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PHOTOS: New face of chimpanzee attack victim revealed
The new face of a Connecticut woman who was mauled by a chimpanzee two years ago was revealed for the first time Thursday in photos showing a startling transformation.
The pictures of Charla Nash were first shown on NBC's "Today" show and in Hearst Connecticut Newspapers on Thursday morning. They were later released by Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where she had face transplant surgery in May.
Nash, 57, didn't appear on "Today" because relatives said she was too weak to do an interview. In a statement released by the hospital, Nash thanked all the doctors, nurses and other medical experts who helped her over the past two years.
"I will now be able to do things I once took for granted," Nash said in the statement. "I will be able to smell. I will be able to eat normally. I will no longer be disfigured. I will have lips and will speak clearly once again. I will be able to kiss and hug loved ones. I am tremendously grateful to the donor and her family."
The show aired footage of Nash in a hospital bed, nodding to visitors, her face smooth and features appearing nearly normal.
"Today" also reported that Nash was able to eat eggs with cream cheese after the transplant — the first solid food she's had since the attack.
Nash, who's now living in a Boston-area nursing home, was attacked in February 2009 by a neighbor's 200-pound pet chimpanzee, which went berserk after its owner asked Nash to help lure it back into her house in Stamford, Conn. The animal, named Travis, ripped off Nash's nose, lips, eyelids and hands before being shot to death by police.
Nash was left with no eyes and only a small opening where her mouth once was. She could only eat pureed food, and she was barely understandable when she talked.
In late May, she underwent a full face and double hand transplant in Boston. She received skin, underlying muscles, blood vessels, nerves, a hard palate and teeth from a dead person who hasn't been named. It was the third full face transplant in the U.S.
But doctors later had to remove the hands because of complications that developed when Nash caught pneumonia. Nash said she's hoping to attempt another double hand transplant one day.
Asked by "Today" what she would say to the donor's family, Nash's daughter, Brianna, said she'd tell them how grateful she is.
"What they've done for us is just so amazing," she said. "This has really given my mom the hope to move forward, a chance at a life again."
Nash's family is suing the estate of the chimpanzee's owner, Sandra Herold, for $50 million and wants to sue the state for $150 million, claiming officials failed to prevent the attack. Herold died last year of an aneurysm.
Nash's brother, Steve Nash, told The Associated Press that his sister has maintained a positive outlook since the mauling, and the family hopes she can get the double hand transplant in about six months. She also has only a top row of teeth and doctors are planning to install a lower row soon, he said.
"It's brought my sister to a better quality of life. It makes you feel good, and we're very thankful," Steve Nash said about the face transplant. "She's preparing the best she can to be a blind person."


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Wikipedia v. Britannica: This time it's personal
September 14, 2006 at 9:27 am Peter Bromberg 4 comments
Get thee over to the Wall Street Journal and read this gloves-off (you know, in a genteel way) debate between Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, and Dale Hoiberg, editor-in-chief of Britannica. Here's a taste:
Mr. Hoiberg: No, we don't publish rough drafts. We want our articles to be correct before they are published. We stand behind our process, based on trained editors and fact-checkers, more than 4,000 experts, and sound writing. Our model works well. Wikipedia is very different, but nothing in their model suggests we should change what we do.
Mr. Wales: Fitting words for an epitaph… …We are open and transparent and eager to help people find criticisms of us. Disconcerting and unusual, I know. But, well, welcome to the Internet.
Personally, it took me a while to get to the point where I feel a fair level of trust in the quality of Wikipedia. I think Wales has done an excellent job of creating a system that maximizes the benefits of open source collaboration, while minimizing the drawback and dangers of having too much openness. I'm reminded of the brilliant article Clay Shirkey wrote a few years ago, "A Group is it's own worst enemy". Shirkey, building off of the concepts expressed by psychologist W.R. Bion in his seminal work,"Experiences in Groups", wrote,
Group structure is necessary to defend the group from itself. Group structure exists to keep a group on target, on track, on message, on charter, whatever. To keep a group focused on its own sophisticated goals and to keep a group from sliding into these basic [destructive] patterns. Group structure defends the group from the action of its own members. (emphasis is mine, pjb)
I remember being struck by Bion's work when I first read him in a college psych class, but Shirkey really brings it home. Although Shirkey is mostly focusing on social software, the concepts expressed in "Own Worst Enemy" are applicable well beyond that topic, and you might find yourself reflecting on the structure and health of your library (or your Bridge club, or your — um, make that OUR — government). Geek confession: I keep a copy of Shirkey's article in a "Ponderables" binder on my night table and re-read it regularly.
But I digress. Point is, Wales has done a great job of keeping Wikipedia from being it's own worst enemy, and I've seriously warmed up to Wikipedia as a trusted source.
Entry filed under: Information literacy, Internet, Reference, Research, Search Tools. Tags: Peter, Wikipedia.
4 Comments
I don't have time to verify all the facts on something I read on Wikipedia or any other Internet source. I need a Britannica that I can go to and be assured that they have checked the facts as closely as possible.
The problem with Wikipedia is that it is yet to be seen if it is a sustainable model. Sure it works now (kind of, in theory) but already there are cracks to been seen.
Not too many years ago, people felt that human edited directories online were the wave of the future. Now Yahoo has abandoned theirs and DMOZ is full of corruption and suffering from a serious lack of motivated volunteers.
Right now, people are excited about wikipedia and are more than happy to help out for little or no pay.
Once the honeymoon is over, and the vultures move in to capitalise on the fact that wikipedia ranks on page #1 in all search engines for a great many phrases (and therefore genterates an incredible amout of traffic for anyone blessed enough to get a link on the page), I am not so sure the model will hold up. Actually, I am 100% sure the model will not hold up.
Trolls and gold diggers will tear it apart once the next latest and greatest thing comes along to distract people.
All one needs to do in order to get a real sense of the reliability and quality of many of the Wikipedia entries is read the discussion page for some of the articles. Especially, pay attention to the articles on which have been placed notes for disputed facts, uncited references or even grammatical shortcomings — the discussion is earnest and well thought out. Not to mention, the discussion often provides the exact sort of information one might be looking for concerning critical commentary on certain topics. (I for one find these pages the true gems if Wikipedia). The wikipedia community is icredibly active and protective of the integrity of the information across the entire site and I only see this intensifying as it grows.
The comparisons between Encyclopaedia Britannica and Wikipedia are very interesting.
Encyclopaedia Britannica never thought that an open source product like Wikipedia would seriously challenge the credibility of its brand. They were wrong and Encyclopaedia Britannica's staff seriously misread the global market. They are now very concerned about the widespread use of a free Wikipedia vs their paid subscription model. Industry analysis shows that the accuracy of both encyclopedic databases is similar.
It is interesting that Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is developing a new search engine. It is the combination of a) improved search engines and b) the success of Wikipedia that has put financial pressure on Encyclopedia Britannica over recent years. Many institutions and individuals are questioning the need to pay to subscribe to Encyclopaedia Britannica when the content is free on the internet. Google even has free direct links to Encyclopaedia Britannica's main database !!

subset: commoncrawl


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Tuesdays with Dorie: Sweet Cream BiscuitsApril 20, 2010 at 1:01 am | Posted in biscuits/scones, breakfast things, groups, tuesdays with dorie | 25 Comments
If I've learned anything from this week's TWD, it's that I make lousy biscuits. Well, let me clear that up…these Sweet Cream Biscuits (chosen by Melissa of Love At First Bite for TWD) tasted good, especially topped with some homemade strawberry-vanilla bean smoosh, but they were not the high, flaky biscuits of my dreams. Overworking must have been the culprit, although after seven years of baking professionally, I like to think that I know when to stop.
But I won't let you get me down, biscuits. No, no…I will master you yet. You just wait and see.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Love At First Bite. Don't forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
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With all the problems folks are having with biscuits not rising, I'm wondering if baking powder might be the culprit. I remember reading that baking powder does not keep and you should toss it after 6 months. I've started writing a date on my can of baking powder when I open it.
Comment by Peggy— April 20, 2010 #
I think yours look great. I loved these and wonder if mine would seem heavy and flat to other people? I work them very little, just quickly pat them into shape rather than bother with a rolling pin, and then get them right in the oven.
Comment by Carol Peterman— April 20, 2010 #
They may not be sky high, but your biscuit is making my mouth water something fierce.
Isn't it funny how even when you bake for a living, some things never turn out right for you? Whenever I make sugar cookies at home, I find them highly disappointing. For some reason they just aren't something I seem capable of making well in my own kitchen. Oh well.
Comment by Pinky— April 20, 2010 #
So I know I'm really late to this conversation but I hadn't been to your site in a while and was catching up (I love it by the way!). I love this recipe but it took some work. I've found that cutting the bisucits extra thick (I normally double the batch), adding a little extra baking powder, and letting them sit and rise for 30 minutes (I also always brush them with heavy cream and sift powdered sugar over them) before baking — it's made all the difference for me. They end up rising beautifully! It took a couple tries but these have become my favorite, go-to biscuit recipe.
Comment by Emily— May 31, 2010 #
I may be missing it, but where is the strawberry-vanilla bean smoosh recipe? It looks fabulous!
Comment by Kelsey— November 2, 2010 #
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text: Dr Arjun accidentally lands in a situation where he has to cure heart diseases of 22 kids for free. The hospital management, which was not happy with this idea, refuses to support him rather demands him to send all those children back because the institution is to make profit and not to do social service. However, Arjun's girlfriend and her brother bring the dead body of a don to his hospital to save their own lives. The don's brother played by Raju Thalikoti, who does not know that his elder one is dead, pleads the doctor to save his brother and claims that he is ready to do anything for him. The remaining part should be seen on-screen.


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Brunch at Ceia in Newburyport, MA.
Newburyport, MA. One of my favorite places in Massachusetts. This quaint town is less than an hour outside of Boston, directly on the water, and hosts streets of adorable, independent shops that sell everything from luxury clothing, to handmade soaps, to Continue reading Brunch at Ceia in Newburyport, MA.


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Mahogany Chicken
Just rub the skin with salt and pepper, then brush with the luscious glaze during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
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- Yields:
- 4
- Cook Time:
- 1 hr 15 mins
- Total Time:
- 1 hr 30 mins
- 1 chicken
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp. dry vermouth
- Fresh oregano and rosemary
- Step 1Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove giblets and neck from chicken; refrigerate for use another day. Rinse chicken and drain well.
- Step 2With chicken breast-side up, lift wings up toward neck, then fold them under back of chicken so they stay in place. With string, tie legs together.
- Step 3Place chicken, breast-side up, on rack in small roasting pan; rub with salt and pepper. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of thigh, next to body, being careful that pointed end of thermometer does not touch bone.
- Step 4Roast chicken 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare glaze: In small bowl, stir brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and vermouth until sugar dissolves.
- Step 5After chicken has roasted 45 minutes, brush with some glaze. Turn oven control to 400 degrees F and roast chicken 30 minutes longer, brushing with glaze twice more during roasting, until chicken is a deep brown color, thermometer reaches 180 degrees F, and juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with tip of knife. Place chicken on warm large platter; let stand 15 minutes for easier carving.
- Step 6Meanwhile, add 1/4 cup water to roasting pan; over medium heat, heat to boiling, stirring to loosen brown bits. Remove pan from heat; skim and discard fat. Serve chicken with pan juices. Garnish with fresh herbs.
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The lack of coordination between OfQual and DFE in relation to exams reform is so frustrating. Two major mid-stream announcements have put lots of schools in a difficult position, essentially having to decide between their students' individual exam successes or the school's overall performance. We're reducing exam preparation to a matter of tactics rather than teaching, learning and assessment.
My daughter is one of many thousands of students who will now be caught up in the maelstrom.
Her school has opted to enter all Y11s for English Language in November because they did their Speaking and Listening assessments in Y10 and it's the last chance for them to count. However, the premise was that it was a no-risk decision because students who did not deliver their target grades could resit in June. Now that has changed.
Well, actually, it hasn't changed for the students. If they need another go in June, they can take it again. But, for the school's performance measures, it's now a question of making a tactical decision: stick to November, to use the S&L or go for June and teach them all for longer.
It's a right old mess. In truth, I wish they hadn't ever switched to the November sitting…it's always struck me as foolish to make tactical decisions of this kind in a hurry. But now, as a parent, I want the school to stick with November…but not because I feel the speaking and listening will make much difference. In my daughter's case I think her Controlled Assessment and exam performance are more or less aligned..with or without S&L, she'll get the same grade. I want them to stick with November because she's already working towards it and the message given by changing, given that she could well resit, would be the wrong one. It wouldn't be fair. Schools should just take the hit, and let the students get on with it.
We'll see what happens. So far they have a 'mock exam' arranged for tomorrow. Sounds like a filtering process to decide on the November entries. Another rational tactical move, but rather unsettling.
But why are we here? It isn't necessarily a popular view in the blogosphere but I think there are sound reasons for both of the decisions in principle.
With speaking and listening, I don't doubt that OfQual's evidence base is such that the profile of marks across the country has compromised the integrity of that component of the exam. There are some wild inconsistencies…and if the grades would lose credibility then action needs to be taken to restore it. Basically the moderation processes aren't robust enough and it's become too easy to prep students to get inflated good scores.
People are concerned about the potential damage to the value given to S&L in the curriculum..and I understand that. However, I think it is akin to practical work in science. Practical work is supremely important but I still don't think it should be part of the exam…actually, practical work is better when it isn't examined. It is just part of the learning. The ISAs are like S&L…it's quite easy to get students a solid baseline score..but the mark range is very narrow, making grading very precarious.
With multiple entry, again, I think it is a good call to introduce a major disincentive as the DFE has just done. The argument about allowing students the opportunity to achieve success is fair but unfortunately, again, the pattern of school behaviour has distorted the whole system. It's a simple truth that standards are determined by the performance of a whole cohort on a particular test. If certain students have multiple attempts and the others don't, the whole structure of the assessment is distorted. It's like giving half the long-jump field more jumps than the others. All students would benefit from taking a test twice or three times and using their best score. But when standards are set using this information, and some students only have one attempt, they are at a significant disadvantage. It has to be the same for all, within any exam series. It's naive to think that multiple entry is OK for some students but won't affect anyone else; there are winners and losers.
HOWEVER… Both of these changes have been introduced in a fashion that is inappropriate. DFE and OfQual should have got together (with OfSTED in the room too!) to look at the concerns that have emerged in recent times, to plan a proper set of reforms. They should have consulted widely, flagging changes to be implemented ahead of the next exam series. That would have built trust and confidence whilst also allowing schools to give coherent information to students with appropriate curriculum plans in place.
As it is, we've got guessing, tactical maneuvering, and a fair bit of gambling. The stakes are too high for that.
UPDATE: A final comment: I must admit I have been surprised by reactions this week that indicate how ubiquitous early entry is as a strategy, done in order to give students two attempts at the exam. I don't doubt that this is done with students' best interests at heart and with an eye on making RAISE look as positive as possible (which the whole school benefits from) BUT… now students are paying the price. Grades are derived at least in part from patterns of attainment across the cohort. If large numbers of students, but not all, take an exam twice within one series, the exam outcomes will be distorted. Students will fall from C to D somewhere, just as often as students push up from D to C. It was never going to be a sustainable strategy.
We need a system where all students take the exams in a similar pattern within each series, with opportunities to continue to improve in the next series. Meanwhile, all efforts should go into classroom practice instead of exam entry tactics; that's the only legitimate route to genuine improvement in standards. Shoot me down from my lofty perch for saying it, but I think that's true.


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Thank Baby Jesus for Stephen King: his new horror miniseries is almost the only thing on television that's not Christmassy this week. The Christmas specials do include some fun new episodes of Adventure Time, Eureka and Warehouse 13, though. And American Horror Story is ramping up to its shocking season finale with more rubber-suited insanity.
Plus some of the holiday-themed badness will at least be amusing. Like a TV movie about Santa's daughter discovering that "it's hard to tell the difference between naughty and nice." And another TV movie where Colonel Tigh defeats an evil snowglobe. Here's how to make the most of holiday TV this week.
Cartoon Network has Christmas-themed episodes of its usual Monday night cartoons, starting with Johnny Test at 7 PM, in which:
Johnny has to move from the "naughty" to the "nice" side of the list if he wants to get the extreme snowball making machine he wants for Christmas.
That's followed at 7:30 by a new Amazing World of Gumball. Then at 8 PM, there's a special half-hour episode of Adventure Time, "Holly, Jolly Secrets":
Finn and Jake try to discover the Ice King's evil secrets before he finds them.
Watch a brand new Adventure Time clip above. That's followed by a new Mad at 8:30.
Syfy has the second half of its Neverland miniseries at 9 PM, in which we finally get to see how Peter becomes "Peter Pan." What did you think of part one last night?
And then at 10 PM, Science has a new episode of Meteorite Men.
Syfy is airing holiday episodes of Eureka, Warehouse 13 and Haven tonight. First up, on Eureka:
The quaint town of geniuses is transformed into animated versions of themselves. Sheriff Carter (Colin Ferguson) and Allison Blake (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) are secretly planning the perfect holiday surprise for their kids. But a mysterious kaleidoscopic wave of color crashes over Eureka, leaving the entire town and its inhabitants animated...
Emmy-Award winner Jim Parsons is set to voice Carter's long put-on Jeep, who's had enough of his owner's cavalier attitude towards him. Edward James Olmos will voice Rudy, the leader of a pack of sled dogs who befriends Deputy Andy. Chris Parnell also guest stars as Dr. Noah Drummer, reprising his role from last year's Christmas special. Matt Frewer will be featured as an animated, altered version of himself, and helps Jo (Erica Cerra) make an important realization about her tough-girl personality.
And then at 9 PM, Warehouse 13 has a new holiday episode, "The Greatest Gift."
Pete inadvertently activates an artifact that creates an alternate reality where he never existed. To restore reality as he knows it, Pete must track down his friends, who have new lives and no memory of him.
I watched it the other day and it's pretty fun. You can read our interview with star Joanne Kelly here.
And finally at 10 PM, there's a brand new Haven on Syfy, "Silent Night":
Everyone in Haven thinks it's Christmas, even though it's July. No one seems to notice that it's the wrong time of year except for Audrey Parker. She has to work to try and set things right, especially when people start disappearing into thin air.
At 10 PM, there's another new American Horror Story on FX, "Smouldering Children." There are just a couple episodes left this season! Here's what to expect:
While Violet learns more about the Murder House, the police interrogate Constance and the true story of Larry's burns is presented.
A second option at 10 PM: a new Psych on USA, "The Tao of Gus."
And then there's also a new episode of Brad Meltzer's Decoded at 10 PM on the History Channel, entitled "2012: Has It Begun?" (To which the obvious answer is: No, not for another few weeks.)
Community is a dwindling resource on NBC. This week at 8 PM, the show does a special glee club episode.
Or you could also watch The Big Bang Theory on CBS, in which Leonard faces his high school bully.
At 9 PM, the latest Person of Interest actually focuses on the show's most interesting character: Detective Carter. In "Get Carter":
WHEN CARTER'S LIFE IS PUT IN JEOPARDY, REESE AND FINCH MUST PROTECT HER WITHOUT GETTING CAUGHT. Reese and Finch's game of cat and mouse with Detective Carter becomes infinitely more complicated when The Machine declares that she is their newest POI.
And at 10 PM, on a special night, NBC has a new Grimm — the show's done well on Friday nights, so they're probably trying it out on a more high-profile time slot.
A MORBID DISCOVERY AT A LOCAL PREP SCHOOL LEADS NICK TO A TROUBLED MUSIC PRODIGY WITH A SECRET — Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank's (Russell Hornsby) investigation of a dead high school teacher leads them to the school's outcast, Roddy. Nick realizes that there's more to Roddy than meets the eye, and enlists Monroe's (Silas Weir Mitchell) help to get through to the troubled teenager before he exacts revenge on the students who wronged him. Meanwhile, Nick learns that his presence is beginning to affect the creature world.
Also at 10 PM, there's another Burn Notice on USA. Plus there's more Beavis and Butthead on MTV.
Cartoon Network's Friday evening programming starts early, with a new Secret Mountain Fort Awesome at 5:30 PM. There's a new Generator Rex at 6 PM, "Phantom of the Soap Opera." Then there's a new Ben 10: Ultimate Alien at 7:30 PM. But no Clone Wars or comic book superhero shows tonight.
Then at 8 PM, NBC has one of the last episodes of Chuck, "Chuck Vs. The Hack-Off."
AN UNDERCOVER MISSION AT A BIZARRE CULT RECONNECTS CHUCK WITH HIS HACKER PAST — CARRIE-ANNE MOSS, BEAU GARRETT AND DANNY PUDI GUEST STAR — DIRECTED BY ZACHARY LEVI — A mission to track down a computer super virus leads Chuck (Zachary Levi) to return to his roots as a hacker — and to call on his biggest competition, Gertrude Verbanksi (guest star Carrie-Anne Moss), for help. Elsewhere, a new Buy More employee (guest star Danny Pudi) complicates Jeff (Scott Krinsky) and Lester's (Vik Sahay) friendship.
Also at 8:30 PM, Disney has a new A.N.T. Farm, the show about supergeniuses in high school.
There's a second episode of Grimm at 9 PM on NBC, "The Three Bad Wolves."
Then at 10, there's the season finale of Onion News Network on IFC.
Also at 10 PM, there's a new Sanctuary on Syfy, "Acolyte."
And at 11 PM on G4, there's a new episode of X-Men Anime, "Lost."
The Hallmark Channel is having yet another horrendous holiday-themed movie, Annie Claus is Coming to Town. Here's what to expect:
Santa's daughter (Maria Thayer) takes her first trip away from the North Pole during the Christmas season hoping to find adventure and love in sunny California. While Santa watches his daughter through a magic snow globe, Annie arrives in L.A. and becomes friends with the owner of Candy Cane Inn, Lucy (Vivica Fox), and her daughter, Mia (Nay Nay Kirby, "Dance Flick"). She also quickly lands a job at Wonderland Toys. Wonderland Toys' owner, Ted (Page) is struggling to stay in business selling old-fashioned toys in a digital world. Annie soon realizes that she wants Ted's business to thrive because she has feelings for this Christmas traditionalist.
Annie also knows that when she finds her true love, she and her mate will move back to the North Pole to take over the family business. But Santa isn't the only one watching Annie through the looking glass. So is a senior Santa Elf who himself wants to inherit the Ho Ho Ho of Holidays, so much so that he hires a Hollywood actor to feign affection for Annie. Although Annie temporarily falls for the imposter, she realizes there is something about Ted that is unforgettable. Will Annie's choice make her Christmas — and everyone else's — merry and bright?
At 9 PM, BBC America has another new Primeval, in which:
The exhausted ARC team struggle to cope as more anomalies are opening. As the whole team lets Lester in on the secrets of Matt's mission, they're interrupted by worrying news – anomalies are opening everywhere and there are reports of a huge creature loose on the streets. Matt knows this is something important – the time he's been waiting for is now.
But there's also an exciting new movie on Syfy called Snowmageddon!
Starring Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica), David Cubitt (Medium) and Magda Apanowicz (Caprica), the Christmas-themed Snowmageddon is about a mystical snow globe that makes very bad things happen in the real world when it is shaken.
Yes, Colonel Tigh is starring in a movie about an evil snow globe.
At 8 PM, there's a brand new Once Upon A Time, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter."
One of the town's residents begins to remember their fairytale past, and Storybrooke mourns the loss of one of their own. Meanwhile, in the fairytale world that was, the Evil Queen attempts to find a heartless assassin to murder Snow White.
Fox has its usual Sunday-night animation bloc starting at 8 PM with The Simpsons, Family Guy, Cleveland Show and American Dad.
And at 9 PM, there's the coolest event of the week: the first night of A&E's new miniseries based on Stephen King's Bag of Bones.
In "Bag of Bones," bestselling novelist Mike Noonan (Pierce Brosnan) is unable to stop grieving after the sudden death of his wife Jo (Annabeth Gish). Suffering from writer's block, a dream inspires him to return to the couple's lakeside retreat in western Maine. While there, Mike befriends an attractive young widow, Mattie (George) and her daughter Kyra (Caitlin Carmichael), and becomes involved in a custody battle with the child's enormously wealthy grandfather, Max (William Schallert). Though his ability to write suddenly returns, Mike is plagued by ever-escalating nightmares and mysterious ghostly visitations from Sara Tidwell (Rose), a blues singer whose spirit lingers in the house. As he is haunted by the many secrets at the lake, Mike comes to realize that his late wife still has something to tell him.
Then at last, there's a new Robot Chicken on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim at 11:30 PM, "The Curious Case of the Box."
Sources: Futon Critic, MSN TV, TV Guide, and various TV studio press releases.


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Asa Butterfield proves he's ready to save the world in the latest Ender's Game trailer. In the movie, Earth is under the impending attack of aliens, and Asa stars as Ender, a student in Battle School training to become a soldier in the intergalactic war. But Ender is so brilliant that Colonel Hyrum Graff decides he's the military's best hope in the war, and he becomes a commander! "You will be the one to save mankind, Ender," Colonel Graff claims in the trailer—no pressure or anything.
The movie got tons of buzz at Comic-Con, and not just because it's based off an awesome book: Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin also star in the film, which has a Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games vibe. The intense, stunning action sequences will definitely draw you in, even if you're not usually an adventure flick kind of gal.
You can check out the Ender's Game trailer here!
More From Seventeen
Would you see Ender's Game in theaters this fall? Let us know what you think!


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Quincy man donates kidney to stranger in Brookline
By Jim Morrison, The Patriot Ledger
When a new father from Quincy read that his college buddy's next-door neighbor in Brookline was ill and in desperate need of a kidney, he did what few people would even consider.
He volunteered to be tested to see if he was a match, our news partners at the Patriot Ledger reported.
He was.
Ben Johnston, a 32-year-old songwriting student at Berklee College of Music, decided he would donate a major organ to a total stranger.
The man who needed the kidney was Dr. Ferenc "Frank" Jolesz, 67, who was suffering from kidney failure for the second time. His daughter Marta Jolesz donated a kidney to him about seven years earlier.
"There's a huge shortage of available organs and people are dying every day" Marta Jolesz, 37, said. "The average person is on the waiting list for five to 10 years. Most people don't have that kind of time. My dad didn't have that kind of time."
The Brookline TAB profiled Jolesz and his efforts to find a donor via a website and Facebook last August.
"If the TAB wouldn't have run the article, I wouldn't have found out about it," Johnston said.
"Basically, when I first read about it, I thought, 'Oh, he'll have no problem finding a donor,'" Johnston said. "Then, I thought if this person was my father or my father-in-law or someone I cared about, and he didn't find a donor, I'd probably be angry."
The idea got lodged in his mind and didn't go away, and Johnston said he's not sure why.
"I even waited a few days to tell (my wife)," said Johnston. "I thought it would go away, and it didn't."
Johnston's wife, Heidi, is the pastor of the Faith Lutheran Church in Quincy. She had just started a new job and given birth to the couple's son, Oliver, two months before. She was not enthusiastic about her husband undergoing a major elective surgery, so she spent about a week contemplating the decision, spiritually.
"Every week I stand up in the pulpit and ask people to step outside their comfort zone and care for people in need," Heidi Johnston said. "I thought, 'This is the opportunity that we've been given to do that,' and I thought I should support Ben."
Ben Johnston did some research and learned that most donors are back on their feet in a couple of months. Also, the hospital staff emphasized that he was free to change his mind at any stage of the testing, which took about two months.
Ben Johnston is composing a song about his organ-donation experience. This is the first verse of what is tentatively titled "Goodbye, Dear Kidney."
After a third of a century, you up
and left me
Jumped right in to some other man
All my scars are still healing, and
I've got the feeling
I won't be seeing you again
You left a hole deep within in me,
and I'm just beginning
To fill up the space the best that I can
And though sometimes I miss you,
the truth is I wish you
A long happy life with him
So goodbye, goodbye dear kidney
If I start to cry, if my tears don't dry, forgive me
It's hard to let you go, but in my heart I know
You're better off without me
So goodbye, goodbye dear kidney
Heidi said she was with the Jolesz family while Ben and Frank were in the operating room, which was a great comfort. Ben's surgery went very quickly.
"The kidney started perfusing (taking in blood) instantly," said Heidi. "We were hugging and crying at Brigham and Women's. That was incredible. That certainly bonds you. The daughters were in Ben's hospital (room) rubbing his head and feet.
Jolesz wasn't able to do a face-to-face interview because of the drugs he is taking to suppress his immune system, but he wrote in an email that he's feeling much better.
"Ben gave me the gift of life, something that I almost lost," Jolesz wrote. "Words are not enough to express my gratitude for Ben and Heidi's selfless act of helping me. My hope is that what they did for me will motivate others to help those in need."
Ben served two tours of duty in Iraq when he was an officer in the Army. His job was building bridges and other kinds of road construction. He said that he felt ambivalent about his work and the war in general, but donating a kidney was something he'd do again if he could.
It's now just over two months after the operation and Ben said that except for the occasional pain at the incision, "I'm pretty much back to normal, and to me, that's such a small amount of time to give someone a new lease on life. I would do it again.
"It was the most amazing thing I've ever done. Heidi made me a scrapbook for Christmas, and I get emotional looking at the pictures and reading what his daughters wrote."
Everybody interviewed for this story said that they hope it encourages more people to donate kidneys.
"Everything aligned for Ben and he was able to give the gift of life to my father and help our family," said Marta Jolesz. "This journey has been truly unbelievable, and we feel so fortunate to find not only a donor, but a donor like Ben and his family."


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55-million-year-old primate fossil discovered in China is distant relative of humans
WASHINGTON (AP) — New fossil evidence of the earliest complete skeleton of an ancient primate suggests it was a hyperactive, wide-eyed creature so small you could hold a couple of them in your hand — if...
WASHINGTON — New fossil evidence of the earliest complete skeleton of an ancient primate suggests it was a hyperactive, wide-eyed creature so small you could hold a couple of them in your hand — if only they would stay still long enough.
The 55 million-year-old fossil dug up in central China is one of our first primate relatives and it gives scientists a better understanding of the complex evolution that eventually led to us. This tiny monkey-like creature weighed an ounce or less and wasn't a direct ancestor. Because it's so far back on the family tree it offers the best clues yet of what our earliest direct relatives would have been like at that time, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
"It's a close cousin in fact," said study author Christopher Beard, curator at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. He said it is "the closest thing we have to an ancestor of humans" so long ago.
Primate is the order of life that includes humans along with apes, monkeys, and lemurs. Humans are set apart from other mammals because of our grasping five fingers and toes, nails, and forward-facing eyes. And this new species called Archicebus achilles fits right in, Beard said.
Among primates there are three suborders: anthropoids which include apes, monkeys and us; and two other suborders that include lemurs and the lesser known tarsiers. This new species is in the same grouping as tarsiers, but close to the offshoot branch in the family tree where humans come from. The fossil includes anthropoid-like features.
"It's a cute little thing; it's ridiculously little," Beard said. "That's one of the more important scientific aspects of the whole story."
With a trunk only 2.8 inches long, the furry creature was about as small as you can get and still be a mammal, Beard said. Just like elephants and horses, the farther back in time you get for some of today's bigger mammals, the smaller they get, Beard said.
Because it was so small and warm-blooded it had to eat bugs and move constantly to keep from losing internal heat, Beard said.
That means, Beard said, our earliest primate relatives were "very frenetic creatures, anxious, highly caffeinated animals running around looking for their next meal." They lived in a tree-lined area near a Chinese lake, swinging around trees in a hotter climate, Beard said.
Outside experts praised the study as significant, confirming what some thought about our primate ancestors. Rick Potts, director of the human origins program at the Smithsonian Institution, said this fossil's mix of different features illustrate the fascinating and crucial changes that occur around major evolutionary branch points in our family tree.
The study also bolstered another theory that early primates first developed in Asia, even though humans evolved nearly 50 million years later in Africa, Beard said.
Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature
Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://twitter.com/borenbears


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Lifetime has decided to cancel Drop Dead Diva after four seasons on the air.
Debuting in July 2009, Drop Dead Diva begins as a vapid aspiring model named Deb is killed in a car accident. Unhappy with her prospects in heaven, she finds herself sent back to Earth and ends up in the body of a recently deceased lawyer, Jane (Brooke Elliott). Deb must now deal with being in the body of her complete opposite –someone who's brilliant, hard-working, charitable, and overweight.
Others in the cast have included Margaret Cho, April Bowlby, Kate Levering, Jackson Hurst, Josh Stamberg, Ben Feldman, Lex Medlin, and Carter MacIntyre.
The fourth season finished airing on September 9th and averaged 2.3 million viewers with a 0.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic. That was slighly better than the performance of the third season — 2.26 million with a 0.7 in the demo. The cable channel reportedly tried to get a boost in the ratings this season by adding Kim Kardashian in a recurring role but that move obvioulsy didn't have much of an impact.
Lifetime was supposedly holding off on making a decision on Diva's future until they saw some of their current pilots. One can assume that, since they've cancelled Drop Dead Diva, they liked what they saw.
Word is that Sony Pictures TV may try to find another home for the series. Josh Berman created the show and FOX recently cancelled his other program, The Mob Doctor.
What do you think? Are you sorry that Drop Dead Diva has been cancelled? Would you watch it on another station?


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Original 1980 999 Live In The US Tour Shirt. This is a true vintage shirt, not a modern reproduction. Sizes vary so please use measurements for best idea on fit. No back graphics. Shirt is in good condition, no holes, discoloration on front. This shirt comes laundered and ready to wear.
Tag Size: Small
Material: 100% Cotton
Pit to Pit: 17 inches
Collar to Hem: 23.5 inches


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SEATTLE – Check out images from all the fights at today's UFC on FOX 8 event at Seattle's KeyArena. The network-televised event includes a flyweight title fight between champion Demetrious Johnson and challenger John Moraga. (Note: The first photos will arrive once the first fight concludes.)
For the latest on UFC on FOX 8, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.


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This is how the Great Spiral Galaxy of Andromeda would look in the sky if it were bright enough. Sadly, its light is too faint. But imagine seeing that every night. Would you get tired of it? I know I wouldn't.
Unfortunately, it's not that bright. But it's a beautiful simulation anyway, one that gives an idea—albeit a faint one—of how huge the cosmos is. Of course, it's not the only image of this kind. Here's another one featured in NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day:
Andromeda—or M31—is larger than our Milky Way (although not as massive, if you count the dark matter in our galaxy.) It's 2.5 million light-years from us, while the Moon is only 384,400 kilometers away. Now think that a light-year is 9.5 trillion kilometers. Even with this graphic comparison, the size of M31—or anything at a galactic scale—is truly incomprehensible for the human mind.
As time goes by, however, humans would start seeing it clearly at night: M31 is on a direct collision course with our home galaxy. This is what Earth's sky would look like as millenia pass by and both galaxies collide and merge:
When it happens, star systems will lose their bearings, changing orbits all around. Our own solar system will "probably be tossed much farther from the galactic core than it is today." Here's the simulation from afar:
But there's nothing to fear: the stars within the Milky Way and Andromeda are so far apart between each other than the possibility of them colliding is almost nil. And you will not be around anyway, so who cares. Just enjoy the videos and imagine the show.
Note to Galactus: the sky really needs Photoshop's Shadows and Highlights filter.
The original image used for the composite was taken by Stephen Rahn.


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Boston Marathon Raises Charity Record
Runners in the 116th Boston Marathon raised funds for 122 non-profits.
Runners in the 116th Boston Marathon raised funds for 122 non-profits.
From: Running USA
BOSTON — John Hancock's 2012 Boston Marathon Non-Profit Program raised a record $6.8 million as part of the 116th running of the historic race in April of this year. The record total for 2012 represents a 29 percent increase over 2011's fundraising results.
As part of John Hancock's sponsorship of the Marathon, each year the company provides non-profits with guaranteed entry numbers ("bibs") that enable funds to be raised for their organizations. More than 1,000 runners helped raise funds and awareness for 122 organizations this year.
As part of that total, 114 employee runners from John Hancock and parent company Manulife Financial raised nearly $200,000 in 2012, a 14 percent increase over 2011. Funds raised by employees benefited Artists for Humanity, the Boys & Girls Club of Boston, the Center for Teen Empowerment, Ron Burton Training Village and Habitat for Humanity Canada. In addition, John Hancock led a focused effort among its business partners to raise nearly $150,000 for the Myra H. Kraft Giving Back Scholarship Fund at the Boys & Girls Club of Boston.
"Our employees are a source of pride each year as they dedicate their running to benefit our community partners," said James R. Boyle, President of John Hancock. "We are especially proud our Boston Marathon principal sponsorship made it possible for so many individuals to raise money and awareness to support great causes throughout greater Boston."
Among the organizations benefitting from the 2012 program were MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Boston Children's Hospital, Tufts University, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, the Hoyt Foundation, Horizons for Homeless Children, and Perkins School for the Blind
"Each year countless individuals in Boston and beyond are touched in many ways, large and small, by John Hancock's Boston Marathon Non-Profit program. At Mass General, this important funding has supported programs that enhance the quality of care for our youngest cancer patients and fuel innovative research focused on finding better cancer treatments and cures. We are grateful for John Hancock's generosity and the hope it offers to the children and families we serve," said Peter L. Slavin, MD, President, Massachusetts General Hospital.
This year, for the first time, John Hancock utilized a centralized online fundraising platform for its program through a partnership with CrowdRise™, an innovative online fundraising web site for individuals, charities and events.
2012 marks the 27th year of John Hancock's landmark sponsorship of the legendary Boston Marathon and also the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Company. John Hancock is committed to its long-standing partnership with the Boston Athletic Association to support one of the world's premier sporting events. Over the past 27 years, the official B.A.A. Charity program and John Hancock's own Non-Profit Program have combined to raise more than $150 million for community based organizations.
As a result of John Hancock's primary sponsorship, the Marathon has also brought years of economic benefits to the greater Boston region. In 2012, the Marathon brought an estimated $137.5 million in spending impact to the Greater Boston region, according to the Greater Boston Convention & Visitor Bureau.


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Google may be preparing to lay off thousands of workers, if a Silicon Valley information service is to be believed. WebGuild cites anonymous inside sources as saying up to 10,000 Google jobs could be on the way out, with smaller scale layoffs already underway.
Quiet Cutbacks
"Hundreds" of employees have been let go in the past few months, the company's sources claim — and, they say, a loophole has allowed Google to keep quiet about the cutbacks. The trick, WebGuild reports, all comes down to categories: Google classifies about 10,000 of its workers as "temporary operational expenses," which means their positions are not official and could be eliminated without public notification. (Google officially reports having just over 20,000 full-fledged employees on staff. The additional 10,000 "temporary" positions speculated would bring the actual total to 30,000.)
"Google has hundreds of lawyers figuring out how not to get caught," WebGuild President Daya Baran suggests. "One of them is by moving workers from job to job every few months so that their status remains temporary. That is why you probably have never spoken to the same person twice at Google and that is also why there is somebody new on the job and most times you know more about their job than they do," he says.
Google has yet to publicly comment on any of the speculation.
Searching for Signs
Google's revenue and profit were up in the third quarter — a rarity in Silicon Valley this season that could be seen as an indication the rumours may not hold much merit. Still, if one is searching for signs of possible scaling back, such indications can be found.
The search company is trading its traditionally lavish holiday bashes for more subdued and small-scale celebrations this year, reports released just before the weekend suggest. Known for its jam-packed parties complete with giant ice sculptures and virtual reality entertainment, Google this year has opted to go for "more economical" activities, such as group volunteering outings followed by casual dinner parties, sources have indicated.
Wrong Rumours
It's worth noting that cutback rumours have surfaced at Google before, only to end up holding little to no actual truth. Just a few months ago, reports filled the blogosphere that Google was ending its famous free dinner program for employees — a perk said to cost the company US$72 million a year. It didn't take long for Google to knock the rumour down, however, insisting nothing had changed and it didn't know where the falsehood originated.
Scaleback Speculation
If a Google scaleback were in the works, what would it mean? Hypothetically speaking, one might suspect some of Google's less profitable projects could get less focus. The company has previously maintained a "20 percent time" policy for engineers, requiring them to spend one day each week on projects of their own choosing. Google is also frequently trying out random Labs projects — everything from the new Gmail themes to the joke-inspiring Google Goggles programdebuted in October — not to mention its various gags and jokespulled off throughout the year. The loss of 1,000 workers could theoretically affect these sorts of non-crucial endeavours.
At this point, though, it's all speculation, and all from limited and unidentifiable sources. Only time will tell whether or not the rumours prove to be true — and, until Google decides to address the buzz, all the searching in the world will bring no definite answers.
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.


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There are many reasons why Focusky is a wise business choice. No matter what kind of industry people have chosen, this powerful presentation tool will help users to arrange their boring business content into an engaging, dynamic presentation that keeps the interest of the audience up to the last slide. For this reason, Focusky is announced to be the best PowerPoint alternative on the market.
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About Focusky:Focusky Software Co. Ltd is committed to deliver companies around the world the best possible digital tools to help them thrive and succeed. They offer very useful, user-friendly, and cost-effective business solutions to recover the value of the well-planned and structured business presentations.


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FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A man who shot and killed three people at random on the streets of downtown Fresno shouted "Allahu akbar" during his arrest Tuesday and had posted on social media that he disliked White people, authorities said.
Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, was arrested shortly after the morning rampage that left three White men dead, police said. Muhammad, who is black, fired 16 rounds in one minute at four places within a block.
This undated photo provided by the Fresno Police Department shows Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, who was arrested shortly after a shooting rampage outside a Catholic Charities building, in Fresno, Calif, on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. Muhammad is believed to have shot and killed three people on the streets of downtown Fresno on Tuesday, shouting "God is great" in Arabic during at least one of the slayings and later telling police that he hates white people, authorities said. (Fresno Police Department via AP)
He walked up to a utility truck and shot a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. employee sitting in the passenger seat, authorities say. The driver of the truck sped off to the police department for help, but the man died.
Muhammad then shot at another person and missed. He aimed at a third, killing him on the sidewalk of a neighborhood lined with tall trees. The final victim was gunned down in the parking lot of a charity building.
"These individuals who were chosen today did not do anything to deserve what they got," Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said. "These were unprovoked attacks by an individual that was intent on carrying out homicides today. He did that."
It's too soon to say whether Muhammad, who was homeless and filled his social media feeds with racially charged posts, had ties to any militant groups or causes, Dyer said.
Stephen Hughes, 66, said he and his wife rushed home Tuesday after receiving a frantic call from a neighbor. Hughes came home to see a body draped in a blanket on the sidewalk leading to his front door.
He first thought the shooting was gang-related, but then he noticed the bag of groceries near the body.
"This guy doesn't look like a drug guy. It looks like a guy carrying his groceries home from the store," Hughes said.
Muhammad had a criminal past and was wanted in connection with a shooting last week that killed a security guard at a Fresno motel who had responded to a disturbance. The security guard also was a white man.
On what appeared to be Muhammad's Facebook page, he repeatedly posted "#LetBlackPeopleGo" and encouraged "Black warriors" to "mount up." A flurry of posts emerged in the past day.
He wrote that his "kill rate increases tremendously on the other side" and also posted about "white devils." On several occasions, he wrote updates that included the phrase "Allahu Akbar," meaning "God is great" in Arabic.
Muhammad has a criminal history that includes arrests on weapons, drugs and false imprisonment charges and making terrorist threats. He had been associated with gangs but was not a confirmed member, police say.
Muhammad was charged in 2005 with possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, court records show. Federal prosecutors said at the time that he was also in possession of a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and two rifles after being convicted of a felony.
He claimed insanity, and his attorney requested a psychiatric examination for his client, saying Muhammad "appeared eccentric with some bizarre beliefs." A psychiatrist who examined Muhammad believed he had psychosis, Muhammad's attorney said in the court filing.
He also "suffered auditory hallucinations and had at least two prior mental health hospitalizations," according to court documents. His attorney said that Muhammad had "paranoia" and thought the justice system and his defense attorney were conspiring against him, court papers said.
The attorney who represented Muhammad in that case did not return a call for comment Tuesday.
Public records list Muhammad as Cory Taylor and other aliases with addresses in Fresno and Sacramento. A woman who identified herself as Taylor's grandmother said Tuesday that the family last saw him on Easter Sunday. She hung up the phone before giving her name.
Authorities spotted Muhammad running and took him into custody. Police are looking for the revolver.
Police say two of the victims may have been clients of Catholic Charities, which provides a variety of services for refugees, the homeless and those for disabilities.
Catholic Charities doesn't believe Muhammad has ties to the nonprofit, spokeswoman Teresa Dominguez said.
Seyed Ali Ghazvini, imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno, said Muhammad was not a member of his congregation and he did not recognize him. The imam said he is consulting with other faith leaders.
"We are very sorry for this to happen," Ghazvini said. "We offer condolences for the victims, we pray for the victims and their families."
Contributing to this report are Associated Press writers Kristin J. Bender, Olga R. Rodriguez and Janie Har in San Francisco; Jonathan J. Cooper and Don Thompson in Sacramento; Mike Balsamo in Los Angeles; and researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York City.


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Nathan Adrian earned the title of 100-meter freestyle Olympic champion in London, earning his first individual Olympic gold medal and bringing his career total to four Olympic medals from two Olympic Games. But as he revealed in this candid interview, he tries to forget he is an Olympic champion every day. At age 24, Adrian is still striving "to get faster, get better and continue to win for Team USA."
During a recent training camp at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, Adrian took the time to answer questions submitted by fans on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
@rgwahoowa1 on Twitter asks: When you were younger, did you ever think you would become an Olympic swimmer? What did you want to be?
When I was little it was always a dream to be an Olympic swimmer, but it wasn't necessarily something that I thought was totally tangible. It was one of those things that as a little kid you think you're going to be a fireman or you think you're going to be an astronaut or something along those lines. I think I wanted to be a dentist initially. But I had definitely always thought about the Olympics. Little by little it just became a little more true and a little more true and college came up and I just kept improving.
@dsc1811 on Twitter asks: Can you describe what altitude training feels like?
Death (laughs). When you're swimming it feels like you have a pile of rocks on your chest, not only making it hard to breathe but making you sink in the water because your muscles aren't getting enough oxygen to really pull you through the water. That's only the first couple days; after that you get adjusted and it starts to feel good. You just can't recover as quickly when you're between efforts; be it in the weight room or in the pool you just have to take a little more time to really get your breath.
TeamUSA.org: How often do you come to the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center?
I come here once a year usually, for two weeks in the wintertime. For the Olympic year we actually came in the springtime, and that was getting us prepared for Olympic Trials and the Olympics.
TeamUSA.org: Do you notice a difference when you're at the OTC?
I think the biggest affect is that you're just focused on swimming up here. Whether it's at altitude or not at altitude, I'm with 35 of my best friends, we're going through a training camp where all of us are getting totally broken down to the point of exhaustion and we really get to bond up here. I think that's the most important, and then the altitude definitely helps; it's a little bit secondary.
@julie_sonne on Twitter asks: Are you trying to make the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games?
Knock on wood. I plan on doing it. I love what I do now and I still very much enjoy swimming, training and competing.
@julie_sonne on Twitter asks: Are you single?
I am currently still single, yes.
@LoveAlyRaisman on Twitter asks: So now you are an Olympic champion, what's next?
I ask myself that all the time. Keep on the path of what people have coined the "Road to Rio." It's really a short quadrennial — Barcelona this summer (for the FINA World Championships), Australia for Pan Pacs, then wherever 2015 world championships will be and then it's on to Olympic Trials again. Once you think about it like that it shortens up a little bit. And when it comes to being an Olympic champion, I try to forget that every day. There will be a time in my career when I'm ready to sit back and enjoy my accomplishments, but right now I'm trying to get faster, get better and continue to win for Team USA.
@Rachel_White28 on Twitter asks: What events would you like to swim in Rio?
I missed out on the 50 freestyle (for London). I'd love to add that as an individual race, then just continue to swim well in the 100. In the 400 freestyle relay I'm very proud of what we did because we weren't necessarily supposed to get a medal at all on paper and we ended up getting silver. But as with anything, once you get silver you think about all the situations that could have gone a little bit differently in which you would have got gold, so I think that's on my mind and a lot of my teammates' minds.
@danielladelaros on Twitter asks: How do you stay motivated?
I just love to race, compete, compete against myself, compete against others. Once you see that time on the board, then you see an improvement, that makes me that much more hungry to go out and do it again. Or you're in the weight room and your numbers are increasing — you can do one extra pull-up versus two or three weeks ago, or you can lift just a little bit heavier. That's what it's all about, it's about going in there and improving.
Rachel H. on Google+ asks: Who do you think your main competition will be in Rio?
That's a long time away. In 2009 you could've asked those current Olympic champions who their competition would be in 2012 and it would have been a shot in the dark. There's so many fast swimmers now and people are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is considered the age limit for continued improvement. Look at Anthony Ervin — he's still improving and he's 30 at this point. I don't know. I don't have a good answer to that.
TeamUSA.org: Let's take it down a notch. Who do you think will be your biggest competition in Barcelona this summer?
James (Magnussen of Australia) is obviously going be there. There's another young Australian, I think his name is Cameron (McEvoy). Domestically, the Americans are no slouches. Matt Grevers will always be there, Jimmy Feigen will always be there. I'm looking forward to that and I think it's a positive more than anything because those are additions to our relay.
Dorie M. on Google+ asks: Do you have a personal hero? How has your hero influenced you?
I have always looked up to Gary Hall Jr. as a young swimmer and that's because he did it his own way and he did a good job of letting his personality come out in his swimming. A lot of people follow the cookie-cutter mold of Olympic athlete and it was so much fun watching him do what he did.
TeamUSA.org: Have you ever considered following in his footsteps and wearing a boxing robe to competitions?
I don't know if that's quite my style, but it would be fun. I love when you get a friendly competition going and there's a little bit of smack talk. That's one of the great things about having such great friends on the national team: I can walk up to them and say, 'Hey, I'm gonna beat you real bad in this race,' and we'll put a little wager on it. It's very friendly but it makes it a little more competitive and it makes it a little more fun, and at the end of the day we're still the best of friends.
MB S. on Google+ asks: What advice do you have for kids who hope to become Olympians?
Keep doing what you're doing. It was always a dream of mine when I was a kid and I never realized it until basically I made the team. You just have to keep training hard, keep dreaming and you never know what's going to happen in the next four years, the next eight years.
IPhatty N. on Facebook asks: I have read in interviews that Nathan wants to come to Thailand. Why do you want to come here?
I've heard it's beautiful and it's a fun place to go and it's very exotic, so I don't see why not. It's a long trip. The perks of living this life that I live is that I am fortunate enough to travel, and I very much appreciate that and I try to go everywhere I can go and drink in a little bit of the culture and Thailand seems like an interesting place.
Nikki H. on Facebook asks: What's your favorite band/artist to listen to before you swim?
That's a good question. Currently it's still Avicii — still brings back a ton of good memories from training and gets my blood moving a little bit. I think especially walking on the pool deck a little bit of electronic music gets me pretty psyched to go fast.
Keith T. on Facebook asks: How old were you when you started to swim?
I began lessons when I was like 2 years old or something. I knew how to float before I can even remember. But I was in a swim team, swimming competitively, when I was 5 years old. I actually have a video of me swimming when I was 5 years old and if I was a lifeguard I would have jumped in and saved me because it looked like I was drowning.
TeamUSA.org: So you weren't winning gold medals at age 5?
No, not back then! So keep your chins up. If you're losing at 5 years old it doesn't mean anything.
Arporn S. on Facebook asks: What was the most intense practice you've ever had? How did you feel?
There's a lot of different ways to define intensity. There's the four-hour-long practices that seem like they take forever and you're moving slow and moving through as much yardage as possible. I used to do those as a kid and they're just awful. Moving on to more race-specific training, I train for an event that's less than a minute, always — either the 50 or the 100. These days it's not about the yardage but about the intensity and how long we keep that intensity up. You can have me in the water for an hour-and-a-half now, doing 3,000 or 4,000 meters, which isn't that much but my entire body will cramp up. I'll be in the fetal position for a minute or two, waiting until my body gets enough oxygen to release my muscles again. Those are probably some of the most intense practices to this day. Especially on those days you're trying to get up, you're trying to get fast. We have one of those coming up and you think about the quality of guys training with us right now — between myself, Anthony Ervin and Garrett Weber-Gale, I think I counted six gold medals at the Olympics ranging from 2000 to 2012. It's a good group of guys to be here training with, and as you can imagine we're all great friends, but in the water we're pretty competitive so it elicits some great performances in practice.
@ama1210 on Twitter asks: Do you have any fears besides open water?
Open water is a huge fear of mine; I absolutely hate it. This gets a little conceptual, but I would fear looking back and having any particular regrets about any decisions that I made or any paths that I've decided to go down in life. I think regrets are something that I never want to look back on my life and have.
TeamUSA.org: What would your fans be surprised to learn about you?
Oh man, these are tough. I can do a pretty good handstand. For someone who's 6-6 or 6-7, I can probably do as good of a handstand as anybody.


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Senate confirmed 70 nominees to various posts, including key financial regulators who had lingered since last summer.
WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) -- A logjam broke late Thursday night in the Senate, which confirmed 70 nominees to various posts, including key financial regulators whose appointments had lingered since last summer.
The recess appointment in January of Richard Cordray to the post of director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had irked Republicans, who spent much of the previous year trying to block the president from making exactly that move.
For months, the Senate was unable to muster support for dozens of nominees, including on two chiefs nominated last summer: Thomas Curry to run the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Martin Gruenberg to run the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
But late Thursday, Senate leaders reached a deal that allowed most of the nominees to clear, although two more recent nominees to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors didn't make the cut.
"It is vital that we have strong leaders in place at our financial regulators as we continue our economic recovery, continue implementation of the Wall Street Reform Act, and are faced with challenges from the crisis in Europe," said Sen. Tim Johnson, a South Dakota Democrat who leads the Senate Banking committee. "I'm glad that the Senate was able to set aside partisan politics and approve these individuals."
For the FDIC board, the Senate confirmed Gruenberg, Thomas Hoenig, former bank president of the Kansas City Fed, and Jeremiah Norton, a former chief atJ.P. Morgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500). However, the Senate stopped short of confirming Gruenberg to the post of chairman, meaning he will continue to serve as acting FDIC board chief.
The Senate also confirmed Thomas Curry to be the Comptroller of the Currency for the next five years, a nomination many advocates for Wall Street reforms were watching.
Acting Comptroller of the Currency John Walsh has weathered criticism for being too bank-friendly, especially when it came to reforms. For example, Walsh, who joined the agency during the George W. Bush administration,criticized new rules mandating banks strengthen their capital cushions, saying they would threaten the economy.
Additionally, the Senate also confirmed Christy Romero as the new Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, a job first held by Neil Barofsky. Romero had already made waves in Washington, overseeing some critical reports about the bailout program as the interim inspector.
The Senate also confirmed Mary John Miller to be the new Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the Treasury Department.
The next federal agency awaiting key confirmations is the Federal Reserve, which is now operating with just five of its seven-member board. Jerome Powell and Jeremy Stein have been nominated to the Fed board.
The Senate didn't include the Fed board nominees because they had only just been approved by the Senate Banking committee this week. Also, a few Republicans expressed concerns about the nominees, a congressional aide confirmed Friday.
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Ben Scrivens blanks Panthers as Kings' win streak hits 3
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Ben Scrivens made the most of his first start in goal for the Los Angeles Kings.
Scrivens had 20 saves to record his third career shutout and the Kings beat the Florida Panthers 3-0 on Sunday.
Jordan Nolan had a goal and an assist. Justin Williams and Daniel Carcillo also scored goals for the Kings, who won their third straight game.
Scrivens, acquired in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs in June 2013, made his first start of the season as regular goalie Jonathan Quick, one of the best in the NHL, was given a rest. Scrivens last shutout was on Feb. 18, a 3-0 victory at Florida as a member of the Maple Leafs.
"You can't give enough credit to the guys in front. They played extremely well, and all I had to do was focus on stopping the puck and seeing it well," Scrivens said.
Two of Scrivens' three shutouts have come against the Panthers.
"I've been fortunate that it's worked out here in Florida. It (stinks) that I'm in the West now, I'm only out here once a year," Scrivens said.
Jacob Markstrom had 26 saves for Florida, which has lost four of its past five games.
Nolan put the Kings ahead 3-0 at 12:28 of the third with a tip-in off a pass from Jarret Stoll.
"Fortunately I was able to get the puck and shoot it on net and it went in," Nolan said. "I was able to get a quick release and catch (Markstrom) off guard."
The Kings went ahead 2-0 at 14:55 of the second. The Panthers tried to get the puck out of their zone but it was intercepted by the Kings. Williams passed to Anze Kopitar near the goal line to the right of the net, then Kopitar pushed the puck back out to Williams. His wrist shot got past an outstretched Markstrom. Kopitar has five assists in six games.
Carcillo's goal gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 8:46 of the second. Mike Richards passed from behind the net to Carcillo in the bottom of the right circle. His slap shot got past Markstrom. Richards has four assists in his last four games.
Kings coach Darryl Sutter was pleased with Scrivens play and his team in general.
"He was sharp early. He made some big saves and handled the puck well, which is what we needed him to do. He looked very good out there," Sutter said. "Kopitar continues to be a dominant player for us."
After scoring six goals in Friday's home opener against Pittsburgh, the Panthers couldn't muster much of an offense against the Kings.
"They're a very big, strong-bodied team," Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. "As the game wore on, we got wore down. The problem that we have is I think our hockey IQ dropped as well. We thought we could play a fancy game and you cannot play a fancy game against the Kings."
The Panthers didn't think they caught a break by facing Scrivens instead of Quick.
"We have no game where we can have a letdown," Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell said. "He played pretty good last year in Toronto."
Game notes
Williams got his 500th NHL point with his second period goal. ... Kings'defenseman Jake Muzzin was a healthy scratch for the third straight game. ... The Panthers faced a backup goalie in Scrivens for the second straight game. On Friday, the Panthers scored six goals against Pittsburgh rookie Jeff Zatkoff in a 6-2 win. ... Markstrom faced the Kings for the first time.
Regular Season Series
LA leads 1-0
Game Information
- Referees:
- Rob Martell
- Linesmen:
- Brian Murphy
- Jonny Murray


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Hello I'm thrilled that you have found my blog and hope that you subscribe and come back often! Feel free to tell me your thoughts about what you read and see here because in the end I may catch on and improve as a result 🙂
I'm G, a middle aged techno hen with a passion for travel, writing, reading and well, life really. I'm pretty much unstoppable, working full time, studying and crafting pretty things. I love people – even the ones I don't like and have to stop myself talking to strangers quite often, because they probably don't all want to speak to me. At least that's what they think in the beginning, but its fun trying to win them over. Once I've got their attention, I shut up and let them talk while I soak up as much as I can.
Where does my name come from? Well I love to wander of course and I like to think I'm clear seeing. I've learnt a new word from my friend Frizztext in Germany, it's scharfsinnig, one of the translations of lucid.
I'm half British, half Nigerian, Igbo Dumnonii, and I'm lucky to live in the beautiful south west of England. I try to take my camera out for walkies and sometimes get good shots but though I have a good eye I lack the technical skills. I'm a Gill you see, mistress of none – but now my good friend Sandra Connor says that I mustn't say that anymore because I am a haiku master, thank you dear Sandra!


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Focal is France's leading specialist hi-fi speaker manufacturer, and one of the leading players on the international scene. Whereas the Focal name was originally reserved for the raw drivers that the company once sold to other makers, the company's complete speakers used to be marketed as JMLab. Today, however, all is Focal.
The Chorus name has long applied to the company's least costly range of speakers, but in 2006, Focal introduced not one, but two distinct Chorus ranges - a simpler 700V-series and a more elaborate 800V-series - which amounts to no fewer that 10 stereo pairs plus a gaggle of AV extras.
We have previously enjoyed the £1,549 per pair 836V, the largest of the 800Vs, so now it's time to check out one of the cheaper 700Vs. This £749 per pair 716V - a medium-size two-and-a-half-way floorstander - is the fourth model up the 700V's five-rung ladder.
Although the basic enclosure shape and driver types are similar in both the 800Vs and 700Vs, there are numerous detail differences. The 700V's most obvious economy measure is the elimination of the 800V's costly separate alloy plinth. Instead, the 716V comes with spikes that fit directly into the base of the enclosure. Not only does this lead to reduced overall stability, the spikes themselves were too short to fit easily, and came with silly thumbwheel lock-nuts that were difficult to tighten and keep tight.
Wrapped in Amati vinyl woodprint, the distinctive styling has tapering side panels, so the internal faces are not parallel to avoid focusing standing waves. All the panels are 20-25mm thick, with further stiffening provided by internal bracing.
Focal manufactures all its drivers in its French factory. Both cone drivers have 165mm cast alloy frames and 115mm diameter paper cones coated with 'Polyglass' glass 'micro-spheres', though the uppermost bass/mid driver has a different dust-dome treatment from the bass-only unit.
The familiar Focal inverted dome tweeter has an aluminium/magnesium alloy diaphragm, and is mounted in a rigid cast chassis at the top edge of the enclosure, unobstructed by the V-shaped grille. A large diameter front port provides bass loading, and signal is applied to a single terminal pair.
Finding the right positioning for the 716Vs proved quite tricky, as the bass is too dry with the speakers well out from a wall, but too heavy when close up. Best results were found with the backs about 60cm out from the rear wall, but this will vary somewhat depending on individual room characteristics.
Analysing its sonic performance didn't prove easy either. Although the 716V is not without its fair share of imperfections, it has powerful purposefulness too. Too much warmth and a degree of 'hollowness' add some unwanted colour to the sound, yet at the same time there's no denying the fine voice articulation and high class communication skills, thanks to unusually incisive detail.
This is probably down to the very precise definition of the tweeter. However, because the top end is also obvious, this is not a particularly sweet sounding speaker - nor is it all that transparent. Indeed one could fairly accuse it of sounding rather matter-of-fact and lacking romantic appeal.
But it's difficult to argue with its effectiveness in transmitting musical detail. If the 716V makes little attempt to seduce, it does a much more impressive job of telling it like it is, and that in itself provides rich reward.


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Title: A Thouensand Splendid Suns
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Publisher: Riverhead Books (the Penguin Group)
Publish Date: 2007
…it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant people that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last… This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate beginnings.
The second novel by Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns is both complimentary and contrasting to The Kite Runner. The first novel, masculine and brutal, while the second feminine with the underlining current of endurance and sacrifice. Both books are about Kabul, Afghanistan, where Hosseini is from, and both books are tales of survival. While The Kite Runner is a book about a family who left Afghanistan after the soviet invasion and takeover, A Thousand Splendid Suns is about a family who stayed in Kabul throughout nearly all the almost thirty years of the city's turbulence and war. Both have messages of love and sacrifice.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is an emotional story of two women, Mariam and Laila, who are married to a violent and malicious man. Their husband, Rasheed, reminded me of a concept I had read in Harlan Coben's Hold Tight: Evil people are always evil, and when they are given the approval to be cruel they will do so with great relish. Rasheed had been a wicked, controlling violent man before the Taliban, but with the absolute freedom of men to do whatever they want to their female family members, Rasheed's true abusive nature becomes his unabashed identity. He can do whatever, whenever, he wants to the women, and no police will save them because it's a family matter, no court would believe them because he's a man and they are women, a class of people who are "only slightly less contemptable than a communist."
…you'll learn nothing of value in those schools. There is only one… skill a woman like you and me needs in life, and they don't teach it in school… Only one skill. And it's this: tahamul. Endure.
This book is a beautiful story of a deep love and companionship of two women, of their ability to endure beyond their imaginations, of survival, and of the ultimate sacrifice love can make: The laying down of one's life for another. It is the story of redemption and reunion, Mariam's illegitimate and loveless life being redeem by the love Laila, Aziza, and Zalmai give her and the reunion of the star-crossed lovers.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a visceral account of life in a war zone, the horror, the sounds and the bodies. It is beautiful at times with poetic passages and loving moments between characters, while revealing the life of oppression women were forced to endure during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. It is haunting, depressing, joyful, and hopeful.
… like a rock in a riverbed, enduring without complaint, her grace not sullied but shaped by the turbulence that washes over her.
For me, whenever the events were stamped with the date, winter of 1993, Summer of 1994, Fall of 1999, etc, I thought of what was going on in my life at the same time, birth of my daughters in clean hospitals, having water that poured from my tap, using an indoor flushing toilet and bathroom with a shower. Not to mention I could walk my kids to the park and not worry about them getting killed by sniper fire and taking it for granted my daughter wouldn't be raped by soldiers passing by. Never once fearing we'd take a trip out of town and returned to find our house now the possession of the government.
Because this book is graphic and shows the reality of war and domestic violence, this book is not for people who are sensitive to such things. There are several passages that will rip your heart out, and several that makes your stomach sink with dread and worry for Mariam and Laila. I am sure there are people who find the story too depressing to finish.
I didn't think it was possible that I could like this better than The Kite Runner, but I do. The focus on the women, their struggles, their endurance, their support of one another, and their ability to dream and hope for escape and freedom despite all they go through is humbling and encouraging. I feel a sense of kinship to them, a sense of shared suffering and not giving up, fighting back in the face of hopeless odds. It has a softer and steadier voice than The Kite Runner, as if told by a female narrator instead of a man. It is an incredible journey of forgiveness and redemption.
Filed under: Book Reviews | Tagged: Afghanistan, burqa, domestic violence, endure, friendship, honor, illegitimate, Islam, Kabul, love, miscarriage, motherhood, oppression, Pakistan, pride, rape, refugee camp, Sharia, suffering, Taliban, war, women, women's rights | 14 Comments »


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Baiting the Digital Hook to Build A Professional Learning Community!
Last week I was invited to present on PLNs (personal learning networks) as part of Getting Connected 09 for The Australian Flexible Learning Frameworks.
As the conference targeted the VET sector I decided to take a different PLN approach and share how social networking tools can create communities of professionals, and students, that help each other.
Skills level of participants
Participants were surveyed near the start of the session to help guide how little/much information on each aspect need to be explained. The results are shown in the table below (Yes= has their own or uses with their students; No = doesn't have own or use with students; No response = they didn't respond to the question).
Value of Creating Communities
The message for creating professional learning communities using social networking tools was similar to PLNs. Our daily face-to-face interactions offer limited opportunities for:
- Asking our work colleagues/students questions
- Reflecting on ideas with each other
- Effectively sharing information
Social networking tools provide the ability to easily connect ourselves, our students, with educators in the same/similar fields, and people from industry to form a global community. This greatly increases opportunities to receive assistance and provide assistance.
The main difference to a PLN is technology skills of individuals you may want as part of your professional learning community are often (very) low. This means you need to use a range of tools including ones they are more likely to feel comfortable using.
To stay sane remember:
- Not everyone will share your excitement (and it is unrealistic to think they will)
- Let them choose whether or not they join
- Don't be offended if you can't encourage everyone to participate
- Be grateful for those that do participate
- It takes time!
During the session I discussed the main tools I use for aquaculture industry to highlight their benefits and how it can be done.
In terms of aquaculture Facebook is used mainly with my students (but I do have some work colleagues in my account). My students are given the option to add me to their Facebook account knowing that they can email me, use the chat or leave comments on my wall.
Years ago I used to give students my email address and never get got any emails. With Facebook student regularly contact me to help with both my work and other courses. Many continue to remain in contact when they leave.
Our AquaEd Ning community to connect educators, industry and my students together (consists of members from within Australia and oversees).
Benefits of Ning are ability to have forums, upload photos, upload/share videos and easily email all members etc.
For me this Ning community meant I was about to source training material and images to use for an aquaculture elearning unit. I couldn't have sourced this material as well (or as quickly) using traditional methods.
My students, and other community members, are using this Ning to share what they are doing and ask others questions.
Ning challenges are you need to be prepared to facilitate and encourage conversation. The more people you can encourage to help you facilitate the more likely it will grow. As a Ning owner you need to closely monitor all new members (using RSS) due to spammers.
Never thought it would happen but have people from aquaculture joining my twitter account. Which has been excellent because they also then join AquaEd Ning.
As these people are already into social networking they add value to your community because they aren't reluctant users.
This session was recorded and you can watch it here!
My advice for building a community remains the same as for a PLN — your first step is to start using these tools for your own learning then start thinking how you can connect with members from your industry. Check out my PLN Yourself website to get started!
Meanwhile for those that have created professional learning communities — please share your stories. What has worked well? What aspects have caused problems?
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