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Area native tries to keep peace in Ferguson
FERGUSON – In the days since Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson took charge of a volatile situation that threatened to turn ugly, tragic or both, his calm-yet-commanding presence has captured international attention.
But when it comes to keeping the peace in the St. Louis suburb where a white police officer shot and killed an unarmed black teen, Johnson knows his neighbors' opinions are what matter most.
"The people of our community need to hear what I'm saying," Johnson, who is black, said at the start of one daily press briefing, urging local residents standing behind an enormous media contingent to come closer to the podium. "They've got questions, and I invited them here."
The 27-year patrol veteran, who oversees nearly 150 troopers patrolling 11 counties in eastern Missouri, grew up down the road from the neighborhood where 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed Aug. 9. He still lives nearby, in the neighboring town of Florissant. He was placed in charge of Ferguson security by Col. Ron Repogle, the Highway Patrol superintendent, after Gov. Jay Nixon revoked county police oversight Thursday.
Johnson's impact was immediate. After five nights of volatile and violent protests marked by looting, arson and the use of tear gas on demonstrators by county and local police, Johnson ordered his officers to abandon the body armor and gas masks and instead ensure the public's right to peaceably assemble.
Things escalated again Friday night, after Ferguson police released the name of the officer who shot Brown along with video they said showed the teen robbing a store shortly before he was killed. But as looters broke into several businesses, some throwing rocks and other objects at officers, police backed off, a move Johnson said was designed to ease tension. No arrests were made and no one was badly hurt.
From the start, Johnson, 50, walked alongside protesters, past the barbecue joint and neighborhood taverns he knew by name, stopping for hugs, handshakes and encouragement. He spoke sincerely and empathetically with young black men who described routine racial profiling based on their clothing, hairstyles and demeanor. Their complaints were familiar: His own son, in his 20s, is often judged because of his tattoos, Johnson said.
Most of all, he listened.
"He made himself accessible, from a place of peace and understanding," said Robin Moore-Chambers, a diversity trainer and counseling professor at Lindenwood University who lives in nearby Dellwood. "He's listening to everybody. He will take you seriously. He's appealing to their humanity. He knows they need to be heard."
Protesters and politicians credit him with almost entirely defusing the nightly violence, and giving the community a sense that it can recover.
On Saturday, Johnson was front and center at a volatile news conference with the governor, taking the lead in explaining how a curfew Nixon ordered would be carried out.
"What we're doing now is not who we are. It's not who we are. Yelling at each other is not going to solve it," Johnson calmly told one audience member. "We're all talking about the same concerns and the same passion. The frustration that's in your home is in my home. It's in my home. And I've given you all the answers that I know, and I'm going to continue to give you that."
Johnson said police would not use armored trucks and tear gas. He also credited community leaders who had voluntarily helped maintain order in the streets and discourage protesters from violence.
Complaints about the police response began almost immediately after Brown's shooting, when authorities decided to use dogs for crowd control — a tactic that for some evoked civil-rights protests from a half-century ago. The county police had taken over at the request of the smaller city, leading both the investigation of Brown's shooting and the subsequent attempts to keep the peace until the state stepped in.
Johnson joined the Highway Patrol in 1987, earning a promotion to corporal in 1995 and to sergeant two years later. He spent three years on the other side of the state after a promotion to lieutenant in 1999 before returning to the St. Louis region as commanding officer in 2002.
Law enforcement runs in the family. St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Johnson's father-in-law was a deputy police chief for the city department.
While Johnson's role has been largely welcomed, not everyone is satisfied. Some residents asked if he was simply a figurehead, noting Johnson was not aware Ferguson's police chief would release the surveillance footage of Brown, part of what led to the renewed unrest Friday. Johnson assured them that "we're all in this together."
"We all want justice. We all want answers," he said. "I've got a big dog in this fight. When the media is gone ... Ron Johnson is still going to be here."


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FDA affirms safety of diabetes drug Avandia, lifts restrictions on use
Avandia, a controversial diabetes drug that was thought to increase patients' risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems, has been cleared for widespread use by the Food and Drug Administration.
Federal regulators said Monday that the drug was no more dangerous than other diabetes medications and that it should be available to all patients without its current restrictions.
"Our actions today reflect the most current scientific knowledge about the risks and benefits of this drug," Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. "Given these new results, our level of concern is considerably reduced."
GlaxoSmithKline, the company that makes Avandia, said it welcomed the FDA's decision.
"GSK maintains its view that Avandia is a safe and effective treatment for Type 2 diabetes when used appropriately," the London-based company said in a statement.
Avandia used to be the top-selling drug for patients with Type 2 diabetes, a disease that causes people to lose their ability to metabolize blood sugar with insulin. Unlike other drugs that help patients produce more insulin, Avandia works by making cells more sensitive to insulin, allowing the body to use it more efficiently.
The drug, whose generic name is rosiglitazone, came on the market in 1999 and had more than 1 million users in 2006. But in 2007, cardiologists warned that patients taking Avandia were more likely to have serious heart problems than patients taking other diabetes drugs.
A study led by Dr. Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic linked Avandia to a 43% increased risk of having a heart attack and a 64% increased risk of death due to heart disease. The findings, based on data pooled from 42 small clinical trials, were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.
Those results prompted some experts to question how well the FDA was monitoring the safety of prescription drugs. Just a few years earlier, the federal agency withdrew its approval of the painkiller Vioxx after it evidence emerged that it doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes. When the critique of Avandia emerged, three major congressional committees announced their intention to investigate.
The FDA responded by adding warning labels to Avandia.
After further study, the agency said in 2010 that patients taking Avandia were 30% to 40% more likely to develop a condition called myocardial ischemia, which decreases blood flow to the heart. Those who were also taking insulin or drugs to control their blood pressure faced a greater risk, the scientists said.
Regulators imposed a host of restrictions on the drug. New prescriptions could be written only for patients who could not control their blood sugar with other medications, including Avandia's main rival Actos. Patients who were already taking Avandia were required to sign an informed consent statement acknowledging that they are aware of the drug's heart risks. Regulators in Europe pulled it off the shelves altogether.
Today, only about 3,000 Americans still take Avandia, and they are closely monitored by the FDA and GlaxoSmithKline.
A new analysis this year by an FDA advisory panel suggested the initial concerns about Avandia were overblown. Members of the panel pointed to design flaws in Nissen's study and said their evaluation found no evidence that the drug made patients more vulnerable to heart attacks or other heart problems.
The initial "signal of increased risk of heart attacks" reported by Nissen in 2007 has not been confirmed, the FDA said in the statement released Monday.
As a result, the FDA will no longer require doctors to limit Avandia prescriptions to certain patients. Its new label will likely state that anyone with Type 2 diabetes can use the drug in combination with diet and exercise to control their blood sugar, the agency said.
Patients who take Avandia will no longer be required to participate in a tracking program, and they'll be able to get the drug through regular pharmacies.
The FDA also said it would no longer require GlaxoSmithKline to conduct a clinical trial comparing Avandia to Actos and to other diabetes drugs.
Monday's vote of confidence from regulators won't be enough to rehabilitate Avandia's poor reputation among physicians, experts said.
"I don't believe people are going to flock back to it," said Dr. Karol Watson, a cardiologist and co-director of UCLA's Program in Preventive Cardiology.
"People just weren't prescribing it because there were a lot of other alternatives that could do the same thing and without the hassle," she said, adding that new diabetes drugs have been developed since Avandia's troubles began.
Gerald van Belle, a clinical trial expert who served on the FDA advisory panel, urged the agency in June to keep the restrictions on Avandia in place. On Monday, he reiterated his concerns about making the drug widely available.
"Since this is a safety issue, I think it pays to be cautious," said Van Belle, a professor of biostatistics at the University of Washington in Seattle.
"There were two new observational studies that suggested risk, as before," he said. Without clinical trials that unequivocally demonstrate Avandia's safety, the drug's use should continue to be highly restricted, he added.
Avandia is also sold in combination with the diabetes drugs metformin and glimepiride under the brand names Avandamet and Avandaryl. Restrictions on those drugs will be lifted as well, the FDA said.
Times staff writers Monte Morin and Melissa Healy contributed to this report.
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FDA panel recommends continued Avandia sales, with restrictions
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subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome to part two of our tour of Jackie's beautiful scented garden (if you missed part one, you can find it here).
Today I thought we'd start at the front of the house and then work our way back to the potting shed and greenhouse.
Right out at the street Jackie has a 'free library'. Do they have these where you live?
The basic concept is simple. People put books in, people take books out. Anyone can just help themselves. My neighbor nnK has one and it's amazing how many people stop off to exchange books.
I love the way Jackie's fountain is surrounded by different varieties of hosta.
And check out this guy hanging out on the edge …
We don't generally have a lot of gators here in Minnesota, but that one looks pretty content.
I have to admit that I felt quite a bit of envy when I saw Jackie's amazing front porch.
Jackie mentioned that when they added this porch on they wanted it to be spacious enough, but when it was finished it seemed a bit too expansive while still empty. But once she had some furniture in place, it was just right.
Doesn't that look like the ideal spot to sit and have your morning coffee?
I love that she has that giant glass front cupboard out there. She says it stays out there year round. It's somewhat protected from the elements because the porch is covered.
The porch makes a great spot in summer for plants that can't handle full sun.
You'll pass lots of beautiful flowers on your way from the front of Jackie's house towards the back.
You can just see the edge of the potting shed from the sidewalk.
I absolutely love those white spiky flowers. They are called Actaea racemosa, or Fairy Candles or Black Cohosh or Bugbane (boy, this one has a lot of names!) I think I need to add some to my own garden.
As you're about to find out, Jackie doesn't really use her potting shed for potting.
Instead it is filled with many of Jackie's vintage goodies.
Besides, in addition to the potting shed, Jackie also has a greenhouse where she can do her actual potting. I didn't do a great job of getting photos of it though because I was distracted by the Black & Blue Salvia that she had growing all around it.
There was a hummingbird flitting around these plants too, so it was hard for me to focus on the job at hand.
You can catch a glimpse of it off to the right in this next photo though.
If you follow that brick pathway around the corner you'll end up at this lovely spot.
And this is where our tour concludes. I hope you enjoyed seeing Jackie's garden as much as Debbie and I did. A big thank you goes out to Jackie for letting me share it here on the blog!


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Unity in Diversity
October 20, 2014
Unity in Diversity
Romans 12:16
[Be] of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Why is it we struggle so much with our human relationships with other people? Wouldn't it be so much easier if everyone thought just like us, even if they could just see that the way that we think is the best way to do things? Unfortunately and maybe fortunately, we are quite diverse in how we solve our problems and deal with the issues of life. While that is not so much a problem if we are dealing with just us, it becomes quite a challenge when we are in relationships where we need to be in one accord concerning decisions and policies of how we want to do things. We all have different ideas of how something should be. Often it is not a question of one being right and one being wrong, except perhaps in their own eyes, it is more a matter of being in one accord and reaching a common ground where we can share and come into agreement though we differ in opinion and logic. This is the crux of life, whether it is in business and working relationships, marriage, family, the body of Christ, no matter what the relations, it is often a challenge to come into one mind. How do we find unity in the diversity of our personalities and ways of thinking and viewing things? Well, obviously the world has come up with many ways of dealing with these issues, monarchies, dictatorships, socialism, totalitarianism, democracies and even theocracy.
Perhaps you are struggling in a relationship today. In secular relationships we seek to have the mind of Christ and as Romans 12:18 puts it, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." What about our Christian relationships, our marriages and our families, these areas that we all struggle with daily? Unfortunately we don't have a much better record at these relationships than the world does, but we should because we have what they don't have, Christ. If we have committed ourselves to live our lives under the theocracy of God's will then what our efforts should be focused on is not what my will or my way is or what yours is, but what is the mind of God concerning our decisions. Do we come to the bargaining table with different agendas and different priorities? How do we arrive at peaceable solutions? First, are all parties willing to lay down their rights, agendas and opinions to submit to what God's will is in a particular area of dissension? Are we willing to approach our differences with respect for one another and our differences of opinion, realizing that we are all made up of strengths and weaknesses? Are we willing to give place to someone else's gifting or strength in an area? Are we willing to lay these differences at the altar and unselfishly pursue the Lord's will through praying together and seeking the mind of the Lord? That's probably not normally our way, but it should be. Are we all honest in our dealings and can we bring our feelings under submission to the Lord? We often want to resolve our differences emotionally which usually only further polarizes us rather than unifying us. Are we willing to come with unselfishness in our hearts and pursue the end that best meets the needs of all concerned? Our God is a God of Peace and He wants us to pursue peaceable means through His love that is within us by being longsuffering, courteous, respectful and giving place to one another.
It comes back to "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (Philippians 2:5)." He became a servant though He was Lord of all and laid down His life for us. We need this mind to be the servant of one another working, living and giving what is best for the benefit of others and not just ourselves. When we get ourselves out of the picture then resolution to our conflicts and differences becomes much easier. Love is about our desire to give and not just to get. The more this love is working in the hearts of all concerned the easier our differences will be resolved and we will find unity in our diversity.
"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. (Philippians 2:13-16)."
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Well, it's been a while, huh?
Man, a lot has happened since my last post in March. It's been seven months, to the day. I look back at that post, and it's hard to imagine trying to even summarize everything that has gone down since then. I won't try and do it all in one post – I owe those of you who actually take the time to read my posts some actual details. But I'll hit the major points tonight, and try to go from there over the coming weeks.
For those of you who weren't aware, we lost my grandmother, Tokuno, in the tsunami. Even as I type these words, it doesn't seem real. It's hard to think about, really. She died when the tsunami hit the rest home in Kesennuma at which she spent portions of her weeks. Some were evacuated to the roof of the building, but unfortunately she was not one of them. We don't have a lot of detail on it, and it's difficult to even try to imagine, so I try not to think about it too terribly much. It was an absolutely agonizing several days as we waited for word from our family, glued to televisions, Skyping with relatives who were not in the affected area, and watching news reports on the internet. For some time, there was simply nothing. For all we knew, we lost everyone. My dad carried an especially heavy burden for those days, as he received only a 30s phone call from his brother in the wake of the tsunami before the call terminated. For days, we knew nothing other than that. There was simply no information. Then, as we slowly started establishing accountability, we finally received word on the death of my grandmother. My youngest sister was the first to learn, and it was she who had to notify my dad. Finally, at least we knew.
In the wake of that, I pushed hard within my chain of command for release to deploy to Japan for what was beginning to be known as Operation TOMODACHI, which is Japanese for "friend." Through the hard work of a dedicated network of peers, supervisors, and what I can only see as divine intervention, I was able to navigate the complex military bureaucracy and soon found myself deployed to Yokota Air Base, Japan. What followed over the next month, I consider the most honorable thing I have done yet in my career. My role was small, miniscule even, in comparison to the dedication the US military poured into that mission. But I count myself a lucky man to have been able to participate for even a brief period of time. Hopefully, I can capture in writing some of my experiences there and share them with you all.
Because life is life, while all this was going on, Jen and I were undergoing a major transition. We decided to leave active duty and pursue an opportunity with the Alaska National Guard, so as all this was going on, I was assembling application paperwork, conducting interviews, and praying for the best. Shortly after returning, I received word I was selected, and thus began major preparations for a huge life transition. Also no small potato! The summer passed quickly, between work, prepping to leave, and everything else, not a day was wasted. We sold cars, bought a new one, filed paperwork, and generally tried to figure out how we were going to live in a radically different location.
Oh, and there was also a lot of running. While in Japan, I didn't have a lot of time to train, so I just tried to stay as fit as possible. Coming home and getting back in the groove was no picnic, but with the help of my friend and mentor Matthew Whitis, I got back on track. There were successes: at the age of 34, I posted a 4:47 mile / 10:44 2 mile in a local track series in the dead heat of the SC summer. And there were frustrations: my 5k race times were nowhere near where I wanted them to be. But through it all, I trained hard. Looking back, I consider some of those workouts achievements in and of themselves. The last track session I hit in SC was 20 x 400 with 200m jogs, alternating sets of four between 78 and 83s per quarter. I haven't done a workout like that since college.
The move was incredible. Everything just seemed to keep working out and falling into place, to include finding a buyer for our second car literally days before we drove out of town. We spent time along the way with family (I built an earth oven with my pops in MN, which was super fun), and caught the fall colors on our way up the Alaska Highway in Canada. We saw wildlife, and scenery that would literally blow your mind. And then…we were here, in Alaska. Not for long for my better half, though. After ten days here, Jen got on a plane and spent four incredible weeks in Ethiopia. While there, she supported a new clean water/well rehab project and taught health and hygiene courses to the types of folks who still think disease is caused by evil spirits. You can learn more about her work at http://www.projectwuha.com, and I simply can't express how proud I am of my wife.
Which pretty much leads us to the here and now. To be honest, I'm not sure where Run For Something is going in the future. Recently, I re-connected with some old friends, who have established a new NPO called Team Run For Veterans (www.teamr4v.org), and the focus will be on supporting athletic opportunities for disabled vets. Supporting vets has been on my mind for a while, and my new job up here in the AK opens some unique doors. I'll continue to support Mocha Club's clean water work in Sudan, but I'm considering making this year more about R4V. Today is Veteran's Day, and to be honest, I've had vets on my mind for some time now, wondering how I can better support my own brothers and sisters.
Oh yeah…running…well, by now you should know me well enough to realize I'm 100%. 100% stop, or 100% go. I'm happy to report it's still 100% go these days. My first act as an Alaskan was to participate in the Bonny Sosa Tuesday Night Run racing series here in Anchorage, and I didn't suck. In fact, I manage to place top three in five consecutive trail races. The running scene here is vibrant and a rock-solid aspect of the community – the Bonny Sosa runs are essentially cross-country format trail runs, all hand-timed, and require only a 5$ entry fee. Volunteer-supported, and city-led. The courses are held secret until the time of the race, and each race, which occurs weekly in the fall, is held at a different location. One night, we saw over 1000 Anchorites ranging from newborns to octogenarians out there for the race. It's one-of-a-kind and a definite kick in the ass.
It's not going to be like SC, where I could race and train on the track and roads year-round. We're officially in winter, and the snow ain't going anywhere. But I feel strong. Strong-like-bull strong. Strong enough to post solid track workouts at altitude, and follow them up with a 3.5hr mountain bike ride of 24 miles and 2400′ of elevation change starting from 7500′. Strong enough to stomp treadmill workouts on the same day I post PRs for a 1000m row on the Concept2 (3:29 if you were wondering). Strong enough to get out in the backcountry on my splitboard and feel like I have miles of travel in my legs. Strong like…well, you get the idea. There's a turkey trot in a few weeks, and if conditions aren't heinous, I think I can get under 17. After that, Jen and I are looking at cross-country skis and running snowshoes for winter fitness, but we're still learning the winter ropes up here.
Over the coming weeks, I want to tell you all some stories, and share some ideas and passions. If you want to hear about anything in particular, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section. I've already got a suggestion to talk about strength work as it relates to endurance, and I think it will be interesting to talk about how runners get through harsh winters and emerge ready for summer/fall racing. I'll be honest…posting every day just isn't realistic right now (or ever probably), but I think if I set the bar low enough (weekly sound good?), we can see some success. Jen, Eric, and Megs – thanks for your encouragement and re-igniting the embers of creativity. Until next time, true believers…


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Speaking of Mini DisplayPort, here's another entry from Apple in the shipping hall of shame. They're shipping the five-inch Mini-DiplayPort-to-DVI adapter in a box that's bigger than the MacBook's. Check out the waste.
As Kevin notes, it might seem nitpicky, but when you compare this to how much Apple boasts on the MacBook's green packaging, it is kind of jarring:
"The new MacBook packaging is up to 41 percent smaller than the previous generation. And smaller boxes are much better for the planet. Because smaller boxes mean we can fit more boxes on each shipping pallet - up to 25 percent more. Which means more products will fit on each boat and plane. Which means fewer boats and planes are used, resulting in fewer CO2 emissions. It's just one seemingly minor change. But it has a major positive impact on our environment."
Surely they've got a smaller box lying around somewhere. If not, we hope they transition all of their shipping boxes to a greener variation—not just to align them with Apple's own standards and goals, but to set an example for the rest of the industry. [jkOnTheRun]


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ICO 2014: seca mBCA –
ideal equipment for obesity management
The obesity epidemic has long since spread to countries with moderate to low economic performance. Stopping this development is one of the goals of the 12th International Congress on Obesity (ICO). From 17th to 20th March 2014, nutritionists and scientists will convene in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The congress is the perfect forum for experts from around the world to share their know-how and devise practical solutions.
seca gmbh & co. kg, Hamburg/Germany, the world leader in medical measuring and weighing, is well acquainted with the obesity problem. At the congress the company will present the medical Body Composition Analyzer seca mBCA, an important tool in obesity management. The innovative diagnostic device makes possible a medically precise assessment of a patient's general health and nutritional condition. In the treatment of obesity the seca mBCA helps the doctor to monitor the patient's progress. In longitudinal studies the device reliably shows the effects of changes in nutrition on body composition and distinguishes fat reduction from simple loss of water weight.
All congress attendees will have the chance to have their body composition measured by the seca mBCA. While at the seca stand, visitors can learn more about current research in bioelectrical impedance analysis.
The ICO 2014 is organized by the International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO) and the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity (MASO). More information about the congress is here.


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Princess Mask Freedom (Single)
20% for Seedlings of Hope
We are delighted to announce our collaboration with nala and Abudant Ventures
20% of the sale proceeds from our princess will be donated to Seedlings of Hope.
Whilst Seedlings of Hope maybe a new initiative by Abundant Ventures, it is also a continuation of Abundant Ventures's social mission fo make nutritious food available to low income families, referred to as the B40 (Bottom 40% who earn less than RM5,000 per household).
Abundant Ventures will initially gift seedlings of vegetables and fruits, to specific community gardens in the city of Kuala Lumpur where many B40 families reside, as an expression of gratitude to the many individuals who make these community gardens possible. These community gardens provide a place to develop fellowship, as well as a space for people to learn how to cultivate and grow their own foods.
With a global pandemic, we can see the critical role community gardens play, bringing people and nutritious food together, and cutting the food supply chain" end with thank you for your support.
IG: abundant.ventures
Thank you for your support.
Pattern : Freedom
Dimensions: 23cm wide, Middle height 13cm
100% Cotton Satin
All Patterns Are Hand-Drawn
Please follow instructions on box.
Reversible with filter pocket.
Includes 2 filters
Made In Malaysia.
Your safety is our main concern so each set will come with instructions, please follow them to ensure that the mask is effective.
All Returns Must Be Sent Back Within 7 Days (Malaysia) / 20 Days (Outside Malaysia) after contacting email@example.com. Visit our Orders and Returns page in the Customer Service section at the bottom of this page, to check if your order qualifies for returns.
Please be aware that during the COVID-19 Pandemic and due to the Movement Restriction in Malaysia that returns and exchanges must be conducted using a DIRECT COURIER SERVICE during weekdays and cannot be sent after 5pm. While we will do everything we can to process requests, delays are to be expected and we will not tolerate harassment of staff. Your patience and understanding are appreciated.
Visit our Shipping page in the Customer Service section at the bottom of this page, to find out more about shipping rates and delivery times. Please ensure that you include a valid contact number and email in your order information or we cannot deliver to you.
Please be aware that during the COVID-19 Pandemic and due to the Movement Restriction in Malaysia there may be some delays to deliveries, especially internationally depending on international restrictions. While we will do everything we can to maintain normal delivery times, delays are to be expected and we thank you for your patience and understanding. WE WILL NOT REFUND FOR DELAYS IN DELIVERY.


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Robert Henderson
An Indian student Anuj Bidve was shot dead in Salford (Greater Manchester) on 26 December 2011. The attacker is described as white. The police have admitted that they have no grounds for believing that the crime was racially motivated, but have nonethless classified it as a "hate crime", viz: 'Chief Superintendent Kevin Mulligan, divisional commander for Salford, said: "We have not established a clear motive for the senseless murder of Anuj, and there is no definitive evidence pointing to it being racially motivated. However, we are treating this as a hate crime based on the growing perceptions within the community it was motivated by hate."' (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/29/anul-bidve-shooting-treated-hate-crime).
The decision to define it as a "hate crime" without any evidence that it was motivated by such feelings simply because the "community" think it is a "hate crime" moves the British elite's pandering to ethnic minorities bar quite a few notches higher. The Macpherson report (1999) into the death of Stephen Lawrence defined a racist incident very broadly:
12. That the definition should be:
"A racist incident is any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person".
13. That the term "racist incident" must be understood to include crimes and non-crimes in policing terms. Both must be reported, recorded and investigated with equal commitment.
14. That this definition should be universally adopted by the Police, local Government and other relevant agencies. " (http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm42/4262/sli-47.htm). This definition has not only been adopted by the British police (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmhaff/427/42703.htm) but by a supra-national body the Council of Europe (http://islamversuseurope.blogspot.com/2011/10/macpherson-reports-definition-of-racist.html).
But dangerously broad as is Macpherson's definition of the perception of racial motivation, I do not think that even he intended it to be extended to minority groups derived from one ethnic or racial background, people who will not have witnessed the crime, but who who are simply the same race or ethnicity as the victim. This is what has happened here.
The failure by the police to stipulate what type of "hate crime" is very odd and may also be a police first. The circumstances – white killer, Asian victim – suggest in the strongest way that the police mean the "hate crime" is one motivated by racism for what else could they be referring to if it was not race? As the killer was white it is unlikely he would have killed out of religious hatred. The only possibility other than racism, and it is a very slim one, is that the police are suggesting homophobia.
I also wonder exactly which "community" the Manchester police have in mind. The dead man is an Indian who was in England for the purposes of study according to the media reports. To which British, or even better, English "community" would he belong? Surely it could not be a "community" based solely on race in oh-so-pc Britain? Silly me, of course it could. If you are a member of an ethnic minority race can be waved as your identifying banner as vigorously as you wish for the white liberal elite and their ethnic minority auxiliaries are not going to be pouncing on you shouting "racist". Rather, they will be cheering you on. But if it is a matter of race in this case it certainly cannot be the population of the area in which the shooting took place which are the concerned "community" because there are few sub-continental Asians there , the 2001 census showing the population of Salford to be 1.2% Muslim, 0.3% Hindu and 0.1% Sikh (http://tinyurl.com/7s9h4j4).
The police, quite exceptionally, have already offered a £50,000 reward for information leading to a conviction because "Det Ch Supt Mary Doyle, who is leading the murder inquiry, said: "It is an extremely unusual, savage and motiveless attack, an absolutely horrific crime, which is why we are taking the step of issuing [the reward] a bit earlier than we normally would "(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-16367931).
An " absolutely horrific crime " it may be, but it is sadly by no means rare these days to encounter such killings. The inhabitants of London are positively jaded with news reports of street shootings and knifings (which overwhelmingly involve blacks) . The Greater Manchester area is also notorious for gun crime, so much so it earned the nickname of Gunchester. In September 2011 in Salford a man was shot whilst drinking in at the bar in a pub. Doesn't ring any bells? Well, no great surprise because this was the shooting of a white man Lee Erdmann and consequently the story made little headway in the national mainstream media. No surprise there because that media routinely under-report crimes against whites compared with similar crimes against ethnic minorities (http://www.gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/376f78149e885cfb8025796800604b2b.htm). His murder was also without apparent motive: "It is believed Lee had been standing at the bar, in the lounge of the pub, when another customer he had been talking to calmly shot him in the chest and then left. There had been no argument between the two men or anyone else." The killer is still to be identified.
As for Anuj Bidve murder being a "motiveless attack", no such attack is motiveless. All that can be said is that there is no known motive. Nor would the motive necessarily reflect well on the victim. It does seem odd to say the least that anyone would simply pull a gun and shoot a stranger on the spur of the moment (coolly according to reports) and then calmly melt away. It would be wise to wait to see if there was any connection between the killer and victim. It is worth bearing in mind that the vast majority of what might be described as "hitman killings " in Britain are linked to drug turf wars.
More generally, the response of the police to this white on Asian killing demonstrates the vast difference in the behaviour of the police when faced with crimes involving white culprits and non-white victims (an almost automatic assumption of racial motive) and crimes involving non-white culprits and white victims (no assumption of racial motivation) . There is also a distinct reluctance in the police to describe crimes by one ethnic minority on another as being racially motivated.
The double standards operated by the police also extend to the justice system. Take the case of Somali Muslim girls – Ambaro and Hibo Maxamed, both 24, their sister Ayan, 28, and cousin Ifrah Nur 28 who recently appeared in court. They viciously attacked a white girl Rhea Page, 22, an attack in which part of Miss Page's scalp was torn away, she was knocked to the ground and repeatedly kicked, including kicks to the head . Miss Page was left traumatised and lost her job as a result of the lasting effect the attack had on her. The attack was recorded and can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgIN4kBsNRg.
This attack resulted in charges of Assault occasioning Actual Bodily Harm (ABH) when the assault could easily have resulted in the more serious charge of Grievous Bodily Harm. Despite the fact that they were screaming "white bitch" and "white slag " at Miss Page, the attack was not treated as a racially motivated and hence aggravated crime. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2070562/Muslim-girl-gang-kicked-Rhea-Page-head-yelling-kill-white-slag-FREED.html#ixzz1flw8TY6p). The four did not go to jail and received only 150 hours community work.
Another good example of the double standards in the British legal system occurred when white Christopher Yates was murdered by an Asian gang who were heard to make racist comments such as "That will teach the white man for interfering in Paki business." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4416988.stm). The Judge Martin Stephens bizarrely did not say the crime was racially aggravated because "Between you that morning, you attacked people of all races, white, black and Asian", this being based on the evidence that "They racially abused a black resident and then moved on to a curry house where they assaulted an Asian waiter".
Apart from the disparity in the treatment of white Britons and ethnic minorities by the law, there is the striking difference in the behaviour of politicians and the mainstream media in reporting allegations of white and allegations of ethnic minority racism. An attack by a white assailant on a black or Asian is routinely accepted as racist without any meaningful proof, the simple fact of it being a white assailant and a black victim being taken as proof enough. The reverse is the case where the assailant in black or Asian and the victim is white. There is also a massive difference in the elite response to white on black and black on white assaults or verbal racial abuse. Politicians and the media remain very quiet when the alleged racist is black, but are incontinent in their eagerness to condemn the alleged white malefactor. The never ending Stephen Lawrence saga is the prime example of the latter behaviour.


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PARIS - Pirates, spies, moles, thieves: those who want to steal the scientific treasures of French research laboratories had better be careful.
With a new measure to protect the "nation's scientific and technical potential," in the next few months every organization, university and engineering school will be receiving instructions on how to protect themselves. Indeed, spying on national or foreign competitors is not limited to industrial espionage: fundamental and applied research are also targeted.
"This is not imaginary. You would have to be naively optimistic not to know that there research is a target of international information-gathering strategies," says Jean Marimbert, secretary general and security chief of the French education and research ministry.
No doubt there are few espionage scandals as bad as that of "Farewell," the code name of a French double agent who worked for the KGB and its French counterpart of the time, the DST, during the 1970s and 1980s; nor as serious as the case of Rolf Dobbertin, a French researcher accused of spying for East Germany in 1979. He was finally acquitted in 1991.
But the threat exists. Certainly, preventing the proliferation of nuclear, chemical or bacteriological weapons is still a priority, but with globalization and economic competition, attention is also turning toward laboratories researching for patents, start-ups, and other innovative products. There have been leaks, although the people we interviewed did not want to discuss them. "A research scientist is not going to brag that someone stole his computer or his idea. A laboratory will not be proud of having been burglarized," we were told. But several enlightening stories are already making the rounds.
Ties dipped in laboratory beakers
The most popular story is the one about the foreign delegation visiting a chemistry lab, whose delegates carelessly let their ties hang into the beakers. A more serious example is the case of a foreign scientist in a French laboratory who filed for patents in his home country without mentioning the institution he was affiliated with. Another case is that of a foreign student caught twice stealing files on his director's computers, and allowed to leave without any trouble, except for being sanctioned by the university.
One chemist told us that his foreign competitors had been able to make up time by seizing data he had naively posted in a grant proposal for funding for his laboratory. One French computer executive caught a foreign delegation in the act of lending its hosts a thumb drive loaded with spy software.
In fact, the form of espionage varies widely. Computer attacks, a classic, remain quite common. The French Commissariat for atomic and alternative energies (CEA) estimates that 97 % of requests for access to its servers are rejected. Most of these are from abroad. Other threats include computer and telephone thefts, a quarter of which are "targeted," or linked to their content rather than to the computer or telephone itself, according to those we interviewed. In the Thalys trans-Europe express train, 400 computers are stolen each year. At the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), more than 50 computers were stolen in 2008.
Thefts and conflicts relating to intellectual property are also an important category, which often take much longer for a resolution. The CEA took almost ten years to win a lawsuit against Samsung over flat screen technology. Less well known are attacks on image or reputation through hijacking or takeovers of websites.
Another category of threat has created a great deal of anxiety in people's imaginations: "financial infringement." The expression means equity participation or purchases by foreign investors, which can be a way of getting access to secret or patented information. The suspicion is difficult to confirm. It is also true that not all valuable information needs to be stolen. It could be public already; the trick is knowing how to find and use it.
Access to restricted zones
France, therefore, is getting ready to counter the threat. "The new measure is less about the form than about legal issues," explains Jean Marimbert. Since 1993, security has been under the ministry's "instruction," a measure that is less effective than the law that is now in place. Intrusion into "ZRR" restricted zones can now be punished according to the penal code. Until now, all that could be done was to ask an intruder to leave an area with controlled access.
The number of these zones, obviously, is confidential. There could be "between 100 and 1000" among the 2200 laboratories whose activities are listed in the July decree; these include mathematics and mathematical interactions, astronomy, and theoretical physics. As before, requests for internships, theses, and post-doctoral research regarding these zones will be examined by the 120 officials in charge of defense and security for French universities, organizations and engineering schools, whose main activity is to filter such requests. The CEA for instance deals with tens of thousands a year, and refuses less than 1 % requests.
Another innovation is that the decree applies to all nationalities. Earlier, European Union citizens were not affected. Moreover, the term "visit" will apply not only to work encounters, but to any "temporary" presence, which increases the number of people being monitored.
"The aim is not to keep our scientists from working. We are protecting ourselves so that thefts do not occur," explains Edwige Bonnevie, director of risk prevention at the CEA.
The task is more difficult in the research world than in the economic sphere. "A scientist needs to interact with the outside world. He listens, he talks. He shows in order to receive. But transparency does not mean naïveté," says Jacques Lewiner, president of the ESPCI Georges Charpak fund, which promotes research.
In spite of all efforts, our sources say, the number of attacks on French science is rising. The 2010 audit that led to the current reform showed a "disquieting level." A report by Claude Rochet for the Ministry of the Economy in July 2011 reported that "economic security was not a priority" in the competitive poles, or laboratories grouped by themes, of enterprises of any size. In response, the inter-ministry delegation for economic intelligence published a guide in March for French laboratories. Before the end of the year, it plans to offer software for laboratories to evaluate their own level of protection. The defense and security officials have one more task, a demanding one: raising awareness of the threat.
Some basic security principles :
- Put property marks on personal documents.
- Keep laboratory logs up to date.
- Make back-up copies.
- Use only computer hardware and software that is of known origin, trusted and tested.
- Encrypt data when necessary.
- Make interns and visitors sign confidentiality agreements before they enter a laboratory.
- When going abroad, take only indispensable documents. Take a computer only if absolutely necessary.


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NEW YORK – Get ready for the Super Bowl freak show.
As the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks prepare to face hundreds of journalists, pseudo-journalists, comedians, pranksters and low-level celebrities, here's a look at some of the great and not-so-great moments in media day history:
MR. ED VS. THE CROSS-DRESSER, 1999: Atlanta Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanan showed up for media day in South Florida wearing a silver-studded dog collar, emphasizing the underdog role his team had against the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. Things really picked up a couple of days later – not media day, technically, but we'll let it slide – when Buchanan got into it with the mouthiest of the Broncos, star tight end Shannon Sharpe. 'That's an ugly dude,' Buchanan said. 'You can't tell me he doesn't look like Mr. Ed.' It didn't take long for those comments to be relayed to Sharpe. 'Tell Ray to put the eyeliner, the lipstick and the high heels away. I'm not saying he's a cross-dresser; that's just what I heard.'
WILL YOU MARRY ME, 2008: Once a serious endeavor, media day is now a forum for credentialed 'media' such as Ines Gomez Mont. The entertainment reporter for Mexico's TV Azteca showed up in Glendale, Ariz., wearing a scanty white wedding dress and towering red pumps. She spent the next two hours trying to persuade someone, anyone, to accept her marriage proposal. 'I'm in love with you,' she told New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, adding, 'I'm the real Miss Brady.' The quarterback didn't miss a beat. 'I've got a few Miss Bradys in my life,' he said. At the time, Brady was dating Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen (now his wife) after fathering a child with former girlfriend Bridget Moynahan. Clearly, Brady needed no more complications in his life.
UNREPENTANT RAY LEWIS: One year after being implicated in the stabbing deaths of two men in Atlanta, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis spent an hour deflecting questions that weren't about football. 'That chapter is closed,' he declared on a warm day in Tampa. But Lewis did manage to express his frustration at prosecutors and the NFL. 'It was never about those two kids lying dead in the street,' he said. 'It was about Ray Lewis, and that's not right.' Lewis was initially charged in the murders, then cleared several weeks later. In a plea deal, he admitted to misdemeanor obstruction of justice and testified against his two former co-defendants. Both were acquitted.
BETTER WATCH WHAT YOU SAY, 2013: Every player is warned not to say anything on media day that will get them in trouble. San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver failed to heed that advice during a one-on-one interview with Artie Lange. The comedian asked Culliver whether he would consider pursuing a gay man. 'I don't do the gay guys,' Culliver replied. 'Ain't got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up outta here if they do. Can't be with that sweet stuff.' Two days later, Culliver spent his time with the media apologizing profusely.
GROUNDBREAKING QUARTERBACK, 1988: Washington's Doug Williams became the first black to start at quarterback in the Super Bowl, which prompted some awkward moments and a lasting urban legend from his session with reporters in San Diego. To this day, people will tell you that someone asked, 'How long had you been a black quarterback.' Actually, the query was along the lines, 'It's obvious you've always been a black quarterback all your life. When did it start to matter?' Williams was reluctant to get into the issue that week, though he certainly understood the significance of the moment. 'It's going to be the same if a black coach brings a team to the Super Bowl. It's going to be the same hype. It's always going to be there.'
LEON'S DAY OF DREAD, 1994: Leon Lett, a soft-spoken defensive lineman, had not commented to reporters since a Thanksgiving Day blunder led to a Dallas Cowboys loss. He couldn't escape media day in Atlanta – and it was downright painful to watch. 'I can't breathe,' Lett exclaimed, sweating profusely, before he bolted from his seat just 11 minutes into his session. The NFL ordered Lett to return. Now looking more like a condemned man, he spoke in hushed tones, wringing his hands around a towel, never taking his eye off the clock. 'Is that it? Can I go now?' Finally, the session came to a merciful end. No one has ever been more relieved NOT to have to talk anymore.


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► "Hermes & Writing in Ancient Greece": "Collaboration with Alan Severs"✍:
♠Divided into three sections, this article revolves around three main themes: Hermes, as The Greek God of Writing and his equivalents in other cultures; Plato´s derogatory ideas of writing, amidst the prevailing Oral Tradition; and how this eventually would change, as writing became a most accepted form, when the Greeks adopted the Phoenician Alphabet.
Greek God Hermes was the equivalent of the egyptian God Thoth, and from both of them resulted a Hybrid God: Hermes Trismegistus.
Hermes´roman counterpart was Mercury.
In Norse Mythology, his Homologous figure was Odin.
Hermes and his associated figures are described in the first section.
♠The second section refers to Plato´s dialogue "Phaedrus", emphasizing Socrates´quite negative statements concerning writing in that dialogue.
In "Phaedrus", Plato denies the legitimacy of the written word in favour of the oral tradition. With that purpose, Socrates tells us a myth, featuring Thoth (also known as Theuth and Hermes´egyptian equivalent).
Greece's transition to literacy, was slow, and it augmented and transformed the traditions of oral culture which had for centuries been instrumental in the handing down of certain forms of cultural knowledge.
Before the advent of writing, Greek citizens' knowledge of their history, the ways of their gods, and the attitudes, mores, and taboos of their society were orally transmitted. This occurred not only through parent-to-child communication and transmission within a community, but also through the poetry of the bards, most notably Homer and Hesiod.
♠The third section delves into this issue, taking into account how writing effectively evolved in Ancient Greece.
As a matter of fact, Writing went through different phases, summed up as follows:
>Linear A Script: It was the written language of the Minoans of Crete, remains undecipherable.
>Linear B Script: It consists of the Mycenaean Civilization and the only partially decipherable Linear B script of Crete.
>Phoenician Alphabet: It was the alphabet of ancient Phoenicia, which first came to Greece sometime before the 8th century BCE, from whence it spread.
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►Section I. Hermes, Thoth, Hermes Trismegistus, Mercury and Odin:
Hermes was son of Zeus and one of the Pleiades, Maia.
The name Hermes appears to have originated in the word for "stone heap."
Probably since prehistoric times there existed in Crete and in other Greek regions a custom or erecting a herma, consisting of an upright stone surrounded at its base by a heap of smaller stones. Such monuments were used to serve as boundaries or as landmarks for wayfarers. A connection existed between these simple monuments and the deity named Hermes.
Hermes had many attributes and represented many things. Hermes was the Olympian god of herds and flocks, travellers and hospitality, roads and trade, thievery and cunning, heralds and diplomacy, astronomy and astrology. Besides, he was the herald and personal messenger of Zeus, and also the guide of the dead who led souls down into the underworld.
He was also a god of science and wisdom, art, speech, eloquence. And, most importantly: "the God of Writing".
The Greek God Hermes, as God of Writing, finds his analogue in Egypt as the ancient Wisdom God Thoth (sometimes spelled Thouth, Theuth or Tahuti).
Thoth was important in many myths of Pharaonic Egypt: he played a role in the creation myth, he was recorder of the gods, and the principal pleader for the soul at the judgment of the dead. It was he who invented writing. According to relevant sources, he wrote all the ancient texts, including the most esoteric ones, including "The Book of Breathings", which taught humans how to become gods.
In ancient Egypt, Thoth created script. Besides, he was connected with the moon and thus considered the ruler of the night.
Furthermore, Thoth acted as an emissary between the contending armies of Horus (Egyptian God of the sky and kingship) and Seth (god of the desert, storms, disorder and violence in ancient Egyptian). Thoth eventually came to negotiate the peace treaty between these two gods. His role as a mediator between the opposites is thus made evident, perhaps prefiguring the role of the alchemical Mercury as the "medium of the conjunction."
Both Hermes and Thoth were gods of writing and of magic in their respective cultures.
Hermes, the Greek god of interpretive communication, was combined with Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom, to become the patron of astrology and alchemy. In addition, both gods were psychopomps, guiding souls to the afterlife. Hermes Trismegistus may be a representation of the syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth.
As Alan Severs says in his post "The Grammar of Magic":
"Writing and magic have always been closely associated. The Egyptian God Thoth was thought to be the inventor of writing and the patron of every magical art. The considerable cultural contact and resulting overlap over the centuries because of conquest and trade between Egypt, Greece and Rome led to the deities Hermes and Mercury who shared many of the same attributes as Thoth before they all further blended together, creating the composite figure that was to later an immeasurable influence in the history of ideas, Hermes Trismegistus".
Last, but not least: there is still another Egyptian parallel. Specifically, in the figure of Anubis. In classical mythology, Hermanubis was a god who combined Hermes with Anubis (given that they were both conductors of souls).
Hermes´roman equivalent, Mercury had essentially the same aspects as Hermes. He also wore winged shoes and a winged hat, and carried the caduceus, a herald's staff with two entwined snakes that was Apollo's gift to Hermes. He was often accompanied by a cockerel, herald of the new day, a ram or goat, symbolizing fertility, and a tortoise, referring to Mercury's legendary invention of the lyre from a tortoise-shell.
Another related God, given his attributes, is Odin.
Odin is a prominently mentioned god throughout the recorded history of the Germanic people, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania through the tribal expansions of the Migration Period and the Viking Age. In the major mythological Old Norse texts, the Poetic and Prose Eddas, Odin is depicted as one-eyed and long-bearded, frequently wielding a spear named Gungnir, and wearing a cloak and a broad hat. He is often accompanied by his animal companions: two wolves and two ravens named Huginn and Muninn (Thought and Memory). As well as being the Germanic equivalent of Hermes, Odin appears to have marked shamanistic tendencies as he frequently has ecstatic visions in other realms after undergoing various trials and ordeals.
In Norse Mythology he was associated with healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, battle, sorcery, poetry and the runic alphabet. In the long Eddic, gnomic poem Havamal (The Words of Odin the High One) Odin sacrifices himself to himself by hanging from a tree (presumably Yggdrasil, the World Tree) for nine days and nine nights in order to obtain knowledge of the runes, which is suggested throughout Norse mythology as being a symbolic alphabet used for magical purposes.
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►Section II. Plato´s dialogue "Phaedrus", in which Socrates pronounced himself in favour of the prevailing Oral Tradition and, thus, against writing:
In his dialogue "Phaedrus"; Plato denies the legitimacy of the written word as capable of conveying knowledge in any truly significant way.
In this dialogue, Socrates puts the case against writing into the mouth of Thamus, the Egyptian equivalent of Zeus.
When Thamus is presented by the god Theuth (Thoth) with the invention of writing, Thoth claims it "will make the Egyptians wiser and will improve their memories, for it is an elixir of memory and wisdom that I have discovered". But Thamus replies:
'Most ingenious Theuth, one man has the ability to beget arts, but the ability to judge of their usefulness or harmfulness to their users belongs to another; and now you who are the father of letters, have been led by your affection to ascribe to them a power the opposite of that which they really possess. For this invention will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice their memory. Their trust in writing, produced by external characters which are no part of themselves, will discourage the use of their own memory within them. You have invented an elixir not of memory, but of reminding; and you offer your pupils the appearance of wisdom, not true wisdom, for they will read many things without instruction and will therefore seem to know many things, when they are for the most part ignorant and hard to get along with, since they are not wise, but only appear wise'. (Plato´s "Phaedrus". Line 140 and following).
Walter Ong points out in his book "Orality and Literacy" [*Click here to read book] that these denunciations can by the modern reader as the same ones levelled by many against computers. This analogy is instructive because it allows us to understand in some small way the nature of the enormous change that was taking place in early Greek culture at the time of Socrates and Plato: the transition from a dominantly oral mode of transmitting knowledge to a slowly emerging literate one.
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►Section III. Towards a Literate Society: Writing in Ancient Greece:
1) >Linear A and Linear B Scripts:
Linear A (1700 BC) was the written language of the Minoans of Crete. It consists of 60 phonetic symbols representing syllables and 60 symbols representing sounds and concrete objects or abstract ideas. There is no consensus on how to translate the Linear A symbols
Linear B (1450 BC) was first studied by Sir Arthur Evans, but it was not until 1952 that it was deciphered by Michael Ventris.
Linear B is generally seen as a more simplified and less pictorial version of the earlier scripts . It is also far more cursive in its shape. The script consists of about 87 symbols, which each represent a syllable, as well as some ideograms which represent an entire word or idea. It seems that the Myceneans used writing not to keep historical records but strictly as a device to register the flow of goods and produce into the palaces from a complex, highly centralized economy featuring regional networks of collection and distribution. [To see examples of decipherments of Linear A and Linear B Minoans tablets, please visit this guest post at "The Shield of Achilles"].
2) >The Phoenician Alphabet in Greece:
The alphabet of most modern languages was originated in ancient Phoenicia (11oo BC) and first came to Greece sometime before the 8th century BC, from whence it spread. Homer's "Illiad" and "Odyssey", written around 800 BC, are early examples of the Greek use of the Phoenician alphabet, as are the classics "Theogony" and "Works and Days", by Hesiod. Homer's poems appear to have been recorded shortly after the script's invention: an inscription from Ischia in the Bay of Naples, dated 740 BC, appears to refer to a text of the "Iliad"; and illustrations inspired by the Polyphemus episode in the "Odyssey" were found in Mykonos in 715 BC.
Herodotus claimed that the Phoenician alphabet was brought by Cadmus to Boeotia where he founded the city of Thebes.
The early Greek alphabet, based on the alphabet of the Phoenicians, was different from the linear and hieroglyphic scripts preceding it in that each symbol represents a single consonant as opposed to a syllable.
The Phoenician alphabet consisted of 22 characters with vowel sounds built into the symbols. The Greeks modified the Phoenician alphabet by changing some of the symbols as well as creating separate vowels. They also made their alphabet more phonetically correct.
By using individual symbols to represent vowels and consonants, the Greeks created a writing system that could, for the first time, represent speech in an unambiguous manner. Furthermore, while Linear B seems to have only been used for inventories and lists, the Greek alphabet was used for literary purposes. Writing became not simply a means of recording events, but also an art form in itself.
⇒Writing from right to left. Bidirectional writing. Writing from left to right:
In the earliest versions of the alphabet, the Greeks complied with the Phoenician practice of writing from right to left and the letters had a left-facing orientation.
A good example of writing from right to left is shown in the inscription on the so-called Nestor's Cup, a clay drinking vessel of the 8th century BC, which bears a famous inscription.
The text of the inscription runs:
- Nestor's cup, good to drink from.
- Whoever drinks from this cup, him straightaway
- the desire of beautiful-crowned Aphrodite will seize.
This was followed by a period of bidirectional writing, which means that the direction of the writing was in one direction on one line but in the opposite direction on the next, a practice known as boustrophedon.
During the 5th century BCE, however, the direction of Greek writing was standardized as left to right, and all the letters adopted a fixed right-facing orientation.
So far, we have seen that there are clear and effective similarities, when it comes to certain Gods.
Gods Hermes, Thoth (and the hybrid resulting of both: Hermes Trismegistus); as well as Mercury and Odin, they all represent similar ideas.
They all seem to be fused in an eclectic space of cultural juxtaposition, despite the cultural differences.
This could prove Carl Jung´s thesis of the Collective Unconscious. According to him, the human collective unconscious is populated by archetypes and universal symbols, shared among beings of the same species.
Worth noting that Hermes and his equivalents were mainly considered here keeping in mind their specific roles as "Gods of Writing".
Plato was a keen defender of Oral tradition, against writing. This is evident particularly in his dialogue "Phaedrus", in which Socrates (by retelling an Egyptian myth), states that Writing will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice their memory.
Pisistratus (6th century BC/ 527 BC) was tyrant of Athens whose unification of Attica and consolidation and rapid improvement of the city's prosperity helped to make possible it's later preeminence in Greece.
Pisistratus clearly supported Oral tradition. And he did so, by specifically encouraging Dramatic Arts and Theatre. Indeed, theatre was a key technological factor of specialization in Greek culture. The choral poetry offered a fissure through which the choir was first sung until the actors took over in order to visually stage the oral poetry.
Probably, this was the most evident symptom of the transition from an Oral culture to a hybrid, semi-oral or audiovisual Culture, which dominated the fifth century BC and classicism. At last, by the end of the century, Writing prevailed.
When introducing writing, (Linear A, Linear B, and especially alphabetic writing), the Ancient Greeks privileged the visual sense against other senses such as seeing or hearing. Alongside this change, their conception of space and time was also altered, going from discontinuous to a linear, homogeneous conception. Hence, the chronological narrative and History itself arose as new types of discourses.
By objectifying words and making meaning accessible to a much longer and more intense meaning of what is orally possible, writing fostered private thought and increased awareness of individual differences.
Thus, Writing led to free initiative and creativity of the Ancient Greek society as a plural "whole", while preserving the value of the individual forms. Such a tendency could be also considered a "call for democracy", as a political correlate of literacy, expressivity, abstraction and individualization.
♠About Alan Severs: Alan defines himself as an occasional writer of fiction, poetry; and essays on modernism, mysticism, mythology, magic and mystery. His blog, Cakeordeathsite covers many of these and other interesting subjects. Please check it out here. Thank you, Alan! 🐬
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As in his debut In Bruges, Martin McDonagh here plays self-reflexive games while undermining the gangster genre. This time he has interwoven the stories of the seven whack jobs of the title, with each narrative essentially about the nature of narrative, and has included an intratextual bonanza of movie and other cultural references as well. Oh, and there's redemption, too. That comes in the unlikely form of Christopher Walken as dognapper Hans Kieslowski, who filches a Shih Tzu belonging to Charlie (Woody Harrelson), a psychopathic mobster, and implicates Martin (Colin Farrell) and his flaky friend Billy (Sam Rockwell) in the theft. Charlie vows to kill them all. Did I mention that Martin is a screenwriter trying to finish a film called Seven Psychopaths? Meanwhile, there are more psychopaths to go, and, as Kieslowski notes, they can get tiresome. Nonetheless, McDonagh achieves the tricky feat of balancing cleverness, carnage, and compassion.
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A Way of Life and a Philosophy/The Accessories and Jewellery
As promised here are some nice piece of jewellery or accessories that are considered to be Art Nouveau.
Now I hope you enjoyed looking at all these wonderful wonders from or directly inspired by the Art Nouveau Era. If you do have some stuff that are considered Art Nouveau I would be ( as all the readers) very interested to see them. Now some of this are also considered Steam Punk or Art Deco or Egyptian… It's all in the viewers' eye but I really tried to really focus on Art Nouveau direct influences. Many of those are directly from that era.
Here's a little clips on the subject to close the subject. I do like to think that I managed to make you share my love for the beauty of that Art and way of life that in my opinion is too often overlooked. Few people will know what you are talking about when you say Art Nouveau. You are now amongst those who know and ( I hope) also love what was once a way of life for those who were rich enough to afford it.


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Clash of the titans
December 22, 2011 § 3 Comments
As we prepared to prepare to get ready for the world famous Ironfly club ITT that had become the less world famous but still nationally renowned TTT, Mel pointed to the pleasant looking if somewhat bleary young man sitting on a chair with a clipboard.
"That's Hockeystick's son," she said. "He came out to watch his dad race and to time the splits. Hockeypuck, this is Wanky."
There's an unwritten rule about meeting the adult and semi-adult progeny of bike racers: You're obligated to say something flattering about the parent. "Your dad sure is tough," or "Your mom is tougher than most of the guys," or "I can barely hang onto your dad's wheel." Whatever, as long as it builds up the parent in the eyes of the child.
I looked at Hockeypuck. "Your old man's a fucking wanker," I said. "Plus he's fat and slow."
"Wanky!!" Mel scolded. "It's his son!!"
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry. He's not a fucking wanker. He's a total fucking wanker. And I'm going to kick his ass today. Glad you'll be here to see it."
"Aw fuck, Mel, I'm not telling him anything he doesn't already know. What, do I have to pretend the kid's blind and doesn't see Hockeystick swilling beer, stuffing his gut on pizza, and heading off for a hard day at the office at the crack of noon?"
Hockeystick, who was standing nearby, looked up and smiled as he adjusted the airfoil on his $15,000 time trail bike. He, Canyon Bob, Toronto, and Boeingboing were raring to go. Each had brought a full time trail rig, except for Canyon Bob, who had slapped some TT bars on his vintage Trek. They had the full battle regalia: aero helmets, disc wheels, skinsuits, shoe covers, and enough attitude to beat down a rapper with a murder conviction.
Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it
Thankfully, I have a short memory and never hold a grudge, with the exception of the things I always remember and the grudges I'll be taking with me to my grave. This time last year the world famous Ironfly club ITT had confirmed my talent and ability as the fastest non-aero time trailist in a field of seven, including one elderly gentleman in his early 80's. The club race last year had been broken down into Merckx and aero categories.
I had devastated Canyon Bob by a full 21 seconds over the 20km course, even though he'd been riding aero bars. Take that, dog! Toronto, who had opted for the full aero bike with disc wheel, had still only managed to take a handful of seconds out of me, but even though he was in the aero category and cheating the wind he nonetheless took every opportunity to rub salt into the non-wound. He got particular pleasure out of the photo on his FB page that shows him passing me as my tongue appears to dangle in the spokes. Hockeystick had been lapped and peed on the previous year and was spoiling for a rematch.
Throughout 2011, last year's wankers plotted their revenge. The first step was to make the race a team time trail rather than an individual event. This would play to Hockeystick's strength of putting together teams where he is the slowest member, gets dropped in the first ten yards, but nevertheless collects the palmares, jersey, and chintzy medal to hang in the 10′ by 75′ trophy case that occupies the entire third floor of his home. This also played to Toronto's strong suit, which is photography. He'd wind up with some great pictures, and with Canyon Bob on the team would only have hang on for dear life and rotate through briefly. Very briefly.
The only problem was that despite Canyon Bob's legendary ability to flail and flog, there was no way that he alone could win the TTT with Toronto and Hockeystick sucking wheel for dear life and avoiding the front like a Mississippian avoids the dentist's chair. The other problem is that the one other team would have Fukdude on it. Fukdude won a national championship this year. Fukdude won the aero category of the club TT in 2010 by almost a full lunar month. None of them had ever beaten Fukdude at anything. Ever.
Hockeystick, though, went to work, doing what he does best–finding the talent, and signing 'em up. And he had Boeingboing in his sights.
Boeingboing rides for Southbay Wheelmen. Although he was pretty much a flailer when he raced with the 45+ masters, as soon as he hit 50 he started whupping ass. In 2010 he brought home numerous top ten finishes, and he's known far and wide for his time trailing. So between him and Canyon Bob, with Toronto and Hockeystick doing cameo rotations to give the other two a respite, they had the makings of a team. Not a very good one, but a team at least.
Flailers' futile challenge to the Heroes
From the beginning, Hockeystick's ragtag assortment that made up Team Flail was doomed to fail. Not only was the Heroes team led by Fukdude, but it included Jdawg, a monstrous pain addict who provides a draft for those in his wake comparable to that of a fast-moving barn. Although not necessarily known for his time trailing prowess, the Hero contingent also included Fireman, something of a time trail wanker but also the man with the widest elbows in the business. He could always be counted on to suffer and to drink everyone else under the table at the club party later in the day, including Hockeystick.
Finally, of course, the Heroes included me. In addition to my non-aero victory the year before, my amazing performance in the state's 45+ non-prostate elderly men's TTT with Mel's tiny bar extenders, and my incredible blogging efforts, there was simply no way we were going to lose for one simple reason: technology.
The thing that bothered me most was how everyone would be aero except me. So I decided to do what every masters racer eventually decides to do when he races more than two time trails in a year's time: go out and buy some more speed.
All I really needed to get aero was a pair of clip-on bars and some shoe covers. $538.88 later I returned home knowing that in addition to greater natural ability, a superior training regimen, and my matchless ability to suffer, I now had shoe covers that matched my bike. I immediately sat down and penned the entry to my victory blog, which began like this: "O, ye simpering wretches…"
Breakfast and a few text messages
I awoke bright and early on Sunday, brewed a cup of coffee, and made some oatmeal. By six o'clock the text messages started rolling in. New Girl bailed because VV bailed. Skimpy couldn't make it because he'd stayed out too late the night before. Loopy and Dinky had to cancel because they always cancel. Etcetera.
I fired off a quick text message to Fireman, who answered promptly, confirming our team's 8:00 rendezvous at Catalina Coffee. When I arrived, Jdawg was already there, along with Fukdude. Neither had aero bars. Or discs. Or aero helmets.
"What's with the non-aero shit?" I asked.
"Fuck, dude, we're going Merckx style. It's just Hockeystick."
"But they'll all have full TT rigs."
JDawg looked over our bikes. "Well, we've got aero bars, I've got Zipp 808's, and Fukdude's legs, so between the three of us we've got one aero racer at least."
"Where's Fireman?" I asked.
We went into the coffee shop. There, indeed, was Fireman. In the Barcalounger. Wearing a pair of beach shorts. And sandals. And next to him was his youngest kid.
"What the fuck?" I asked. "Where's your shit?"
"You blew it for me, dude," he said. "That text message you sent. My wife saw it and was like, 'You didn't tell me you were going bike racing today' and I was like 'I was going to tell you' and she was like 'Yeah when two minutes before you left?' and I was like 'No five' and she was like 'I'm going to the gym and you've got the kids' so that's that."
We all looked at each other. "Looks like your four-man team will be three-man," Fireman laughed. "Fuck it, don't worry. It's just Hockeystick and Toronto. By the time Hockeystick gets his stomach over the top tube you guys'll be done. Plus, how embarrassing would it be to show up with a bunch of TT shit just to beat Hockeystick? If the three of you wearing football uniforms and riding skateboards can't beat those guys in full aero, you don't deserve to win anyway."
Beating up the blind senior citizen
As we pedaled out to Carson, we mulled over our predicament, which was not unlike accepting a challenge to fistfight a blind old woman in a wheelchair. If you won, you earned the world's contempt by stooping to the challenge. If you lost, well, you got to spend the rest of your life known as the guy who got beaten up by the octogenarian granny.
Thankfully, by the time we reached the course Mel had arrived with several boxes of donuts. All athletic endeavors are enhanced by donuts, so I had four or five. The sugar and grease act as a kind of emulsifying agent for the oatmeal, which speeds the passage of blood through midway through the event, when it begins to pour out of your eyes.
Boeingboing had set up his trainer in a parking lot and was all lathered up. Toronto, who had been showing up on all the group rides for the past two weeks on his TT rig, was riding in circles and shouting, "Wankmeister, I'm going to stomp your head in!"
Canyon Bob glanced over at Team Heroes and decided he didn't even need to warm up, so he climbed back into his car for a few extra minutes of shut-eye. Hockeystick made some final adjustments to the computer tracking system for his bike's ailerons, and then brought out a wondrous thing that looked like a combo tire jack-and-forklift. Through a complex system of pulleys, levers, and hydraulic pumps, he raised his frontal portion up over the top tube and then easily swung his leg over the bike. Game fuckin' on.
The agony of my feet. And legs.
We launched first. Team Flail went second. They beat us handily, by 21 seconds. Hockeystick's son sat incredulously as he tallied up the result. Shaking his head, he said to his dad, "How did the old guys beat the young guys?"
First to chime in was Toronto. "We were gritty!"
Second to chime in was Hockeystick: "We suffered more1"
Third to chime in was Canyon Bob: "That was stupid!"
Fourth to chime in was Fussy via Facebook: "There were only three of them, and you goofs were full aero."
Fifth to chime in was Fireman via text: "They BEAT you? Haaahaahahaaaaha!"
Boeingboing had already packed and left, afraid perhaps that he'd seen and photographed at this event of ignominy.
Kissing and making up
Even though we'd been completely pwned, there was a club party that afternoon where we'd get to laugh it up while secretly feeling humiliated (losing team) and not so secretly feeling prideful and happy and euphoric and master-of-the-universe-like (winning team). Team Losers would clap Team Winners on the shoulder and say "Good ride!" and "You guys were flying!" while secretly thinking "You sorry fucks couldn't win a wheelchair race on a bet, and the only reason you beat us is because (—–insert multiple excuses here——-), and Team Winners would laugh somewhat modestly and say "It was only 21 seconds," or "Well, we were full aero," or "Heck, you only had three guys," while secretly thinking "You sorry fucks think you're so fucking good but we thrashed the shit out of you and there were really only two of us even doing anything."
That was the plan, anyway.
What actually happened was that, as we left, me an the old lady got into a shouting match over a lost shipment of $6.00 Capo tall white socks. "What do you mean you didn't pick it up? UPS left the fucking tag!"
"I did too go to pick it up they gave me the wrong box. It was some purple froofy underwear thing with a yellow wig."
"Well shit, why didn't you take it back and get the right box?"
"I did!! They lost it!! It's not my job! And quit yelling! And if you care so much about your stupid cycling socks you should get them yourself!"
By the time we hit the club party it was World War Twelve, such is the power of a shipment of Christmastime, specially-priced Capo tall white socks, engineered to bring happiness through a brutal spousal hollerfest. As we exited the Pimpmoprius, up pulled Canyon Bob and his lovely wife. "Hey, Bob," I said.
"Hey, Wanky. How's it going?"
"We're fighting!" my old lady said.
"Other than that, though, things are great," I added.
The joy of sox
If you've ever gone to a party in the middle of an intraspousal feud, you know that there are only two possible outcomes. One is that the angry partners will bottle it up and put on polite pretenses ostensibly to avoid wrecking the mood for everyone else, but in actuality because they don't want other people to see that their marriage is just as pedestrian as everyone else's. The other outcome is that the presence of others will act as a kind of audience catalyst, in which the performers, stimulated by the spectators, will rise to the occasion and let the whole ugly thing roll out on the carpet, kind of like a big turd in the middle of a ballroom dance, with everyone trying not to step in it all the while unable to look away while still trying to keep time to the waltz.
We chose the latter, of course, and after a few moments of pleasantries went storming out like a typhoon. Fortunately, cooler heads eventually prevailed and after eight or nine days we began speaking again once UPS found and delivered the lost socks. So happy was I to have new, tall white socks that I even sort of admitted that maybe it hadn't been her fault and that perhaps next time I shouldn't throw a tantrum like a three year-old. Perhaps.
Team Flail now reigns for all of 2012 until the next iteration of the club's team time trail. Hockeystick has ordered a new set of pulleys and cables for his GAD (Gut Assist Device), and formed a track pursuit team with its sights set on a national pursuit title for 50+ tarck wankers. Canyon Bob has decided to up his training regiment to four hours per week. Toronto now has two time trail victories against Wankmeister, precious, secret victories that he takes out and strokes when he thinks no one's watching, and laughs to himself when he thinks of how good it's going to feel when he gets number three. Boeingboing has constructed an elaborate story of plausible deniability to de-confirm that he even knows, much less races with, his teammates.
And me? I'm left with a year of gall and wormwood, the bitter taste of defeat left in my mouth permanently, or at least until…next year.
§ 3 Responses to Clash of the titans
Fly me in for net year, they'll never know what hit 'm…
Ha!…hockey stick!…haha!


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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) – Andre Drummond is starting to look more comfortable at the foul line – and on this night, those extra free throws he made turned out to be crucial.
Drummond had 22 points and 13 rebounds, going 6 of 8 from the free throw line in Detroit's 103-99 victory over Brooklyn on Friday night. The Pistons led by 21 early in the third quarter before holding off a determined rally by the Nets.
Drummond is shooting 41 percent from the foul line on the season – and that's actually a substantial improvement. At one point he was 3 for 17, but now he's developed a routine, holding the ball for several seconds before releasing the shot.
"I work hard at it every day, so the results are going to show up sooner rather than later," Drummond said. "Tonight was an example of the hard work I put into it."
The Nets cut their deficit to two before Detroit's Kyle Singler made two free throws with 10.4 seconds left. The Pistons snapped a three-game losing streak and ended Brooklyn's three-game winning streak.
Deron Williams led Brooklyn with 22 points. The Nets were without center Brook Lopez, who sat out with a sprained left ankle.
"It doesn't matter who plays for us or who we're playing, we have to protect the paint and we didn't do that tonight," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. "There's some improvement – we kept fighting down the stretch even when we got behind – but we can't get that far behind."
Greg Monroe added 22 points for the Pistons, and Rodney Stuckey had 17.
Detroit outscored the Nets 38-20 in the second quarter and led 61-44 at halftime. Brooklyn's Mirza Teletovic, who did not attempt a shot in the first half, scored 17 points in the second, making his first five shots from 3-point range. His final points pulled the Nets within 98-91, and a tip-in by Andray Blatche cut the margin to five.
Teletovic finally missed from beyond the arc, and Blatche missed two free throws with 1:38 to play. Then Monroe made a hook inside to make it 100-93 with 54 seconds left.
Williams was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer with 51 seconds left and made all three shots, cutting the lead to four. After an offensive foul on Josh Smith, the Nets had a chance to pull even closer, but Detroit's Brandon Jennings knocked the ball out of bounds off Williams' leg as the Brooklyn guard drove to the basket, giving the Pistons the ball back with 24 seconds left.
Monroe made one of two free throws with 18.5 seconds to play, but Paul Pierce's 3-pointer made it 101-99. Singler calmly went to the line and made both of his free throws to make it a two-possession game again.
"We've just got to learn from it," Detroit's Chauncey Billups said after the big lead nearly slipped away. "We've got to just quit playing not to lose the game. … If you do, and you get hesitant and you get passive and the other team gets aggressive, that's what happens."
With Lopez out, Brooklyn couldn't do much about Drummond and Monroe inside. Drummond's most impressive play may have been when he tipped the ball back over his head and into the basket with one hand after Jennings missed everything on a wild shot from the perimeter. That gave the Pistons a 50-39 lead.
Drummond had 18 points and seven rebounds at the half, and Stuckey had 16 points. In the third quarter, Drummond missed a dunk along the baseline but was able to tip the ball in almost immediately to give Detroit a 74-55 lead.
"That front line is tough," Blatche said. "They are great offensive rebounders and they just pounded us out there. The guards are driving to the basket and the bigs are just all over the boards. We definitely missed Brook, because at least he's a big body out there."
Brooklyn's Kevin Garnett surpassed 14,000 rebounds in the second half. He joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone as the only players to reach 25,000 points, 14,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists.
NOTES: Stuckey scored a season-high 27 points in a win at Brooklyn last month. Joe Johnson, who had 34 points for the Nets in that game, was held to 12 on 5-of-16 shooting on Friday. … Garnett was called for a technical foul in the second quarter, and Blatche was called for flagrantly fouling Drummond with 2:27 left in the half.


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What's today's obsession with "racing negatively", "stealing the win", "not showing heart" and other such comments? These statements usually involve a race where Cancellara finishes 2nd or 3rd, and the gist of it is that Cancellara rode his heart out, others sat on his wheel and he got beaten. I say utter nonsense.
You're at the start of the race, you have a bag of tools and you need to figure out how to get to the finish first. Not everybody has the same bag of tools, so judging other riders by how similarly they ride to Cancellara makes no sense to me.
Let's put it some other way, say Cancellara challenges you to a 100k ride you will be judged you on how you finish and your "heart". So what do you do? As Cancellara takes off and winds up to 50kmh, you catch his wheel (if you're lucky). Good for you, but of course you're just a wheel sucker now, you're showing no "heart". So what do you do? In the first few k, do you take equal turns to show "heart" (assuming you can even get past him), only to blow up and be reduced to a sad little pile of pain by the side of the road? Or do you hang on to his wheel for dear life for as long as you can, and then ride the rest by yourself? I would suggest the latter, it's not only the best way to achieve the best finishing result, it's also the best way not to make a total fool of yourself.
While Gerrans and Nibali are no amateurs, they don't have the bag of tools that Cancellara does either. They can't show "heart" the way Cancellara does because they don't have his "legs". It seems unfair to me to deny riders the opportunity to show heart by making the "heart" test something only Cancellara can pass. Instead I would suggest you can show "heart" in many ways, by trying to keep up with a descending Cancellara even though you don't have the same descending skills for example.
But enough about the heart, the worse one for me is "stealing the win". Other than through cheating (as in breaking the agreed upon rules), there is no such thing. All 200 riders starting in Milan knew the rules, and knew where the finish was. They agreed that whoever got their first would be crowned the winner. They agreed you could ride in packs, in small groups, solo, anything goes. They specifically didn't make a rule that forced you to do a certain percentage of the work when you were in a group, or that you can't work on behalf of a teammate, or anything like that. They all agreed to that, set off, covered the whole distance and in the end Gerrans crossed the finish line first. End of story.
OK, one more thing, and I've written about this one at more length before. When a rouleur and a sprinter are in a breakaway, they both understand the rules of the game. The rouleur has to try to drop the sprinter, and the sprinter has to try to prevent that. Who ever succeeds wins, unless the rouleur generates an upset sprint (Vanmarcke over Boonen in the Omloop). The rouleur understands the sprinter won't do much work, both because he doesn't have the engine and because it makes him vulnerable for a jump from behind by the rouleur. It seems it is often the rouleur's fans who don't see it that way. Don't get me wrong, I love watching the rouleur too, but I won't fault the sprinter for playing to his own strength.


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We recently discovered a question posed by the Do Not Disturb blog. They asked us to post about what WE DO on a consistent basis to keep our marriage strong. Their goal is to get married couples all over the internet sharing what has helped their marriage grow stronger as the years pass. Much of what we are is a direct result of what we do. We think this is an excellent goal, so we're joining the conversation:
♥ We do Honest
– even when it hurts. There is no one we trust more than each other. We know we're going to say it like it is whenever any question is asked. Even the ones that require us to confess sin. Which leads us to the next one…
♥ We do Forgiveness
– after all if you're going to be honest, forgiveness is the next step. Otherwise bitterness follows. Forgiveness when we've been hurt. Forgiveness when we don't fully understand. Forgiveness because Christ has forgiven us so much more than any wrong we could ever suffer from each other.
♥ We do Biblical Fellowship
– which is using the Bible as our constant "go-to" manual. Our convictions are formed here and our behavior is measured here. Asking questions like, "How is God helping you resist the temptation to compare yourself with others?" or, "In what ways are you purposing to mortify this sin pattern in your life?" help us to make sure we're not just talking the talk, but we're walking the walk.
♥ We do Church Life
– we absolutely love our local church. We were part of the group that started it back in 1985. We have had trouble and hardship, but what church family doesn't? We are here because this is where God told us to set down roots, and we have, and they go deep. We have life-long friends we've made here who know us well. They help us stay accountable, which all Christians and marriages need in order to stay strong and healthy.
♥ We do Romance
– 🙂 Yes, we do. And it keeps the twinkle in our eyes and the fun in our marriage. You see much of it lived out through our blog. But the part you don't see, well…it's even better! 'nuff said. 😉
♥ We do Family
– when our two oldest got married 7 and 8 years ago we made sure they knew they were our first priority when it came to helping marriages grow and stay strong. We have modeled a strong marriage for them, even through our weaknesses. When we sin we repent and ask forgiveness. We aren't perfect. We haven't arrived. But God has helped us and grown us little by little each year, until now we can look back and say, Wow! The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad! Nothing thrills us more than to hear our daughter-in-love say how our son reminds her so much of Tom. He caught how to be a kind, loving and thoughtful husband through Tom's example.
♥ We do Devotions
– We didn't always have consistent quiet times. But as the years have passed our daily time alone with the Lord has become our favorite part of the day. We read the same plan each year so we can talk about what we're hearing from God.
♥ We do Love
– not the cupid kind of love, but the sacrificial kind that can hurt at times. It's loving the other even when they don't really deserve it. It's saying I'm here for you, and I will always love you, even if I don't like what you're doing right now. It's patient, kind, and doesn't keep records of wrongs suffered. I must say my husband excels more than me in loving this way. And because he has loved me when I least deserve it, I have a front row seat of how Christ loves me. It's amazing.
What about you? What do you do to keep your marriage strong?


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A new feature – inappropriate titles for blog posts!
I was going to call this post 'stuff' but felt that was pretty dismal/boring.
Anyway, onto the post. Three things to report:
1) Today's Google blog linked to something called a binary clock. I was intrigued and visited the Think Geek online store and discovered what it was (click here). I want one!
2) I came across this wonderful looking "HEALTH 2.0: USER-GENERATED HEALTHCARE". I'd love to go but not sure I can justify the time and costs for a single day…
3) The next upgrade for TRIP is taking shape. Yes, we're still waiting to release the latest upgrade (hopefully next week – I've heard that before) but we like to think ahead. The main features will be linked in with the gwagle experiment (see previous post). The main planned features will be user-added content, enhanced My-TRIP, content tagging (with associated tag clouds). We may even add a scoring mechanism whereby users can give a score (based on something nebulous such as 'clinical usefulness'. It may not sound much but it will represent a significant move in TRIP's development.
As for the title of the blog post, see this YouTube clip. I was at that concert and the clip doesn't do the song justice!


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Software Map
Project Tree
Now limiting view to projects in the following categories:
Intended Audience :: End Users/Desktop [Remove This Filter]
Operating System :: Microsoft :: Windows :: Windows NT/2000/XP [Remove This Filter]
Natural Language :: English [Remove This Filter]
Natural Language > German
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2 projects in result set.
|0. desiRe - desiRe allows the computation and interactive specification of desirability functions of Harrington- and Derringer/Suich-type. Related density and distribution functions, optimization procedures and several different types of charts are provided.
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2007-10-15 14:31
|1. Reliability - The project focuses on an Relibility package for GNU R, which allows to estimate software reliability metrics like failure rate or hazard rate.
|Activity Percentile: 0.00
Registered: 2007-10-15 15:55


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