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"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that mater."
Martin Luther King Jr.
Could you imagine the world without something known as feeling of guiltiness ? I am sure that this world is slowly falling down into the jaws of heart's indifference, soul's coldness and in the dimension without any compassion. The lack of empathy could be seen everywhere and it doesn't surprise the amount of misery which affects all of us, when we are not able to stand up for each others. We don't want to stand up for each others because that is not our job, we aren't paid for it. We are not paid to be human beings, we were born like human beings but we evolve ourselves into the social beasts.
Why would some Mark from the USA be worried about the homeless fellow in France or the happy mother from Germany about the poor single mother from Bolivia? If they have hearts, they will be worried about each one over there, who is fighting the battle against injustice. If they are not concerned, every attempt of myself to change people's feelings for others is useless. Then, it is too late. But, I still hope that echo of humanity lives within us and that we can reach those who need us, now and always.
According to UNICEF, 1.2 million children go missing worldwide every year and this number is variable because many children are abducted, some are being used for human trafficking and sexual slaves but some are being killed simply for their organs. The problem is getting worse with each new year, particularly in South America where corrupted hospitals, police and drug cartels work all together for profit.
The Mexican Foundation for the Research on Missing and Abducted children has made one campaign for parents how to protect their school children from being kidnapped. The accent is especially given in Mexico City and the states of Mexico, Veracruz and Puebla. The victims are not only children from ordinary Mexican families but also the children and young homeless people because their vanishing can be easily covered and not further investigated. It is not only about the organ harvesting for a big amount of foreign money which connects and reconnects the businessmen from the USA or the U.K., corrupt Mexican politicians and local authorities but also the global drug dealers who want the piece of cake.
Dr. Fernando Lopez-Neblina, a surgeon at a hospital in the border town of Mexicali claims that Mexico legal system is not interested to follow the line of forced organ trafficking as well as the victims of random organ trafficking for the purposes of cults. The difference between one killed for organs such as heart or liver and one killed for the witchcraft ritual known as "Santa Muerte" or Saint Death is the way of killing and pulling the targeted organ out. When the organ is the part of organized trafficking chain, the surgery is mostly precisely done and with a professional style. The cult fanaticism allows the monstrous destruction of the victim.
The police in Mexico's western state of Michoacan has a direct war with the members of the Knights Templar cartel because it has been accused for kidnapping children to harvest their organs and sell them abroad. The last incident was in 2014 when Michoacan state Public Safety Secretary Carlos Castellanos Becerra stated that Manuel Plancarte Gaspar was part of the cartel's organ-trafficking ring. It seems that police here is doing its job but only because of the public pressure and media accusations that it is too much corrupted and in the shadow of drug money infusion to the highest authorities. The experts who broke this ring were reporting that the gang kidnapped children, brought them to the rented homes with medical equipment where the hired professionals would remove their young organs and send them to the final client through the developed network of organized crime:"Plancarte Gaspar is the nephew of Enrique Plancarte Solis, a top Knights Templar leader.Mexican authorities have said drug trafficking is no longer the top source of income for the Knights Templar, which was once a top producer of crystal meth. The officials say the cartel's main sources of income are illegal mining, illegal logging and extortion." However, the years back were the horrible for parents whose children have been abducted and never really found but only urban legends have been shared. The all kidnapped children have been the children from the Mexico City schools whose blood samples have been directed to the drug cartel members through the one school member, usually one who was enough paid to share the important and clarified data with the third parties.
The catholic missionaries are trying to break this terrible line of abuse of people and children but they asked for help from American officials because the crime has help from the both side. One Mexican militiaman said :"In Villa Victoria-Chinicuila, almost near to Jalisco, at a checkpoint there was stopped a truck with frozen bodies, some were children and they were missing some organs …no one knew what happened to them … From one year to date there has been seen naked, open bodies, with nothing inside" The necessity to rip out organs and to sell them comes from the black market's demands. The price can go from $ 100,000 or $ 150,000 for every body and the point is to find those whose medical picture is ideal or the most ideal to those who are searching for organs. The first targets are definitely the poor families of immigrants or the homes for street children. The criminals know that if they abduct anyone who has roots or some kind of power, the police will open the case. When they kidnap street children or kill some young biker on the street, performing the traffic accident, they will be spared from police investigation. What we know is totally disturbing, 98% of crimes in Mexico is always unsolved.
Mexico has a very sensible social atmosphere now, ruined by poverty and tensions among classes. The rich and the poor. The corrupted layers of the government in between. You can not count on your police to protect you or to save you because they are all colored by drug money as an award for "good job" and "closed eyes" on cartel's crime. But you can maybe count on the Christian militia:"The Christian militia is called Los Autodefensas, and they began as a response to the horrific and satanic murders done by the drug cartel, and as a result of the utter corruption and evil cooperation the government has with the cartels. The drug cartels, like ISIS, taxes all those who live under their control. A local farmer was unable to pay the extortion tax, and so the cartel kidnapped his children, tied them up and smashed their heads upon rocks. It was against this horrific violence that this militia arose and fought." Someone said that Mexico is like a nuclear bomb, ready to explode in any moment.
The organ harvesting is internationally organized and leaded. The culpa is not only Mexican but the whole world has participation and contribution in it, encouraging the black organs market and the despaired wealthy recipients to trade someone young life for their survival. The New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles have "broker friendly" hospitals whose doctors don't care what is the story behind the new coming organ. The forced organ donation means murder of someone totally innocent but totally acceptable to be sacrificed for new life of someone with golden bank account:"Organ donation is only possible if the organ in question has blood and oxygen flowing through it until the time of harvesting. A living donor can give a whole kidney, a portion of their liver, lung, intestine or pancreas. Otherwise, the donor must be declared brain dead while circulation and oxygenation remain intact."
Based on some data from 2014, 120,771 people are waiting for organ and about 18 will day every day while waiting so one donor can save up to 8 lives. The rich do not ask for a price and the poor have never been asked for a life or death:"Organ donation is strictly regulated in the US, yet a black market is alive and well. Typically a broker will team up with a funeral home director, forging consent forms and a death certificate to harvest human tissue before the body is cremated or buried. Sometimes organs are harvested from a living victim for compensation. In the worst case it involves kidnapping for the purpose of organ harvesting. Always at the end of the chain is a wealthy recipient, willing to pay big bucks with no questions asked."
The underground market of body organs can deliver all you can imagine: hearts, lungs, livers but the kidneys are the most valuable. WHO informs that about 7,000 kidneys are illegally taken annually by criminals worldwide and the price depends on the state of the organ.
The huge amount of money is fluctuating in the industry of organs illegally harvested in the poor and corrupt countries like Mexico, Bolivia or Peru. But, those who really make profits are not only the members of drug gangs but the doctors who were hired to kill for money in local hospitals where is the last destination for many abducted homeless people and children.
Then, there are also tourists who were ended up as the victims of illegal organ chain. That was the case in Brazil. The American couple has never been found until their empty bodies have not been found by hikers by some forgotten canyon.
Who will protect the poor and weak from the terror of rich and cruel? At the moment when your child is kidnapped, you have already lost the battle with the system which will never support the voiceless. In the time when those who have power use that power for evil, the good people remain silent and afraid to act and to stop the evil in its roots. The organ harvesting is old business and nowadays is helped by political masquerade and criminal influence in all levels of the society. The breaking point is the following: we do not know when starts the crime and when it is ended. All is mixed up and messed up but only dead bodies can remind us who low we have fallen down.
We don't feel anything anymore.Our hearts are taken away long time ago in some of emotional harvesting storms and now we only have culpa. Nostra culpa.


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The iPad Pianist in All of Us
>Here's a little treat for anyone who has so far underestimated the potential of the iPad. Some of us were hoping Apple would call it the Slate, because it truly is a blank slate whose potential will only be limited by the ideas that people bring to it.
Pianist Lang Lang playing "Flight of the Bumblebee" on an iPad, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco CA April 19, 2010.


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As the threat of Sunnis extremists invading Shiite territory and getting closer to Baghdad grows, men from across the capital are pouring into military recruitment stations to join the fight. Anderson speaks to a few young recruits about why they decided to sign up to fight against ISIS.
As #ISIS threatens, these #Iraqis answer the call to defend #Baghdad. Will they be ready? More at 8pE on @CNN. #AC360 pic.twitter.com/Nqg3pRBnwO
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) June 20, 2014
Filed under: Anderson live in Baghdad • Iraq • ISIS
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Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°


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A Rare Photo Of Yonca Onuk Boats In Turkish Navy Service
19 Dec 2012 4 Comments
The Turkish Coast Guard with at least 50 units is the biggest local user of fast patrol boats build by Yonca Onuk shipyard. The Turkish Navy recently started to commission boats of this shipyard. Two are used for the infiltration of special forces teams. There were reports that two more boats were bought by the Navy for base protection duties but these boats had a very low public profile. Unlike her near sisters in Coast Guard service this craft is well armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun on a stabilized gun platform made by Aselsan.


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Last month GeekMom Dak reviewed Touring Plans, a website and app that helps you plan your Disney vacation and knock hours off queuing times at the theme parks. Touring Plans' features included crowd calendars, wait times and customisable plans that allow you to select the attractions you are interested in seeing each day before the site gives you a detailed, unique itinerary. But where does the data for such a system come from and how do you go about creating a website that can instantly produce such a detailed plan for the millions of permutations each park offers on a single day? I spoke with Len Testa, the founder of Touring Plans and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, about the mathematical side of planning your dream Disney trip.
You have a master's degree in computer science and did your thesis on heuristics for time-dependent travelling salesman problems - can you explain what that is for non-mathematicians?
Probably the most straightforward example of the time-dependent travelling salesman problem is the kind of scheduling that a company like FedEx or UPS has to do for one of its drivers. The company's goal is for the driver to deliver packages to customers in different locations while minimizing the overall cost, including labor and fuel. At any point in the day, the FedEx driver has to take into account not only the distance between his current location and the next customer, but how much traffic will delay him when he's on the road to that next customer. For example, the driver may decide to take a 4-mile detour on a rural road to get to the next customer, rather than drive a 1-mile stretch of I-95 at 5 p.m. on a Friday. The I-95 segment may be shorter, but the rural road is faster because it has less traffic. The trade-off there is slightly higher fuel cost for much lower labor costs.
How did you come to work with Bob Sehlinger on The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World? Why did you choose to use your qualifications on a Disney related project?
After I finished my undergrad degree (also in computer science), I visited Walt Disney World the summer before I started graduate school. One day during that trip I waited in line almost two hours for the Great Movie Ride. Sometime during that wait I thought that there should be an app for minimizing your waits in line at theme parks.
I went back to my thesis advisors and discussed the problem. They proposed a literature search, which showed it was a suitably difficult problem. Once they gave their approval, I contacted Bob to see whether he'd share his data from the book.
It turned out that he was using a different approach than I was envisioning, so we didn't get to share data. But Bob was exceptionally generous with his time, explaining how his modelling worked and what to look out for when creating a schedule for theme parks. We stayed in touch through my graduation, and I started joining Bob's team for in-park research in 2000. Because I was spending so much time in the parks for touring plan research, I started updating other sections of the book when it needed to be done. I became co-author of the Guide in 2007.


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WORDS: Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, excerpt from Class Struggle in Africa (New York: International Publishers, 1970)
IMAGES: Leeroy Jason, photographer based in Johannesburg, South Africa (*captions by Jason)
In spite of Africa's socio-economic and political diversity it is possible to discern certain common political, social and economic conditions and problems. These derive from traditional past, common aspirations, and from shared experience under imperialism, colonialism and neocolonialism.
There is no part of the continent which has not known oppression and exploitation, and no part which remains outside the processes of the African Revolution.
To facilitate exploitation, colonialism hampered social and cultural progress in the colonies. Friction between tribes was in some cases deliberately encouraged when it served to strengthen the hands of colonial administrators.
In this colonialist situation, African workers regarded the colonialists, foreign firms and foreign planters, as the exploiters. Thus their class struggle became in the first instance anti-imperialist, and not directed against the indigenous bourgeoisie. It is this which has been responsible in some degree for the relatively slow awakening of the African worker and peasant to the existence of their true class enemy – the indigenous bourgeoisie.
At the core of the problem is the class struggle. Class divisions in modern African society became blurred to some extent during the pre-independence period, when it seemed there was national unity and all classes joined forces to eject the colonial power. This led some to proclaim that there were no class divisions in Africa, and that the communalism and egalitarianism of traditional African society made any notion of a class struggle out of the question.
But the exposure of this fallacy followed quickly after independence, when class cleavages which had been temporarily submerged in the struggle to win political freedom reappeared, often with increased intensity, particularly in those states where the newly independent government embarked on socialist policies.
Inequality can only be ended by the abolition of classes. The division between those who plan, organize and manage, and those who actually perform the manual labour, continually recreates the class system. The individual usually finds it very difficult, if not impossible, to break out of the sphere of life into which he is born; and even where there is "equality of opportunity", the underlying assumption of inequality remains, where the purpose of "opportunity" is to aspire to a higher level in a stratified society.
For the African bourgeoisie, the class which thrived under colonialism, is the same class which is benefiting under the post-independence, neocolonial period. Its basic interest lies in preserving capitalist social and economic structures. It is, therefore, in alliance with international monopoly finance capital and neocolonialism, and in direct conflict with the African masses, whose aspirations can only be fulfilled through scientific socialism.
Many members of the African bourgeoisie are employed by foreign firms and have, therefore, a direct financial stake in the continuance of the foreign economic exploitation of Africa. They are mesmerized by capitalist institutions and organizations. They ape the way of life of their old colonial masters, and are determined to preserve the status and power inherited from them.
But on the credit side, a new grass roots political leadership emerged during the independence struggle. This was based on worker and peasant support, and committed not only to the winning of political freedom but to a complete transformation of society.


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QUESTION: Is a behavioural programme of intensive diabetes management (IDM) plus coping skills training (CST) more effective than IDM alone for improving metabolic and psychosocial outcomes in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus?
Randomised (unclear allocation concealment), blinded (clinicians and outcome assessors), controlled trial with 12 months of follow up.
A diabetes clinic in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
77 patients who were 12–20 years of age, had no other health problems except for treated hypothyroidism, had been treated with insulin for ≥1 year, had a recent glycated haemoglobin concentration (HbA1c) of 7% to 14%, had no severe hypoglycaemic events in the previous 6 months, and were in a school grade appropriate to age within 1 year. Follow up was 97% (mean age 14 y, 57% girls, 92% white).
42 participants were allocated to IDM plus CST and 35 were allocated to IDM alone. IDM comprised ≥3 daily insulin injections or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, self monitoring of blood glucose concentrations ≥4 times daily, monthly outpatient visits, and interim telephone contact. The CST intervention consisted of 6 weekly small group sessions (2–3 participants and a nurse practitioner), each lasting 1–1.5 hours, and monthly follow up visits for 12 months. The sessions focused on developing coping skills around social problem solving, social skills training, cognitive behaviour modification, and conflict resolution through role playing (eg, managing food choices with friends) with feedback and modelling of appropriate coping behaviour by the nurse practitioner. Follow up role playing with peers continued for 3–5 weeks to solidify the new behaviours.
Main outcome measures
Main outcomes included HbA1c concentrations, quality of life (Diabetes Quality of Life: Youth scales), self efficacy related to diabetes management (Self-Efficacy for Diabetes Scale), severe hypoglycaemia, and being overweight (body mass index ≥27.8 kg/m2 for boys and ≥27.3 kg/m2 for girls).
Main results
At 12 months, patients who received IDM plus CST had lower HbA1c concentrations (7.5% v 8.5%, p=0.001) than patients who received IDM alone, less negative impact of diabetes on quality of life (p=0.005), and better diabetes self efficacy (p=0.002). Boys in the 2 groups did not differ for episodes of severe hypoglycaemia (27 v 21, p=0.24) nor number who were overweight (6 v 2, p=0.30), whereas girls who received IDM plus CST had fewer episodes of hypoglycaemia (18 v 22, p=0.03) and fewer were overweight (1 v 3, p=0.05).
Adolescents who received intensive diabetes management (IDM) plus a behavioural programme of coping skills training had lower HbA1c concentrations and less negative impact of diabetes on quality of life than those who received IDM alone.
Adolescents with diabetes have notoriously poor glycaemic control. This follow up study by Grey et al shows that they can have problems dealing with social situations that may lead to adverse glycaemic effects. It also shows that managing these situations effectively can be learnt with CST. The authors first published their study findings at 6 months follow up and at that time found improvements in HbA1c concentrations, self efficacy, and quality of life.1 Unlike most studies that show that the effects of an intervention drop off over time, the beneficial effects of CST persisted at 1 year: glycaemic control in the intervention group continued to be better than that of the control group. A new finding in this follow up study is that, unlike girls, boys in the 2 groups did not differ in hypoglycaemic episodes or being overweight. This may be explained by differences in how boys and girls manage their illness.2
The effects on quality of life may initially seem surprising, as one might expect IDM to reduce it. However, the processes of coping and adaptation, facilitated by CST and resulting in increased self efficacy, appear to mitigate the effects of intensive diabetes management on quality of life.
The adolescents studied were predominantly white (95%) and most were from middle socioeconomic groups; further studies are required to explore the effects of CST on non-white and poorer adolescents. No cost effectiveness analysis was done; such an analysis would be helpful to those charged with deciding whether to implement a similar programme in their clinical settings.
The results are relevant for diabetes educators, clinical nurse specialists, and paediatric nurses. They support the notion that attending to psychosocial outcomes is important, and they also show the dynamic nature of quality of life. From both biomedical and humanistic perspectives, helping adolescents to learn to live and cope with diabetes is probably as important as education.
CST may be a useful adjunct to the armamentarium of tools nurses can use to deal with the psychosocial aspects of diabetes. Its use should not be limited to adolescents; adults too, may benefit from these kinds of behavioural approaches to care.
Sources of funding: US National Institute of Nursing Research; Culpeper Foundation.
For correspondence: Dr M Grey, Yale University School of Nursing, 100 Church Street South, PO Box 9740, New Haven, CT 06536-0740, USA. Fax +1 203 737 4480.


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A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health
City Parks Boost Mood, Study Suggests
Moving to greener urban areas was associated with mental-health improvementsTuesday, January 14, 2014
TUESDAY, Jan. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Parks and other green spaces in cities make people happier, new research suggests.
The researchers compared the mental health of hundreds of people in the United Kingdom who switched from gray city settings to greener ones, and people who went to more urbanized locales. People who moved to greener areas were happier over all three years that the researchers followed the participants.
"Moving to greener urban areas was associated with sustained mental-health improvements, suggesting that environmental policies to increase urban green space may have sustainable public-health benefits," the researchers said.
The study was published recently in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
The researchers, led by Mathew White, of the University of Exeter Medical School, in the United Kingdom, said mental well-being is a major public-health issue, and some studies have suggested that increased urbanization is one reason for growing rates of unhappiness in many countries.
Nearly 80 percent of people in more developed regions of the world live in cities, which tend to have few natural spaces, the researchers said. Some previous studies also have suggested a link between happiness and green space.
SOURCE: Environmental Science & Technology, news release, Jan. 8, 2014
Copyright (c) 2014 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Gnome Sweet Gnome
Designer: Tammy Gilley
- 1/2 yard red snowflake print (Santa body appliqué, sashing, border, binding)
- 2--18x22" pieces (fat quarters) assorted red prints (Santa beard and flower appliqués, sashing, border)
- 3--18x22" pieces (fat quarters) assorted light blue prints (window and door appliqués, appliqué foundations, sashing, border)
- 2--18x22" pieces (fat quarters) assorted green prints (tree, wreath, leaf, stem, and lawn appliqués; sashing; border)
- 18x22" piece (fat quarter) pink print (house appliqué, appliqué foundation, sashing, border)
- 18x22" piece (fat quarter) light dot (roof appliqué, sashing, border)
- 18x22" piece (fat quarter) yellow print (moon appliqué, sashing, border)
- Scraps of solid white, solid black, small red dot, and brown dot (Santa eye and face appliqués; heart appliqué; trunk appliqué)
- 1/4 yard narrow white rickrack
- 11/2 yards backing fabric
- 20x49" batting
- Black embroidery floss
- Freezer paper
Finished quilt: 13-1/2x42-1/2"
Finished blocks: 11" square, 11x16"
Quantities are for 44/45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.
Cut Fabrics
Cut pieces in the following order.
Click on "Download this Project" for patterns. Designer Tammy Gilley places freezer paper on a fabric's wrong side to prepare pieces for needle-turn appliqué. To use this method, refer to Prepare Appliqués, below, before cutting out appliqués.
From red snowflake print, cut:
- 5--2-1/2x30" binding strips
- 1--1-1/2x21" strip
- 1 of Pattern A
From one assorted red print, cut:
- 1--1-1/2x21" strip
- 1 of Pattern B
From remaining red print, cut:
- 2--1-1/2x21" strips
- 4 of Pattern G
From one light blue print, cut:
- 1--1-1/2x21" strip
- 1 each of patterns L and M
- 2 of Pattern N
From remaining light blue prints, cut:
- 1--13x15" rectangle
- 1--13" square
- 2--1-1/2x21" strips
From one green print, cut:
- 1--1-1/2x21" strip
- 1 each of patterns E, P, R, and T
- 12 of Pattern H
- 4 of Pattern F
From remaining green print, cut:
- 1--6x13" rectangle
- 1 each of patterns Q and S
From pink print, cut:
- 1--13" square
- 1--1-1/2x21" strip
- 1 of Pattern I
From light dot, cut:
- 1--1-1/2x21" strip
- 1 of Pattern J
From yellow print, cut:
- 1--1-1/2x21" strip
- 1 of Pattern U
From solid white, cut:
- 1 of Pattern C
From solid black, cut:
- 2 of Pattern D
From small red dot, cut:
- 1 of Pattern K
From brown dot, cut:
- 1 of Pattern O
Prepare Appliqués
1. Lay freezer paper, shiny side down, over patterns. Use a pencil to trace each pattern the number of times indicated in cutting instructions. Cut out freezer-paper shapes on drawn lines.
2. Using a hot dry iron, press a template, shiny side down, onto wrong side of designated fabric; let cool.
3. Cut out appliqué piece, adding a 1/4" seam allowance to edges. Do not remove freezer-paper shape.
4. Clip curves of appliqué fabric shapes, then finger-press the edges of the fabric over the edge of the freezer-paper shape to the back of the template TIP: Don't skip finger-pressing. It helps get pressing started, which is especially useful around tricky curves.
5. Using tip of a hot dry iron, turn seam allowance over edge of freezer-paper template and press firmly. Press entire seam allowance, ensuring fabric is pressed taut against template. Do not turn under any areas that will be overlapped. TIP: Use a crafts iron, which is smaller than a regular iron, for pressing appliqué pieces.
6. Turn appliqué piece right side up and lightly press fabric side. Carefully peel off template.
7. Repeat steps 2–6 to prepare each appliqué piece.
Appliqué Blocks
1. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, lay out appliqué pieces A–D on a light blue print 13" square appliqué foundation.
2. Working from bottom layer to top, secure each piece using appliqué pins.
3. Using thread that matches the appliqué and a small slip-stitch, hand-appliqué each piece in place, turning under 1/4" seam allowance with your needle as you sew.
4. Trim appliqué foundation to 11-1/2" square including seam allowances to complete Santa block.
5. Referring to photo, position 6" piece of rickrack on top edge of B beard and C Santa face. Stitch through center of rickrack, turning under ends at edge of A piece.
6. Using appliqué pieces E–H and pink print 13" square appliqué foundation, repeat steps 1–4 to complete wreath block.
7. Sew together 13" edges of green print 6x13" rectangle and light blue print 13x15" rectangle to make house block appliqué foundation. Press seam toward green print rectangle.
8. Using appliqué pieces I–U and house block appliqué foundation, repeat steps 1–3. Trim appliqué foundation to 11-1/2x16-1/2" including seam allowances to complete house block.
Assemble Quilt Top and Finish Quilt
1. Join long edges of assorted print 1-1/2x21" strips to make a strip set. Press seams in one direction. Cut strip set into thirteen 1-1/2"-wide segments (Strip Set Diagram).
2. Cut and piece 1-1/2"-wide segments to make:
- 2--1-1/2x42-1/2" border strips
- 2--1-1/2x11-1/2" border strips
- 2--1-1/2x11-1/2" sashing strips
3. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, sew together sashing strips and appliquéd blocks. Press seams toward appliquéd blocks. The quilt center should be 11-1/2x40-1/2 including seam allowances.
4. Sew short border strips to short edges of quilt center. Add long border strips to remaining edges of quilt center to complete quilt top. Press seams toward quilt center.
5. Layer quilt top, batting, and backing; baste. Quilt as desired.
6. Bind with red snowflake print binding strips.


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As the pace of drone operations has intensified in Djibouti, Air Force mechanics have reported mysterious incidents in which the airborne robots went haywire.
In March 2011, a Predator parked at the camp started its engine without any human direction, even though the ignition had been turned off and the fuel lines closed. Technicians concluded that a software bug had infected the "brains" of the drone, but never pinpointed the problem.
"After that whole starting-itself incident, we were fairly wary of the aircraft and watched it pretty closely," an unnamed Air Force squadron commander testified to an investigative board, according to a transcript. "Right now, I still think the software is not good."
Ya think???
The last moments of Predator #07-3249:
23:15:34- SENSOR -- Dude, look at this camera. Seriously, I can't do anything. There's nothing I can do. I just nuked it.
23:15:44- PILOT -- Yeah, see what you can get working and I'll plan on landing on this for now.
23:15:47- SENSOR -- There's seriously like something... This camera is completely [expletive].
23:16:41- SENSOR -- Did he say, "Cleared to land"?
23:16:42- PILOT - Yeah
23:16:44- SENSOR -- Ok. Checklist complete, links are set up, autopilots disengaged, cleared to land, try to mess with this picture.
23:17:01- SENSOR -- Yeah dude, I literally have.... No picture right now. This camera's like, completely messed up.
23:17:16- SENSOR -- Can you land on that?
23:17:17- PILOT -- Uh, I'm going around if I can't see it.
23:17:21- SENSOR -- What altitude are we at right now?
23:17:23- PILOT -- Oh
23:17:27- PILOT -- That was the ground
23:17:27- PILOT -- That was the ground.


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Read about the experience of two rookie firefighters at National Park Service's Structural Fire Academy
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Ravioli and Zucchini Lasagna
For a change of pace, we've replaced standard lasagna noodles with cheese-filled ravioli. Let this dish cool for five to 10 minutes before serving to ensure proper slicing.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
- Yields:
- 6
- Prep Time:
- 20 mins
- Cook Time:
- 20 mins
- Total Time:
- 40 mins
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 package frozen large cheese ravioli
- 3 tsp. olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 8 oz. lean ground beef
- 1 jar tomato-basil sauce
- 1 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Step 1Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with paper towels. Grease 2-quart ceramic baking dish.
- Step 2Heat large covered saucepot of water to boiling over high heat. Add zucchini and cook 5 minutes. With tongs or slotted spoon, remove zucchini to prepared cookie sheet to drain. Return water to boiling. Add ravioli and cook until ravioli rise to top.
- Step 3Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until tender and lightly browned; transfer to small bowl. In same saucepan, in remaining 1 teaspoon oil, cook beef over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes or until browned, breaking up beef with side of spoon. Stir in tomato sauce and onion; heat to boiling.
- Step 4Drain ravioli; return to saucepot. Add meat sauce to ravioli in saucepot and stir until combined.
- Step 5In prepared baking dish, arrange half of zucchini; top with half of ravioli, then half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layering of all ingredients. Bake 20 minutes or until hot in the center and golden and bubbly on top.
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In the spring of 2010, Comcast Cable required Lancaster and Elizabethtown subscribers of the "expanded basic package" (channels 25-78) to get digital TV adapters, and the first two adapters were free.
The cable provider, however, never said the adapters were free forever and, effective March 1, Comcast will charge Lancaster-area subscribers $1.99 per digital television adapter or digital transport adapter.
The price remains unchanged for "limited basic" (channels; 2-7, 9-13, 20-24 and 96) customers, who can get up to three adapters at no additional cost. The DTA price is unchanged.
The company previously charged subscribers $1.99 a month for each adapter beyond two.
Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/809857_Comcast-plans-to-hike-rates–start-charging-for-adapters.html#ixzz2Jf6eUFDP


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Locked-out Crystal Sugar workers reject offer for 4th time
Locked-out American Crystal Sugar union workers rejected the company's contract offer for the fourth time on Dec. 1. Fifty-five percent of union workers voted to reject the contract, down from the 63 percent that opposed the same offer earlier th...
Locked-out American Crystal Sugar union workers rejected the company's contract offer for the fourth time on Dec. 1.
Fifty-five percent of union workers voted to reject the contract, down from the 63 percent that opposed the same offer earlier this summer.
John Riskey, president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, Local 176, placed the blame for the continued 16-month lockout on the company's management, and called for a return to contract negotiations.
"By now it should be clear that Dave Berg and Crystal Sugar's management team has no interest in ending a fiscally irresponsible lockout," Riskey said on Dec. 1. "It's time for shareholders to reclaim their company and send management back to the table for real give-and-take negotiations."
Since the 1,300 workers were locked out on Aug. 1, 2011, the union has voted on essentially the same offer four times, with the percentage of workers voting "no" shrinking each time.
Ninety-six percent rejected the offer in July 2011, 90 percent rejected it three months later and 63 percent voted no in June.
Riskey declined to specify what percentage of union workers participated in the Dec. 1 vote. In June, 82 percent of workers voted on the offer.
American Crystal representatives have said the contract is their "final offer," and that the contract would raise worker pay by 17 percent over five years.
But union leaders say the contract would "dismantle union workers' health coverage," and also compromises safety and product quality with a disregard for the value of union workers.
In advance of the vote, the union had been emphasizing the grower-owned cooperative's diminished financial performance since the lockout began.
That theme was repeated by Riskey in a Dec. 1 press release, where he pointed out that American Crystal's profits have fallen, production is down and the company's debt continues to rise.
In the coming days and weeks, Riskey said union leadership would look to have a conversation with workers about what steps to take next.
"We're going to continue what we have been doing," he said. "We're going to go out and talk to our members now and ask them what we can do to get this settled. The hurt's still going on in this community. We need to stop that."
American Crystal is the largest sugar beet processor in the country. It's a cooperative that's owned by the farmers who grow the beets. It accounts for 38 percent of the nation's sugar from beets and 15 percent of overall sugar production. It has plants in Minnesota in East Grand Forks, Moorhead, Crookston and Chaska; North Dakota plants in Hillsboro and Drayton, and one in Mason City, Iowa.
The plants have been operating with replacement workers since the lockout began.
Editors Note: This article is from Forum Communications, which owns Agweek.


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From a blog post by Perry Noble who says it so well.
Ben & Jerry's, Chick-fil-A & Political Correctness
Let me begin by saying I absolutely LOVE Ben & Jerry's ice cream. (Gonna go ahead and tell you that Oatmeal Cookie Chunk is THE BEST flavor I've EVER had!!)
A few years ago I went to Wal Mart (the closest thing to hell I can imagine…that and the DMV), found my favorite flavor and decided to tweet that I was purchasing some Ben & Jerry's ice cream…and doing so "unleashed the hounds" in a sense. Honestly, I've never experienced anything like it, "Christians" began @ replying me on twitter condemning me and scolding me for buying this product because apparently Ben & Jerry's supported gay rights/same sex marriage.
Honestly, it bothered me. Because, first of all…I wasn't trying to make a political statement I was simply trying to get some chunky monkey and some oatmeal cookie crunch. I like ice cream…I believe it will be served in heaven (with ZERO calories)! And second, it has broken my heart the way that many who claim to follow Christ have treated those who are homosexuals. We've yelled at them, ignored them and in some cases damned them to hell without EVER sitting down and actually having a conversation with someone who is gay.
"But Perry," you say, "the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin." Let me put my cards on the table and say that I agree; however, for too long the church has seemed to be obsessed with the sins that we do not struggle with; after all, if I am pointing out the sins of others I don't have to deal with my own.
People have taken me to I Corinthians 6:9-11 before and said, "look, the Bible says that homosexuals will NOT inherit the kingdom of God." I always try my best to point out that also included in that list are…
- The sexually immoral (anyone been watching porn?)
- Idolaters (anyone love anyone or anything more than Jesus?)
- Adulterers (see Matthew 5:27-28)
- Thieves
- The greedy (uh oh!)
- Drunkards (tailgating season is quickly approaching)
- Slanderers (uh oh, a lot of bloggers and women's Bible studies are in trouble!)
- After looking at this list I would say we are all pretty much screwed unless Jesus intervenes.
And…while I am at it why don't I just go ahead and throw out that gluttony is way more of a problem in the church today than homosexuality!!! (Please see Proverbs 23:2…pretty intense!!! ONLY in the church can people that are huge condemn people who are homosexual and somehow feel like that they are spiritually superior!)
Do I hate homosexuals or have a "homophobia?" Absolutely not! (And, let me be VERY clear that as a child I was molested…TWICE…by men who were older than me. I have no idea if they were or are practicing homosexuals…but I can honestly say that I have forgiven them and do not think that because of what they did to me that homosexuals are bad people!)
So, if a company or an organization wants to support gay rights/same sex marriage I don't believe that Christians should boycott and/or protest them (come on people, has that REALLY worked for us in the past?) Jesus went after the hearts of people far from Him through conversation, not condemnation. Yes, sin must be called what it is, even as the risk of offending people: however, when it is done so with a hateful spirit then Jesus is NOT exalted, thus making the confrontation of sin sinful!
We live in America…and people have the right to say what they want to say…
Which brings me to Chick-fil-A…
I love Chick-fil-A…I probably eat there no less than five times a week (no, I am not making that up!) The fact that Truett Cathy has built a business from the ground up and has sought to honor Jesus every step of the way is an inspiration to me. Every Chick-fil-A I've ever been in has excellent food and excellent customer service…and I believe I read the other day that they made 4.1 billion dollars last year (not bad!)
Recently Dan Cathy (the current CEO) was asked about his stance on same sex marriage. He did not issue any inflammatory remarks. He did not attempt to call anyone by any derogatory names. He was not hateful in his comments. He did not say that people who are gay would not be hired and/or served at Chick-Fil-A restaurants. He simply stated that he holds to the traditional/biblical view of marriage (which is his right as an American citizen.) And it seemed the world lost its mind.
It's quite sad really that those who scream for tolerance seem to be intolerant of anyone who does not hold to their particular view.
No one in the media screamed "foul" when corporations came out in support of same sex marriage; however, when one company spoke out against it in a non condemning tone people were calling for a boycott…even provoking the mayor of the city of Boston to say that Chick-Fil-A was not welcome in the city. (Uh…wow, talk about tolerance! Honestly, I believe the city of Boston needs Chick-fil-A way more than Chick-fil-A needs the city of Boston!)
All I am saying is this…I believe as an American everyone has the right to free speech. I also believe as a Christian we have the right to speak the truth in love as it applies to the Scriptures and should not fear doing so because we may be perceived as politically incorrect. Biblical truth (IN LOVE) always trumps political correctness. Honestly, I respect and admire Mr. Cathy as he took a very unpopular stand on one of the most controversial matters of our day. AND…as I've stated before, he did it with a non-condemning attitude.
It simply needs to be pointed out that people on both sides of this argument have been way less than civil with each other…which does nothing more than proves the insecurity in us if we feel like we have to "lower the boom" on people who do not see exactly as we see.
Honestly, it is my prayer that people on both sides of the argument would stop yelling at each other and talking about one another and actually sit down and talk to one another understanding that just because two people do not agree on an issue does not mean they have the right to hate one another for it. Conversation is NOT compromise…it's actually Christ like! And our world would be a MUCH better place if those who called themselves Christians would step up and lead the way in this, understanding John 3:17 is the attitude that we are called to have!
Thanks Perry! May we give ourselves to more conversation and less condemnation.


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Appointment of Mr. Kevin Buchi to Benitec Board
Apr 10, 2013, 10:23 ET
SYDNEY, April 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Benitec Biopharma Ltd (ASX: BLT), a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics based on its gene silencing technology, DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi), is very pleased to report that Mr. Kevin Buchi, CPA, has accepted an invitation to join the Company's Board of Directors.
Mr. Buchi served as Chief Executive Officer of Cephalon, Inc. through its $6.8 billion acquisition by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in October 2011. After the acquisition Mr. Buchi served as Corporate Vice President, Global Branded Products of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Buchi joined Cephalon in 1991 and held various positions, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Head of Business Development prior to being appointed CEO.
Mr. Buchi currently serves on the Board of Directors of Stemline Therapeutics, Inc., Forward Pharma A/S and Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr. Buchi has served on the Board of Directors of Lorus Therapeutics (Canada), Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Mesoblast Limited (Australia). Mr. Buchi has served as a Member of the Life Sciences Advisory Board at Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.
Mr. Buchi originally trained as a synthetic organic chemist for the Eastman Kodak Company graduating from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry. He holds a Master's degree in management from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and is a Certified Public Accountant. He resides in Pennsylvania in the United States.
Benitec Biopharma's Chairman, Mr. Peter Francis, welcomed Mr Buchi's appointment. "Kevin's impressive track record in the international biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry over 30 years provides Benitec with significant additional business development strength, and importantly, networking capacity in the United States and Europe. The Directors and Management look forward to working closely with Kevin to achieve the Company's aims through industry partnerships. We see this as a validation of Benitec's corporate strategy over the past few years."
Mr. Buchi commented, "I continue to be impressed with Benitec's programs and progress. The expected entry of the Company's Hepatitis C therapy into the clinic later this year is validation of that progress. I believe that Benitec Biopharma's technology and programs have the potential to bring about a revolution in treatment of many diseases and conditions through the power of DNA-directed RNA interference. I look forward to working with the Company to help advance its exciting programs and vision."
For more information please contact:
Dr. Peter French | Chief Executive Officer
Phone: +61 (02) 9555 6986 | [email protected] | www.benitec.com
About Benitec Biopharma Limited:
Benitec Biopharma Limited is an ASX-listed biotechnology company (ASX Code: BLT) based in Sydney, Australia. The company has a pipeline of in-house and partnered therapeutic programs based on its patented gene-silencing technology, ddRNAi. Benitec is developing treatments for chronic and life-threatening human conditions such as Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, wet age-related macular degeneration, cancer-associated pain, drug resistant lung cancer and oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy based on this technology. In addition, Benitec has licensed ddRNAi technology to other biopharmaceutical companies who are progressing their programs towards the clinic for applications including HIV/AIDS, retinitis pigmentosa and Huntington's disease. For more information on Benitec refer to the Company's website at www.benitec.com.
SOURCE Benitec Biopharma Limited


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EJ X OL Freshwater Pearls with Pendant
- Regular price
- Regular price
- Sale price
This bracelet is part of the Evan John X Oriana Lamarca Collection. We have joined forces to design these unique custom pendant and barrel with the Signature OL logo. Each piece is made of 10KT Gold and Real Diamonds. Unique to their designs we have only produced 100 pcs of each design and they are each engraved and numbered "X of 100" on the backside. Paired with the rest of our armcandy collection or on their own, these beautiful classic and timeless pieces are sure to make a statement!
-11mm - 12mm Freshwater Pearls
-Pendant measures 15mm in diameter
- Made with stretch cord
- Standard 7.5" length
-*Due to variations in natural stones, color may vary slightly from picture*
*all bracelets are made to fit snug, for larger or smaller requests, please leave comments at checkout!


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I was recently invited to speak at DUXcamp hosted by NPR and then again at Microsoft Research around the subject of Mobile and Storytelling. I created a rather stream of consciousness presentation, bringing together various thoughts about storytelling in the mobile space. Still very rough around the edges but a central theme is beginning to emerge: Mobile allow stories have scale.
Here's the presentation deck:
2011-11-02 Mobile Storytelling (@ Microsoft Research)
With the arrival of smartphones, it's amazing how much data we are collecting and consuming on our mobile devices. We tweet, checkin, google, blog, instagram, post status updates, yelp and a host of other things from our handheld devices. And somewhere on the internet this information is quietly collecting. In the ancient times, pharaohs had scribes that shadowed them, recording what they said. Now we have our mobile devices diligently collecting our data. There was once a time when people used to record their lives and thoughts in leather-bound diaries. Now we have smartphones, whose data, when strung together form a story of our lives.
My Story
I can't remember when I heard it for the first time, but someone said, our identity is the story we repeat to ourselves. This is so true. I keep on telling my story of how I moved between the East and West, between physical environments (architecture, urban design) and virtual (web and mobile development and strategy), between technology and the humanities. I don't have an identity grounded in an single culture, nation or land. At one time, I would have referred to this as being nomadic. Now I can just say I'm Mobile Me to borrow a term Apple has abandoned.
Our Stories
Today we have a wild abundance to the ways we collect our stories. Many of them track us automatically: Nike Plus tracks my run, Mint.com tracks my finances and spending patterns, and Trip It neatly organizes my travel plans.
At the rate that memory capacity of devices are increasing, in a couple of years we will have an iPhone which would hold 256GB of data. Battery-life permitting, this would mean (albeit at a low resolution) you'd be able save your whole life by dangling your iPhone around your neck and recording every moment. This is often referred to as life caching or lifelogging. But what's the point? When will you have the time to go back through hours of video to find and edit the interesting or meaningful parts. Jorge Luis Borges points out that 1:1 scale map is useless. Aren't we doing just that when we don't filter to good from the mundane?
Nicholas Felton has been obsessively collecting data about himself and publishes them in annual reports about himself since 2005. And now with his own iPhone app Daytum, you too can be as obsessive about your data as he is.
But Felton does provide us with a insightful clue. What data is meaningful? For his 2010 Annual Report he compiled and presented data around his father's life. It is surprisingly moving. He masterfully abstracted meaningful data from the numbers and constructs a picture that pays a deeply personal and loving tribute.
An iPhone app called Memento compiles the data from your various disparate personal information repositories such as Twitter, Facebook and Flickr, and brings them back into a diary format, of all things. What used to be manual labor is automagic and becomes personal again. You can even add diary entries. What emerges is a story – your story. You see densities of information where you had memorable events, and long silences where you were buried in depression being dumped.
Other People's Stories
We live in the age of Facebook. But Facebook is horrible when it comes to telling stories. It presents fragmented pieces of people's lives that we are often forced to react to rather than engage. The timeline, in its quest to present ever growing amounts of information to us, become as fleeting as the stock ticker feed in Times Square, and belittles the personal importance of each post, by rendering it in the same small block, with the same small profile icon, in the same small font as everyone else. Some people are simply more important than others and we want to pay more heed to them. They are larger in our minds. Why are they the same size as the person whom I casually had a short conversation with at a conference I don't even remember? Facebook is addressing this issue by adding filters, but with all the data crunching power that they use already around analyzing my relationship with my friends, shouldn't they know who is important to me already?
Newspapers know how to present information. They've had enough years to refine their art. Typeface sizes matter. The fold matters. Sections matter. Photos matter. They bring your attention to what they deem important. Flipboard is an iPad app that tries to do that, by providing an illusion of priority through a tactful manipulation of layout, font sizes and images. It provides much needed difference and rhythm we are attracted to, over the often mind-numbing flat Twitter or Facebook feed.
Our Collective Stories
Daum Communication, a leading internet services provider in Korea offers a map service with a streetview option, much like Google Maps does in the States. As of Feb 2011 however, they have added a feature that goes a step beyond: streetview history. You can select from various past dates when the streetview camera captured the image. As one example, you can view the building where Daum is located now, under construction in 2008.
Maybe it's possible to take this further by using tools like Photosynth to crowdsource forgotten images from people's photo albums or maybe even add historic archival images, so that when you are viewing a certain place through the streetview tool, you can actually go back in time and take a historical journey through a neighborhood. Historians can narrate stories of a city's development or you can tell your own story of fond childhood memories. What was once a personal memory can now build up a crowdsourced collective memory.
Curtis Wong of Microsoft Research has an wonderful presentation of Microsoft's World Wide Telescope project where the tool for presenting the universe around us sets a stage for storytelling by allowing researchers and students alike to create a narrative through the interface. Something like an interactive version of Charles and Ray Eames' masterpiece Powers of Ten.
Usahidi, an interactive map-based information collection tool was born out of a need to capture and report post-election violence during Kenya's 2008 presidential elections. Usahidi means testimony. Since then it has been used widely to crowdsource data through mobile devices and present them dynamically on a map: from neighborhood snow removal updates to crime reporting. Most noteably it was deployed in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti to crowdsource unsafe conditions and aid relief coordination.
How did you hear about Steve Jobs' death? A lot of us heard through Twitter or from someone who heard it through Twitter, as a collective gasp went through the twitterverse at the news of his sooner-than-expected death. Tweets per second (TPS) is now a proxy for the velocity of the spread of news. When it comes to TPS, surprisingly Jobs' death ranks #5. It's the news of Beyonce's pregnancy announced during the MTV Video Awards that takes the honor of #1. A newborn life wins over death.
Adding Our Life to Data
Jawbone, which produces high-performace mobile headsets, just came out with a very affordable health monitor bracelet called UP. Coupled with a smartphone, this bracelet tracks your eating, sleeping and exercise habits and "nudges" you to adopt better habits. You can imagine market-research groups like Nielsen paying people to don a device like this to track how people really react to what they are watching. Nike Plus gathers data about your run, but what would it be like if global events were tracked not just in the number of media reports but as bio-metric data? What kind of story would that tell? What would a collective "gasp" look like when people heard of Steve Job's death or Beyonce's pregnancy?
Interactive artist, Jonathan Harris is an amazing story teller. We Feel Fine is the project he is best known for. But his Whale Hunt is an incredible project in many ways. Here's what he did:
I documented the entire experience with a plodding sequence of 3,214 photographs, beginning with the taxi ride to Newark airport, and ending with the butchering of the second whale, seven days later. The photographs were taken at five-minute intervals, even while sleeping (using a chronometer), establishing a constant "photographic heartbeat". In moments of high adrenaline, this photographic heartbeat would quicken (to a maximum rate of 37 pictures in five minutes while the first whale was being cut up), mimicking the changing pace of my own heartbeat.
The result is very close to how our minds actually work – we capture more information and memories in relation to how intense our experience is. Time slows down because we are collecting more information (often for our survival).
This is exactly what happens in the way we collect data through our mobile devices. The more significant the event or location, the more photos, tweets, status updates, blog entries we create about it. You can see it on an individual level, but also on a greater collective level. If you were to represent this in a graphical way, you'll see something analogous to World Wide Telescope's universe, where you would have stories instead of stars. What would it mean to look at galaxies of stories across time and distance, zoom into individual shining stars of stories, or encounter black holes where a natural disaster abruptly muted thousands of voices in a single horrific event. You can almost imagine ripples of story supernova spreading at the speed of light as the news of the disaster spreads in its aftermath.
Scale of Stories = Scale of Identity
Recently, overcoming a freak October snowstorm in Washington DC, I went to the National Museum of the American Indian, and then to the National Museum of American History. There I witnessed two institutions telling stories. One of a frequently muted story of the American Indian, whose so many tribes are now forgotten because their stories did not survive the diseases, conflicts and forced migrations. In contrast I saw the victorious stories being told of a young nation who overcame colonial powers, native inhabitants and inner division, whose short story is still unfolding, and needs to be remembered and repeated because its identity and survival as a nation depends on it.
When I showed Google Earth for the first time to my dad on an iPad, the first thing he did was to look for the house he grew up in, deep in North Korea, having left it behind some 60 years ago during the Korean War. I saw the concentration and the emotion that poured over his face as he searched for his childhood home by scanning the geography but also his memory, desperately inferring its location through the landscape of streams, valleys and railroad tracks he remembered.
Zooming in, it's my dad's childhood story. Zooming out, it's the tragic story of the Korean War and the subsequent division of Korea. Further out, it's the historic story of the fear and ideological power struggle between the superpowers following World War II.
Our identity is the story we repeat to ourselves. If that is so, what is the story we repeat to ourselves as an individual, family, community, region, nation or as a humanity? For the first time in history, as we collect so much data about ourselves, we have the potential to simultaneously see our stories unfold dynamically at different scales. And maybe that can teach us something about ourselves.
Update (2011-11-09)
Microsoft Research has just posted the presentation online. It's in 2 parts. See the second half.


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Andy Griffith Sings the Lyrics to The Andy Griffith Show Theme Song
Well, I'll be. Before producers of The Andy Griffith Show decided that whistling set the tone for the show, Sheriff Taylor himself recorded a version of the song with lyrics. That's not him whistling, by the way - that was composer Earle H. Hagen. Here's Andy singing "The Fishing Hole."
Rest in Peace, Andy.


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Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Smokin' Good Deal: Smokey Joe Islay Malt
After my disappointment with the Ardbog yesterday, I thought I would taste some nicely peated alternatives for the rest of the week.
Good, affordable Scotch is hard to find, especially of the peated variety. Each year, it seems that prices get higher while quality gets lower. Ten years ago Lagavulin 16 was $40, now it ranges from $60 to $80...and it was better ten years ago. Ardbeg, once the benchmark for great peated whiskey, is fast becoming the poster child for the disappointing gimmick.
But there is still good peated whiskey to be found and without breaking the bank. Here's one for all you peat heads on a budget.
Smokey Joe is a vatting of Islay single malts produced by Angus Dundee. It has no age statement but does state that it is not chill filtered. In the US, it's available at the Total Wine chain for $35.
Smokey Joe Islay Malt, 46% ($35)
The nose has a sweet, syrupy peat to it. The palate has ashy peat notes with a sweet background. It's somewhat perfumy but not in an overwhelming or offensive way. It's got a very nice peaty finish with some subtle wine notes.
This is a very solid peated whiskey that is highly drinkable with a strong finish. I actually like this a bit better than the Ardbog, and at $35, it's hard to beat the quality to price ratio.
Labels: Angus Dundee, Scotch, Smokey Joe
4 comments:
- Diving for Pearls said...
At 46%ABV and NCF too. More than can be said for half of the Islay OBs.
- June 11, 2013 at 11:59 AM
Thanks, I'll have to try it.
Another peated malt that is often a good value (although not from Islay) is Ardmore Traditional Cask. 46% ABV, NCF, and can often be found for about $30-$40, although I've seen some retailers price it as high as $50 (which I wouldn't pay for it).
At the prices I'm still seeing for now, the standard Ardbeg 10yr is still a good value, in my opinion.
- June 11, 2013 at 4:48 PM
- sku said...
Very good suggestions Alex.
- June 11, 2013 at 9:06 PM
Just tried it, was in the mood for something peaty but didn't want to open something crazy. Spot on with your tasting notes, very thick mouthfeel and lighter peat/ash. It's like peated syrup.
- August 19, 2013 at 9:57 PM
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We vow to protect and serve the City of Lavonia through dedication, professionalism and community oriented policing by using active cooperation as well as effective, proven standards of excellence with a positive, progressive attitude.
On behalf of the Lavonia Police Department, I welcome you to our site. I take great pride in being the leader of the men and women that together make up the professional staff of the award winning police department.
We are a state certified agency that strives to provide quality law enforcement services while practicing the community oriented policing concept. Our citizens and visitors are of utmost importance to each officer of the Lavonia Police Department. Together we share a vision to truly keep Lavonia Georgia a great place to live and work.
Thank you again for your interest in the Lavonia Police Department and feel free to contact me personally should the need arise.
Bruce Carlisle
Chief of Police


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Fortinet Appoints Exclusive Networks' Affiliates as Distributors in Indonesia and Singapore
Partnership will drive demand for Fortinet's enterprise security, inclusive of its secure wireless, solutions
Jakarta, Indonesia, 1 December 2016 ─ Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global leader in high-performance cyber security, today announced that it has appointed global value-added distribution group Exclusive Networks' affiliates PT Transition Systems and Agile Distribution as its new distributors in Indonesia and Singapore respectively, to expand its business and security footprint in these two territories.
The agreement covers Fortinet's Security Fabric solution portfolio, which provides seamless, intelligent and powerful protection that organizations need across physical, virtual, and cloud environments − end-to-end. PT Transition Systems and Agile Distribution also have special expertise in wireless security, and will help promote Fortinet's Secure Access solutions to enterprises in the two countries.
Fortinet chose Exclusive Networks for its long experience in the IT security sector, large ecosystem of reseller partners, and track record of success in working with Fortinet in many parts of the world. This appointment complements Fortinet's current distributorship arrangements in Indonesia and Singapore.
Peerapong Jongvibool, Fortinet's VP for Southeast Asia & Hong Kong, said: "We are expanding our business across the region, especially in the large enterprise and financial services sectors, and having value-added distributors like Exclusive Networks bring our solutions to market is absolutely critical."
Under this agreement, Exclusive Networks will assign dedicated resources to support Fortinet's business, including setting up a team to handle both pre-sales and post-sales functions. The distributor will also establish regular marketing programs, as well as partner enablement and training sessions, to equip resellers with the necessary skills and knowledge to sell Fortinet's products.
"We have a long history of successful and strong partnership with Fortinet in other parts of the world. We are thrilled to extend it today to Indonesia and Singapore," said Jonathan Juay, Managing Director for Exclusive Networks Asia. "Our local knowledge and vast network of resellers will ensure that enterprises across all verticals can tap Fortinet's cutting edge technologies to enjoy comprehensive and effective threat protection across the expanding attack surface."
About Fortinet
Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) secures the largest enterprise, service provider, and government organizations around the world. Fortinet empowers its customers with intelligent, seamless protection across the expanding attack surface and the power to take on ever-increasing performance requirements of the borderless network - today and into the future. Only the Fortinet Security Fabric architecture can deliver security without compromise to address the most critical security challenges, whether in networked, application, cloud or mobile environments. Fortinet ranks #1 in the most security appliances shipped worldwide and more than 290,000 customers trust Fortinet to protect their businesses. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, or FortiGuard Labs.
Copyright © 2016 Fortinet, Inc. All rights reserved. The symbols ® and ™ denote respectively federally registered trademarks and unregistered trademarks of Fortinet, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Fortinet's trademarks include, but are not limited to, the following: Fortinet, FortiGate, FortiGuard, FortiManager, FortiMail, FortiClient, FortiCloud, FortiCare, FortiAnalyzer, FortiReporter, FortiOS, FortiASIC, FortiWiFi, FortiSwitch, FortiVoIP, FortiBIOS, FortiLog, FortiResponse, FortiCarrier, FortiScan, FortiAP, FortiDB, FortiVoice and FortiWeb. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners. Fortinet has not independently verified statements or certifications herein attributed to third parties and Fortinet does not independently endorse such statements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing herein constitutes a warranty, guarantee, binding specification or other binding commitment by Fortinet, and performance and other specification information herein may be unique to certain environments. This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve uncertainties and assumptions, such as statements regarding technology releases. Changes of circumstances, product release delays, or other risks as stated in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, located at www.sec.gov, may cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this press release. If the uncertainties materialize or the assumptions prove incorrect, results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Fortinet assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, and expressly disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.


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Your tip about billable hours is one I use quite often to evaluate what I can get away with buying.
How many hours of enjoyment will an item provide for you, and for how many hours of work?
There are so many things that are free or next to nothing and yet are much more useful and enriching.


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Some of the information in this article is advanced material we make available as a courtesy. Please be advised that you are responsible for properly following the procedures below. Customer Support cannot assist with these topics.
Please visit the Cisco Systems website for information on the data specifications for the Cisco PIX 501 hardware firewall.


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4. Close-up on the sequins thing..
Showing off this mirror at :-
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!! Gluing those sequins one by one must have taken forever but it is so totally worth it! I'm sure a lot of people will agree with me :)ReplyDelete
PC, that is fabulous!!!ReplyDelete
Your Mirror Looks Awesome!! I just might have to try this one! Thanks for sharing!
@JanelleThanks Janelle, I cheat a bit..Jojo helps a lot with the sequins! :)ReplyDelete
@Lana HardyThank you so much and glad to meet you and have you in the group.ReplyDelete
@Esther is not-quite-perfectYou are so sweet. Thanks for drop by!ReplyDelete
I love the tenacity you showed to get this project done. I'm glad you didn't give up.
My sweeeet friend, i love your awesome creations, its always great to see your beautiful tutorials & creativity..
keep sharing awesome work & Lots of Love :)
looks great!!!
thx 4 sharing
greetz from germany
I'm going to have to feature this...this is the most unique diy sunburst mirror I have seen! It looks awesome! Kudos!ReplyDelete
Wow, what a great way to improvise!! Where there's a will, there's a way!ReplyDelete
This is brilliant! Amazing what you can create from the simplest of stuff. Linking up at a bowl full of lemons.ReplyDelete
How creative! Thanks for sharing.
How clever! Nice bling for the wall :)ReplyDelete
Love, Love Love it! You have the best ideas :)ReplyDelete
Wow! I love this! I love your blog! Will you please come follow mine? I am your newest follower! Don't forget to follow on fb too! :) Thanks for helping my out!
(I love visitors!)
I saw the your inspiration project and liked it a lot. I definitely like what you created! The sparkle is divine and is a perfect accent to your colorful wall! Thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
Great way to upcycle! At first glance, they look like bubbles surrounding the mirror. That would make me smile every time I saw it. Very clever!ReplyDelete
wow this is AMAZING!!!! i love it:) the time was well paid off!!:)thanks for linkin with "Tell me Tuesday"
this is fabulous!!ReplyDelete
I am speechless! Beautiful and fun and inexpensive - wow! Loooove it, PC!ReplyDelete
Oh PC that mirror is just too gorgeous!! I love that you did it your way!! And it turned out amazingly!
Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a great week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
This one is the best handmade one Ive seen so far!ReplyDelete
This is great! I'm going to have to try this for my daughters room. Thanks for the inspiration!!ReplyDelete
This is so pretty!!!! Loves it, loves it!ReplyDelete
oh my goodness, that is fantastic!! I love, love, love it!!ReplyDelete
Excellent! I love it!ReplyDelete
your mirror is great! very nice tutorial showing how you "made it your own". (instead of using pvc)
That is brilliant! The sequins make it so special. Now I want to try it.ReplyDelete
@MelYes, that's true... my patience is paid off with all these inspirational comments! Thanks for drop by!ReplyDelete
@CarrieThank you, CarrieReplyDelete
wow talk about detail! good work!ReplyDelete
you are wonder woman!
i cannot believe how you made it--so smart! :) i know this will keep you smiling every time you see it, its stunning..STUNNING!
katie@little things bring smiles
Wow!! Verrrry creative.ReplyDelete
thanks for linking to Take-A-Look Tuesday - I featured you today!! - - Mandy, www.SugarBeeCrafts.comReplyDelete
Wow! That looks great. I love that you made it from inexpensive stuff. Great job!ReplyDelete
@Mandy @ Sugar Bee CraftsWow! Thank you for your kindness. You made my day :)ReplyDelete
What a great job you have done- this is amazingReplyDelete
Of all the starburst mirrors on the internet, this is my absolute favorite!!!!! I'm going to have to make one like this! Thanks!ReplyDelete
Wow! The sequins are such a great touch! I love how sparkly and girly it is!ReplyDelete
Me encanta. Te sigo. http://fimomanualidades.blogspot.com/ BesosReplyDelete
Wow! So creative! This is my favorite starburst mirror by far. (Of course, I like a little bling.) Wonderful job!ReplyDelete
Sometimes I look at tutorials and think these people must either be crazy, or have far more time on their hands than me. Thanks for pulling together a fantastic knock-off tutorial!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous. Your materials list is so "outside the box"...great after!
If you have a moment today, please share this with my readers @Creative Juice Thursday Hope to see you there!
Wow, this is amazing! I can't believe you did it for so cheap! It looks beautiful. Great job.
Thanks for linking up at DIY Thrifty Thursday @ www.thrifty101.blogspot.com
That's beautiful! How creative!ReplyDelete
Wow! Those sequins are freaking awesome! I'm really loving the bling!!ReplyDelete
what a great end result! love the bling!ReplyDelete
This is AMAZING!!! I cannot believe how awesome it turned out! Thanks so much for sharing. I admire your "have to have it!" perseverance, and it TOTALLY paid off!
Η κατασκευή σου είναι υπέροχη! Πολύ καλύτερη από την αρχική. Φιλιά από Greece!ReplyDelete
Beautiful!! You never cease to amaze me! Thank you so much for linking up and you'll be one of the features tomorrow!ReplyDelete
No way. DIY to the max sista! I love this!!! Found you on Remodelholic.
I would love for you to link it up at my weekend Link Party, Once Upon a Weekend. Today is my first-ever party, and I am so hoping someone will participate! :)
Here's the link if you're interested:
Also, if you have a list of favorite link parties, I'd love to be included on Fridays. Thanks a ton!
That is gorgeous! We would love for you to come share this at our "Strut Your Stuff Saturday" link party! http://sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com/2011/07/strut-your-stuff-saturday-week-2.html
The Sisters @ sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com
Amazing! Thank you for shairng your project at my link part!ReplyDelete
What an awesome idea!! It turned out amazingReplyDelete
PC, this is amazing! I am in love with the bling accents, too. And knowing your love for recycling, it figures you would come up with something like this - so not only do I not have to go to the store to buy the pvc pipe, I actually have all of the ingredients on hand! I love it!! I am definitely going to put this on my to-do list. Beautiful!ReplyDelete
Really super idea!ReplyDelete
Wow! That is the most creative sunburst mirror I've seen. Beautiful!ReplyDelete
Stunning! You have so much patience!
Would love for you to share at Calling all Crafters!
I love it-- seems time consuming, but hey! What else are we supposed to do with all the pent up craftiness!?
Love it! The sequins are the perfect addition. I've always wondered if the toilet paper roll versions of these actually look like TP rolls up close - the sequins are excellent camo for your cardboard!ReplyDelete
This looks great! I love the idea of putting sequins on it. Just came across your blog today and I'm a new follower.ReplyDelete
Featuring you tonight at my {wow me} wednesday party. Thanks so much for linking up last week. Would love to have you come on over & link up this week. :)
Ok lady - I'm going to have to start calling you a "genius" because I LOVE ALL OF YOUR PROJECTS! Featuring this great one on WWWW today! Can't wait to see what you're linking up today!
Saw this on Creative Juice Thursday, well done your will is amazing!ReplyDelete
Wow, what a great project! I can't believe how pretty this is! Thanks for linking up, I'll be featuring you this week and hope you can link up again this weekend.ReplyDelete
Thank you everyone so much for the sweet comments - I will smile at the mirror everyday because it bring to me 68 sweet new and old friends in one post!!! This is the 1st time I received so many comments! Will smile in my dream tonight!ReplyDelete
This is so beautiful!! I saw it on Heather's 'Dollar Store Crafts' Blog. You are so very clever. I was thinking I might put a clock instead of the mirror since I need a clock. Haven't decided yet - I love the mirror, too. You do such lovely work. HUGS!!!ReplyDelete
Lovvve this project :) I'm crazy with recycled projects, I pick up everything to use at some project, I'm a garbage-collector :)) I shared this beautiful mirrors at my blog with your link, thanks a lot:)ReplyDelete
Hey Girl! Just wanted you to know I've featured this spectacular wall art on my blog for TooT {Tute) Thursday @ tiarasandbowties.blogspot.comReplyDelete
Your glitzy mirror is so chic! What a great way to use what you have...you are indeed a very creative person! It's beautiful, just like you!
Amazing! I never would've guessed the "ingredients!"ReplyDelete
Ya know, I've seen lots of projects done with potty paper rolls lately but the sequins is what sets yours apart! Beautifully done!ReplyDelete
I love this DIY mirror! I am going to start making one tomorrow!
I have some questions... Sorry for so many!:
Can you tell me the diameter of the lid and the mirror? Do you know the size of the sequins also? Did you have an easy way to make the cardboard circles the right diameter? Lastly, did you use a hot glue gun to close the circles and attach them to each other?
Thanks for such an original genius idea!
@TaraDear Tara, always glad to have feedback from you! Sorry I skip the how-to about the cardboard ring on above post. I actually cut out some stripes (1cm width) from a cereal box, I paste a line of double side tape on the end, then I use a medicine bottle as guide to size, wrap the strips around the bottle and secure with the double side tape. The sequins size is quite small about 0.8 cm, you can try a larger ones, that will be faster and easier! You can always post question on my Facebook fan page too! Hope this info helps! Love - PCReplyDelete
LOOOOOK, I DID it my way =)
Hope you like it too.
Thank you for the great inspiration.
I love your version! I'm rather fond of circles & this project is beautiful. I'm currently in the process of making my own now! I can't wait until its done & I can show you! :)
Shen @ girlyspazms.com
Just one word.............GORGEOUS !!!ReplyDelete
What a great result!
I like your mirror better than the PVC one on the other blog you got the idea from. Great job and way to go on making it SOOO much simpler.ReplyDelete
This is so beautiful! I am so glad you shared it at my party!ReplyDelete
This looks so good! That was very clever!ReplyDelete
What a great idea..and I have plenty of sequins so I better get started. Great idea, thanks for sharing. I am a follower now, I love making new blog friends, so stop by anytime and visit, LoriReplyDelete
Simply desire to say your article is as amazing. The clarity in your post is Simply nice and i can assume you are an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please carry on the gratifying work.
Bluefish 2 Eye Boat Shoe -Ladies
My brother recommended I might like this blog. He was totally right. This post truly made my day. You cann't imagine just how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
Timberland Women's Earthkeepers Mount Holly Tall Lace Duck Boot
Unbelievable!!! I cannot believe you made cardboard look so amazing!!! This is awesome! Thank you so much for being part of our challenge at the Great Toilet Paper Roll Challenge!ReplyDelete
GORGEOUS!! I am super impressed!ReplyDelete
WOW!! That is BRILLIANT!ReplyDelete
You are SO welcome! I am so glad I got to share this with my readers! :D Thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
Highly Impressed... Its stupendous!!!! Check out my crafts at http://arushiaggarwal.blogspot.comReplyDelete
I loved it!! Its beautiful!!!
Realmente hermoso!!
Saludos desde México :)
Mary Tere
I loved it!!! It's Beautiful... realmente hermoso.
Saludos desde México.
Mary Tere
WOW this is beautiful!You did a fantastic job! I am going to try and recreate it! Wish me luck!
Ashlee Castillo
I loved this so much, that I have reposted this on my blog, & You are Volpe Life's ~ September {Gently Borrowed} Post!!
>> : http://volpelife.wordpress.com/2012/09/21/sequin-mirror-gently-borrowed/
I can not wait to try it myself!! ~ Ami
süper olmuş..harika..ReplyDelete
Very cool! I'm going to have to try this! Thanks:)ReplyDelete
You are a real inspiration. I am going to make this to hang above my bed headboard! This is simply stunning. Thank you for sharing!ReplyDelete
I am linking to your site! I love your work, here is my site back as well.
I just love, love, love this. Very creative and I can see why you are proud of it.
Thanks for sharing!


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Siri clones land in Android Market with official Apple icons and deceptive marketing
Google's Android Market is now home to a couple not-so convincing Siri clones, both of which use Apple's official Siri icon and one that attempts to mimic the UI. Developer Viewide is even marketing one of the applications called "Speerit" as "REAL Siri for Android".
Speerit (pictured above), is for now only available in Korean, but the developers plan to support English in a future update. As Electronista pointed out: "Differing results on the weather widget suggest it's not actually asking Apple's servers." The app is available on the Android Market for free.
Another app, called Siri for Android, as picked up by The Next Web, made a point of clarifying it is simply a Siri icon that acts as a shortcut to Google's Voice Actions. Although, like Speerit, it too boldly uses what appears to be Apple's official Siri icon.
Also, the app's name, "Siri for Android," beside the developer's name, "Official App," could give users who don't know any better the impression it is some type of official Siri port. The app is also available for free in the Android Market.
No word on whether Google or Apple plans to take action. Controversial or knockoff apps being removed from the Android Market and the App Store is not uncommon, but it is clearly a bigger concern for the Android Market's easygoing review policies.


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Here's a little tune
You'll be happy to know
Keep it close to you
Wherever you may go
God gave us ten simple rules
To get us through
A little something
Just for us to live by
So now hide them in your heart
And you will be fine
And Lord said
Have no other gods but God
To worship idols just won't do
Be careful with the way you use God's name
And keep Sunday special too.
Honor your parents, don't take any lives.
And when you're old enough to marry, be true.
Do not steal or lie
Or want those things that don't belong to you
These are ten simple rules God gave to me and you
Now the good Lord said
You better listen to me
If you follow these rules
Then they will set you free
Because I want you to live
A happy life
And help others
To be happy too
So when things go wrong
These words
Will get you through
Write a review/comment/correct the lyrics of Ten Simple Rules:


text:
Each year, Toyota Motor Sales recognizes its stellar dealerships with the prestigious President's Award. It's a very high honor a dealership can receive from Toyota, and is only awarded to those dealerships who have demonstrated a commitment to maintaining Toyota's high standards for customer satisfaction.
One of Toyota's primary goals is to emphasize the entire ownership experience. We want to help ensure that our customers are satisfied not only at the time of purchase, but as long as they own their vehicle. Offering top quality cars and trucks is, of course, the first step - but only the beginning. Toyota dealerships strive to match the quality of our products with the finest service in the industry.
In order to qualify as a President's Award winner, dealerships must excel in each of a series of categories, including Customer Sales Satisfaction and Customer Service Satisfaction. Dealerships which meet the requirements in all categories receive name badge recognition at all dealer events, national recognition in an Automotive News advertisement and, of course, the beautiful President's Award Tiffany crystal trophy.
*Basil Toyota has been awarded the Presidents Award: 2008-2019 making 11 consecutive years*


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Captains pay 'homage' to Cleveland
Cleveland has gone nearly 50 years without a major sports championship, and as a result of this unremitting futility the city's sports fans have become firm believers in Murphy's Law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
The Lake County Captains, located in the nearby suburb of Eastlake, Ohio, have come up with a novel way to cope with the pain.
"It's sad, but in Cleveland we've come to expect to lose," said Captains assistant general manager Neil Stein. "So, in true Minor League fashion, we decided that we may as well have some fun with it."
Enter Cleveland Sports History Night, which first took place in 2009. That year, Browns kicker Don Cockroft visited the stadium and staged an alternate reality ending to the infamous "Red Right 88" playoff loss of 1981. This time around, the game ended not with a devastating interception but with Cockroft sealing the victory by kicking an autographed football into the stands. Other highlights have included a fish mascot re-enactment of Ernest Byner's fumble in the 1987 AFC Championship game, a moving truck on the field simulating the Browns departure to Baltimore, and a between-inning contest in which fans head-butted tennis balls into the stands in honor of the infamous Jose Canseco blunder that took place at a 1993 game in Cleveland.
The 2012 edition of Cleveland Sports History Night takes place on Saturday. Planned hijinks include a salute to Albert Belle's bat-corking caper of 1994 as well as a "rigged NBA draft lottery" in honor of the Cavaliers' success in getting the top NBA pick.
But despite the tongue-in-cheek approach, it's clear that this promotion is, first and foremost, a labor of love. Special guests on Saturday include current Browns wide receiver Greg Little, recent draft pick James Michael Johnson, former head coach Sam Rutigliano, the aforementioned Don Cockroft, and International Hockey League great Jock Callander. Legendary Cavaliers announcer Joe Tate will be on hand to sign copies of his new book, while former Cavs player Elmore Smith will spend the evening promoting his gourmet barbecue sauce.
But that, as is so often the case, is not all.
"Another thing we do is host a 'Browns Backers' tailgate party in the parking lot, starting at two o'clock," said Stein. "There will be guys out there with buses and decorated box trucks."
It all climaxes with what Stein describes as a "sports-themed" fireworks show, and when it's all said and done, he and his staff will begin thinking about what kind of stunts they can pull off the next year.
"[Cleveland Sports History Night] is very fun to do on one hand but very depressing on the other," he said. "When you sit and brainstorm, you have to relive all of these moments."
Truly a Classic
Birmingham's Rickwood Field served as the home of the Barons from 1910-86, and each season the team return for an afternoon of nostalgia-drenched baseball. This year's iteration, taking place Wednesday, celebrates World War II-era baseball and features Atlanta Braves legend Dale Murphy as the guest of honor. Both teams will wear '40s-era uniforms, with the Barons going the extra mile by sporting Hale America health patches. As explained in the Barons' press release, "Hale America was a nationwide fitness program designed to promote national physical well being at the outset of World War II."
The Rickwood Classic is one of the best known annual events in Minor League Baseball, and in 2010 it was voted MiLB.com's Promotion of the Year. For those who have not yet been exposed to its charms, well, what are you waiting for? Head to the ballpark on Wednesday.
This Week in Unorthodox Undulating Appendages
This column has featured a preponderance of bobbleheads this season, but it took until this week for a team to dedicate its efforts to the lower half of the posterior. That team would be the Clearwater Threshers, who on Friday are honoring the most famous individual to reside in their city: Winter the bottlenose dolphin. At the age of two months, Winter became trapped in a crab line and lost part of her tail. The Clearwater Aquarium took her in and fitted her with a prosthetic one, and after recovering from her injuries she went on to star as herself in the 2011 film A Dolphin Tale.
The latest chapter in this tale of the tail comes courtesy of the Threshers, as the first 2,000 fans in attendance at Friday's game receive a Winter Bobbletail. And, as an added bonus, a portion from the evening's ticket sales will be donated to the aquarium's marine animal rehabilitation program.
Three more giveaways of note this week:
- Carl Spackler Bucket Hats (Lakewood BlueClaws, June 1): As part of a Golf Night promo, the BlueClaws are giving away camouflage bucket caps inspired by Bill Murray's character in Caddyshack.
- Pedometer (Fort Myers Miracle, June 2): A great accessory for any fitness enthusiast, and sponsored by a company that one doesn't necessarily think of when it comes to healthy living: McDonald's.
- Crazy Hot Dog Vendor Apron (Reading Phillies, June 5): A wonderful addition to the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor toothbrush holder, welcome mat and pillow case that are surely already part of your Minor League Baseball memorabilia collection.
Into the ellipse...
A brief rundown of other notable promotions taking place this week...
May 30: The Altoona Curve dedicate an evening to pretending that they had been named the "Altoona Lake Monsters."
May 31: In Brevard County, the Manatees purposefully louse up the gameday experience as part of "Awful Night." ... Fellow Florida State League entrants the Bradenton Marauders turn back the clock, taking the field in vintage "Bradenton Growers" jerseys. ... The Cedar Rapids Kernels host the first of five "Dueling Pianos" theme nights, in which the pianos in question are placed atop the dugouts.
June 1: It may seem like a better fit for the aforementioned Kernels, but the also-aforementioned Altoona Curve are distributing team-logo popcorn buckets. ... In a great example of creative sponsorship, Prestone Antifreeze is underwriting the Memphis Redbirds David Freese T-shirt giveaway. ... It's "National Donut Day," and the Richmond Flying Squirrels intend on celebrating.
June 2: The Astros turn 50 this season, and the Lexington Legends (their Class A affiliate) celebrate the milestone all evening long. ... Circus performers The Anon Brothers bring their high-wire act to a Louisville Bats game. ... Traveling entertainers Those Funny Little People bring their low-wire act to a Quad Cities River Bandits game.
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog. Follow him @BensBiz.


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Lisa & Gregg | Kilbuck Creek Wedding
When Lisa & Gregg were planning their January wedding, it's safe to say that they were probably envisioning snow. But when there's no snow on the ground a random 60-degree mid-winter day is a pretty great tradeoff.
Their chosen venue - Kilbuck Creek - is one of my favorite places to photograph a wedding. It's very scenic outside nestled in the woods, and the lodge is warm, inviting, and with plenty of space - one of those places that just helps to get everyone in the spirit of being together. And that togetherness is always great on a wedding day.
Here's a look at Lisa & Gregg's unseasonably warm January wedding. No photographers were frozen in the making of these photos.
Thank you vendors:
Venue: Kilbuck Creek
Hair: Tease Salon
Makeup: rd artistry (Sydney)
Catering: Costa's


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Clinical education
Discover the power of physical therapy
Health care providers occupy a privileged position – patients entrust us with their care, recovery and well-being every day. As such, we have a responsibility to employ the most effective and efficient interventions available in order to repay this trust and return our patients to optimal health as quickly as possible. To support the delivery of this exceptional care, Select Medical's Outpatient Education team provides more than 3,000 hours of accredited education per year, and is an approved provider of education with various Physical Therapy state chapters, the AOTA, NATBOC, ASHA and the NSCA. From weekend courses and online webinars to multiyear certification, Residency and Fellowship Programs, and everything in between, we believe that outstanding education leads to outstanding patient care and the best possible outcomes for the people and communities we serve.
To request additional information or to register for a course, please call the clinical education team at 804.290.0107 or email us at [email protected].
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at a program soon!


text:
Functional Trousers
MASCOT® REworked
Work Trousers
Size 42: 620 g
The front part of the shoe bends flexibly with the foot. Uppers made of durable CORDURA®/Kevlar®/Dyneema®. Opens and fastens with BOA®, which consists of a rotational dial, laces and guides. Composite toe cap. Nail protection of special textile material. Stabilising multi-function shank with integrated absorbing cushioning. Shock-absorbing, soft and flexible two-component sole of PU/PU. Non-marking sole – no scuff marks. TPU toe reinforcement. Suitable for working on the knees. Ladder grip. 5.0mm profile depth. Insole with optimal arch support that can counteract the tendency to flat foot. Shock-absorbing insoles are removable, durable and ergonomic. Textile breathable lining. Sole is oil and petrol resistant. ESD approved to EN IEC 61340-4-3: 2002.
MASCOT's insoles with arch support (FT090, FT091, FT092) are certified for this shoe.
No liability accepted for product alterations.


text:
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