text:
The Jacksonville Jaguars are headed in a completely new direction.
And Los Angeles doesn't appear to be the destination.
FILE – In this Sept. 1, 2011 file photo, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio argues with an official during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the St. Louis Rams, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars fired Del Rio, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011 after a 3-8 start, parting ways with him during his ninth season. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton, File)
Team owner Wayne Weaver fired longtime coach Jack Del Rio on Tuesday after a 3-8 start and agreed to sell the Jaguars to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. Weaver named defensive coordinator Mel Tucker the interim coach and gave general manager Gene Smith a three-year contract extension, putting him in charge of the coaching search.
The moves marked the most significant changes for the small-market franchise since its inception in 1993.
"It's the right thing at the right time and for the right reasons," Weaver said. "We deserve better; the community deserves better. We've been very average over the last few years. I take responsibility for a lot of that, making mistakes in some personnel things, but look positive ahead that this team is not far away from being a very competitive football team."
Forbes reported the sale to be worth $760 million.
Weaver, who will turn 77 in January, had been looking for an "exit strategy" for years, wanting to find someone to buy the team and keep it in Jacksonville. He had tears in his eyes several times as he announced his impending departure.
"It's a little bittersweet, honestly, that it came as soon as it did," Weaver said. "But the main motivation for the exit strategy was to find someone that has the same passion about the NFL, had the same passion about football in Jacksonville as we do, and I found that person."
Khan, 61, believes he is the right choice, too.
"Wayne's legacy will be lasting, and I will always be grateful for Wayne's trust and confidence in my commitment to the Jaguars, the NFL and the people of the Jacksonville community," Khan said in a statement.
Born in Pakistan, Khan left home at age 16 to attend the University of Illinois. He graduated in 1971, a year after he started working for Flex-N-Gate Corp. in Urbana, Ill. He purchased the company in 1980. Today, Flex-N-Gate is a major manufacturer of bumper systems for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles built in North America.
Khan tried to buy controlling interest in the St. Louis Rams last year.
His purchase of the Jaguars is subject to NFL approval. League owners will vote to ratify the deal Dec. 14, and if it passes, would become official Jan. 4.
The Jaguars could have a new coach in place before then.
"There's a lot of good things that will happen in the future," Smith said.
Del Rio's job security had been tenuous since Weaver said the coach needed to make the playoffs to secure a 10th season in Jacksonville. The Jaguars were essentially eliminated with Sunday's 20-13 loss to AFC South-leading Houston.
"It's the nature of the beast," tight end Marcedes Lewis said. "Change is good sometimes. Obviously, it's an unfortunate situation. … This is the NFL and unfortunate things happen sometimes."
The timing of the move made sense since the Jaguars are struggling to sell tickets and host a Monday night game against San Diego. The team needs to sell about 9,000 tickets to avoid a local television blackout for a prime-time game.
Making a coaching change could boost sales.
Del Rio leaves with a 69-73 record, including 1-2 in two playoffs appearances. The Jaguars didn't win the AFC South in any of his nine seasons.
Weaver gave Del Rio a four-year extension worth $21 million after Jacksonville won a playoff game following the 2007 season. The team stumbled to a 5-11 finish the following season, and Weaver overhauled the roster but decided to keep Del Rio.
Weaver considered firing Del Rio again after last season, but kept him partly because of the uncertainty surrounding the NFL lockout. Weaver refused to give contract extensions to any of Del Rio's assistants, putting everyone on alert that this was a win-or-else season.
Del Rio told The Associated Press in a text message that his family was "blessed with nine good years" in Jacksonville.
Fans would disagree.
They will remember Del Rio's tenure as one that lasted too long and was filled with quarterback chaos, inconsistency, staff turnover and late-season collapses. There also was the decision to place an ax and a wooden stump in the locker room to remind players to "keep chopping wood." It backfired miserably when punter Chris Hanson accidentally hacked into his leg and was placed on injured reserve.
This season, Del Rio released veteran quarterback David Garrard five days before the season opener, then benched journeyman Luke McCown after two games. He turned things over to rookie Blaine Gabbert, who has panicked under pressure, misfired on short throws and shown little progress in nine starts.
Del Rio also botched quarterback decisions involving Mark Brunell and Byron Leftwich in 2003, and Leftwich and Garrard in 2007.
Equally troubling, Del Rio showed a penchant for throwing players and assistants under the bus. Del Rio fired 19 assistant coaches during his tenure, creating enough tension that could make it tough for him to get another job in the league.
The Jaguars owe Del Rio about $5.6 million for the final year of his contract.
Del Rio met with Weaver early Tuesday and then held one final team meeting.
"He just said that he's spent a lot of time here, obviously devoted a lot of time and energy here, but it was unfortunate that he wasn't able to win a championship," linebacker Paul Posluszny said. "So it was time for a change, time for someone else to have a shot.
"I don't know what else can top a day like this."
Source: The Associated Press | Mark Long


text:
John Muir Papers
As a renowned naturalist, explorer, writer, and conservationist, John Muir is considered a forefather of the modern environmental movement. Since 1970, Holt-Atherton Special Collections has been the repository for the John Muir Papers and over a dozen Muir related collections. Today, approximately 75% of the extant papers of Muir are preserved here.
View/Search Muir Digital Collections
Overview of all John Muir collections at Pacific
Full-text of some of Muir's writings (at sierraclub.org)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Wood Furniture Care
There is something truly special about living room, dining room, and bedroom furniture made from wood. For its weight, wood is one of the strongest materials known to man. Wood is a natural product; just as each tree is unique, each piece of wood furniture is different in depth of color, richness of texture, and pattern of the grain. Quality wood home furniture in your living room, dining room, or bedroom provides warmth and creates a rich, elegant ambience while offering gentle, lasting comfort. If properly cared for, wood furniture develops its own patina, or surface appearance, of softness and mellowness, and increases in value with age.
Your home's wood furniture can be made from hardwoods, softwoods, or a combination of both. Hardwoods, such as oak, ash, maple, cherry, and poplar, come from broad-leafed, deciduous trees that produce a fruit or nut and become dormant in the winter months. Softwoods, such as pine, cedar, hemlock, redwood, and spruce, are harvested from needle-leafed, coniferous trees, which produce cones and are typically evergreens. Hardwoods are used for all types of living room, dining room, and bedroom furniture, flooring, and kitchen cabinetry. Although softwoods are typically used as structural lumber (for commercially available 2-by-4's, for example, or in frames for upholstered sofas and chairs), they're sometimes used for decorative applications as well.
Cleaning Wood Furniture
Cleaning is very important for preserving the value of the wood furniture in your living room, dining room, and bedroom. As you would wash a car before polishing it, you should clean your wood before you polish it. Although you don't see most dirt and soil on wood, it builds up just as it does on mirrors, a stove, or windows. This buildup may consist of oily or greasy film from heating and cooking, creosote from a fireplace, or just plain dust. Cleaning removes these contaminants so they don't get ground into the finish and into the wood. To avoid the damaging effects of buildup, horizontal surfaces such as tabletops and desktops should be cleaned and polished monthly. Vertical surfaces should be cleaned every eight weeks.
Choose a wood furniture cleaning product that fits within the parameters outlined by the furniture manufacturer. If you're not sure what product to use, contact either the furniture manufacturer or the merchant where the furniture was purchased for more information. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully, and test the product in an inconspicuous area before application. Beware of products that contain a high percentage of silicone oil. Silicone-based wood cleaners can seep through the original finish and cause permanent damage to the wood furniture in your living room, dining room, or bedroom over time.
Between cleanings, wood should be dusted regularly—ideally, at least once a week.
- Never dust with a dry cloth. Most dust particles have sharp edges that can easily cut into and scratch the finish of your home's wood furniture. Because of these sharp edges, dry dusting should be avoided.
- Never use a feather duster. A feather duster simply scatters dust particles into the air, where they can fall back to rest on and harm your living room, dining room, and bedroom furniture.
For best results, use a clean, washable, lint-free cotton cloth, such as an old T-shirt, a cotton diaper, or a dishtowel. Make sure the cloth is free of buttons, snaps, zippers, etc., which could harm the finish of your home furniture.
Sprinkle a few drops of water, a dusting aid, or polish on your dusting cloth. The cloth should be damp, but should not leave the wood visibly wet when you wipe. Remove the dust with a gentle, oval motion that follows the grain of the wood. Always remember that in most cases you're polishing the finish, not the wood—so use a light touch.
Sponsored by Rhodes Furniture
You've decorated your home with the furniture of your dreams, but how do you keep your living room, dining room, and bedroom furniture looking beautiful for years to come? While it's easy to find opinions on the best methods for cleaning and maintaining your mattresses and wood, upholstery, and leather furniture, it's difficult to know whom you can trust with the care of these valuable items.
Home Furniture Care was developed by the Rhodes family of stores to provide the information you need to safely care for, clean, and protect the living room, dining room, and bedroom furniture in your family's home. Combining more than 125 years of Rhodes' furniture experience with the knowledge of some of the country's finest manufacturers, this site is dedicated to helping you maintain the beauty and value of your home furniture investments.
Here you'll find safe cleaning and dusting methods that will restore, enhance, and preserve the beauty of your fine wood furniture. Discover leather furniture care and fabric stain removal tips that can save and protect your precious upholstered furniture. You'll also learn about the simple monthly maintenance that can greatly extend the life of your mattresses. Home Furniture Care has the information you need to keep your living room, dining room, and bedroom furniture looking great for years to come.
General Wood Care Tips
- Keep home furniture out of direct sunlight, which can cause heat damage and bleaching of the wood.
- To prevent the loss of moisture in wood, keep furniture away from heating and air-conditioning sources.
- Always use coasters under both hot and cold drinks on your living room, dining room, and bedroom furniture.
- To prevent gouging and scratching, use felt backing on lamps, ashtrays, and accessories.
- When serving hot foods, always use place mats under plates and hot pads under serving dishes on wood dining room furniture.
- To prevent moisture damage to your wood furniture, make sure plants are in drip-proof pots, and keep foliage from touching the furniture surface.
- When placing items on furniture made from wood, always set them down gently; when retrieving items, pick them up, don't slide them.
- Don't place rubber or synthetic materials, such as plastics, directly on wood finishes, since they might contain chemicals that could damage the finish.
- Don't place magazines or newspapers on wood surfaces; the ink will bleed into the finish and eventually damage the wood.
- Blot spills immediately. Once the surface is dry, coat the area with an appropriate polish or oil.
- To prevent discoloration, frequently move items on wood furniture that's exposed to the sun.
- Avoid using nail polish and remover and harsh household products near wood furniture.
- Dust furniture at least weekly with a damp, lint-free cloth.
- Always clean wood furniture before polishing.
- Always polish wood furniture after cleaning.
Wood Furniture Home Remedies
Moderate to serious damage to fine wood home furniture requires the help of a professional to correct. For simple, everyday wear, try these remedies:
- To remove cloudiness: Rub wood surface with a cloth dipped in a solution of 1 tablespoon of vinegar added to 1 quart of water. Rub with the grain until surface is completely dry. Follow with application of furniture oil or polish.
- To remove water rings: Rub water rings with a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and cooking oil, rubbing with the grain.
- To remove heat marks: Coat heat mark area with mayonnaise and let stand for one hour, then wipe off.
- To remove burns: Rub burn area with the finest-grade steel wool (000 or finer), rubbing lightly with the grain until the burnt material is smoothed off. Follow with an application of furniture oil or polish.
- To remove candle-wax drippings: Gently scrape off excess wax. Apply a warm (not hot) iron over white cloth to absorb residue. Follow with an application of furniture oil or polish.
- To remove dents: Wipe dented area with warm water. Apply a compress of paper soaked in warm water to swell the wood fibers. Let sit for 30 minutes and then apply a warm (not hot) iron over cloth until the dent is gone. Follow with an application of furniture oil or polish.


text:
Qualitest, a subsidiary of Endo Health Solutions (Nasdaq: ENDP), today issued a voluntary, nationwide retail level recall for one lot of Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets, USP 10 mg/500 mg.
The recall includes the following product lot:
- Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets, USP 10 mg/500 mg, NDC 0603-3888-21, 100 count, Lot Number C1440512A, expiry date 12/13.
It is possible that some tablets from lot C1440512A exceed the weight specification and could be super-potent for the ingredients Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen.
Bottles from the affected lot may contain tablets that have a higher dosage of acetaminophen, and as a result, it is possible that consumers could take more than the intended acetaminophen dose. Unintentional administration of tablets with increased acetaminophen content could result in liver toxicity, especially in patients on other acetaminophen containing medications, patients with liver dysfunction, or people who consume more than 3 alcoholic beverages a day. The product label warns consumers that acetaminophen overdose can potentially cause severe liver damage, at times resulting in liver transplant or death. Taking a higher dose of hydrocodone than intended could result in an increase in the severity or frequency of side effects, such as sedation or respiratory depression, particularly in patients who are elderly, have severe kidney or liver impairment, or are also taking interacting medications, for example other sedating medications or certain antidepressants.
No injuries have been reported to date.
Hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen 10 mg/500 mg tablets are indicated for the relief of moderate to moderately severe pain. The affected lot, C1440512A, was distributed between May 14 and Aug. 3, 2012 to wholesale distributors and retail pharmacies nationwide. The lot number can be found on the side of the manufacturer's bottle. Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets are approximately 16.51 mm in length, pink, capsule-shaped tablets, with "3600" debossed on one side of the tablet and "V" on the other.
Consumers who have lot C1440512A should contact Qualitest at 1-800-444-4011. Consumers who are unsure if they have the affected lot number should consult their pharmacy or health care professional.
Pharmacists and wholesalers are asked to check their inventories for lot C1440512A, segregate any material from the lot, and to contact MedTurn at 1-800-967-5952 for instructions on product return. Pharmacies that received lot C1440512A will receive a copy of this press release with their recall notification information. In order to make your patients aware of this recall, please post the enclosed press release prominently in the pharmacy area.
For more information please contact Qualitest at 1-800-444-4011; Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST. Reports of adverse reactions or quality problems can also be reported to Qualitest at 1-800-444-4011; Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST.
Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either on line, by regular mail, or by fax.
- Online: www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
- Regular Mail: use postage-paid, pre-addressed Form FDA 3500 available at:
www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm. Mail to address on the pre-addressed form.
- Fax: 1-800-FDA-0178
This voluntary recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
About Qualitest
Founded in 1983, Qualitest provides affordable, high-quality generic pharmaceuticals. Featuring a current portfolio exceeding 600 products, the company has grown significantly since its inception and is now ranked in the top ten among all suppliers of generics, based on total prescriptions filled. Qualitest is a wholly owned subsidiary of Endo Health Solutions (Nasdaq: ENDP), a U.S.-based, specialty healthcare solutions company, focused on high-value branded products and specialty generics (www.endo.com).


text:
DEVICE(9) DragonFly Kernel Developer's Manual DEVICE(9)
NAMEdevice -- an abstract representation of a device
SYNOPSIStypedef struct bsd_device *device_t;
DESCRIPTIONThe device object represents a piece of hardware attached to the system such as an expansion card, the bus which that card is plugged into, disk drives attached to the expansion card etc. The system defines one device, root_bus and all other devices are created dynamically during autoconfiguration. Normally devices representing toplevel busses in the system (ISA, PCI etc.) will be attached directly to root_bus and other devices will be added as children of their relevant bus. The devices in a system form a tree. All devices except root_bus have a parent (see device_get_parent(9)). In addition, any device can have children attached to it (see device_add_child(9), device_add_child_ordered(9), device_find_child(9), device_get_children(9), and device_delete_child(9)). A device which has been successfully probed and attached to the system will also have a driver (see device_get_driver(9) and driver(9)) and a devclass (see device_get_devclass(9) and devclass(9)). Various other attributes of the device include a unit number (see device_get_unit(9)), verbose description (normally supplied by the driver, see device_set_desc(9) and device_get_desc(9)), a set of bus-specific variables (see device_get_ivars(9)) and a set of driver-specific variables (see device_get_softc(9)). Devices can be in one of several states: DS_NOTPRESENT the device has not been probed for existence or the probe failed DS_ALIVE the device probe succeeded but not yet attached DS_ATTACHED the device has been successfully attached DS_BUSY the device is currently open The current state of the device can be determined by calling device_get_state(9).
SEE ALSOdevclass(9), driver(9)
AUTHORSThis man page was written by Doug Rabson. DragonFly 4.7 November 29, 2016 DragonFly 4.7


text:
Environmental groups hope Gulf oil spill will change public policy, consumer behavior
VENICE, La. – VENICE, La. (AP) — In the weeks after an oil rig exploded and killed 11 men in the Gulf of Mexico, worried environmental groups scoured the water for oil plumes, set up animal triage centers and stretched boom across shorelines.
Activists hope their involvement doesn't end there; maybe, they contend, this is the catalyst that America's green movement needs. Will Americans be horrified enough by the news to pump less gasoline, buy hybrids and downsize their consumer lifestyle?
"We all need to take a hard look at how we're living. And how that is having an impact on our world and the health of the planet," said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. "How long will it take for folks to wake up to the truth? Clearly, if there is a moment for us to wake up, this is it."
But asking Americans to pay attention is easier if there are dramatic photos and videos tugging at heartstrings. So far, there have been few such images in this disaster. Though more than 4 million gallons have been spilled in the three weeks since the explosion, slow-moving currents in the Gulf have kept the thickest oil offshore and away from coastal wildlife.
That hasn't stopped environmental activists from trying to publicize how much the spill will affect the region.
Ten days after the rig explosion, Schweiger and a team of National Wildlife Federation staff had rented a condo in Venice, a small Louisiana fishing village 70 miles south of New Orleans that has become a staging area of sorts. Guys with GREENPEACE T-shirts mixed on docks with charter boat captains and international media. Leilani Munter, an IndyCar racer and environmental activist who blogs under the name "carbonfreegirl," was there, taking video of the effect on local fishermen.
Last week, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune flew over the Gulf in a seaplane to survey the damage. He saw waves of rust-colored oil undulating through the blue water, toward sensitive bird habitat.
"We saw high concentrations of oil," he said. "We flew over a very small portion of this. This is a spill that extends for miles and miles and miles and miles. It will be one of the largest manmade disasters ever and the impact will be profound."
It's been relatively easy for environmental groups to detail the spill's human toll. Eleven men on the oil rig were killed. Thousands of fishermen on the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are no longer making money now that the federal government has shut down commercial fishing in a big chunk of Gulf waters.
It's been a little more difficult to explain to the American public how the spill is affecting the environment — or why people should change their habits to help the situation. Only a few birds have been brought in to cleaning centers, and while several dozen turtles and a few dolphins have washed up — none with visible oil — scientists aren't so sure that has anything to do with the spill.
Photos and videos of brown, pudding-like oil in the water near the well far out to sea don't have the same impact that it would if and when such sludge makes it to beaches in big quantities.
It was images of another oil spill — a massive gusher off the coast of Santa Barbara in California in 1969 — that spearheaded the modern environmental movement and galvanized people to create the first Earth Day in 1970.
That spill coated miles of California coast and killed dolphins and seals. Among the conservation groups formed at the time were the Environmental Defense Center and Get Oil Out!, an anti-drilling group whose founder urged the public to cut down on driving, burn gas credit cards and boycott companies associated with offshore drilling.
Yet after the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, environmentalists were hoping it would change both public policy, opinion and behavior.
"But it didn't," said Rick Steiner, a former University of Alaska marine conservation specialist who has been doing volunteer work in Louisiana for Greenpeace. "Exxon Valdez did make tanker transport safer. I was hoping it would result in a sustainable energy push in the U.S. but it didn't."
Steiner thinks this Gulf spill could "become like Chernobyl or Three Mile Island or Bhopal" — a moment where people, and politics transform.
"Maybe this is the straw," he said. "Maybe this is the incident that will catalyze both the individual consumer's behavior and the political policy change."
It could change if more photos and pictures of oiled animals emerge.
"People have a deep connection to the wildlife and the beauty of the wildlife, and when they see those pictures of the birds, the turtles, the things that are harmed, there's a gut emotional reaction," said Marylee Orr, executive director of Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper, a Louisiana-based advocacy group.
Advocates acknowledge there is a disconnect between consumer behavior — and the dependence on oil — and what is happening now in the Gulf.
"I would like to see people make a connection to this incident and their everyday behavior," said David Ringer, a spokesman for the National Audubon Society. "For people to realize that our individual choices every day have a tremendous effect on the planet and all the life we share this planet with."
Associated Press writer Noaki Schwartz contributed to this report.
On the Net:
National Wildlife Federation: http://www.nwf.org
Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper: http://www.lmrk.org


text:
Bamboo Flooring Review – Selecting the Best Brand for You
Why Bamboo?
Bamboo flooring provides a good option if you wish to install something unique and wonderful on your floors. Based on review, you will find that floors installed with this kind of flooring exhibits a certain glow found nowhere in other types of flooring. It is available in different hues that provide adequate choices for homeowners and home builders to choose from. It is also suitable for the different rooms of your house, from public spaces like the kitchen and living room, to private spaces like bedrooms and even bathrooms. Best of all, bamboo is the most environmentally sustainable flooring product around, being harvested every four years or so and easily cultivated. Most of the products are imported from China, where its production is strictly regulated to maximize its sustainability.
Brands of Bamboo Flooring
Presenting this review entails the mention of several of the more popular bamboo brands. Included in the list are the Panda Lumber and the EnviroChoice Bamboo, with the former boasting of being harvested every six years so as to increase its durability and stability. If you wish for convenience, try the Premium Green Bamboo which boasts of never requiring waxing, while Springwood offers a product line that is suitable for installment over heated floors. Westhollow products are considered stylish and so is Woodstock, which has bamboo flooring that is colored beyond the natural and carbonized hues, providing you as the homeowner with a variety of choices. All these brands are available in pre-finished flooring that translates to lesser efforts in the part of the installer.
Unfinished and Hand Scraped
However, when you wish your flooring to match the shades of wood products and wood elements around your house, try the Far East Unfinished brand. This particular flooring allows you to have complete control as to the ideal color and shade is suitable within your abode. Although labor intensive, this type of bamboo flooring is well worth the trouble and expense if you are a discriminating kind of person. The bamboo flooring review will not be complete if the Ming Dynasty Hand Scraped bamboo flooring brand is not mentioned. The products of this manufacturer bear unusual hand scraped texture made by Chinese artisans. However, expect to spend a little bit for this brand as its supply is not as extensive as the other bamboo flooring manufacturer.
Comparison with Other Flooring
When you read different bamboo flooring review found in magazines and the internet, you will know that bamboos have the same hardness most hardwood products have. It is also easier to clean than hardwood and only requires regular sweeping. Some homeowners, however, recommend on using a micro-fiber mop dampened with a vinegar and water solution to remove stubborn dirt.
Source by Sarah Connor


text:
This morning, we have news briefs about the passing of two television veterans — one from behind the scenes and one in front of the camera.
Also, Henson puppets may be returning to NBC, American Horror Story gets cut, and a celebration of Cagney & Lacey for their 30th anniversary (original series image at right). Plus, some notable dates in TV history.
Jack Elinson, RIP
A veteran TV comedy writer, whose career stretched over 50 years, died last Thursday at his home in Santa Monica. Elinson was 89 years old. After writing for shows like The Johnny Carson Show and The Real McCoys in the 1950s, he went on write for Make Room for Daddy, The Andy Griffith Show, and Hogan's Heroes. As a producer, he worked on Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., That Girl, and Good Times. He was also an executive producer, working on shows like One Day at Time, The Facts of Life, and 227, which he also developed. He is survived by his second wife Estelle, seven children and a dozen grandchildren. A private memorial was held yesterday.
John Neville, RIP
The actor who played "The Well-Manicured Man" on The X-Files has died at 86. Neville suffered from Alzheimer's disease and passed away in Toronto on Saturday, surrounded by his family. He appeared in six episodes of the sci-fi FOX series as well as numerous movies like Little Women and The Fifth Element. He played the title role in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and worked as an artistic director for several notable theatres. Neville's survivors include his wife of 62 years, Caroline, six children, and six grandchildren.
The New Nabors
With the new Muppets movie set to open tomorrow, the Jim Henson Company has made a script deal for a new puppet/human series with NBC. The New Nabors is a comedy that revolves around a human family who lives next door to a family of puppets. Lisa Henson, John Hoffman, and John Riggi are executive producing with longtime Henson producer Alex Rockwell on board. This will be the first human/puppet series like this since NBC's ALF back in the 1980s. Don't look for Kermit or any of the other Muppets to make guest shots however. The Henson Company sold those characters to Disney back in 2004. The company still owns characters from projects like Fraggle Rock, Farscape, and Labyrinth.
American Horror Story
Even successful shows get their episode orders cut sometimes. The first season finale of American Horror Story was scheduled to be two hours long (episodes 12 and 13) but will now be only 90 minutes. Apparently they had a very aggressive production schedule and just ran out of enough time to be able to shoot and then assemble the 13th episode. Co-creator Ryan Murphy was looking at an option to simply drop the 13th episode entirely but came up with a way to give the finale a satisfying ending. American Horror Story has already been renewed for a second season but FX may order more than just 13 episodes.
Cagney & Lacey
In honor of the 30th anniversary of the CBS cop drama, the British Film Institute is hosting a salute on November 29th. Series creator Barney Rosenzweig, co-star Tyne Daly, and co-Sharon Gless (also Rosenzweig's wife) will be on hand to take part. At the tribute, Rosenzweig will no doubt be asked about the rumors of a new Cagney & Lacey series or movie being in the works. On his blog, Rosenzweig says that there's no truth to this at all (unfortunately) though he has had discussions over the years about doing one. He believes that the copyright holder, MGM, simply has other priorities right now and hopes that the full series will eventually be released on DVD.
2010: ABC's ill-conceived Skating with the Stars reality series debuted. It was cancelled after one brief season.
2005: Ted Koppel stepped down from hosting ABC's Nightline after 25 years. He also left ABC News after 42 years. He can now be seen as a special correspondent on NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams.
1999: The last episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys aired in syndication. The series ran for 111 episodes and six seasons.
1992: One of ABC's new Columbo movies aired. "A Bird In The Hand" stars Peter Falk, as well as Tyne Daly and Greg Evigan. It registered a 12.2 rating but was in third place in its timeslot.
1982: A reunion movie with the cast of The Waltons aired on NBC called A Day For Thanks on Walton's Mountain. It's the fifth of eight reunion movies that were made.
1968: The first interracial kiss on network television aired on Star Trek, as Captain Kirk (William Shatner) was forced to kiss Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). The network expected a barrage of complaints but supposedly only received one letter. It was from a Southern man who wasn't in favor of mixing races but didn't believe a red-blooded American man like Kirk would ever resist kissing a beautiful woman like Uhura.
What do you think? Are you curious about a new Henson series on NBC? Would you be interested in a new version of Cagney & Lacey or a continuation of some kind?


text: Seller: hqrp-us ✉ (201,800) 99.1%, Location: Harrison, New Jersey, US, Ships to: WORLDWIDE, Item: 271225111129 HQRP AC Adapter Charger for Sony HandyCam DCR-SR42A DCR-SR45 DCR-SR47 DCR-SR68. Provide your Handycam Camcorder with continuous power with the HQRP® Portable Handycam AC Adaptor. HQRP trademarked products. Sony Handycam DCR-SR42A, DCR-SR45, DCR-SR47, DCR-SR68 Camcorders. Sony Handycam DCR-SR42A / DCR-SR45 / DCR-SR47 / DCR-SR68;. HQRP® AC Adapter / Charger / Power Supply compatible with Sony Handycam DCR-SR42A, DCR-SR45, DCR-SR47, DCR-SR68 Camcorders Provide your Handycam Camcorder with continuous power with the HQRP® Portable Handycam AC Adaptor. HQRP® AC Adaptor is compact and lightweight, allowing it to be stored away easily and conveniently for travel. BRAND NEW, HIGH QUALITY item ! ! ! 200 days WARRANTY ! General Features: HQRP® AC Adapter / Charger; Input Voltage: 110V-240V AC; Compatible with following Models: Sony Handycam DCR-SR42A / DCR-SR45 / DCR-SR47 / DCR-SR68; Output Voltage: 8.4 V; Output Current: 1.5 A; 200 days warranty! Safety Features: High Efficiency and Reliability; Automatic Overload cut-off; Automatic Thermal cut-off; Short circuit and Over Voltage protection; Low Interference & Noise. Our adapters are "switchable" which means you can use them on a normal 110V outlet, like in the US, or even outlets rated up to 220V like in European countries! So no need to purchase a new adapter when you're traveling outside of the US, if you purchase this adapter! HQRP-US is a certified seller of HQRP trademarked products. All brand names and trademarks mentioned in the description are the properties of their respective owners. Our aim is to provide the best service to our clients. We want to provide you with Five star service at every point of the Detailed Seller Ratings. If you have recommendations or suggestions how we can improve our service, we are ready to cooperate to make our transaction effective for both sides. We are recognized to be a company providing high level of service ; Buy with confidence, we offer 30 days money back return policy; We do our best for your items to be delivered fast. We process and send orders the next or the same day after the purchase on everyday basis except Saturdays and Sundays.; With us you are getting a good price for high quality product ; Full technical support – even if you have not made a purchase yet - you are still a valued customer . Considering which item is better for you – please, contact us and our qualified specialists will help you to make the best choice ; Shipping and Handling Info: Shipping & handling anywhere in the USA is FREE! We ship goods to all European Union Countries (except Denmark and Malta), Australia, New Zealand Japan and South Korea. For purchases from another countries that are not listed above, please, contact us prior bidding. Excellent service and Quick Delivery. Here are positive feedbacks we received from our buyers. Fast delivery. Good product. Excellent seller!!! Buyer steelcurtain123 ( 6 ) 250069890794 No problems, works fine, A++++ Buyer summerlily ( 57 ) 250067722358 No Problems!!! Good er !! Buyer neven802 ( 18 ) 250069234674 Fast delivery. Good product. Excellent seller Buyer blanc2fleur ( 46 ) 250066410967 absolutely brilliant item and speedy delivery. very trustworthy thanks Buyer startrack69 ( 155 ) 250069235745 great product ...fast respond ....will do bussiness again . Thanks...... Buyer 67lqd ( 24 ) 250057937263 The transaction was very quick and the seller responded promptly! Buyer rico0472 ( 6 ) 250033454606 Very good transaction. Recommended seller. Buyer cyb3rchr0m3 ( 51 ) 250055965311 Arrived quickly and working, very happy ;-) Buyer imagegrill ( 664 ) 250070797456 Easy install, Product as described, Great seller. Buyer grimnemesis ( 5 ) 250064202339 Order Processing and Shipping - We process and send orders the next or the same day after the purchase on everyday basis except Saturdays and Sundays. - We ship all products from Harrison, NJ, using USPS, UPS, DHL or Fedex at our decision. It takes approximately 3-7 (up to 10) business days after dispatching to deliver the item within continental USA. - We do not provide shipping method "Local delivery/pickup" and do not ship to APO/FPO addresses. - On your request, we can ship items UK, European Union Countries (except Malta and Denmark), Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. Please, contact us prior purchasing items. It takes approximately 5-14 days for items to be delivered to specified countries. For some countries like Australia, New Zealand and South Korea additional 3-5 days may be needed for items to be delivered. - If during 7 days the item has not been received, on your request we will provide Delivery Confirmation Number or Tracking Number and also will try to help to resolve delivery problems. - If the goods were returned back to us by the delivery service because of the wrong address, the buyer gets refund without Shipping Cost. - We are able to ship the products only to physical addresses (USPS or Fedex valid); for sending to APO/FPO boxes, please, contact us in advance. - We are not able to ship the items to the addresses temporarily occupied by the customers, i.e. hotels, motels, resorts and inns. - International buyers please note: Import duties, taxes and charges depend on the country's laws of the recipient and are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyers responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying. - The shipping methods we use are USPS Priority or 1st Class, Fedex Ground or 2nd Day. For orders with Standard Shipping Service less than $65 we use USPS Priority or 1st Class. We use Fedex Ground for more expensive orders with Standard Shipping Service and Fedex 2nd Day for orders with Expedited Shipping Service. - For orders with total equal to or greater than $65 and less than $100: -- shipped using Express Shipping Method (2nd day Fedex ) or Standard Shipping Method (Fedex Ground Home Delivery) we include Indirect Signature confirmation; -- shipped using Standard Shipping Method (Fedex Ground Office Delivery) we include Adult Signature confirmation. - For orders with total equal to or greater than $100 we include Direct Signature confirmation. In case the buyer is not able to receive the order shipped with Signature Confirmation and such order returns back to us, the buyer is responsible for Initial and Return Shipping Costs. - Please, be advised that our shipping fees are not refundable. In case the buyer decides to return the product for a refund, the buyer is responsible for return shipping cost. - We reserve the right to verify the order and/or shipping method with the customer before physically sending it. Returns and Warranty Policy The warranty period is stated in the product's description. If the warranty period is 200 days, if not otherwise stated in product description. This warranty is not transferable. It is only applicable to direct customers upon presentation of the proof of purchase, i.e. the original invoice. Seller's maximum liability shall be limited to the purchase price of the product sold by HQRP-US. HQRP-US shall not be liable for punitive, consequential or special damages for any injury to persons or damage to property or other loss or injury under any circumstances (including lost profits) other than the replacement or refund of the purchase price of any defective product. The complete returns and warranty terms could be found using the following link http://stores.ebay.com/HQRP-USA/Terms-and-Policies.html Hours of Operation Our company's working hours are: 10:00am-05:00pm EST, Monday -Friday. We'll answer your letter during these working hours. Generally we answer emails within 24 hours (excluding weekends), but we reserve the right to answer the email within 48 hours. Locations and Taxes - NJ Residents, please add 6.625%, PA Residents, please add 6.000% and Florida Residents please add 6.000% sales tax on all items (including shipping and handling). - If you are a business and/or a reseller, please, provide us with reseller certificate before the purchase. Privacy Policy We do not disclose private information of our customers to third parties except when obliged by law or court order. We accept PayPal only as payment method. You can pay with Major Credit and Debit Cards through Paypal . Please, pay for the product within 4 days after the purchase is complete. According to guidelines we report all unpaid purchases. · We reserve the right not to send the orders to addresses not confirmed or your Paypal account without protection. Please ask Before biding. · All the sales are final, so feel free to ask questions BEFORE placing bids. Condition: New, To Fit: Camcorder, Compatible Brand: For Sony, Type: Wall Chargers, MPN: 88777206181335, Compatible Models: DCR-SR42A, DCR-SR45, DCR-SR47, DCR-SR68, Input Voltage: 110V-240V AC, Output: DC 8.4V 1.5A, Warranty: Yes, Brand: HQRP, UPC: 887774360857


text:
InfraSonics Network: IS Net
The Infrasonics Network is a prototype system to assess the possibility of improving warnings of severe weather events. Based upon a decade of study at ETL, IS Net was deployed in the summer of 2003 to evaluate it's capability to provide advance warning of tornadoes.
How can infrasonic observatories improve tornado warnings?
- Provide vortex detection capabilities where radar constraints exist (e.g. obstacle blocking, longer ranges where radar resolution is degraded, short ranges where high elevation radar scans are limited).
- Provide detection continuity between radar scans (The interval between consecutive Nexrad volume scans is 5 minutes).
- Provide information on smaller diameter vortices.
- Provide information on vortices of limited vertical extent, which may not show clearly on volume scan displays.
- Potentially provide guidance for optimizing radar scans.
- Provide information on vortex core size (using the sound generation model of Abdullah, 1966).
Results leading to the decision to construct the demonstration network
A 1995 observation of infrasound from an infrasonic observatory co-located with the CHILL Doppler radar in NE Colorado documented infrasound originating from the vicinity of rotation aloft, descending to the surface in the area of a tornado report. This observation led to a review of archived data, identifying over 100 cases where the directions and times of signals matched documented observations of tornadoes. Subsequent field measurements through the summer of 2002 continued to indicate that infrasound could be useful for severe weather warning.
|Potential Warning Times Estimated from Case Studies
|Vortex Downward Advection
|30 Minutes
|Continuous Vortex 1
|0 to 1 Hour 25 Minutes
|Cyclic Tornado Production
|1 to 3 Hours
|Vortex Downward Stretching
|10 Minutes
|Boundary Layer Vortex Tilting and/or Stretching
|Possibly 1-hour by detecting widespread processes leading to formation of landspouts
|Fields of Funnels
|0 to continuous monitoring
Where is IS Net being tested?
The array makes use of one existing infrasonic array at the Boulder Atmospheric Observatory, east of Boulder, Colorado. Two additional sites were installed near NWS radar sites in Goodland, Kansas and Pueblo, Colorado.
|A map of the prototype network with the simulation indicated by red arrows of a triangulation on an infrasonic source in east central Colorado.
|Figure of infrasonic data overlayed on WSR-88D radar image.
This is an example of a display showing actual infrasonic data overlaid on a WSR-88D National Weather Service Doppler radar image for Denver, Colorado. The lines are the county boundaries and the radii of the gray circles centered on the locations of the three infrasonic observatories indicate signal limiting noise level thresholds. Diamond markers indicate infrasonic data points. The directions of the data points extending outward from the gray circles indicate the directions from which sound is arriving. The distance outward from the gray circles indicates a measure of signal quality. Diamond data points colored gray, indicate data between 40 and 50 on a scale of 100. Diamonds colored yellow are data between 50 and 60. Diamonds colored red indicate data above 60 are excellent quality signals.
This case in late October 2003 shows strong infrasound coming from the west-north-west, probably being generated by strong winds interacting with the mountains of central Colrorado. Such signals are not observed during the late spring and summer months. The smaller, more continuous data points (green to red) are the weather radar data. The color bar at the left shows the strength of the radar reflectivity in DBZ.
In this case, the radar scan at 0.5 degrees elevation angle shows no probable source of the strong infrasound. However, in other cases the weather radar often detects strong echoes in the directions from which infrasound arrives.
- Bedard, Jr. A. J., B. W. Bartram, B. Entwistle1, J. Golden2, S. Hodanish3, R. M. Jones4, R. T. Nishiyama4, A. N. Keane, L. Mooney5, M. Nicholls6, E. J. Szoke2, E. Thaler5, D. C. Welsh. Overview of the ISNet Data Set and Conclusions and Recommendations from a March 2004 Workshop to Review ISNet Data.
- Bedard Jr., A. J., B. W. Bartram, A. N. Keane, D. C. Welsh, R. T. Nishiyama1. The Infrasound Network (ISNet): Background, Design Details and Display Capability as an 88D Adjunct Tornado Detection Tool
- Hodanish, Stephen. Comparison of Infrasonic Data and Dopper Velocity Radar Data: a Case Study of the 16 June 2004 Tornadic Supercell Over the Southeast Colorado Plains
- Jones, R. Michael, Emily S. Gu and . J. Bedard, Jr. . Infrasonic Atmospheric Propagation Studies Using a 3-D Ray Trace Model
- Nicholls, M. E., R. A. Pielke Sr.,and A. J. BedardPreliminary Numerical Simulations of Infrasound Generation Processes by Severe Weather Using a Fully Compressible Numberical Model
- Szoke, E. J., A. J. Bedard, E. Thaler and R. Glancy. A Comparison of ISNet Data with Radar Data for Tornadic and Potentially Tornadic Storms in Northeast Colorado


text:
Wendy Wood
Consulting Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Current Appointments & Affiliations
- Consulting Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Occupational Therapy, Orthopaedic Surgery 2021
Contact Information
Some information on this profile has been compiled automatically from Duke databases and external sources. (Our About page explains how this works.) If you see a problem with the information, please write to Scholars@Duke and let us know. We will reply promptly.


text:
One Direction named MTV's 2012 Artist of the Year
NEW YORK — They're platinum. They're fascinating. And now One Direction is MTV's 2012 Artist of the Year.
MTV says the fivesome is "the clear choice for the top spot" after a year that included two No. 1 albums, hits such as "What Makes You Beautiful" and a sold-out world tour.
One Direction's Louis Tomlinson calls Thursday's honor "the icing on the cake."
MTV's team of music staffers chose Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" as song as the year.
One Direction placed third on the U.K. version of "The X Factor" in 2010 and made their U.S. debut in March with the No. 1 album "Up All Night." Their sophomore album, "Take Me Home," was the year's third-highest debut.
The group also made Barbara Walters' most fascinating people of 2012 list.
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.


text:
Here is yet another entry in my iOS developer journey in which I try to improve upon available official documentation.
Facebook's login SDK for iOS has been around for a while and has gone through several iterations/updates. There are various tutorials online which have these issues among others:
- Official Facebook Login SDK for Swift docs do not go over required Info.plist and AppDelegate.swift changes for their SDK to work, and appears to use old Swift 2 syntax.
- Various online tutorials are still using no longer necessary objective-C bridging headers.
- Facebook's developer quick start for iOS steps only use objective-C syntax.
So as with Parse, I will combine the steps for doing a quick and easy Facebook Login setup in Swift 3.
Quick Start
- Create new app at https://developers.facebook.com. This is straight-forward and simply requires a unique display name.
- Install Facebook libraries using cocoapods. You can do this using carthage or manually, but so far I've found cocoapods to be the most ubiquitous and easy way. If you haven't used Cocoapods before, my previous post on using Parse has some additional information.
target 'XCODE-PROJECT-NAME' do use_frameworks! pod 'FacebookCore' pod 'FacebookLogin' pod 'FacebookShare' end
- Go to your new facebook app's dashboard on https://developers.facebook.com and use "Quick Start" button under Facebook Login section to set your bundle identifier and to get the required code for your project's Info.plist file. You can ignore/skip all the steps except 3 and 5. Make sure you get both sections for your Info.plist file in step 5.
- Add AppDelegate.swift methods that enable Facebook to leave and return to your app when your users try to sign in with Facebook.
import FacebookCore func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplicationLaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool { // Override point for customization after application launch. SDKApplicationDelegate.shared.application(application, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: launchOptions) return true } func application(_ app: UIApplication, open url: URL, options: [UIApplicationOpenURLOptionsKey : Any] = [:]) -> Bool { let handled = SDKApplicationDelegate.shared.application(app, open: url, options: options) return handled }
- Finally add the code for creating a facebook login button in your app.
import FacebookLogin class ViewController: UIViewController { override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() // Do any additional setup after loading the view, typically from a nib. let loginButton = LoginButton(readPermissions: [ .publicProfile ]) loginButton.center = view.center view.addSubview(loginButton) } }
You should now have an access token with public profile permissions for the user account that signed in with the facebook login button.
- You may get the error: "OSStatus error -10814″. Don't worry, this just means the facebook app isn't installed in your simulator or on your device. Facebook Login API will still work.
- [Update September 27, 2017] You might notice 3 errors ("contentDescription" etc) in your xcode project resulting from the facebook cocoapods. There's an existing issue thread about these due to deprecated code, and it might very well be fixed by the time you're reading this tutorial. The fix is easy, as you can simply comment out the lines that result in the errors.


text:
Gtk2_IndexedComboBox automatically creates the model and sets up the cell renderer when instantiating the widget. You may pass an array of key/value pairs to the constructor if you like to, but also can set them later.
The currently selected (active) key can be retrieved via get_active_key(), the selected (active) value by using get_active_text(). You can preselect a certain key with set_active_key().
If you don't like the renderer or want to change it or its attributes, use get_cell_renderer() and set_cell_renderer().
All other methods to retrieve/store data are convenience methods that act as proxy to the model. For example, Gtk2_IndexedComboBox' method set_array() internally calls the same method on the model, Gtk2_IndexedComboBox_Model. This allows you to quickly add some data to the combo without getting the model first and acting on it.


text:
Flavor-pairing may teach kids to like vegetables
Parents have long poured on cheese sauce, peanut butter and the like to coax kids to eat their vegetables, but a new study suggests those tricks might also get children to look more favorably at the vegetables themselves.
Preschoolers introduced to Brussels sprouts alongside cream cheese to spread on the bitter vegetable more often said they liked the sprouts and ate more of them, even when later served plain.
The strategy of pairing something new with something a person already likes is known as associative conditioning and could be helpful in encouraging kids - and adults - to eat more fruits and vegetables, the authors say.
"This has the potential to change the eating habits of children, including eating more vegetables, and this in turn will affect childhood obesity," said Elizabeth Capaldi-Phillips, a psychologist at Arizona State University and lead author of the study.
The research was published in Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
In the study, parents of 29 children between the ages of three and five years old filled out a survey about the kids' views of 11 vegetables, including whether they liked or disliked the vegetable, or had never tried it.
Cauliflower and Brussels sprouts were among the vegetables most children had not tried, and were selected as the ones used to gauge children's preferences in the study.
The children were given either cauliflower or Brussels sprouts once per day for seven days, and ate in a group of five or six children that was led by a researcher or teacher. The vegetables were all boiled, then were either served plain, with unsweetened cream cheese or with sweetened cream cheese.
After this conditioning period, the kids were given the vegetables plain.
The researchers found that children given Brussels sprouts with cream cheese during conditioning liked them significantly more than those given plain sprouts.
Less than one in five kids given plain sprouts said they liked the vegetable, whereas about two-thirds of kids who got sprouts with either type of cream cheese said they liked the vegetables.
The children liked milder, non-bitter cauliflower more overall, and about equally whether or not it was served with cream cheese.
After the conditioning period, when children were given the plain vegetables, those who had previously said they "liked" Brussels sprouts ate more of them than kids who had expressed dislike.
Although previous research has found that kids need to try some new foods eight to 10 times before they get used to the taste, the children in the study tried the new vegetables only seven times before they would eat them plain, the authors point out.
Such a flavor-pairing strategy could work, not only for Brussels sprouts, but other vegetables and foods of other kinds, they suggest.
"Children develop food preferences at a young age, yet tend to be really picky at this age, so it's important to sustain healthy habits which will persist into adulthood," Devina Wadhera, also a researcher at Arizona State University and the study's other author, told Reuters Health.
"It's our job as parents, as educators to get them to accept new foods at this time," she wrote in an email.
SOURCE: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, online January 21, 2014.


text:
WASHINGTON — It's official: President Barack Obama will clinch the Democratic nomination for president Tuesday, ending a low-key primary race that many Americans probably didn't realize was happening.
Obama is certain to reach the 2,778 delegates he needs to secure his party nod for a second time when five states vote on Tuesday. He has won almost every delegate so far, with a few exceptions in some Southern states that won't vote Democratic in the fall anyway.
But don't expect a big party, or any party. Campaign officials say they are focused on the general election, as they have been for months, and the all-but-certain Republican nominee, Mitt Romney.
All this is a stark difference from four years ago.
At this time in 2008, Obama was still in an epic primary battle against Hillary Rodham Clinton. The fight for the nomination didn't end until June, on the last day of the primary calendar, when Obama inched across the finish line on his way to the general election and eventually the White House.
There was a party that night, and why not? Obama was a big underdog heading into the 2008 primaries. Facing the well-financed former first lady, Obama was the junior senator from Illinois, a black man with a funny sounding name. No foreign policy experience. No military experience.
Obama's resume may have been a bit thin, but he parlayed his compelling life story and an inspiring message of hope and change into an unlikely run for the Democratic nomination and victory over Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
The partying was intense that night in 2008 when Obama became the first black to win a major party nomination to run for president. Obama's top campaign aides were in a Chicago bar near campaign headquarters. The candidate wasn't there, but the bar tab was open.
"There are red shots, blue shots and green ones. I have no idea what I'm drinking, and don't give a damn," Jeff Berman, Obama's 2008 delegate expert, wrote in his new book about the 2008 campaign, "The Magic Number."
"Time after time, we lock arms, let out a yell, and send it down the hatch."
Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt was succinct when asked if the campaign was planning a similar celebration Tuesday night, after the primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York and Rhode Island.
"No sir."
This year, Obama's march to the nomination has generated little interest because he has no major primary challenger, no one who made the ballot in more than a handful of states.
In Iowa, which gave Obama his first victory in January 2008, Democratic caucus-goers didn't even vote for president this year. Instead, they held rallies to fire up supporters for the general election.
Democratic voters, however, are not unanimously behind the president.
In Oklahoma, anti-abortion protestor Randall Terry, who founded Operation Rescue, got 18 percent of the vote in the Democratic presidential primary March 6. That should have been good enough to win eight delegates, but state party officials said Terry didn't follow party rules and was not a "bona fide Democrat."
The delegates were awarded to Obama; Terry complained he was the victim of "political insider trading."
In Alabama, 18 percent of Democratic voters voted for "uncommitted" in the March 13 primary, so the state party will send eight uncommitted delegates to the Democratic national convention.
Obama is unlikely to win Oklahoma or Alabama in the general election. Regardless, LaBolt said Obama's campaign is busy building the largest grassroots operation ever.
"Now that we are on the doorstep of the general election, the choice Americans will have in November has already come into view: between a president who has fought every day to create jobs and restore economic security for the middle class, and a Republican nominee that would return to the same policies that led to the economic crisis," LaBolt said.
Republicans have a different view, now that Obama has a record to run on.
"He was a blank slate four years ago, and people projected onto that blank slate their hopes for the future," said John Ryder, a member of the Republican National Committee from Tennessee. "Now we've got a record. How'd that work out for you?"
Berman, who is not with the Obama campaign this year, said Obama may not be able to recapture the same magic he had in 2008, but he still has plenty of advantages.
"He can't have what he had the first time," Berman said in an interview. "But it's not like he lost everything. They know where their people are, they just have to figure out how to motivate them."


text:
Handbook of Regulatory Pathway for Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine is one of the oldest continuous medical systems on earth, with [...] See book
We present you the books of Health in paper and digital in English tagged in tcm free that match your search. In Bubok we have thousands of books that you can not find anywhere else, books by new authors that enrich your books with our works and that we offer you to enjoy.
Do you want to lear more on how to publish your work? Leave us your phone and we call you without obligation.


text:
I decided before the start of this term, the first term in which I would be teaching a credit class in almost eight years (and I'm teaching 2!) that my Library Skills for English Majors class would collaboratively create an annotated bibliography in Zotero for their main group project.
I want them to develop some facility with Zotero, and this seems like a good way to do this. The ins and outs of working with metadata on Zotero connects back to a lot of the course themes, making even those that are a little abstract seem more concrete. At least I hope so.
I've barely explored the Zotero group settings for all that I have been there for a while (and for all that I have group libraries and everything) so I was not at all sure how well it would work or even if it would work for students in this class. I'm still not sure because I'd like them to do a lot of the work in-class, and they don't have their own computers there. It should be possible for them to sync what they do on library machines to their online libraries, but until we try it, I just won't know.
So yeah, that's the reason why I was so happy to find that I'm not the first person to try this -(Profhacker author) Brian Croxall at Clemson did it before and he did it for English and he wrote about it extensively which is so amazingly awesome. I drew heavily from it even when it didn't directly – it's amazing how working with someone else's assignment online is like talking it through, having someone to get you thinking about the stuff you're forgetting.
Anyway, so the theme they're building this bibliography around is the scholarly and creative output of their own faculty, This is only a 1-credit class (more on the challenges of doing anything meaningful in a 1 credit class later, I promise) and they don't have a common research assignment in other classes (or any research assignment, in many cases) so it's really hard to make it relevant. I am hoping that this focus will add a note of relevance to a kind of abstract skills-for-skills-sake class. I am also fascinated by what our faculty are producing and will enjoy what the students find and choose to add in any event.
The full text of the assignment is under the cut.
Zotero Group Bibliography Assignment
This assignment asks you to find, contextualize, critically evaluate and summarize five (5) sources and contribute them to a shared, collaborative bibliography. We will build this bibliography using Zotero (http://zotero.org).
Why Should English Majors Do This?
Contributing a source to an annotated bibliography is different than using a source in a research paper. In a research paper, you focus on the part of the source that is most useful to you as you build your own argument. Annotating a bibliography entry gives you the opportunity to focus on the whole source, understanding its place in the larger academic conversation.
The focus of our bibliography is the scholarly and creative output of the OSU English faculty. Understanding their scholarly work will help you as you learn from them in classes and on projects.
This project should give you a good working knowledge of Zotero, a tool that allows you to build your own library of useful sources, making it easier to integrate and build upon the work you do in one course in later learning experiences.
General Requirements
Add a minimum of five (5) sources to the class bibliography.
For all of your entries:
- Add the sources using Zotero, and make sure the metadata is clean and accurate.
- Use the Tag field to add metadata to the entries (more on tags below).
- Choose five entries that you believe are the most important, or representative.
- Use the Note field to add a brief annotation (more on annotations below).
You should submit:
- At least one book.
- At least one peer-reviewed journal article or creative piece.
- At least one review.
- At least one primary source.
- At least one additional source. It can be another example from one of the categories above, or another type of source.
Make sure that your entries have all of the metadata they need to be accurately formatted in MLA style.
There are four due dates you need to be aware of:
- Unit 1: Scholarly Articles and Sources (due 11/5). Add at least one (1) annotated source here.
- Unit 2: Books and Reviews (due 11/17). Add at least one (1) annotated source here.
- Unit 3. Primary Sources (due 11/24). Add at least one (1) annotated source here.
- 12/1. Everything must be completed.
Details about the ANNOTATIONS and TAGS
For your five selected sources write an annotation that is at least 2 paragraphs long. In this annotation you should:
Summarize the major themes of the work.
Describe how this work connects to your faculty member's research agenda.
Explain why you selected this work – what is notable or important about it, in your view?
Add your annotation to your Zotero entry as a Note.
NOTE: Keep a copy of your annotations in a text file somewhere just in case the technology fails. While re-adding a source to Zotero is a simple thing, re-writing your annotations will not be.
For all of your entries, you should add your own metadata by adding tags. Choose your tags thoughtfully, thinking about findability and organization.
There are two required tags you must use:
- Your name (Firstname, Lastname).
- The type of source (monograph, edited book, scholarly journal article, etc.)
Consider also tagging with time period, field (or sub-field) of study, genre, etc.
Details about the SOURCES
At 3 points over the rest of the term, you will add sources to the bibliography, using Zotero.
Part 1. Scholarly, peer-reviewed and academic articles.
Due: Friday, 11/5
Using the tools demonstrated in class (Google Scholar, JSTOR, MLA International Bibliography, Historical Abstracts, America History and Life and the Arts and Humanities Index), find at least one scholarly article to add to the bibliography.
Do not add the first sources you find. Make sure that you have searched thoroughly and are selecting the most appropriate sources to add. Here is a quick guide to help your evaluate and prioritize:
- Peer-reviewed, academic articles where your faculty member is an AUTHOR.
- Peer-reviewed, creative pieces where your faculty member is an AUTHOR.
- Non-peer reviewed pieces published in scholarly, creative or academic journals, where you faculty member is an AUTHOR.
- Articles where your faculty member (or their work) is a SUBJECT.
- Articles about the field or sub-field in which your faculty member is publishing.
Note: If you are having trouble finding something appropriate because your faculty member didn't publish much in this realm – get in touch with me! Everything here can be tweaked based on your individual faculty member, but I need you to communicate with em to make that happen.
Part 2. Books and Reviews
Due Friday, 11/19
Using the tools demonstrated in class (Google Books, Project Gutenberg, OSU Libraries catalog, and SUMMIT) as well as the tools demonstrated earlier, find at least one book to add to the bibliography.
Do not add the first sources you find. Make sure that you have searched thoroughly and are selecting the most appropriate sources to add. Here is a quick guide to help your evaluate and prioritize:
- Books or creative works where your faculty member is the main AUTHOR or CREATOR.
- Edited works where your faculty member is a CONTRIBUTOR
- REVIEWS of books (or other creative works) written or created by your faculty member.
- Books or other creative works about your faculty member.
- Books about the field or sub-field in which your faculty member is publishing.
Unit 3. Primary Sources or Archives
Due Wednesday, 11/24
Find at least one primary source, or archive of primary sources, relevant to your faculty member's work.
To evaluate and prioritize:
- Primary sources actually used by your faculty member in a scholarly or creative work.
- Primary sources useful to a researcher or creator working in your faculty member's field or subfield.
Create your entries using Zotero. When you have found a source you want to add, use Zotero to "grab" the metadata for the source and add it to your Zotero library.
Once you have added the source and checked it for accuracy, add it to our class' Group Library in Zotero.
For more help – there is a tutorial available that will walk you through the steps of adding resources to our Zotero library.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.


text:
March 15, 2013— -- Another day, another Carnival cruise ship is having issues.
The company announced late Thursday night that the Carnival Legend, currently off the coast of Honduras, is unable to sail at its optimal speed because of a technical problem, forcing the ship to cut short passengers' vacation.
The Carnival Legend has canceled its visit to Grand Cayman today so it can immediately return to its homeport in Tampa Bay, Fla., according to a news release. The Legend is on the last leg of a seven-day Caribbean cruise that departed Tampa March 10.
Carnival did not know the exact number of people on board the Legend but, according to its website, it can hold 2,124 passengers and 930 crew members.
About 1,500 miles away, passengers onboard the Carnival Dream will be flown home rather than completing the remainder of their cruise back to Florida after their ship stalled at a dock in St. Maarten with a mechanical problem Wednesday.
"Since it is unclear when the Carnival Dream will be departing St. Maarten," Carnival spokesperson Vance Gulliksen said in an email to ABC News Thursday, "it only makes sense that we fly guests home and we are in the process of arranging both charter and commercial flights for guests to be flown to Orlando or their final destinations."
The cruise line said today it arranged for a combination of approximately 50 commercial and private chartered flights departing St. Maarten.
"Guests have the option to return to Orlando -- the closest air gateway to Port Canaveral, where the voyage began -- or their originating city," the company said. "Guests began disembarking the ship this morning to board flights scheduled for today, and will continue to do so throughout the weekend. We are working to try to accommodate special requests from guests, including those who asked to remain on board longer."
The ship suffered from a malfunction to its backup generator, but Carnival says the Dream hasn't lost power and admits there where interruptions to elevators and toilets for a few hours Wednesday night.
Gulliksen said only one public restroom was taken offline for toilet overflow and there was "a total of one request for cleaning of a guest cabin bathroom. Aside from that, there have been no reports of issues on board with overflowing toilets or sewage."
The Carnival Elation also ran into weekend problems that prompted the line to give the ship a tugboat escort as it began its voyage from New Orleans March 9. The cruise line said the ship had a minor issue with one of the two units used to propel and steer the ship.
The ship's speed, hotel services and all other systems remained in normal working condition, Carnival said in a statement. "In the interest of extreme caution, we requested that a tugboat remain alongside the ship as it maneuvered away from the dock and into the river in New Orleans at the start of the voyage on Saturday, March 9. The tugboat trailed the ship down the Mississippi for good measure, although it was not needed. The ship's full itinerary is expected to operate normally."
SLIDESHOW: The Carnival Triumph Adrift at Sea
The cruise line, the world's largest ship operator, suffered a public relations nightmare that played out in the media for nearly a week when the Carnival Triumph lost power a month ago. An engine fire crippled the Triumph, leaving more than 4,200 people stranded for five days with overflowing toilets, no power and a scarce food supply.
"You know what, I thought everyone gave me a hard time when I was booking this cruise saying I can't believe you are going on a Carnival cruise after what happened with the Triumph," Kris Anderson, who is on the Carnival Dream with his family, told ABC News Thursday.
"What are the odds it's going to happen again, right? And then look at us now," he added
Despite the mishap on the Dream, people are dealing with the headache in a good manner.
"People obviously are upset, disappointed but it seems like, in general, most folks are going with the flow," Anderson said.
This is the peak season for cruising with students on spring break and chilly weather across most of the United States and Canada.
Carnival insists that potential vacation goers should still choose the company, saying, "We provide enjoyable vacations to 4.5 million people each year. It is important to remember that in neither instance was guest and crew safety compromised."
As a consolation of sorts, Carnival flew Grammy-winning singer Jon Secada onto the Dream Thursday to perform for stranded passengers.
"Thank God that I was not too far away to be here tonight for everybody on board," Secada said.
Passengers on the Dream voyage will receive a refund equivalent to three days of the voyage and 50 percent off a future cruise.
The Carnival Dream was on a seven-day cruise and is based in Port Canaveral, Fla. The ship was scheduled to call on Nassau, Bahamas; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands and Phillipsburg, St. Maarten before returning to Port Canaveral.
The 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, launched in 2009, is among the largest ships in the Carnival fleet, and can accommodate 3,652 passengers and 1,369 crew.
Guests on the Legend will receive also $100 per person credit and a full refund on pre-purchased shore excursions for Grand Cayman. In addition, guests will receive 50 percent off a future Carnival cruise, according to the release.


text:
The Shape of Things to Come (1979)
Planet Earth is a devastated wasteland, and what's left of humanity has colonized the Moon in domed cities. Humanity's continued survival depends on an anti-radiation drug only available on planet Delta Three, which has been taken over by Omus, a brilliant but mad mechanic who places no value on human life. Omus wants to come to the Moon to rule and intends to attack it by ramming robot-controlled spaceships into the domes. Dr. John Caball, his son Jason, Jason's friend, Kim, and a robot named Sparks embark on Caball's space battlecruiser on an unauthorized mission to Delta Three to stop Omus.
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Director: George McCowan
Cast: Barry Morse, Carol Lynley, Jack Palance, John Ireland
Country: Canada
Duration: 98 min
Quality: HD
Release: 1979


text:
A private damage lawyer is definitely readily available to assist you in any kind of accident that happens to you. In the event you, unfortunately, end up being the victim of an automobile accident and obtain yourself injured, a private injury lawyer or attorney is the ablest individual who can help you to consider essential steps against the person accountable for that automobile accident, as well as, to have remuneration. A personal trauma legal professional is actually a specific lawyer that is well built with the information of both injury laws and regulations and civil rights. A highly skilled accidental injury lawyer can easily sort out the severity of the injury in the sufferer along with the harshness of the truth. As a result, they may acquire necessary steps up against the party for whose negligence the mishap took place. Again, if someone's negligence generated the victim's trauma, then the legal professional requires techniques appropriately. Whatever your reason could be and whoever may be responsible for the injury, the attorney attempts their best to learn all the connected troubles, and after that acquire every one of the needed techniques against them.
An effective personal injury attorney is ready to help you if just about any accident occurs to you. You could be a target of, as an example, a vehicle accident, auto, pickup truck, shuttle, or truck accident. Similarly, you might end up being the victim of any workplace misfortune, for example, as a consequence of growth internet site or commercial site threats. No matter what the kind of accident can be, accidental injury attorneys are well prepared to help you as required – they may be competent in all kinds of trauma situations.
Accidental injuries law firms are truthful in looking to maintain the proper rights of their customers. They deal with situations in a way that is certainly helpful for their clientele. The clientele should help their employed lawyers by providing them with important information. The customer should not cover up everything from the lawyer that is related to the way it is. The lawyer is aware of what information is necessary for the truth and what needs to be maintained out of your case. They will current anything that occurred in a manner so it is not going to injured their buyer. So, you must not cover up everything from your lawyer or attorney due to the fact whatever you decide to believe is unimportant might be of serious relevance for your lawyer or attorney.
The payment way of accidental injury law firms is likewise very handy – you may not have to provide solitary money to them his or her cost prior to being paid back your self. You will only shell out them in the event you acquire them the way it is and acquire the recompense usually, it is not necessarily needed to let them have nearly anything. Often, you might need to allow them to have something to pay specific expenses just like the cost to file a court action. These sorts of pricing are distinct from attorney's service fees.
So, an individual damage lawyer or attorney needs to be carefully picked from the patient struggling as a result of sad injuries. If you or all of your relatives fall into this type of regrettable situation, do not wait to get in touch with your own injuries lawyer at the earliest opportunity.
Inspired by: ezinearticles


text:
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Most of Us Almost Died This Morning
It's likely that it was and will again be drawn to the Earth's gravity, and could make us extinct or something. Oh, and it was only discovered Friday.
If the asteroid had hit, it would've had 1,000 times the destructive force of Hiroshima. Carpe diem folks, carpe diem old school.
13 comments:
Egad. Where's Bruce Willis when we need him? Great title by the way.
- March 3, 2009 at 8:28 PM
- Les said...
Oh, I was too busy to notice, trying to beat the car beside me into the intersection.
- March 4, 2009 at 6:24 AM
- Susan Tomlinson said...
- March 4, 2009 at 9:01 AM
- WiseAcre said...
I guess if it had hit my day would have been ruined.
- March 4, 2009 at 3:28 PM
- Susan Tomlinson said...
Love the new widget, BTW. ;-)
- March 4, 2009 at 7:12 PM
- Benjamin Vogt said...
Pam--I want to have Bruce's baby. That way I have someone who can fight my battles for me when I'm older.
Les--Who won? Want to borrow my Porsche?
WA--That thing would've, what, taken out the whole country?
Susan--Yes, the widget is a dream--both the cash, and the date. Having some paperwork problems because no one had ever wanted to graduate with two complete dissertations. Grad studies loves me right now. (sarcasm)
- March 4, 2009 at 7:57 PM
- IBOY said...
and that's why I always finish my pie.
- March 5, 2009 at 9:33 PM
- themanicgardener said...
And to think I worry about being hit by something as small and cosmically negligible as a car!
It is, indeed, a great widget. Let's me know precisely when to drop to my knees and address the ceiling thusly: "Have mercy on him, Oh Lord; the man wrote two dissertations, so his brain is doubly fried, and he'll need all the help he can get. Amen."
- March 6, 2009 at 12:20 AM
- Benjamin Vogt said...
Don--Amen brother. The WHOLE pie, not just a piece.
Kate--Have mercy indeed. I've editing to do before then as per my committee's requests, AND the paperwork is just insanely laborious. I will get a mental and physical workout going from building to building. I look forward to your prayer.
- March 6, 2009 at 1:36 PM
Crap! If an asteroid hits before spring, I'm going to scream. At least I've seen one tiny snowdrop surprise bloom in the yard.
But it looks like you have that defense coming up anyway. Best of luck!
- March 9, 2009 at 7:23 AM
- Benjamin Vogt said...
Lynn--Actually, I'd prefer if it held off till after fall. September is simply magical in my garden. Spring is like winter part deux for me--summer takes forever to get going, the perennials seems slow and deliberate, and nothing really heats up until that post-August blast furnace.
- March 9, 2009 at 4:49 PM
- Unknown said...
I'm with you on that last point, Benjamin. Although sometimes October is better for me than September, even.
- March 10, 2009 at 11:15 PM
- Benjamin Vogt said...
Well yes, now that you mention it, October was pretty neat this year. I can't wait to see what my tall asters do this year, along with the joe pye weed. Viva eupatorium, or whatever they're calling it now (didn't I hear that name was changing?).
- March 11, 2009 at 8:38 PM


text:
Hershey takes wraps off new corporate logo
HERSHEY | The Hershey Company is rolling out a new corporate logo that features a freshly stylized version of one of its most famous chocolate products.
The candy maker on Friday announced the new design, which adds a new version of the Kisses chocolate at the end of the company's name.
It's part of what the company calls a "disciplined identity system" designed to provide more consistency.
Ron Burrage, the company's senior global design director, says the goal is to help people "clearly identify, this is from The Hershey Company."
For its products, the only change will be on the back of packaging where the company's name is printed.
Based in central Pennsylvania, The Hershey Company has about 13,000 employees and generates more than $7 billion in annual sales.


text:
Quantum computing has the potential to easily crack current cryptography systems, simulate chemical and nanochemical quantum systems, and speed up the search for solutions of certain types of math problems called NP Complete problems. Many have raced to create the world's first quantum processor.
In 2007 D-Wave, a Canadian firm, claimed to have created the world's first quantum computing chip. Debate about whether the chip is a true quantum computer has raged, while the company has continued to release claims of improved "quantum chips" -- with the latest being a 128 qubit chip. Researchers, though, are skeptical of these claims.
Now, researchers at Yale University claim that they have created the world's first solid state quantum processor. The new chip, at the very least is the first processor to be officially reported in a peer-reviewed journal. The research appears in the journal Nature's June 28 advanced publication listing.
The chip is composed of 2 qubits ("quantum bits"). Each qubit is composed of billions of aluminum atoms. Qubits are different than traditional bits, in that while they can hold a value of one or zero, they can also hold a superposition of both states. Essentially, this means that the two qubit chip can hold 4 simultaneous states, while a 2 bit chip could only hold 1 state (with four possibilities).
Thus the use of qubits enables multiple tests with a single value. For example if you had four phone numbers and one belonged to your friend a traditional processor would typically require a call to a couple of numbers before the correct one was found. According to Yale Professor of Applied Physics and Physics Robert Schoelkopf, "Instead of having to place a phone call to one number, then another number, you use quantum mechanics to speed up the process. It's like being able to place one phone call that simultaneously tests all four numbers, but only goes through to the right one."
The researchers used the new chip to run elementary algorithms, such as a simple search, based on this concept. States Professor Schoelkopf, "Our processor can perform only a few very simple quantum tasks, which have been demonstrated before with single nuclei, atoms and photons. But this is the first time they've been possible in an all-electronic device that looks and feels much more like a regular microprocessor."
The qubit processor communicates via a "quantum bus" which sends signals by photons. The key breakthrough that allowed the creation of the chip, according to the team, was the ability to fix atoms in a specific quantum state for longer. When qubits were first manipulated a decade ago, they would only last up to a nanosecond -- the Yale team got them to last for a microsecond, long enough for computing purposes.
The Yale researchers look forward to prolonging the states even further, to allow more complex algorithms. They also hope to add more qubits to their design. The team writes that scientists are "far away" from a practical quantum computer, still, though. And in laying claim to the world's "first" quantum computer chip, they're essentially throwing down the gauntlet with D-Wave, effectively accusing them of peddling snake oil to the corporate world.
Source: DailyTech


text:
Flat Tire Repair
It's a tough road out there, and your tires bear the brunt of those potholes, nails, glass, and anything else that can puncture a tire. Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto can fix a flat tire fast in Virginia and surrounding areas. Having a flat tire can be scary and frustrating. Flat tires can cause the rim of the wheel to rest on the tire tread or the ground, possibly triggering loss of control of the vehicle or irreversible damage to the tire.
Depending on the extent of the air leak, the tire might deflate slowly or quickly. Which could lead to the following problems:
- Failing of or damage to the valve stem
- Damage to the side walls of your tire
- Uneven tread wear
- Tire "blowouts" at high speed
Tire repairs on some tires, particularly those with a slow leak, can easily be fixed and re-inflated. Others, particularly those with leaks due to worn tread, should be replaced. Our mechanics at Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto can help you determine if the tire can be repaired or needs to be replaced.
Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto Flat Tire Repair
Examine your tires for uneven tire wear, which can easily be caused by:
- Too much or too little air pressure
- Complications with wheel positioning or tire balancing
- Problems with the suspension
- Needed tire rotation
These might suggest you need new tires soon. Driving with a flat tire, especially at high speeds, could cause a fatal accident. These issues have the capacity to trigger a blowout, causing a loss of control which may be very harmful.
- Splitting or protruding treads or sidewalls that might imply there is wear or weakness
- Foreign object that puncture through into the tire (nails, screws, glass)
- Tread tearing away from the body of the tire
Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto offers fast quality Flat Tire Repair in Virginia
If you locate any of these issues, trust Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto for a speedy tire repair. We'll measure and adjust your air pressure, do a visual tire check, and have you back on the road in no time in Virginia. Call us today to set up your next flat tire repair. Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto is your number one provider of new tires and tire repair services in Virginia and surrounding areas.


text:
It did not matter one iota, that the time changed. Somehow, I managed to awaken at my usual hour. The wind was up early too. As the crescent moon faded, I saw there were more leaves in the yard, and felt sure, many of them would have turned all sorts of colors . . like ruby or amber. No doubt some would have been delightful shades of orange, but it was not their destiny . Along with the leaves, there were small branches littering the territory. I sat at the "morning table" under a warm blanket, with my coffee while Cash, my boxer and Christopher Robin, my cat, slept unhindered by a clock -or housekeeping.
Those who read the "rabbitpatch diary" regularly, know I am not a fan of changing the clocks. I complain about it every spring. Clocks do not create more day light nor night time. It is as simple as that. Nature has its' own rhythm, and it has always worked out fine. I do not mind, that nights get longer this time of year, for the stars come out when they please, anyway – and no one is going to convince the moon nor the sun to change their ways, no matter what we call the hour. If it were up to me, everyone would be home by dark, "safe and sound", anyway, for I am that old now.
I was out on the porch by the time the sun had climbed over the pines. I sent more spiders packing and swept wayward leaves back to the earth. I swept the sidewalk and the steps til finally, the broom was in shambles. I have had that broom for years and I chided myself for being reluctant to toss it. It had originally been the house broom, then it became the porch and barn, broom. I have certainly got my moneys' worth out of it -and it is just an old broom. How odd to be sentimental over a broom, I thought. Then I remembered that my grandmother was the same way over her broom -and my daddy has a garden hoe, that he used as a child! So, I decided we are just an "odd lot", altogether.
When the porch was in order, I began picking up branches from the yard. One still, dry evening, we will burn the garden. Kyle loves this ritual and so I hope to do it when he can come. Kyle has taken up residence with a friend, that lives closer to his work. He calls everyday and never fails to ask, what we are having for supper.
I had several piles of branches, collected, and so I decided to go inside to clean the laundry room. It stays orderly, but it was dusty. There was a nightmare behind the dryer. There were cobwebs and thick dust and lint. I cleaned the windowsills and put a fresh coat of paint on the cabinet.
We did not have a Sunday dinner. Mama and Daddy couldn't come, so Christian and I had more soup from the day before. I plan to make up for it on Tuesday. Mama has an appointment and a meeting, so I will cook at her house, so she can eat in between the two -and I will spend the night there. Brant and Christian are coming, after they finish some work at the rabbitpatch. Tuesday will be an occasion.
On Monday, I awakened to the sound of a steady , morning rain falling. It was still dark, and so these were the perfect conditions, to linger under my favorite blanket. Most days, I spring out of bed, but on rainy mornings, I like to lay a while and listen to the rhythm of the watery lullaby. . .for that is exactly what it sounds like to me. Of course, I could not take a bit of liberty, this day, for it was Monday, after all.
Cash, my dog was up and prancing about. This acts on me better than any alarm clock, for I fear the worst should I waste a moment. We went to the door at a good pace, with him whining in sheer agony. I opened the door to the wet morning . Cash stood there like a statue for a few seconds and then sauntered back to his bed. Apparently, the crisis had been averted, at the sight of the rain. I made coffee and sat by the "morning table" to gather my thoughts".
I noticed that the sycamores were a solid mass of a warm russet color. It is November certainly, though I can scarce comprehend how. There were more leaves in the yard today, than there were yesterday. The rain tapped on the leaves, as it fell. Ever so often a huge acorn would make a loud thud on the roof. This was a day in Autumn- the kind of day, I am familiar with, in months like November – the kind of day that I love, for the world is lovely when a silver rain falls, and mahogany leaves fall tenderly to the earth.