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In this new post to his blog Nikita talks about scalar type hinting and why it's harder than most people think to accomplish.
One of the features originally planned for PHP 5.4 was scalar type hinting. But as you know, they weren't included in the release. Recently the topic has come up again on the mailing list and there has been a hell lot of discussion about it. Yesterday ircmaxell published a blog post about his particular proposals. The reactions on reddit were mixed. On one hand it is clear that people do really want scalar type hints, on the other hand they didn't seem to like that particular proposal.
He gets into some of the details of some of the current proposals and their problems like the strict versus loosely-typed nature of PHP and type hinting that was included but not enforced. One he does like, however, is one based on casting - how the variable ends up being cast rather than the specific type it is when it comes into the function/method. This one still has its flaws, so he suggests another method - weak type hints but with stricter input validation (without casting). He also briefly mentions something called "box based type hinting" that would allow users to define their own hinting rules.
Don't worry - code examples (pseudo-code obviously) are included for each of these proposals to help you understand the differences.


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Dead mice packed with acetaminophen, strapped to pieces of cardboard and dropped from helicopters may help control one of the big headaches for the Pacific island of Guam – the brown tree snake.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week began dropping the expired rodents packed with 80 mg of the generic equivalent of Tylenol on the forests of Naval Base Guam.
Since scientists discovered that the household pain reliever was deadly to the brown tree snakes, they've been trying to figure out how to get it to where many of the serpents live in the canopies of the island's forests, according to a report in Stars & Stripes. The Tylenol-loaded mice are attached to two pieces of cardboard joined by paper streamers that snake exterminators hope will catch on tree branches, providing deadly snacks for snakes at those heights, according to the Stripes report.
The aerial attack on the tree snakes is designed to augment current trapping systems, which are placed around ports and airports to prevent the snakes from hitching rides to other Pacific islands such as Hawaii and causing the same ecological nightmares they've been responsible for on Guam.
"The brown tree snake traps that you see around Guam are actually the most effective trap for catching snakes in the world," USDA Assistant State Director Dan Vice told Guam Newswatch.
"Most of the traps that people see however are sitting on a fence or on a port. And they're targeting the few snakes that might get to that fence."
YouTube: Guam Newswatch video on the snake problem
So the mouse bombs have begun falling on the jungle forests, where the USDA says there can be as many as 20 brown tree snakes per acre, one of the highest snake densities recorded anywhere in the world.
The USDA says brown tree snakes have wiped out Guam's native populations of forest birds since being accidentally introduced to the island half a century ago, probably after they stowed away on a ship or plane from their native range in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. And because there are no native predators on Guam, officials say poisoning the snakes is the only way to control the population.
The snakes take an economic toll, too, becoming entangled in overhead electrical wires and causing power outages which cost the island millions of dollars in repairs and lost work.
If the current the experiment works – scientists will know because they're also packing the dead mice with radio transmitters for the snakes to ingest – death from above will be coming for snakes at the island's Anderson Air Base next year, according to Guam Newswatch. Success there could see the program expand island-wide.
I wonder if the helicopter pilot gets combat pay for flying this mission in the "war on snakes"? He/she should at least get hazard pay... can't imagine the stench of 40,000 dead mice!
Can't help but to have this weird vision in my head of mice paratrooping down w/ machine guns blazing, trying to protect themselves from the snakes. LOL!! That could make a great movie!
Coming from a fellow snake owner, it is abuslotely unnecessary to take a live animal and traumatize it more they what need be. Mice die fairly quick when constricted. And that snake does not need extra calcuim. Nor is it life to RECORD an animal dying, whatever the case may be. Mice deserve respect because they are what keep your snake alive.
How would they prevent cats from consuming the tylenol packed mice?
What has been the results of dropping the tylenol nice? I have not been able to find any information on this.

subset: commoncrawl


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This week I've attended meeting of London-GTUG (Google Technology Users Group). Main themes of the meeting were Chrome Extensions and HTML5. First part was interesting, but not inspiring – the Firefox plugins are widely available, Chrome Extensions just close the gap between the browsers. I like the architecture of Extensions and reasonable restrictions Google put on available APIs. All information are available on Chrome Extensions Lab page.
On the other hand, the HTML5 show put some new ideas in my mind. I like new semantic tags like <header/footer>, <time>, I love new styles (after 20 years we will finally have rounded corners :)), new attributes ("default if empty" for input fields) and other minor stuff like new types of input fields. But the real revolution lies in HTML's multimedia capabilities. HTML currently supports audio and video embedding with full control over the elements from JavaScript; there are transitions to allow define movement of elements and my personal favourite – canvas. Where's canvas and bunch of developers, there will be frameworks that will make it really usable. And this canvas gets access to GPU, so it's fast. I will observe WebGL closely. This may be a foundation of revolution in PLM world!
Is HTML5 a flash-killer? If you compare capabilities, it may seem so, but the battle is not lost for Adobe yet. At the moment there are no IDEs that let developers use full potential of new capabilities. And the browser support is still quite poor with Internet Explorer in lead in department of ignoring new standard. Adobe has some time to make a leap forward and run away before HTML folks produce something stable and popular enough.
Btw: Someone took a decision to stop numbering HTML, so we should not talk about HTML5 – it's just HTML now. How do you tell what capabilities are supported by your browser? IMHO it will make some mess in two or three years. I don't understand why they did it.


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Morning Minutes: June 26
Word of the Day
Flout FLOUT (verb) To treat with contemptuous disregard; scorn; to indulge in scornful behavior -- www.merriam-webster.com
Web Site of the Day
Oompa Toys
Started by a mother who'd had enough of electronic toys covered with characters, this store sells wooden toys, soft dolls, play food, ball tracks, play mats and more. It focuses on toys that are natural, well-made and created in humane working conditions.
Number to Know
146: Number of nations that support the U.N. Convention Against Torture. Today is International Day in Support of Torture Victims, an observance created by the U.N. to highlight torture and rape around the world.
This Day in History
June 26, 2008: The U.S. Supreme Court rules in District of Columbia v. Heller that the ban on handguns in the District of Columbia is unconstitutional.
Today's Featured Birthday
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter (35)
Daily Quote
"This is a day on which we pay our respects to those who have endured the unimaginable. This is an occasion for the world to speak up against the unspeakable. It is long overdue that a day be dedicated to remembering and supporting the many victims and survivors of torture around the world." -- Former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, talking about International Day in Support of Torture Victims


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Version 2.2 of WordPress for Android is now available on Google Play. It is full of some great new features that make blogging from your Android device even better!
What's New
Featured Image Support
Many WordPress themes now have support for setting featured images, and you can now set them right from the app. To set an image as featured, just tap on it after adding it to the post content area and select the 'Use as featured image' checkbox. You can also optionally set the image to also be included in the post content.
Note that you'll need WordPress 3.4.1 or greater and a theme that supports featured images in order to use this feature.
All-New WordPress.com Stats
Checking your stats from the app can be really handy, and we wanted to make it even better. When accessing stats now, you will see all of the same data that you see when at your blog's web dashboard including Views by Country and Top Posts & Pages. If you are running a self-hosted blog and want to enable stats in the app, install the free Jetpack plugin.
Reliability and Performance Improvements
This release also includes some great improvements to the app to make it more reliable and fast. Error messages are easier to read and understand as well. You can see the details on what was taken care of on the trac roadmap.
New Contributors and What's Next
Did you know that WordPress for Android is an open source project? We owe a big thanks to the contributors that made this release possible, including aerych, mrroundhill, frankkanis and aagam94! If you would like to get involved please visit make.wordpress.org/mobile.
So what's next? So far we have plans to improve the ActionBar, post editor and add push notifications for comments. What would you like to see improved in the app? Leave a comment or follow us at @WPAndroid to get in touch!


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Samsung has given gaming and graphics performance a big boost in the new S7 and S7 Edge phones as it attempts to build on its partnership with Oculus and make virtual reality a key application for smartphones.
Samsung and Oculus launched the $99 Gear VR headset in November last year, and the S7 phones are the first flagship models that Samsung is putting out since then.
The graphics processors are roughly 64 percent faster than chips in the Galaxy S6 handsets – something that should translate into a much smoother, richer and more immersive experience for all aspects of gaming and virtual reality.
With the chips, it will be possible to run 3D games at 60 frames per second when the handsets are hooked up to high-definition monitors. The GPUs are also capable of handling 4K video, though it may not be able to handle 4K games in which image frames move at a much faster pace.
Some models of the Galaxy S7 handsets will have Samsung's Exynos 8 Octa 8890 chipset, while others will have Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820. The phones were introduced on Sunday at the Mobile World Congress expo in Barcelona.
Users will be able to reduce the frame rates of games to preserve battery life. Pressing one button reduces games from 60 frames per second to 30 frames per second.
Another nifty feature is a "do-not-disturb" button for gamers. Once the button is pressed, incoming phone calls or notifications won't disturb the gaming or virtual reality experience. After all, nothing could upset your trek through the Amazon rain forest or trip to the surface of the moon like a call from your boss.
Having powerful hardware in the phones is key to Samsung's push into virtual reality. The $99 Gear VR headsets are essentially head-mounted holders for the phone. Users slot their phone into the Gear VR and then watch content on the phone's display, so it's important the phone can keep pace.
And to supplement its VR offerings, the company also introduced a camera accessory called Gear 360. The camera, which looks like a webcam, has two lenses that shoot video simultaneously, which results in 360-degree video.
It runs on a battery and can be connected to the S7 and S7 Edge smartphones or Gear VR headset via USB to view 360 degree video in real time. It has 128GB of storage.
The biggest advance in gaming on the device will be thanks to Vulkan, an API (application programming interface) that can help mobile devices run games while conserving battery life.
Vulkan will also make games sharper on Android devices like Galaxy smartphones, and lead to the development of more titles. The API was introduced last week, and it is supported by most chip vendors.
It's an upgrade from the aging OpenGL, which was first introduced in 1991 by Silicon Graphics. The new API interfaces directly with GPUs and other hardware to render games faster and with more power efficiency.
It's also easier to export games from DirectX — which dominates gaming on PCs — to Vulkan, Samsung executives said.
A number of handsets that support Vulkan will be introduced at Mobile World Congress.
Samsung has also built in the ability to record game play as a standard feature in new phones. The game play can then be viewed from the multimedia gallery. The files can also be uploaded to Youtube.


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|Jaymz and Daniel
In my family, we believe very much in equally shared parenting. Among other things, that means that my husband and I don't argue over who will help Daniel with his elimination needs. Whoever is holding him or is generally more available when he needs to go to the potty or have his diaper changed is the one who does it. Similarly, our decision to cloth diaper was reached mutually. We are both aware of our collective carbon footprint, and we try to do everything we can to lessen our impact on the environment. (We also wanted to save some money!)
Still, I was curious what Jaymz would say about cloth diapers without me interjecting things (I really can't help myself). The following interview was the result of my curiosity. And since it's my blog, I get to interject after the fact (my comments/additional information will look like this):
Why do you cloth diaper?
Environmental impact, I think is the main reason. I guess long-term price factors into the decision, too. And of course, it's an easy decision because my wife wants to do it.
What have you thought about cloth diapering/how have you found it to be (easy, hard, gross, etc.)?
It's been much easier than I had anticipated. I'm surprised that it's just as easy as using a disposable diaper. It's just different.
What was your biggest learning moment/curve when it came to cloth diapering?
Obviously the poop is harder, there are a few more steps involved in dealing with poop than with disposables, because we spray diapers down (With Biokleen Bac Out; we don't have a diaper sprayer.) and ever since solid foods, we've been wiping or rinsing the poop off the diapers. The rest of it was easy to learn. None of it is difficult. You just have to do it once and you'll know how.
What's your favorite diaper and why?
My favorite diaper is the light purple (Bubble) color Bumgenius 4.0 with snaps, because it's just about the easiest diaper I've ever used...and it's pretty.
|Sam and Mikko
That's a great question, because I really wanted to like all-in-one (AIO) diapers the best. The draw of the AIO diaper is that there's no work: you put it on, you take it off, you wash it, you dry it, repeat. The problem with the AIO diaper are the washing and drying phases. The other part is awesome, but the washing and drying phase suck. With the washing phase: the material that's used in the AIO (the inside) has to be made out of absorbent cloth material, but it stains more easily. (We used a few Bumgenius Organic Elemental AIOs for a while, which we found do stain very easily—much more so than synthetic fabrics—even with exclusively breastfed poop.) The even bigger problem is the drying phase—they take forever to dry. The whole point of a diaper is to absorb and retain liquid, so if there's no way for you to dismantle the diaper partially in an effort to clean it, then the diaper is going to keep doing its job, and absorb and retain water, which makes it impossible to dry.
So, back to your question, I really wanted to like AIOs because they're easy. The pocket diaper is the next best thing to the ease of an AIO because you put it on, you take it off, you take out the insert, and then you're done. I like the AIO-type diapers over prefolds and covers, but I like pocket diapers best of any of the modern cloth diaper options.
Why do you like snaps more than aplix (velcro) closures?
Initially, I thought that snaps would be more of a pain to use because you have to snap four snaps on each diaper, but once you learn how to snap the snaps efficiently, it's not a pain. It doesn't become a hurdle; it's just second nature. Like buttoning a button on your shirt, it becomes easy. So, after that point (when it becomes easy) it's less of a hassle to use the snaps because you don't have to remember to affix laundry tabs (like you have to on the velcro diapers when you put the diapers in the laundry). Also, it's my assumption that the snaps are going to last a much longer time than the velcro diapers, so it becomes more of a long-lasting investment.
Back to prefolds and covers for a moment: Did you find them difficult to use? What were the pros and cons?
I didn't hate prefolds and covers, and I think prefolds and covers were the right choice for us for when our baby was a newborn. Because, A. you really can't beat a diaper service (we used a diaper service for the first three months of Daniel's life), that was key for us with our cloth diapering in the beginning. Even if you're looking at disposable diapers versus a diaper service, the diaper service wins because it's the same price as buying disposables, and the difference in environmental impact is drastic. And, B. We went through a lot of diapers when he was a newborn, and I think that would be impractical to wash so many pocket diapers, especially for first-time parents who don't have an established diaper routine. ...Even prefolds and covers were much easier than I had anticipated!
What do you wish you had known before beginning cloth diapering?
I wish I would've known that pocket diapers are worth the price. I was hesitant to spend money on such an expensive diaper that's just going to get pooped on, but having done prefolds with covers and then switching to pockets exclusively, the difference in ease of use and ease of clean-up is worth the price.
|Harry and Shirley
Bac Out. Bac Out is fucking amazing. Is that an accessory? I wish that I had known about Bac Out years and years ago. I use that stuff to clean everything now. It actually cleans things, first of all, and it smells good. Show me a cleaner that actually works and also smells good, you know? Bonus, it's not harsh on the environment. (Bac Out really is amazing. If you haven't tried it, you really should, even if you don't cloth diaper. It's great for lots of household cleaning needs, like cleaning up after pets, and it smells like limes!)
What's your favorite thing about CDing?
I'm really glad that I don't have to go to the grocery store and buy a pack of Huggies every week. It feels really wrong to me, like when we had that coupon for cheap Huggies, I felt dirty buying them, like, "What am I doing to our planet by buying these diapers?" It just felt wrong. My favorite thing about cloth diapering is twofold: the convenience and also saving the environment.
What's your least favorite thing?
Probably the smell. With disposable diapers, you can wrap them up and throw them away and you don't have to smell them ever again. (I actually think disposables are stinkier, because the trash doesn't get emptied as often as cloth diapers get washed.) With cloth diapers, you put them in the pail, and when you open the pail, you smell it, then when you throw the pail in the washer and you smell them a lot when you do that part. That's my least favorite thing...which is why I'm grateful that my wife does most of the diaper laundry! (I don't really mind the smell; I've smelled worse things than a little ammonia and baby poop.)
What advice would you give to another dad who was reluctant to CD?
I would tell that person to just make a small initial investment in whatever type of cloth diaper seems best for your family, and just try it for a few weeks. My guess is that you'll probably find, like what happened to me, that actually, cloth diapers are not at all more difficult than disposable diapers. And even if you don't decide to use the diapers full-time, you can always still use them.
I hope this was helpful and/or interesting! I certainly had fun interviewing Jaymz and hearing everything he had to say about the various aspects of cloth diapering.
I'm curious, fellow cloth diapering families: Of you and your partner, who initiated the idea of CDing your baby? Did one of you need to be convinced? What was the main deciding factor in choosing cloth? I can't wait to hear!


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GOP's so-called fiscal counteroffer is no such thing
Pat Cunningham
Steve Benen has the story HERE:
Last week, the Obama administration presented congressional Republicans with a formal offer in their ongoing fiscal talks, and challenged GOP leaders to come up with a plan of their own. Today, House Speaker John Boehner and the House Republican leadership sent a [three-page] letter to the White House that's been described as a "counteroffer," but that's not quite correct…
Under this proposal, Republicans would keep all of the Bush-era tax rates, but accept $800 billion in new revenue. How? Through "through pro-growth tax reform that closes special-interest loopholes and deductions while lowering rates."
From ...


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Retail is changing at such a rapid pace it's hard to imagine what the future may hold. As a retailer, you not only are challenged to offer the products your customers want today, but to do so profitably while providing optimal customer service and staying one step ahead of your competitors — remaining agile enough to address whatever lies ahead.
As multichannel or omni-channel retailing develops, the retail industry is recognising that the most efficient form of operation is to service all channels from a single stock pool. This could be physically held in a variety of locations, most commonly warehouses and stores.
How a unified approach accelerates the journey to omnichannel, creating competitive advantage along the way
Superior Retail Allocation from DC to Store Door Requires the Right Resources.
The business of retail continues to push forward on a rapid pace of innovation, creating major challenges for supply chain teams. Today's retailers attack the market with activities ranging from developing unique products to helping customers finance their purchases.
As the groundwork for enterprisewide data visibility falls into place, a game of connect-the-data dots is playing out in stores.
Omni-channel consumer demand has pushed the connection between shoppers and goods deeper into the supply chain, creating fundamental shifts in DC operations.
Consumers' high expectations for seamless shopping and fulfillment experiences are putting unprecedented pressure on retailers to perform.
Consumer expectations of a seamless omni-channel experience are reinventing the supply chain.
Pick/pack/ship operations have increasingly important implications on inventory accuracy, business efficiency, and ultimately, the customer experience.
The Right Product at the Right Store at the Right Time.
With the NEW CLNX Series your problems are solved! Only the CLNX will address the typical thermal printer issues you experience today by its many user friendly features and rugged design.
Perfect Pick was Engineered to Simplify Order Fulfillment Technology. Perfect Pick is truly unique. Perfect Pick's "one touch" design is based on a single automated component – the iBOT. Perfect Pick does not require lifts, conveyors, or multiple transfer points, which add complexity to the system. By eliminating these additional touch points and by streamlining the picking process, Perfect Pick increases throughput and results in a more reliable and cost effective system.
The Sato® CS-9018 Cutter/Stacker is a self-contained, continuous-form, ticket-handling device. It is designed to slit, cut and sequentially stack preprinted tickets at a rate of 188,000 per hour.
Portable, Handy, Smart. The TH2 direct thermal 2" standalone printer is truly revolutionary. Designed for portability and functionality, the battery-operated TH2 allows users to print text, graphics, linear and 2D barcodes in high resolution. With its built-in keypad, there's no need for a PC.
Cutting-Edge Supply Chain Strategies: Omni-Channel's Next Big Thing
Consumer expectations of a seamless omni-channel experience are reinventing the supply chain.
Communication between retailers and suppliers will look very different in the near future. In order to meet the increasing demands of the consumer, control costs, and enhance collaboration, retailers and suppliers must improve processes for sharing data and extract as much value as possible from that data. The Trading Partner Interface of the Future, as conceptualized by RVCF, will achieve these goals while strengthening relationships between retailers and suppliers. By exploring the key areas of retailer-supplier communication, this report provides insights into what such a solution would entail and the business benefits it would create. Stakeholders in technology companies should take note that it is our vision that unrestricted, synchronized data sharing is the direction of the future.
Tech Spending: The Any-Channel Revolution Takes Shape
In 2014, retail investments focused on the consumer experience. In 2015, retail technology spending will meet shoppers' collective calls for seamless engagement in any channel.
Since 2009, Integrated Solutions For Retailers has been mapping the tech spending plans of our subscriber base, benchmarking retailers' implementation priorities and the trends that drive those priorities along the way. The comprehensive survey data we collect annually during late Q3 and early Q4 — this year from more than 200 retail decision makers across several disciplines — paints a clear and accurate picture of what's to come in the following year. We began conducting the survey in the wake of near financial collapse, at a time when many retailers were intent to merely keep the lights on. A look back at our December 2009 predictions shows an industry investing in bare minimum maintenance of legacy systems, even as consumers began leveraging new mobile and e-commerce technologies that put intense competitive pressure on traditional and fledgling cross-channel retailers. Over the next two years, retail tech spending gradually climbed out of perseverance mode.
Checkpoint Systems, Inc., a leading global supplier of merchandise availability solutions for the retail industry, recently announced findings from its third-annual National Source Tagging Symposium, which was hosted at CVS Health Headquarters in Cumberland, Rhode Island.
Dan Gilmore, Editor-in-Chief, Supply Chain Digest, Greg Holder, CEO and Co-Founder, Compliance Networks, Camille Fratanduono, VP of Merchandising Operations, Pep Boys, and Richard Wilhjelm, VP of Business Development, Compliance Networks define and discuss the impact of vendor performance management solutions for minimizing late deliveries and troubles, and maximizing fill-rates and ASN accuracy.
Dan Gilmore, Editor-in-Chief, Supply Chain Digest, Greg Holder, CEO and Co-Founder, Compliance Networks, Camille Fratanduono, VP of Merchandising Operations, Pep Boys, and Richard Wilhjelm, VP of Business Development, Compliance Networks define and discuss retail out-of-stocks.


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Luton, town and unitary authority, geographic and historic county of Bedfordshire, England. It lies along England's chief superhighway (M1), 30 miles (48 km) northwest of London, and has an international airport.
Long famous for the manufacture of straw hats, Luton developed into an industrial town dominated by the motor vehicle industry. The hat industry still prospers, with felt hats as the principal product. South of the town, the mansion of Luton Hoo houses the Wernher collection of porcelain, enamel, and other art treasures. Area 17 square miles (43 square km). Pop. (2001) 184,371; (2011) 203,201.


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Eric Maisel, PhD, is the author of more than thirty works of fiction and nonfiction. His nonfiction titles include Coaching the Artist Within, Fearless Creating, The Van Gogh Blues, The Creativity Book, Performance Anxiety, Ten Zen Seconds, A Writer's San Francisco, and A Writer's Paris. A columnist for Art Calendar magazine, Maisel is a creativity coach and creativity coach trainer who presents keynote addresses and workshops nationally and internationally. His new book is The Atheist's Way: Living Well Without Gods.
In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Eric Maisel addresses atheists who don't always find it easy to live as atheists, as well as religious believers who have doubts. He describes how the atheistic scientific worldview offers more advantages than the religious perspective. He encourages an understanding of the "tradition of atheism," and explains how to derive inspiration from it. He talks about how new atheists may cope with the loss of their church communities, even when they satisfy important human needs. He details the "main problem" for atheists, which he argues is making meaning in an indifferent universe. He talks about the importance of the atheist actively self-creating, being the hero of her own story, defending a radical individualism. He talks about existential depression that atheists may experience, and ways to respond to this nihilism and ultimate meaninglessness in the universe. And he defends the position that each atheist should be an "active moral philosopher," and "make his own ethics."


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'The Giver' has been a long time coming to the screen
NEW YORK — It was almost 20 years ago, and actor Jeff Bridges was searching for a movie project that would be a family affair — one in which he could direct his father, Lloyd, and that his children, then...
NEW YORK — It was almost 20 years ago, and actor Jeff Bridges was searching for a movie project that would be a family affair — one in which he could direct his father, Lloyd, and that his children, then around middle-school age, would want to see.
An entry in a children's book catalog caught his eye. "It had a picture of this old grizzled guy on the cover. And I said, 'Oh, Dad could do that!'"
That book was "The Giver," by Lois Lowry, which won the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1994 and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. He read it, then mentioned it to his kids. "They said, 'Oh, we know that, we read it in school'," he said in an interview this week. "It turned out there were whole curriculums based on it."
Indeed. There's hardly a middle-schooler who hasn't been assigned "The Giver" at some point. And so the film version, opening this week, isn't exactly riding the coattails of book-to-film franchises like "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent." You might actually say it started the whole craze.
But why did it take so long to get made?
"I thought, 'It's gonna be a cinch'," Bridges chuckled. "And that was 18 years ago."
There were problems. The book, which depicts euthanasia, for one thing, was banned in some places. And because so much of the action took place inside the mind of its main character, it was hard to capture in a screenplay. At least five or six were written. Financing proved elusive.
Years went by. And Bridges and author Lowry watched as young-adult dystopian fiction became the next big thing in Hollywood. "The Hunger Games" debuted in 2012 to huge box office, elevating Jennifer Lawrence to a mega-star; the sequel followed, with two more to come. The "Divergent" franchise launched earlier this year.
"It was kind of unnerving," said Lowry, sipping tea in a Manhattan hotel this week.
And yet, both Lowry and Bridges agree, maybe it's good that it took so long.
"At first I was saying, Oh darn," Bridges said, using a saltier term. "We missed the boat! But really, our movie wouldn't have gotten made without those movies leading the way." (His father died in 1998; now Bridges, a co-producer, himself plays the character of The Giver.)
Lowry, who ranks third among Amazon's top 100 authors, hopes the existence of the other films will increase the audience for "The Giver" — adding people as yet unfamiliar with the book.
"And as for fans of the book," she adds, "we all so hope they won't be outraged by the changes that were necessary. I've been trying to reassure them!"
Ah, the changes — always a balancing act. The story focuses on a boy, Jonas, who lives in a community ruled by a committee of elders. All is based on the concept of sameness. There's no color, only black and white. There's no emotion; sexual "stirrings" are blunted with daily medication. Most important, there are no memories of earlier times, for that would cause suffering. But Jonas is chosen to be the community's one Receiver of Memories, and as he learns about the world outside — called Elsewhere — it throws his own world into chaos.
In the book, Jonas is 12. In the movie, his age isn't clear, but he's played by Australian heartthrob Brenton Thwaites, who's 25. This was done partly to create a teen romance, a change that initially deeply concerned both Bridges and Lowry. Now that they've seen the actors, they say, they're happy with it.
Lowry sounds happier about another key change, one that gives Meryl Streep, as the stern chief elder, a substantial role. "I wish I could go back to the book and fill out that character now," Lowry said.
But to many fans of the book, it's perfect the way it is. Lowry learned of the book's power during a recent appearance at Comic-Con, where she, and not the stars, proved the major attraction.
"Here I was with all these movie stars, and all the audience questions were for me," she marveled.
But there's a flip side to that reader passion: Some fans got angry when the first trailer came out in color (in the book, only Jonas can see color.) "There was outrage," Lowry said. Ultimately, a new trailer was released showing that much of the film is shot in black and white.
That fan passion extends even to members of the cast. At a news conference this week, Taylor Swift, who has a tiny but meaningful role, spoke of how she adored the book in fifth grade.
"It celebrates all the things I hold really dear and are important to me," the singer said, "like our history, our music, our art, our intellect and our memories."
As for Streep, she recalled that the book was on her children's required summer reading list.
Lowry, who of course had no power over what would happen to her story, says she's gratified that filmmakers sought her input. They called her constantly for advice — though they didn't always take it — and even flew her to the set in South Africa.
"One day I muttered — not to anyone in particular — that I hated a certain line of dialogue," she said. "And suddenly I saw it had been cut."
Lowry thinks that if she published her book today, it wouldn't cause nearly the ripples it did two decades ago.
"Now, we've been exposed to something like 'The Hunger Games,' where children are killing other children," she said. "So 'The Giver' sounds like mild fare compared to that."
She's also amazed that people have found a way to project their own politics onto her simple story.
"I read somewhere, 'Oh, finally somebody is speaking for the tea party,"' she said. "At the same time, others are seeing it as an argument for the left! And so it's both. I think that's pretty cool."


text:
Trankie Do
Trankie Do full routine
Daniel and Tiffany show the full Tranky Doo routine with counts.
The steps in this video are:
– Fall off the log
– Shuffles (aka Scoots)
– Fall off the log
– Shuffles
– Shoe shine (aka the Horse)
– Boogie forward (aka Boogie fronts)
– Shoe shine
– Boogie forward
– Apple jack
– Apple jack
– Rocks (aka Hallelujahs)
– Rocks forward
– Boogie back
– Shorty George
– Boogie back
– Break step
– Knee slaps
– Suzie Q
– Reverse break
– Mess around
– Fall off the log jumping backward
– Eagle slide
– Boogie drops
– Mambo steps
– Push turn (paddle turn)
– Fall off the log going backward
– Truckin' (3x)
– Float Back
– The Josephine Baker (aka Crazy legs)
– Walk about
– Box step
– Shouts (hip forward, back & side to side )
– Knee slaps
This is the full Tranky Doo routine. After these steps are completed you start again from the beginning of the routine untill the song ends.
Teachers: Daniel Newsome and Tiffany Wine
This routine is often danced to the song "The Dipsy Doodle"
[include file=/include/jazz.htm]


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I've been uncharacteristically uncharitable to putative Labour leader David Miliband in The Independent this morning. Having exposed the whopping cost of his blog (forty thousand of your taxpayer groats, since you ask) on Saturday, today the Indy pokes fun at the Miliblog's nomination for a New Statesman New Media Award. I am quoted as saying "I can't think of any normal person who would want to look at Miliband's blog... It reads like a random collection of press releases." I'm just off for my morning saucer of milk...
political commentator * author * publisher * bookseller * radio presenter * blogger * Conservative candidate * former lobbyist * Jack Russell owner * West Ham United fanatic * Email iain AT iaindale DOT com
Monday, June 19, 2006
Pass the Saucer...
12 comments:
- dizzy said...
the thing is Iain, you're right. I've tired many times to read it. I thought maybe I just needed to work at it and it would come but alas it didn't. For some reason as well whenever I look at it I just hear the phrase "I'm a wide-mouthed frog" in my head.
- June 19, 2006 8:56 am
- Ellee Seymour said...
Pandora did a great job in breaking this story.
I certainly believe Miliband is ineligible for the New Statesman award on these grounds. Interestingly, the award for elected representative was not made last year because it was felt there were no suitably high quality entrants.
- June 19, 2006 8:58 am
- Pulsar said...
Did anyone hear Milli's next door neighbour the excellent ROSIE WINTERTON on the Today programme this morning?
Her hands on approach practised over many years is obviously what has sustained her progress up the greasy poll!
- June 19, 2006 10:33 am
- Paul Walter said...
£40,000!! Unbelievable. All he has to do is set up a blogger.com account and all it costs is the electricity for your PC.
- June 19, 2006 11:07 am
- Inamicus said...
Ellee / Iain - I notice you deliberately fail to mention that it was the Lib Dems' Chris Huhne who broke the story.
- June 19, 2006 11:50 am
- Iain Dale said...
Inamicus, Nothing deliberate at all. Now that you mention it I do recall reading it on Elle's blog and am happy to pay credit where credit is due. I like Chris Huhne. In fact I had a nice little chat with him the other day in the GMTV studios.
- June 19, 2006 11:57 am
- neil craig said...
£40 grand! What Paul said.
Having put up a few comments on it gently poking fun at his Luddite views (eg that catastrophic global warming is proven true because ITN did a feature about a family improving its carbon footprint) I don't think he has given you anything approaching competition.
- June 19, 2006 12:12 pm
- Iain Dale said...
Paul, sadly no, but he was already making excuses for the LibDem failures at next year's local elections!
- June 19, 2006 12:14 pm
40000 is an appalling waste of money. I have never been to his blog, but shall make a visit now to post a comment outlining my outrage at this waste of money. I think everybody who agrees with me on this issue should do likewise.
- June 19, 2006 12:28 pm
£40,000 grand is cheap for a piss poor blog by this govts standards.
you are all ingrates!!!
- June 19, 2006 12:37 pm
£40k!?! Hell's bells. Perhaps I can sell him some hosting...
- June 19, 2006 5:46 pm
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- February 05, 2009 1:40 am


text:
Blog Archives
Green Ripples…
How innocent these creatures. Day to day living their lives, at the mercy of our mercy. To have clean water, clean food, a place to dwell as nature intended. Green ripples in the fabric of our world… Shall we care?
I saw this beaver munching peacefully in the unusually high waters of Newport News Park (Newport News, VA) this evening along the White Oak Trail.


text:
Almost 3 weeks with no added sugar.
Wow — I actually tore through the kitchen looking for the odd candy bar. Luckily if it's there (and I'm pretty sure it is) it's hidden too well for me.
In other news I'm on day 4 of a hideous headache. And that's why there haven't been any of my regularly scheduled posts.
How are things going with you? Are your commitments holding up?
Filed under: General | Tagged: commitment, Controlling Diet, Eat4Today, nutrition | 19 Comments »


text:
Sting is sitting on a bar stool in a white T-shirt and grey camouflage-patterned combat trousers, playing a harmonica. In front of him, a 20-piece orchestra is half-way through a classical arrangement of one of his songs, producing a swelling crescendo of sound that fills the stage. Behind him rise the steep, stone-hewn seats of a Roman amphitheatre in Lyon where, later tonight, Sting will play to a packed crowd of French fans as part of his Symphonicity world tour.
In the middle of the sound-check, he shakes his head and stops playing. The harmonica wheezes gently in protest. Everyone falls silent. Something is bothering him and no one is quite sure what. Will he throw a diva-esque tantrum à la Mariah Carey, and demand that his dressing room be re-stocked with lilies? Has someone forgotten to fulfil his rider request for eight dwarf strippers and a bowl of M&Ms (no blues)?
"That should be an F sharp," Sting says after a few seconds of tense silence, pointing at the clarinettist. There is a collective sigh of relief. The music resumes and, this time, the clarinettist gets his notes right. Sting looks over and gives him the thumbs-up. The clarinettist beams with pleasure.
It is, perhaps, precisely this attention to detail that has given Sting such staying power. His musical career has now spanned more than 30 years and along the way he has scooped 16 Grammy awards, sold more than 100m records and written some of the most memorable songs of the period ("Roxanne", "Message in a Bottle", "Englishman in New York"). By the time we meet, the Symphonicity tour, which features orchestral re-workings of his substantial back catalogue, has been playing to packed venues for the best part of 18 months.
It becomes clear, throughout the rehearsal, that the members of the orchestra both respect Sting's musical instinct and want to please him, as though he is a favoured teacher they are desperate to impress. Even the world-weary roadie next to me, who has spent most of his adult life on tour with various rock stars (Rod Stewart was, he confides, a nightmare) speaks about him like a mooning teenage girl. "Sting has such respect for other people," the roadie says. "He's just a great guy."
Oh please, I think to myself. He can't be that perfect. What about all those awful press articles you read about him? The ones with the yoga lessons, the constant preaching about saving the rainforest, the overly earnest attempts to paint himself as some kind of eco-warrior when his carbon footprint must be the size of Pluto? What about the rumours of arrogance and stubbornness, the fact that when the Police broke up in 1984 – one of the most successful British rock bands of all time – the drummer Stewart Copeland said that an on-going argument with Sting about what drum machine to use in a recording session was "the straw that broke the camel's back"?
What about the tantric sex with Trudie, the networking events they hold in their Tuscan villa for spiritual gurus and creative thinkers, the biodynamic vineyards and the fact they were responsible for introducing Madonna to Guy Ritchie at one of their glitzy celebrity parties and, by extension, for subjecting us to all those photographs of Madge in tweed caps and tracksuits?
What about the accusations of unabashed grandeur, the rambling country pile in Wiltshire, the penthouse in New York, the chef who supposedly had to travel 100 miles to make Trudie a bowl of soup? What about the time when Elvis Costello, of all people, once called Sting's music "appalling"?
But then, just as I am thinking of every single negative press cutting I have ever read about him, Sting walks across to introduce himself. He fixes his eyes on mine, touches my arm and says: "Are you who I think you are?" and the effect is totally disarming. Embarrassingly, I hear a giggle, then realise it is coming from me. It is hard to convey the impact of his sheer physical presence. He is not especially tall, but his body is powerful: thick-set and muscled, the veins in his neck sticking out like a wrestler's.
Later, of course, it will strike me that it was a particularly clever opening line, managing simultaneously to give the impression that he knew who I was without actually needing to remember my name. "I have to wash before I speak to you because I stink," he continues, his voice a weird transatlantic potpourri of vowels and dropped consonants. He smiles, blue eyes glinting, then walks briskly off stage. Everyone turns to watch him go
The roadie looks at me, raising his eyebrows. "Told you," he says, grinning.
After Sting has showered and changed into a T-shirt and combats that look exactly the same as the ones he was wearing before, we walk to a nearby café and sit on the open terrace, facing each other across a wooden picnic table. He is turning 60 in October (taking advantage of this milestone to release a 25-year retrospective box-set of CDs and DVDs) and so, to break the ice, I ask him if this makes him a Libra, believing that my feigned interest in astrology will doubtless appeal to his "spiritual" side.
"Well I'm actually an Asparagus," he says, deadpan. "Unique sign."
Then, after he has ordered a miso soup and a shredded vegetable salad with Tahini dressing from his personal chef, I ask him about his diet. Is he strict about what he eats? "Officially yes. Unofficially: it's ice cream, chocolate, wine." But doesn't Trudie tell you off? "No, no, no. I mean, she tells me I'm being silly when I'm being silly. When I have too much wine, it's 'Darling!' She's pretty disciplined."
Well, this is most unexpected. Five minutes in and Sting has already demolished the mung-bean-eating myth of himself as pop music's answer to the Dalai Lama. The next thing I'll find out is that he's fed-up of tantric sex… is he? "That story is 20 years old," he says, protesting. This is slightly disingenuous – in January, he and Trudie, his film-producer wife of 18 years and mother to four of his six children, gave a joint interview to Harper's Bazaar in which he claimed: "I don't think pedestrian sex is very interesting… we like tawdry." To which the near-universal response was: put it away, love.
"If you want to ask me seriously what tantric sex is, I might try and give you a coherent answer," Sting says now, sipping spoonfuls of miso soup. "It's using every aspect of your life – whether it's walking, breathing, eating, speaking, making love – as an act of devotion or an act of gratitude. That's all it is. The whole idea of seven hours of fuc – " he stops himself, "of intercourse – I mean, please!"
We laugh. In person, Sting seems to take himself much less seriously than the public image of him would have us believe. Given all the flak he has attracted over the years in the press, does he care what people think of him?
"In some ways I consider it an advantage to know how other people view you. You're under no illusions about how you're thought of. You have to strike a balance: there's people who can't stand the sight of you, there's people who really love you and obviously the truth is somewhere in the middle. That's the passage I'm navigating… I don't get unduly hurt. I might get a bit crazy…"
What – you might punch someone (the Police were well known for their impromptu back-stage fist-fights)? He gives a lazy smile. "No, I wouldn't do that. I might rehearse it in my mind, but I wouldn't do it."
He spears a sliver of carrot with his fork and chews, thoughtfully. The sky darkens and a few droplets of rain fall on the ground. Within minutes, we are in the grip of a thunderstorm and four separate minions have come to bring him an umbrella, stacking each one up against the side of the table. "Thank you," he says, every time someone brings him another, obviously worried lest he appear ungrateful. By the time the storm clears, he looks like a cloakroom attendant.
It is all a very long way from Wallsend, Newcastle, where Sting – born Gordon Sumner – grew up in a house "where literally the ship yard was at the end of the street – surreal!" His mother, Audrey, was a hairdresser and his father, Ernie, a milkman. As a boy, Gordon helped his father on the round, but secretly dreamed of being a musician, plucking away at home on an old Spanish guitar left behind by an uncle who had emigrated to Canada.
"My ambition initially was just to make a living as a musician," he says. "I thought that was a very honourable way to make a life, to pay the rent, put some food on the table."
His parents' marriage was an unhappy one and his mother eventually eloped with one of his father's co-workers. In his critically acclaimed 2003 autobiography, Broken Music (written without a ghost-writer), he describes Audrey as "always looking longingly away from home for her salvation".
As the eldest of four children, Gordon bore the brunt of much of the marital strife: "because my siblings were younger I was trying to protect them from what I knew and that was a big strain for me. I was basically the keeper of secrets." He grimaces. "Still am." He says that, at the age of seven, he was "detached, lonely and driven" and that his personality has barely changed since. "That's basically where I am now – detached, really detached."
And it is true that no matter how charming Sting can be, there is a definite sense that you only get so far with him and no further. It is not guardedness exactly – in fairness, he answers every question I put to him – but more a sense that you are speaking to him through a layer of glass; that he is more comfortable in his own company, with his own thoughts, than with having to explain them to anyone else. He strikes me as a loner who, by dint of his profession, finds himself spending a lot of time around other people, explaining things he would rather leave unsaid. "I'm not usually happy," he says, "but at the same time happiness can be thought of as a kind of bovine state – cows are happy; I'm curious."
After attending a Catholic grammar school, he got various jobs – at one point working in his local tax office – before becoming a primary-school teacher in a nearby mining town. In the evenings, he played in local jazz groups, earning the nickname "Sting" from a band leader after performing in a bee-like black-and-yellow striped jumper.
But it wasn't until the late 1970s, after years of gigging, that Sting got his big break. He moved to London with his then wife, the actress Frances Tomelty and their baby son, Joe, and met the drummer Stewart Copeland. They formed the Police along with guitarist Andy Summers. Their first album was released in 1978 and included the track "Roxanne", about a man who falls in love with a prostitute. Sting never looked back.
He spent seven years with the Police before calling time on the band and pursuing a highly successful solo career. Copeland and Summers allegedly never forgave him (although a 2008 reunion tour, which raked in £108m, must have helped ease the tension somewhat).
Whatever you think of his music – and there are oft-repeated accusations of creative unoriginality, the sense that his songs are little more than hyped-up elevator musack – it has enjoyed remarkable longevity. "I don't think there's very much original in what I do," he admits. "In pop music, there's no such thing as composition. We collate from pre-existing tropes and then the originality comes in the interpretation."
Given that he put in years of hard graft as a performer, Sting has understandably mixed feelings about the modern narrative of reality TV show fame. "I think the idea of going straight from school and then becoming a TV star is bizarre because it doesn't give you any perspective. You know, I held a job down, I paid a mortgage, paid my taxes, before any of this happened so it allowed me at least to keep a balanced view of what was happening to me. I really value those times when I struggled. You know, we were poor. So I don't envy kids who go straight from X Factor to record deals. It's a kind of dangerous trajectory. That's my opinion.
"People nowadays say, 'I want to be famous,' not: 'I want to be a musician. I want to be an actor.' The first thing on their minds is: 'I want to be famous.' You've got to be careful what you wish for." He gives a dry little chuckle.
Sting's path to success certainly came with its own ups and downs – his first marriage was an early casualty, put under strain by financial insecurity and endless touring. Of course it didn't help that Sting fell in love with a next-door neighbour while the couple were living in Bayswater, London. The neighbour's name was Trudie Styler and the first time he saw her, Sting thought she looked like "a damaged angel".
The subsequent messiness as his marriage buckled was, he says now, "a huge psychological event. My first marriage is the only thing I've ever failed at and I failed miserably." He still feels bad about it – is that because of some lingering Catholic guilt from his childhood?
He pauses. "I don't think it ever goes away, that feeling of conscience, but I think I have a conscience anyway… I don't regret my Catholic upbringing, but I really don't like certainty in spiritual matters. I find that very dangerous. You end up with massacres and you end up with 9/11. Certainty is wrong. Uncertainty is a much more sensible position."
Sting and Tomelty had another child, Fuchsia, but eventually divorced in 1984, and he went on to have four children with Trudie. Does he think he is a good father? "I wouldn't say I'm a good dad. You know, I'm a travelling musician rather than a dad. But I take my job seriously and when they need to talk to me or need a shoulder to cry on, I'm definitely there for them. And as they get older, their problems become more interesting. Young kids, I'm not that keen on, but as they get older you can actually talk to them, about relationships, about the meaning of life – now that's fun."
He admits that he "adores" being on the road. "I enjoy it. It keeps me out of trouble."
What sort of trouble would you get in otherwise? "Oh God knows. Crime…" he laughs. "I can't imagine life without working. I think one of my anxieties is the idea of doing nothing terrifies me. I love the feeling of forward momentum. It's become an addiction."
Does he think, in some ways, he is like his mother – always looking for stimulation outside the home? He ponders this. "It's very hard to stay in one place. But at the same time, I like somewhere to orbit. I like the fact there's a family home somewhere. Without that central point I think I'd go crazy, I'd spiral off into…" He leaves the thought unfinished. "My family have sort of learned to deal with it – they understand it's what Dad does. I get anxious being still. It's really a discipline to settle down." Is that why he took up yoga? "To calm me down?" He nods. "I think so."
Of course, the problem with this ceaseless wanderlust is that it does rather conflict with his stated desire to save the planet. When you combine it with the fact that Sting owns several glamorous homes in various countries and travels between them by aeroplane, you have to question how it is that he squares his carbon emissions with his 20-year-long campaign against deforestation (he and Trudie set up the Rainforest Foundation in 1989). Is he a hypocrite?
"Well that's the narrative: venal celebrities preaching to the world about climate change. The fact is none of us can help but do the wrong thing. I'm assuming you didn't come here on a donkey, right? Tomorrow, I'm going to get on a plane and go to another city and admittedly my carbon footprint is massive. At the same time, I say we shouldn't rip up the forest because if you read the Stern report, all of us could stop travelling tomorrow, industry could stop tomorrow, but the largest contribution to global warming is deforestation – by a huge, huge amount. So until we do that, we might as well just carry on."
The rain has stopped now. We sit and chat a bit more – about Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, which he recently read and loved, and about whether his phone has ever been hacked: "Probably. I'm sure Trudie's has." After a few minutes, he leaves to prepare for the evening's concert.
Later, sitting in the wings, watching Sting on stage, it is obvious that I'm in the presence of a consummate performer. He cajoles the crowd, teasing and flattering them in French. His voice expands to fill the amphitheatre. He flirts with the backing singer and the female conductor, without having to do much more than raise a judiciously timed eyebrow. He is in total command of the stage, the orchestra and the audience.
I begin to wonder whether the whole interview has simply been an extension of this performance, a further example of his ability to assume a persona in order to charm.
But then, after the show, he invites me to come back and join a few of the musicians at the hotel bar where he orders wine for everyone on his tab. He introduces me to Paul, a friend from Newcastle days whom he has known since he was 11. Paul is holidaying nearby with his wife and daughter and when Sting found out, he invited them to come and watch the gig. The friendship between the two of them is easy and affectionate and clearly genuine.
What was Sting like when he was 11, I ask Paul? "Exactly the same," he replies in a broad Geordie accent. "Exactly as he is now."
• This article was amended on 9 August 2018 to clarify that Sting's career spans well over 25 years.
Sting: The Best of 25 Years double CD is released on 24 October


text:
Welcome to the third edition of Sport & Fitness Show - the only event in Ireland which gathers fans of fitness; sport; nutrition and personal wellbeing all under one roof! At the Show being held in the RDS this coming 22nd & 23rd of February, you can experiment with new sports & fitness classes at our numerous free workshops; try out the latest products & equipment; learn about better nutrition - and if thats all too much - relax in our wellness zone!
The show is suitable for everyone - from adults to kids; amateurs to professionals -
leisure walker to avid runner, looking to learn a new sport or an outdoor adventure enthusiast, the Sports & Fitness Show has something for you
and is a great way to bolt down your good intentions for 2014!
For the second time in Ireland sporting professionals, fans, amateurs, families and even those that want to adapt a healthier lifestyle have the opportunity to sample the massive diversity of sports, products, services and heath & fitness hobbies on offer in Ireland - all under one roof. Whether you are a leisure walker or an avid runner, looking to learn a new sport or an outdoor adventure enthusiast, the Sports & Fitness Show has something for you!
Meet and greet the stars of GAA, soccer, rugby, golf and many more. Listen and learn from past pro's and the top trainers. Get involved in one of our many free work shops and learn new sports. Marvel at the sports fashion industry and pick up some bargains along the way!
Sports equipment, apparel & accessories, healthcare and nutrition products, fitness clubs and spas, sports media, training & development services, sports associations and clubs, sports educational institutions, sports services and activities & national sports associations - will descend on the capital to show you how you can improve your lifestyle.
The Sports & Fitness Show 2014 is a
must-visit for individuals, schools and
families who are interested in improving
their health & fitness.


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(CNN) -- Nadya Suleman, the single mother of newborn octuplets, is using the Internet to help support her family of 14 children. She's started a Web site seeking donations.
Nadya Suleman, a single mother of 14 children, has set up a Web site asking for donations.
The Web site features pictures of a rainbow, child's blocks and all eight of Suleman's newborns. Also prominently displayed on the Web site is a prompt for visitors to make a donation, noting that the "proud mother of 14" accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and PayPal.
Suleman, 33, had the octuplets through fertility treatments, despite already having six young children and no clear source of income.
In recent television interviews, Suleman has rejected suggestions that she might not be able to care adequately for all 14 of her children.
"I'm providing myself to my children," Nadya Suleman told NBC in her first interview. "I'm loving them unconditionally, accepting them unconditionally, everything I do. I'll stop my life for them and be present with them and hold them and be with them. And how many parents do that?" Watch report on who is paying the bills for the octuplets »
Suleman said she plans to go back to college to pursue a degree in counseling, NBC reported. She also said all 14 children have the same biological father, a sperm donor whom she described as a friend.
Joann Killeen, a spokeswoman for Suleman, has told CNN that she is being deluged with media offers, but disputed any suggestions that Suleman may have had a monetary incentive for having so many children.
Killeen, told CNN's "Larry King Live" that Suleman "has no plans on being a welfare mom and really wants to look at every opportunity that she can to make sure she can provide financially for the 14 children she's responsible for now."
Suleman's publicist did say that Suleman gets $490 every month in food stamps.


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(CNN) – Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota said Tuesday that she has recently spoken with likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney, though she did not offer an endorsement of her one-time rival.
In the appearance on CNN's "John King, USA," Bachmann said she sees the GOP coming together, and wants to be "a voice of uniting our party."
The interview will air Tuesday on CNN's "John King, USA" at 6 p.m. ET.
- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
"I'm very excited with what I'm seeing, not a lot of bumps in the road, but I'm very excited about bringing factions together," she said. "This doesn't happen overnight. We're in the process of coalescing and uniting and it's all in due time."
In mid-March, she told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the party needed to "unify and unify quickly." She said she would "back whoever the people choose."
On Tuesday, Bachmann said she recently spoke with Rick Santorum, who ended his GOP presidential run earlier this month, and Romney, though she did not divulge the nature of the conversations.
She told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King that Romney's vice presidential pick should have pro-life positions, and asked if she should be on the list, she deferred to Romney.
"Well, he'll make his decision, that's up to the governor," she said. "We trust him to make the wisest decision for our team and for our party. And we know that he'll do that."
Also see:
House election committees add millions to coffers
Romney ready for November fight: 'It's going to be fun'
She should be careful of using words like that. Most prospective base voters could misunderestimate her intent.
So the guy that she couldn't abide 3 months ago she now trusts to "make the wisest decision"? I can picture the reality show now, "Desperately Trying To Be Relevant".
Michelle please retire back home to Minnesota where people may think you're still relevant....didn't you learn anything from your poor performance as a presidential candidate? No one cares what you think, and your mouth needs to take a long vacation.
"Coagulating" might be a better word after an ugly primary season.
I see the republican party falling apart, that's why I left it. Too many crazies for me.
Michele, your party is coalescing in idiocy!
Well yes, the democrats historically have in fact been disorganized.
One only wishes they could be again so the best candidate, Hillary Clinton, could step fwd and fix all Obama has come up short on.
Why does she think anything she has to say has any relevance?
Did she really say "coalescing"? Wow, I didn't know Michele knew four-syllable words.
Coalescing ?????...........Crazy glue wouldn't even work........ It's every man for himself!!!!!!
! .
She will say anything to keep a door open for herself...for a VP pick (not because she'll be the Palin of 12), speak at republican convention or anything to stay in the camera! Please go retire, loser!
Oh puh-lease. Bachmann says she wants to be a voice to unite the GOP? Get real. She's angling to be VP or get a cabinet position. Don't do it, Mitt. Although she has more upstairs than Sarah Palin, she's still out there.
I like a party that is "coalescing" to twitch like the republicans are now. Having fine spokespeople like Bachman, Nugent and Rush, how could they be taken seriously?
She also saw herself as the nominee this year. They are not doing flips for Mitt McCain as the low voter turnout indicates.
►Bachmann sees GOP 'coalescing'◄
It's more like they are convulsing –
h ha ha ha ha ha They used to laugh and call democrats unorganized.
ha ha ha ha ha ha [sounds more like we're more tuned in "with our prize!!!"]
Compliments of GI Joe!! 🙂
Obama 2012 – The Only Trusted Way Forward!!!
She just wants to extend her 15 minutes of fame. Good bye lady.
Go away your Hater and FREAK
I hope Romney picks Bachman for VP. We all know how well a bimbo in a skirt worked for McCain.
So why then hasn't she, Palin, Santoum and Newt coalesced around Mitt and faux enraged Ann?


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Libyan officials: Suspected UK concert bomber's brother knew 'all the details' of plot
A Libyan anti-terror force that arrested the brother of the alleged Manchester bomber says he had links to the Islamic State extremist group and was aware of his brother's plans.
The Special Deterrent anti-terror force said in a statement on its Facebook page that the arrest took place in Tripoli as Hashim Abedi was receiving cash transferred from his brother, Salman.
British authorities have identified 22-year-old Salman Abedi as the suspected bomber in the attack at Manchester arena on Monday night.
The force's statement says: "The brother was aware of all the details of the terrorist attack."
The Libyan security force claimed that Hashim Abedi told authorities that both he and his brother belonged to IS.
The Facebook statement says Hashim left Britain for Libya in April.
The spokesman for a Libyan anti-terror force says the father of the alleged Manchester bomber has been arrested in Tripoli.
Special Deterrent force spokesman Ahmed bin Salem told the Associated Press that Ramadan Abedi, the father of Salman Abedi, was detained in Tripoli on Wednesday.
Bin Salem says the elder Abedi was detained for interrogations.
Before his arrest, the father told the AP that his son was innocent and had been planning a trip to Saudi Arabia for a pilgrimage.
Ramadan Abedi also had said he worked as the administrative manager of the Central Security force in Tripoli.
He said he fled Tripoli in 1993 after Moammar Gadhafi's security authorities issued an arrest warrant and eventually sought political asylum in Britain.
Salman Abedi was born in Britain in died in Monday's attack at Manchester Arena.


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English Titles & Peerages
Many of the minor plot lines in my latest Regency romantic suspense concern who could inherit a title. There is the matter of the Marquess of Malvern's losing his memory. Should the Duke of Devilfoard declare his eldest son incompetent and petition for his second son to assume control of the dukedom? Was such even legal? And what of the missing Earl of Sandahl? The original earl falls overboard on his "honeymoon" and cannot be found. Should he be declared dead? If so, who inherits? The logical answer is the second son, but that solution is not what it seems.
So, what do we know of peerages? When reading historical fiction/historical romance there are many misconceptions about titles. First thing a reader must know is not all titles are created equal. For example, a baronet may pass on his title to his heir, but he is not considered part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are some 800+ peers in modern day England whose titles may be inherited. Peers include Dukes/Duchesses, Marquesses/Marchionesses, Earls/Countesses, Viscounts/Viscountesses, and Barons/Baronesses. The law that applies to a particular British title depends upon when it was bestowed upon the family and the method of its creation.
Peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom follow English law; the difference between them is that Peerages of England were created before the Act of Union 1707, Peerages of Great Britain between 1707 and the Union with Ireland in 1800, and Peerages of the United Kingdom since 1800. Irish Peerages follow the law of the Kingdom of Ireland, which is very like English law, except no Irish peers have been created since 1898, and they have no part in the present governance of the United Kingdom. Scottish Peerage law is generally similar to English law, but differs in innumerable points of detail, often being more similar to medieval practice." (Burke's Guide to British Titles: Courtesy Titles. Burke's Peerage and Gentry. 2005)
A title may be created by a writ of summons, which means that a person is summoned to Parliament. A writ of summons is a document calling Members of the House of Lords to Parliament. Members of the Lords may not take their seats until they have obtained their writ of summons. Writs of summons are issued by direction of the Lord Chancellor from the office of the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery. New writs are issued before the meeting of each Parliament to all Lords Spiritual and Temporal who have a right to seats in the House. (Francis Palgrave (1788-1861), Parliamentary Writs and Writs of Military Summons (2 volumes, 1827 and 1834) Writs of summons set out the titles of the Sovereign and the recipient of the writ. They state the reason for Parliament's calling upon the individual.
When the Earl of Berkley died, his oldest son applied for a writ of summons to the House of Lords. The Committee on Privilege turned him down and said he and the other brothers born before 1795 were illegitimate and that the earldom had fallen to the sixteen-year-old born in 1796. The boy was too young to do anything about the matter and his oldest brother and mother ran things. When he came of age, he never put forth a claim to the earldom However, he was, by right and law, the earl so anything requiring the signature of the earl had to be signed by him. He signed responsibility over to his oldest brother, but the title itself went dormant until he died.
Titles may also be created by letters of patent. This method sets out a created peerage and names the person in question. It may limit the course of descent to the male line, with only legitimate children having a right to the title. (Scottish titles permit the "legitimacy" to be determined by a marriage, not simply a marriage at time of the birth.) Traditionally, only the peer sits in the House of Lords, but from the time of Edward IV, an heir to the title (who also held additional titles) could sit in the HOL as one of his father's subsidiary dignities. This is possible through a writ of acceleration.
Letters Patent can be amended by Act of Parliament. Likely, the two most famous examples of amending Letters were the Dukedom of Marlborough in 1706 and the Duke of Windsor in 1936.
A person who is a possible heir to a peerage is said to be "in remainder." A title becomes extinct (opposite to extant, which means alive) when all possible heirs (as provided by the letters patent) have died out, i.e., there is nobody in remainder at the death of the holder. A title becomes dormant if nobody has claimed the title or if no claim has been satisfactorily proven. A title goes into abeyance if there is more than one person equally entitled to be the holder.
In the past, peerages were sometimes forfeit or attainted under Acts of Parliament, most often as the result of treason on the part of the holder. The blood of an attainted peer was considered "corrupted," consequently his or her descendants could not inherit the title. If all descendants of the attainted peer were to die out, however, then an heir from another branch of the family not affected by the attainder could take the title. The Forfeiture Act 1870 abolished corruption of blood; instead of losing the peerage, a peer convicted of treason would be disqualified from sitting in Parliament for the period of imprisonment.
Nothing prevents a British peerage from being held by a foreign citizen (although such peers cannot sit in the House of Lords). Several descendants of George III were British peers and German subjects; the Lords Fairfax of Cameron were American citizens for several generations.
"Hereditary peers do not have the automatic right to a writ of summons to the House. Irish peerages may not be disclaimed. A peer who disclaims the peerage loses all titles, rights and privileges associated with the peerage; his wife or her husband is similarly affected. No further hereditary peerages may be conferred upon the person, but life peerages may be. The peerage remains without a holder until the death of the peer making the disclaimer, when it descends normally." (Hereditary Peers) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereditary_peer
So what can a person do if he does not wish to accept the title? He could simply refuse to take up the title or touch the money. Technically he'd still be the title's holder, but to have the full title and honors he must be confirmed before Parliament, and all the legal stuff has to be done to ensure he is the correct heir. He can simply not claim the title and not style himself by the title, but it remains it place at his disposal. The person does not need to send in the writ of summons to the House of Lords, and he can refuse to use the title, but someone must care for the property, and no one else may claim the title while he is alive. He can also do something drastic, such as commit treason, in which case he and his family would be stripped of the title, but no one would recommend such a step. It would be easier simply not to claim the title.
Like it or not, the heir cannot be disinherited to prevent his assuming the title. If there is a living person and the lawful successor to a title, he cannot be displaced unless convicted of a crime. During the Regency there was no way to disclaim a peerage except by not using it and not sending in a request for a seat in the House of Lords.
About Angel Comes to the Devil's Keep
Huntington McLaughlin, the Marquess of Malvern, wakes in a farmhouse, after a head injury, being tended by an ethereal "angel," who claims to be his wife. However, reality is often deceptive, and Angelica Lovelace is far from innocent in Hunt's difficulties. Yet, there is something about the woman that calls to him as no other ever has. When she attends his mother's annual summer house party, their lives are intertwined in a series of mistaken identities, assaults, kidnappings, overlapping relations, and murders, which will either bring them together forever or tear them irretrievably apart. As Hunt attempts to right his world from problems caused by the head injury that has robbed him of parts of his memory, his best friend, the Earl of Remmington, makes it clear that he intends to claim Angelica as his wife. Hunt must decide whether to permit her to align herself with the earldom or claim the only woman who stirs his heart–and if he does the latter, can he still serve the dukedom with a hoydenish American heiress at his side?
An early review
Angel Comes to Devil's Keep is a well-written tale of courage and sacrifice and what women went through in order to marry well in Regency England. The author did her homework and it shows in an authenticity that we don't often see in Regency romances.
Pre-orders available now
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Leave a comment below to be eligible for an eBook copy of Angel Comes to the Devil's Keep (Book 1 of the Twins' Trilogy). The giveaway ends at midnight EDT, August 7, 2016.
About the Author
Regina Jeffers, a public classroom teacher for thirty-nine years, considers herself a Jane Austen enthusiast. She is the author of several Austen-inspired novels, including Darcy's Passions, Darcy's Temptation, Vampire Darcy's Desire, Captain Wentworth's Persuasion, The Phantom of Pemberley, Christmas at Pemberley, The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy, Honor and Hope, and The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy. She also writes Regency romances: The Scandal of Lady Eleanor, A Touch of Velvet, A Touch of Cashémere, A Touch of Grace, A Touch of Mercy, A Touch of Love, and The First Wives' Club. A Time Warner Star Teacher and Martha Holden Jennings Scholar, Jeffers often serves as a consultant in language arts and media literacy. Currently living outside Charlotte, North Carolina, she spends her time with her writing, gardening, and her adorable grandchildren.
Website • Blog • AustenAuthors • Twitter • Facebook


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Help your child get started graphing with these fun, colorful graphing activities. This stylish worksheets takes the stress out of math by bringing your child into the equation and making math a hands-on experiment. This activity will also help develop critical-thinking and decision-making skills!
Find the rest of the Cut-Out Graph series here.


text: Back All About Kidney Stones A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in the kidney out of substances normally dissolved in the urine. Each year, about 1 million people in the United States are diagnosed with the disorder. Kidney stones are more common in Caucasians than in African-Americans. They typically strike between age 20 and 40. Once a person gets one stone, he or she is more likely to develop others. Repeated stone attacks can affect kidneys. How stones form The urinary tract consists of kidneys, two bean-shaped organs about the size of your fist; two narrow muscular tubes, the ureters, which drain urine from each kidney into the bladder; the bladder, which temporarily stores urine; and the urethra, the tube that empties urine from the bladder. The kidneys make urine by removing extra water and waste from the blood stream. They also maintain the balance of certain chemicals in the bloodstream. Kidney stones form from chemicals in urine, such as calcium, oxalate, and phosphate. They begin as crystals that build up inside the kidney. Crystals that remain small can pass from the body undetected through the urine. But, if they grow larger and become stones, they can become lodged in the ureter and block the flow of urine, causing infection and pain. About 75 percent of kidney stones contain calcium, in combination with either oxalate or phosphate. A less common type of stone is caused by urinary tract infections. It is known as a struvite, or an infection stone, and is made of magnesium ammonium phosphate. Struvite stones make up about 10 to 15 percent of kidney stones. About 10 percent of the remaining stones are made of uric acid, which is formed from purine, a nitrogen compound found in protein, and made in the liver. Less than 3 percent of stones are made of the amino acid cystine. Stones can range from a grain of sand to golf ball size. Salts in the urine The underlying causes of kidney stones are not entirely known, although some people are genetically predisposed to form stones. But a key factor in the process is super-saturation of the salts carried in the urine (calcium oxalate, uric acid, and cystine). The concentration of these salts can increase when urine volume is decreased or the levels of the salts are increased. When the concentration reaches a point at which the salts no longer dissolve, they form crystals. Normally, the urine contains chemicals such as magnesium, citrate, pyrophosphate, and various proteins and enzymes that prevent the formation of crystals, or prevent crystals from sticking to the inner surface of the kidney. The most common causes of kidney stones are gastrointestinal disease, kidney disease, urinary tract infections, and a metabolic disorder such as hyperparathyroidism. In other words, changes in the way a person's body metabolizes food and drink lead to an increased likelihood of developing crystals and, in turn, stone disease. Kidney stones also tend to run in families. Other causes Rare disorders that can cause kidney stones include renal tubular acidosis, sometimes a hereditary disease; cystinuria (crystals of cystine form) and hyperoxaluria (crystals of oxalate form). Absorptive hypercalciuria is a condition in which the body absorbs too much calcium from food and excretes the extra calcium into the urine. This extra calcium forms crystals, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Chronic dehydration also increases the risk of forming stones. Kidney stones are more common in people with hypertension, hyperuricosuria (a disorder of uric acid metabolism). Stones are also common in people with gout, and in those who consume too much vitamin D and have a blockage or infection of the urinary tract. Some diuretics or calcium-based antacids may increase the risk of kidney stones because they boost the amount of calcium in the urine. In addition, people who have inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) or who have had an intestinal bypass or ostomy surgery may be at risk for stones. Making a diagnosis Unfortunately, there are no true "warning signs" for kidney stones. Small stones are usually passed unnoticed. Large stones often remain undetected until they become lodged in the ureter and the person has severe and sudden pain in the back or lower abdomen. The pain is usually described as a sharp and cramping pain in the back, the side, or in the lower abdomen. The pain may spread to the groin. There may also be blood in the urine, nausea, and/or vomiting. If the stone is too large to pass, the muscles of the ureter tighten trying to squeeze the stone into the bladder. Fever or chills mean there is an infection. Most kidney stones can be diagnosed by an X-ray. A sonogram can also spot a stone. These images tell the doctor the stone's size and location. Blood and urine tests help detect any abnormal substance that might promote stone formation. The doctor may decide to scan the urinary system using a CT scan or a special X-ray test called an intravenous pyelogram (IVP). The results of these tests and the others above help determine the appropriate treatment. Getting the stone out For the vast majority of stone sufferers, treatment means allowing the stone to pass naturally. Your doctor may give you medication for pain relief, and then add fluids until the ureter builds up enough pressure to push the stone out. If the stone hasn't passed in eight to 12 hours, a urologist may be called in to push the stone back to the kidney so it can be broken up. For stones that don't pass on their own, alternative treatments are used. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) directs shock waves through the skin and body tissue toward the stone. The shock waves break the stone into small fragments that can pass from the body in the urine. For stones too large or unable to be reached with ESWL, doctors may use percutaneous stone removal. With this procedure, a surgeon makes a small incision in the person's back and creates a tunnel to the kidney. The stone is then removed through a nephroscope. If the stone is very large, the surgeon can insert an energy probe to break it into smaller pieces and remove the fragments. Ureteroscopic stone removal is another procedure, but it requires no incision. Instead, the surgeon inserts a fiber optic instrument into the urethra and the bladder and then runs it into the ureter. After the stone is located, it's removed with a cage-like basket device or shattered with laser beams or shock waves. Often, a stent is placed in the ureter to keep the tube dilated and ease passing of the fragments. 100 ounces of prevention The best treatment for kidney stones is to avoid developing them in the first place. If you've had a kidney stone in the past, you are likely to form another. That's why prevention is important. NIDDK says the therapy your doctor gives you depends on the type of stone you have. For example, a medicine that helps prevent calcium stones will not work if you have a struvite stone. The diet changes that help prevent uric acid stones may have no effect on calcium stones. Therefore, careful analysis of the stone will help guide your treatment. If you are overweight, losing weight may help. The most important part of prevention is getting plenty of fluids. This dilutes the urine, which, in turn, triggers increased urination. More trips to the bathroom help remove excess chemicals from the urine and kidneys, lowering the chances of stone formation. Kidney specialists recommend that people drink at least 100 ounces of fluid every day. Their drink of choice? Water. Water is available to everyone and has the added benefit of being very inexpensive. People who form kidney stones were once told to avoid dairy products and other foods that contained a lot of calcium. Recent studies have shown that foods high in calcium actually help prevent stones, according to the NIDDK. Calcium supplements, however, may increase the risk of developing stones. Eat less protein For some people, decreasing the amount of protein, especially protein from meat, in their diet may help prevent stones. Protein can increase uric acid, calcium, and oxalates in the urine and reduces citrate. People at risk for uric acid stones may benefit from decreasing their intake of foods that contain purines. These foods include sardines, yeast, and organ meats. People who absorb an increased amount of oxalate should avoid drinking large amounts of tea, which contains high levels of oxalate, and decrease or stop intake of alcohol. Other foods to avoid include chocolate, beets, coffee, cola, nuts, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, and wheat bran. Medication may be prescribed to help prevent kidney stones. The drugs control the amount of substances in the urine that form crystals (for hypercalciuria, for instance), or prevent the infections that can lead to stone growth (for struvite stones, for instance). You should also limit your daily sodium intake. Salt is another chemical that must leave the body through the urine, and the more chemicals that are in the urine, the more likely you are to form a stone. Are you at risk? Conditions that may increase the chance of developing kidney stones: A family history of stone formation An inherited condition that causes the body to absorb too much calcium A low level of citrate in the urine, which may contribute to calcium stones Overactive parathyroid glands Urinary tract infections Gout Bowel disease High blood pressure


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I'm not all that happy with this upgrade to Family Tree Maker 2012. There are many things I like about it, but the whole reason I paid for the upgrade was because I was very excited about having my Ancestry.com tree sync with the tree on my computer in my Family Tree Maker program.
More and more of my family has become involved with working on our lineage and I wanted all of our information to be on Ancestry.com so family members can keep up with progress, but have my tree in my computer, for reports and such.
Supposedly, I can sync my trees with Family Tree Maker 2012. That doesn't seem to be the case for me.
First problem that I encountered was I couldn't sync the tree I already had on Ancestry.com to the tree I already had on Family Tree Maker. You can only upload one and then sync it, or download your tree from Ancestry and sync it.
My dilemma with that was, I had about 350 more people on my Family Tree Maker program that I did on my Ancestry Tree. Since I have spent many hours connecting my Ancestry tree to other family members, photo's and other information, I didn't want to lose those connection's by uploading a new tree.
Thinking I had no choice, because I didn't want to have to reenter all the people and their information, I downloaded my Ancestry.com tree and I merged it to my tree in Family Tree Maker. Then I spent days cleaning up the mess that it caused. Then I uploaded that tree to Ancestry, creating tree number two on my account just so I could sync my tree.
Nightmare number two commenced. Pictures went everywhere, sources got linked to multiple people they didn't belong to, so on and so on. So, I started working on cleaning up that mess. Then about day two, the tree stopped syncing. After countless emails to Ancestry, their solution – keep trying.
I gave up. After three days.
Ancestry.com support says "Keep Trying". That's what the program tells me as well. That however, is not helping me one iota.
Not to be beaten by a program, I decided to download my original tree because I really didn't want to lose those connections anyway, and I spent another two days adding the 350 people who weren't in this tree, and the syncing worked fine.
Until two days ago. I got the error message again, and still today, it will not sync. I'm not sure why I thought I could go to bed and it would work fine today, but it is what it is.
So, Ancestry.com and Family Tree Maker people, listen up!! You better do something besides tell me to keep on trying, or I will discontinue the $30 a month I am currently sending you. I'm not wasting any more of my life trying to make your program work.
Neither of the two trees I have spent the past week and a half working on will sync at all.
Am I the only one that is having this problem?? I would really like to hear from some other Family Tree Maker users.


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It's been a few days now that Facebook has been showing me sponsored posts about Betsey Johnson's Vandi pumps & each time I spot them, I take a moment to admire their femininity & flair. I usually get annoyed by sponsored posts (because I don't like how social media tracks when I'm searching & then it appears EVERYWHERE). However, in this case, I haven't searched the brand, nor have I been seeking out strappy high sandals like these, but I find them downright delightful & lovely.
SHOP: black multi Vandi pump & fuschia Vandi pump @Betsey Johnson.
They're beyond my budget & not realistic for my current lifestyle & footwear needs, but they sure are pretty! thump thump…I imagine styling them with a little black dress, floral fit & flair frock, or even with a colorful blouse & skinny jeans. These are shoes for serious Style Darlings who love to add that extra special touch to every outfit & if they landed on my doorstep (in a size 8), I wouldn't bat an eye at finding an occasion to wear them.
What shoes are you dreaming about? Where are you splurging this summer? What's your favorite style of dress shoe? For more stylish posts, check out these affordable summer totes, the prettiest pendant necklaces of the summer, & Victoria Beckham's neon Balenciaga shoes! Happy Styling!