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Tagged: subway stories
5/24/13 Braves at Mets: Citi Field
With my last game and my snagging of six baseballs, I was at 95 career baseballs for Citi Field. The goal of me going to five games was to get to 100. Only five baseballs. When I got up in the morning, I was thinking how I could simply knock the goal out in a single game and then not have to attend games the rest of the weekend. Then I checked what the weather was supposed to be at the place I volunteered at most of the past two summers and for every day of this week:
Snagging five balls in this game was going to be a lot harder than I expected. And even worse, notice how I said that I checked the weather while I was at the place I volunteer at. That means I was already out of the apartment I was staying in. See it was nice-ish out when I left, so I decided I would wear shorts. Fifty degrees and raining isn't exactly shorts weather. That brings me to this picture:
Because I was in shorts still, I figured I would need a poncho of sorts, so I fashioned this out of an extra table lining we had at the previously-mentioned senior center I was volunteering at. I took it and cut a hole in the top for my head and made two slices in the sides for my arms. I don't know if you can tell from that last picture, but the tables where bags normally get checked were moved from their usual spot right behind where I was standing to way back almost at the turnstile:
It was so the security checking bags would be under the overhang and out of the reach of the rain. It also meant that I would lose almost a minute in getting into the stadium because I couldn't have the guard check my bag before the gates themselves opened. Normally I would be mad about this, but I figured there wasn't going to be batting practice, so every second wasn't as precious as it would normally be.
When I got in the stadium I saw the Mets pitchers warming up in almost by the right field foul pole, so I headed over there and headed down the steps into the seats in foul territory down the first base foul line. As I started down the stairs, I heard an usher stop me. He apologized and told me that he knows fans are usually allowed down into the seating bowl, but since there was no batting practice, he was told not to let people into his section. I don't doubt his sincerity in believing what he was saying and not making up a rule just because he saw an 18-year-old with a glove that matched the description of what Citi Field security seems to hate, but he was either a) Enforcing an absolutely ridiculous policy, or b) He misinterpreted what his actual instructions were. I saw him turn down several other people after me, but people somehow eventually started coming down into the seats, so I'm guessing it was the latter and someone else clarified the situation for him. Because of this, I had to try to get the players to toss me a ball from the right field seats instead of being behind them, which would have been the easiest toss-up snag ever. Regardless, I got Brandon Lyon to toss me a ball after he was done throwing with LaTroy Hawkins for my first on the day:
And look at all the action that occupied me after the pitchers left the field:
Given the fact that the tarp was on the field and absolutely nothing going on, I headed over to the third base side of things and waited for the Braves to come out and throw:
Right around then Ben Weil came into the stadium. So I chatted with him until the Braves came out to throw. When they did I stationed myself behind Craig Kimbrel and his new throwing partner now that Johnny Venters was injured, and then moved on to Cory Rasmus and his throwing partner, but eventually ended up getting a ball from bullpen coach Eddie Perez instead:
A ball which I would then get signed by Craig Kimbrel as he passed by signing people's thing-a-ma-do-hickies. And then it was back to tarp-watching:
I believe the game's start time was only delayed less than half-an-hour by the rain, so once it started Ben and I sat behind the dugout. Ben eventually just left the game around the third inning to go home, but I stayed behind the dugout the whole game. Unfortunately I was on the outfield end of the dugout and the Mets kept striking out to end the inning. At the end of seven innings when he came out, Braves starter Kris Medlen had nine strikeouts. If you didn't know before, when a strikeout ends the inning, a catcher typically takes the ball to the home plate end of the dugout and tosses it up there. So as a result of all of these strikeouts, I found myself repeatedly on the wrong side of the dugout to get a third out ball.
It had been drizzling pretty consistently throughout the game, but at about the beginning of the eighth inning, it started absolutely pouring. When the Braves scored two runs in the top of the inning, I thought for sure that they were going to win the game on account of the rain, but the umpires let the game go on into the bottom of the eighth inning and the Mets came right back and scored two run of their own. It was after the end of the eighth inning–during which I should have caught a Rick Ankiel foul ball on the fly–that the tarp was finally brought out and the game delayed. When this happened I did the stupidest thing possible: I walked right up the steps and to the concourse. Now I did pick up a ticket for the section to get back in should I need to when play resumed:
But that's not why it was a stupid decision to walk out of the section right as the game was being delayed. To a ballhawk, a rain delay is the equivalent of the end of the game in terms of snagging opportunities. So what I *should* have done was first go to the umpire tunnel and try to get a ball from the umpires exiting the field, then try to get a ball from players coming from a bullpen, and then maybe try to get a ball from the side of the dugout looking in at any players/coaches who were still mulling around in the dugout. And a great thing about a rain delay in New York is that unlike the end of the game, security won't kick you out after 30 seconds because there is still the potential for the game to resume. These were all great opportunities I wasted because I was so fixated on getting out of the rain and inside some club (since I had a ticket that got me into pretty much every club in Citi Field):
I did a lot of wandering during the rain delay, but I won't post all of the pictures here; they'll be in the album on Facebook that I post for every game. In wandering the concourse and clubs themselves, though, I was wasting yet another golden opportunity. If you're ever at a game that has gone less than five innings or is tied, search through the seats for as many ticket stubs as you can find, because if the game is postponed to a later date because of the rain, most teams allow you to trade in the value of the ticket for any game later on in the season. So if you have enough tickets in good seating, you could end up not paying for a ticket at that stadium for the rest of the season, and having great seats too. I was actually planning on going down to the field level and doing this at midnight, but it was announced at 11:58 that the game–or the inning that was left, anyway–was being postponed until the next day and would be played at 6:10, right before the game that was regularly scheduled to begin at 7:10. So I left Citi Field at about 12:02 and headed home:
And while it may seem as though my day was all the way through, it was what happened after I left Citi Field that's what I'll be telling everyone I know about this game form now on. The following timestamps are estimates since my phone died half-way along this journey:
12:02- I called the person who I was staying with to tell her that it probably wouldn't be the best idea if I returned to her apartment that night, since it would require me possibly waiting an hour in the Bronx for a bus. I meanwhile texted my friend Greg Barasch, whose apartment I had stayed in that past Tuesday to see if I could stay there again that night, but he was "asleep" so he didn't respond until many hours later in the afternoon.
12:25- Since the game itself never actually ended, and it was late anyways, there was no express "7" train to get on. Nevertheless, I went to the express track because there was a 7 with its doors closed where the express train usually is. I figured it eventually open its doors and head to Times Square. After watching two trains pass on the regular track, I came to the conclusion that this train was never going to leave the station and finally went to the other side of the platform and caught a train after 20 minutes of waiting.
12:40- The train cruised through the above-ground portion of Queens, but on the first stop underground, our train was stopped for what was announced as "signal difficulties". Suffice to say I was bored out of my mind/not amused:
1:08- After waiting around for almost half-an-hour on the train, it was announced that because there was an investigation happening at Times Square that our train was being suspended and everyone needed to get off the train:
We were then told to go up to the booth for this station, pick up a pass for an extra subway ride and walk to a station for the "E" train, that would then take us to Times Square.
1:21- The person at the booth had given us wrong directions to the other station, so myself and a group of about five other people spent almost 15 minutes wandering what Ben Weil would tell me the next day was not such a good part of Queens at 1 in the morning.
1:55-Because it was the weekend and so late at night, the trains were running even more infrequently than they do normally on the "E" line, and so even once we figured out our way to the station, we had to wait for a while for the train to arrive in the station. It was in this time that I got teased by the Mets fans in the station for wearing Braves gear.
2:17-Finally the train arrived and it took all of us lost Mets fans to Times Square.
2:37-From Times Square I would transfer to the "2" train making local stops that would take me to the 96th street station before going off in a direction I didn't want to take it, so I got off at 96th.
3:02- My phone had died at this point, but I still needed to get to 110th street to get to my now-vacant apartment. With the next "1" train that would take me to the 110th street stop being 19 minutes away, I decided to walk the 14 blocks (roughly 3/4 of a mile) despite the fact that it was almost 3 o'clock in the morning. It was a little after 3:00 by the time I got into the apartment. And when I got there, I found out that all of the bed sheets I had left in the closet when I left Monday had been taken out of the apartment, so this was my bed for the night:
It was even more comfortable than it looks. And with me collapsing on this makeshift bed from exhaustion at 3:15, I could finally say that my day of adventure had ended. But I would have to wake up in less than ten hours just to get back to Citi Field and do it all again.
- 2 Baseballs at this game
Numbers 522-23:
- 77 Balls in 17 Games= 4.53 Balls Per Game
- 2 Balls x 32,325 Fans= 64,650 Competition Factor
- 79 straight Games with at least 1 Ball
- 5 straight Games with at least 2 Balls
- 97 Balls in 36 Games at Citi Field= 2.69 Balls Per Game
- 36 straight Games with at least 1 Ball at Citi Field
- 3 straight Games with at least 2 Balls at Citi Field
- Time Spent On Game 4:10-3:02= 10 Hours 52 Minutes


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VATICAN CITY — The Vatican will recycle its Christmas tree — and not for firewood, paper or mulch.
It will be turned into wooden toys, toy chests, benches and other things that children can decorate and use.
Yesterday's edition of L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, said the wood of the majestic, 108-foot-tall spruce in St. Peter's Square would be given to several companies that make "semi-finished" products for children, including benches and gazebos for schoolyards or parks, as well as toys, boxes and frames.
The companies' rough work will be given to schools and other institutions that run children's workshops, and the kids themselves will paint and varnish the objects, the newspaper said.
The project is motivated by a desire "not to waste" the 120-year-old tree, but "to reuse it to benefit the planet's new generation," L'Osservatore reported.
Meanwhile, people can keep track of the Vatican workers' progress in decorating the tree by checking out the webcams the Vatican has focused on St. Peter's Square from the cupola of St. Peter's Basilica and from the top of the colonnade surrounding the square.

subset: commoncrawl


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ILM's Chief Creative Officer and Senior Visual Effects supervisor John Knoll kicks off the VIEW Conference on October 15.
From Foodimals to giant robots, games to comic books, growing a business to fostering research, lighting photorealistic characters to rigging cartoon characters, and storytelling in all forms, VIEW 2013 is nearly at hand with a great story to tell. The VIEW conference, Italy's premiere digital media conference, runs October 15 to 18, immediately following VIEWFest, October 11 to 13.
At VIEWFest, The Italian premiere of the animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 with directors Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn. Director Dan Scanlon will present Disney/Pixar's much loved animated blockbuster, Monsters University. Javier Jimenez, co-founder of Mirada Studios will attend the "Tribute to Mirada," featuring some of the finest music videos and commercials of our times. And, award-winning independent filmmaker Peter Chanthanakone will introduce three of his animated short films.
Also screening at the digital film festival: the Italian premiere of the animated mini-feature The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow, Pixar's short animated film "Blue Umbrella," the live-action feature Gravity, the documentary Google and the World Brain, the best of SIGGRAPH 2013, and Italian Mix 2013. October 14 brings three VIEW pre-conference workshops, an all-day workshop on lighting, appearance, and animation for photoreal digital actors with computer graphics master, Paul Debevec, Associate Director, Graphics Research – USC Institute for Creative Technologies. PDI/DreamWorks Character TD Supervisor Lucia Modesto provides rigging principles for animators, and Daniele Angelozzi offers modeling for 3D printing. All three will present further workshops or talks during the conference.
No matter what form digital media takes, at its center is the story and VIEW 2013 offers an inside look at storytelling from renowned professionals. Javier Jimenez co-founded the studio Mirada with director Guillermo del Toro, director Mathew Cullen and director of photography Guillermo Navarro and has since collaborated with leading creative minds in feature film, television, advertising and literature. David Misch author of "Funny: The Book / Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Comedy" has been a comic folksinger, stand-up comedian, and screenwriter. Yiotis Katsambas, FLIX Product Manager at The Foundry and original in-house developer of FLIX at Sony Pictures Imageworks, will discuss the revolutionary workflow that allows for unparalleled creative collaboration between directors, editors, cinematographers, storyboard and previs artists. David Volker, Creative Director of Moonbot Interactive will offer games as an expressive medium.
Industrial Light & Magic's Chief Creative Officer and Senior Visual Effects supervisor John Knoll kicks off the VIEW Conference on October 15 with a keynote address during which he will deconstruct the visual effects in Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim from Warner Bros. Other speakers focusing on live action visual effects include ILM's Roger Guyett (Star Trek into Darkness), Christopher Townsend (Iron Man 3), Image Engine's Peter Muyzers (Elysium), Framestore's Max Solomon (Gravity), Look! Effects Henrik Fett (The Making of Warm Bodies), Sony Pictures Imageworks' Troy Saliba (Oz the Great and Powerful), and MPC's Marco Carboni (World War Z).
Sony Pictures Animation's Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn, directors of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, give the closing keynote and in between offer a workshop on creating the wacky Foodimals stars of their animated feature. Also taking attendees through the making of animated films are Pixar Supervising TD Christopher Burrows who helped create the stunning backgrounds in the short film "Blue Umbrella, and Sandra Karpman who offers "The Secret Camera Rules of Pixar." Bruno Chauffard will present the making of Despicable Me, writer/director Stephan Franck will present his animated special The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow, independent filmmaker Peter Chanthanakone tells attendees how to accelerate the 3D animation pipeline for independent short films, and Massimo Carrier and a crew from Maga Animation Studios offer a layout workflow for CGI action TV series. Two experts in stereoscopy offer their knowledge and experience to attendees interested in live action, animated films and games: Parag Havaldar from Sony Pictures Imageworks, and Jon Karafin, director of production technology at RealD.
Game and transmedia developers will revel in talks by Adam Volker (Moonbot Interactive creative director), Massimo Guarini (Ovosonico president and CEO), Marco Mazzaglia (IT Manager and evangelist at Milestone), Luca Deriu (CEO Playsis), Francesco Testa (Lastrego & Testa Multimedia), Matteo Da Pont (CEO Ovolab), (CEO Touch Press), and David Moscato (CEO Kobalt Entertainment).
During the conference, attendees can master CG tools and techniques in the many practical workshops on specific software tools. And, because we all know that it takes more than artistry and software skills to create a successful career, Matteo Lana and Rocco Tartaglia from Tiny Bull Studios share the joys and sorrows of being Indie developers, Antonio Farina gives his advice to Indie developers, David Salesin, who leads the Adobe Creative Technologies Lab, which he founded in 2005, gives his observations on doing research and on creating sublime user experiences, Glenn Entis, co-founder of PDI, former CEO of DreamWorks Interactive, and Chief Visual and Technical Officer of Electronics Arts, and a founding partner of Vanedge Capital, shares lessons learned from a career in digital media, or "The Talk I Wish I Had Heard 36 Years Ago." "I am so honored that these amazing people have agreed to share their knowledge and inspire our VIEW Conference attendees," says conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. "October is a beautiful time to be in Torino, and 2013 is one of the most exciting years ever to be at the VIEW Conference."
The VIEW Conference takes place in beautiful Torino, Italy on October 15 to 18, with pre-conference workshops on October 14. VIEWFest takes place October 11 to 13.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.


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As I slowly get around to doing a full house tour – I thought I'd start with a small, simple room. For now, I call this space the studio. This room is off the kitchen/dining area. It's a tiny room – 10ft. by 11ft, with three windows and a tray ceiling. It currently houses a large shelf full of food stuffs and paper goods, a c.1960s Anco easel, a table, lights, and tripod for photo shoots, and some random boxes. It's a bit messy now, and driving me crazy.
So here's the shot of the studio when we did the second walk through of the house:
I decided to paint this room a soothing green:
Freshly painted trim and caulking really brought the room together to feel finished. The two southwest facing windows get full sun in the afternoon, so I bought solid, cordless shades for those windows which help cut down the heat. I wanted a bold, graphic design for the curtains, and bought a Waverly fabric, and made them. I re-purposed the hardware from other rooms (that didn't have curtains), and this is how it came together:
Some future things I would love to do to this space: put in hardwood floors; buy better blinds; add french doors. At this point, I'm not totally sold on the curtains. If I put the sleek black glass desk in there, it could work. Otherwise, I may want to go with a softer look.
It's pretty much always a work in progress :)


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Many recent inquiries and discussions have focused on the SIPOC diagram – a tool used in the Six Sigma methodology. Because of the interest level, a further explanation is presented here along with a sample and template for your use.
A SIPOC diagram is a tool used by a team to identify all relevant elements of a process improvement project before work begins. It helps define a complex project that may not be well scoped, and is typically employed at the Measure phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology. It is similar and related to process mapping and 'in/out of scope' tools, but provides additional detail.
The tool name prompts the team to consider the suppliers (the 's' in SIPOC) of your process, the inputs (the 'i') to the process, the process (the 'p') your team is improving, the outputs (the 'o') of the process, and the customers (the 'c') that receive the process outputs. In some cases, requirements of the customers can be appended to the end of the SIPOC for further detail.
The SIPOC tool is particularly useful when it is not clear:
- Who supplies inputs to the process?
- What specifications are placed on the inputs?
- Who are the true customers of the process?
- What are the requirements of the customers?
Sample SIPOC Diagram
A SIPOC diagram is a tool used by a team to identify all relevant elements of a process improvement project before work begins. It helps define a complex project that may not be well scoped, and is typically employed at the Measure phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology.
Steps to Complete the SIPOC Diagram
SIPOC diagrams are very easy to complete. Here are the steps you should follow:
1. Create an area that will allow the team to post additions to the SIPOC diagram. This could be a transparancy (to be projected by an overhead) made of the provided template, flip charts with headings (S-I-P-O-C) written on each, or headings written on post-it notes posted to a wall.
2. Begin with the process. Map it in four to five high level steps.
3. Identify the outputs of this process.
4. Identify the customers that will receive the outputs of this process.
5. Identify the inputs required for the process to function properly.
6. Identify the suppliers of the inputs that are required by the process.
7. Optional: Identify the preliminary requirements of the customers. This will be verified during a later step of the Six Sigma measurement phase.
8. Discuss with project sponsor, Champion and other involved stakeholders for verification.
SIPOC Templates
The following SIPOC templates are for immediate download and use. The Adobe Acrobat version allows you to print and input your SIPOC information by hand, perhaps by overhead. The Microsoft PowerPoint version allows you to input your SIPOC information and print.


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NorthEastern Martial Arts Academy…
"Where Personal Attention is the Rule Not the Exception"
"Here at NEMAA we don't hand out Black Belts. But with time, hard work, dedication, patience and perseverance, we promise, you will EARN your Black Belt!"
Why is Tae Kwon Do so popular?
Tae Kwon Do training is so popular because no other activity can provide the same positive results, on a personal level, for each individual participant.
Whether your goals are self-confidence, self-defense, personal development, fitness, flexibility or to earn a black belt, our school will take you there.
From our Junior programs to our martial arts fitness programs, our instructors are dedicated to helping you and your family achieve your individual goals.


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"The church of Jesus Christ is the most important institution in the world. The assembly of the redeemed, the company of the saints, the children of God are more significant in world history than any other group, organization, or nation. The United States of America compares to the church of Jesus Christ like a speck of dust compares to the sun.
The drama of international relations compares to the mission of the church like a kindergarten riddle compares to Hamlet or King Lear. And all pomp of May Day in Red Square and the pageantry of New Year's in Pasadena fade into a formless grey against the splendor of the bride of Christ.
Take heed how you judge. Things are not what they seem. 'All flesh is like grass. And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord (and all his family) abide forever' (1 Peter 1:24, 25). The media and all the powers, and authorities, and rulers, and stars that they present are a mirage. 'For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God' (Luke 16:15).
The gates of Hades, the powers of death, will prevail against every institution but one, the church. Lift up your eyes, O Christians! You belong to a society that will never cease, to the apple of God's eye, to the eternal and cosmic church of our Lord, Jesus Christ."
–John Piper, "The Cosmic Church: A Sermon on Ephesians 3:10," as cited on http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1981/289_The_Cosmic_Church/ (accessed November 9, 2009).


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She knocked on the door then immediately walked in. She was shocked to
see her daughter-in-law lying on the couch, totally naked.
Soft music was playing, and the aroma of perfume filled the room.
'What are you doing?' she asked.
'I'm waiting for Justin to come home from work.' The daughter-in-law
' But you're naked!' the mother-in-law exclaimed.
'This is my love dress,' the daughter-in-law explained.
'Love dress? But you're naked!'
'Justin loves me to wear this dress,' she explained. 'Every time he sees
me in this dress, he instantly becomes romantic and ravages me for hours.'
The mother-in-law left. When she got home she undressed, showered, put on
her best perfume, dimmed the lights, put on a romantic CD, and lay on the
couch waiting for her husband to arrive.
Finally, her husband came home. He walked in and saw her lying there
so provocatively.
' What are you doing?' he asked.
'This is my love dress,' she whispered, sensually.
'Needs ironing,' he said, 'What's for dinner?'
|Posted: at


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In an earlier incarnation of GeekApproach, I wrote an awful lot about video games. At the time I was doing work for the games industry and it was a logical extension of the sheer amount of free time I had to actually play said games. Rather than spend more money (that I don't have currently) on games, I thought I would go back and replay some titles that I have skipped or didn't finish for some reason. Enter Final Fantasy XIII.
The Final Fantasy series is rather legendary in gaming circles. A cornerstone of the so-called, JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game) genre, Final Fantasy (FF) titles have been on every major gaming system since their inception. Beginning with Nintendo consoles, and moving hand-in-hand with Sony during the PlayStation 2 era, and finally being wooed by Microsoft in the X360 generation to at least make a multi-platform title. Within the 7th-Gen lifespan that included Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, and Nintendo's Wii, Square-Enix managed to put out at least 3 FF titles that spanned the XIII universe: FF XIII, FF XIII-2, and FF XIII: Lightning Returns. Around March 2010 the game was released worldwide after a holiday release in Japan the quarter prior. The reviews were a mixed-bag with reviewers offering contradictory opinions on the games linearity, as well as its much-hyped "Paradigm" battle system. (more…)


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Story by the Associated Press; curated by Oliver Darcy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama called for Israelis and Palestinians alike to restrain themselves and put an end to acts of retribution, in some of his first public comments on the matter since the murder of three Israeli teenagers touched off a new round of violence and deepening mistrust.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 07: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a lunch with a group of teachers at the Blue Room of the White House July 7, 2014 in Washington, DC. President Obama hosted the teachers to discuss the Administration's efforts 'to ensure that every student is taught by an effective educator.' (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
In an op-ed in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Obama called it a "dangerous moment" for the region where a vaunted U.S. peace effort recently collapsed. Writing in emotional terms, he said he couldn't imagine the pain suffered by the parents of the three Israeli teens, but was also heartbroken by the senseless murder of a Palestinian teenager who many suspect was killed as payback.
"All parties must protect the innocent and act with reasonableness and restraint, not vengeance and retribution," Obama said.
[sharequote align="center"]"All parties must protect the innocent and act with reasonableness and restraint, not vengeance..."[/sharequote]
Obama's comments, published in Hebrew, Arabic and English, reflected growing U.S. concern about tit-for-tat violence spiraling out of control as the fragile situation in Israel appears to deteriorate.
After dozens of rockets rained on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, Israel's military on Tuesday launched an offensive operation including airstrikes that Palestinians said injured at least nine. Israel authorized the mobilization of some 1,500 military reservists in an escalation that evoked uneasy memories of Israel's other incursions into the Hamas-controlled coastal strip.
After the bodies of the three Israelis were discovered, Obama issued a brief written statement, but hasn't spoken about the situation publicly. Haaretz said the op-ed published late Monday was intended for the newspaper's upcoming peace summit and written before June 30, the day the three Israeli teens were found dead. But it referenced events that occurred later, suggesting the op-ed was updated.
Obama didn't mention Tariq Abu Khdeir, the cousin of the murdered Palestinian, who was arrested after clashing with Israeli forces. The State Department has said it's "deeply troubled" by reports that Abu Khdeir, a Palestinian-American, was badly beaten.
Obama also offered strong praise for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is under pressure as Israel seeks to use the murder of the three Israelis to discredit his newly formed unity government with Hamas.
"In President Abbas, Israel has a counterpart committed to a two-state solution and security cooperation with Israel," Obama said. He offered no parallel praise for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Obama said the U.S. was disappointed that American-backed peace talks fell apart, but said the U.S. won't give up on peace.
"When the political will exists to recommit to serious negotiations, the United States will be there, ready to do our part," Obama said.


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Pirogov, Nikolai Ivanovich
Pirogov, Nikolai Ivanovich nyĭkəlī´ ēvä´nəvĭch pĭrōgôf´ [key], 1810–81, Russian surgeon, b. Moscow. He entered Moscow Univ. at the age of 14 and completed the medical curriculum at 17. He then studied in Germany, receiving a doctor of philosophy degree at Dorpat, where he served as professor of surgery from 1836 to 1840. He first gained prominence in the United States for his anatomical studies on arteries and fascia. In 1840 he returned to Russia and became professor of hospital surgery at the Military Medical Academy at St. Petersburg. The opening of the Crimean War in 1854 found him in Sevastopol. Considered the founder of field surgery, he devised the plaster cast, first used successfully in the Sevastopol campaign, and the Pirogov amputation, a method of severing the foot so that part of the heel bone is left in the stump to give added support to the lower ends of the leg bones. He was one of the first to use ether as an anesthetic (1847) and was the author of many scientific treatises.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Medicine: Biographies


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As we celebrate Thanksgiving, most of us will use this time to reflect on the current state of our lives and the things we are most thankful for.
Unfortunately, an increasing number of people are using this day to complain about having to work on this holiday. I am totally confused by this feigned outrage at having to work on a U.S. holiday. These protesters seem to be focused on big box retail stores such as Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc. I don't think it is coincidental that these stores are all non-union stores. It has been alleged that many of these protesters are merely fronts for various unions.
A California Target employee started an online petition against her employer and has received more than 100,000 signatures so far. The employee stated: "I currently work two jobs, substitute teach and work Target at nights and weekends, so having Thanksgiving off really does give me that one day to relax and visit family I otherwise have no time to see."
What does Target have to do with this? No one is forcing this person to work two jobs. We have freedom of choice, not freedom from choice. Not making a choice is a choice in itself.
So this person wants a business to alter their store hours so that people like her can spend time with her family? Really? A business's first obligation is to make a profit. Without this, employees will have more than enough time to spend with their families because they will be unemployed.
I am really fed up with employees trying to dictate the terms under which they will allow a business to employ them. According to the Economist, retailers make 25% of their yearly sales and 60% of their profits between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Americans have become so spoiled and so ungrateful. There was a time that a person would be thankful just to have a job—now we have people complaining that their job doesn't accommodate their lifestyles.
The poorest person in America lives better than the poorest person in Asia, South America, Africa or Europe. In America, we have trashcans to throw away perfectly good food. We have multiple TVs in our homes (all with cable or satellite channels); and many have multiple cars—and we complain simply because we have to work during a holiday.
Those who complain during this time of thanksgiving should be reminded that they always have a choice not to work or to create their own business so they can choose to work whenever they want.
These are the same people who complain about not being paid enough to raise their families, but yet they are willing to turn down the opportunity to work on a holiday where they receive time and a half or double time pay for doing so
With more than 13 million Americans unemployed, those with a job should indeed be thankful. Business owners want to pay their employees a fair wage, not a livable wage.
A fair wage is a wage that is based on the free market principles of supply and demand. When a business owner is forecasting his or her payroll budget, there is absolutely no consideration given to the number of kids a prospective employee has. The only consideration is the value a prospective employee can bring to one's business.
So, during this week of Thanksgiving, maybe, just maybe, these Americans who feel the need to complain about working should think about the 13 million Americans who are unemployed.
America is far from being perfect, but we do have a pretty good system here. Our worst day here is better than most people's best days in other countries and for that, we should all be thankful.
(Raynard Jackson is president/CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.-based public relations/government affairs firm. He can be reached through his website, . You can also follow him on Twitter at .)


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A Ripple Relay is moving through B.C. to promote a women's worldwide motorcycling event, and on May 31, a group of the bikers converged in Chilliwack.
About two dozen women riders met at Mountainview Harley Davidson to prepare for their leg to Kelowna. Some were old friends, others were just meeting for the first time. They were every size, age and background, but they all share the love of the open road. And they had an adventure ahead.
The ride began at Mile Zero of the Trans-Canada Highway near Victoria, B.C. earlier this week. A group of nine women from Vancouver travelled there to kick it all off, and met with 11 women from Vancouver Island. They rode the Malahat together, even through terrible weather.
"We're talking biblical rains, and fog so thick," said Teresa Udell, who got the B.C. Ripple Relay going. "But we did it, and it was amazing."
Once in Vancouver, the women rode around Stanley Park, out to Fort Langley, and to White Rock throughout the week. When the leg that took off from Chilliwack got to Kelowna, they were to meet another group headed to Balfour, near Nelson.
Cat Ablett, one of the Chilliwack bikers, says that women are the fastest growing demographic of riders — and the industry is starting to stand up and take notice.
The Ripple Relay is about increasing that presence, and showing there is room for women on the road.
But it's also about connections, and many of the riders have met women online all over the world. The Ripple Relays are meant to build momentum for the Women Riders World Relay, that got started back in February. It will hit about 82 countries and connect tens of thousands of women riders. The ride is being tracked online with a GPS-fitted baton.
For the Ripple Relay, the women travel with a large, handmade coin. And before they set out from Harley Davidson on Friday, they took turns taking pictures with it, signing their ride banner, and writing their names in a ledger for posterity.
Every one of the riders has her own story. When Pat Jacobsen wanted to start riding motorcycles, she had never even ridden a bicycle.
"We lived in Vancouver and our mother said it wasn't safe, because we might get hurt," she says, laughing. Now, she lives in North Delta, and she rides whenever she gets the chance. She's been all over North America, including three trips to Sturgis.
"I didn't want to waste any time," she said. "I only have so many birthdays left."
Eline Mets is a motocross rider with an injured shoulder. She's joined the rally to bring awareness to women riders in that sport. By chance, on that same day, she launched her television show Diaries of Badass Chicks. It's been in the works for a few years, but during the stop in Chilliwack she nervously hit the publish button. Once done, she took a look around at the gathering crowd of women bikers.
"These are the women you don't see on TV," she said. "You don't hear about them, you don't read about them."
Chilliwack's Karen Norvell was in the crowd, but unable to make the Kelowna trip. People around town would recognize her by the pig-tailed helmet she sports while on her bike.
"There's so much freedom in riding," she says. "It is a scary thing, but it's a freedom like no other."
She grew up riding on the bike of her dad's bike, and as a mom she encourages her own kids to get on the road, including her daughter Abbie. They love the biking community, and want to see more women get involved.
"People you don't even know become your sisters, your brothers," she says.
"This ride gives a voice to the women," Udell adds. "We matter, we're here."
The Women Riders World Relay comes to Canada on September 14.
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Invicta FC 6: "Cyborg" vs. Coenen II To Air Live On Pay-Per-View
By Invicta FC (via press release)
HOBOKEN, N.J. (June 20, 2013) – Two of the premier women mixed-martial-arts fighters in the world, Cris Cyborg (11-1) andMarloes Coenen (21-5), headline the July 13th Invicta Fighting Championships 6 pay-per-view event, airing live from Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri.
Brazilian KO artist Cyborg, arguably the top pound-for-pound fighters in women's MMA, and equally dangerous Dutch submission specialist Coenen, will battle in a three, five-minute round rematch for the inaugural Invicta FC World Featherweight (145-pounds) title. "Cyborg" won their first meeting on January 30, 2010, in an action-packed fight that ended on a technical knockout (punches) in the final round.
"We are excited about bringing the Invicta FC brand of women's world championship Mixed Martial Arts to television for the first time with this tremendous rematch between two of the world's top women fighters," said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp. "This is yet another step forward for women's MMA and we are extremely proud to be leading the charge."
"Invicta FC 6," presented by Invicta Fighting Championships, is being distributed in North America by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9:00 p.m. ET – 6:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DISH, Avail-TVN in the United States and Bell TV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $14.95.
"We're excited to be distributing Invicta FC 6 to MMA fans in the U.S.," Integrated Sports Media president Doug Jacobs said. "Women's MMA has exploded and Invicta Fighting Championships has led the charge. Fighting stars from all over the world are coming out July 13th for Invicta FC 6. Cyborg is one of the most recognizable and entertaining superstars in women's MMA. Fans really enjoy watching her fight and she's in tough again with another bonafide star, Coenen. It's our pleasure to be part of this great top-to-bottom women's MMA show on July 13th."
The co-main event showcases a pair of undefeated strawweights (115 lbs.) sporting identical 9-0 professional records – Japanese invader and JEWELS champion Ayaka Hamasaki and Brazilian sensation Claudia Gadelha.
Three-time Invicta FC fight winner Sarah D'Alelio (7-3), fighting out of San Jose (CA), takes on unbeaten Texas bantamweight (135 lbs.) prospect Lauren Taylor (6-0), while California (Pleasant Hills) striker Leslie "The Peacemaker" Smith (5-3-1) shoots for her third "Fight of the Night" performance, dropping down from bantamweight to flyweight (125 lbs.)for a throw-down with another gifted Brazilian, Jennifer Maia (7-2).
Also scheduled to fight on the undercard are atomweight (105 lbs.) Jessica Penne (10-2, California) vs. Nicdali "The Queen Queen" Rivera-Calanoc (8-6, Oklahoma), strawweight (Joanne Caldwell (6-0, Scotland) vs. Sarah "White Tiger" Schneider(6-6, Missouri), featherweight Ediane "India" Gomes (10-2, Florida) vs. Julia Budd (5-2, Canada), strawweight "Rowdy" Bec Hyatt (5-2, Australia) vs. Mizuki Inaoue (5-1, Japan), bantamweight Miriam Nakamoto (2-0), California) vs. Duda "Diamond" Yankovich (1-1, Brazil), strawweight Rose Namajunas (2-0, Minnesota) vs. Tecia "The Tiny Tornado" Torres (2-0, Florida), strawweight Ashley Cummins (3-1, Missouri) vs. Emily Kagan (2-1, New Mexico), featherweight Mollie Estes (1-2, Missouri) vs.Veronica "The Heartbreaker" Rothenhausier (1-0, California), and atomweight Livia Von Plettenberg (1-1, Austria) vs.Cassie Robb (0-1, Colorado).
All fights, excluding the main event and co-main event, feature three, five-minute round fights. All fights and fighters are subject to change.


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Racing in the heart of Marrakesh old city, Adam Carroll and Mitch Evans crossed the line in P14 and P17 respectively, after 33 laps and a total of 98km.
Both Panasonic Jaguar Racing drivers came into the pits on lap 18, one lap after many of the other teams thanks to efficient energy management by the team. Mitch entered the pitlane ahead of Adam, but it was Adam who exited in front after an electrifying car swap in the garage.
The circuit provided many challenges for the drivers. Following a lock up on his qualifying lap, Adam started the race from P20, but through positive energy management a fast pitstop and some great race craft, he gained six positions to finish in P14. After the race he said, "The team is improving with every session. As we go into the break we have a lot of great learnings to implement for the next race in Buenos Aires."
Watch all the highlights from the longest ever Formula E race held at Marrakesh's Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan
Mitch's race was compromised when he was hit by another driver which put him out of track position. "Fortunately, I managed to gain back some positions before I kissed the wall towards the end of the race, after a lock up when I was trying to save some energy. The main thing is that we now have further data to analyse and digest during the gap to the next race," he said.
James Barclay, Panasonic Jaguar Racing, Team Director agreed there many positives to take away from the race. "Ultimately we didn't maximise our potential in qualifying, but we know we had a faster car than the times showed. We had no reliability issues throughout the weekend which is reassuring for our new team and we were moving forward up the grid. We also made some good improvements on team operations after lessons learnt in Hong Kong which is positive for Panasonic Jaguar Racing as a team."


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What Attracts Women To Men
The Child In Him
-By Jean Gabor
I loved the child in him
so innocent and sweet
The mischief in his eyes
the blush upon his cheek
The tender way he spoke
that showed me that he cared
The touch of his warm hand
that gently touched my hair
The smiles that we shared
that filled my life with glee
For when I was with him
I found the child in me.
I am one of those unfortunate few of the now-extinct species, who was never in a relationship before marriage. Since my teenage years up until last week, my dream man was "Shahrukh Khan,"….not now, since I shockingly learnt through the famous "kiss controversy" that he seems to be swinging both ways. Throughout these years that I remained "loyal" to Shahrukh Khan, I observed everything silently from the ring side and everything means how males/females get attracted to each other, how they spend time together, how they avoid each other, and the complexities of break up, out of these some weather every difficulty and eventually end up being together. I have charted down some of the qualities and characteristics that I think make men more appealing to women and vice versa. So, today, I would like to present the list of qualities of men that "I think" are most appealing to women.
1. Sense of Humour The ability to make a woman laugh is the biggest gift a man could ask for. A great sense of humour draws women to a man like magnet. There will not be a single woman who will shoo away a man who can make her laugh and dissolve her sorrows. To tell the fact, a joke will remain in a girl's mind much more longer than a romantic dialogue. So,…………….
Madhubala was one of the most beautiful women at that time and she got floored by Kishore Kumar's sense of humour.
Totalgadha has also got a great sense of humour, err, I haven't taken Poutmati's permission.
2. Smell good A few months back I remembered reading a post here on IMBB that men find carrying around the smell of sweat sexy. Well, I and most of the female junta will "acckthooooooooooo" at sweaty scent. Women like their men to be smelling clean and fresh and if you have worn the perfect cologne, that scent would linger in the girl's mind long after you have left. Some men mix more than two to three colognes together to get their own unique smell and they leave women guessing. For example, our own Rads finds this great smelling Christian Dior SA "so cute." 🙂
3. Sensitive and understanding Women like their men to be sensitive towards their feeling and comfort them when they are down in the dumps. If you want your woman to be anchored to you for life, you have to respect her feelings and give her a shoulder to cry on when she needs one. For instance, if your girl's cat/dog has died and the only way you can comfort her is by telling, "Thank God, that yucky creature used to steal food from my plate," then most probably, the girl will reach for the flower vase. Being sensitive helps a lot in the long run, so don't forget to give alms to the beggars or tip the waiters generously whenever are you are with your prize catch.
4. Jack of all trades Women expect their men to be jack of all trades, never mind that they are master of none. A woman expects her man to repair the kitchen's tap, open the jar of pickle, fix a flat tyre, and replace a blown-out fuse. Please note that to learn a little bit of plumbering and electrician work will help you in the long run. Believe me, it is so disappointing if a guy can't fix a blown-out fuse.
5. Bad boy image Some women crazily fall head over heels with bad boys. Most probably, this fascination for such men is because the women hope and are confident that they will hopefully be able to "reform" them some day. I actually don't know the exact reason.
Charles Sobhraj is idolized by women even today.
6. Geek and Intelligent Men Women find geeks attractive and "so cute". Women believe they can light up the dark lives of geeks. Besides, if someone can solve E=mc2, that is so "wow."
Bill Gates scruffy hair and simple dressing makes him a woman magnet.
7. "A man who doesn't stand for something will fall for anything." Women like their men to take a stand for them if such a situation arises. No woman will stick to a wimpy man for long even if he has millions of bucks or looks like a Greek god. Men who stand up for their woman are the most respected, loved, and are never exchanged for.
8. Possessiveness I have seen many women complaining about their partners being possessive, but the truth is every woman wants to be "possessed" and it makes her feel "wanted" and "treasured." But, the problem arises when a man becomes "overpossessive" and stalks her, and utters sentences like, "I can hear a male voice in the background." Such men will get dumped sooner or later because it is difficult to put up with such behaviour.
9. Six packs, four packs, and family pack Women drool over six packs and four packs because not only do men look attractive in their toned bodies, but it also shows that those men are capable of hard work and taking care of themselves. Also, men with athletic bodies are a favourite. A man with a "family pack paunch" is not that attractive after all.
Hrithik with his six-pack.
10. Men who are likely to promise a better life. Sometimes women are attracted to men with whom they tag along just to sail through their current difficulties and difficult situations. Jacqueline Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis, a wealthy greek business who was 28 years older to her only for protection, as she feared the Kennedy family was being targeted after the assassination of her brother-in-law Robert Kennedy earlier that year. Onassis was a wealthy and powerful man, exactly what she needed. Her marriage would also accomplish her goal of taking her and her children out of the US. This marriage was one of convenience as the couple rarely spent time together. Jackie spent most of her days traveling and shopping.
11. Money. ""If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning. ~Aristotle Onassis. ""It's not all about money, but it is still about money (coined for Jomol, please give me credit for that). Some women are attracted to wealthy men because these women dream of a better future and things which only money can get them. Even financially well-placed women get attracted to wealthy men because they can support their hi-fi lifestyle.
Vijay Mallya is always surrounded by pretty woman, his millions of course play a part in attracting the beauties.
12. Last but not the least and most importantly, women get attracted to men who are loving, caring, lovable, and pamper them. Such men are very rare and only few lucky women are able to find such men. Well, the only example that comes to my mind is that of a fictional character…..Greg of "Dharma and Greg." He is the perfect man every woman would die for.
Thomas Gibson plays Greg in "Dharma and Greg"
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US admiral: Kim seeks to reunify Koreas
WASHINGTON — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's long-term goal is to reunify the divided Korean Peninsula under his totalitarian government, the senior U.S. Navy officer overseeing military operations in the Pacific told lawmakers Wednesday.
Adm. Harry Harris Jr. said during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee there's a prevailing view that Kim needs a nuclear arsenal to safeguard his regime. But Harris says Kim is after much more.
"I think we are self-limiting if we view North Korea's nuclear ambitions as solely a means to safeguard his regime," said Harris, who leads U.S. Pacific Command. "I do think that he is after reunification under a single communist system. So he's after what his grandfather failed to do and his father failed to do and he's on a path to achieve what he feels is his natural place."
Kim's father and grandfather were the late North Korean rulers Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung.
Harris also said North Korea's advancing nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs put "him in a position to blackmail the South and other countries in the region and us."
The testimony from Harris, an officer who's been in uniform for nearly 40 years and speaks bluntly, came as athletes from North Korea are participating in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The games led to a remarkable moment of reconciliation between the rivals but their decades-long animosities could easily erupt again after the Olympics.
Harris called North Korea's Olympic delegation, which included Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong, a "charm offensive." He said it behooves the U.S. and South Korea to consider North Korea "for the regime it is and to deal with it on the basis of fact, not charm."
Top U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday delivered their latest threat assessment, telling the Senate Intelligence Committee that the risk of conflict with North Korea is higher today than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Their wide-ranging intelligence report also said North Korea will likely conduct more missile tests this year and not negotiate away its nuclear capabilities.
Vice President Mike Pence, who was in Pyeongchang for the start of the Olympics, said the U.S. is open for talks without preconditions with North Korea, a subtle shift in White House policy.


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This is an essay I'm currently writing and working on. Decided to share some of it today. The title makes reference to my oldest brother's inability to talk. That's not really discussed here. In French (I think) it's: Mon frère, on parle dans le silence. Because I like to translate my titles into French.
My mother told me once, after my oldest brother's death, that I might not quite feel the gravity of it all, of death, of losing a brother, of his disability. I understood then that this was probably true, but even now, so many years later, I still do not quite understand it all and I have given my life to understand something of death, of growing up without an able older brother—without two able older brothers—and I continue to come back to the themes of longing for a childhood where I could be the younger brother, where I could be teased by Aaron in words and outrun by KC in the fields.
We sang Amazing Grace at Aaron's memorial service. When we buried the metal box with his ashes, surrounded by oaks and weeds, pillars of dust rose up from a rusted tractor in the field below. I could also see the high school and the baseball field in the distance. It was there, behind the dugouts, where I imagined the namer of this small town stood, when he pointed up to the sky at a bald eagle circling, it's wings opened wide. This Native in my mind holds his hand in the direction of the bird, but does not name it, for it is too beautiful and too majestic. He therefore names the land in its shadow after it.
Yoncalla. This is where I grew up. Where I lived when Aaron died and where he is buried now underneath the oak trees on the hill, underneath the shadow of what we cannot name.
I remember Aaron standing in the bathroom, his diaper at his feet, and my mother leaned over, wiping him. The Cubs game played in the living room and hot dogs boiled on the stovetop. It was Saturday. If Aaron had lived with us, my mother wiping him and the stink of it down the hallway would be a common scene, but he only visited.
When Aaron turned three the doctors diagnosed him with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). His mental faculties diminished and he stopped talking. He used to say Daddy and Mommy, afterward he hardly looked them in the eye.
TSC is a rare multi-system genetic disease that causes non-malignant tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs, and skin. A combination of symptoms may include seizures, developmental delay, behavioral problems, skin abnormalities, lung and kidney disease.
I had to Google search TSC much like my mother did in 1994 when we first connected to the Internet in our house. She spent hours in front of the monitor, waiting through the slow loading process, and coming to the same conclusion as the doctors: Aaron would live a long life.
1979, the same year Aaron was born, Manuel Rodríguez Gómez, head of the Mayo Clinic's Pediatric Neurology department, edited the only textbook on TSC for the next twenty years. And in a 1991 Mayo Clinic publication, "Causes of death in patients with tuberous sclerosis," states, "Leading causes of death include…status epilepticus or bronchopneumonia in those with severe mental handicap." My mother no doubt read that line, "those with severe mental handicap." With autistic like conditions, severe seizures, and an inability to take care of himself, she understood severe mental handicap. She felt it in her back and bones. She raised five children in all. When Aaron was nine my father made the difficult decision of putting him in a group home. The effort to raise so many children with so many needs, my Father realized, would break my mother physically and emotionally. But moving Aaron out of the house broke her no matter what. In all those hours of studying TSC and the obvious, the inevitability of Aaron's death so thoroughly disclosed itself from her. She called it an act of grace.
Two weeks before Aaron's death he was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. I was almost 12. A few days before he was hospitalized we drove to Roseburg and picked him up from the group home and went out for ice cream. My mother fed Aaron vanilla ice cream from a dish, but the ice cream hurt Aaron's teeth so Mom offered it to me. Aaron drooled and his drool grossed me out so I didn't eat his leftover ice cream. That was the last time I saw him, afraid of his drool in an ice cream shop in Roseburg, 1997.
When Aaron was born my mother and father were juniors at the University of Idaho, she an art education major and he business. Their plan, before Aaron, was to teach at the same high school together. But the only art class she ever taught was when she home-schooled the four of us. Before Aaron passed away she painted with watercolors and sold many of her paintings or gave them away as gifts to friends and donations for auctions. She taught us about the primary colors and how to make green and orange and purple. Once, we mixed all the colors together thinking we'd concoct a super color, but it only made black and from black we could make nothing more.
I begin with the color black. I begin with all the stories poisoned on the palette. I don't know where the colors come from, but when I tell the story they begin to form. At least I think I see them. To anyone else they could be monochrome pictures. To me they're apparitions rising in the sky. Stories about my childhood are stories about who I am, but I cannot understand them. They rise too high and too far for me to understand their truths. I can only point at them and watch their shadows streak across the ground.
This is the story of my brother Aaron. Over there is the story of my brother KC. And there, much closer and lower, that's my story. Sometimes they blend together, other times they're separate. We live in a liminal space where we think we know something about the world when really something bigger is happening. Isn't time so strange, how it let's us be comfortable with the present and then we realize how different our present is, how distant our past, how short our future? It's so hard to look away from my beginnings. In contemplating my story I gain the growing sense of something beyond the story. A majestic power floating in the sky, but I cannot point to it and I cannot name it. It eludes my grasp. Is this an act of grace?


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NEW YORK — The late Steve Sabol, former president of NFL Films, said it best.
"You feel with your ears."
And now, more than ever before, television is bringing the sounds of football's violence and strategy into fans' homes.
"Sports is ultimate reality TV," said John Entz, Fox Sports' executive vice president for production. "People want to go behind the curtain. They want to see how meals get made, how they sell their homes. They want to see how people lead their lives. They want to see everything, and that includes sports.
"They want to feel like they are right there. They want to get inside the huddle. They want to get inside the locker room, and they want to hear the game as if they were right down on the field."
This season, as quarterback Peyton Manning steered the Broncos toward the Super Bowl, Manning's crystal-clear line call of "Omaha! Omaha!" captured the nation's fancy. In Denver's victory over the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game, businesses in Omaha pledged to give his charitable foundation $800 for each "Omaha" he shouted during the telecast. Thirty-one shouts of "Omaha" raised $24,800.
Manning's calls, as well as those of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, will be part of Sunday's Super Bowl TV experience. Offensive guards for both teams will be wearing tiny microphones in their pads during Sunday's game on Fox.
NFL Films was at the forefront of in-game audio for decades, clipping a microphone to the umpire's cap to capture the sound of the snap. But prior to the 2010 season, for safety reasons, the NFL decided to move the umpire's position from the middle of the defense to well behind the quarterback. Then NFL officials decided to put a microphone in the back of the pads of offensive linemen.
Although the viewers' experience has been enhanced by improved sound, many NFL coaches and players haven't exactly been thrilled with the innovation. Now, teams not only study film of their opponents, they also study sound. For Manning, whose formation calls and checks at the line of scrimmage are at the heart of Denver's offense, it's meant even more adjustments.
Coach John Fox was asked here what Manning's "Omaha" call meant. That drew an unprompted reaction for Fox.
"I won't get into the exact specifics (of 'Omaha'), and really, we've never been real thrilled that the league kind of makes us put these microphones on players," Fox said. "It's not real fun for us. I know we have to change a lot."
During a Monday night game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins this season, there were a number of errant snaps from Dallas rookie center Phil Costa to quarterback Tony Romo. Costa claimed the Redskins' defenders were shouting simulated snap counts that mimicked Romo's normal cadence, resulting in errant snaps. That led the NFL to issue a memo to teams saying that centers were no longer required to wear a microphone for the purpose of television broadcasts.
"Clubs will have the option of having the microphone placed in the pads of the starting center OR in the pads of both starting guards," the memo read. "If the club chooses the option of wiring both starting guards, the microphone will be opened on the pads of only one of the guards at any time ."
That means that Broncos center Manny Ramirez won't be wired for sound Sunday, but guards Zane Beadles and Louis Vasquez will be. That means that Manning's Super Bowl voice, and "Omaha! Omaha!" will be heard loud and clear by millions of fans sitting on their couches.


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I've decided that I really need friends with fruit trees. The kind of friends that have so much delicious, ripe fruit bursting from their trees that to them, I am doing them a huge favor by taking some.
Lucky for me, I found a friend in the California Fig Advisory Board. They have lots of fig trees in their backyard (the whole state, really! Lucky ducks!) and were kind enough to send me some.
I take that back. They didn't just send me some figs, they sent me a ton of figs. Two massive boxes, five flats worth, each a different variety. I'm not kidding here. I think Taylor's eyes were bugging out of his head when he saw the sheer quantity of figs spread out on our counter. Some of the figs didn't make the trip so well, but in my mind, squished figs make the best jam.
Yes, I said jam. More jam.
At this point I think I need to get rid of some shoes or something to make room for it all. We've got jam jars filling up every square inch of extra space in our cabinets, both in the living room and kitchen… and I have a feeling we're going to need to make room in the bedroom pretty soon.
But jam isn't all I'm doing with these special fruits. Aside from eating them whole, we've been doing our best to enjoy as much fresh figgy goodness as possible before these delicate fruits disappear. I've even frozen a batch of them to try to preserve them in their freshest state. We've been having fun comparing each different variety, the green ones slightly floral, the darker kinds sweeter and more robust.
Our favorite use so far has been this simple starter. Figs, goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, and prosciutto. All wrapped up in a neat little package. This dish would make a fabulous (and impressive) appetizer, or, as we did, part of a larger tapas-style meal.
Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Wrapped Figs
Easily adaptable for any quantity. Plan on 3-4 figs per person for a starter.
Fresh figs, halved
Goat cheese
Balsamic Vinegar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Arrange fig halves on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Top each half with a teaspoon or so of goat cheese. Press into fig. Drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar (about 1/2 teaspoon per fig).
Cut prosciutto lengthwise into 1-inch wide strips. Carefully wrap each fig in one strip.
Bake for 7-10 minutes or until heated through. You may choose to bake them longer if you like for crisper prosciutto.
Did you make this recipe?
Let us know what you think!
Leave a Comment below or share a photo and tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #loveandoliveoil.
What's even better is that my new friends at the California Fig Advisory Board have offered to share another fig bounty with one of you. Yes, they are giving away a fig jackpot; five flats, 15 dozen, nearly 30 pounds of fresh figs. Don't underestimate this. Prepare yourself. Because if you win, you will be swimming in figs. Not that that's a bad thing.
TO ENTER: simply leave a comment on this post with your favorite fig recipe. I want to know what you would be most excited to make if you won. Jam? A delicious dessert? Something savory? Tell me! I'll be selecting the winner the morning of Thursday, September 2nd. One entry per person. Prize will be shipped to the winner directly from California Fig Advisory Board. Because of the perishable nature of this prize, this giveaway is open to residents of the continental US only. (But don't worry, I've got another giveaway lined up that is open to everyone!)
You can also get yourself a BONUS entry by twittering about this giveaway, sharing it on facebook, or mentioning it on your own blog. Simply leave an additional comment with a link to the tweet and/or blog post. One bonus entry per person (multiple tweets won't get you multiple bonus entries).
Be sure you enter a valid email address, because if your name is drawn and I can't get ahold of you within 72 hours, I will choose an alternate winner. You may also want to add me to your address book (lindsay AT loveandoliveoil DOT com) for good measure, I'd hate for your congratulatory email to end up in the spam folder.
Good luck!


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NBC Ignored Joe Biden's Smear of Indian Americans, But Hypes GOP Congressman's 'Slur'
In 2006, Joe Biden, then a powerful U.S. senator and future vice president, smeared Indian Americans as mostly working at the convenience store 7-11. At the time, NBC (and the other networks) completely ignored the story. This week, when obscure Republican Congressman Don Young referred to Hispanic migrant workers as "wetbacks," NBC's Today show devoted a full segment to the story.
Reporter Kelly O'Donnell on Friday explained how the Alaska Representative gave an interview to a local radio station and "used an offensive slur to describe" some Latinos. She then took this as an excuse to highlight the GOP as out of touch: "Young's comments come at a time when the Republican Party is struggling to connect with minorities after failing to do that in the 2012 presidential election where 71 percent of Latinos voted for President Obama." [MP3 audio here.]
O'Donnell featured a clip from Mike Allen of the liberal Politico: "This is a 'we don't get it' moment at a time when the Republican Party needs it least. This is just one congressman but it gives critics and people who are skeptical of the party a new reason to say it hasn't changed."
NBC's not exactly consistent. On June 17, 2006, Democratic Senator Biden mocked, "You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent....I'm not joking."
NBC avoided the story.
[UPDATE: On Friday night, March 29, both ABC's World News and the NBC Nightly News ran full stories on Don Young.]
More recently, on March 19, 2013, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid linked the accidental deaths of seven Marines to sequester spending cuts. After discussing a training event in Reid's home state of Nevada, the Senator manipulated the tragic events: "But one of the things in sequester is we cut back in training and maintenance."
NBC, along with CBS and ABC, all ignored the controversial remarks.
The comments made by Reid and Biden came from powerful, prominent members of the Democratic Party. However, NBC showed no interest in either. Yet, Don Young's "wetback" remark– and the broader narrative about an out-of-touch GOP– receive prominent play on NBC. (Today aired the Young segment 11 minutes into the program.)
A transcript of the March 29 segment is below:
NBC GRAPHIC: Congressman's Controversial Comments: Alaska's Rep. Apologizes for Saying "Wetback" in Radio Interview
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: A congressman from Alaska is under fire this morning for something he said in a radio interview, and he's not exactly making the type of apology you might expert. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell is in Washington for us this morning. Kelly, good morning to you.
KELLY O'DONNELL: Good morning, Savannah. Now, we are talking about one of the most senior members of Congress, Republican Don Young who does like to say what he thinks. There are only four members who have been there longer. He turns 80 in June, and in this instance he was talking about immigration and how jobs in America have changed. In an interview released by Alaskan radio station KRBD, Thursday, Congressman Don Young is talking about Latinos who once worked on his family's ranch in California, and he used an offensive slur to describe them.
DON YOUNG: My father had a ranch. We used to hire 50 to 60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes. You know, it takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It's all done by machine.
O'DONNELL: Late Thursday, Young tried to explain why he had used the word wetback, a slur that referred to Mexicans who illegally crossed the river into the U.S., saying "I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in central California. I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays, and I meant no disrespect. Migrant workers play an important role in America's work force and earlier in the said interview I discussed the compassion and understanding I have for these workers and the hurdles they face in obtaining citizenship." Alaska has only one member of the House, and Young has served his state since 1973, long known for his outspoken style. Young's comments come at a time when the Republican Party is struggling to connect with minorities after failing to do that in the 2012 presidential election where 71 percent of Latinos voted for President Obama.
MIKE ALLEN (Politico): This is a "we don't get it" moment at a time when the Republican Party needs it least. This is just one congressman but it gives critics and people who are skeptical of the party a new reason to say it hasn't changed.
O'DONNELL: And he's a congressman who has been known to attract controversy from time to time. Now, he won his own re-election with nearly 70 percent of the vote back in November, but he's facing some new questions, ethics questions, about whether he did not properly report some gifts. Don Young is a legend and he is a controversial figure all in the same. Matt?
-- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.


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SAN JOSE — A 42-year-old San Jose man died Thursday evening after an early morning two-car crash that police say may be alcohol related.
The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office said the man — who has not been officially identified — died around 8:10 p.m. from injuries suffered when his Chevy Suburban was involved in wreck with a Honda CRV.
The other driver suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital. Police said he will be arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and possibly other charges related to the Chevy driver's death.
The collision was reported around 12:05 a.m. near Almaden Expressway and Coleman Avenue, San Jose police said.
The driver of the Honda was traveling eastbound on Coleman and the Chevy was going northbound on Almaden Expressway when they collided, according to police Sgt. Heather Randol.
It is not known which vehicle ran a red light.
Traffic investigators cordoned off traffic in multiple directions, causing congestion in the area. Police said there were initial signs that "alcohol influence is suspected in this collision."
Staff writer Mark Gomez contributed to this story. Contact Eric Kurhi at 408-920-5852. Follow him at Twitter.com/erickurhi.


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Event Booking
If you are interested in the performance of British doom metal band Conan for your venue or concert, contact us today: We will gladly put together a great and exciting show for your upcoming event. Due to schedule restrictions, we kindly ask you to book well in advance! You can use our convenient booking form to send us enquiries. We will get in touch with you as soon as possible!


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The last camping stove I owned was a 15-pound '70s-era Coleman behemoth that took longer to light than actually cook a meal on. So to now use the 1.5-pound Sol cooking system and the Sumo Ti mug is nothing short of magical.
I brought two cups of water to a rolling boil in three minutes—way faster than my kitchen stove—and had a mug of Ramen ready in under six, including set up time. It uses an integrated, push-button starter that keeps my hands safely away from the flame. The Sumo mug also locks directly onto the Sol burner assembly which helps keep everything upright and holds 1.8 liters—enough to feed you and your hiking buddies. The entire system—canister base stand, fuel tank, and burner—breaks down and stows in the cup itself.
No Like
It imparted a slight metallic tang the first couple of times I used it but that faded after a few washings (either that or I just got used to the taste of aluminum). Also the cup is about eight inches deep which makes getting at the last dredges of whatever I just cooked a bit of a challenge.
It's a fantastic hiking and camping stove with a lot of output for such a little system. This is definitely going in my emergency kit.
$50 Sumo Ti cup, $120 Sol cooking system available at Jetboil.com
You can keep up with Andrew Tarantola, the author of this post, on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.


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Bid On-the-Go!
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"Nude Model" by Henri Matisse, 1993 Unsigned Offset Lithograph. Paper size is 18 x 24 inches, with an image size of 13 x 19.75 inches. The Offset Lithograph is from an unknown edition size. and is not framed. The condition was rated A-: Near Mint, very light signs of handling. Additional details: Published by Bruce McGaw Graphics. Raised edge around the image and "Henri Matisse" in raised lettering in the bottom border.
18 x 24 inches
Matisse, Henri
Offset Lithograph
A-: Near Mint, very light signs of handling
Published by Bruce McGaw Graphics. Raised edge around the image and "Henri Matisse" in raised lettering in the bottom border.
Accepted forms of payment: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Visa, Wire Transfer
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DUMBO Auctions reserves the right to determine all shipping and handling costs. DUMBO Auctions also reserves the right to adjust the initial shipping fees provided if deemed appropriate.
Brooklyn , NY, US
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DUMBO Auctions reserves the right to determine all shipping and handling costs. DUMBO Auctions also reserves the right to adjust the initial shipping fees provided if deemed appropriate.
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NYC Thank You! Tube Socks
$20 USD SOLD OUTSubscription • Save
Unfortunately due to legal restrictions, shipping is not available to your country. Please visit one of our stores in New York City.
Cotton blend tube sock.
Embroidered logo.
Proceeds from the sale of this product directly benefit the City of New York.
Most orders are processed and shipped within 1-2 business days of purchase. All orders are shipped from New York City and delivery time is based on shipping method.
Free returns on US orders.
All sale items are final sale.
For more info and international shipping details please click here.