text:
What is Traditional Yoga? (The Original Styles of Yoga)
Every once and a while, my students will ask me questions such as, "What is better Pilates or yoga?" I have a very hard time answering these types of questions because Yoga is a practice that has layers and depths to it. It takes lifetimes to master and it has a rich history, spanning thousands of years of philosophy, tradition, culture and eras. All yoga schools take different approaches and many people will go to one yoga class, only to find that it is nothing like another yoga class because it might focus on a different aspect of the extremely large world of yoga.
The word "yoga" means to "yolk". It means union. It is a holistic practice that helps us become whole with ourselves and our environment. Another traditional definition of yoga is any practice that helps us become a better person. Therefore, yoga consists of practices such as healthy living, exercise, meditation, study, prayer, and doing good deeds so we can stay connected to our higher selves. It helps us determine truth from illusion and live in the highest state of happiness.
Today I will attempt to explain what traditional yoga is. I will break traditional yoga down to four main styles. These styles are:
Hatha yoga: Yoga of posture and physical health.
Jnana yoga: Yoga of knowledge and truth.
Karma yoga: Yoga of right and selfless action.
Bhakti yoga: Devotional yoga that brings us closer to a higher power.
Each style of yoga helps us become better in each very important aspect of our lives. Hatha yoga helps us with our physical health. Jnana yoga strengthens our mind and mental will. Karma yoga helps us build healthy social connections. Bhahkti yoga helps us cultivate our reverence for God if we are religious; or our deep love for our higher selves or for the grandeur of the universe, if we are secular. This holistic practice helps develop a healthy mind, body, spirit and community. It creates a balanced lifestyle.
Examples of Hatha Yoga is "pranayama" or breathing exercises that help us understand our posture or "asana". Asanas consist of postures such as, "Adho Mukha Svanasana" or "Downward Facing Dog." This posture is an inverted V. We do this pose to master our posture and alignment which helps us create more strength, flexibility, deeper awareness of our body and more energy. Most yoga that is taught in gyms teaches asana or posture. Posture is very important for our health and well being because it helps unblock places where we are holding tension which creates a better flow in energy. Many studies have showed that our posture affects our hormones and our psychological well being. When a person is standing straight, they automatically become happier. If a person is slouching or cowering, they tend to feel more depressed. Yogis understand how our postures relate to our emotions and use posture to help us control and understand our internal selves, psychologically and physically.
Jnana yoga consists of study, awareness and meditation. It is taught in many yoga studios, ashrams, self actualization institutions and meditation retreats. Sometimes it is taught in conjunction with hatha yoga. For example, when I first started practicing yoga, it was in a studio where we spent the first fifteen minutes of each class studying yoga texts and meditating. Some hatha yoga teachers teach from the yoga texts while you are practicing a posture.
Learning to control our mind helps us become more focused, happier and content. Jnana yoga consists of silencing the mind so the voices in our head do not make us crazy and so we can differentiate what is important from what is not important. It also consists of stepping outside of our selfish ego so we get the bigger picture. It consists of contemplating and reflecting on life or dissecting our problems. It consists of reading, learning, science and even chanting mantras in order to create positive patterns in our subconscious. At its highest level, jnana yoga helps us understand and accept our place in the universe. It helps us overcome our fear of life and death, master our emotions and have a greater perspective of the ups and downs of life.
Karma yoga is all about action and social responsibility. It consists of being a good teacher, parent, grandparent, daughter, son, friend, etc. When we give or volunteer at a local charity or community, we are practicing karma yoga. When we realize that healthy living goes beyond ourselves and that we all need to do our part to make the world a better place, we start practicing karma yoga.
Great examples of karma yoga gurus are: Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Ghandi, Mother Theresa, and Nelson Mandela. These were people who put social responsibility above their own needs. Karma yoga creates happiness by practicing the act of making others happy. It fosters love, gratitude and a more harmonious society.
Bahkti Yoga or the yoga of faith or devotion consists of chants, prayers and singing. It is a cultivation of a deep love and reverence of God or a divine power. When you go to church, a mosque or a temple, you are practicing bahkti yoga. Anytime you are praying, praising or connecting with a divine power, you are practicing bhakti yoga. Although this is a religious or spiritual aspect of yoga, secular people can still practice yoga because of its many other aspects.
In conclusion, I have described the main traditional styles of yoga. This is the foundation of yoga. You might ask about many other styles you have heard of such as Iyengar, Anusara, Bikram, etc. These are usually derived from or are named after a particular guru (teacher) or lineage. Since yoga has evolved for thousands of years, there are some philosophies that have branched off. However, it is still yoga if it incorporates the ideals stated above.
For more information about this many thousands of year old practice, check out these links:
Yoga and The Eightfold path…. https://heroestraining.com/?p=17
Meditation, A Running Into Reality…. https://heroestraining.com/?p=206
Meditation, The Illuminated Perceiver vs. The Afflictive Mind…. https://heroestraining.com/?p=653
Demystifying the Chakras (From a Hormonal Perspective)…. https://heroestraining.com/?p=50
3 thoughts on "What is Traditional Yoga? (The Original Styles of Yoga)"
Pingback: Jay
There is a lot of web pages advertising the best solutions for weight loss. Personally I do believe in natural and herbal alternatives
I'm impressed, I have to say. Really relary do I encounter a weblog that's both educative and entertaining, and let me let you know, you might have hit the nail on the head. Your thought is excellent; the issue is something that not sufficient individuals are speaking intelligently about. I am very glad that I stumbled across this in my search for something regarding this.


text:
As faculty and students at Walters State increasingly use mobile devices in their work lives, in their family lives, and in their leisure life, so too they are increasingly using mobile devices in the classroom. Walters State supports mobile learning and the use of mobile devices for teaching and learning in a number of ways.
The college seeks new ways to assist faculty in their use of mobile learning both inside and outside the classroom.
The college has purchased over 700 iPads for student use. These iPads reside in iPad carts and cabinets strategically placed in academic buildings at all of Walters State. Carts hold 30 iPads each, are portable to classrooms, and are used by instructors in the classrooms to give every student a device during class. A central calendar for each iPad cart enables faculty members to schedule iPads for use in their classroom instruction.
New mobile BYOD podiums are being purchased for classrooms as a way to reduce costs and increase teaching and learning with mobile devices. These BYOD podiums are less expensive than "smart classrooms" and allow faculty to bring their own devices into the classroom and are device-agnostic.
Mobile document cameras allow faculty to use documents, objects, images, and models as they project to the podium and the classroom projector. Some of these cameras can be taken off their stands to more easily maneuver the camera in the classroom for in-depth study.
A number of iPad stands are available for stationary use of the iPad. The stands hold the iPad and allow for easy use on the classroom podium, on the faculty member's desk, or on laboratory tables. Some stands include built-in docking to allow for amplification of video and audio recordings; others allow iPads to be attached to reading tables for student use in labs, reading areas, and the Library.
A mobile document scanner allows faculty members to scan documents into their cache of documents for student use in either the camera roll of the iPads or for distribution via the Dropbox app so each student can read, annotate, and discuss an image, essay, or article.
The college has recently undertaken an extensive revamping of its wired and wireless infrastructure to take advantage of mobile learning.
A new, more-intensive wireless system of connecting to the WS network and the Internet now allows all classrooms to run 30 or more wireless devices simultaneously as instructors give mobile devices to students to use inside the classroom. Building architecture was analyzed and new access points installed to allow for the smooth and continuous operation of wireless devices in the classroom. Students can log into the college's wireless system via the college's iPads or their own wireless devices to interact in classroom presentations, discussions, and class-response polling apps and software.
Finding students are heavily interactive with one another, with their instructor, and with objects on the Internet via mobile devices, the college's Instructional and Educational Technologies Department has created a new network for mobile, wireless devices throughout our campuses—the MobileDeviceNet to which all iPads immediately connect after being turned on. Some recently-purchase software that operates on wireless devices reaches students on all campus simultaneously using the college's MobileDeviceNet.
For faculty members working in facilities outside the WSCC campuses, a number of mifi (mobile wireless access devices) have been purchased. When faculty members teach in high schools in surrounding counties or take their classes on fieldtrips to museums, parks, or the surrounding community, they are able to use mifi technology to connect WSCC iPads to the Internet. For example, one Spanish class interviews native Spanish speakers at a local Morristown restaurant and uses the iPads to connect to the Internet as students fill in surveys and questionnaires in Spanish in response to the interviews they conduct with native speakers.
New courses are being offered as mobile learning and technology spreads across the industries for which some of our students train. The new video production course in the Communications Department will be using new iMac computers to edit videos they shoot for class projects. The photography class will share the new library lab for Apple computers as will the editors of the college's award-winning Gallery fine arts journal. In addition, the lab serves as an incubator for innovation in media production via iOS devices.
The Instructional Design Team (IDT) plans, co-ordinates, and delivers training in teaching and learning technologies for faculty members (and in some instances, staff) at Walters State. Formed in 2008, the IDT has grown from three members to the current eleven members as it role and functions at the college have grown and changed. Trainings delivered by the IDT cover topics such as using particular apps, the set up and management of mobile devices by faculty and staff, upgrading iOS systems, using the iPad and iPad carts in instruction, searching the App Store, the tools of mobilization, presentation apps, quizzing apps, class response apps, and productivity apps, to name a few. Faculty members also visit the IDT for one-on-one sessions, and members of the team visit faculty members in offices and classrooms and other public spaces on campus to ensure faculty members are supported in all the teaching and learning technologies they need.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Karl Rove on why Romney lost: Obama was 'suppressing the vote'
GOP strategist Karl Rove used provocative words to describe one reason he believes Obama won. By 'suppressing the vote,' Rove appeared to mean that negative ads about MItt Romney tamped down enthusiasm for the GOP nominee.
Conservative political strategist Karl Rove has used a provocative phrase to explain how Mitt Romney lost the presidential election Tuesday, saying President Obama won reelection "by suppressing the vote."
Really? Few others make that assertion about the Obama victory.
And normally, the words voter suppression refer to efforts by the politically powerful to make it harder for people – especially people who might oppose the politically powerful at the polls – to cast ballots. The online reference Wikipedia defines it as tactics that "can range from minor 'dirty tricks' that make voting inconvenient, up to blatantly illegal activities that physically intimidate prospective voters to prevent them from casting ballots."
Mr. Rove, a force behind big-money ad campaigns aligned with Republican candidates, appeared to redefine the term.
Appearing on Fox News Thursday, Rove implied that Obama's suppression strategy was to make Romney unlikeable, so that the Republican's potential supporters wouldn't show up to vote for him.
"He succeeded by suppressing the vote, by saying to people, 'you may not like who I am, and I know you can't bring yourself to vote for me, but I'm going to paint this other guy as simply a rich guy who only cares about himself,' " Rove said.
By his definition of suppression, it sounds just like traditional "opposition research" and negative advertising. Does Rove (himself a purveyor of negative ads in his work for George W. Bush and now at the Crossroads GPS group) have some different point to make, or is this just sour grapes over the election outcome?
Fox News host Megyn Kelly responded to Rove. "But I mean [Obama] won, Karl, he won."
Before she interjected, Rove had also said this: Obama has become "the first president in history to win a second term with a smaller percentage of the vote" than four years before.
That doesn't necessarily prove anything about vote suppression. But it leads into a broader, and legitimate, debate.
Whether one calls it suppression or not, there's genuine hand-wringing among Republicans over what some call the "missing voter" conundrum – a dearth of white-voter turnout that caught many by surprise.
Although ballot counts for African-Americans, other nonwhites, and Hispanics all appear to have risen in 2012 compared with 2008, the number of white voters seems to have declined by 6 million or more. Sean Trende, an election analyst at RealClearPolitics, estimates the number of white no-shows is even larger once you account for the population changes, as well as for the 2012 ballots that remain uncounted.
"We find ourselves with about 8 million fewer white voters than we would expect given turnout in the 2008 elections and population growth," Mr. Trende wrote Thursday. (Whites were the voters for whom Romney had the biggest appeal.)
The no-show pattern surprised many conservatives, who thought their base was energized to vote.
The definitive story of why the expected voters didn't materialize, and how much impact it had on the outcome, remains to be unearthed. Negative ads against Romney might have played a role. And by some early accounts, one big factor was Republicans' failure to mount successful "get out the vote" efforts in key states.


text:
Activity on this site....
Anything relating to the operation of this site.
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
- Posts: 38
- Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2009 6:54 pm
Activity on this site....
Just to mention that there is much more activity on this site since Clara's book became publicised.
Last edited by trubleshtr on Wed May 23, 2012 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Activity on this site....
It's is certainly good to see the activity return to the forum and to know that so many are still reading and involved.
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


text:
KUALA LUMPUR: Enra Group Bhd is proposing to diversify its core operations to include the maintainence, repair and overhaul (MRO) business as it seeks to arrest the decline in its financial performance.
RHB Investment Bank Bhd, on behalf of Enra, said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia the group has determined that its existing nascent MRO services should be expanded to capture the favourable outlook of the MRO industry.
Generally, MRO services involve the upkeep of plant facilities and equipment through preventive and corrective actions to ensure that the assets are kept in running condition.
According to the announcement, Enra's management believes the nature of MRO business activities is stable and recurring due to the continuous need for ongoing maintenance of assets to keep operations running.
"An example of those assets includes diesel engines and generators (including ancillary and related equipment) in industries such as O&G, marine, industrial and agriculture," it said.
It added that it expects Malaysia's MRO industry to grow at a cumulative aggregate growth rate of about 5% from 2022 to 2025.
Since the commencement of the group's MRO services in 2019 to March 31, 2022, the segment's contribution to the group has been minimal.,
,telegram好玩的群组(www.tel8.vip)是一个Telegram群组分享平台,telegram好玩的群组包括telegram好玩的群组、telegram群组索引、Telegram群组导航、新加坡telegram群组、telegram中文群组、telegram群组(其他)、Telegram 美国 群组、telegram群组爬虫、电报群 科学上网、小飞机 怎么 加 群、tg群等内容。telegram好玩的群组为广大电报用户提供各种电报群组/电报频道/电报机器人导航服务。
By growing the MRO services under its energy services segment, it aims to improve its financial performance, which has declined in the past three financial years.
Specifically, the property development segment has been loss-making in recent years, made worse by the onset of the Covid pandemic, while the energy services segment has posted declining pre-tax profits.
Despite swinging to the black in FY22 with a pre-tax profit of RM6.2mil, the group noted that this was mainly owing to a one-off gain of about RM19.6mil recognised from its divestment of Enra Kimia.
Furthering efforts to grow its MRO services, Enra has collaborated with MTU Services (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd to pursue new projects and contracts in MRO services across various industries.
The joint venture, MSMENRA Sdn Bhd, is 70% owned by Enra Energy Solutions Sdn Bhd while MSM holds the remaining 30% equity interest.
Enra's board of directors is seeking shareholder approval for the proposed diversification as the MRO segment is expected to contribute 25% or more of the net profits of the group, and/or result in a diversion of 25% or more of the net assets.
评论列表 (1条)


text:
Mike Barrett
Activist Post
There is a bit of controversy revolving around nanoparticles, which involve the manipulation of elements as well as other matter on an atomic and molecular scale.
Found in consumer products, many foods, and in pharmaceutical drugs, nanoparticles are increasingly being found in more products every year.
Many people assume nanoparticles are safe, but they have actually been shown to pose a threat to your health.
Nanoparticles Shown to be Dangerous, Block Nutrient Absorption
According to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN), over 1,300 manufacturer nanotechnology-enabled products are in the global commercial marketplace.
Nanoparticles can now be found in car batteries, appliances, aluminum foil, non-stick cookware, and are especially present in health and fitness items. PEN Director David Rejeski states:
The use of nanotechnology in consumer products continues to grow on a rapid and consistent basis…when we launched the inventory in March 2006 it contained 212 products. If the current trend continues, the number of products could reach 3,400 by 2020.
Nanotechnology is much like organism-based biotechnology, where even supporters of the technologies know there needs to be more long-term testing to determine safety. Genetically modified foods have already been shown to cause numerous health and environmental complications, but they continue to be pushed. Similarly, nanotechnology is believed by some to be the 'next industrial revolution', but like genetically modified foods, it has never been proven totally safe for use or consumption.
A recent study published in the journal Nature titled "Oral exposure to polystyrene nanoparticles affects iron absorption" examined chickens fed a diet which included polystyrene nanoparticles. Researchers found that intestinal changes affecting iron absorption occurred due to the polystyrene nanoparticles. They also expect to see an alteration in absorption of calcium, copper, zinc, and vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Another study conducted in 2004 found that nanoparticles cause brain damage in fish and other aquatic species.
In addition, Oxford University and Montreal University in 1997 linked titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles in sunscreen to free radical and DNA damage. But still, even in 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to put any warning labels on sunscreens that contain nanomaterials.
Scientists worry about the place nanoparticles have in our society. These particles have fundamentally different physical, biological, and chemical properties than their larger counterparts, and continue to be shown as a danger to human health.
FDA sued over lack of Nanotech oversight, labels
How Close Are We to a Nano-based Surveillance State?
This article first appeared at Natural Society, an excellent resource for health news and vaccine information.


text:
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
How do you know it's LDI?
LDI is a large Indiana distillery that was formerly owned by Seagram's. It is currently owned by Angostura but is in the process of being sold to a Midwest Grain Products (MGP), a large Midwestern maker of neutral spirits.
Located in Indiana just over the river from Kentucky, LDI is the only major whiskey distillery in the US that does not market anything under its own label. They operate entirely by contract. Companies pay to buy their whiskey (or vodka or gin) and market it under their own labels. The LDI website lists the different whiskeys they make, including mashbills.
Not long ago, it was not possible for a US consumer to buy an LDI-made whiskey. The closest you could come was Seagram's 7, a blended whiskey whose component whiskey was said to be made at LDI, but blended whiskey is mostly vodka and mostly crappy. Then, just a few years ago, small bottlers Templeton Rye and High West Rye put out some LDI rye (in High West's case it was part of a blend with another rye) to great acclaim. This opened an LDI floodgate and now there are a dozen or so bourbons and rye whiskeys that are made at LDI, and it seems like a new one comes out almost every day. Among the more well known are Redemption Bourbon, Redemption Rye, Bulleit Rye, Temptation Bourbon, the new series of Willett three year old ryes, W.H. Harrison Bourbon, Big Bottom Bourbon, High Whiskey, Riverboat Rye and Smooth Ambler's Old Scout Bourbon.
From time to time, people ask me how I know that a given whiskey is made at LDI, since that fact is almost never disclosed on the bottle and often not disclosed at all by the bottler.
There are lots of clues you can look for to figure out an LDI whiskey. When a new sourced whiskey is announced, the press release will usually brag about its heritage. If it's from Kentucky, they will usually say so since there is cache in releasing a real Kentucky bourbon or rye. So if Kentucky isn't mentioned in the press release, I usually assume LDI (and be aware of general staements like "bourbon country" which can include Indiana).
But the proof is on the bottle. The federal regulations of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) require that whiskey labels disclose the state where the whiskey was distilled. If the whiskey is distilled in the state where the company is located, then the address of the company is sufficient to comply with this requirement. However, if the business address is not in the state where the whiskey was distilled, the state has to be stated separately on the label. (There are some limited exceptions to this regulation, but it applies to most whiskey). See 27 CFR § 5.36(d).
LDI is the only whiskey distillery in Indiana, so if the bottle says "Product of Indiana" or doesn't state where it was distilled but the business address is in Indiana, then you know it was made at LDI.
13 comments:
- Keith said...
When one sources whiskey from LDI, does it come aged? It is my understanding that High West and a few others buy the whiskey from LDI then bottle it. But High West has aged whiskey. Did they age it in house or buy it aged?
I guess it boils down to this: If you are a start up distillery, what's the advantage of buying an unaged product over distilling your own?
- December 7, 2011 at 6:07 AM
- sku said...
High West bought the aged whiskey. I'm not sure how much LDI has in terms of aged stocks.
A few of the bottlers buying LDI whiskey are start up distilleries like High West, but most are bottlers who don't distill their own whiskey at all (Bulleit, KBD - Willett, Big Bottom, WH Harrison, Dynamic Spirits - Redemption, etc.)
- December 7, 2011 at 7:01 AM
- Keith said...
Thanks for the info. I find it fantastically interesting that LDI has barrels of whiskey aging, just waiting for someone to buy them.
- December 7, 2011 at 8:05 AM
Thanks for mentioning Indiana and I wish I had were in Bardstown right now!
- December 23, 2011 at 8:12 AM
@sku: You are incorrect about several of the bourbons you mention.
Bulleit was never a LDI product. It has bounced between several distilleries but it has always been distilled, aged, and bottled in Kentucky. Currently by Four Roses.
Willett distilles, ages, and bottles all their own products at their family owned distillery in Bardstown. It's a great place to visit if you're ever in Kentucky.
I suggest you get your facts straight before posting in the future.
- October 11, 2013 at 10:29 AM
- sku said...
Stewart, you are absolutely incorrect.
Bulleit Bourbon is distilled at Four Roses, but Bulleit Rye, which is what I refer to here, is made at LDI.
Willett only recently reopened their distillery and has not yet bottle any of their own product. All of their products are from other distilleries.
Please check your facts before telling me to "get my facts straight."
- October 11, 2013 at 10:33 AM
My apologies in regard to the Bulleit Rye, I misread it was the Rye you were referring to and you are correct about that product being distilled in Indiana.
However, you are incorrect regarding Willett. I am holding two bottles of Willett in my hand right now, their flagship Pot Still Willett Bourbon and a Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Bourbon, 6 Years Aged.
The Willett Bourbon says on the label, and this is word for word, "Distilled, aged, and bottled in Kentucky." The Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Bourbon reads, "Distilled in Kentucky, Bottled by: the Willett Distillery, Bardstown, KY."
If these Willett products were distilled and aged in Indiana please explain how the labels read the way they do.
- October 11, 2013 at 10:56 AM
- sku said...
Stewart, please reread my post. I never said all Willett products were distilled in Indiana. The recent series of Willett rye whiskeys are distilled in Indiana and they say it right on the label.
As I stated in my earlier response, Willett is a bottler. They buy bourbon from other distilleries and bottle it under their own label. Their bourbon is nearly all from Kentucky and is sourced from a variety of distilleries, but they have released a series of ryes from LDI in Indiana.
- October 11, 2013 at 11:01 AM
- Barturtle said...
Stewart, when your label reads "Distilled, aged and bottled by The Willett Distillery: then you'll have something they actually distilled in their own distillery. Until then, you'll have product that was sourced from other distilleries.
- October 11, 2013 at 1:49 PM
- Steffen said...
Hi Stewart
Why do you describe Pot Still Willett Bourbon as their flagship? I think its a bottling in the middle, quality wise, of their line up. Where I live its also priced in the middle
- October 12, 2013 at 1:00 AM
Stewart, I think you will find that sku, Barturtle and many like them have been in the whiskey game for many years and rarely get their facts wrong..... they do however deal with lots of newbies who pretty much accept anything they hear from any source as gospel regardless of how ridiculous it may be.
Given ones approach the whiskey "elders" will either dedicate their time to help educate or just write you off as an ass without a clue. I have found not being an ass is much better.
- October 12, 2013 at 4:37 AM
As of October, 2014, the only whiskey available from LDI/MGPI is from 2012 and newer. Everything older in the aging warehouses is under contract. FWIW.
- October 22, 2014 at 4:38 PM
So the Willett Family Estate 2 and 3 year old "small batch" ryes are distilled at KBD with an expectation that they'll release increasingly older product in the coming years as stocks continue to age. To the best of my knowledge, the only LDI rye they're selling at the present time is 7 or 8 years old and it clearly labeled as such.
- March 11, 2016 at 3:26 PM


text:
Carlyle Group LP, the second-largest buyout firm, bought commodities hedge-fund manager Vermillion Asset Management LLC, adding $2.2 billion in commodities assets as the firm expands beyond private equity.
Carlyle purchased 55 percent of Vermillion for a mix of cash, stock and performance-based payouts, effective Oct. 1, Carlyle said today in a statement. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
Vermillion, created in 2005 by Drew Gilbert and Chris Nygaard, will be part of Carlyle's Global Market Strategies business, headed by Mitch Petrick. That unit manages about $29 billion across 53 funds, and is a key component of the firm's strategy to offer more products outside of traditional corporate buyout pools and win more commitments from investors around the world.
"Our team looks forward to leveraging Carlyle's global network and deep knowledge of local markets to better exploit trading opportunities and inefficiencies in the global commodities markets," Gilbert said in the statement.
Gilbert and Nygaard will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of Vermillion and remain co-chief investment officers of its funds. The New York-based firm has 43 employees. Vermillion focuses on investments spanning agricultural commodities, precious metals, freight and energy across three funds, according to the statement.
Commodities Rally
Commodities jumped 11 percent in the third quarter, the biggest gain since March 2011, as central banks and governments announced plans to promote growth. Money managers added $1.56 billion to commodity funds in the week ended Sept. 26, with $1.48 billion going to gold and precious metals, according to Cameron Brandt, the director of research for Cambridge, Massachusetts-based EPFR Global, which tracks money flows.
As part of the deal, Carlyle agreed to give Vermillion principals 1,439,788 shares over four-and-a-half years if certain performance targets are met. Those shares would be worth $36.9 million at yesterday's closing share price of $25.64.
Carlyle, based in Washington, has $156 billion in assets. Founded in 1987 by William Conway, Daniel D'Aniello and David Rubenstein, Carlyle trails only Blackstone Group LP as a so- called alternative-asset manager, as measured by assets under management.
Carlyle completed an initial public offering earlier this year, joining Blackstone, KKR & Co. and Apollo Global Management LLC as publicly listed private-equity firms.
All of those firms have sought to bolster assets and start or expand non-buyout businesses in part to satisfy public shareholders who value the shares on recurring fees.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP provided legal advice to Carlyle on the deal, while Sandler O'Neill & Partners LP and Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP advised Vermillion.


text:
Travel to Israel With LeSEA Tours
Check the TV Schedule to find out when we air the LeSEA Tours programming.
LeSEA Tours is well known for providing unforgettable, life changing Israel tours for a great value. Make a life changing decision today – come to Israel with us.
Live From Studio B
Live from Studio B is a 30 minute Christian music program featuring top Christian artists and also provides up-and-coming artists the chance to take the message of Jesus Christ to the world.
Making Healthy Choices
The goal of Making Healthy Choices is to educate viewers on the proper use of nutrients in healing and enhancing their total health – mind, body and spirit. They strive to provide their customers with quality resources in the form of superb vitamin-mineral supplements and nutritional information. Funds raised from all product and book sales generated by Making Healthy Choices are used to support the ongoing ministry and humanitarian projects undertaken by the Family Broadcasting Corporation throughout the world. Visit the Events page, to find a schedule for the Making Healthy Choices program.


text:
Travel & Landscape Photography from 100 countries around the world
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
117 / 132
Southern Europe - Malta - Repubblika ta' Malta - Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea - Megalithic ruins of temple of Hagar Qim - Ħaġar Qim - Standing Worshipping Stones - UNESCO World Heritage Site - Amongst most ancient religious sites on Earth
MaltaRepublic of MaltaMalteseRepubblika ta' MaltaSouthern EuropeanEuropeEvropaMediterraneanMT


text:
The Ethical Implications of Parents Writing About Their Kids
Tips for spotting a problematic new genre: parental overshare
Shortly after the tragedy in Newtown, Liza Long, an "author, musician, and erstwhile classicist," published a viral essay with the provocative title, "I am Adam Lanza's Mother," comparing her own mentally-ill teen son to the alleged Newtown killer, and herself to Lanza's first victim: "A few weeks ago, Michael pulled a knife and threatened to kill me and then himself after I asked him to return his overdue library books," Long wrote, concluding from this and other troubling incidents that her son is likely on his way to opening fire in "a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom."
Long's essay was only the most outlandish version of a popular genre: parental overshare. In July, for example, on a New York Times opinion blog, Beth Boyle Machlan, "at work on a memoir about mothering and mental illness," described her daughter's O.C.D. Despite the lack of violence, Machlan's essay may be more disturbing than Long's—we get an account of the girl's therapy session, and hear Machlan calling her daughter "bunny" and "sweetie." Private scenes the reader should not have had access to.
But with the response to Long's piece, serious public opposition to parents spilling their own children's secrets began to emerge. Another writer, Sarah Kendzior, took issue with Long's discretion:
Over the past few days, we have had a number of calls for 'national conversations'—about guns, about mental health, about safety. We need to have a national conversation about the online privacy of children. Mothers should protect their children, not exploit them for media attention.
The first go at this "national conversation" seemed ill-fated. Kendzior had also made weaker critiques of Long's parenting, diverting attention from the privacy angle. Tensions high, the two made peace so as to avoid a "mommy war." Kendzior, though, did not back down, later arguing, "The greatest threat to children's privacy online does not come from corporations. It comes from parents."
Meanwhile, on the New York Times's parenting blog, Jillian Keenan responded indirectly to Long, thanking her own mother for not publicizing an adolescent outburst. Keenan's plea could not have been more sensible: "Parents should be the first line of defense to protect their children's privacy, but sometimes they aren't," she wrote, blaming the media for publishing "gratuitous material that could damage a child's long-term personal or professional prospects." Yet Keenan's hook was that she herself had once drawn a knife on her mother. She also referred to having gotten her partner's permission to mention him in an article (also in the Times) about her spanking fetish. For some commenters, this diminished her credibility, obscuring her argument.
Still, anyone looking to question the ethics of parental overshare faces a tough audience. The ubiquity of confessional writing has spilled over into confessions that implicate not so much the author as the author's still-underage offspring. Readers are meant to celebrate confessional parenting-writing for its courage, perhaps also because it is a rare creative (sometimes lucrative) outlet for women who identify primarily as mothers. Yet these parents' "courage" involves telling stories not theirs to tell. Confessional writing is about risk. An author telling of her own troubles risks her own reputation and relationships. But an author doing the same about her kid risks primarily his, not hers.
Parental overshare, as I define it, does not refer to parents discussing their kids with friends and family. Private or anonymous communication doesn't count, even if in this day and age, everything could theoretically reach a mass audience. Nor does fiction. Two criteria must be present: First, the children need to be identifiable. That does not necessarily mean full names. The author's full name is plenty, even if the children have a different (i.e. their father's) last name. Next, there needs to be ambition to reach a mass audience.
Parental overshare does not always deal with tragic circumstances. It ranges from family secrets to lighthearted anecdotes. There are girls whose fashionable mothers want them to lose weight. Boys who need professional help with their homework, or who will never go to Harvard like their old man. Children with messy bedrooms—literal dirty laundry.
Hanna Rosin distinguishes between writing like Long's, which she considers libelous, and "mommy bloggers embarrassing their children." One might also view them as equally problematic, but for different reasons. While serious revelations pose a greater threat to a child's reputation, humiliating stories may be more likely to destroy a parent-child relationship. A child might sympathize with writing about his illness, but not about that time when he was three and wet the bed. And a story of everyday parenting challenges could still reflect poorly on a child down the line. Between two equivalent candidates, who would hire the one who once begged for $600 jeans?
Parental overshare's most obvious flaw is its potential to humiliate. But what if the kid's OK with it? Some authors, Long included, reassure us that their children approve. Yet children are not in a position to veto their guardians' livelihood. Nor do they understand what it means for information to be private. It's generally understood that what kids put online about themselves can hurt them later. How can a child consent to a memoir?
The reader assumes that the parent will do what's best for her child. While the parent may set out to do this, using their own children in the service of a larger argument clouds their ability to self-censor. And with confession can come vanity.
Indeed, it often seems as though what motivates parental overshare isn't so much the potential for a post to go viral as the parenting accolades from strangers. An interviewer said to memoirist Amy Chua, "Perhaps [...] the crucial thing is not how pushy you are as a parent, but how engaged," to which Chua replied, "'I'm so glad you say that!'" Reviews of John Schwartz's memoir insist upon how "understanding, empathetic, caring, and, well, perfect" Schwartz and his wife clearly are.
Online commenters and reviewers often ignore that parents may misjudge their own parenting. More upsettingly, they do not question the acceptability of parents mining kids' lives for material. Perhaps they assume these kids are if anything privileged to have such attentive (and often well-connected) parents.
Where, then, should a parent-writer draw the line? The simplest way is to ask if a given anecdote would be appropriate if its subject were not your child. Would you publish that essay about your colleague or sibling? About a friend's kid? If you consider the power dynamics between parent and child; the childhood secrets only a parent can know; and the trust children have in their parents, you see why parental overshare, however well-intentioned, is unethical.


text:
We've all met gnocchi before. Those potato-based pasta pillows that at their best are light and bouncy, though more often then not come off as leaden and heavy. Well, those gnocchi are another story for another time. Today we're hear to talk about their even pillowier, and—most importantly—far easier-to-make cousins, gnocchi à la Parisienne. If you ask me, they're tastier, as well.
I often talk about how learning the basic techniques behind good cooking is far more important than mastering a specific recipe. I can't think of a better example than learning how to make a good pâte à choux. Once you've mastered the basics of the French-style hot water, flour, and egg-based dough, you've got the chops to pull off countless recipes. You can pipe decorative logs and fill them with pastry cream to make eclairs. You can sandwich dollops of chantilly or ice cream in it to make cream puffs or profiteroles. You can deep fry it into light and puffy beignets, or mix it with herbs and cheese to be baked into savory gougères.
Or, you can do them my favorite way: gently simmered, then fried or broiled until crisp and golden brown with a light, airy center.
Here's how to make 'em.
Gnocchi Basics
While the ratios of ingredients differ, the process of making Parisian gnocchi is identical, no matter who you ask. First, boil water and butter in a saucepan, then dump in flour all at once and stir it vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth ball of dough forms.
After the dough comes together in a ball and begins to gently steam (an indication that the flour in it is fully hydrated and cooked), finish by adding eggs one at a time and beating that dough like your life depends on it, in order to incorporate that egg without letting it curdle. I've lost more than one long-term companion to the wooden spoon gods performing this action.
You end up with a sticky, paste-like dough that holds itself together just well enough to be piped from a piping bag (or a zipper-lock bag with the corner removed).
That's your pâte à choux dough right there, and, from this point, its final form depends on how you complete it—baking and frying are common, but in the case of Parisian gnocchi, poaching in simmering water is the way to go. You pipe the gnocchi out and cut them with a sharp knife directly into the water a few at a time, then let them poach until they float to the surface for a few moments before fishing them out.
Finally, the poached gnocchi can be eaten either as-is, or finished by frying or broiling to crisp up their exteriors.
But before we get there, let's talk a bit about how hot water doughs work.
Some Like it Hot
Parisian gnocchi are somewhat of an oddity in the Western repertoire, in that they're made with a hot water dough—much like Chinese-style dumpling or stretched noodle dough. With most Western breads and pastries, cold or room temperature liquid is added to flour before kneading it.
There are two kinked proteins in flour, glutenin, and gliadin. Get them lubricated and rub them around enough through mechanical action (like kneading), and they tend to stretch out and bind with each other, forming the stretchy protein matrix known as gluten.
Gluten is what gives dough structure, and the more it's kneaded and worked, the tighter and more elastic it becomes. A ball of well-kneaded cold water dough will spring back if you press it and contract if you stretch it. This is why, for example, pizza dough is extremely hard to roll out until it's had at least a couple hours to rest and allow this gluten to relax.
A hot water dough, on the other hand, works differently. By adding flour directly to boiling water, you actually end up not only denaturing the proteins, but smashing them into small pieces. Some degree of gluten can still form, but because cooked proteins aren't nearly as stretchy or clingy as raw ones, you won't get anywhere near the elasticity of a cold-water dough. Adding butter and other fats to the dough will further diminish its gluten-forming abilities. As a result, a pâte à choux dough isn't stretchy or bouncy; its more malleable and supple, kind of like Play-Do.
The beauty of a hot water dough is that, as you can see, it doesn't bounce back as much as a cold water dough does. This is important: as the gnocchi go through their primary poaching step in simmering water, water vapor and trapped gases will expand, causing the gnocchi to inflate slightly. This change in density caused by expanding gases is what causes them to gently float to the surface of the pot as they poach.
If we were to try and make gnocchi with a cold water dough, one with plenty of springy, elastic gluten, we'd have a heck of a time getting those gnocchi hot enough to expand to the point where they come out nice and airy; Instead, we'd end up with dense, chewy nubs that taste more like damp bread. With our tender, easy-to-shape hot water dough, however, the stretching is easy, and, what's more, the gnocchi keep their stretched-out shape even after they begin to cool, ensuring that they stay light and tender no matter how we choose to finish them off.
Sure Beats Beating
Remember how I said that pretty much all gnocchi recipes are identical? Well I lied a little bit. There are really two types of gnocchi recipes: those made the old school, wooden-spoon-and-elbow-grease way, and those made with the mechanical aid of a stand mixer. The latter, which I first saw in this Thomas Keller recipe is vastly easier, particularly if your beating arm is not quite in shape.
With this method, you start out the same way: beating the flour into a boiling mixture of water and butter. But from there, you transfer the dough to a stand mixer and beat the eggs in using the paddle rather than your bare hands.
Cooked side-by-side, there's absolutely no detectable difference between the wooden spoon and the stand-mixer method, provided you beat extremely vigorously. If you're even slightly lax with the hand-beating, then the stand mixer method will produce superior results every time.
This got me thinking: if the process can be simplified by using the stand mixer for the eggs, why not just do the whole thing in there? I added my flour and eggs to the mixer, then, with the mixer running, poured in the boiling water and butter mixture before discovering why it doesn't work.
Here's what I ended up with:
Turns out that just mixing the hot water with the flour isn't enough: the flour and water mixture actually needs to be cooked for a decent amount of time in order to fully hydrate the flour's starch and to develop its protein structure. Subsequently cooking the wet, batter-like dough in a saucepan produced what looked like decent pâte à choux, but simmering and frying it proved unsuccessful:
That's the light, airy, traditionally-made gnocchi on the left, and my dense, pasty, mix-it-all-together-and-sort-out-the-bodies-later attempt on the right.
Much as I'd love to be able to say, "Hey, check out this awesome new technique!," I'm afraid that in this case, tradition triumphs*
*and, unlike some other unnamed sources, I'm not going to try and crowbar in an inferior technique just for the sake of novelty.
Pipe Dreams
After the basic dough is made, I like to add a few flavorings. Parmesan cheese is a given for me, adding a savory backbone and helping the gnocchi to brown better down the line. I take another cue from Thomas Keller and add a small dollop of Dijon mustard to my dough, as well as chopped herbs.
The most difficult part of making Parisian gnocchi—and it's really not that difficult at all—is in the piping, and it's really not all that hard. It just takes a bit of practice. To do it, you transfer the dough into a piping bag or a zipper-lock bag with the corner snipped off, then let it rest for 20 minutes or so. This will let it cool down slightly while allowing any vestiges of overworked gluten to relax and any under-hydrated starch to hydrate, helping the gnocchi to puff properly as they poach.
With the tip of the bag held out over gently simmering water, you use a paring knife held in the other hand to cut off 1-inch lengths of dough, letting them drop straight into the pot. If you've got a close friend or kitchen ally, this process is a snap—one person pipes, the other person cuts.
The goal is to pipe and cut as many gnocchi as you possibly can within about a minute, so that the last gnocchi that drops in won't be too far behind the first one that entered the pool. Once they've finished cooking, you fish them out and start again with the next batch.
The first few times you do this, it may be as few as a dozen or so at a time. As you practice and your speed goes up, you should be able to pipe 30 to 40 gnocchi per minute, which greatly reduces overall prep time.
The beauty of these gnocchi is that once they're poached, you can transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet, toss them in a bit of oil, and let them cool down. At this stage, they can be transferred to a sealed container and stored in the refrigerator for up to a few days until you're ready to fry or broil them just before serving. Just as with regular pasta, this means that if you make them in advance, dinner is only 20 to 30 minutes away.
Finishing Steps
How to serve the gnocchi? One of the easiest and tastiest ways is to broil them in a cast iron skillet.
I brown just enough butter to give them a nice coating, add the gnocchi and toss to combine, then cover them in a blanket of finely grated Parmesan cheese.
After a brief stint under the broiler, they come out puffed and crisp, ready to be served straight out of their skillet. That's a big ol' taste of comfort right there.
Want to get fancier? You can fry the gnocchi in a skillet to be used as a blank palate for any number of seasonally-based pasta dishes.
Toss them with chunks of squash cooked down in brown butter with sage and a squeeze of lemon, or with charred Brussels sprout leaves and shallots in the fall. Serve them with some great canned tomatoes in the winter. Toss them with some simply blanched fresh peas and asparagus tips in the spring.
This time of year, I like to catch the last days of summer's glory by combining them with some sautéed sweet corn, zucchini, and oven-roasted tomatoes with plenty of olive oil and Parmesan.
Did I say that the toughest part of Parisian gnocchi was the technique? That's not really true. The truly tough part is settling on the best way to serve them.
Click here for a step-by-step slideshow of the process, or check below for the complete recipes.


text:
Sailor Moon Episode 29 English Subbed
Subbed Episodes List
Next Episode
Previous Episode
Sailor Moon Episode 29 Subbed, Watch Sailor Moon English Subbed Episode 29 Online, Sailor Moon Episode 29 English Subbed Online. Top favorite ranked Japanese most watched anime, Sailor Moon Anime in English Subbed Download HD quality full. You can easily watch full episodes of Sailor Moon Anime.
For English Dubbed Please Click below:
Sailor Moon Dubbed Episodes
In Sailor Moon the Sailor Venus is a Brown Hair and is After Sailor Mercury the first planet in solar system which is the median of shades, Sailor Moon is 3rd with the Blond Light Hair, and Sailor Mars is 4th with the Dark Hair in final place of the trio. The saga has stunning magical female video and effects but some comic relief to go with it. Have not seen different ones than this despite folk saying it is simple to do! Sailor Jupiter is 5th and after is Sailor Saturn with similar tones to compare. The series is nice but know few that parallel it.


text:
Is it dessert? Is it dinner? Why yes it is! Have you seen the pumpkin rolls with the cream cheese filling? This is a take-off on that idea. No, it is NOT the same recipe so the pancakes are a bit more pumpkin bread like so it is not as sweet but the filling is the sweet part. You can put as much filling between your pancakes as you like. Eat it for dinner or dessert!
This was a super hit. I don't tend to like very many pumpkin spice items. I think they taste weird but this one was perfect. It had tons of flavor and the sweetness made it perfect to eat just as it was. Don't want the extra sweetness of the filling? These are also good with just a sprinkle of powdered sugar over the top.
My kids gobbled these down and we still had leftovers for lunch the next day.
These are so rich and decadent that I served them all on their own.
recipe title="Pumpkin Roll Pancakes with Sweet Cream Cheese Filling" servings="12″ time="15 minutes prep and 30-40 minutes cooking" difficulty="easy"]
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 (8 oz) block of cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Make filling first by beating all ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth. Cover and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour milk, eggs, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin into the well. Whisk until all ingredients are just incorporated.
- Let the batter sit for at least 10 minutes.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Pour the batter by 1/4 cups onto the heated griddle (grease with butter if needed). Cook 3-4 minutes per side. Remove pancakes from pan to warming oven until all pancakes are made.
- To serve top pancakes with filling and top with a second pancake. Add a dollop of filling on top for decoration if desired.


text:
Reporting Bugs
Viewing and submitting a bugs
The Jython project uses a roundup based bug tracker. Go to http://bugs.jython.org for all bug management needs.
Using the bug tracker
By default, you will see the list of all Open bugs. You can change which bugs you're viewing through the search system. To submit a bug, create an account, login and go to the issue creation page


text:
iPad Technology Information
Please follow these links for technology assistance related to the iPad:
https://www.spps.org/Page/24325iPad User Guide with step-by-step instructions
District technical support (also see right-hand sidebar for more information)
Helpful Guides For Preparing To Pick Up Your New iPad Or Laptop
How to Backup and Erase Your iPad
Computer Backup - Mac
Computer Backup - Windows XP
Computer Backup - Windows 7
Create an Apple ID without a Credit Card
Restore from a Backup - Mac
iPad Technical Assistance
Students and staff who need help with their iPads can call one of the numbers below as appropriate. Information is also available online for basic iPad tutorials.
Call to report lost or stolen iPads, immediately or if the iPad gets damaged or doesn't work.
If these issues occur outside school hours, please wait until you are back in school to have it fixed.
Call for help on technical issues with the iPad like needing help connecting to a wireless network, using the iPad, or to ask specific questions about the Apple apps installed on your iPad
PIN: Students need to get this code from their teacher; staff, if you need the code contact Technical Service
6 am - 8 pm Central Time; Mon.-Fri.
8 am - 8 pm Central Time; Sat./Sun.


text:
White House pressed on 'mission accomplished' sign
Navy suggested it, White House made it, both sides say
From Dana Bash
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- What was once viewed as a premier presidential photo op continues to dog President Bush six months after he landed on an aircraft carrier to declare "one victory" in the war on terrorism and an end to major combat operations in Iraq.
Attention turned Tuesday to a giant "Mission Accomplished" sign that stood behind Bush aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln when he gave the speech May 1.
The president told reporters the sign was put up by the Navy, not the White House.
"I know it was attributed somehow to some ingenious advance man from my staff -- they weren't that ingenious, by the way," the president said Tuesday.
Now his statements are being parsed even further.
Navy and administration sources said that though the banner was the Navy's idea, the White House actually made it.
Bush offered the explanation after being asked whether his speech declaring an end to major combat in Iraq under the "Mission Accomplished" banner was premature, given that U.S. casualties in Iraq since then have surpassed those before it.
During the speech in May, Bush said, "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September 11, 2001, and still goes on."
The speech and events surrounding it were widely publicized and served as the symbolic end to the war in Iraq.
At the time, it appeared that every detail of the day's events had been carefully planned, including the president's arrival in the co-pilot's seat of a Navy S-3B Viking after making two flybys of the carrier.
The exterior of the four-seat S-3B Viking was marked with "Navy 1" and "George W. Bush Commander in Chief."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan told CNN that in preparing for the speech, Navy officials on the carrier told Bush aides they wanted a "Mission Accomplished" banner, and the White House agreed to create it.
"We took care of the production of it," McClellan said. "We have people to do those things. But the Navy actually put it up."
The banner has been used by critics of the Bush administration as evidence of bravado and an unclear sense of how dangerous the postwar conflict in Iraq would be.
Assigning responsibility elsewhere, especially to the military, is not a typical move for the Bush administration and raised suspicions among critics.
Cmdr. Conrad Chun, a Navy spokesman, defended the president's assertion.
"The banner was a Navy idea, the ship's idea," Chun said.
"The banner signified the successful completion of the ship's deployment," he said, noting the Abraham Lincoln was deployed 290 days, longer than any other nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in history.
At the time of the event, Democrats worried President Bush would use his speech and the dramatic landing for political gain.
On Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidates, hoping to make it a political liability for Bush, accused him of trying to shift blame for the stagecraft to the Navy.
"Landing on an aircraft carrier and saying 'mission accomplished' didn't end a war, and standing in the Rose Garden and stating that 'Iraq is a dangerous place' does nothing to make American troops safer," Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts said in a written statement Tuesday.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean also issued a critical statement.
"Today, we heard him try to walk away from the USS Abraham Lincoln 'end of major combat operations' announcement, absurdly claiming that the White House was not responsible for the 'Mission Accomplished' banner that decorated the flight deck," Dean said.


text:
Editorial: Learn what's in the health bill
Americans are divided over whether the national health reform bill President Barack Obama signed Tuesday is a historic milestone or an abomination. What the two sides have in common is that most have only a sketchy idea of what the bill will do.
Part of this confusion comes with the legislative process; bills change as deals are made every step of the way. More confusion comes from the hyperbole and misinformation that have made up much of the political discourse. The economics of health care isn't a simple subject in the first place; when confusion is intentionally spread for political advantage, it's no wonder people respond with fear.
But Tuesday's bill-signing, to be followed by some relatively minor tweaks included in a reconciliation bill awaiting Senate action, makes it the law of the land. It's time Americans learned what's in it for them.
While some major provisions don't kick in until 2014, including the individual mandate and the insurance exchanges through which uninsured Americans and small businesses can purchase coverage, some parts of health reform will take effect within six months, including:
- Young adults without insurance will be able to be covered on their parents' family plan until they turn 27, at an additional fee.
- Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny coverage for children because of pre-existing conditions. Denying health care to a sick child or bankrupting his family to pay for it without insurance is surely the cruelest provision of the health care status quo.
- Adults denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions will be eligible to buy into a new high-risk insurance pool immediately. The full ban on insurance discrimination based on medical history kicks in in 2014.
- Insurers will no longer be able to put a cap on lifetime payouts, which has been a factor in the recent rise of medical bankruptcies.
- Insurers will no longer be allowed to cancel insurance for people who become sick.
- Small businesses will immediately become eligible for tax credits to help provide insurance for employees.
- The "doughnut hole," which limits prescription drug coverage for some Medicare recipients, will begin to be closed. Recipients who fall into the coverage gap will initially be given a $250 subsidy; in 2011, a 50 percent discount kicks in, with the hole fully closed in 2020.
- Insurance companies will be required to cover preventive care in all new policies. Beginning Jan. 1, 2011, all Medicare recipients will be entitled to one free physical exam per year.
As positive as they are, many people may not notice the parts of the bill that go into effect this year, or even longer than that. As this law goes into effect, people will continue sending their premium checks to the same insurance company. They will get their health care from the same physicians and at the same hospitals as always. They will learn that, contrary to what they may have heard, there will be no federal bureaucrat signing off on their physicians' orders.
Those who suffer directly from the inequities in the current health system will see for themselves what health reform is. If they open their eyes and look past the political hype, others will see what it isn't: This is not a "government takeover of one-sixth of the economy." It is a moderate, fiscally-responsible, market-based approach to making our health care system more efficient and more fair.
Now it's time to put the politics aside and make health care reform work for all Americans.
The MetroWest Daily News


text:
@ banasy@ and Cen Texan©
Whatever an instagram is will just have to remain a mystery. But I just found a new word I never heard of before. It's what caused thes widespread power outages that have affected so many, including our friend Jeff Frank.
The word is DERECHO. Have you ever heard of it ? It's a new one on me.
I don't understand. Lots of people die all the time. In fact, more people than that probably die every minute due to traffic accidents.
Don't get me wrong - I have nothing but sympathy for the families and friends of these very unfortunate people - but 8 people out of 300+ million is not something that should cause companies to suddenly donate to the Red Cross... they should donate ANYWAY, but because of this weather.
(I meant NOT because of this weather)
Aw @ Jeff Franks,so sorry to hear that, glad yall are ok! lol @ Edwin, and @ bobcat, no ive never heard of it, & @ centexen & banasy, me either on instagram, pinterest, or onion (except the ones in my kitchen) and by the sounds of it we aint missin much!
This author has a very dark, sick, and twisted sense of humor. There have been fatalities from this, and they choose a headline such as that.
There have been fatalities from Instagram, or the power outage?
Hi banasy, centexan, bobcat, fernace, and everyone else. Just wanted to extend some hope and the best to Jeff Frank as well. All of you, have a great weekend.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about aplicaciones android.
A billion dollars and they don't have redundancy. Wow.
This is news???
mass liesure, cana wait see it works again.
Storms in the North East, storms and floods in Florida, fires all over the west. Yep, it is offically summer.
I have fun with, result in I found just what I used to be having a look for. You have ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
You could definitely see your skills in the work you write. The arena hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren't afraid to say how they believe. At all times go after your heart.
My relatives every time say that I am killing my time here at web, however I know I am getting know-how daily by reading thes nice posts.


text:
In the past few decades, New Zealand has earned a solid place on the global wine market, particularly with the popularity of its Sauvignon Blanc. But red wine lovers should take note; in addition to the zingy and zesty white grape that put New Zealand on the map, this coastal country has steadily mastered the craft of another popular grape: Pinot Noir.
Taking advantage of the cool climate, mild rainfall and free-draining soils, New Zealand vintners have found ideal locations for growing Pinot Noir. The resulting wines offer a yin and yang of Old World earth and elegance, and New World fruit ripeness. New Zealand Pinot Noir is clearly Pinot Noir, with a purity of fruit and elegant structure.
The most successful Pinot Noir regions in New Zealand include Martinborough, which lies on the southern tip of the North Island, Marlborough, on the northern tip of the South Island, and Central Otago, the only continental climate region of the country, nestled in the southern hills on the South Island. Take note of Hawke's Bay and Canterbury as well – the Pinot from these regions continues to grow. The coastal regions of Martinborough and Marlborough produce Pinot Noir full of bright red fruit and vibrant acidity. Down in Central Otago, Pinot Noir takes on a deeper flavor, with a savory texture and layers of complexity. They can be enjoyed now or evolve in your cellar. As a whole, New Zealand Pinot Noir is ideal for the dinner table; with its excellent acidity and gentle structure it pairs with a number of dishes.
Once Pinot Noir lovers discover this region, they find themselves drawn to the quality and value offered in the wines. These are the kind of wines that beg for another sip, linger on your palate and make you wish you had another bottle.


text:
As you already know from my previous post on Friday, I was invited to visit the Queens Coronation Exhibition which took place inside the Queens lovely home, Buckingham Palace. I was invited as press as the exhibition wasn't yet open to the public and I got an amazing tour of the Queens home in the process. My boyfriend and I (along with other press) had to go through airport style security before being allowed to enter Buckingham Palace (which I am glad they have as it helps keep it very well protected). We also had to go through the normal guidelines and etiquette, which meant we weren't able to take photos in most of the palace, only within the room of the exhibition, for security purposes. I fully understand this as I know how photos can be used in a criminal way, so that's fine. I was sad that I couldn't take photos though because Buckingham Palace is incredible! There are so many amazing rooms that look so royal and posh, it's really one of the most beautiful homes I have ever had the pleasure of being inside.
The exhibition itself was really amazing to see as well, we got to watch videos and see all of the clothing, jewellery and furniture used during her majesties coronation back in 1953. Her jewel encrusted gown with the long train robe (just below) was immaculate, the details sewn on and the beautiful design was such an honour to see in person. I also saw her crown, her diamond and silver/gold jewellery, the popes robes, the princesses and princes dresses and outfits, more royal crowns and the chair Elizabeth II sat at to be crowned Queen of England. I honestly can't express how wonderful it was to be invited to such an event like this and see first hand the amazing clothing worn on such a memorable occasion. There was a video interview taking place by the Queens gown and also the Coronation has been covered on the Telegraph and by the Daily Mail. So this is why I was very honoured to be invited along with such big tabloids. You can see all of the photos below from the exhibition and also my outfit as well.
I was wearing my H&M Bow Top, my Paige Denim Jimmy Jimmy Shorts, my New Look Black & Gold Sandals, my Daniel Wellington Watch and my Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Pixie Bag in Coral. I shot my outfit photos in the Buckingham Palace gardens in London among the beautiful ponds, trees and scenery. I feel like I was a bit under-dressed actually for the whole event, but it was really hot and with all the travelling to London and back, I couldn't have worn something more conservative. I definitely recommend that you visit Buckingham Palace if you get the chance though! For a souvenir, I bought a golden coin with Palace engravings on it and it's really pretty. The coin will definitely help me remember such a special day! Do you like my outfit and the photos? Comment and let me know what you think!
Here are the rest of the photos of my outfit from the day out, taken in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, which by the way are absolutely stunning!
Finally, here are some photos from within the palace!


text:
A gym is a music box of basketball, a cube compacting a cacophony. Monday afternoon, though, after the palpable players and their squeaking sneakers exited, the only sound in the Nuggets' gym was the calm cadence of Danilo Gallinari, smoothly swishing shots.
Practice had been finished for 80 minutes, and he was the only player in there. See, in the last game, he missed a shot that would have forced overtime; so Monday, he worked overtime.
"I've got to work hard. I've got to work on my shot," said Gallo, his face lathered in sweat. "So hopefully (Tuesday), my shot will be a little better than it was the first two games."
Gallinari missed 3-pointer that would have tied Miami. Saturday night, he was a frightening 3-for-17 from the field. Yes, he's playing on a painful left ankle sprain. But he's playing. And missing. In the other game, the loss at Orlando, Gallinari shot 5-for-14.
In his postpractice workout, the 6-foot-10 forward did a specific shooting drill he learned in Italy. He would sprint away from the basket, dart back toward the hoop and then shoot a 3 from the top of the key.
"You have a goal in every exercise, and if you don't achieve that goal, you have to do the exercise again until you make it," he said. "All the times you don't make your goal, it's extra free throws. So once you're done with the exercises you have to do at least six free throws in a row and then you add two free throws to any of the exercises that you missed. It's a simple concept, but it's a long workout."
Gallo's goal Tuesday is field goals. A bunch of them. Denver hosts Detroit in the Nuggets' home opener. Yes, they'll be wearing those new, snazzy golden uniforms. As for the Pistons, only three teams allow more points per game than the 101.7 their opponents' average.
The Nuggets are 0-3, and in the first two games, their offense was occasional. It was a positive sign, one could argue, that Denver splurged offensively in its third game, at Miami. Really, the only one who wasn't sharp was Gallinari, whose in-game shot didn't seem as smooth as Monday's workout.
He has attempted an arguably absurd 18 3-pointers in the two games, making three (he missed the season opener because of the ankle). But he has tried to counter this by slicing to the basket at times, too, and more important, getting to the foul line. He was 11-for-14 against the Magic, 6-for-9 against the Heat. And so, right now he's getting 47.2 percent of his points from the foul line.
As for the Nuggets, naturally, they're not ready to panic. It's tough to beat any team on the road (as they've dutifully shown).
"I've been on teams where we started out really slow," guard Andre Iguodala said. "We made bursts around January. We'll start winning earlier than that. I've been on a few teams where we haven't got it going until after the all-star break. We're not panicking at all. Just continue to do the things we've been doing well and fix the things we've been doing wrong."
Nuggets coach George Karl is realistic. Remember, he said over and over that the early-season schedule would be brutal. Seventeen of Denver's first 23 games are on the road.
"I'm not going to address losing because the first (23) games of the season, we're probably not going to have this flamboyant record that's going to knock people out," Karl said. "We have to figure out how to win games. Gallo misses a game (at the 76ers) that we have a good chance of wining if he plays, and the last six quarters we've played, we've played very well.
"There's an energy in our building and has been since I've been there. I think everybody understands of our first 10 home games, we'd like to win nine or 10 of them just to sustain the road. The road's going to be difficult. … We need some home cooking to get us of on a winning streak."
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294, email@example.com or twitter.com/nuggetsnews


text:
Is something possessing you? Or are you possessing something?
I saw a lead story in The Economic Times last week saying the iPhone 6S which launches in the US on September 25 will be available in the Indian grey market for Rs.1 Lakh – instantaneously. When I read the story, I could not help but reflect on the way some people look at Life. (Disclosure: I have never owned an iPhone. Ever since the iPhone launched I have been unable to afford one. My current phone is a basic Samsung smartphone that my friend has helped me acquire.) The fact that grey market entrepreneurs in India are seeing a business opportunity here is evidence that there are people who want to have that phone now. But I wonder why people can't wait for an official India launch – after all isn't India a big market for all ranges of phones? Perhaps, allowing logistical and regulatory delays, the iPhone 6S may well be available here by year-end. I am not even talking about the monetary price that people are willing to pay, I guess there is a spiritual perspective, a heavier price that people have to pay actually, to consider here – in reality, isn't the iPhone 6S possessing these people while it only appears that they are rushing to possess the phone?
The iPhone 6S is but a metaphor. All of us are possessed, in fact enslaved, by our thoughts, by things we have bought and by opinions that we have cultivated. In our trying to build an identity for ourselves, what we have started to focus on is what we want to possess; in wanting more of such possessions we are missing the point that the possession has begun to possess us! And what possesses us goes beyond the material realm. I have a friend who believes that the world must go on appreciating his work – he is world-famous and a legend in his field. But he craves for validation and public appreciation – constantly. When he or his work doesn't get noticed or talked about, he feels miserable. Now, who's possessing whom – does my friend possess the attention he gets or does the attention that he doesn't get possess him?
There's nothing wrong in seeking attention if you can get it or buying what you want if you can afford it. But to become obsessed with what you want will leave you suffering when you don't get what you want. It's a simple truth that you miss – if you own something, you are its Master. If something owns you, it is the Master.
How many Masters do you have? Review your Life – from a ruinous habit to your car to an opinion to your thoughts to a parent to a spouse, anything or anyone can be controlling you. Even if you have one thing or person controlling you, you are living enslaved. To be free, you must stop wanting, stop obsessing. You must let go and simply learn to be happy with whatever you get and whatever there is.


text:
As a vote on the question looms, the Federal Communications Commission's docket continues to fill up with an amazing number of statements, position papers, petitions, and pronouncements, all focused on whether the agency should authorize unlicensed devices to pick up and receive wireless broadband via temporarily unused TV channels—aka white space. Mobilization on this question has doubtless been spurred by the FCC's impending election day vote on this issue and the increasingly vitriolic tone of the debate.
Now, a small battalion of renowned performers have weighed in on the matter. On Monday, the FCC received a missive from about 110 stars of past and, to some degree, the present. They include Neil Diamond, The Bangles, Don Henley, Mac Davis, Kenny G, Vanessa Williams, Peter Frampton, and Rick Springfield.
We want more
The statement acknowledges that said signers have read that the FCC's proposal regarding these White Space Devices (WSDs) includes a mechanism that protects wireless mics with spectrum sensing technology. But "without more," they warn, "this 'solution' is wholly insufficient for live performance productions." The "more" for which the petition asks are requirements that WSDs be "tethered" to a frequency database, and a reserve of channels be made exclusive to wireless mic operations.
Rob Zombie is displeased with
the FCC's pro-white-space position
Reading this, one wonders to what extent various antagonists are talking past each other, missing potential points of agreement in the heat of the moment. The first paragraph of the executive summary of the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) evaluation of the devices concludes that "spectrum sensing in combination with geo-location and database access techniques can be used to authorize equipment today under appropriate technical standards."
Other signers of the celebrity petition include The Scorpions, Meat Loaf, DJ Green Lantern, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, and the Dixie Chicks. The last endorser is Rob Zombie.
Output issues
But this is just part of a veritable tsunami of commentary regarding this now white-hot controversy. When not rounding up celebrity proxies, the anti-white space alliance—wireless microphone manufacturers, production or broadcasting trade associations, and cable companies—have deluged the FCC with demands that the agency drop its plans or substantially revise their scope.
The National Cable and Telecommunications Association's Monday comment focuses on elements of the OET's study that suggest that WSDs could, in some instances, disrupt cable reception. NCTA senior vice president Daniel Brenner's letter says that the cable industry wants a "significant reduction" in the output power of WSDs, "in order to minimize the adverse effects of such devices on the 67 million households that receive their television service via cable." The NCTA also echoes the National Association of Broadcasters' request that the FCC run a 70 day comment cycle on the OET report before coming to a decision on the issue.
Ditto say the Recording Academy, a group statement filed by the American Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, Country Music Association, Grand Ole Opry, International Music Products Association, and Recording Artists' Coalition, the Thrasher Design Group, and, last but not least, the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. And even more members of Congress have weighed in—30 on Friday supporting the call for a delay and public proceeding on the OET report.
Eight days a week
Meanwhile the advocates of unlicensed devices are patiently plugging along, calling for the FCC to stay true to its November 4 schedule. On Monday, eponymous CEO Michael Dell delivered ex parte letters to Commissioners Robert M. McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate, urging authorization of the service. And Google sent a letter to the FCC on the same day calling agency Chair Kevin Martin's leadership on this issue "outstanding."
"We are eight days away from a vote that could transform the way we connect to the Internet," the company's CEO, Eric Schmidt, wrote. "Your vote will spark technological innovation in the US directly and globally. The time for study and talk is over. The time for action has arrived."
As of this writing, Martin appears to be sticking to his guns. On Tuesday the FCC posted the agenda for its November 4 Open Meeting. White spaces is still on the list.


text:
One of the reasons we know so much about prostate cancer and how best to treat it is that many of our researchers focus solely on this disease. Our busy research program means that we're often able to offer men with all stages of prostate cancer access to clinical trials of new treatments, sometimes years before they're widely available.
These trials test new drugs and drug combinations, surgical and radiation therapy techniques, diagnostic technologies, and strategies for preserving quality of life for men undergoing treatment. Our experts can help determine if clinical trials are right for you. The following prostate cancer clinical trials at MSK are currently enrolling new patients. To learn more about a study, choose from the list below.
Request an Appointment
Available Monday through Friday, to (Eastern time)


text:
Hip-hop has been undergoing something of an image shift over the past few years. Kanye West might be to blame, his verbiose and hopeful rhyming sitting quite comfortably with his 808 loving MOR listeners. Or maybe it's the inimitable Jay-Z, lazy and limp in his old age (the excellent Black Album excepted), supporting Coldplay of all people.
But whatever your opinion on the reasons behind it, fact is that there hasn't been a really gritty rap album released since, oh, Clipse's coke–hop masterpiece Hell Hath No Fury. That all changed earlier this year, though, as (Chef) Raekwon, arguably the most talented of all the Wu-Tang collective, releases the highly anticipated Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt II.
Given that the first edition of OB4CL was rightly revered as one of the all time great hip hop records - alongside other Wu creations such as 36 Chambers and GZA's Liquid Swords - expectations have been high. And for once, the hype is nearly completely justified. Clocking in at a rather bloated looking 77 minutes and 24 tracks merely disguises that almost all of OB4CLII is gold plated.
Soul tinged opener 'Return of the North Star' eases the listener in, Rae listening to advice from a sage voiced father figure, before the album proper kicks in with the J-Dilla (the much missed producer seems to be overtaking the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur in terms of output from beyond the grave) produced 'House of Flying Daggers', a mean statement of intent that marches forward on frantic strings. The lyrics are typical Wu Tang fodder, at once flowing and scatterbrained, the four MCs tag teaming about drug dealing, gang warfare and rap potency. But it's left to Inspectah Deck to sum up the point best "See the murals on the project walls/ won't stop till I got them all" before a potent chanted chorus kicks in: "Soldiers in the front/Let the heat pump/Troops on the left/fight to the death/Fam on the right/Infra red lights/Wolves in the back/Ready to attack".
It sets the bar high, and if what follows rarely outjumps such a potent statement, it never dips significantly below. 'Sonny's Missing' recants a storyline of drugs, murder and torture straight out of The Wire in brutal detail, only for 'Cold Outside' to hit with a lethal dose of pathos, borrowing a broken mariachi trumpet hook and a warm soul vocal to match it's mournful paean to hood life: "Real life stories is made/And candles got blazed for little young soldiers/shot by them strays".
Those two tracks demonstrate why OB4CLII's is a lyrical success – Rae might lace his lyrics with bragging stories of stick-ups, murders and drug deals, but he's a storyteller with enough nous to divert from his theme once in a while. As such 'Gihad' opens with the Chef railing against vintage clothing and half moon specs, before Ghostface Killah adds some hilarious rasping filth about screwing around with his buddy's girlfriend who "take a dick like a ribeye steak". And of course, Rae gets a little teary eyed during a lovelorn tribute to Ol' Dirty Bastard in 'Ason Jones': "An' now I understand the meaning of love/When I kissed the nigger."
But that lyrical versatility is only half the story. It's the often perfect synthesis between lyrical content and production on OB4CLII that makes the album simply sublime. It's all the more impressive given the vast array of contributors behind the desk. Raekwon's own work, a thundering string section riff on 'Canal St' more than holds it's own against the RZA's eerily synth laden 'Black Mozart' or Dr. Dre's steel drum powered 'Catalina'.
I could go on, dissect every track piece by piece like the forensic investigators described in 'Surgical Gloves', but there really isn't any need. OB4CLII is quite simply one of the best rap records released this decade: literate, funny, dark, evocative and meaningful all at once. Perhaps the best measure of its strength is in how deeply I; a middle class white boy, am prepared to listen to every word involved. And when Rae asks me to 'Kiss The Ring', you know what, I just might. He's earned it.
9Philip Bloomfield's Score


text:
Gary Dudek, 54 of Wallingford, Delaware County, allegedly stole $357,000 worth of human skin from Mercy Philadelphia Hospital from November 2011 to July of last year.
From September 2006 to September 2013, Dudek worked as a "tissue-regeneration specialist" - a sales representative - for Organogenesis, a Massachusetts firm that specializes in regenerative medicine, a company spokeswoman said.
But in that capacity, Dudek would have had no use for human skin, said the spokeswoman, Angelyn Lowe, director of corporate communications at Organogenesis.
Dudek's job title allowed him to order grafts whenever he needed, according to court records. The hospital only needed three in stock at a time, but Dudek ordered an unauthorized 219 - valued at $1,700 each - which the hospital never saw, the records say.
Philadelphia police said they were unaware of a motive or of what happened to the grafts allegedly ordered by Dudek.
Are you guessing pork rinds? Because I'm guessing pork rinds.
Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.


text:
William R. Maurer is the Executive Director of the Institute for Justice Washington Chapter (IJ-WA), which he joined in November 2002. IJ-WA engages in constitutional litigation in the areas of economic liberty, private property rights, educational choice, freedom of speech, and other vital liberties secured by the U.S. and Washington Constitutions.
Maurer has led challenges to a number of governmental abuses and become a nationally recognized litigator on behalf of free speech. Maurer was the lead attorney in a challenge to Arizona's punitive campaign financing regime, Arizona Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett, a case he argued and won before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011. Before the Washington Supreme Court, he argued against efforts by the government to classify on-air radio commentary as a reportable contribution under the state's campaign finance law, a case in which the court sided with IJ-WA 9-0. He also served as lead attorney on IJ-WA's successful challenge before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to a City of Redmond ordinance that banned the use of portable signs for commercial businesses while allowing them for politicians and real estate companies. He regularly writes, teaches and testifies before legislatures on free speech issues.
In addition to his First Amendment work, Maurer has testified on eminent domain issues in a number of state legislatures. In December 2006, the Washington Policy Center published his Policy Brief, A False Sense of Security: The Potential For Eminent Domain Abuse in Washington State. His cases have been covered in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, City Journal and in all major Washington papers. He has made numerous television appearances in connection with IJ cases.
Maurer has been named a "Washington Superlawyer" by Washington Law & Politics Magazine for 2007 through 2010. He is a member of Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna's Eminent Domain Task Force, which reviewed Washington's eminent domain laws and produced a comprehensive report and proposed significant reform legislation. He is also an Adjunct Scholar and Research Advisory Board member at the Washington Policy Center. Maurer is an author of chapters in legal reference works on both Washington's Public Records Act and the interplay between administrative law and the Civil Rights Act.
Prior to joining IJ-WA, Maurer clerked for Washington Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders and Justice Victoria Lederberg of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and then practiced law at Perkins Coie LLP. Maurer received his law degree in 1994 from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he was an articles editor of the Wisconsin Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree in Political Studies from Bard College in 1989.


text:
The new season of Bones is starting and the promo features a full dozen of Dapper Cadaver's finest natural seamless skeletons, dancing with Brennan, Booth, and the rest of the cast.
<a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M2K-6rgNTEWatch the promo here and
Check out our skeletons here
Also be sure to catch the Halloween episode of Bones, called Mummy in the Maze for a whole slew of my props and decor. It's right now slated for episode 5 of the new season.


text:
Making Deck PostsUpdated: Feb. 21, 2023
Make square cuts, notches and grooves quickly and accurately
You might also like: TBD
Deck Posts Overview: Benefits and tools
Shape a post top
You can make attractive post tops with a few accurate cuts with your circular saw.
Honing your circular saw skills will pay big dividends when you're building decks and fences. Good techniques will speed up your work, create stronger joints and show off your craft since all the cuts and joints are highly visible. In this story, we'll show you how to get a perfectly square cut on the end of a 6×6 deck post, cut notches and shape deck posts with your circular saw.
You'll need a circular saw with a sharp 7-1/4-in. blade to make the deep cuts we'll be showing. A 24-tooth carbide blade (at hardware stores and home centers) is a good deck-building blade.
Square Your Saw Blade
You can't make clean cuts unless the blade is square to the saw's bed. Most saws have an adjustment screw near the angle gauge for this purpose. With the saw unplugged and the blade set to maximum depth, retract the blade guard and hold a square against the bed and blade to make sure they're exactly 90 degrees to each other. Adjust the screw if necessary.
Next check to make sure the blade is parallel to the saw bed. With the saw unplugged and blade fully extended, hook a combination square or Speed square on the back of the bed and slide it tight to the blade. They should line up. Most saws don't have adjusting screws for this. Make adjustments by carefully bending the bed sideways until the blade and bed are parallel.
Technique 1: Square-cut a 6×6 deck post
Cleanly cut 6×6 deck posts
An accurately cut post will look as though it was cut in a single pass. It'll have a smooth top and crisp edges without saw blade ridges.
Photo 1: Saw around the post
Mark the post for length and use a Speed square or combination square to draw a line around the post. Make sure all the lines meet at the corners. Set the saw for maximum depth and saw to the waste side of the first line. Rotate the post 90 degrees and using the first cut as a guide, cut the second side. Cut the third and fourth sides the same way.
Here's an easy method for making a smooth, clean cut on a 6×6 deck post when you cut it to length. By rotating the post a quarter turn after each cut, you can use the previous cut to guide the blade for the next cut. Since a 7-1/4-in. blade cuts a little less than halfway through, you'll have to finish the cut with a handsaw. To prevent kickback, position both sawhorses on the keeper side of the line and allow the cutoff piece to fall.
Technique 2: Notch a 6×6 post to support beams
Accurately notched post
The notches in an accurately notched post will fit the beams perfectly and create a strong joint.
Photo 1: Lay out and cut
Cut the 6×6 deck post to length and mark the notches. Set the saw to the depth of the notch as shown and make both crosscuts. Then reset the blade to maximum depth and make the four rip cuts. Cut to the waste side of all lines and stop at the crosscuts.
Create a sturdy connection by notching a 6×6 deck post to accept a beam. You could make these notches using the technique shown in Technique 3 below, but the ripping method shown here is a little faster, especially for long notches. If you're using treated posts, brush a wood preservative onto the freshly exposed wood.
Technique 3: Notch the middle of a post
A cleanly notched post
A cleanly notched post will fit the beam perfectly and when bolted, make a solid joint.
Photo 1: Set the saw depth
Mark the notch on both sides and the top of the post. Unplug the saw and loosen the depth adjuster. Hold the bed of the saw tight to the post and move the blade until the teeth just touch the line. Tighten the depth adjuster.
Photo 2: Cut kerfs for the notch
Saw to the inside of the lines on both ends of the notch. Then cut saw kerfs every 3/4 in. across the notch. Just eyeball these cuts—they don't have to be perfect.
Rail posts often require notching to fit around a deck joist (Photos 2 and 3). Enclosed notches like these are easy to make with a series of saw kerfs. After the chunks are broken out, you'll have a little cleanup to do with a sharp wood chisel.
Technique 4: Cut a decorative 4×4 deck post top
Photo 1: Cut angles with a guide collar
Screw lengths of 1×6 together as shown to make a tight-fitting collar for your post. Rough-cut your post about 4 in. longer than its finished length. Screw the collar to the post about 7 in. from the end. Set the saw to cut a 45-degree angle and adjust the blade to cut about 1-1/2 in. deep. Keep the saw bed tight to the collar as you saw all four sides of the post.
Photo 2: Cut the top
Set the saw to cut 90 degrees and the blade depth to 2 in. Remove the screw and adjust the position of the collar to cut 1-1/2 in. beyond your first cut. Saw around the 4×4 deck post, using the collar as a guide.
Photos 1 – 3 show one way to cut a decorative post top using a simple wood collar as a guide for the saw. Make the collar by cutting two pieces of 1×6 about 1/32 in. longer than the post width and two more pieces 1-1/2 in. longer than this. Screw the pieces together to form a snug-fitting collar. Slide the collar over the 4×4 deck post and secure it with two screws on opposite sides to hold it in place. The holes left from the screws will swell shut and become nearly invisible with time. Practice various patterns on a scrap 4×4 deck post and keep track of all the collar locations by marking the post before you reposition the collar. When you have a design you like, simply transfer these marks to each post to duplicate the cuts.
In Photo 1, we show cutting the 45-degree angles on the post top before cutting the post to length. The extra post length supports the bed of the saw, making it easier to cut accurate angles.
You can cut any size groove with a circular saw if you're patient enough to make multiple passes (Photo 3). But you'll save time and get better results using the same collar to guide a router fitted with a straight-cutting router bit.
Required Tools for this Deck Posts Project
Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you'll save time and frustration.
- Circular saw
- Drill/driver - cordless
- Handsaw
- Sawhorses
- Square
- Wood chisel


text:
The Flying Words Project
Saturday, Feb. 23rd
7:30pm in McCullough Social Space
The Flying Words Project is an American Sign Language (ASL) poetry troupe comprised of Deaf Poet Peter Cook and hearing coauthor Kenny Lerner. The goal of Flying Words is to play with language, which Cook and Lerner accomplish by juxtaposing imagery you can see into their work. By combining both modern and ancient aspect of poetry into their work they produce an unforgettable visceral and visual experience for multicultural audiences. An interpreter will be present.
Free admission; donations are welcome.
Organized by The ASL Club
Cosponsored by: Atwater, Brainerd, Cook, Wonnacott Commons; The InterCommons Council; The Office of the Dean of the College; American Studies Spiegel Family Fung; The Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity; Student Accessibility Services Office; English and American Literature Department