an address on a townhome so he could give dispatch a better address for police officers responding to the scene.
12:08 p.m. ET: De La Rionda has zoomed into the map to show where Zimmerman was driving when he spotted Martin. The scribbles on the map were made by Zimmerman the night of the shooting.
12:03 p.m. ET: Zimmerman takes a few minutes to show Singleton on the map where everything took place the night of the shooting.
11:58 a.m. ET: Prosecutor De La Rionda stopped the map, and asked Singleton why she showed Zimmerman a Google map of the neighborhood during the interview the night of the shooting. She said she didn't completely understand the locations he was talking about. Zimmerman drew points on the map where he first saw Martin, and where the altercation occurred.
11:57 a.m. ET:"He puts his hand on my nose and my mouth, and he says 'you are going to die tonight," said Zimmerman on the recording..
"As he banged my head again, I just pulled out my firearm and shot him."
"He is mounted on top of me, and I just shot him, and he falls off. And he's like "Alright you got it, you got it."
11:55 a.m. ET: Zimmerman said, "He was wailing on my head, and I started yelling 'help.' When I started yelling for help he grabbed my head he started hitting my head into..."
11:53 a.m. ET: After Martin allegedly punched Zimmerman in the face, he fell down on the ground.
"I tried to defend myself. He just started punching me in the face, and I started screaming for help. I couldn't see. I couldn't breathe," said Zimmerman.
11:51 a.m. ET: Ziimmerman said he was walking back to his car, when Martin surprised him.
"He jumped out from the bushes, and he said 'what the [expletive] is your problem homie?' And I got my cell phone out to call 911 this time, and I said 'I don't have a problem.' And he goes, 'no now you have a problem,' and he punched me in the nose," said Zimmerman.
11:48 a.m. ET: Martin cut through the middle of Martin's neighborhood according to Zimmerman.
"The dispatcher told me 'Where are you?' And I said 'I am trying to find out where he went,' and he said 'We don't need you to do that,' And I said 'OK," said Zimmerman.
11:45 a.m. ET: Zimmerman tells Singleton said Martin circled his car, and then he went back into the "darkness," while he was on the phone with the police.
11:43 a.m. ET: Martin's father Tracy Martin is periodically closing his eyes as the recording of the police is played for the jurors.
11:41 a.m. ET: During the interview, Singleton retrieves Zimmerman's cell phone from outside the interview room. Zimmerman looks up the phone number of the president of his neighborhoods HOA so he can assist law enforcement in retrieve tapes recorded by the neighborhoods surveillance system.
11:39 a.m. ET: Zimmerman is not showing any emotion as the recording of his interview with police from the night of the shooting is played for the jury.
11:36 a.m. ET: Zimmerman told Singleton he did not recognize Martin as a resident of his neighborhood.
"He (Martin) was walking causally, and it looked like he was trying to get out of the rain," said Zimmerman.
11:33 a.m. ET:"There's been a few times where I have seen a suspicious person in the neighborhood, and would call the police non-emergency line, and these guys always get away," Zimmerman told investigator Singleton.
11:30 a.m. ET: Singleton asked Zimmerman to tell him what happened and why it ended in a boy getting shot.
"The neighborhood has had a lot of crimes." said Zimmerman on the recording of the police interview. "So I decided to start a neighborhood watch program in the neighborhood."
11:28 a.m. ET: Singleton notified Zimmerman the interview was being recorded.
11:27 a.m. ET: Prosecutors are now playing Singleton's interview with Zimmerman the night of the shooting. On the recording, Singleton can be heard reading Zimmerman's Miranda rights to him.
11:25 a.m. ET: Singleton saw that Zimmerman had blood on his nose, and the wound on his head was "actively bleeding."
11:23 a.m. ET: Singleton said she did not threaten Zimmerman that night to get him make statement. She also observed no indication that Zimmerman was under the influence of narcotics that night. Zimmerman said at the beginning of the interview he said he did not think he needed medical treatment, but later in the interview he said he was unsure if he needed medical treatement.
11:21 a.m. ET: Zimmerman was informed of his Miranda rights before being interviewed.
11:20 a.m. ET: Zimmerman was brought into an interview that was about 5 feet by 8 feet. She conducted an interview with Zimmerman, and it was recorded with audio equipment.
11:18 a.m. ET: The night of the shooting Singleton was told to report to the police department. She did not respond to the crime scene.
11:17 a.m. ET: Singleton was a narcotics investigators in February 2012, and she was on duty that night.
11:15 a.m. ET: Prosecutors have called Sanford Police Investigator Doris Singleton, the 24th witness for the prosecution.
11:13 a.m. ET: The jury is being seated.
11:11 a.m. ET: Prosecutor Bernie De La Rionda has asked the judge to consider some jury instructions he has hashed out with the defense.
11:09 a.m. ET: Zimmerman is back in the courtroom. Testimony should resume shortly.
10:54 a.m. ET: The attorneys have finished their questions for Nakasone, and he has been excused. Court is now in recess for 15 minutes.
10:53 a.m. ET: Nakasone said computers can not determine the emotion so investigators must rely on the trained ear.
10:51 a.m. ET: Prosecutor Mantei has finished his questions for Nakasone. Now West is asking him questions on re-cross examination.
10:49 a.m. ET: Nakasone is explaining how a group of people can create bias in the group when listening to a voice sample in attempting to identify the voice.
10:46 a.m. ET: Nakasone said he can only give law enforcement guidance, about to conduct voice analysis. He said he cannot control what methods they actually employ.
10:44 a.m. ET: West has finished his questions for Nakasone, and now prosecutor Mantei is now asking him questions on re-direct examination.
10:43 a.m. ET: West has asked for a moment to review his materials.
10:41 a.m. ET:
West asked, "I think with all of that what you are saying is science really doesn't help us in this case figure out who is screaming?
"Unfortunately, that is correct," said Nakasone.
10:38 a.m. ET: Nakasone said it is not possible to reliably determine an individual's age when analyzing their screams.
10:34 a.m. ET: West is asking Nakasone about how he determined whether the person on the 911 call was screaming under extreme stress or was in a life threatening situation.
"Yes it was uttered under an extreme emotional state." said Nakasone. Due to the extreme emotional state of the person screaming, Nakasone recommended to the FBI field agent investigating the Zimmerman case to not conduct voice analysis of the recording.
10:28 a.m. ET: Nakasone said a voice sample needs to be a certain length to establish the signature of someone's voice. He said a voice sample of normal speach that is 15 seconds can be analyzed, but the analysis would be better with a sample that is 30 seconds or longer.
10:25 a.m. ET: Nakasone said after isolating the screams on the 911 call he only had 2.5 seconds of clean of audio of the screams.
10:23 a.m. ET: West is moving a copy of Nakasone' resume into evidence. West said this version is more complete.
10:22 a.m. ET: West is asking Nakasone about examiner bias when a group of people are asked to recognize a voice when they listen to the sample while they are in a room together. Nakasone said there is a risk of bias in the results, because people can influence others perception.
10:13 a.m. ET: Nakasone is explaining how examiners conducting voice analysis can have a bias, and therefore it can affect their analysis in a negative way. The attorneys are now at a sidebar with the judge.
10:09 a.m. ET: West is asking Nakasone about his working with FBI and how he works with training field agents.
10:06 a.m. ET: Nakasone said voice analysis can be used for investigative purposes even if it is not admissible at trial.
10:03 a.m. ET: The science of voice recognition cannot reliably analyze screams at this stage according to Nakasone.
10:01 a.m. ET: Nakasone is explaining how MIST conducts analysis of voice samples.
9:58 a.m. ET: Nakasone said the mission of MIST is to promote the science behind voice recognition.
9:55 a.m. ET: West is asking Nakasone about a scientific group he works with that is trying to establish industry standards for voice analysis. Nakasone said he helped coordinate the working group, and this working is sponsored by the FBI. The acronym for the group is MIST.
9:52 a.m. ET: Nakasone is discussing his experience, and his current work in the field of voice analysis.
9:49 a.m. ET: Prosecutor Mantei has finished his direct examination of Nakasone, and now defense Don West is asking him questions.
9:47 a.m. ET:"We intentionally or unintentionally are recording the perceptual features of the persons voice. When he is speaking normally, slowly, excited, emotional all of this is storied in the brain," said Nakasone.
9:43 a.m. ET: Nakasone is explaining how a trained human ear can distinguish and analyze voices as well.
9:39 a.m. ET: Nakasone said a person's pitch can change when screaming or under the duress of an extreme emotional state.
9:36 a.m. ET: Prosecutor Mantei asked Nakasone to explain what pitch means. Nakasone said it is the perception of the vibration of the vocal cords.
9:33 a.m. ET: Nakasone could not make a comparison or analysis in Zimmerman's case, because the sample qualtiy was too poor.
9:31 a.m. ET: Nakasone was able to isolate about a three second sample of screaming from the 911 call.
9:29 a.m. ET:"We cannot really analyze any voice which is stepped over by something else or superimposed with other people's voice," said Nakasone.
9:27 a.m. ET: Nakasone received multiple voice samples in this case to analyze. One of the samples was the 911 call from the night of the shooting that has screams in the background.
9:24 a.m. ET: Nakasone said the distance the microphone is away from the source of the voice has an impact on the quality on the sample.
9:21 a.m. ET: The voice sample must be a certain length and quality in order to conduct a reliable voice analysis according to Nakasone.
9:19 a.m. ET: Nakasone said the first step in voice analysis is to examine the quality of the sample or recording.
9:17 a.m. ET: Prosecutor Rich Mantei has asked Nakasone to explain the methods people in his field use for voice analysis.
9:15 a.m. ET: Nakasone has had 30 or 40 peer reviewed articles published in a variety of industry publications.
9:13 a.m. ET: Nakasone is talking about the research he has conducted in computer assisted voice analysis systems.
9:10 a.m. ET: Nakasone is explaining his resume and education. He is a senior scientist for the FBI, and he conducts voice analysis for bureau.
9:08 a.m. ET: Prosecutors have called Dr. Hirotaka Nakasone to the stand. He testified as a a defense voice analysis expert for during the Frye Hearing.
9:06 a.m. ET: The attorneys are at a sidebar with the judge.
9:02 a.m. ET: Zimmmerman is in the courtroom. Judge Nelson is on the bench, and the jury is being seated.
8:22 a.m. ET: From HLN's producer in the courtroom: The court deputy has informed HLN that the attorneys have resolved any issues they had -- so no hearing--testimony will resume at it's usual time of 9:00 am.
8:00 a.m. ET: Court is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. ET.


text:
JACKSONVILLE Kennel Club meets at 5 p.m. Dec. 14 at Supreme Buffet and Hibachi Grill, N.C. 24.
JACKSONVILLE Kennel Club meets at 5 p.m. Dec. 14 at Supreme Buffet and Hibachi Grill, N.C. 24.
SEASIDE ARTS Council presents a Celtic Christmas concert featuring Jennifer Licko at 2 p.m. Dec. 15 at Swansboro Middle School. Visit seasideartscouncil.com.
BLOOD DRIVE from 2 to 7 p.m. Dec. 15 at Pizza Hut, 1301 Gum Branch Road.
SWANSBORO VFW Post 9960 hosts a Christmas dance from 8 p.m. to midnight Dec. 14 with music by Little Creek Band. Admission $10 donation. Call 252-393-8053.
ONSLOW COUNTY Republican Party meets at 9 a.m. Dec. 14 at Comfort Suites with Dutch treat breakfast at 8 a.m.
SNEADS FERRY Rotary Club is holding a fundraiser raffle for DHS college scholarships. Final ticket sales and drawing from noon to 3 p.m. Dec. 21 at Sneads Ferry Food Lion. Visit sneadsferryrotary.com.
SWANSBORO VFW Post 9960 hosts a New Year�s Eve party from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Dec. 31. Admission $20 per person. Reservations at 252-393-8053.
SEASIDE LODGE will conduct work in the Entered Apprentice degree at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 with dinner at 6:30 p.m.
SNEADS FERRY Community Center will hold its last bingo of the season on Dec. 16 starting up again May 16. Call 910-327-3335.
ONSLOW COUNTY CHIP business meeting at 4 p.m. Dec. 16 at OHM Foundation Board room, 241 New River Drive. Visit onslowchip.org.
JONES COUNTY DSS is accepting applications for its LIEAP heating assistance through Jan. 31 for disabled and persons age 60 and older. Call 252-448-2581.
KNITTING/CROCHET Guild �Chain of Purls� meets at 5 p.m. Dec. 16 at Denny�s Restaurant, 2200 Marine Blvd. Bring a handmade gift to exchange. Call 910-577-7727.
N.C. GUARDIAN ad Litem program seeks volunteers to train as court appointed advocates for abused/neglected children. Classes begin Jan. 7. Call 910-340-8970 or visit gal4kids.org.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sequence of events recorder provides reporting for 32 channels
The CyTime model SER-3200 sequence of events recorder from Cyber Sciences provides precision time-stamped event reporting associated with input state changes for 32 high-speed digital channels. Time synchronization is achieved via unmodulated IRIG-B input from a GPS receiver or via RS-485 signal from another SER-3200 serving as time sync master. Data is available over an Ethernet network using a standard web browser or via application software using Modbus TCP/IP.
The SER-3200 is a key component to ensure power system reliability in power monitoring and control systems in critical power facilities such as hospitals and data centers. It is also an essential part SCADA systems in continuous processes such as refineries, water treatment plants, and electrical distribution networks.
Cyber Sciences, Inc. (CSI) supplies specialty products for monitoring and control of electrical distribution systems for electric utilities, industrial, institutional, and commercial facilities. Key applications include sequence of events recording (SER) and utility smart grid systems, helping customers ensure the reliability, safety and efficiency of their electrical power systems.
Edited by Peter Welander, email@example.com
Visit the Control Engineering Plant Safety & Security Channel


text:
Alumni and Friends Establish Fischer Fund• September 8, 2006 Share:
Wabash students, alumni, faculty, and administrators gathered September 1 to formally announce the John E. Fischer Fund for Cross Cultural Experiences.
The fund honors Emeritus Professor of Classics John E. Fischer H'70, who from 1964 through his retirement in 2004, encouraged and enabled students in their pursuit of study abroad programs and immersion learning experiences.
During his long tenure at Wabash, Fischer believed that off-campus programs, particularly those abroad, were integral components of a liberal arts education.
Alumnus Jim Dreher '85 was greatly influenced by Professor Fischer during his undergraduate days.
"Jim planted both the intellectual and philanthropic seeds for the fund but insisted that it be named for John and that it be open to anyone who wanted to make a gift," said Dean for Advancement Joseph Emmick '92.
A dozen donors to the Fischer Fund were on hand to celebrate their beloved friend and professor, and to welcome Fischer back to the College for the first time since his retirement.
Dreher (pictured below left) and fellow alumnus Dr. Matthew Reeck '93 each told stories of their individual "fecklessness" as Wabash students and paid tribute to Professor Fischer for encouraging them to study abroad, which both described as a "life changing" experience.
The Fischer Fund will help the College fulfill its plan to use global resources in creating broad-based educational opportunities for its students, enhancing the ideas and concepts students learn in their on-campus classroom environments.
The fund may be used for a class to travel abroad in any discipline or to bring international educators and experts to campus to share in the exchange of cross cultural information and experiences.
Ben Gonzalez '07, Gary Simkus '08, Zach Foughty '07, and Professor Dan Rogers were participants in the Ecuadorian Studies Program last summer, which was partially underwritten by the Fischer Fund.
Alumni and friends who wish to support the Fischer Fund for Cross Cultural Experiences in addition to their annual fund gifts, may contact Carolyn Harshbarger in the Advancement Office at (765) 361-6298 or by clicking here.


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WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- President Obama will push a $1.6 trillion plan to hike taxes for the rich and corporations in talks on averting the looming fiscal cliff, the White House said.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama will advocate raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy by $1.6 trillion over 10 years when he meets with congressional leaders this week. The discussions are to center on how to avert the year-end fiscal cliff of draconian across-the-board budget cuts and expiration of tax rate hikes passed during George W. Bush's presidency, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Obama's plan is double the amount House Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, offered Obama during behind-the-scenes debt negotiations in 2011 and calls for more new tax revenue than Republicans had previously been willing to consider.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and other Democrats leaders said Tuesday Obama isn't willing to renew the Bush tax rates in exchange for a cap on deductions for households with annual incomes of more than $250,000, an alternative that's been floated by Republicans.
"I don't see how you do this without higher rates. I don't think there's any feasible, realistic way to do it," Geithner said.
Republicans have offered new revenue to avoid the fiscal cliff but haven't proposed a specific target. Boehner has suggested that negotiations resume on terms discussed in 2011, when he offered to raise $800 billion over the next decade by a revision of the tax code, which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., generally endorsed Tuesday, the Post said.
Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith didn't comment directly on Obama's opening volley, saying in a statement: "The speaker proposed a way both parties can work together to avert the fiscal cliff without increased tax rates, through a combination of entitlement reforms and revenue via tax reform. Republicans believe this is consistent with the president's call for a 'balanced' approach, and the speaker looks forward to talking with the president about such a path."
Carney said Tuesday Obama's plan, based on his 2013 budget proposal, would raise tax rates, impose a new special tax on millionaires and scale back deductions and loopholes, among other things.
On Capitol Hill, it wasn't clear how strongly Democrats would resist cutting entitlements, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said he and others were open to changes in entitlement programs if they were done in a measured way and were part of an agreement that included tax increases. He said changing Social Security and increasing the Medicare eligibility age above 65 should be part of negotiations.
"I'm willing to consider all of these ideas as part of an overall plan," Van Hollen said Tuesday during the Journal's CEO Council.


text:
Blood clots can block blood vessels. Aspirin can help prevent blood clots from forming or help dissolve blood clots that have formed. Following a heart attack, continued use of aspirin may help reduce the risk of another heart attack.
Taking aspirin may help prevent further heart attacks but, taking aspirin can have side effects like stomach inflammation, bleeding, or allergic reactions. Talk to your healthcare provider before using aspirin on a regular basis to ensure that it's safe for you.
The chart above shows the percentage of heart attack patients that were given aspirin before, or when, they were discharged from the hospital.


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From MeritBadgeDotOrg
Revision as of 13:43, March 12, 2010 by Missylou2who (Talk | contribs)
|Pathfinding is a discontinued merit badge. However, in honor of the BSA's 100th Anniversary, Pathfinding has been named to the BSA's new Historical Merit Badge Program and can be earned by scouts from January 1, 2010 until December 31, 2010.
|Pathfinding merit badge
|BSA Advancement ID:
|1911, reactivated 2010
|Replaced by:
[[Category:Discontinued {{{group}}} merit badges]]
Merit badge requirements
- 1. Demonstrate a general knowledge of the district within a three-mile radius of the local Scout Headquarters, or his house so as to be able to guide people at any time day or night to points within this area.
- 2. Know the population of the five principal neighboring towns and cities as selected by his Guide or Counselor. Demonstrate direction for reaching them from Scout Headquarters or his house.
- 3. If in the country, know the breeds of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs owned on the five neighboring farms; if in the city, demonstrate directions to tourist camp and to five places for purchasing food supplies.
- 4. Demonstrate how to direct tourists from his home to gas, oil, tire and general auto repair.
- 5. Give telephone number, if any, and directions for reaching the nearest police station, fire-fighting apparatus, Court House or Municipal Building, the nearest Country Farm Agent's office, doctor, veterinarian and hospital.
- 6. Know something of the history of his community and the location of its principal places of interest and public buildings.
- 7. Submit a scale map, not necessarily drawn by himself, upon which he has personally indicated as much of the above-required information.
| The official source for the information shown in this article or section is:
Handbook for Boys, 1948 Edition


text:
By ADAM BEAM
Associated Press
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Noah's Ark could get some help from Kentucky taxpayers.
A state tourism board gave preliminary approval on Tuesday for up to $18 million in tax rebates for a proposed full-sized replica of Noah's Ark as described in the book of Genesis. An independent consultant will now study the feasibility of the project and make a recommendation for the board to consider.
If approved, organizers could receive up to 25 percent of the $73 million anticipated cost of the project. Organizers would receive the money over 10 years only after the ark is built and open to the public.
Organizers say they have enough money to begin building the Ark, which will be 510 feet long and 85 feet high. The ark is scheduled to open by the summer of 2016.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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A new study suggests that textbooks that miseducate students about evolution and climate change may be in wide use in private schools that receive public funding through voucher or tax-credit schemes, according to Rebecca Klein in a lengthy article in the Huffington Post (December 7, 2017).
"A controversial new state law that makes it easier for Florida residents to challenge books used in public schools could get overhauled next year so those who dislike certain texts could also suggest replacements they find more appropriate," reports the Orlando Sentinel (December 1, 2017).
The eminent biological anthropologist Colin Groves died on November 30, 2017, at the age of 75, according to a press release from the Australian National University.
The distinguished philosopher of mind Jerry Fodor died on November 29, 2017, at the age of 82, according to The New York Times (November 30, 2017).
Florida's House Bill 825, prefiled on November 28, 2017, would, if enacted, require "[c]ontroversial theories and concepts ... [to] be taught in a factual, objective, and balanced manner," while allowing local school districts to use either the state science standards or alternatives "equivalent to or more rigorous than" them.
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
1904 Franklin Street, Suite 600
Oakland, CA 94612
fax: 510-788-7971
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text:
When I wrote Mirror Reversal in 2007, Global Warming was still uncertain and actively debated. Now massive destruction and human depopulation is as certain as the sinking of the Titanic once the fifth lower compartment was breached by the razor-sharp spikes of the iceberg. As the head engineer said, "It's a mathematical certainly."
My son, Rickie, a long-distance trailer driver recently told me that when he spends a night at a gigantic truck stop in the Texas, there're sometimes 500 air conditioners running all night long. There's no getting around it; these guys and gals haul food. In total, in the entire world, adding up all the trucks and cars, factories, humans and animals, machinery, and burning of coal, we get 79.5 million tons per day. (Not pounds, tons!)
Today, the term Global Warming is obsolete, replaced by Climate Change because of the array of threats to the environment other than temperature. Gaia theory proposes it's all interconnected; the planet is a superorganism. Brush and forest fires in the west, tornados in the Central Plains, hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, land slides, mud slides, tsunamis in Asia, beach erosion in Micronesia, and change in Ph of the entire ocean. Scariest of all and bound to affect all of us directly, today's headline, July 31, 2012, in the Science Daily:
Chronic 2000-04 Drought, Worst in 800 Years, May Be the 'New Normal'
In Mirror Reversal, Cynthia contemplates the underlying reason for humanity's tragic self-destruction. Perhaps, if we understand the unfathomable etiology of the sickness, we can do something to cure it. As usual, I blame organized religion! The appalling, heart-breaking irony is that for once the Bible was right. The sin of pride will be the ultimate reason for mankind's extinction, but in a way inconceivable to the writers of the Holy Scripture.
They kissed passionately in the sweet sorrow of farewell.
"You know what I was thinking, before I leave? A thousand years from now, after humanity is gone, maybe ten thousand years from now, extraterrestrials from a far superior civilization might arrive here. They'll be bound to find some remnants of buildings or artefacts that haven't decomposed. If they're endowed with superior intelligence, which they surely will be, having travelled so far, they'll be bound to ask: 'what happened here?'
"And being very intelligent, many theories about the extinction of mankind will be hypothesized. After studying remnant cities, libraries and other depositories of information, they'll accrue a great deal of knowledge about us. One bright astronaut might suggest a deadly, hyper-contagious, man-made flu virus wiped out the humans to the last person. Others might propose a tremendous calamitous event, like the asteroid that caused the Cretaceous Extinction. Another might offer that population growth got out of control, and like E. coli growing on a Petri dish, we simply ran out of food and crashed. Another ET, beyond doubt, might reason that the Mother Ocean died from poisoning—from using her as a cesspool, the Soylent Green scenario—and all life that relied on oxygen perished with her.
"But the most frequently proffered reason for the extinction of mankind will indubitably be that man couldn't control technology, and some over-ambitious head of state dropped one atomic bomb too many. A nuclear winter destroyed all life touched by rain. Greed, arrogance and lust for power inevitably caused the political leaders to lose control of the technology genie."But me, Wayne, I truly believe I know the real reason why the extinction of humanity will happen, if it does. The ultimate reason that no ET will possibly be able figure out, no matter how intelligent and advanced the planet it comes from. The reason, to my young inexperienced and naïve mind, judging by all the crimes against humanity, crimes against nature, and above all, the depraved crimes against the animals from which we evolved, the reason consciousness will perish from the Earth is because powerful, misguided individuals couldn't accept their phylogeny, that humanity evolved from fish and slimy worms, their reflection in the mirror of time, without feeling shame and self-hatred.
Like Beauty in the fairytale she must kiss the Beast and he will turn into a handsome prince. Humans must embrace the inner being or pneuma of our early evolution and our self image will change from a feeble, fawning creation of an omnipotent god to the gestating spiritual creation of the Earth itself—thereby breaking out of the shackles of the Prime Directive. There must be a mirror reversal when we contemplate our image in the mirror of time. If we don't accept the reality of our remote evolution, we'll either blow up the planet in a nuclear war, or we'll go the way of the dinosaurs, handing over dominance to the cybernetic mind that looms in the shadows. Our precious Earth will be nothing more than a sterile computer consciousness—no emotion, no beauty, no joy of being alive. Evangelicals find it to hard to accept a world without God. I can't continence the thought of a world without love. It took too long to evolve."
Wayne, whose most profound rumination had to do with winning the Indy 500, had no idea what she was talking about. He remorsefully watched her descend the steps of the condo. "Hey, Cynthia," he called loudly. "What was the name of the friend of yours where you're staying? In case we need to contact you. I forgot."
No answer. She was on her cell phone calling a cab service for a ride home.
Click on the "Atheist Novel" at the right to pick up a copy. Help support this important website.
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I will shortly have a blog piece that follows Rich's - about the recreational use of fossil fuel in particular. In short: no society that is serious about fossil fuels and climate change burns it for amusement.
Want something to do? Let's start picketing auto racing and motor sports. You'd be opposing an enormous social consensus. That's just one of many memes -- good to race fast machines! - that are untouchable in our planet's rush to extinction. Religion is another, of course.
Yes, I would politely confront religious people if they were persistent or annoying.
Here's a good one: try to picture this. No bull.
I was at my local Y yesterday soaking in the Jacuzzi and started rapping with this man about my age, pushing 70, as we were alone at the time. After a casual and friendly, "sure is hot," (the weather, not the water) comment, he started to rant about Jesus.
I listened amiably, not wanting to hurt his feelings; it was after all a Christian organization. After a few minutes, he wouldn't shut up and wound up telling me, "If you want to come to Jesus to be reborn, tell me and we can do it right here in the water." What balls! Reminded me of a couple of gays in Greenwich Village who tried to pick up when I was in NYU.
Pertinent to Joan's statement, "I have been too timid to say it out loud and to enough people. I know better than most that silence kills and cripples minds and bodies." I felt like telling the brainwashed membot, "Do you know who you're talking to? I'm the author of Mirror Reversal."
Of course I didn't. My HMO pays monthly fee. So to do so would have been foolhardy. It's interesting to contemplate if we secularists were equally as aggressive and started stopping passers-by and telling them, "there's no God and your prayers are futile. When you die you go to the same place you were before you were born."
I think I'll try that on some busy avenue in Birmingham, Alabama. That'll work.
I'd like to thank everybody for such astute comments on my blog post. First off, I certainly agree with Alan that Joan's writing is superb and she is too kind to me. I am certainly flattered and honored. Also, good to hear from Max Rex; it's been a while. Max my son took a truck driver course and is running around the country every day, including Canada.
The comments are so diverse and intelligent I don't know where to start to answer.
Looks like we're all in the same boat, the cruise ship Earth sailing through the universe at 70,000 miles per hour. Like Alan, I get so mad at watching the waste and stupidity; it's difficulty not to get down about being so helpless. That must be why I write. As Cynthia says in Chapter One, "I guess that's the price we have to pay for conformity. We can only do our jobs as best we can and helplessly watch the natural world being defiled and brazenly violated right before our eyes."
But she said that five years ago and it's as relevant as ever.
Ruth, amazing how we concur in worldview. Do you still have the roach short story? I'd like to read it.
Ruth Anthony-Gardner, any chance of reading your short story? Your writing always inspires me or gives me new frames.
I am sick of "identify the problem" and am READY to "explore options". Given the reality of all that we have been discussing, what are some ways to maintain peace, compassion, critical thinking in the midst of all this madness?
Of course, the obvious ones are reframe our experience, not try to save the planet Earth, become that which we desire.
OK, I can do those things. Let me think a minute, instead of working to change people's behaviors, share my awareness to all and any who will read my stuff; saving the planet is a outrageous desire, but saving my little patch of Earth is a possibility; live peacefully and powerfully; speak up when ignorance or prejudice occurs ... OH! I do those things already. I need to stretch my mind further ... kind of like looking at that painting at the Artists Loose on the Palouse Fair. His perspective challenged me to see how he saw the concept.
Well, thanks to each of you who challenge the status quo and look for healthier life styles.
Joan, you don't have to yield to anyone when it comes to articulate writing.
The thoughtful replies in this thread reveal the dimensions of the Problem, which is actually several problems, all intertwined and aligned -- war, consumerism/planned obsolescence, religion, the rich getting richer while the poor struggle to survive, all the while creating mountains of garbage (think of megalopolises like Cairo and Rio), finding new and destructive ways to get what oil and coal we have left, and (my hobbyhorse) BURNING IT FOR AMUSEMENT.
We have no shortage of organizations trying to protect the environment, even an ineffectual government agency for the same purpose. But still the glaciers shrink, the deserts advance, and the population continues to grow beyond the earth's ability to sustain it.
To reduce the conflict to its elemenental terms...the immediate needs of the individual, the commercial entity, and the tribe always outweigh considerations of the irreplaceable resources that make it all possible. Hey, it's a big planet; there's plenty more where that came from.
Someday there will not be enough fuel left to run the Daytona 500 (NASCAR vehicles get 3-4 miles/gallon). By then it will be too late. I wish I could see even a hypothetical way out, but there are too many diverse interests that contribute to the destruction of the planet, and no one action will affect them all.
Ruth, your comment reminds me of the book The God Virus. Religion resembles a virus in so many ways, spreading and perpatuating its delusions form one generation to the next.
Sort of makes me glad that I won't be around in another 20 years.
I wrote a related short story, of the intelligent civilized roach descendents who inherited the planet after human extinction. In the story a family visits the museum of human artifacts, which tells the story of human self-extermination. Religion was likened to a computer virus which disabled humans from coping with climate change. Like an infinite loop in a program, prayer to their imagined gods kept their minds running in useless circles. [never published]
I too see the design of buses and trucks, whereby operators are forced to idle engines to run heaters or air conditioners, as revoltingly iconic collective self-immolation by CO2.
But both religion and pride are too facile as explanations. I think there's a deeper level to "misguided individuals couldn't accept their phylogeny", a factor at the cultural level which manifests in part through individual responses. It's too complicated for a blog comment. Briefly, we're unable to accept the extent to which our mental functioning resembles that of other animals because we identify with verbal consciousness (I think, therefore I am.) from a Dominator Culture hierarchical mind set (where self esteem is bound up in inherent superiority to animals). This blind spot limits our capacity to reason, to question authority, and to take vulnerabilities into account. I agree that we must embrace the inner being of our evolution without feeling self-hatred or shame, only to me it's about Triune Brain neuroanatomy.
As to the cybernetic mind that looms in the shadows, temes and Skynet scenarios shrink relative to the escalating probability that we'll render Earth uninhabitable in a few centuries through climate destabilization.
Alan Perlman, you tap into a topic I completely overlooked; warring! What good comes out of war except for death, destruction, impoverishment of dominated people and growing wealth for warmongers?
I don't see asteroids or aliens or ice or heat being the last factor to end life on earth as we know it; it will be human beings' inhumanity to humans!
Your notion of dominionism is right on target! One group of people believing their god gave them title to a particular piece of ground and another group of people making a claim on the same ground. It doesn't matter whether we look at the Israel/Palestinian conflicts, or liberals vs. conservatives in USA, or Africans trying to grasp their way out of a history of colonialism and facing corruption by their own leaders, or South Americans wanting to work their own lands free of the abuse of absentee land-owners, or the many conflicts in Asia and Europe; it doesn't matter which direction one looks, there are those who would exploit and manipulate others for their own gains.
If one looks at the rape of the earth, as though there is no consequence for such values, the innocent ones have not a chance to survive. They will be the first to perish.
I agree, religion is a very real threat to our survival. I have been too timid to say it out loud and to enough people. I know better than most that silence kills and cripples minds and bodies.
When asked where non-believers in god get their morals, the answer is easy; morals come from inside a healthy, caring, compassionate person who acts out of enlightened self-interest. There is no need for promise of heaven or threat of hell to be moral.
When asked where we go after death the answer to that is even easier; the systems of our bodies stop working, fluids drain out, tissues begin to rot and the electrical/chemical or whatever that is our consciousness stops and we return to soil and atoms. We do not end; we change form to the stuff of the universe. No soul, no reconnecting with our bodies or with our loved ones, no heaven and no hell. We, each one of us, just ends. All that remains are memories others have of us and how we will be remembered depends on how we conducted our lives.
That said, how do we face the challenges that we have and live with joy and beauty and our senses responding to all the wonders that life offers; even as we stand up to ignorance, greed, oppression, domination and destroyers of life?
I, for one, would like to leave the world better than I found it, being courageous when necessary, strong when needed, loving life and living things, and having compassion for all elements of existence.
Feelings of anger, rebellion, resentment, retaliation simmered to a hard boil in me this summer, even as we have had no real climate heat wave in Spokane. Growing awareness of betrayal and blarney, as conveyed by people I love and trust, and by institutions I expected to prepare me to be able to challenge such nonsense, is at a cork-blowing level. I feel a little like when I am studying a difficult subject and reach a stage of confusion that some thing happens and I get it. Kind of like trying to understand economics and realizing that there is no understanding to get, it is all a game of chess and I am a pawn in the enterprise. Or attempting to get some sense out of the Bible and and prayer and all the stuff that goes along with that, only to awaken to the realization that I have been conned and need to move on.
This is what I am feeling this summer. In one way I know a breakthrough is coming, but in another, there is great discomfort in my chaos.
Richard, in your comment, "The Tragic Irony of Human Extinction," you tap into one of my frustrations: I have been able to see things coming that others could not see. For example, in 1959 I had a conversation with a scientist on a flight from Seattle to Anchorage where he was doing a study on changing patterns of glaciation. He told me the glaciers were reducing in thickness and length and scientists had no idea why it was happening. I started keeping track and paying attention.
Another example was my training at Whitworth College in "Leadership Institute of Spokane" and my first "Statistical Package for the Social Sciences". Using the computer tool to follow trend lines, I began to see shifts in money flow from working wage earners to those who had "unearned income". I watched as the middle class, as measured by share of profits from production, began to decline, and watched the numbers and ratios of women going into the paid labor force to make up for loss of single-earner family income. It was all right there before me.
By the time I reached this level of awareness I began to look at the factors that kept people bound to traditions and expectations of society. It didn't take me very long to understand the role of religion in keeping individuals in line, obeying, following directions, being dependent on employers and government to attain economic security and the barriers to individual enterprise. Small mom and pop shops began to dry up and are virtually gone now. My neighbor closed the doors to his hardware store that had been in Spokane for four generations. They couldn't keep up with Home Depot and other huge stores.
"You have to change with the times," people say, but change to what? Begging for wages and benefits and trying to stay ahead of the unemployed just waiting for the wage earner's job to open up? Working for longer hours for lower pay, or working for fewer hours and having to take two jobs? Watching family living wages going down as jobs are sent to countries with no labor unions, no health benefits or no retirement plans and unhealthy working conditions? Watching Third World countries fall farther behind in health and education and opportunities? Seeing costs of educating our children skyrocket out of range for wage earners, even as scholarships and grants dry up? Coming to the realization that our lifestyles contribute to unhealthy water, soils and air. Smelling fumes of huge refrigerator trucks shipping all across the country, and indeed from all over the world, even as our food quality declines?
Pessimism! Huge changes taking place before our eyes and all the while the world's population explodes to 7,029,899,442 as of Aug 01, 2012. Can you believe, religious leaders instruct humans to eschew contraceptives, political leaders try to prohibit access to reproductive care for women, and the population votes them into office! Insanity!
OK! How do we climb out of that deep black hole of pessimism and put our critical thinking minds to work and put some order into our lives?
Powerfully evocative. Would that my words could flow so smoothly, filling others' minds with thoughts beyond the usual into a new dimension of awareness and understanding.
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By MATT CAMARA
By MATT CAMARA
Hathaway News Service
People Inc. and its partner organizations celebrated National Mentoring Month at a January bash in downtown Fall River.
"We definitely need positive role models for the youth in our community," said Heidi Bedard, program director for SouthCoast Mentoring Initiative for Learning, Education and Service.
SMILES, a part of People Inc., and its partners Child and Family Services and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater New Bedford threw the party at People Inc.'s South Main Street office. Mentors, their proteges and a host of local officials and business leaders attended the event aimed at recognizing those who have invested their time in helping youths find their way.
SMILES mentor Bob Mandeville delivered the event's keynote address, speaking about his experiences guiding a young man named Shane who struggled personally and academically and could have been left adrift without a mentor, he said.
"Through it all, you just become tighter and tighter with the child," he said, adding that mentoring Shane, who is now serving in the Army, also taught him to reflect on the opportunities he had that disadvantaged children do not.
People like Mandeville are in short supply, however, said People Inc. President Robert Canuel.
"We need more adults to be role models for our young people and guide them along the right path," he said. "When responsible adults take an interest in a child's life, that child will thrive."
Anyone interested in becoming a mentor is urged to contact SMILES at 508-679-5233 or visit www.peopleinc-fr.org.


text:
FMC Unveils All Soles Matter Memorial
Fairfield Medical Center's 2018 Top Doctors
Fairfield Healthcare Professionals is pleased to announce the addition of Nicole Sabatina, D.O.
Fairfield Medical Center is pleased to welcome interventional cardiologist, John Lazarus, M.D., Ph. D., to its medical staff
Experience the Support
2018 Fairfield Medical Center Board of Directors
Fairfield Medical Center Recognized For Superior Care Of Heart Attack Patients
Dr. Conley is named the Gordon B. Snider Teammate of the Year.
Posted: 1/23/2015 | Categories: FMC News, Featured News, Heart Care Services


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Look at what I found!
The very first Professional tennis discussion on Tennisopolis.
2011 predictions? Federer and Nadal will be in the finals of most of the slams. I would love to see Roddick to take home some W's as well!
Wow, that puts things into perspective. I think that was the year that Nalby won the masters series and beat Fed like 2or 3 times in a row - and it was also right after Ferrer made it to the USO final or semi-final.... Guess this will never come to pass.
Too bad Nalby or Ferrer didn't do it. They have a very good game.
I see a trend happening. Federer owned the 2005,2006,and 2007 season. Nadal has pretty much owned the slams since 2008 to the present. I think Nadal will own the next 2 years and then it will be interesting to see who will fill the voids.
Nadal can hold onto the next two years if he keeps improving like he has. But I do expect Federer to meet Nadal more often than they have, and he is dangerous again. I expect Murray, Soderling, Berdych, Djoko to improve bit by bit. They can throw a wrench in between for sure.
It's very hard to tell who are the newcomers are but I like Dmitrov, who has moved 100 spots up the rankings.
Yes, i agree with you Tim. I also think that Russian guy, Andrey Golubev. He has beaten a few top ten players already, including: Soderling, Ferrer, and. Davydenko.
Golubev has a very nice backhand! Thanks for pointing him out for me.
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Clojure in the Field
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Stuart Halloway presents what makes Clojure different and, in his opinion, better than Java, plus some real-life lessons on Clojure development including BDD for functional code, wrapping Java APIs, third part libraries worth knowing, writing code without an objectual context, and the learning curve for a team new to the language.
Stuart Halloway is a co-founder of Relevance, Inc. and is the author of "Programming Clojure, Component Development for the Java Platform and Rails for Java Developers". He regularly speaks at industry events including the No Fluff, Just Stuff Java Symposiums, the Pragmatic Studio, RubyConf, and RailsConf.
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Interesting talk
peter lin
When I try to teach others about LISP and how to use it, I find that many people simply can't think in LISP. The whole declarative S-Expression approach of LISP makes it very hard for most developers. Since Clojure is LISP, many developers will get frustrated at first. My advice is to stick with it. It will eventually pay off.
The talk was interesting.
Brian Gruber
Specifically, what Stuart says about Emacs is no longer really true. Setting up emacs within your own setup is fairly simple using ELPA. Throwing out your old setup is not really necessary. Using SLIME and swank is very easy if you use either Maven or Leiningen to manage your project. In fact, I think that if you're using emacs using swank is now easier than not using swank. Leiningen itself is mentioned in this talk as "just announced"; it is now fairly widely used in the Clojure world.
Highlights of the presentation
Daniel Jomphe
2003 Starting up the business with Spring Hibernate Java
2005 RoR's hard turn
2008 Clojure's turn (already more than 20% of the projects)
1:30 - Using Clojure for
1. Rule-based systems
2. Social networking systems: competing with Rails' sweet spot!
3. Scalable web services
4. Near real-time simulators
2:00 - Why Clojure
1. lisp (2:30) metaprogramming
2. Java (3:30)
2.a "Clojure moves you away from Assembly Language for the JVM (Java!)"
2.b "Clojure needs less parentheses than Java"! (4:00)
3. functional (5:00)
3.a shorter, nicer style
3.b fewer datatypes (7:15)
3.c persistent data structures
4. the problem solved is not concurrency, it's state! (10:30)
4.a typical OO state (11:00)
4.b a sane model for dealing with state (12:00)
16:30 - Questions
Q1 - How do you use Java objects in Clojure?
Q2 - Why not Scala? (18:00)
Q2.a - "I can't imagine what I would write Java for. I would instead use Scala for those few things."
20:00 - Pain points
1. "We struggled to be effective with the testing framework for a while." (22:45)
2. "Ruby kicks everybody else's ass with its testing tools" (23:30)
3. To wrap or not to wrap (24:00)
3.a "Mocking in a lisp is beautiful." (25:15)
3.b "What to do when you want to mock out some Java stuff?" (26:00)
4. The learning curve (26:45)
4.a "There's more to learn that's new than to another dynamic language." (28:00)
4.b "Switching over to a functional style isn't trivial."
4.c "The model for dealing with state is arguably revolutionary."
4.d "We mitigate the learning curve this way." (28:30)
4.e "Knowing where to find something. You often write it yourself before learning that it's already there for you somewhere."
30:00 - Libraries
1. Those you need!
2. Other libraries we've used (32:45)
2.a Clojure frees you from dealing with in-process state (34:30)
2.b Survey: "About 1 line in 1000 lines of Clojure code instantiates some mutable reference."
3. Java libraries (36:00)
3.a "We don't use Compojure's html template mechanism - we use StringTemplate for that." (37:15)
3.b "A lot of Java libraries are not well aligned with Clojure." (38:15)
3.c "Hibernate is an extraordinary bad fit for Clojure." (38:45)
3.d "The libraries' stuff has generally been very satisfying." (39:00)
39:15 - Cohesion
1. "OO systems drift away from cohesiveness."
2. "Functional systems don't drift away from cohesiveness."
3. Although there's a namespace thing yet to be sorted out. (41:00)
43:00 - Shipping It
1. "The other thing for which Ruby kicks everybody else's butt is at tools for automating deployment."
2. "We use the Ruby tools to manage our Clojure deployments."
3. "I hate Maven. Some use it." (44:00)
4. "All JVM-based languages are crap for operating differently with each operating system."
4.a Still, some people are building stuff for this in Clojure! (45:30)
46:30 - Other pain points
1. Convention over configuration: right now Clojure projects copy conventions from other languages, which are not adapted to Clojure's own idioms, which are not yet all discovered.
2. "Error messages are horrible on all the advanced JVM languages (Clojure, Jruby, Scala, Groovy)." (47:30)
2.a Mitigated if you do TDD.
3. "Some people don't like living without objects, but I'm fine with it." (48:00)
3.a "Let your data be your contract." (48:30)
3.b Anyway, it's how it always works as soon as it gets out-of-process. Get over it.
4. Editor support (50:00)
4.a "Paredit is very important. I wasn't using it. Rich Hickey wasn't either. We were out in the darkness."
52:45 - Pleasure points
1. Libraries
2. Readability - "Better than Ruby's readability!" (53:00)
3. Destructuring
4. Metadata - Contrasted to Java's poor man, high ceremony annotations (53:30)
5. Multimethods - "We use them all the time. It's a powerful abstraction."
6. Macros
7. Reference types - "Has been incredibly easy to all our developers. The signature feature of 8. Clojure." (54:15)
9. Data conversion - "Makes Design Patterns fall away." (54:45)
10. Repl
11. Paredit
12. Namespaces - "Really cool. Ruby sucks on this." (55:00)
13. Composability - "À la carte programming." (56:00)
14. Java interop
56:45 - The risk of using Clojure
1. "Our clients requested us to stop considering Clojure as a risk."
2. "It's been greenlighted. There's no significant issues to using Clojure."
57:45 - The real sweet or weak spots of Clojure
1. Sweet - "Any application that deals with out-of-process state."
1.a "With Clojure the in-process state is not in your face anymore."
2. Weak - "Anywhere there's a strong convention over configuration solution on another platform." (58:00)
59:15 - More info


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They are calling it a natural rivalry, even though the two programs have yet to play a single game. Appalachian State and Charlotte will play two games in 2018 and 2019 in a home-and-home agreement announced Monday. Charlotte will play host in 2018 and Appalachian State will host the game in 2019.
"It's a game that should be played," Charlotte head coach Brad Lambert said in a statement Monday, according to The Charlotte Observer. "We're excited about the opportunity to play a great program from right here in our region. This will be fun for our fans and I'm sure they will be excited as well."
"The proximity of our campuses, the similarity of our schools and the familiarity our student-athletes have with each other from the high school level make it a natural rivalry," said Appalachian State coach Scott Satterfield.
The two campuses are just about two hours apart, but both programs are moving up in the world of college football the next couple of years. Appalachian State will leave the FCS to compete at the FBS level starting this fall. The Mountaineers will join the Sun Belt Conference. Charlotte is on a fast track to FBS competition after completing the first football season in program history just last fall. The 49ers will move up to the FBS level in 2015 and join Conference USA.
With a handful of regional college rivalries becoming a thing of the past thanks to realignment (Oklahoma-Nebraska, West Virginia-Pittsburgh, BYU-Utah etc.) it is good to see new rivalries develop. It may take some time before Charlotte-Appalachian State rivals the intensity fo a Duke-UNC match-up in the state, but here's hoping this series can extend beyond the initial two-game set in place now.
Helmet sticker to Charlotte Observer.


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Dr. Franklin Mirer was a member of the working group for IARC Monographs Volume 101, just posted in full. The monograph, which classified 18 chemicals as carcinogens, was authored by the members of the working group. Dr. Mirer had substantial input into the assessments of DEHP (a plasticizer and suspected environmental estrogen widespread in the environment), diethanolamine (an ingredient and contaminant in personal care products and metalworking fluids), as well as general comments on the cancer epidemiology of metalworking fluids.
Link to News Article or Research Study (abstract or article):http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol101/index.php


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The Phils cut their magic number to four as they defeat the Brew Crew, 9-4.
J.A. Happ pitched a strong five and two-thirds innings, as the Phils' offense unloaded in a six-run fifth, as the Phils defeated the Brewers, 9-4. Their magic number over the Braves is now at four.
The Phils took the lead in the first inning as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, knocking in Chase Utley, who was safe on a force out, 4-6, as Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, was wiped out at second, to give the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Brewers tied the game at one-all in the third as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Felipe Lopez hits an RBI infield single off of J.A. Happ's leg, as Howard was unable to handle Utley's throw, scoring Jason Kendall, who had earlier tripled on a ball that Ben Francisco was unable to catch. The Phils regained the lead in the fourth as, with a man on base, and with nobody out, Pedro Feliz hits an RBI double, knocking in Francisco, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Phils then blew the game wide open in the fifth. With two men on, and with one out, Feliz hits an RBI single, scoring Jayson Werth, who had earlier reached base on a throwing error, and then went to second on Francisco's single, making it a 3-1 Phils' lead, while Francisco, who had earlier singled, would move up to second. The next batter, Paul Bako, would give the Phils a 4-1 lead with an RBI single, knocking in Francisco, while sending Feliz to third. Happ then helped his own cause by hitting an RBI single, scoring Feliz, while sending Bako to second base, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead. Jimmy Rollins then finished the scoring by hitting a three-run home run, his twentieth home run of the season, knocking in both Bako and Happ, making it an 8-1 Phils' lead. In the sixth, the Brewers threathen to score as, with one man on base, and with one out, Prince Fielder hits a fly ball off of the wall in center field, that was played off the bounce by Victorino, as Corey Hart, who had earlier singled, rounded second and was then sent home. Victorino threw a strike to Utley, who in turned threw a strike to Bako, who was covering the plate, before he tagged Hart out for the inning's second out, 8-4-2, as Fielder stopped at second with a double. The next batter, Casey McGehee then followed with an RBI double, making it 8-2 Phils. The Phils would get the run back in the eighth as, with two men on, and with one out, Howard knocked in Rollins, who had earlier singled, had gone to second base on Victorino's single and then went to third on Utley's force out, 3-6, as Victorino was wiped out at second, as he was safe on a fielding error by Brewers' second baseman Lopez, giving the Phils a 9-2 lead. The Brewers got one run back in the ninth as, with two men on base, and with one man out, Fielder hits into an RBI ground out, 4-3, for the inning's second out, knocking in Lopez, who had earlier singled, moved to second on Howard's missed catch error on Hart's ground ball to Feliz, and reached third on Ryan Braun's force out, 6-4, as Hart was wiped out at second base, making it a 9-3 Phils' lead, while Braun who was safe on the force out and then would move up to second on defensive indifference, would move up to third. McGehee then made it a 9-4 Phils' lead as he hits an RBI single, scoring Braun. Clay Condrey would finally end the game by getting Mike Cameron to fly out to right.
J.A. Happ got the win as he pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks, as he struck out seven, making a strong statement as a candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year. His record is now 11-4 with an ERA of 2.79. Chad Durbin and Tyler Walker would combine for two and one-third scoreless innings, giving up only two hits (Walker) and two walks (Durbin), while striking out two batters (Durbin (1), Walker (1)). Clay Condrey pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits. Jeff Suppan took the lost as he pitched four and one-third innings, giving up eight runs, seven of which were earned, on twelve hits and two walk, while striking out two. His record is now 7-11 with a 5.04 ERA. Chris Smith and Carlos Villanueva pitched a combined two and two-thirds scoreless innings, striking out four batters between them (all by Villanueva). Josh Butler pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out one. John Axford pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter.
The Phillies had fourteen hits in the game, with Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz leading the team with three hits apiece, with one of Feliz's hits being a double as he knocked in two runs. Jimmy Rollins, Ben Francisco and Paul Bako all followed with two hits each, with one of Rollins' hits being a three-run home run, while one of Francisco's hits was a double. Ryan Howard and J.A. Happ had the other two Phils' hits, with Howard knocking in two runs, and Happ bringing home one. Bako knocked in the other Phil's run. The Phils' offense ended up hurting Jeff Suppan once again before the Brew Crew was finally able to stop them.
The Phils (89-63, 1st East) continue their four-games series with the Brewers (75-78, 3rd Central) with another night game. The game will be played at Miller Park and will start at 8:05 pm Eastern (7:05 pm Central). The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (14-11 (7-2), 2.99 (2.65)), who is coming off a no-decision against the Braves on September 20, when he pitched four innings in a rain-delayed game, giving up only a run on five hits, while striking out two, in the Phils' 4-2 win. He will be taking out his frustrations of not being able to pitch the fifth inning in Atlanta for the win out on the Brewers, while trying to help lower the Phils' magic number even more. He will be oppose by Manny Parra (10-10, 6.42), who is coming off a no-decision of his own against the Cardinals on September 8, where he pitched only an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, in the Brewers' 4-3 lost. He will be trying to see if his neck is okay since being taken out of the Cardinal game on the 8th. The Phils will be trying to lower their magic numbers against both the Braves and the Marlins even more.


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LONDON, July 10 (UPI) -- Sikorsky Aerospace Services says it is exploring aircraft maintenance and support opportunities with the Spanish military.
The exploration of future business comes under a new memorandum of understanding signed at the Farnborough Air Show in Britain with INAER, which provides fleet maintenance, repair and overhaul services for commercial and military aircraft.
"This MOU represents the first step in discussing potential maintenance and upgrade capabilities for the Spanish Ministry of Defense, whose Air Force and Navy fleets have a significant number of Sikorsky aircraft," said Frank DiPasquale, SAS vice president of Sales & Strategic Relationships.
"INAER is a Sikorsky approved S-76 Customer Service Center supporting many of our operators in the region. The objective of this MOU is to strengthen and combine our expertise in providing customized solutions to meet the Spanish government's requirements."
INAER, in addition to its maintenance and support systems, is also a major provider of helicopter-borne emergency services in Europe and operates a fleet of Sikorsky helicopters. Among its clients is Spain's Ministry of Defense.
"After many years of cooperation between our companies, this MOU helps strengthen our ability to provide customers with unbeatable value-added services," said Baba Devani, INAER Group Business Development director. "We are pleased to offer our Sikorsky government operators an experienced, in-country MRO service provider backed by the powerful support network of Sikorsky Aircraft."


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I used OpenGL in the past, but I am just in the process of catching up on the later development with GL4. I understand the concept of VBO, etc. but it seems to me like the only way of drawing something to the screen now, is if the geometry is triangulated? Is this correct?
What I'd like to do, is display for example a 'cube' shaded but with the wireframe on top. So if define the cube by 8 vertices and 6 faces, I will need to triangulate the faces. If I render this in wireframe, I will see the triangles which I don't want. I want to see the ORIGINAL cube faces.
How can I do this? It seems to me that the only solution is to render the mesh in fill mode, then draw the lines on top to show the original edges of the original model. Is that how it's supposed to be done?
Thank you.