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The Evolution of Biological Complexity
The origin of biological complexity is not yet fully explained, but several plausible naturalistic scenarios have been advanced to account for this complexity. "Intelligent design" (ID) advocates, however, contend that only the actions of an "intelligent agent" can generate the information content and complexity observed in biological systems.
ID proponents believe evolution theory is a failed enterprise that offers no credible explanations for the origins of complexity. They fault evolutionary scenarios for lacking sufficient detail. Furthermore, ID advocates claim to have presented empirical evidence that an "intelligent agent" designed at least some complex biological systems.
In contrast, this paper reviews several scientific models for the origin of biological complexity. I argue that these models offer plausible mechanisms for generating biological complexity and are promising avenues of inquiry. I take issue with ID proponents who dismiss such models for lack of "sufficient causal specificity," arguing that this criticism is unwarranted. Finally, I look briefly at ID's proposed explanation for the origin of biological complexity, and consider William Dembski's "empirical evidence" for the design of bacterial flagella, arguing that his supposed evidence is biologically irrelevant.
The problem of complexity
Biological systems are staggeringly complex. Professional biologists devote their careers to describing those complexities, dissecting those systems by chemical and physical methods, and characterizing their structural components and functional interactions. How can such complex systems evolve? We understand the ways in which the individual components of a complex system can be altered in structure and function by mutation, and the way in which natural selection favors one form over another. Furthermore, in many cases we have traced the family relationships among different nucleic acid and protein variants.
Envisioning ways by which natural selection can construct biochemical and molecular systems that involve dozens of proteins integrated in complex and highly specific ways is much more difficult. How could all the necessary proteins be selected simultaneously with a common endpoint as the goal? Unless each intermediate construct possessed at least partial function, how could natural selection act?
This is the argument put forth by Michael Behe in his book Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution (1996), and championed by ID advocates ever since. Behe contends that the structural and functional complexities found throughout biological systems could not have been established through evolutionary processes. He argues that the bacterial flagellum, for example, is an irreducibly complex system, in which the individual components have no function apart from the whole, and therefore could not have been selected for in nature.
By irreducibly complex I mean a single system composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning. An irreducibly complex system cannot be produced directly (that is, by continuously improving the initial function, which continues to work by the same mechanism) by slight, successive modifications of a precursor system, because any precursor to an irreducibly complex system that is missing a part is by definition nonfunctional. An irreducibly complex biological system, if there is such a thing, would be a powerful challenge to Darwinian evolution. (Behe 1996: 39)
Biologists recognize that integrated system complexity is a feature of living systems. That is, some biological systems consist of component parts that interact in a coordinated way so that the system as a whole exhibits a specific function. It is questionable, however, whether any such systems are irreducibly complex as Behe claims (see Coyne 1996; Doolittle 1997; Miller 1999; Shanks and Joplin 1999). But even if examples of irreducible complexity are found in living systems, the origins of such systems are not necessarily outside the realm of natural processes (Orr 1996; Miller 1999; Thornhill and Ussery 2000; Catalano 2001). That the function of a highly integrated system may collapse with the removal of a component part does not mean that the system in question cannot be deconstructed to reveal an origin by undirected evolutionary processes.
Behe was not the first to recognize that biological complexity poses a challenge (see for example Cairns-Smith 1986). During the past decade, the discipline of complexity science has blossomed, attracting an interdisciplinary contingent of scientists, including biologists interested in the very question Behe addresses: Can natural mechanisms account for the observed complexity of biological systems? (See Adami and others 2000; Strogatz 2001; Adami 2002; Carlson and Doyle 2002; Csete and Doyle 2002.)
Naturalistic models for the evolution of biological complexity
Several models have been advanced to account for a naturalistic origin of the complexity seen in biological systems. Following are brief descriptions of four models advanced to account for the origin of biological complexity.
Incremental additions model
The incremental additions model hypothesizes that an initial association of components favorable to some function may become an essential association through time (Lindsay 2000; Orr 1996, 2002). The complexity of the system may increase with the addition of new components. Suppose, for example, that a molecule carries out a particular catalytic function. If an association with another molecule enhances that function — for example, through structural stabilization — then natural selection can favor the association. The second molecule is initially beneficial although not essential. The second molecule may become essential, however, if an inactivating mutation in the first molecule is compensated for by the presence of the second.
There are numerous examples of molecules whose function is enhanced in the presence of another molecule. Consider the activity of RNase P (an RNA-protein complex responsible for processing transfer RNA molecules). The RNA component of the molecule possesses the catalytic activity and has been shown to function without its protein partner, albeit at a very much lower activity (Reich and others 1988; Altman 1989).
Work done with hammerhead ribozymes (RNA molecules capable of cleaving other RNA molecules) has demonstrated that the activity of one of these ribozymes increases 10- to 20-fold in vitro in the presence of a non-specific RNA-binding protein (Tsuchihashi and others 1993; Herschlag and others 1994). Furthermore, ribozymes are routinely generated whose activity can be regulated by other molecules (Soukup 1999), and in vitro evolution experiments have generated protein-dependent ribozyme ligases (Robertson and Ellington 2001).
Group II self-splicing introns, although capable of independent cleavage of RNA under some conditions, require stabilization by maturase proteins for effective in vivo functioning. It is generally accepted that the catalytically active RNA components of spliceosomes are able to function because spliceosome proteins stabilize a functional conformation (Lodish and others 2003). Therefore, one might speculate that a ribozyme could lose independent activity through a mutational event and yet continue to function in association with a protein molecule that promotes or stabilizes a catalytically active ribozyme structure.
Scaffolding model
Scaffolding is another mechanism whereby irreducible complexity might be established (Lindsay 2000; Shanks and Joplin 2000; Orr 2002). In the incremental additions model, a beneficial association of components becomes an essential association because mutational events compromise the independent activity of one or more component parts. In the scaffolding model, superfluous components are lost, leaving a system in which the remaining components appear tightly matched as if they were specifically designed to fit and function together. The arch is an example of an irreducibly complex structure that requires scaffolding for its construction (Cairns-Smith 1986; Lindsay 2000; Shanks and Joplin 2000; Schneider 2000; Orr 2002). Scaffolding may also be functional in nature.
Many biochemical systems are characterized by "redundant complexity" (Shanks and Joplin 1999, 2000). Biochemical pathways rarely function in isolation; rather, one pathway interconnects with another (see Nelson and Cox 2000). For example, carbon atoms entering the Calvin-Benson cycle within a chloroplast may find their way into any one of many different molecules and be shunted into other pathways. There are also many cases of a redundancy of enzymatic components, or variant isoforms. Gene duplications increase the number of genes in a species, which can then evolve in different ways. This branching pattern in protein evolution is significant. For example, several different yet related hemoglobin molecules are utilized in human development. These variant forms are understood to have arisen from gene duplication, mutation and selection processes (Lodish and others 2003).
An initial loss of redundant components in a biochemical pathway will not destroy function. However, at the point where a system cannot endure further loss of components without losing function, an irreducible system exists. The redundancy of biochemical components in such a scenario serves as scaffolding. Shanks and Joplin (2000) evaluate this model in reference to several of Behe's examples of irreducibly complex biochemical systems. Robinson (1996) has also taken a similar approach by explaining in plausible evolutionary terms the origin of vertebrate blood-clotting cascades.
Co-option model
Natural selection acts upon an existing set of structures within a particular environmental context. An altered environment demands altered responses from an organism. Consequently, it should not be surprising to find in the fossil record and in comparative anatomical and physiological studies evidence that some structures have been modified through time to serve different functions. In fact, a common theme of biological evolution is that existing structures are often put to new uses, and new structures are created from the old. "Co-option" is the term used to describe the recruitment of existing structures for new tasks. This recruitment can explain evolutionary increases in biological complexity.
Genes co-opted for new functions can give rise to developmental and physiological novelties (Eizinger and others 1999; Ganfornina and Sanchez 1999; Long 2001; True and Carroll 2002). Genes can acquire new functions when protein-coding sequences are altered, when coding sequences are spliced differently during RNA processing, or when spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression are changed (True and Carroll 2002). Gene duplication followed by differential mutation will give rise to new protein configurations, and the alteration of regulatory controls for gene expression can result in significant developmental and morphological changes.
Many complex biological systems are characterized by a tight integration of component parts. Behe (1996) has argued that it is highly unlikely that such systems could arise through a simultaneous co-evolution of numerous parts or a direct serial evolution of the necessary components. But complex systems, even irreducibly complex ones, need not be assembled this way.
New associations of existing substructures or proteins may give rise to new functions, thus it is not necessary for the system to evolve in toto. Many critics of ID have pointed this out (Miller 1999; Thornhill and Ussery 2000; Miller 2003). A particularly instructive example of probable co-option is seen in the evolution of the Krebs (citric acid) cycle. Melendez-Helvia and others (1996) recognized that the Krebs cycle posed a real difficulty to evolutionary biologists because intermediate stages in its evolution would have no functionality. An analysis of the component enzymes and cofactors, however, revealed that the component parts and intermediate stages had functions apart from their role in the Krebs cycle.
Another example is the V(D)J gene splicing mechanism in vertebrate immune systems (Thornhill and Ussery 2000). True and Carroll (2002) also present examples of how multiple genes linked by a gene regulatory system can be co-opted as a unit for a new function; their examples include the evolution of butterfly eyespots, vertebrate limbs, complex leaves in plants, and feathers.
Emerging complexity model
Some complexity theorists believe that laws of self-organization exist that play a role in the evolution of biological complexity (Kauffman 1993, 1995; Solé and Goodwin 2000). Theoretical work in this area has expanded rapidly in the past decade (see, for example, Camazine and others 2001). The interaction of various component parts, it is argued, leads inevitably to complex patterns of organization.
One measure of complexity is the information content of a system, and Schneider's "ev" program has demonstrated that new information can indeed emerge spontaneously. The "ev" program was constructed to simulate evolution by mutational and selection events. In the program, certain DNA sequences acted as "recognizer genes", while other sequences were potential binding sites for the recognizer molecules. During simulations, both the recognizer genes and potential binding sequences were allowed to mutate. Selection was based upon successful binding of recognizer molecules and appropriate binding sites. The change in the complexity of the system was evaluated as a change in the information content of the DNA sequences. Specificity between recognition genes and corresponding binding sites increases the information content of the system, which is measured in bits of information according to Shannon information theory. Beginning with a random genome, the "ev" program leads to the evolution of DNA binding sites and a consequent increase in information. Furthermore, in the simulation, binding sites and recognizer genes co-evolved, becoming an irreducibly complex system. The results showed that processes of Darwinian evolution do generate information as well as irreducibly complex systems (Schneider 2000).
Conceivability vs plausibility: ID's response
The above models are based upon natural processes that are subject to experimental investigation. Evidence supporting these models is accumulating. These models have been evaluated by ID advocate William Dembski in his book No Free Lunch (2002a). Dembski declared each model inadequate, with his most specific criticism directed toward Schneider's "ev" program. He rejected Schneider's claim that information had been generated de novo and accused Schneider of smuggling information into the program by specifying the program's conditions for survival of "organisms" (Dembski 2002a). From a population biologist's perspective, the criteria used by Schneider were perfectly reasonable. Nevertheless, Schneider eliminated the special rule that Dembski objected to, retested the program, and found the same results (Schneider 2001a, 2001b).
Arguing more globally, Dembski claimed that the No Free Lunch Theorems make it clear that the program could not do what Schneider claimed. David Wolpert, however, one of the developers of the No Free Lunch Theorems, says that Dembski applies the theorems inappropriately (Wolpert 2003).
Dembski's criticisms of the other models were more general. He and other ID advocates complain that naturalistic models for the evolution of biological complexity lack causal specificity. According to Dembski, "Causal specificity means identifying a cause sufficient to account for the effect in question" (Dembski 2002a: 240). He argues that, until sufficient details are worked out (presumably in terms of the order in which components became associated, the manner by which these assembled components interacted to improve function, and the mutations that led to obligate dependency) there is no way to evaluate naturalistic scenarios. "Lack of causal specificity," he says, "leaves one without the means to judge whether a transformation can or cannot be effected" (Dembski 2002a: 242).
Dembski accuses evolutionists of being satisfied with a very undemanding form of possibility, namely, conceivability (Dembski 2002b). Allen Orr reviewed No Free Lunch and took Dembski to task for using biologically irrelevant probabilities and requiring unrealistic details of causal specificity (Orr 2002). In his rebuttal, Dembski said that, for Orr, "Darwinism has the alchemical property of transforming sheer possibilities into real possibilities" (Dembski 2002b). He went on to say that "Orr substitutes a much weaker demand for 'historical narrative,' which in the case of Darwinism degenerates into fictive reconstructions with little, if any, hold on reality."
Dembski positions himself as the critical empiricist, asking only for what all scientists should ask — details by which to determine the validity of Darwinist claims. Howard Van Till reviewed No Free Lunch and commented upon Dembski's demand for causal specificity:
Many scientific hypotheses regarding the manner in which various transformational processes may have contributed to the actualization of some new biotic structure might fall short of full causal specificity — even though they may be highly plausible applications of mechanisms that are at least partially understood. When that is the case, the ID approach tends to denigrate them as nothing more than "just-so stories" and to remove them from further consideration. (Van Till 2002)
Dembski's demand for greater details is reminiscent of earlier anti-evolutionists' demands for more transitional fossils. Undoubtedly, there will always be gaps in the fossil record, and there will always be room for more details in evolutionary scenarios. The biologist's search for these details is ongoing.
ID's explanation for the origin of biological complexity
Biologists have proposed a number of models to account for biological complexity. ID proponents have criticized these models for lacking sufficient detail. It is instructive then to examine ID's own explanations for the origin of biological complexity. Dembski (2002a) claims that certain types of biological systems, such as Behe's "irreducibly complex" systems, must have been designed by an intelligent agent, because they possess a characteristic he calls "specified complexity." It is possible, he says, to distinguish objects that were designed from those that arose by natural mechanisms because only designed objects have this characteristic (Dembski 1998, 2002a). ID advocates offer no models to explain the processes by which biological complexity came to be. They argue, nevertheless, that "specified complexity" is empirical evidence that the observed structure or function was intentionally designed.
How can we know that an object possesses "specified complexity"? Dembski says that structures or events that are highly complex will have a low probability of occurring by chance. Therefore a probability assessment must first be made. Because even rare or improbable events might occur by chance if given enough time, Dembski (1998) has set a probability value of 10-150 as a criterion for design.
To be specified, an object or event must possess a pattern independent of or detachable from the nature of the object or event in question (Dembski 1998). In the movie Contact, for example, SETI researchers interpret a radio signal as a sign of extraterrestrial intelligence because the signal contains the first 100 prime numbers. That particular sequence of numbers is specified because it has no inherent relationship with radio waves and is therefore independent of the radio waves themselves. Finally, a designed object or event, regardless of its complexity or specificity, cannot be the outcome of a deterministic natural law.
ID proponents argue that certain biological systems exhibit specified complexity and therefore must have been intentionally designed. But is specified complexity a reliable indicator of design? The validity of Dembski's approach is questionable at best. Flaws in his argument have been pointed out previously (see for example, Orr 1996, 2002; Miller 1999, 2003; Schneider 2001a; Van Till 2002). But perhaps the best way to evaluate ID's claim is to consider the application of their criteria to a specific example.
The bacterial flagellum: ID's test case
Dembski (2000) says, "Design theorists are not saying that for a given natural object exhibiting specified complexity, all the natural causal mechanisms so far considered have failed to account for it and therefore it had to be designed. Rather they are saying that the specified complexity exhibited by a natural object can be such that there are compelling reasons to think that no natural causal mechanism is capable of producing it." ID advocates have presented the bacterial flagellum as a biological structure that is clearly the result of design. Dembski's application of his own complexity-specification criterion in the case of the bacterial flagellum, however, fails to demonstrate that the flagellum is either complex or specified (Van Till 2002).
Dembski's calculation of the probability for the origin of the flagellum treats the flagellum as a discrete combinatorial object that self-assembled by pure chance. In other words, all the proteins spontaneously formed by the chance coming together of amino acids in the correct order, then the chance assembling of those proteins in the correct arrangements. This is not an evolutionary scenario ever postulated by biologists (Miller 2003; Van Till 2002). Evolutionists envision a far different scenario. Proteins are not built or assembled with the intent to construct a flagellar system. Protein variants appear through time, forming new interactions and taking on new functions. Protein assemblies that contribute to the reproductive success of the organism are maintained and shaped by natural selection.
Although Dembski (2002a: 19) stated that, in calculating the probability of an event, it is necessary to take into account all the relevant ways an event might occur, he himself failed to do so. By calculating only the probability that the flagellum arose by sheer chance, Dembski cannot justify his claim that the flagellum is a product of design (Van Till 2002). Dembski (2003) responded to such criticisms by stating that it was not his intention to "calculate every conceivable probability connected with the stochastic formation of the flagellum ... My point, rather, was to sketch out some probabilistic techniques that could then be applied by biologists to the stochastic formation of the flagellum." Dembski then challenged his critics to calculate their own probabilities using whatever scenario they wish.
The bacterial flagellum is indeed a discrete combinatorial object, and the self-assembly that I describe is the one we are left with and can compute on the basis of what we know. The only reason biologists would refuse to countenance my description and probabilistic calculations of self-assembly is because they show that only an indirect Darwinian pathway could have produced the bacterial flagellum. But precisely because it is indirect, there is, at least for now, no causal specificity and no probability to be calculated. (Dembski 2002c)
There will always be a level of uncertainty in elucidating an evolutionary pathway for the origin of a flagellum or any other biological system. Dembski hides behind this uncertainty, content to continue using a pure chance model regardless of the fact that it bears no relationship whatsoever to our understanding of evolutionary processes.
ID proponents claim that biologists are engaged in a program of inquiry, which is doomed to fail. According to ID proponents, a naturalistic explanation for the origin of genetic information and complex biological organization is not possible. The ID proponents assert that they have developed rigorous criteria by which design in nature can be detected, but they have yet to demonstrate the validity of their criteria. Furthermore, ID proponents fail to engage fully the naturalistic scenarios of evolutionists to explain the origins of biological complexity.
Certainly much remains to be learned about the evolution of complexity, but there is every reason to believe it happened by natural processes. Consider for example the following case. In 1966, Kwang Jeon observed that his cultures of amoebae were dying as a result of a bacterial infection (Jeon 1991). The bacteria had apparently escaped digestion in a food vacuole and were reproducing within the amoebae. Over a period of time, some of the cultures began to recover. Bacteria were still present in the surviving amoeba, though at a much reduced level. Jeon was able to show that the bacteria had become dependent upon their host cell and the host cell was dependent upon the bacteria. Additional work demonstrated that genetic information lost from the bacterium and amoeba genomes had led to their obligate relationship. A mutually obligate endosymbiosis was established, creating what is essentially a new cell organelle. Two component systems became associated, mutated, and are now irreducibly linked to one another. Perhaps ID proponents will argue that the complexity is not sufficient to have required the action of an intelligent agent, but the point here is that undirected natural causes are all that are needed to explain an observed increase in complexity and generation of an irreducible system.
Biologists have advanced plausible naturalistic scenarios for the origins of biological complexity. These scenarios are based upon an understanding of established natural processes. To dismiss them as merely conceivable stories is unwarranted. To demand a detailed chain of causality for evolutionary scenarios is unrealistic. To insist that design has been detected in the bacterial flagellum by calculating the probability of its assembling by pure chance is simply wrong.
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Title: The Evolution of Biological Complexity Author(s): Finn Pond Whitworth College Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Year: 2006 Date: May–June Page(s): 22, 27–31


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Sometime last spring, I whipped up this quick sketch:
I really love the idea of a ribbed skirt flowing into a knotted cable. The basic design concept seemed perfect for this skein of Briar Rose Legend (sadly, it looks like this yarn is no longer available on Chris's website) that I had picked up at the Michigan Sheep & Wool festival the summer before.
Fast forward to this month when I finally realized that the purple sweater I had been knitting for Tadpole just wasn't working out.
(Yes, that's the cable pattern from Guilder. No, it's not the same purple yarn - this is Miss Babs Yowza. And I know, I do buy a lot of purple yarn for Tadpole Knits).
So I frogged the Guilder dress and quickly sketched out this idea:
Look familiar? Oddly enough, the sketch with sleeves goes with the yarn with significantly less yardage. I seriously doubt there will be sleeves on this one.
Well, maybe tiny little cap sleeves. But a sleeveless jumper is much more likely. If I can ever make this chart work. Maybe I should go back to the basket-weave/smocking idea. That could be a better fit for my stitch count. I'll just have to go play with the chart and see.
And what about the Briar Rose skein? Lately I've been thinking that it would look lovely in this.

subset: commoncrawl


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A complete contrast for the Final, starting on the red carpet as the judges, Pitbull the rapper and One Direction arrive, as if to emphasise the spread of appeal that the show needs to keep its audience figures up. I like the way Simon Cowell chose a Rolls Royce. Without a script, Khloe struggles and comes out with some stupid questions which everyone answers politely but is anxious to get away from her. Mario is better but it's all a bit silly.
Tate arrives in an ugly 4 x 4 and sings on the red carpet. Carly Rose comes across far better and looks happy and relaxed. Fifth Harmony look fun, Lauren struggling to keep her very short dress decent. This was a cheery version of All You Need Is Love that the six girls totally took over but the producers let Tate do the last line in case we'd not noticed him.
So that got 20 minutes of a 2 hour schedule out of the way. I do hope they get rid of Khloe next year and get someone better to write the autocue or maybe even find someone who can do the commentary mostly naturally and off the cuff. For the money they can afford there are surely some candidates who would be entertaining to watch and add to the show rather than detract from its sparkle. Yes, and while they're at it, find a better Peter Dickson substitute for the big announcements. In fact, why not get Peter to do it?
Brilliant edit of LA Reid's movements and then we get Tate with a Christmas song. I guess we'll get one from each act. Will this affect the votes? Or have they closed? Sometimes, if it's close a last minute rush after a particularly great performance could make a difference but with what I guess will be in the region of 100 million votes coming in the chances of it being that tight must be unlikely,
It's OK, a bit nondescript but I'm sure lots of older folk would have loved it and sung along in front of their log fires. His promotion team are making a bit much of the family, giving up the job, being a good dad stuff, though, with no-one looking very happy and clearly going for the sympathy vote there. That was very contrived, even if the things people said were all well-intentioned, the 'package' was just too much of a 'package' and we could do without all that. Now I expect we'll get the videos of Carly Rose as a 2 year old and her mum and dad telling us how talented she is and that she's always wanted to do this. as they can hardly do all five of the Fifth Harmony girls I suppose we'll get shots from each mum and - simply because they haven't been around as long - none of the six girls stand a chance against the Tate package,
Simon appears to be growing a moustache.
Fifth Harmony next. Nice Santa outfits, really good song with everyone performing well, especially Dinah Jane, rivalling Mariah Carey's notes too. What a great group they've turned out to be. That's 2012 Christmas as it should be. Far more 'today' than old Tate.
Then we get their package. Actually a bit more interesting because we hadn't seen so much of the people in it before but it's all pretty much of a muchness and gets the girls all emotional. I am seriously getting muddled up with Allie and Camilla though and apologies, folks, if I've been giving one the personality props and raving about the other's voice. They're both great whatever. I'd check but I'm terrified of bumping into the result in a search so I'll add some definitive pics later with some performance videos too.
Britney's edit of the expresssions she'd been using!
Carly Rose. All I Want For Christmas can go on a bit. She sings it brilliantly but stays away from the high notes this time. Entertaining, competent - sort of on a par with Tate tonight. She gets the package too.
Khloe goes outside to chat to the crowd. Dumb question: w\ho are you supporting? Fifth Harmony. Did you like their Christmas Song? Duh!?
So now we get to know who comes 3rd. That's where One Direction came. This time it's Fifth Harmony. That's what we expected I suppose. Disappointing as I think they were the real winners but hopefully Simon will organise a deal for them and get them out there as he did with 1D so amazingly successfully.
Now it's down to how it's always been until last week's interruption by five girls - Carly Rose v Tate. I've always felt that Tate has had the bigger vote base in the land of Country music and, especially being the only one for their support throughout most the competition after Willie's early exit, Carly Rose has done so well just to match him. There's no doubt she's the more accomplished modern performer and has the best talent and range but has she really inspired enough to vote? Fifth Harmony fans would vote hundreds of times but I think Carly Rose will just get one vote per fan like Tate so it's down to simple numbers.
I want Carly Rose to win now but feel it'll be Tate.
Khloe goes back stage with even more really stupid, dumb questions. This is so annoying. I would rather watch adverts. How would it change Tate's mum's life? Christ, this woman has to go.
Pitbull looked old and out of place with the groovy young dancers. He seemed to be running out of breath as the stage exploded back to the 80s, one line, some girls shaking their hair and that was that. Odd. More Mario and Khloe's vintage I reckon. They seemed to enjoy that more than the crowd. I think he should stick to being the Ft act with others.
Still One Direction to come before we get the winner's announcement. Half an hour to go. How on earth will they fill that? Looked like the Top 12 were all dressed up for something so maybe they've got a sing-a-long in store. Not sure that's such a good idea.
With an enormous pair of bright red lips the 1D set reminded me of the Stones. It is very satisfying to see an X Factor UK act doing so well over there. Kiss You isn't the best of their numbers but it was good enough to get the crowds going and they did another good job.
Tate and Carly Rose perform The Climb which seems to be one of those tracks that these shows love to do. Carly Rose simply demolished Tate on this, it being closer to her style and also she's the more capable of finding and making some quite tricky notes that the song includes.
Idiot Khloe asks LA and Britney 'how proud they are of their acts' again. LA gets a decent answer out there. Britney does her usual one short sentence. Pointless. Especially at this point. 15 minutes to go, Break.
With all the repeated references to Tate not 'giving up on his dream' I am getting distinct pointers to his victory as all that doesn't quite work if he comes 2nd. He'll get his deal whatever happens but they're making a lot of that 'if at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again' stuff as if Tate is 67 rather than 37. Carly Rose hardly gets a mention in all that chatter. I wonder if each possible pair had to rehearse The Climb? No way all of Fifth Harmony could have climbed the stairs on that set. That tells me that the production team must have had the result already so all the autocue stuff will ahve been written with that in mind.
35 million votes. Hmmm. That's down on American Idol. Still a lot.
And the winner is...
Tate Stevens.
Oh well. Competition for Scotty in the Country charts at least.


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Tombstone Historic Locations
The following historic locations are located in Tombstone, Arizona. Please select a historic place in Tombstone to view detailed information including address information, historical signifiance, and much more.
Arizona Historic Places
|Sacred Heart Church
516 Safford St.
Tombstone, AZ
Religious Structure
|St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Safford and 3rd Sts.
Tombstone, AZ
Religious Structure
|Tombstone City Hall
315 E. Fremont St.
Tombstone, AZ
City Hall
|Tombstone Courthouse
219 E. Toughnut
Tombstone, AZ
|Tombstone Historic District
Tombstone, AZ
Village Site, Extractive Facility, Business
Arizona Historic Places


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I have a question about the recipe "Baba Ganoush" from Jodi Moreno. It's really hot and I'd rather not have the oven on for an hour. Can I grill the eggplants?
It's not my recipe but I would actually prefer to grill them on a charcoal and/or wood fire.
I actually poked around some other recipes and found that I could grill but for grilling I had to leave them whole, poke holes in them and turn them every 5 minutes over a high heat till they were all wrinkled and soft. Approx 20 mins. It turned out GREAT!!
I cut mine in half before grilling. It cuts down on the time, and renders deeper flavor. http://thesolitarycook.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/meatless-monday-grill-roasted-eggplant-capona-over-roasted-potatoes/


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Congratulations to all the award recipients who were celebrated on November 13, 2017 at the Ryerson School of Fashion Awards Night for their outstanding achievements within the school.
Each year, award recipients from both the Undergraduate and Graduate Ryerson Fashion programs are honoured for their academic achievements, creative potential, volunteer work and leadership skills. It is an opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate and encourage students in both their educational and professional aspirations. This year, a total of thirty-eight Ryerson Undergraduate Entrance Scholarships and ninety-nine School of Fashion awards were given out.
The awards night was generously hosted by Holt Renfrew. The high-end Canadian fashion retailer has been hosting the award presentation for over fifteen years and is also an award sponsor.
One outstanding award winner recognized at the event was Anna Yaworski, a fourth year student in the fashion design program. Anna took home three awards including the Alice Mitchell Whitley Award in Apparel Design and Production, the Helen and Sulo Hutko Award and the Sandra Haynes Memorial Award. Anna was also one of the winners of this year's Danier Design Challenge this past spring, one of the many competition opportunities providing exposure to students in Ryerson Fashion program.
Congratulations to all the Ryerson Fashion award recipients and thank you to the award donors for their continued support, particularly Holt Renfrew for hosting the event.


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Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it will keep selling a version of Windows XP for use on a new breed of low-cost computers for at least two years longer than the system will be available for mainstream PCs.
The software maker said Windows XP Home will be available at least through June 2010 for computers like Intel Corp's Classmate PC and ASUSTek Computer Inc's Eee PC. But Microsoft also vowed to keep XP on the market for those machines for a year after the next version of Windows is released, which could mean 2011 or later.
The low-cost machines have smaller hard drives, less memory and slower processors than most Windows computers sold today, and most would have a hard time running the bulkier Windows Vista.
The Classmate PC is currently marketed with Windows XP Professional, and the newest editions sell for between $300 (Dh1,101) and $500 (Dh1,835). The Eee PC, which costs around $400 (Dh1,468), comes with a Linux operating system.
A full version of XP Home will be able to run on most computers in this category, but Microsoft said hardware still varies widely. The $188 (Dh690) XO laptop from the One Laptop per Child organization, for example, is too weak to run a standard version of XP. Microsoft is customizing a version of XP for that machine.
Microsoft had planned to stop selling most versions of XP at the end of June 2008, with exceptions for small computer-building shops and PCs sold in developing countries.
But surprising demand in developed countries for what it calls ultra-low-cost personal computers prompted Redmond-based Microsoft to extend that deadline.
"There is incredibly strong demand for Windows on these devices, which is obviously great to hear," said Michael Dix, a general manager for Microsoft's Windows group. "The reason why they want Windows is, they think of Windows as being a real PC."
Dix said Microsoft is grappling with how to serve a broader range of PC configurations than Vista does as it designs the next operating system, currently referred to as Windows 7 and set for launch in 2010. He would not say how engineers are addressing this problem. (AP)
Microsoft extends life of Windows XP for some low-cost PCs


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Yes yes I know, it's those Primark sunglasses! But I saw them and just couldn't not pick them up, a girl can never have too many pairs of sunglasses, right? This weekend the sun really and truly came out, and so did my new neon Newlook shorts, which were perfect for the birthday BBQ I went to on Sunday
God bless


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Our guest blogger is progressive radio host Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks.
If you don't check Think Progress you better check yourself. I read TProg (that's what the cool kids are calling it these days) to make sure I haven't missed any of the important news stories because … if it's not on Think Progress, it didn't happen.
— CenkTo contribute, simply click on this icon:


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As of 2015, Key Bank offers 0.10 percent on its six-month certificates of deposit, according to the company. The national average for six-month CDs during the same time period is 0.17 percent, states Bankrate.
A short-term certificate of deposit allows anyone who purchased the security instrument to receive interest up to a specific maturity date, states Investopedia. If the maturity date is six months from the date of purchase, the bearer receives six months of fixed-rate interest when the CD expires. However, holders of CDs cannot withdraw any funds from the CD until the maturity date, and any early withdrawal causes holders to forfeit any interest earned.


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The Astronomers
Maps & Directions
Tools & Products
Contact Us
Meet the Astronomers
These are some of the astronomers who host our star parties. They contribute time, energy and personal expense to display the wonders of the night sky to the visiting public.
Although you may not recognize them in the dark, if you do, please thank them.
Partial group photo
Bill Frazer, Henner Fahrenbach, Joe Gerencher, Carol Sabo, Bill Dellinges
Bill Frazer
With his Meade 8" SCT
Bill Kennedy
Bill is building his home observatory in Apache Junction
Bill Shaheen
Bill wishes he still had this much hair. :O)
Henner Fahrenbach
Professor Emeritus
Bill Rudie (on left)
Recently retired
Joe Gerencher
Homemade star spectrograph.
John Talley
at a Peralta Trail Elementary School star party
Bill Dellinges
Bill hosts the Star Talk lecture series at Lost Dutchman State Park


text: Literazzi is an after school club for students in grades seven and eight. The focus of this extra curricular activity is to unite students who share a love for reading, writing, and art. The students are able to create work that is meaningful to them without limitations. Please take a look at the students' incredible work; we hope you enjoy!


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Friday, 5 October 2012
Empanada Gallega
Ah the sun. Ah the trees. Ah the birds. Oh the birds. Ah the air. Ah the sky. Some more birds. These were the kind of thoughts that were sloshing around Celestial Dragon's head as he was lying on a yellow meadow in what was then known as the Year of the Sneaky Tomato. His arms were crossed around his scaly head and his tail was flicking absentmindedly to and fro. His huge nostrils inhaled the sweet scents of summer that whirled and buzzed around him. Behind him, hanging lazily from a tree, was Divine Cherry. Her red legs were dangling in what would later be known as a nonchalant manner from a branch.
Suddenly, a little girl came walking by. It wasn't really a girl, nor was it really little, but in those days things were still a bit blurry. Be that as it may, she was hopping from one flower to the next, like a bee, thus making her way to Divine Cherry's tree. She was carrying a small wicker basket under one arm. It wasn't really an arm, not was it really a wicker basket, nor indeed was it really small. In that ill-defined basket, however, was something round and good. It is still unknown how she had managed to do it, but the little girl who wasn't really little nor a girl had succeeded in capturing a small star (which wasn't really small nor really a star). She had put it in the basket and was carrying it to her grandmother, who was indeed her grandmother. At the mere smell of the star, Celestial Dragon jumped out of his reverie and Divine Cherry jumped down from her tree. Gracefully, though. They both gathered around the not-little girl and started talking to her. At the end of that fruitful discussion (its content has never been revealed, but it is being assumed that it ran along the general lines of what-is-it-you-haver-there-girl-oh-my-!-what-a-big-nose-mister), it was decided that the grandmother--who was really a grandmother--could wait some more since she had been waiting so long already, and that the not-star would taste much better if baked in the oven and filled with a delicious, well, filling.
And so it was that later that day in the Year of the Sneaky Tomato, a dragon, a cherry, and a little girl that was not little nor a girl sat down for dinner and enjoyed the first ever Empanada Gallega. The recipe down below is a faithful reproduction of what Divine Cherry and Celestial Dragon think their first Empanada must have tasted like. After all, the Year of the Sneaky Tomato has expired a looong time ago...
Blog-checking lines: Patri of the blog, Asi Son Los Cosas, was our September 2012 Daring Bakers' hostess and she decided to tempt us with one of her family's favorite recipes for Empanadas! We were given two dough recipes to choose from and encouraged to fill our Empanadas as creatively as we wished!
Empanada Gallega - recipe adapted from the September Daring Baking Challege
- 750 g bread flour
- 480 ml of lukewarm water, approximately
- 15 g fresh yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 10 g salt
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large egg, for egg wash
- 1 hard boiled egg
- 1 yellow pepper, cut in stripes
- 200 g chopped tomatoes
- 180 g tuna
- 1 big onion, finely chopped
- 10 black olives
Prepare the dough. Stir the yeast with sugar in the water and let it dissolve for 10 minutes. Make a wheel in the flour and add the water yeast mixture, add the oil and salt. Mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon to combine them. On a floured surface, knead the dough for 15 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with a cling film and let it rise in a warm place for 1 and half hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Prepare the filling. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion. When the onion is soft, add the pepper and cook it for 10 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes and finish to cook the vegetables. Let the vegetables to cool down and then add the crumbled tuna and the olives.
Assembly of the empanada. Cut the dough in two parts. With a rolling pin, spread gently one half in a greased and floured tray. Pour the cold filling in the dough case, and finish it with the crumbled hard-boiled egg. On a clean surface, spread gently the second half of the dough and use it to cover the empanada. Join the top and the bottom dough pincing the edges with your fingers in order to end up with a rope-like border. Use extra dough to decorate and make a central hole in the top dough to let the steam escape during the cooking. Brush the surface with a beaten egg.
Cook in a preheated oven at 180°C for 45 min.
Empanada Gallega - ricetta adattata dalla sfida di settembre dei Daring Bakers
- 750 g farina forte
- 450 g acqua tiepida
- 15 g lievito di birra fresco
- 1 cucchiaino di zucchero
- 10 g di sale
- 60 ml di olio evo
- 1 uovo sbattuto, per spennellare
- 1 uovo sodo
- 1 peperone giallo tagliato a striscioline sottili
- 200g pomodori a pezzi
- 180 g tonno sottolio
- 1 grossa cipolla, tritata finemente
- una decina di olive nere
- olio, sale e pepe
Preparare l'impasto. Mescolare il lievito all'acqua insieme a un cucchiaino di zucchero e far riposare per 10minuti. Fare un buco nella farina e aggiungerci l'acqua con il lievito e l'olio, mescolare e aggiungere il sale. Trasferire su una superficie pulita e impastare per 15 minuti circa fino ad ottenere una palla liscia ed elastica. Mettere in una ciotola, coprira con pellicola e far lievitare in luogo tiepido per circa un'ora e mezza, o fino a che l'impasto avrà raddoppiato il suo volume.
Preparare il ripieno. Far appassire la cipolla in una padella con un po' d'olio evo. Quando la cipolla è trasparente, aggiungere i peperoni e cuocere per una decina di minuti.Aggiungere i pomodori e terminare la cottura. Quando le verdure si sono intiepidite aggiungere il tonno sbriciolato e le olive.
Assemblaggio. Dividere l'impasto in due parti uguali. Stendere una metà dell'impasto e metterela in una teglia precedentemente unta e infarinata. Coprire con il ripieno, completamente raffreddato. Sbriciolare sopra l'uovo sodo. Stendere anche la seconda metà dell'impasto sopra al ripieno. Unire le estremità dei due impasti con le dita, pizzicando i bordi in modo da fare una sorta di cordoncino (come in foto). Fare un buco in centro all'empanada per far fuoriuscire l'umidità durante la cottura. Spennellare la superfice con l'uovo sbattuto. Cuocere in forno caldo a 180 gradi per 45 minuti circa.
And Spread the Mess
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Humans have the uncanny ability to grab a few pieces of seemingly unrelated evidence then leap headlong to a startling revelation. An inference! Awesome!
As I searched for a picture for this post, I stumbled across an old book written (and illustrated) by Mark Twain: Sketches Old and New. Alas, he had drawn the perfect frog! Looking a little closer, I saw that the frog was indeed "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." That piqued my interest.
One thing led to another, and soon I sat in front of an adaptation of the story with a couple of inference questions. This little activity, which you can nab for free from my Teachers pay Teachers store, will give your students some practice at grabbing evidence and taking that flying leap. I hope you enjoy it!
Common Core State Standards RL.4.1, RL.5.1, RL.6.1


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This backpack is endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association. The ACA endorses this north face surge backpack due to its anatomically correct fit which minimizes lower back strain. The average weight of this bag is 2.5 lbs. It's a little bit heavier, but that's mainly due to lot of the padding on this. This is […]Continue reading
With the best material, component and construction method available G.P.S. Tactical Range Backpack is our favorite range backpack. If you are seriously looking for a range backpack then it is a must for you. This is the only range bag you will ever need!! But why this is our favorite range backpack? Let's read the […]Continue reading
Condor is one of the most popular manufacturer names for making bags and outdoor supplies. Their bags are good in quality and can be used for several years. The Condor 3 Day Assault Pack is nothing exception. It has all the great feature of Condor which will meet your every need. We all have different […]Continue reading


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Today is Christmas, a day set aside by Christians throughout the world to welcome the birth of Christ during a season when people of every religious persuasion can pause and count their many blessings.
Today is Christmas, a day set aside by Christians throughout the world to welcome the birth of Christ during a season when people of every religious persuasion can pause and count their many blessings.
For many individuals, this has been a very difficult year. While most everyone is confronted by numerous challenges and life can be quite stressful, we should take a cue from our animals that constantly offer unconditional love, never judge, and always leave us laughing. Even on the darkest days, our cats and dogs remain optimistic, showering us with gentle purrs, loud welcoming woofs and wagging tails.
In a hostile world beset by violence and destruction, a calming aquarium filled with graceful, colorful fish brings peace and tranquility, while the elegant beauty of a horse grazing in an open pasture makes us stop to praise the wonders of creation.
Our animals are a precious gift, a true blessing in our lives.
When a tiny duckling was hatched in Laura Backman's kindergarten classroom five years ago in a Rhode Island classroom, the longtime educator never dreamed that the delightful water bird would transform her life in so many different ways.
A few days after the Pekin duck was born, Backman's perceptive students realized that Lemon wasn't like her more athletic siblings. Veterinarians confirmed that the feathered creature suffered from a neurological disorder that affects the bird's balance and mobility.
With expert veterinary care, a compassionate and attentive owner, and legions of supportive fans, the fragile duckling has matured to become an inspiration to thousands of children and adults all over the world. The delightful bird is the heroine and main character in the charming tale "Lemon the Duck," written by Backman and published in 2008.
"Every day Lemon inspires people and makes them feel good," the author begins, adding that the lively duck motivates physically and mentally challenged people to overcome tremendous obstacles, while also teaching individuals of all ages about acceptance and the beauty of all creation.
"I feel lucky to be the one who cares for her," Backman shares. "I have met so many interesting people because of Lemon. She has opened a whole new world that I never knew existed."
The Portsmouth, R.I., resident reveals that her late father Richard Backman, who suffered from multiple sclerosis before he died in 2005, was the inspiration for the book that chronicles Lemon's amazing story of survival. The popular author also credits her dad for teaching her how to care for the amusing duck.
"Lemon reminds me that everyone, no matter how challenged they might be, deserves to live life to the fullest," Bachman emphasizes.
Like Lemon, my own pets have brought much joy and happiness, as well as many hearty laughs.
For more than 50 years I have been blessed to own a colorful menagerie of feathered and furry creatures, including a humorous parakeet named Joey, countless beloved felines and many dogs, ranging from mixed-breeds to prizewinning show dogs.
While each animal had its own unique personality and physical characteristics, they all shared one common trait. Every one of my pets offered unconditional love and richly blessed my life in many ways.
The latest addition to my family is Mickey, described by his veterinarian as a "senior cat." Affectionately known as "Throckmorton" because he reminds me of a genteel British professor, the hefty tiger cat is anything but an elder statesman, especially when it's time to be fed.
Mickey comes running like a gazelle whenever he hears a can or a bag of dry cat food being opened, and dances joyfully when he smells a turkey or plump chicken roasting in the oven.
Our animals teach us many profound lessons; Mickey has taught me not to overlook older animals when searching for a new family companion. Day after day, Mickey proves that no animal or human is ever too old to love and be loved.
May you enjoy the best that the season offers and always remember the wonderful creatures that have left a paw print on your heart.
Swansea resident Brian J. Lowney has been writing about pets for more than a decade.


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*pulcino*Hallowe'en limited Nails!
Posted by piyogorou in *pulcino*, group gift, group limited, limited time, luckyboard, prim nails on 2012/10/14
New Luckyboard and New Group Gift!
Hallowe'en edition!
group gift color is purple.
group limited luckyboard colors is orange.
All lcukyboard 10min
The immediate removal Hallowe'en edition was finished in October.
Please note.
I'm Wearing:
skin *+SAIKIN SKIN TOMO light
bustshadow LH_BustShadow_Ver.02
makes .::Mother Goose's::.lip(B)3teeth
ears ThePropShop - Tintable Troll Elf Ears (Boxed)
hair .b - issues - dark blondes
cloth :::DR::: orange munchkin
*pulcino* Flagship store, Kourinbou (18, 66, 22)
This entry was posted on 2012/10/14 at 19:00 and is filed under *pulcino*, group gift, group limited, limited time, luckyboard, prim nails. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Lipscomb track and field had a successful weekend, accruing several first place victories and breaking a number of school records at the Raleigh Relays and the Vanderbilt Black and Gold Invite.
Most of the Bison distance runners hit the track in Raleigh, well-known for its distance races.
"We had a solid trip to the Raleigh Relays with some of the distance runners," Lipscomb Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Bill Taylor said. "Christian Freeman and Paige Stoner had very strong debuts in the 3000m steeplechase. Christian set a new school record in his race. Both showed that they are capable of going much faster, and we think they both can qualify for the NCAA Division I National Championship Prelims in this event."
Fresh off of a week that saw her named Atlantic Sun Track Athlete of the Week, Madi Talbert continued to excel.
"Madi ran a nice personal record in the 5000m with a time of 16:33," Taylor said. "It was a strong race for her. She really stepped it up and did some things she hasn't done before. It will serve her well in her future races."
Gonzalez added to his successful steeplechase debut with a personal record (14:22) in the 5000m, a new school record.
"He gutted it out over the last few laps to claim his time," Taylor said.
"All in all, we really felt that the athletes at Raleigh Relays looked flat. The effort was certainly there, but they just looked a bit off all day. We expect that to happen at times during a season, and to walk away with two school records, two personal records and two solid event debuts, is a very positive statement."
Assistant coach Benton Reed also felt that despite grabbing several school and personal records, the team did not quite feel right at the meet.
"We came into the meet with big goals and we took a step in that direction," Reed said. "Jared Wingerter was just off. He has had killer workouts and it just didn't translate to the race this time. He needs to adjust some things, but he is a competitor and will not let one race affect him."
Both Gonzalez and Chrstian Freeman performed well in Raleigh, but Reed feels that even bigger things lie ahead for the pair.
"Both Juan and Christian showed a lot of promise and I'm really excited to attack these events again. They are smart racers and gained some valuable insight with these races. They have continued to develop all year and they are motivated to drop some bigger times in a few weeks. We are extremely excited with the results, but these guys aren't done yet."
A few miles from campus at the Vanderbilt Black and Gold Invite, both track runners and field athletes earned first place finishes.
"Overall the field event group did a pretty good job this week improving on many of their early season outdoor marks, especially today given weather comparison between last night and today." Assistant coach for jumps and throws Luke Syverson said.
In the field events, Karly Hibbard continued to build upon her successful early season form in the javelin.
"Karly continues to improve her Javelin mark and she did a great job competing today to earn the win and a new school record," Syverson said. "I'm excited to see how she continues to progress as she learns to control and use some of her natural speed."
Both Jalen Thompson and Gemikal Prude performed well in the jump events.
Gemikal did a good job today earning the win in the high jump," Syverson said. "We are still working on getting back to his form from last year, and today was a step in the right direction. Junior Jalen Thompson had a great series in the triple jump Friday night in the cold and rain coming away with a third place finish and new personal record.
Freshman Grayson Webber set a personal record in both the hammer and discus events.
"That was a good birthday present for Grayson earning the fourth place finish in Discus," Syverson said. "He still has a lot of work to go in both events, but I know that things will start clicking soon. When his brain and body start to connect the dots, he will be a contender in both this season in the A-Sun."
On the track at vanderbilt, a handful of distance runners had some of the best races of the season.
"Sally Larson and Barbara Lee Ball had a great race today," assistant distance Coach Kristin Cupido said. "The weather conditions and the quality of the field played out perfectly for both of them to get personal records with times of 9:36 and 9:41. Sally's time was also a school record. Hannah and Avery also had solid performances and personal records in the 3000m."
The Black and Gold Invite was the season debut for both Katie Sperry and Katie Bianchini who had previously been injured.
"We had some great first time showings this season for with Katie Bianchni winning her respective heat in the 1500m, while Katie Sperry debuted in a solid 2:27 for the 800m," Cupido said.
The sprinters also came away from the meet with a school record in tow.
"Our sprints group took a huge step forward towards lofty goals we have set for the end of the season," assistant coach for sprints and hurdles Marcus Evans said. "In regards to the sprints group, I am excited because we are a few steps from making a lot of noise. We have to focus on the little things in practice and we will be as good as we want to be."
Wayne Newman broke his own school record in the 110m high hurdles, and his time qualified him for the NCAA Division I National Championship East Preliminary round.
"Wayne broke his school record in the 110 hurdles, and is working through strategy in the 400 hurdles," Evans said. "Alex Berry also had a good opener in the open 400m."
In a weekend that saw several records broken, Taylor is confident that his squad is only getting better on their way to the A-Sun Championships.
"We only have five race weekends left before the A-Sun Championships," Taylor said. "I keep saying this we have to take advantage of every opportunity because the season is flying along. A lot of people did take advantage this weekend. We need to keep that going."
With several Bisons stepping up and putting together season best performances in Raleigh or at Vanderbilt, Taylor is ready for even more athletes to do the same.
"I want to see someone new and unexpected take that next step in the next meet or two," Taylor said. "We have some athletes that are consistently performing every meet. We want them to continue to get even better, and we want to see another person or two take a big step and get their name in there too."
With the Big Blue Classic and Stanford Invite & San Francisco State Distance Carnival coming up next weekend, Taylor is optimistic heading forward.
"It's been an exciting season. I love seeing school records fall. I love seeing big PR's. We should see a lot more of both over the remaining meets."


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A Snack before I Die
James Wood
- Anton Chekhov: A Life by Donald Rayfield
HarperCollins, 674 pp, £25.00, June 1997, ISBN 0 00 255503 4
We can get a better understanding of Chekhov and his work from the notebook he kept than from any biography – even an important biography, like this one. It is a ledger of enigmas in which nothing adds up, full of strange squints, comic observations and promptings for new stories.
Instead of sheets – dirty tablecloths.
The dog walked in the street and was ashamed of its crooked legs.
They were mineral water bottles with preserved cherries in them.
In the bill preserved by the hotel-keeper was, among other things: 'Bugs – fifteen kopecks.'
He picked his teeth and put the toothpick back into the glass.
A private room in a restaurant. A rich man, tying his napkin round his neck, touching the sturgeon with his fork: 'At least I'll have a snack before I die' – and he has been saying this for a long time, daily.
If you wish women to love you, be original; I know a man who used to wear felt boots summer and winter, and women fell in love with him.
What is noticeable, besides the charm and comedy of these entries, is that Chekhov thinks of detail, even visual detail, as a story, and thinks of story as an enigma. He was not interested in noticing that the roofs of a town look like armadillo shells, or that he was confused about God, or that the Russian people represented the world-spirit on a troika. He was drawn neither to the statically poetic nor to the statically philosophical. Detail is hardly ever a stable entity in Chekhov's work; it is a reticent event. He found the world to be as deeply evasive as he was himself – life as a tree of separate hanging stories, of dangling privacies. For him a story did not merely begin in enigma, but ended in enigma too. He has a character in 'Concerning Love' complain that 'decent Russians like ourselves have a passion for problems that have never been solved.' Chekhov had such a passion for problems, but only if solution might stay unrequited. The writer, Ivan Bunin, said that Chekhov loved to read out random oddities from the newspapers: 'Babkin, a Samara merchant, left all his money for a memorial to Hegel!' (Chebutykin, in Three Sisters, does the same, noting that 'Balzac got married in Berdichev'.) The attraction of such tales, one suspects, was that a newspaper imagines that it has explained a story when all it has done is told one. Bunin supplied an anecdote about a deacon who ate all the caviar at a funeral party; Chekhov used this at the beginning of 'In the Ravine'. His writing, strewn with unsolved details, is a kind of newspaper of the intimate fantastic; in this respect, his stories are like tales of crime in which nobody is a criminal.
There is no introspection in Chekhov's notebook. Everything has the same hard, found, random quality. We can infer as much of Chekhov's personality from one entry as from all of them together. A friend said that he 'lacked gaiety, and his fine, intelligent eyes always looked at everything from a distance'. From the various memoirs by relatives and friends, we can imagine a man who always seemed a little older than anyone he met, as if he were living more than one life. He would not make himself transparent: he was approachable but unknowable. He had an arbitrary smile, and a comic's ability to make strange things seem inevitable. When an actor asked him to explain what kind of writer Trigorin is, in The Seagull, he replied: 'But he wears chequered trousers.' He had a horror of being the centre of attention. He delivered his judgments in a tone of weary generosity, as if they were so obvious that he had simply missed someone else saying them earlier. For instance, he told Stanislavsky, with soft surprise: 'Listen, Ibsen is no playwright ... Ibsen just doesn't know life. In life it simply isn't like that.' He was deeply charming; seasonally, a different woman fell in love with him.
On this picture has been built the English vision of Chekhov, in which the writer resembles the perfect literary Englishman: a writer of the religion of no religion, of instincts rather than convictions, a governor of ordinary provinces whose inhabitants may be unhappy or yearning for change, but who eventually learn to calm down and live by the local laws. D.S. Mirsky, the Anglo-Russian critic, argued that Chekhov was popular in England because of his 'unusually complete rejection of what we may call the heroic values'. This idea of Chekhov as the nurse of the prosaic is far from the truth, and his writing, which is rebellious, brutal, despairing and unhappily comic, gives no excuse for it.
Donald Rayfield's biography, the fullest to appear in English, clouds the icon. Rayfield's Chekhov is still charming, tactful and decent. He is still the man who bought new books for the library of his hometown, who dispensed free medicine and became a hospital inspector near his farm at Melikhovo. But we see more clearly in Rayfield's account that Chekhov's life was a long flight into his work. He ran from human connections. There is something cruel, even repulsive in a man so sensitive to pain, about the way Chekhov encouraged women to fall in love with him, and then, month by month, cancelled their ardour. He would reply scantily or not at all to their letters. His most productive writing years, between 1892 and 1900, were spent on his Melikhovo estate, about fifty miles south of Moscow, where he lived with his dutiful sister, Masha, and his parents. Here he tried to ration unnecessary involvement with people. Chekhov had the temperament of a philanderer. Sexually, he preferred brothels or swift liaisons. (This biography overpowers with superior evidence V.S. Pritchett's benign suggestion that Chekhov lacked sexual appetite.)
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Vol. 19 No. 16 · 21 August 1997 » James Wood » A Snack before I Die
pages 19-21 | 4415 words


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Short, Martin People Arts
A growing collection of links dedicated to the comedic actor Martin Short.
Top: Arts: People: S: Short, Martin
See Also:
- Top/Arts/Television/Programs/Comedy/Sketch Comedy/Saturday Night Live
- Top/Arts/Television/Programs/Comedy/Sketch Comedy/Second City TV
- Jello's Martin Short Page - Filmography, biography, information, and links.
- Yahoo! Movies: Martin Short - Includes biography, filmography and image gallery.
- Internet Movie Database: Martin Short - Contains filmography, biography, image gallery, awards and nominations.
MySQL - Cache Direct


text: Home » Chelonia » Hay and Cactus Snack Hay and Cactus Snack Mar 31, 2016 by Editor in Chief TortoiseForum.org - A group of good-looking Aldabra tortoises enjoys a delicious treat of hay and cactus. @ TortoiseForum.org Advertise Here Related Posts Dec 3, 2015Hibiscus Snack TortoiseForum.org - A good-looking group of Aldabra tortoises in southwest Florida enjoys a tasty treat. Jun 18, 2014Fresh Cactus Treat TortoiseForum.org - When the savory paddle cactus pot tips over, a growing tortoise enjoys the tasty treat. Aug 26, 2015Pepper Snack TortoiseForum.org - A herd of Aldabra tortoises enjoys a tasty treat of green peppers that were brought in by the bundle. Aug 20, 2015Cactus and Spa Day TortoiseForum.org - A bunch of beautiful Aldabra tortoises enjoy munching on cactus pads and soaking in their mud hole. Oct 9, 2015Yummy Fruit Snack TortoiseForum.org - A large, six-year-old sulcata tortoise enjoys a delicious snack of prickly pear cactus fruit.


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Review of Stanley Portable Power Gifts for Dad!9:55 PM
Yesterday we shared our positive experiences with the Stanley SquidBrite and Spotlights available just in time for Father's Day! Today, we get down to the nitty gritty with some of the most innovative and affordable power gifts on the market. Here's what we loved about the line of smart gadgets you can take anywhere (and why I'll be keeping most of them in the van for ME to use!)
The 100 Watt Power Converter is simple to use -- really, you will not need the included instructions. Just plug this baby into your car's power outlet (i.e., the cigarette lighter) and you're instantly up and running with juice for your cell phone, laptop, iPod, GPS, and video games. What's very cool about this gizmo? It's silent... which means you can charge in peace for less than the cost of an expensive specialized charger for each of your electronic devices.
For true on-the-go power, hubby will surely adore the 100 Watt Tailgate Power Converter, similar to the Power Converter, it offers a source of power wherever you go. Just plug it into the towing outlet of your pickup truck or SUV, and you've got instant tailgate success! (Can you imagine powering your coolers, TV, and more!) I can see myself using my electric air compressor to blow up our camping mattresses this year....
This last one is more for Mom (me) than Dad. Not that I don't want him to have it... but I like feeling safe while out on the road with the kiddos. The 300 Amp Instant Battery Charger can keep drivers from getting stranded when the unthinkable happens (like when I foolishly leave my car's lights on AGAIN!). Just clamp on the cables (it will alert you if you have them placed wrong) and start up your engines! The clever light lets you see even in the dark, and portable power plug-ins let you get power when you need it, too! It's the ultimate emergency toolkit!
So what will you get Dad this year? I'm not one to be easily influenced, but I'm completely game for the kind of gear that Stanley introduced me to this year. For even more gear reviews, see yesterday's post. Or check out the entire line at http://baccusglobal.com/Products.html!


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POLICE today released CCTV images of a man they would like to speak to about the theft of a suitcase from a train.
It happened on board the 1.36pm Manchester Piccadilly to Newcastle service on Monday, 23 February.
The victim, a 24-year-old man from China, boarded the service at Manchester Piccadilly and placed his black suitcase on the train floor next to the doors.
The man then fell asleep, and woke as the train arrived at Newcastle.
When he went to collect his case he found it was missing.
Investigating officer Pc Wayne Brown said: "After reviewing CCTV, a couple were seen leaving the train with what we believe was the victim's case at Chester-le-Street.
"I am now releasing images of a man I would like to trace and speak to in connection with this incident. I believe he may have key information which could assist the investigation.
"If you recognise the man pictured or know his current whereabouts, please contact us."
Anyone with information can contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 quoting background reference PSUB/B5 of 10/4/2015.
Information can also be passed to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


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Images used are property of their respected owners. If you want your image removed, please contact us.


text:
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. Capparis spinosa, a perennial winter-deciduous plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers, often eaten as pickled buds (capers).
- n. A fruit produced by the flowering bud of the caper, sometimes served pickled as a mezze.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. The small olive-shaped berry of the European and Oriental caper, said to be used in pickles and as a condiment.
- n. The currantlike fruit of the African and Arabian caper (Capparis sodado).
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
caper + berry
When a caper bush is allowed to flower, it forms an edible fruit called a caperberry.
-- _The almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and the caperberry shall burst_: the three are linked together as being images from natural objects, not because of their symbolising similar things.
_The caperberry shall burst_: the last stage of its decay: the failing powers at last give way.
Possibilities include the little caper and its bigger, crunchier sister, the caperberry, any of the gherkin family and almost any blue cheese.


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Tornado Quest Science Links And Much More For June 14 – 22, 2016
Greetings to one and all! I'm glad you stopped by. This post will be on the brief side due to previous time-consuming commitments and today's severe weather potential. I'll post some safety information regarding severe weather in addition to summer heat safety tips. With summer settling in with a vengeance across much of North America, it's time to take seriously the dangers of this underrated and silent killer. As usual, there's a bit of environmental and astronomical news as well. On that note, let's get started.
For your consideration, here are this week's links…
In July 2016, the Juno mission will take a look at Jupiter's atmosphere and what lays below it.
A very cool video. "Mapping Laniakea, the Milky Way's Cosmic Home."
A good climate read with this week's best headline. "California's Trees Are Thirstier Than A College Kid With A hangover."
A very nice infographic that answers many questions about sea level rise.
Speaking of the sea, here's a nice infographic on how deep the Earth's oceans are in comparison to "above the ground" objects. Note: While 37,000 feet may be deep for our oceans, it's the height of a very modest cumulonimbus thunderstorm. Supercell thunderstorms across Tornado Alley regularly reach heights of 50,000 – 60,000 feet.
What would our humble planet be like with a global warming temperature increase of 1.5C? Very, very unpleasant.
Summer heat is a vastly underrated hazard…and killer. Here's two excellent sources of safety information to keep your family, friends, and you safe.
- National Weather Service Summer Heat Safety Tips
- Summer Weather Safety from the National Weather Service in Norman, OK. This page also includes a Heat Index chart.
- Regardless of the month, UV rays carry their own hazards that you should be aware of. No, that tan doesn't flatter you…and the long-term effects are not worth it.
Today's (22 June 2016) severe weather outlook includes a possibility of a widespread damaging wind event aka "derecho" or MCS (Mesoscale Convective System) across parts of the lower Great Lakes region and the Ohio valley. What exactly is a derecho?
An interesting read on the irrevocable link between climate and health. "British scientists say they have developed a model that can predict outbreaks of zoonotic diseases — those such as Ebola and Zika that jump from animals to humans — based on changes in climate."
If there was ever a reason to get your amateur (ham) radio license, this is it.
That's a wrap for this post! I'd like to welcome my new followers in social media…glad you're along for the fun!
Tornado Quest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tornadoquest
Tornado Quest on Instagram: https://instagram.com/tornadoquest
Tornado Quest on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tornadoquest
Tornado Quest on Tumblr: http://tornadoquest.tumblr.com/
Media inquiries: email@example.com


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Business & Education Partnership Breakfast
Our Annual Business & Education Breakfast is a networking event which promotes dialogue between employers, educators and students about the impact of experiential learning and opportunities for students to explore careers and develop skills. Guests enjoy hearing from students speakers who highlight the benefits of opportunities for experiential learning and career exploration as well as a special keynote address relevant to the work we do to prepare youth for their futures.
Thank you to our sponsors who attended our Annual Breakfast on May 4th, 2018.
Stay tuned for the date of our spring 2019 event!


text: Skate for Wishes has been granting wishes for the past nine years to help bring hope, strength, and joy to the lives of children suffering with life-threatening medical conditions through the Make-A-Wish® Foundation of New Jersey. Each year on New Years Eve, families and friends come together to skate at the Flyers Skate Zone in Atlantic City and make wishes come true. This past year, over 250 skaters took to the ice; in turn, they raised awareness and over $2,300 to grant the wish of a local child suffering with a life threatening medical condition!


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Friday, December 18, 2009
A "Forget Me Not" Christmas Poem
'Twas the night before Christmas and at Creamsicle's House
All the creatures were snoozing, except for the mouse
The stockings were hung, and all ready to fill
Each carefully placed high near the window sill
The Forget Me Not Cats were anxious for the big day
New toys would arrive, they'd be ready to play
Santa would bring them goodies galore
Of course they had plenty, but could always use more
For some this would be a first Christmas here
In their home filled with love, and their feline friends near
No more cold winters, living out on the street
Here they are sheltered, and have plenty to eat
With the snow gently falling, each kitty would dream
While watching the bright star, and it's radiant gleam
Christmas is coming, the most special day of the year
For the Forget Me Not cats, a day of great cheer
And then they heard it, the sound on the roof
Of Santa and his sleigh and the reindeer hooves
All of the kitties arose from their naps
Gathered at the window, Creamsicle in his red cap
"Hello all you dear cats", Santa said
His beard snowy white and his cheeks cherry red
"You are all on my list for being good girls and boys,
What is it you want this year, how about some new toys?"
Creamsicle spoke up, "Yes, Santa, there is something you can do,
But it's not for us, it's for other cats too
We have all the toys and the treats that we need
We'd much prefer if you could do for us a special deed
You see Santa, there are many homeless kitties in the world
Who don't have good homes like us, so we've heard
On your journey tonight, wherever you roam
Could you please find each homeless kitty a wonderful home?
We here are all thankful for all that we've got
Because we found our forever home at Forget Me Not"
13 comments:
- AnonymousDecember 18, 2009 at 9:24 AM
What a beautiful and moving poem. Merry Christmas to everyone at the Forget Me Not Sanctuary. Love the photo - way too cute for words.ReplyDelete
The Wilsons
- AnonymousDecember 18, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Reading this brought tears to our eyes - it is a lovely poem and the photo of Creamsicle with his mouse - how precious.ReplyDelete
May all of the joys of the holiday season be with you all!
Shawna, Rick and gang
- AnonymousDecember 18, 2009 at 11:21 AM
we wish all at Forget Me Not a wonderful Christmas, and we hope all homeless kitties find a new forever home this Christmas, too.ReplyDelete
Tig and Mister, in their forever home. It is never too late to give one a home, we know!
- Sharon and her herdDecember 18, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Cute poem! Merry christmas to all the staff and cat gare givers. You folks are doing a very much needed program. I wish there were more like you in Alberta! You are highly appreciated by all of us who love cats!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 18, 2009 at 2:10 PM
This sanctuary seems amazing and it's terrific work you are all doing. We loved the poem and the photo and are going to now read through the entire blog. Wish there were more facilities like this to care for the special needs cats.ReplyDelete
The Hoffmans
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
- AnonymousDecember 18, 2009 at 3:52 PM
What a precious picture, and a wonderful poem. It's sweet that the Forget Me Not cats were reminding us of other cats that need rescuing all over the world. Merry Christmas to all the cats and all the workers at Forget Me Not.ReplyDelete
Theresa in Missouri
- AnonymousDecember 18, 2009 at 9:05 PM
This poem and picture is so totally priceless - what a wonderful sentiment expressed by the Forget Me Not cats! Bless them and the people who care for them.ReplyDelete
We are truly reminded of the true spirit of Christmas in these words.
Katie and Michael
Red Deer, Alberta
- AnonymousDecember 18, 2009 at 9:21 PM
This is just too cute!! Thank you kitties, for sharing with us the real meaning of Christmas. A very Merry Christmas to all of you sweet little souls.ReplyDelete
Sarah and Bryce
- AnonymousDecember 19, 2009 at 12:27 AM
Bravo...what a wonderful poem! After reading it I hope there's only one thing left to say in 2010 and that is...ReplyDelete
"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"
Best Wishes from our house to yours.
Virginia and the kitty crew
- AnonymousDecember 19, 2009 at 9:02 AM
We hope the homeless kitties' guardian angels will look over them this Christmas and keep them safe and warm. Thank you, you sweet, kind cats from Forget Me Not for reminding us of the plight of so many cats without a home not only at Christmas, but all winter long. There will be those that hear your request to Santa Claus and will put out some food and shelter for the strays in the back alleys and all the other cold, forlorn places that they have no choice but to live in.ReplyDelete
erry Christmas to everyone from Mark, Anita and our five four-footed children.
- AnonymousDecember 19, 2009 at 9:04 AM
And of course, we meant "Merry Christmas"!ReplyDelete
Mark et al, (see above comment)
- AnonymousDecember 21, 2009 at 9:33 AM
Wouldn't the world be better if all the homeless animals could find great homes like those at the sanctuary. A wonderful poem and adorable picture. Best of the season to you all!ReplyDelete
Stella and Joe
Myron, Buster, Millie and little Smokey
- AnonymousDecember 22, 2009 at 8:46 AM
What a great poem and a great photo! Love the little mouse. Wishing you all a very Merry Xmas!ReplyDelete
Joan, Sid, Rob, Megan and Tweets


text:
I am trying to gather information about stickied PVP flags on players. We want to fix this but need to find a link between the affected players to find the error. If you are experiencing a PVP flag that is unwanted and can't be turned off, please provide information there. It can be where you were when you got flagged, how long it's been, simply just any information you can give regarding the issue.
Thank you!


text:
CNN's Candy Crowley Will Be First Woman in 20 Years to Moderate a Presidential Debate
The "State of the Union" host will preside over the Obama-Romney showdown at Hofstra University on Oct. 16.
CNN's Candy Crowley breaks a two-decade glass ceiling as the first female moderator for a presidential debate in 20 years.
The cable news network's chief political correspondent and host of its Sunday show State of the Union will preside over the showdown between President Obama and Mitt Romney at Hofstra University in Hempsted, New York, on Oct. 16.
"Candy's brand of political reporting makes her the perfect choice for this role," Sam Feist, CNN's Washington bureau chief, said in a statement. "Her special style of storytelling brilliantly connects what's happening on the campaign trail to America's voters. We're so proud that one of our own has been selected for this high honor."
The bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates came under direct pressure to name a female moderator from former ABC News anchor Carole Simpson, who was the last woman to moderate a presidential debate. Three students from New Jersey's Montclair High School also took up the cause; Emma Axelrod, Sammi Siegel and Elena Tsemberis started a petition on change.org after learning of the commission's record of overwhelmingly choosing male moderators for presidential debates.
ANALYSIS: How CNN Can Benefit From Being Bland
Simpson moderated a 1992 presidential debate between Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush. Barbara Walters moderated presidential debates in 1984 and 1976. And PBS' Gwen Ifill has moderated multiple vice-presidential debates including the 2008 matchup between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin that, like so many events of that election, earned a parody on Saturday Night Live.
ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz will nominate the single vice-presidential debate at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky on Oct. 11.
The other two 2012 presidential debates will be presided over by frequent moderator Jim Lehrer of PBS and CBS' Bob Schieffer. Lehrer will host the first presidential debate Oct. 3 at University of Denver while Schieffer will moderate the third and final presidential debate Oct. 22 from Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.
"As someone who is in awe and grateful every day to be in a country where freedom of the press, free speech and free elections are a way of life, I am wowed, amazed and excited by the opportunity to moderate a 2012 presidential debate," said Crowley in a statement. "Congratulations are in order as well to Martha, Jim and Bob. I am so proud to be in their company."