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Birthday Sea Monkeys and Building a New Gaming PC
Please excuse this very IRL post today – it is, indeed, my birthday!
And while I got sensible gifts, such as a Nintendo Eshop card and a nice SSD for the new PC I'm building (more on that later), I got one thing quite unexpected as well – Sea Monkeys.
As a kid, I always wanted to have Sea Monkeys, but never did. Yeah, I know they aren't the whimsical little creatures depicted on the outside of the box…
I know they can't be trained as the above ad tries to sell. But I still was interested in seeing what it was like to raise them.
I stuck a cheap set on my Amazon wish list years ago, and it languished at the bottom. I think my friends and family considered it a joke, and never looked twice at it. Well, until a little bit back when I half-jokingly noted – maybe it was around last Christmas? – that they've been on my list for years an no one ever gets them for me.
Well, Xaa took it that to heart and now I have Sea Monkeys of my very own!
The picture above was day 1, when you fill the little tank and add water purifier. Then you have to wait 24 hours before adding in the actual eggs. I had no idea how long my sea monkey pack had been in some Amazon warehouse, so I didn't have too high hopes in seeing anything hatch.
But sure enough, that very night, I saw first one… then two… then three! Tiny, tiny white wiggly swimming things! My Sea Monkeys were alive!
Last night marked a full day of the eggs being exposed to water, and there's a whole slew of them swimming now. Some are a tad easier to see than the first day, and from what I can see, they seem to be thriving. They're still too tiny to try an take a picture of, though. I'm not supposed to feed them until Day 5, so I'm just observing them from time to time and giving them plenty of light from my desk lamp (which seems to excite them).
I'll keep you updated!
Building PC Bummer
So, the time has finally come. It's been over 6 years since I built the gaming PC I own now. And while it runs just fine, and the only thing I've needed to do was replace the CPU fan and upgrade the video card, it's starting to feel its age. It's still running Windows 7, for example.
So, I decided with my tax return, this year I was going to invest in the parts to build a new gaming rig. Over the weekend, Syn and I did some shopping, and between NewEgg and Amazon, I bought a new everything (except video card, I'm transferring my existing one). I backed up all important files, and waited for my parts to arrive.
Yesterday, the last shipment from NewEgg came in, and I decided to go ahead and start putting a few things together. It's hard to resist with all those boxes sitting there waiting to be opened!
I got the processor, CPU fan and motherboard all set up in the case, and figured out where all those tiny power plugs for the front case panel go. Then, I went to install the power supply.
That's where I hit a snag.
I got a pretty beefy power supply this time around, and I was rather surprised at the size of the box it came in. Pulling it out, I took note that the bottom corner of the box was dented in – like it had been dropped. It looked a bit serious, but when I opened the power supply itself, it seemed like the inside was well cushioned, so I didn't worry much.
I installed the supply, and it was only when I went to start plugging in the cables that I noticed the damage. It was subtle, but there – the corner was dinged, and the top of the power supply was bowed upward from whatever force had hit it. A bent power supply… is not something I'm willing to risk, especially when it cost over $120.
SO. I put in for a return and will be sending it back today.
I've never needed to return something to NewEgg before, so I hope it's as painless as Amazon. The sad thing is, I asked for a replacement without realizing it's going to take 2-5 days for them to process and then another 3 or so days of shipping for me to get the replacement. Which means my new computer building is on hold, maybe for a week and a half, until it comes in.
Kinda a bummer. If I'd known about the process time, I would have asked for a refund and just ordered one from Amazon and had it by Saturday. But it is what it is, and I can wait.


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - January 7, 2013 - CSX worked with its customers in 2012 to locate 105 new or expanded facilities on its eastern rail network or on connecting short lines. These projects represent an investment by those customers of more than $3.2 billion and will ultimately create over 4,200 jobs among shippers in more than a dozen states.
"These industrial facilities are expected to generate 162,000 carloads of new rail traffic in future years," said Clark Robertson, assistant vice president-regional development. "The 2012 results were especially significant in the energy markets, such as new ethanol and crude oil terminals, natural gas processing facilities and drilling supply locations. In addition, low natural gas pricing and abundant supply are prompting renewed manufacturing interest in the U.S. and specifically in markets served by CSX."
Rail customers considering a new manufacturing location can access www.csx.com and CSX's Select Site tool, which provides unique insight to rail-served sites that are certified for immediate development, including zoning and utility connections.
Rail stands out as a compelling value in the transportation marketplace. CSX trains are capable of moving a ton of freight more than 450 miles on a gallon of fuel, creating efficiency and environmental benefits that are attractive to shippers and communities alike. That means significantly lower carbon emissions and less wear and tear on public roads as CSX moves freight over its privately funded network. CSX also can offer customers the best rail connectivity to more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports.
CSX Corporation, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the nation's leading transportation companies, providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services. The company's transportation network spans approximately 21,000 miles, with service to 23 eastern states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. CSX's network connects more than 240 short line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river, and lake ports. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com. Like us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/CSX).

subset: commoncrawl


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After we saw some other signs for agreement between network operators and content providers ("Verizon likes Skype" - here) and doubts about Net Neutrality future ("'Net Neutrality, R.I.P" - here) we get now a joint opnion editorial in WSJ from Eric Schmidt (CEO, Google) and Ivan Seidenberg (CEO, Verizon) (here) where their bottom line is "While our two companies don't agree on every issue, we do agree generally as a matter of policy that the framework of minimal government involvement should continue".
This is referring to Network Neutrality.
After all, they say - ".. the [FCC] plan focuses on increasing access to the highest-quality broadband available. That's a goal both of our companies embrace. It's why Verizon has invested tens of billions of dollars over the past five years to deploy its all-fiber broadband network, and it is why it is rolling out a new high-speed wireless broadband network that can deliver speeds far in excess of many landline networks today. It is also why Google is planning to test a one-gig-per-second broadband network that will provide up to 500,000 people in one or more U.S. communities with ultra-high-speed Internet." [Implying, I believe, to the FCC idea of investing billions of tax payer money on a new public safety network - see "FCC: Public Safety over Broadband Wireless Will Cost $16B" - here ]
It seems that for the relevant parties (not including the customers, of course) it is better to get a compromise now, rather than wait for what the unknown regulation may bring.


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Central Park Zoo – May, 2019 May 19, 2019Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
Tags: animals, Central Park Zoo, Grizzly bears Betty and Veronica, NYC, photography, Photography Workshop, snow leopard, Snow Monkey, wildlife
As most of you know, the Central Park Zoo is my home base. While fall is my favorite season I admit to being captivated with spring too. Our cool, rainy weather has made everything green and colorful. Today is our final zoo photo session of the season featuring flowers as animal enrichment. I am optimistic it will be a successful, fun visit for all. Photos, next week.
- 1. Terry Phelan - May 19, 2019
They look like they're ready for enrichment and posing…. >
- 4. Lori Micken - May 19, 2019
thank you for the great pictures . Was sorry to hear It's the end of your season for sending them. Here in southern Montana we're having snow and its 27° this morning. Lori Micken
- 5. Mary Radice - May 19, 2019
All so nice….and especially love the kissing (and near kissing) captures! 🙂
- 6. Mary Radice - May 19, 2019
All so nice….especially love the kissing (and near kissing) captures! 🙂


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Google's Intelligence Is More Baboon Than Human
A new baboon study shows that they know just about as much about the English language as Google.
If you want to know how the world's biggest artificial intelligence operation works, allow me to direct you to this study about baboons published this week in Science. I'm serious: Google's machine learning methods bear a familial resemblance to the baboon processing of language.
First, let's gloss the study. The researchers gave six baboons a game on tablet computers that they could play in exchange for food rewards. The game, such as it was, offered the baboons four-letter word combinations and asked them to pick one of two symbols. After a mere six weeks of training, the baboons could tell an English word they'd never seen before (e.g. hope) from a non-English word scramble (e.g. tekl) 75 percent of the time, much greater than chance. But, of course, they couldn't actually read the words and know what they meant. They could spot "feet" as English, but had no idea that the word referred to the their appendages. They did not even know what the symbols they were choosing meant, only that some selections led to food while others did not.
How'd they do it?
"Grainger thinks that the baboons learned to tell the real words from the fakes by using the frequencies of letter combinations within them. They learned which combinations were most likely to be found in real words, and made their choices accordingly," science blogger Ed Yong explains. "They had gleaned the stats of English, without any knowledge of the language itself."
That's my emphasis because it's really important and it's where the Google -- and machine learning -- connection comes in. When Google translates between English and Spanish, the software doing the work knows only the statistical correlations between human-translated texts. It's using only the statistics of language, rather than its symbolic meaning, to complete its task.
That's one reason we have such a hard time understanding what Google's power is like. It is not fundamentally human nor is it fundamentally superior. It's just different. So the next time you imagine the all-powerful Google, do not imagine HAL or Skynet, imagine this guy:


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Don't ring in the New Year until you've prepared, by studying our complete guide to January science fiction. Post-apocalyptic movies, tons of new television, and new Joe Haldeman are just some of the thrills that await.
As always, you can download the whole thing as a printable PDF by clicking here.
Here are this month's conventions, just in case you need more info: Ikkicon,
Sac-Anime, Ichibancon, Anime Los Angles, Arisia, Setsucon, Emiko's Mini-Convention, SoDak Con, Ohayocon, Chibi Ushycon, Animation on Display, Las Cruces Anime Day and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival.
Got any cool events happening in February, or book releases you want to make sure we include? Write to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Research by Cyriaque Lamar. Design and layout by Stephanie Fox.


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Editor's Note: Aaron David Miller is a vice president and distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and was a Middle East negotiator in Democratic and Republican administrations. Follow him on Twitter.
Story highlights
Aaron David Miller: Arabs create their own woes, but chaotic U.S. policies play a role
Miller: Arabs and Muslims aren't angry because of what we are but because of what we do
We back an undemocratic Morsy government and ignore military excesses, he says
Miller: We ignore abuses in some nations and blast them in others
The battering that the U.S. image is taking in Egypt these days reflects that the sources of anger against America in the Middle East run deep. We're not the primary reason the Middle East is so screwed up. The Arabs themselves need to own up to that. Just take a look at Syria and Egypt.
But we are still a big part of the story. Some extremist Muslims hammer us because they don't like Western values; others see the conspiratorial hand of America everywhere – sucking the life out of Arab and Muslim independence, pride and dignity.
But once you get away from the fringes, what you find is equally disturbing: Millions of Arabs and Muslims don't like us not because of who we are but because of what we do. It's our policies.
And since those are unlikely to change anytime soon, there's a pretty good chance America will continue to lose the public image battle in the Middle East. And here's why:
Minds and hearts: We've always had it backwards. It's not hearts then minds at all. If you want to capture the imagination of people living in the Middle East and get them to warm to America, you don't play to their emotions first. It's as if a new pretty bow on a package with the same contents as ever is somehow going to help sell U.S. policy. It won't.
First, capture people's minds, appeal to their cognitive self-interest and then their hearts will follow. That would require a significant readjustment of U.S. policy: The U.S. would have to be much tougher on Israel on settlements and practices such as land confiscation, closures and withholding tax revenues in the West Bank.
The U.S. would have to be much fairer when it came to Palestinian issues, including supporting reasonable resolutions at the United Nations and taking positions in negotiations that really did try to find an equitable balance, instead of viewing reality through a pro-Israeli filter. The U.S. would still have a special relationship with our close Israeli ally, just not an exclusive one.
The U.S. would have to be much clearer about standing up to human rights abuses in the Arab world and much tougher on the Arab kings where America is reluctant to offend its conservative allies. People know where and what their interests are. And if we want to improve our credibility, we'd need to find a fairer balance between theirs and ours on many issues.
Values vs. interests: It's stunning testament to the American predicament in the Middle East that within two years of Hosni Mubarak's overthrow – handled relatively well by the Obama administration – we are being attacked for backing both Mohamed Morsy and the generals and criticized by just about everyone, even the secular opposition.
You can pick your favorite culprit. The U.S. ambassador, Secretary of State John Kerry's yachting outing, Barack Obama's naivete about the Muslim Brotherhood or his softness toward the military.
But none of them is the reason. We lost our footing in Egypt because the tension between our values and interests results in unpopular and inconsistent policies.
We back the democratically elected Morsy government, even though it behaves in an undemocratic manner; and when the military intervenes and cracks down, shooting 50 people, we react mildly.
To a great extent, these inconsistencies are a result of the chaos of Egyptian politics, but they also are related to our nation's wariness of change. When stability in the region has been the guiding principle for half a century or more, it's never easy to adjust, especially for the big power. Just look at Russia's Vladimir Putin and Syria's Bashar al-Assad.
But more than that, if Egyptians are confused, can't get their own house in order and don't produce big leaders or credible democratic institutions on which the U.S. can find a focal point for its policy, we're going to continue to stumble and bumble around.
We backed Morsy because we believe in the almighty ballot box. And we backed the generals because we have other interests – the Eyptian-Israeli peace treaty, security for the Suez Canal, counterterrorism, containing Iran – that commend supporting the military, too. That we couldn't reconcile the two in response to Egyptian realities should come as no great surprise. Nor should the reality that we earn the disfavor of so many frustrated Egyptians.
Great power hypocrisy: Great powers are big and strong enough that they can afford to behave inconsistently and hypocritically. And they do. It's as if it were part of their job description.
But that inconsistency can confuse and disappoint. Our policies toward the Arab Spring are laced with contradictions. We support real political change in Egypt, but we won't push it hard in Saudi Arabia or in Bahrain where oil, stability and U.S. bases reign supreme.
We'll intervene militarily in Libya because it's easier – but not in Syria, where the strength of al-Assad's allies, military and a chemical weapons capacity make it much riskier.
And in the greatest paradox of all, our ties with the monarchies – Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Morocco – are much closer than with the emerging and struggling democracies at a time when the Middle East yearns for democracy and freedom. It is indeed remarkable that the Arab kings have become our new anchors in a turbulent sea of political change.
Kerry has discovered Jordan as a key ally in this peace process policy. Earlier this year, the U.S. completed a huge arms sale to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates worth billions.
Expectations for America run high in the world; and too often we help raise them, particularly in the Middle East. Obama came into office promising a new look in this region: more engagement, a greater sensitivity toward Islam and a pro-active policy on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
And it's a cruel irony that this putative transformer ended up tougher than his predecessor on drones and Iran and as cautious on Israeli-Palestinian peace.
But governing is about choosing. And Obama chose willfully and wisely not to chase windmills abroad but to concentrate on trying to fix America's broken house.
Coming off the two longest wars in American history, where the standard for victory was not whether we would win, but when we could leave, who could blame him. For Obama the middle class was always going to be more important than the Middle East. And for better or worse, America's standing in that region shows it.
Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter.
Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Aaron David Miller.


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SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — An Ohio man ordered to spend five hours at a street corner with a sign declaring he's a bully says his sentence was unfair and the judge who gave it to him ruined his life.
The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports that 62-year-old Edmond Aviv for the most part ignored honking horns and people who stopped by to talk with him Sunday in South Euclid.
But he wasn't happy with the punishment, saying, "The judge destroyed me" and "This isn't fair at all."
The judge ordered the sign to say: "I AM A BULLY."
Aviv had pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. A neighbor said he had bullied her and her disabled children for the past 15 years.
A court probation officer monitored Aviv on Sunday.
Municipal Court Judge Gayle Williams-Byers ordered Aviv to display the sign for five hours Sunday. The judge selected the wording for it: "I AM A BULLY! I pick on children that are disabled, and I am intolerant of those that are different from myself. My actions do not reflect an appreciation for the diverse South Euclid community that I live in."
Aviv has feuded with his neighbor Sandra Prugh for the past 15 years, court records show. The most recent case stemmed from Aviv being annoyed at the smell coming from Prugh's dryer vent when she did laundry, according to court records. In retaliation, Aviv hooked up kerosene to a fan, which blew the smell onto Pugh's property, the records said.
Prugh has two adult adopted children with developmental disabilities, cerebral palsy and epilepsy; a husband with dementia, and a paralyzed son.
Prugh said in a letter to the court that Aviv had called her an ethnic slur while she was holding her adopted black children, spit on her several times, regularly threw dog feces on her son's car windshield, and once smeared feces on a wheelchair ramp.
"I am very concerned for the safety of our family," Prugh wrote in a letter to the court for Aviv's sentencing. She said she just wants to live in peace.
The judge also ordered Aviv to serve 15 days in jail and to undergo anger management classes and counseling. He also had to submit an apology letter to Prugh.
"I want to express my sincere apology for acting irrationally towards your house and the safety of your children," Aviv wrote. "I understand my actions could have caused harm but at that time I was not really thinking about it."
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Windows 7 has been warmly received and swiftly adopted by businesses, with the result that many IT admins are now struggling with the platform's new security features. In addition to changes to User Account Control, BitLocker, and other features inherited from Windows Vista, Windows 7 introduces a slew of new security capabilities that businesses will want to take advantage of.
Windows 7 improves on Vista with a friendlier UAC mechanism, the ability to encrypt removable media as well as hard drive volumes, broader support for strong cryptographic ciphers, hassle-free secure remote access, and sophisticated protection against Trojan malware in the form of AppLocker, to name just a few.
[ Get the full scoop on getting more value from your log files in the InfoWorld "Windows 7 Security Deep Dive" PDF special report. | Better manage your company's information security with our Security Central newsletter. ]
In this guide, I'll run through these and other significant security enhancements in Windows 7, and provide my recommendations for configuring and using them. I'll pay especially close attention to the new AppLocker application-control feature, which may be a Windows shop's most practical and affordable way to combat socially engineered Trojan malware.
Windows 7 has literally hundreds of security changes and additions, far too many to cover in one fell swoop. While this guide focuses on the ones that most organizations will be interested in, keep in mind that plenty of others may deserve your attention. A few the biggies not discussed here are built-in support for smart cards and biometrics, the ability to force the use of Kerberos in a feature called Restrict NTLM, and support for the new DNSSec standards, which are becoming essential to prevent DNS exploitation attacks. Also noteworthy is a new feature called Extended Protection for Authentication, which prevents many sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks that can strike at some of our most trusted security protocols (such as SSL and TLS).
User Account Control A Windows Vista feature that users loved to hate, User Account Control has been significantly improved to be both less intrusive and smarter at distinguishing between legitimate and potentially malicious activities in Windows 7. However, depending on whether you are logged on as administrator or a standard user, some installs of Windows 7 may have a default UAC security setting that's one level lower than some experts (including yours truly) recommend. Standard users have UAC security default to the most secure setting, while administrator accounts reside a notch below the highest setting, which is potentially riskier.
Note too that, although UAC provides a much-needed mechanism to prevent the misuse of administrator privileges, it can be bypassed. If you must have high security, users should not log on with an elevated user account until they need it.
Your domain environment should already be at the highest and most secure level ("Always notify"). If it isn't, make it so. That way, users will be prompted to input their passwords to perform high-risk administrative actions. No matter what else, UAC should be enabled.
BitLocker drive encryption In Windows 7, BitLocker drive encryption technology is extended from OS drives and fixed data drives to include removable storage devices such as portable hard drives and USB flash drives. This new capability is called BitLocker to Go.
In Windows Vista SP1, Microsoft added official support for encrypting fixed data drives, but it could only be done using command-line tools. Now you can encrypt operating system volumes, fixed data drives, and USB flash drives with a simple right-click, via the Windows Explorer GUI. Moreover, you can use smart cards to protect data volumes, and you can set up data recovery agents to automatically back up BitLocker keys. If you're using a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip, you can enforce a minimum PIN length; five characters should suffice for most environments.
In Windows 7, there is no need to create separate partitions before turning on BitLocker. The system partition is automatically created and does not have a drive letter, so it is not visible in Windows Explorer and data files will not be written to it inadvertently. The system partition is smaller in Windows 7 than in Windows Vista, requiring only 100MB of space.
With BitLocker to Go, you can encrypt removable drives one at a time or require that all removable media be encrypted by default. Further, encrypted removable media can be decrypted and re-encrypted on any Windows 7 computers -- not just the one it was originally encrypted on.
BitLocker to Go Reader (bitlockertogo.exe) is a program that works on computers running Windows Vista or Windows XP, allowing you to open and view the content of removable drives that have been encrypted with BitLocker in Windows 7.
You should enable BitLocker (preferably with TPM and another factor) on portable computers if you do not use another data encryption product. Store the BitLocker PINs and recovery information in Active Directory or configure a domain-wide public key called a data recovery agent that will permit an administrator to unlock any drive encrypted with BitLocker. Require BitLocker to Go on all possible removable media drives.
Easily encrypted page file Users who cannot use BitLocker but still want to prevent the memory swap page file from being analyzed in an offline sector editing attack no longer need to erase the page file on shutdown. Windows XP and earlier versions had a setting that allowed the page file to be erased on shutdown and rebuilt on each startup. It's a great security feature, but it often caused delayed shutdowns and startups -- sometimes adding as much as 10 minutes to the process.
In Windows 7 (and Vista), you can enable page file encryption. Even better, there is no key management. Windows creates and deletes the encryption keys as needed, so there is no chance the user can "lose" the key or require a recovery. It's crypto security at its best.
Better cryptography Windows 7 includes all the latest industry-accepted ciphers, including AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), ECC (Elliptical Curve Cryptography), and the SHA-2 hash family. In fact, Windows 7 implements all of the ciphers in Suite B, a group of cryptographic algorithms that are approved by the National Security Agency and National Institute of Standards and Technology for use in general-purpose encryption software.
While Microsoft added support for Suite B cryptographic algorithms (AES, ECDSA, ECDH, SHA2) to Windows Vista, Windows 7 allows Suite B ciphers to be used with Transport Layer Security (referred to as TLS v.1.2) and Encrypting File System (EFS). Suite B ciphers should be used whenever possible. However, it's important to note that Suite B ciphers are not usually compatible with versions of Windows prior to Windows Vista.
By default, all current technologies in Windows will use industry standard ciphers in place of legacy, proprietary ciphers. Those legacy ciphers that still exist are included only for backward-compatibility purposes. Microsoft has shared the new ciphers in detail with the crypto world for analysis and evaluation. Key and hash sizes are increased by default.
EFS (Encrypting File System) has been improved in many ways beyond using more modern ciphers. For one, you can use a smart card to protect your EFS keys. This not only makes EFS keys more secure, but allows them to be portable between computers.
Administrators will be happy to know that they can prevent users from creating self-signed EFS keys. Previously, users could easily turn on EFS, which generated a self-signed EFS digital certificate if a compatible PKI server could not be found. Too often, these users encrypted files but did not back up their self-signed digital certificates, which frequently led to unrecoverable data loss.
With Windows 7, administrators can still allow self-signed EFS keys, while mandating ciphers and minimum key lengths. Windows 7 will prod users to back up their EFS digital certificates to some other removable media or network drive share -- and keep prodding them until they do it. A Microsoft Web page details the EFS changes.
Read more about how to secure your Windows 7 PCs in InfoWorld's free PDF report, "Windows 7 Security Deep Dive," including:
- Safe browsing with IE8
- Multiple active firewall policies
- Managed and virtual service accounts
- Configuring AppLocker
- Running by the rules
This article, "The InfoWorld expert guide to Windows 7 security," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in information security and Windows at InfoWorld.com.
Read more about security central in InfoWorld's Security Central Channel.
This story, "The InfoWorld expert guide to Windows 7 security" was originally published by InfoWorld.


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(CNN) - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN Sunday he disagrees with conservative commentators who have labeled Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor a racist, but said he has better things to do than be "the speech police."
"Look. I've got a big job to do dealing with 40 Senate Republicans and trying to advance the nation's agenda, and better things to do than be the speech police over people who have their views about a very important appointment," McConnell told CNN's John King on State of The Union. "So I'm not going to get into policing everybody's speech."
The comments come two days after Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, publicly repudiated recent statements from conservative commentators Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich calling Obama's choice for the high court a "racist."
"I think it's terrible," Cornyn told NPR Thursday. "This is not the kind of tone any of us want to set when it comes to performing our constitutional responsibilities of advise and consent."
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/31/art.gm.gi.jpg caption="Obama is set to announce the bankruptcy of GM."]
WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama will hold an 11:30 a.m. Monday event discussing the bankruptcy filing of General Motors, according to two officials close to the talks.
The officials said that GM is expected to officially file the paperwork on the bankruptcy earlier in the day. Obama will then explain the rationale for the filing and his hopes that this is the best route for a turnaround.
The president made a similar announcement after Chrysler, another of the Big Three automakers, filed for bankruptcy protection on April 30.
But the officials cautioned that the situation remains "very fluid," so it's still possible that GM will technically file the paperwork after Obama speaks.
The expected bankruptcy filing comes despite an agreement reached last Thursday with the Treasury Department and a committee of major bondholders.
The beleaguered Detroit-based automaker has been struggling to survive under the weight of the recession and high fuel prices, which have drastically reduced sales.
GM's stock price plunged below $1 a share Friday, reaching its lowest level since the Great Depression, as investors anticipated the bankruptcy filing.
The company's stock peaked on April 28, 2000, when it closed at $93.63.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/27/art.sotomayor052709.gi.jpg caption="On the Sunday shows this morning, GOP lawmakers said a filibuster against Sotomayor isn't likely."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - Leading Senate Republicans indicated Sunday that a filibuster of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is unlikely, though they also promised not to shy away from what they characterized as a troubling judicial record.
Reflecting the delicate political balancing act of opposing the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court nominee, they also pushed back against those conservative commentators who were quick to paint Sotomayor as a racist.
"I don't think that the need for filibuster will be there unless we have not had a chance to look at the record fully," Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, told CNN's John King on "State of The Union."
"I have voted (against filibustering) sometimes even when I voted against the nominee if I felt that I knew enough about the nominee. I think it will be determined in that way."
(CNN) – The Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor by President Obama last week sent the right wing media into a frenzy over a speech Sotomayor gave in 2001 where she said "a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."
Sotomayor was called a racist by Fox News' Glenn Beck and Tucker Carlson, as well as by conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, while being hailed by President Obama and the liberal media as "inspiring."
Howard Kurtz sorted through the punditry Sunday morning on Reliable Sources with Bloomberg News Chief Political Columnist Margaret Carlson, and WOIA radio show host Blanquita Cullum.
Margaret Carlson contended that the cable pundits were the center of attention because they helped to create the controversy regarding Sotomayor.
"It's hard to cover silence. In the first couple of days, the elected leaders didn't know what to do. They couldn't find anything. Their comments were very restrained. And so, where do you go? You go to the noise. You don't cover the dog that doesn't get run over."
Cullum explained why the conservative pundits have been more vocal this week than their liberal counterparts.
"When you're in the majority, you vote. When you're in the minority, you talk."
Related Video:
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/POLITICS/05/31/china.geithner/art.geithner.jpg caption="U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will push for better relations with China."](CNN) - Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is set to meet with several high-ranking members of the Chinese leadership this week, marking the Obama administration's first major overture to the powerhouse nation.
Geithner left Saturday for meetings in Beijing, where he'll discuss ways to strengthen relations between China and the United States, according to the Treasury Department.
China is one of America's most important trading partners, and its economy is tightly intertwined with efforts to reverse the global downturn.
But the relationship is also often a source of tension. Chinese exports to the United States have dominated trade between the two nations since the 1980s. The U.S. trade deficit with China rose again in March to $15.6 billion, the Commerce Department reported.
(CNN) - Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison suggested Sunday she doubts Republicans will press for a filibuster to prevent Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor from receiving a confirmation vote.
"I don't think that the need for filibuster will be there unless we have not had a chance to look at the record fully," Hutchison told CNN's John King on State of The Union. I have voted for [cloture] sometimes even when I voted against the nominee if I felt that I knew enough about the nominee. I think it will be determined in that way."
Hutchison, who has established an exploratory committee to run for governor of Texas, also said members of her party need to adopt a "solid respectful tone" while examining Sotomayor's record.
"I definitely think we need to have the respectful tone and we need to look at the record. We need to be just very - we need to have the responsibilities that have been put on us by the constitution taken very seriously," Hutchison said. "And I think that having a solid respectful tone, arguing the facts, not trying to label someone, I think is important. And I think going forward that's what you'll see from the senators who are involved in this process."
Editor's note: On CNN's "State of the Union," host and chief national correspondent John King goes outside the Beltway to report on the issues affecting communities across the country.
NEW YORK (CNN) - As she lobbies members of the New York Senate these days, the politician in Christine Quinn can understand what the gay rights activist in her sometimes cannot.
"The fear of the unknown," is how she describes it. "This is a vote they've never cast before. And they don't know how people are going to react. You are in a position where people's reaction to you is the key to your success. And the unknown creates fear and fear often creates paralysis."
Quinn is the openly gay speaker of the New York City Council, and a proponent of legalizing same sex marriage in New York state.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama may hold the title of commander-in-chief, but on Saturday he donned another cap: Soccer dad.
The president, dressed in jeans and a navy polo shirt, and first lady Michelle Obama ventured from the White House to watch daughter Malia's soccer team - the Tsunamis - take to the field, according to pool reports. For the record: Malia's team won.
The first couple, known for having weekend date nights, later made a visit Saturday night to New York City for what the White House is calling a personal visit. The New York Times reports that the Obamas are seeing the Broadway show, "Joe Turner's Come and Gone."
According to a White House spokesperson, Obama said he was taking his wife to the Big Apple "because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished."
Instead of taking the larger Air Force One plane for their trip north, the Obamas took a smaller plane, a G-3, which became Air Force One once he boarded.
The press traveled in a separate aircraft, a G-5, and a G-3 carried White House support staff, according to the pool report.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest cites "efficiency" - as in fuel efficiency - as the reason the big plane is staying in the hanger and the smaller planes are being utilized, the pool report said.
But not everyone is excited about the NYC trip.


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Date Your Wife: Men Have Responsibility and Power
- Justin Buzzard Pastor, Garden City Church
- 2012 27 Aug
Editor's note: This excerpt is taken from Date Your Wife by Justin Buzzard copyright ©2012. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Il 60187, www.crossway.org.
Chapter 6: Where Marriages Go Right, Part 1: The Husband
Every time a boy is born, we should think of Genesis 2:15. The moment we see the ultrasound picture, the moment we hear the cry of a boy exiting the womb and entering the world, we should recite in our minds:
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15)
Boys are born with a mission: to work and keep, to cultivate and guard. God put Adam on the earth, and God pushes boys out of wombs to be cultivators and guardians.
I'm the father of three boys—Cru, Hudson, and Gus. Cru entered the world at 8:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning, a scheduled C-section because he was upside down in his mother's womb. Less than two years later, Hudson arrived on a Sunday afternoon during the fourth quarter of a San Francisco 49ers football game. The Niners won. The night of Hudson's second birthday, Taylor woke me up at 1:00 a.m. and we raced to the hospital, just in time for the arrival of Gus. All three Buzzard boys were born at the same hospital, delivered by the same doctor. When the doctor presented me with each of my sons, I thought of Genesis 2:15. I thought about the mission God's entrusted to these three men in training. I thought about the twin pillars of their mission: responsibility and power.
God gives men enormous responsibility. And the weightiest responsibility he gives to a man is a woman—a wife. In this union, a man's ability to cultivate and guard is put to the greatest test. Will the man lay down his life in order that his wife may flourish? That is the question that measures a marriage. In order for the garden of marriage to be properly cultivated and guarded, a man must give more than he's ever given.
Many men avoid this responsibility. Some men abandon this responsibility. A few men appreciate this responsibility. No man can handle this responsibility.
This is the place to revisit what I said in chapter 3:
It's your fault. This is the second most important truth to learn from this book: it's your fault. You are the husband. You are the man. And God has given man the ability to be the best thing or the worst thing that ever happened to a marriage. Before you can be the best thing that ever happened to your marriage, you must see that you have always been the worst thing that happened to your marriage. If you want to change a marriage, change the man. Why? Because the man is what is wrong, and the man is what, made right, alters the course of everything.
Everybody knows there's something wrong with men. The man problem has been in the news for decades. For decades society has told us that the problem with men is a responsibility problem—that if men acted like men, acted responsibly, things would be better.
I disagree.
Yes, responsibility is part of the problem. The world is full of irresponsible men. Genesis 2:15 gives men a responsibility that is shirked more often than it is embraced. Ephesians 5 further defines this responsibility for husbands: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25), a verse many husbands aren't quick to quote or execute. Responsibility is a problem, but it isn't the heart of the problem.
The problem is power.
God gives men a mission. God commissions husbands to cultivate and guard—to date their wives. This mission requires responsibility and power. The problem with men isn't the responsibility, the problem is men think they have the power to carry out the responsibility.
Men need to be taught about power, not responsibility. I spent the first five chapters of this book talking about responsibility so that I could spend the rest of this book talking about power.
I bought my first car at age sixteen, a silver 1984 Toyota Tercel with one hundred thousand miles on it, an oil leak, and an aftermarket CD player. I loved that car. I kept my football pads in the trunk, and the whole car smelled like football.
One afternoon, my car wouldn't start. I couldn't figure it out. I had plenty of gas. The car had been running great, and I had just checked the oil. I turned the key in the ignition and nothing happened. Then I realized—the battery was dead. No amount of turning the key would do anything. The power source of my engine was dead. I needed outside help.
That afternoon I got my first jump start. I waved down a truck that was passing by. The driver happened to have jumper cables. He pulled his big truck next to my small car, we popped open the hoods of our vehicles, he attached his end of the cables to his fully powered battery, and I attached my end of the cables to my dead battery. He turned on his engine and power started transferring from his truck to my car. Within a few minutes I turned the key in my ignition and, vroom vroom, my car started. I had power again. I thanked the man and drove home.
I think most men are fairly aware of their responsibility as husbands. They know they need to drive the car. But across our world men are sitting in their cars turning the key wondering why nothing is happening. Men don't see that their battery is dead. Men don't see that they need power from the outside, power that comes from someone else, in order to carry out the mission.
I've told you the second-most-important truth to learn from this book: it's your fault—you are the worst thing that ever happened to your marriage. You needed to hear that first. Now let's hear the most important truth: Jesus makes men new—Jesus turns husbands like you and me into the best thing that ever happened to our marriages.
My friend Ed hails from England. We smoke cigars together and talk about Jesus, life, and our dreams. Taylor and I enjoy going on double dates with Ed and his wife, Nicci. Ed and Nicci have a great marriage. They are a lot of fun, and they sound really smart and godly because of their British accents.
Last year, after ten years of marriage and five years of trying for kids, Nicci discovered she was pregnant with twins. Their excitement was so thick you felt like you could grab onto it and put some of it in your pocket. Ed and Nicci were giving birth to twin boys! The baby showers commenced. Nicci's tummy grew larger.
I arrived at the hospital a few minutes after Joshua died, Ed and Nicci's newborn son. Nicci had gone into early labor. There in the maternity ward at Stanford Hospital, Nicci gave birth to Joshua and, then, to Daniel. Joshua lived sixty-seven minutes outside of the womb. He died in his parents' arms. Meanwhile, Joshua's brother Daniel fought for life in the neonatal intensive care unit, with tubes and wires connected to every part of his body, a body that was the size of my hand. I've never felt so powerless as a pastor as the day I walked into that hospital room and wept with Ed.
A few days later I officiated at Joshua's funeral. I preached with wet eyes. I helped carry Joshua's casket. I startled over the grief Ed and Nicci expressed over a lost son, the hope they carried for a living son, and the faith they exercised in a good and sovereign God. What struck me most from the funeral was Ed and the strength with which Ed loved his wife. Drained of his dreams, drained of sleep, and disoriented by death, Ed was seemed to come from outside him. It was like jumper cables were attached to him.
There's a saying that Ed learned from his mom. Ed used to quote it to me, and I found myself thinking about the saying as I watched Ed lead his wife through that week of hell. Ed's mom used this saying to teach her son the true nature of responsibility.
Responsibility: My response to his ability.
You crush a man if you only talk to him about responsibility. You empower a man if you talk to him about responsibility—about living life in response to the power and ability of God.
Manhood, husbandry, and Genesis 2:15 were never meant to be carried out in isolation from God. God gave the first man, and God gives us men, a mission that can be completed only through dependence. God doesn't demand men live life on the basis of their own resources; he summons us to live in confident dependence on his resources. He has the power. Our responsibility is to respond to his ability.
Jesus wakes us up to the life we were created to live—a life powered by God, not self. When Jesus gets a hold of a man, he makes a man new. He gives power. Jesus takes men with dead batteries and puts them in relationship with the living God. It's as though men experience Genesis 2:7 all over again:
Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Life feels new. The breath of life, the power and Spirit of God, begins taking over the operating system of a man's life. Trajectories change. Husbands who were stuck begin to move forward, begin to steer their marriage in a new and better direction.
Death does this. Sometimes it takes death to show a man where true power comes from. Sometimes it takes death to make a man come alive to the real mission of manhood and marriage: living life and dating your wife in response to God's ability, not your ability.
Ed received the power long before his son died in his arms. Ed had become a new man many years earlier. But my dad didn't come alive until he heard the doctor's diagnosis: "Your wife has cancer." And my old friend didn't come alive until he heard the bad news: "Your wife's had an affair." It took the news of death for these husbands to hear the news of life: real power comes from outside you, not inside you.
Men carry burdens they were not meant to carry. Like many men, my dad grew up on Simon and Garfunkel, listening to "I Am a Rock":
I am a rock,
I am an island.
And a rock feels no pain;
And an island never cries.
That chorus defines manhood for many men. But all this collapses the day the rock feels pain, the day the island cries. When the battery dies, when a man realizes that he's not a rock, then he's ready to build his life and his marriage on the real Rock. And that Rock is full of power. And that Rock feels pain.
Take Action
1. Quit your excuses. Don't give God or your wife (or yourself) your excuses anymore. Say sorry. Repent. Ask forgiveness. Own up to your old ways; don't make excuses.
2. Reassess the definition of responsibility that is driving your life.
3. Ask God to make you new.
4. Read the entire New Testament over the next three months, circling the following five words every time you spot them: power, gospel, grace, new, and life.
Justin Buzzard is founder and lead pastor of Garden City Church, a new church plant in Silicon Valley. Buzzard has been dating his wife for nine years and is the father of three young sons. He earned an MDiv at Fuller Theological Seminary and is the author of Consider Jesus. He speaks widely, writes at JustinBuzzard.net, and is on Twitter @JustinBuzzard.
Publication date: August 27, 2012


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Friday night in Nashville, as a deluge began about 9:15, the Rock Block turned into a creek with water almost to Restaurant and guitar store doors across the street when Psychic Hotline took to the stage at Exit/In to kick-off a ten year Birthday Bash for Infinity Cat Records, the "for-real" Nashville Punk Rock label home to JEFF The Brotherhood, Heavy Cream, Diarrhea Planet and other Nashville originals.
Psychic Hotline, fronted by Jessica McFarland ( Heavy Cream), not to be confused with the Ontario, Canada band, opened with a tight deadpan Buzzcocks / L7 set like a rapid fire Tommy gun.
People were drying out and soaking up the sounds of Deluxin', another Buzzcocks/ Television / Voidoids (Dad bands) with a somewhat Zach De La Rocha approach at the microphone-style unit fronted by Nathan Vasquez (former Be Your Own Pet) who knows how to put his scream on.
Tristen (Gaspadarek)brought things into a more mellow mood with an Indie take on Americana which may be more attributed to what is coming out of East Nashville, sans-drummer Americana with a drum machine was interesting, but all things aside, Tristen has a great voice, great songs, great bass player (kind of real classic country walking style going on like Merle's band, The Strangers) and has had some wonderful things said about her in Rolling Stone and American Songwriter. Tristen rocked the house in green sequined sixties style short shorts, doin' a little dance-get down tonight style. This was ladies night for vocals.
Before Diarrhea Planet took over Exit/In, Robert Orrall, Jake and Jamin's Dad (JEFF The Brotherhood) brought out a huge box of cheese sandwiches in plastic sandwich bags with Green Infinity Cat Logo stickers affixed and began throwing them out into the audience, this in turn, lead to spinning plastic bags being thrown around with the hefty sideways Frisbee-bean bag style tosses whizzing by everywhere.
When Diarrhea Planet hit the stage, the sandwiches started being aimed at the band with drummer, Casey, drumming like a sonic hedgehog with two Louisville Sluggers, taking some head and crotch shots. Casey could only laugh when it's sandwiches. The 50 sandwich-filled plastic bags ended up back onstage when the four guitar (yeah, four, that's one more than Lynyrd Skynyrd in a "Spinal Tap" my band is louder than yours kind of way) assault started.
One of the guitarists started stacking up the sandwiches on the side, only to hurl all of them back at the audience toward the end of the set.
Diarrhea Planet originally started as a two-piece noise band out of Belmont University and is now kind of the Valiant Thorr of Indie Punk, throwing out all kinds of styles at the same time with a wall of Johnny Ramone, Randy Rhoads, John Frusciante and Malcom Young all hitting at once, with leads and interlocking rhythm going every which way. There were no lead breaks since any two might be playing lead at the same time. This is fun party music that kind of goes down like a Peelander-Z set meets the Beastie Boys. If you play guitar and you don't have a good time at a Diarrhea Planet show, something is definitely wrong with you. Okay, I think this is one of my favorite Nashville bands now.
Before the final set of the night, Ronny Steine, Nashville Councilman-at-large, was joined onstage by Robert "Bob" Orrall, Jake Orrall (JEFF The Brotherhood, Skyblazer, Infinity Cat Records) and members of the Infinity Cat team to accept a plaque from the Nashville Metro Council with a lot of important "whereas" clauses, Resolution No. RS2012-339, "honoring Infinity Cat Recordings on its Tenth Anniversary as one of Nashville's best independent labels." A really unique turn of events; a Nashville Homegrown Indie Punk label turning ten years old that is on most every writer and magazine in the states Top 10 best Indie label list, having their very own day, July 20th, 2012, Infinity Cat Record Day, Nashville, Represent!
For the final big one of the evening, Jake and Jamin Orrall (JEFF The Brotherhood, if you don't know by now) put back together a mid-2000 project, Skyblazer (possibly named for the early Nineties Sony video game?), that they had with Lindsay (Cake Bake Betty) Powell. Skyblazer also released (never before released) the 2006 recording on Infinity Cat and it was available for the first time at the show on 12 inch vinyl.
Jake's guitar tone was nice and fat with trippy wha going into that Sunn Lead Concert head. The four piece band did plenty of long stoner jams in the veins of early Hawkwind or Black Mountain (who were quite new in 2006)… especially like Black Mountain with the almost Jefferson Plane-ish twin harmonies of Jake and Lindsay.
It was a fun set, plenty of heavy "Iommi" guitar, with some almost Hendrix channeling, Jake is really a soul surfer of a player.
If Skyblazer had become the dominant thing, Jake and Jamin would have been on Jagjaguwar and touring with Black Mountain or even Swedish band, Graveyard nowadays. Funny how life is; the Orrall family is really helping to turn Nashville into Music City one great band at a time.
The Infinity Cat Records 10th Anniversary celebration continues Saturday Night in the shadow of the new convention center skyline at The Zombie Shop with Heavy Cream and Cy Barkley as two of the featured artists.
– Brad Hardisty, Nashville, TN email@example.com


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Barbette in Minneapolis
1699 W Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone » 612-827-5710
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone » 612-827-5710
Named "Best French Restaurant" by populist vote by Mpls/St. Paul Magazine, Barbette is simply good food in a casual, eclectic, come in and make yourself comfortable atmosphere. We call many local farmers our friends and in addition to a wine list that will put you over the moon, we offer many gluten-free and vegetarian items. We love it when you're here. Come in.


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Phrases.com »
Phrases related to: Montgomery
Yee yee! We've found 1 phrase and idiom matching Montgomery.
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|forewarned is forearmed
|Advance awareness of a situation, especially a risky one, prepares one to deal with it.1863, Charles Reade, Hard Cash, ch. 4:[W]hatever a young gentleman of that age says to you, he says to many other ladies; but your experience is not equal to your sense; so profit by mine . . . forewarned is forearmed.1885, G. A. Henty, Saint George for England, ch. 4:Sometimes, they say, it is wiser to remain in ignorance; at other times forewarned is forearmed.circa 1903, Lucy Maud Montgomery, "Why Mr. Cropper Changed His Mind":"Well, Miss Maxwell, I think it only fair to tell you that you may have trouble with those boys when they do come. Forewarned is forearmed, you know."
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U S v. RIZZO(1935)
Mr. Homer S. Cummings, Atty. Gen., for the United States.
No opinion filed in court below.
Petition for writ of certiorari to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit granted.
[ Footnote 1 ] Subsequently to the decision of the United States Supreme Court, 294 U.S. 709 , 55 S. Ct. 406, denying certiorari to review the decision of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 73 F.(2d) 1010, a petition was filed by the government for a lien for taxes on the fund involved. This petition was denied by the Circuit Court of Appeals by order June 4, 1935, without opinion. The government seeks review of this order.[ U S v. Rizzo 296 U.S. 559 (1935) ]


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The Recreation Division offers the citizens of Orlando quality recreational, fitness, cultural, and educational facilities and programs. The goal of the division is to meet the recreational interests and needs of the growing community, while providing high quality service.
Recreation Division main line: 407.246.4300.
595 N. Primrose Drive
Orlando, FL 32803
This post is also available in: Spanish


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White Widdow Sign With AOR Heaven
White Widdow Sign With AOR Heaven
April 18, 2010
AOR Heaven is pleased to announce the signing of Australian Melodic Rock outfit WHITE WIDDOW to their label for worldwide release. WHITE WIDDOW hail from Melbourne, Australia and were formed in 2008 with the sole purpose of recreating the hard edged AOR sound of bands like Aviator, White Sister, Treat, Icon and Bon Jovi.
"We are very excited to be working with Georg at AOR Heaven for our debut album, and to be on a label that is home to many of our AOR heroes such as FM, Stage Dolls, Fair Warning, TNT and Bad Habit is truly amazing", said frontman Julez Mephisto
White Widdow are: Julez Mephisto – Vocals, Enzo Almanzi – Guitars, Trent Wilson – Bass, Xavier Millis – Keyboards, Jim Naish – Drums
The self titled debut album will be released later in 2010 and will be mixed and mastered by Chris Laney at Polar Studios in Sweden. Track titles include; Tokyo Rain, Change Of Passion, Broken Hearts Don't Last Forever, Don't Fail Me Now, Cross To Bare, Spirit Of Fire, One More Day, Shadows Of Love, How Far I Run, Fire & Ice.
Courtesy of www.sleazeroxx.com and www.whitewiddow.com


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For decades, scientists have believed that Earth was peculiar in having tectonic plates. Now, though, a UCLA geologist has found evidence that Mars, too, exhibits the same crustal plates beneath its surface.
An Yin, a UCLA professor of Earth and space sciences, made the discovery by analysing over 100 satellite images of Mars, taken by a NASA spacecraft known as THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) and from the HIRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Yin explained to Mars Today:
"When I studied the satellite images from Mars, many of the features looked very much like fault systems I have seen in the Himalayas and Tibet, and in California as well, including the geomorphology... Mars is at a primitive stage of plate tectonics. It gives us a glimpse of how the early Earth may have looked and may help us understand how plate tectonics began on Earth."
Yin has pointed out features that have been generated at fault lines—including cliffs and a very smooth, flat side of a canyon wall—as well as a linear volcanic zone, which all suggest the presence of tectonic plates. "You don't see these features anywhere else on other planets in our solar system, other than Earth and Mars," explains Yin. The results appear in the journal Lithosphere.
The evidence could explain the existence of the Mariner Valleys, whose existence have puzzled scientists for decades. Yin thinks that they are, in fact, a plate boundary. "The shell is broken and is moving horizontally over a long distance," he explained to Mars Today. "It is very similar to the Earth's Dead Sea fault system, which has also opened up and is moving horizontally."
He also suggests that Mars probably experiences earthquakes, too, though it's currently almost impossible to say how frequently—or how aggressive they are when they happen. That's partly due to the fact that Yin has so far only identified two tectonic plates on Mars, compared to Earth's seven, and doesn't know if others exist.
Yin hopes to dig deeper into the presence of Mars's new-found tectonic plates in the future. In the meantime, though, let's just hope Curiosity doesn't get caught out by a tremor. [Lithosphere via Mars Today]
Image by NASA


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[Pairs, June 2. Image via Juan Soliz/Pacific Coast News]
PARIS, FRANCE - Wednesday June 2 2010. Grace Jones brings her own unique style to the French Open in Paris. Joined by her mother Marjorie, the pair chatted to friends whilst watching the Nadal/Almagro match on Centre Court. The highly stylized singer/model/actress was seen holding a t-shirt with the slogan "My Rules, U Fools!" emblazoned below a picture of herself! **UK AND USA USE ONLY** Photograph: © Juan Soliz, PacificCoastNews.com
Ana Gasteyer Satirizes the Girl Boss in 'American Auto'


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Exprodat, the petroleum GIS services, software and training specialist has recently released Exploration Analyst, the latest addition to its suite of oil and gas software; an ArcGIS extension for petroleum play chance mapping, resource assessment, and acreage analysis.
Combining its experience of oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) workflows with its knowledge of Esri technology, Exprodat created its software to help E&P teams leverage the power of the ArcGIS platform.
Exploration Analyst is an extension to Esri's ArcGIS software that has been specifically designed to let geoscientists in exploration and new ventures departments, easily and simply apply essential play based exploration (PBE) workflows.
Using Exploration Analyst will allow petroleum explorationists to make better decisions by focussing their activity on the play, while validating prospect volumes and chance of success against regional play risk and maturity.
Exprodat Technical Director Chris Jepps explained why the company developed the Exploration Analyst; "Our new Exploration Analyst helps geoscientists assess basin, play and prospect statistics using familiar exploration tools such as creaming curves and pool size distributions, among others.
The release represents a significant upgrade to the first generation of our GIS-based petroleum exploration tools, Segment Analyst and Acreage Analyst, and provides a platform for completing exploration workflows using Esri's ArcGIS."
For more information about the Exploration Analyst please visit the product page.


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Humorist, actor and writer Mo Rocca will dissect everything holiday — using only his own dry humor and razor-sharp wit — when he stars in the second annual ASC Holiday Comedy Show in UAB's Alys Stephens Center.
|Download image
The ASC Holiday Comedy Show starring Mo Rocca is set for 8 p.m. Dec. 16, 2011, in the center, 1200 10th Ave. South. The event is co-presented by public radio WBHM 90.3 FM, which is a listener-supported service of UAB.
Rocca will be joined on stage for part of the show by facilitator and wellspring of local knowledge, Birmingham native and mental_floss magazine co-founder Will Pearson. The evening will begin with a free "FaLaLaLaLa" holiday bash at 6:30 p.m., with live music from the Martini Shakers, drink specials, trivia games, prize and ticket giveaways to performances including the ASC's upcoming Colin Quinn show "Long Story Short" and more. The comedy fun will start before the show: everyone is invited to wear their tackiest holiday sweater or most epic holiday attire. ASC Junior Patrons can enjoy free food and drinks. Tickets are $45.50, $35.50, $27.50; student tickets are $20. Every ticketholder will be given a free copy of mental floss. For tickets or more details, call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org.
"I know a lot about a few things — mostly useless things," confesses Rocca, who is best known for his wacky, tongue-in-cheek "fake news" reports and satirical commentary. Rocca is a correspondent for "CBS Sunday Morning News with Charles Osgood," a panelist on National Public Radio's hit weekly quiz show "Wait, Wait…Don't Tell Me!" and the host of "Foodography" on The Cooking Channel. Rocca spent four side-splittingly funny seasons as a correspondent on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," where his profiles ranged from a man so into the nation's first ladies that he dresses as Florence Harding, to a husband/wife pet mummification duo. Rocca also spent four seasons as a correspondent on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and was a regular on the VH1 retrospective "I Love the…" series.
Rocca began his career in television as a writer and producer for the Emmy and Peabody award-winning PBS children's series "Wishbone." A Washington, D.C., native, Rocca earned a bachelor's degree at Harvard, where he was the former president and author of the university's "Hasty Pudding Show." He now lives in New York City.


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While I strive to be a gentle parent, peaceful discipline—particularly, maintaining a calm, patient demeanor—is one of the most challenging aspects of parenting for me. As a person who was raised by parents with a very different philosophy of discipline (spanking), I've not had many personal experiences with or examples of this approach to discipline.
I do my very best, but I know I always have room for improvement, especially in this area of my parenting. This is one of the many reason why I'm happy to host today's guest post from Amy of Toddler in Tow, which is all about peacefully disciplining a toddler: using gentle, directive language, consistency, and intention. Read to the bottom to learn more about today's talented guest blogger.
"...put me on a highway – And show me a sign. And take it to the limit one more time..."
Just as a driver can go from pleasant to just plain P-O-ed when another driver cuts him off, tailgates, or speeds by, so can children go from pleasant to aggravated when confronted with the behavior of a playmate. And just as we tend to follow other drivers to choose the speed to use (ignoring highway signs a lot of the time), so children will follow the behaviors of other children or family members (ignoring direction from their caregiver/parent).
These are natural and developmentally appropriate social behaviors. And when we realize that we adults engage in them pretty much everyday, it starts to feel more natural to discipline by allowing our children to follow their natural instincts and showing them by modeling the behaviors we want them to learn, the signs that will help them navigate. It is important for children to be "put on this highway" to sort out the way to behave appropriately by gauging their progress or digress by the reactions of the people and children around them. It is our responsibility as parents to supply them with plenty of models (or "signs" if you will) that show them the way to take and allow them to find their way.
I was asked recently what my take is on "setting limits" with my child. I responded that limits are important, but often parents get caught up in "enforcing" limits instead of living by them themselves, and that's where the problem lies. The issue that gentle parenting takes with "limits" and "consequences" is not to say that they don't exist and shouldn't be discussed or used to lead children. It is in the way that limits are used in the home.
Take Abbey, my two year old, for example: Abbey and the issue of climbing in our house. She will climb anything she can, and does. Obviously, we want to curb this behavior and instill in Abbey a respect for the nature of things and what different items are and are not used for. I know that this will take time, and I empathize with Abbey on her perspective. She needs to climb. She wants to climb whatever she can find. But I set limits on what is and is not OK to climb on, and I delineate the limit when she crosses it. For example, she likes to climb up into the computer chair in the den (whether or not anyone is sitting in it) and jump in the seat. She does the same thing with the sofa. And the coffee table, and sometimes the dining room table. (Obviously, not an appropriate behavior.) We don't act like monkeys in the house – it's not safe. So what do I do? Pull her down and say "no!"? Put her in time-out when she refuses to come down from the furniture? Give her a certain number of warnings and then spank for disobedience?
None of these traditional discipline approaches does anything to get to the root of the limit: Jumping on furniture is not safe, and not respectful of the nature of the piece of furniture. But there is a method that does. It takes a little more patience and empathy on my part than warnings and chastisement and shaming would, but it works beautifully.
Peaceful Toddler Discipline Technique #7
"Take me to the limit!"
When your child does something dangerous or disrespectful, use empathy and respectful language to guide him to the appropriate behavior by stating the limit and helping him follow through.
- Bring the child's attention to the behavior. I ask Abbey, "Are you supposed to be [climbing on the chair/jumping on the sofa/lying on the table]?" This brings the child's attention to the situation at hand and makes them take account of what they are doing. Instead of hearing "No! Get down from there this instant!" and becoming scared and withdrawn, a question will instead bring a child into the situation at hand (because we all know that children oftentimes do things without even thinking about them first) and get their attention.
Side note: Also, as the number of times that this technique is used to set limits increases, the child will learn to answer this question for his or herself. Sometimes, Abbey will acknowledge her misbehavior as soon as I ask her about it, and discontinue the behavior on her own. Doesn't happen every time, but I can tell that she is starting to put the limits I set for our family into her state of mind.
- State the limit, using collective language (instead of "You are not allowed to..." which makes the child feel shamed and helpless) I tell Abbey, "We don't climb on the chair; we sit on the chair." or "We don't stand on the coffee table. It is dangerous!" Using the collective "we" instead of "you" tells the child that she is an important part of the family unit and that everyone in the family lives by the same limits. This helps establish a healthy sense of self and position within the family unit, instead of shaming a child and making her feel inferior.
- Give the child two options of acceptable behaviors. My go-to is: "Do you want to come down off the [chair/coffee table] or would you like mommy to help you?" But you can use whatever language feels right to you, as long as you are not shaming the child and giving two choices of what to do next that are simple and acceptable to you. Usually Abbey will assert her staple "baby do!" and come down herself. Other times, she chooses to have me remove her from the furniture. Either way, she has respected the limit I have set, and we have avoided a tantrum. Choices are lovely ways to guide your child to appropriate behaviors.
- Repeat the limit. I say "Thank you, Abbey! Remember: we don't [climb on the chair/jump on the sofa/lie on the dinner table]. We [sit on the chair/relax on the sofa/eat at the dinner table]." Reinforcing the appropriate behavior is a wonderful tool, but not all situations lend themselves to it. Keep in mind your child's attention span at the moment. If you're at the playground or on your way through a store, there are probably too many distractions to keep your child's attention through your whole statement, so those would be times to keep it simple and quick.
There will also be times when tantrums erupt (or with older children, when attitude ensues!). This is a time for empathy and guidance. Give a hug. Listen. Use a toy or tool like a "crying jar" to get back to feeling calm purposefully and lovingly.
And when it happens again (even in it's only seconds later!), continue to use this method to diffuse the dangerous or disrespectful behavior (whichever it is at the time)... and set the limit for the family to follow. Just make sure that you and your spouse are held accountable for the limits as well. There are times I have to ask my husband to respect limits, and times when he has to remind me of my own rules! You see, it's normal for our toddlers to push limits and guide their behaviors by the behaviors of others. We do it too!
I hope that this look into limit setting helps you understand more why empathy and respectful discipline tactics work so much better than dictating rules and punishing for disobedience to form a moral and well rounded child.
Here are some more resources on gentle, positive limit setting:
Self Discipline: Setting Limits - from Aid to Life
Setting Limits with Young Children - from Hand in Hand parenting
And maybe you'll want to check out the other gentle discipline topics I've written about:
You say it Best - When You Say Nothing at All
You've Gotta Have Faith
Keeping It Cool
The Golden Rule Ruleth
Monkey See, Monkey Do
About today's guest blogger, Amy:
Amy is a Coast Guard wife and full-time mother to two enthusiastic and lovely children, Abigail (3.5) and Joseph (10 months). In addition to mothering and blogging, she enjoys socializing with friends, meeting new people, sewing cloth diapers, knitting, and dedicating herself to practicing compassion, baby-wearing, mom-to-mom breastfeeding support, and the study of human lactation and sociology. She currently blogs at Toddler In Tow about the experiences of a natural parenting military family, and is a contributing writer for The Natural Parents Network and socialmoms.com.
Today's post was edited from a previous version originally published at Toddler in Tow.


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Editorial: Country needs someone like Ted Kennedy
Seldom do we get to eulogize someone whose passing carries import that is both contemporary and historic.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy is one such person.
In the immediate sense, Kennedy's death Tuesday removes from the current debate over health-care reform the most enduring and steadfast voice on that issue of the last four decades. Kennedy's commitment to making health care affordable for and available to all Americans dated back to December 1969, when he voiced his desire to establish comprehensive national health insurance.
A November 2008 op-ed piece Kennedy wrote for The Washington Post now seems prescient: "I'm sure opponents will dust off the same old slogans they have used to try to block every major advance in health care. They will call it 'socialized medicine' and a 'government takeover,' just as they did when they opposed Medicare and the children's health program — and they are just as wrong today as they were then."
Only days ago, Sens. John McCain and Orrin Hatch, both prominent Republicans, voiced regret that Kennedy's health had severely limited his presence in the health-care debate that is now, arguably, the country's top issue. Kennedy's long commitment to and extensive knowledge of the issue, coupled with his unparalleled ability to forge alliances across party lines, likely would have led to a workable plan without the rancor that has colored the debate thus far, they said.
Yet the sad irony of the timing of Kennedy's death this week is a mere footnote to the larger historic context.
Kennedy ranked second in Senate longevity to Robert Byrd among current senators, but his place in modern political history was unmatched by any of his contemporaries in Congress. He wasn't old enough to inherit his brother John's Senate seat when John was elected president in 1960, so he waited until 1962. Much of the country saw him for the first time a year later in the aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Nearly five years later, he was at center stage again, delivering a stirring eulogy for his slain brother Robert at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. It's an iconic image that represents the tumult and heartbreak that gripped this country in 1968.
Kennedy's longevity and effectiveness in the Senate was nothing short of amazing considering the self-inflicted wounds he suffered throughout his career.
Most infamously, of course, was the death of Mary Jo Kopechne in a car accident at Chappaquiddick in July 1969. Kennedy's actions before and after the accident have been topics of heated discussion ever since, and the incident competed in the headlines with the Apollo moon mission. It would render Kennedy an unviable presidential candidate ever after. There would be many other times when Kennedy's personal life provided embarrassing distractions from his work, yet Kennedy always managed to overcome them.
While much of the mourning of Kennedy's death will focus on the loss of the direct connection to the JFK era, we hope it provokes some soul searching in Congress. We can't recall an issue so important that has unleashed such a torrent of national anger and division as the health-care debate. It's a complicated issue that, unfortunately, is all too often getting simplistic treatment in public forums.
We strongly second the sentiments of Sens. McCain and Hatch: This country needs someone like Ted Kennedy. Someone who, despite the mention of his name causing controversy in some circles, could bring disparate interests together when he deemed the cause sufficiently important.
Springfield (Ill.) State Journal-Register


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We had fun today…
Oh, yes we did… lots and lots of fun…
and to be honest with you, it was all kind of by accident…
All because I made a promise to my 5 year old that we'd do something really special this afternoon while Kelly (7) was at a sleepover. The promises of exciting things to come left my lips, her eyes lit up, and the voice in my head was saying "Well crap… now I have to think of something special and fun to do!"
I flipped open my laptop to
check my email/Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest do important research on fun special things to do with 5 year old girls and lo and behold, if it weren't the answer to the voices in my head in the form of a Google+ update from my friend Bridget.
Ummmm…. heck, yeah! I had cornstarch. I had water. I had a kid who needed to be entertained for hours. This sounded like a winner!
2 hours later, we were still playing with the Oobleck. I even turned a blind eye to the massive mess being made. Instead, we were having so much fun being amazed at how cornstarch and water can be a slimy liquid and then a hard solid at the same time.
Truthfully, I did ignore the mess until this happened…(which was a photo taken after I had already started wiping up the entire bowl of Oobleck which had been spilled on the floor and chair by my over excited daughter. Ahhh and look… I just noticed there's a cracker down there too. Nice. Well, just keeping it real for you all!).
We still had fun, mess and all. So much that Ella decided to make a little video for you showing you how much fun playing with Oobleck can be. If you are looking for something to do to entertain your kids and don't mind the mess, get some corn starch and water together and watch the fun unfold! You'll love it, I promise.


text: Royals Kate Goes Shopping – for Groceries A box of Kellogg's cereal pops up out of a bag in her shopping cart By Liz Raftery Published on August 2, 2011 07:00 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Bauer-Griffin Returning to North Wales after a weekend in Scotland celebrating Zara Phillips's wedding, one of the first things on the Duchess of Cambridge's to-do list was apparently stock up on groceries. Kate was photographed leaving a Tesco supermarket in North Wales, pushing a cart full of plastic grocery bags. Poking out of one of the bags: a box of Kellogg's cereal. PHOTOS: Kate Middleton Tours Royal Wedding Dress Exhibit Onlookers said the Duchess, who wore skinny jeans, a purple sweater and a scarf, spent about 30 minutes in the store. She was accompanied by a modest security detail. The store is located near the Royal Air Force base where Prince William works as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot. Grocery shopping is nothing unique for the royal bride. Not even a week after her wedding, she was spotted in the food aisles. PHOTOS: William & Kate: L.A. Royalty


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University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren announced today that Delta Dental of Oklahoma Oral Health Foundation has made the largest single gift ever to the OU College of Dentistry – a $3.2 million lead gift toward the renovation of the college's building.
The gift is part of the $20 million Legacy Project capital campaign, the largest private fundraising effort in the college's history, to create a state-of-the-art facility to train tomorrow's dental professionals. The Delta Dental gift increases to $9.6 million the funding raised to date toward the first phase of renovating the dentistry building.
"The entire University is deeply grateful for the exceptional gifts by Delta Dental of Oklahoma to the College of Dentistry," said OU President David L. Boren. "It is truly a transformative gift which will help keep our college among the very best in the nation."
Boren noted that in appreciation of the gift, he is recommending that the OU Board of Regents name the dentistry building's Comprehensive Care Clinics Floor for Delta Dental of Oklahoma Oral Health Foundation.
"Our business and our Oral Health Foundation depend on having a supply of the best trained dentists throughout the state," said John Gladden, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Oklahoma. "Having a dental school in our state means we have more dentists across the state, which positively impacts the oral health of our population. Our gift – which is the largest in our history and will be disbursed over a 10-year period – is both an endorsement of the quality of education provided by the OU College of Dentistry, as well as support of new technologies and the teamwork approach for better oral care in the future."
The College of Dentistry building, located on Stonewall Avenue in Oklahoma City, has been home to OU's dentistry students, faculty, and staff since 1976. During that time, only minor renovations and technology upgrades have been made to the facility.
"These significant renovations will ensure the college remains competitive with other national dental schools in technology and contribute to further enhancing the overall quality of oral health care in this region," said Stephen K. Young, DDS, dean of the OU College of Dentistry. "These renovations will help to meet the growing and evolving needs of our students and ensure that the College of Dentistry continues its tradition of providing an outstanding, challenging education and state-of-the-art training environment."
The Comprehensive Care Clinics Floor will be a cornerstone of the renovation project and will support the College of Dentistry's comprehensive care clinical approach to dental education by giving students a real-world professional environment in which to work and learn.
The Comprehensive Care Clinics Floor will be composed of three clinics, which will be remodeled into nine comprehensive group practices. These practices will consist of a group of students led by faculty mentors, with students spending an entire semester in a single practice, coordinating each aspect of a patient's oral health care as they would in a practice setting. Because patients will be assigned to a group practice, seeing the same student practitioners, they will be able to complete treatment more quickly and efficiently.
Architectural firm Bockus Payne Associates Architects will oversee the renovation.
Other areas to undergo extensive refurbishment during the first phase include the first-floor commons, reception area and foyer, student locker rooms and lounge. A new grand atrium also will be added to the first floor and will open onto the existing courtyard.
Planned future construction phases will include renovation to various specialty clinic areas, including those supporting periodontics, orthodontics, endodontic and pedodontic training.
Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Delta Dental of Oklahoma serves more than 700,000 eligible members in more than 3,000 companies. Delta Dental of Oklahoma has contributed millions of dollars to dental health- and education-related programs through its foundation. In addition to the $3.2 million for capital support, Delta Dental has provided more than $1.6 million to the College of Dentistry for scholarships, equipment and technology needs, and community service opportunities, including providing care for uninsured and underinsured populations.
The OU College of Dentistry is home to the state's only doctor of dental surgery program and baccalaureate degree program in dental hygiene. More than 60 percent of Oklahoma's dentists are graduates of the OU College of Dentistry. The college provides general dental care and specialty care to Oklahomans through student, resident and faculty practice clinics.
Since the first class of dentistry students began their studies in 1972, the OU College of Dentistry has established a reputation of training its students to provide the highest quality of clinical care available. The training program provides students with extensive opportunities to learn and develop proficiency through practice in both simulation and patient clinic settings. The OU College of Dentistry has graduated more than 2,000 dentists with an estimated 65% who went on to practice in Oklahoma.


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Menopause often sends you back.
Way back.
To your girlhood.
Since The Great Pause has set in, I'm spending more time reflecting on my early years.
But now is good!
I love writing this blog.
More than any job or hobby, ever.
But about my youth.
In high school I wrote for the school paper.
I had my own column, which I loved writing too.
A few days ago, I dug out the old issues.
My words in The Talisman stopped me in my looking-at-old-stuff tracks.
My column reads a lot like my blog posts.
That's either good, since I wrote pretty well in high school
Or bad
Since I'm forty years wiser and should be a better writer now.
But I sound almost the same.
I guess the girl really is mother of the woman.
(To paraphrase William Wordsworth's "The child is father of the man.")
What about you?
Even though the years have swirled by, are you, in some ways, still the same girl you were long ago?
And does that make you sad, happy, or a bit of both?
The touches of red in this post trace back to one of my favorite elementary school riddles:
What's black and white and red all over?
The newspaper!
I think I learned the riddle from this book, one of my favorite of all time, Bennett Cerf's Book of Riddles.
I wish I still had my old copy. Then I could check to see if I'm right. I do know for very sure, it's got this one:
What's big, red, and eats rocks?
A big, red, rock eater!