text:
Response: New federal piracy case confirms limits on universal jurisdiction
on Jul 26, 2012 at 10:11 am
The following response in our symposium on Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum comes from Eugene Kontorovich, a professor at Northwestern University School of Law, where he teaches courses in constitutional law, federal courts, and international law. This year he is a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study and the recipient of the Federalist Society's Bator Award. He has written extensively about the ATS, extraterritorial jurisdiction, and related constitutional issues, including the forthcoming Discretion, Delegation, and Defining in the Constitution's Law of Nations Clause, and Implementing Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain: What Piracy Teaches About the Limits of the Alien Tort Statute. [Lyle published an introduction to the issues in the case at the start of the symposium.]
Before responding to particular participants, I should introduce an important intervening precedent – United States v. Ali (D.D.C. July 13, 2012), a real-live universal jurisdiction piracy case in federal courts, the first such case in nearly two hundred years.
Much has been said in this symposium about piracy, without much actual reference to piracy cases, let alone piracy cases for money damages. The Supreme Court in Palmer clearly applied a presumption against extraterritoriality/universality to the nation's principal piracy law. (This holding counts for much more than dicta in Sosa, which had no piracy in it at all, and was not a universal jurisdiction case.) Thus the presumption would seem to apply a fortiori to the ATS, passed at the same time as the piracy law on Palmer, and which, as Meir Feder points out, has little about it to suggest it was actually concerned with piracy.
Some of what the court in Ali held has implications for the ATS. It would be quite problematic for courts using piracy as a construct in ATS cases to interpret it differently from courts actually prosecuting real pirates.
First, the district court held that universal jurisdiction over piracy does not extend to conspiracy to commit the offense. Because of the exceptional nature of UJ, federal courts can only use it when the precise conduct in question has clearly been made universally cognizable. For the purposes of the ATS, this holding supports the notion that one looks to international law, not federal law, for secondary issues like corporate liability, aiding and abetting, and conspiracy.
Second, the Court held that universal jurisdiction over piracy only applies on the high seas and not in foreign countries. Even though UNCLOS defines aiding and abetting piracy as "piracy" itself, this only applies to aiding and abetting that itself takes place on the high seas. Thus with piracy there is a clear distinction between territory not within anyone's jurisdiction (the high seas), and the territory foreign countries. This strongly suggests that one analogize from universal jurisdiction over piracy on the high seas to jurisdiction over offenses in foreign territory.
Turning to the symposium participants, Prof. Hathaway suggests that the numerous other countries have laws allowing universal civil jurisdiction. The existence of universal jurisdiction "on paper" is not the issue; its actual use is. Prof. Hathaway only identifies two other uses of universal civil jurisdiction (in Holland and Italy), one of which was subsequently quashed by the ICJ on sovereign immunity grounds. In any case, the Italian case had a strong Italian nexus (it involved Italian victims), and the Dutch case is a trial court decision a few months old, hardly much to rest a theory on. To put it another way, there are more ATS suits decided in any one year than there have been in the entire rest of the world so far.
Still, the availability of civil UJ in other forums cuts both ways for the ATS. On the one hand, it suggests such suits are not entirely anomalous. Yet it also weakens the imperative for U.S. jurisdiction: if other courts are open, why are the plaintiffs coming here? It is not the case that U.S. courts are the plaintiff's one hope for justice. And isn't Holland a more logical place, with all its international lawyers?
Prof. Stephens and others argue from inertia. There have been numerous universal and corporate suits since the ATS was revived, and courts did not seem to mind. Yet the questions were not raised by the litigants in those cases, and since it does not go the subject matter jurisdiction of the court (contra the Second Circuit in Kiobel), there would be no reason to mention it. One can flip this argument: since for 190 years no litigants claimed the ATS could be used to litigate foreign human rights cases, it is a bit late in the day to do so now. Similarly, to infer acquiescence from congressional silence turns the presumption against extraterritoriality on its head.
Prof. Stephens notes that the statute is jurisdictional, that it is a kind of "diversity" statute designed to give federal courts jurisdiction over common law cases that would otherwise be heard by state courts. The standard reasons for such federal jurisdiction are avoidance of local bias and ensuring uniform law. Uniformity does not make sense: if the substantive law is the law of nations, the federal courts can't make that uniform. (Indeed, ATS supporters argue that there is no concern about conflict with foreign laws that is applied; then why would there be cross-state conflict?) On the other hand, if the motivation is to avoid local bias against the plaintiff, this only makes sense if one assumes that defendant is a U.S. national or resident: in foreign-cubed suits, local bias doesn't factor in.
I mentioned in my previous post that Congress has doled out universal jurisdiction explicitly and cautiously, even for genocide. Prof. Cleveland points out that the current genocide law applies to alien defendants present in the U.S., even if their crimes had no U.S. nexus. However, the original Genocide Act, passed in 1988 to implement the Genocide Convention, only extended jurisdiction when "the offense is committed within the United States" or where "the alleged offender is a national of the United States." The current version was a self-conscious expansion of the law in 2007. Thus even for the crime of crimes (as with piracy), jurisdiction was first limited to offenses with a U.S. nexus. Universal jurisdiction was a separate, subsequent decision, clearly articulated. One might also suggest that if Congress thought that genocide automatically carried with it universal jurisdiction, they could simply have dropped the U.S. nexus requirement from the revised statute, rather than explicitly permit jurisdiction without nexus.


text:
PF&R EMS Medical Director Dr. Jon Jui Wins Award
Congratulations to PF&R Medical Director Dr. Jon Jui for winning the 2013 Michael Keys Copass award at the EMS State of the Sciences Conference. The award is presented to the Emergency Medical Services Medical Director who has demonstrated longstanding service, contributions and leadership in the unique realm of out-of-hospital emergency care and who, in addition, has served as a role model, not only for emergency medical services personnel, but also for fellow 9-1-1 system medical directors across the nation.
Dr. Jui certainly fits the bill. He is the EMS Medical Director for Multnomah County (City of Portand, Gresham, Port of Portland, AMR Multnomah County, Multnomah County 911 Dispatch), Professor of Emergency Medicine OHSU, and Medical Director of Oregon State Police, United States Forest Service Region 6 Incident Medical Specialist and Redmond and North Cascade Smoke Jumpers. He is also the Deputy Team Leader of the federal Oregon 2 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (OR2-DMAT).
He is board-certified in emergency medicine, internal medicine, and infectious disease and has a Masters in Public Health (epidemiology). He has had a long interest in population based research and has been a co-investigator on a number of national scientific investigations including Rapid Early Action for Coronary Treatment (REACT), Public Access Defibrillation 1 Trial (PAD1), Emergency ID Network, Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome, and Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium. Additionally, he's just a great guy.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
OMFG. WSJ Gets Loopy. Me, Too.
November 29, 2011 Leave a comment
The recent IPCC report on the connection between global warming and extreme weather did not make much of a splash in the news. OK, it was a pretty boring report, but still, I am told the science (some of which was pretty hard to follow) was sound, if overly conservative.
It probably did have one important consequence: sandwiched in the few weeks between its release and the start of the Durban climate talks, we were treated to Thanksgiving leftovers from the already debunked (repeatedly) "Climategate" e-mail trove of out-of-context, fairly routine talk among scientists. Even that did not have the impact it did last time around; but, what with the e-mails mined for nuggets that might look damaging when taken out of context, and the Durban talks now going on, there is a renewed buzz of activity among those who are firmly, squarely, and confidently irrational. Why am I actually surprised by any of this, or that it appears in stark form in today's Wall Street Journal? OK, what they are saying is just plain anti-science, but everyone knows that if anything is said often enough in prominent places, a lot people will believe it.
So, how to respond? In my line of work, we are accustomed to examining arguments for either their false premises or for conclusions that do not follow from the evidence or premises. How old school, I know, trying to reason with people.
I was just in the middle of cataloging the confusions, errors, and bad reasoning in today's downright loopy WSJ editorial about the, um, get ready for this, dying global warming religion. Read it if you have the stomach. You'll regret it, I promise.
"The Great Global Warming Fizzle: The climate religion fades in spasms of anger and twitches of boredom"
Then, after about an hour of looking at things like storm activity, floods, droughts, temperatures, and some of the connections between climate and weather, I have just become too fed up to continue. There are great bloggers out there who have more patience than I do today, and I will provide their links to the WSJ's denialism, not just of long-term climate change, but of the short-term extreme weather being experienced all over the globe.
So, for tonight, I have decided to forget about trying to explain why it appears that the evidence relied upon by the WSJ is so much more than flimsy, it actually seems to be misunderstanding even the difference between weather and climate, let alone their connection, or things as basic as how to measure changes in weather during the past few years. Instead of analyzing the WSJ's ridiculous argument, it seems to me that a change of tone is needed. Maybe not, but I need it.
Which means that all I can muster at the moment is a reprise of a short video I had re-posted a few months ago. It does explain the difference between weather and climate, and the tone seems right. Plus, it is British, so the accents make it sound smarter.
For a more serious piece by David Jenkins on David Frum's blog about why conservatives should reject the wave of GOP science denial, click here.


text:
Focus says gay groups pushing agenda in schools
DENVER – The conservative Christian group Focus on the Family is accusing national gay advocacy groups of using bullying-prevention initiatives at public schools to introduce the viewpoint that homosexuality is normal.
Focus on the Family education expert Candi Cushman told The Denver Post in Saturday's editions that the Christian group supports bullying prevention but that the issue "is being hijacked by activists."
"We feel more and more that activists are being deceptive in using anti-bullying rhetoric to introduce their viewpoints, while the viewpoint of Christian students and parents are increasingly belittled," Cushman said. The Colorado Springs-based group said conservative Christians are portrayed as bigots for their opposing viewpoints, while public schools increasingly teach students that homosexuality should be accepted.
The national Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network says it wants all students to be treated with respect regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or race, ability or national origin.
"Bullying is a serious public health crisis in this country, according to no less an authority than the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services," Eliza Byard, the executive director of GLSEN, told The Denver Post.
Support Local Journalism
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a 2008 report that about 30 percent of sixth-to- 10th-grade students in the U.S. report being bullied, and Byard said the problem is more common with gay students.
Focus on the Family took aim at a 24-page GLSEN booklet titled, "Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation and Youth." It will be delivered to public school superintendents around the country, Focus on the Family said.
"The theme: Schools are only allowed to provide one message about homosexuality – that it's normal and should be embraced," Focus on the Family said.
Byard said the idea for the booklet came from GLSEN but that it was authored by a coalition of medical, mental-health and education organizations.
Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com


text:
Traits are now unlocked. Spending hero points in specializations earns you traits. Once unlocked, you can select them in the build tab for your specialization.
— Traits
Traits are passive abilities that can enhance a character's skills, provide bonuses to damage and attributes, and modify their actions. Each profession has 15 minor and 45 major traits grouped into five specializations. Only a small number of traits can be equipped at a time, determined by chosen specialization. Three minor and three major traits can be equipped per specialization.
The trait interface is accessed through the Hero panel, in the Traits section of the Builds tab. Traits cannot be assigned until they are unlocked by spending Hero points earned either through leveling or performing hero challenges.
Essentially, each profession has access to five core specializations, and three elite specializations. Slot-wise there are two types of traits: minor and major - three predetermined minor traits which cannot be unselected, and three major traits per tier, one of which can be selected and used. Traits are grouped into three tiers: adept, master, and grandmaster, and are unlocked sequentially by spending hero points in the Training Panel. Traits become available for use after slotting the appropriate specialization in the Specializations Panel.
|Minor Traits have hexagonal icons.
|Major Traits have square icons, and are laid out in a column at each tier.
Players commonly refer to the traits in their build by assigning a number (1, 2, or 3) to each Major trait. For example, the Guardian build shown in the image at the top of this page could be described as: Zeal 213, Honor 223, Virtues 123. Some players add dashes, slashes, etc, in between the numbers, ie. Zeal 2-1-3 or 2/1/3.
Allocating specializations[edit]
Three specializations can be active at any one time. When a specialization is selected up to three of the unlocked traits can be selected, one per tier.
Equipping major traits[edit]
Each specialization has access to 9 major traits, split across the three tiers with three major traits per tier.
In order to use a major trait, it must be selected in an open major trait slot.
Unlocking traits[edit]
Traits can be unlocked in the Core specialization section of the Training tab by spending Hero points gained through leveling. Each specialization consists of 3 minor traits and 9 major traits. To fully unlock all 12 traits costs 60 hero points. Every new tier has an increased cost of Hero points, starting at 2 for the first minor trait and ending at 8 for the last major trait.
- Tier 1 Minor trait : 2
- Tier 1 Major trait : 3
- Tier 2 Minor trait : 4
- Tier 2 Major trait : 5
- Tier 3 Minor trait : 6
- Tier 3 Major trait : 8
Historical changes[edit]
- This update drastically changed how traits work, introducing the concept of specializations as follows:
- Players have three specialization slots to spend the traits into, while still being able to view all traits on the left side of traits panel.
- Players no longer need to spend varying amount of points into a specialization (formerly "trait line"), instead all specialization slots are fully unlocked to trait into, therefore making it possible to pick three grandmaster major traits at the same time.
- Many traits have been merged with others, while some have been completely culled, resulting in less traits to choose from but with greater impact on gameplay; because of these changes, players have three major traits for every tier (adept, master, and grandmaster). For some professions, several minor traits had their effects increased, so choosing a specific specialization may become scope-defining.
- The number of possible trait allocations for each profession, assuming all points were used, was reduced from 364,917,960 to 196,830.
- Specializations aren't attached to attributes as trait lines were, so choosing a specialization doesn't change values on the Hero Panel (except for Condition Duration, and Boon Duration, which are only increased by trait effects, sigils or runes). To make up for this loss of attribute points all exotic or better equipment have had their attributes increased.
- As attributes are divorced from specializations, the profession-specific mechanics' recharge reduction (e.g. Attunement Recharge Rate) had its full percentage attached to a trait.
- Traits are now unlocked through Training Panel by spending hero points (formerly skill points) earned from levelling or completing hero challenges (formerly "skill challenges") throughout the world. It is no longer possible to buy trait guides from vendors, or unlock them by completing tasks in the world anymore.
- As trait lines are gone, specializations took up their place not only by replacing terminology and trait lines but also introducing a new system to expand professions' progression - the elite specializations - which drastically changes a profession gameplay, adding a full new set of traits, and unlocking access to a previously unavailable weapon, and a skill type.
- This update made numerous changes to the trait system as part of the Spring 2014 Feature Pack.
- Automatic tier unlocks. Previously, each tier had to be unlocked by purchasing a trait manual; tiers also could be unlocked earlier, at levels 11, 40, and 60.
- Unlock system for major traits. Previously, major traits were all unlocked by default. Existing characters retained the unlocked traits.
- Trait points were condensed by a factor of 5. In the original system, points accrued at a rate of 1 per level starting at level 11, for a total of 70 points. Each point only gave +10 to attributes, and 5 points were required to activate each minor trait/major trait slot; a maximum of 30 points could be spent per trait line.
- Free trait point refunds outside of structured PvP. Previously, points could only be refunded for a fee at profession trainers or by using an Instant Trait Reset.
- A 13th major trait was added to every trait line.
- ArenaNet decided against including racial traits in the game as a matter of game balance: each race should be equally effective in each profession. For example, there should not be important differences between norn and asura warriors.[1]
- The trait system was redesigned into tiers prior to the second Beta Weekend Event.


text:
Tagged: Chicago White Sox
8/17/09 @ US Cellular Field
Remember the Carlos Quentin home run hit back on 8/04/09 that bounced off the metal roof and landed on top of the shrubs at U.S. Cellular Field??
Does this refresh your memory (photos taken August 4th, 2009)…
How about this…
(check out the links above for a quick refresher)
Radar showed a massive green blob of rain heading straight toward Chicago. After monitoring the green blob for around 7 hours (with no change), I left work at 1pm and headed to Miller Park.
At Miller Park, I was going to meet up with two good young ballhawks named Casey & Matt. They're regulars at Miller Park and they're both cool dudes. Casey has his very own ballhawking blog that you can check out by clicking here. From there, we were all going to pile in my truck and head down to the Waukegan train station.
After approx. a 1hr. drive, we arrived at the train station. Unfortunately, we missed the 2:10 train because the drive-thru at White Castle took WAY too long. Oh well…we would catch the 3:10 train.
There was about an hour to kill…
…so, we played some catch.
If there was an errant throw or an overthrow into the high grass…
…no worries. I brought a few extra.
Finally, we were on the train to Chicago…
After a quick ride on the Red Line subway, we arrived at US Cellular Field.
We wasted no time before grabbing our spot in line…
That's when a young man approached me and said, "Nick?"
I turned around and quickly realized it was Alex from the Ballhawk League.
Alex is 13 yrs. old and has a great ballhawking future ahead of him.
Check out Alex's blog by clicking here. He's one cool kid.
When the gates to the stadium opened at 5:30 pm, all four of us sprinted up the long concourse, flashed our 100 level tickets to security and entered the seating area.
Would there be BP??
YES!! The BP GODS have spoken!
When I saw the field was occupied by numerous Sox players, I discovered that I had an extra gear. I ran all the way down the 1st baseline, around the rightfield foul pole, behind the batter's eye and eventually, made it to the left field bleachers.
The 1st thing I did was to scan the moat for any glove-trick opportunities. I spotted one out in left-center. After about 10 seconds, I reeled up Ball #1. As I was reeling it up, an unknown Sox player hit one directly
to me. My glove was dangling in the moat at the time, so, all I could do was stick out my barehand. It ended up bouncing off the warning track and then bouncing off my barehand…ending up back on the field. Luckily, White Sox reliever Randy Williams took notice of my effort and rewarded me with the baseball via toss-up for #2.
When I removed the baseball I had just glove-tricked, things took a turn for the worse.
The rubber band was dangling from one side of the glove…it had snapped. Oh no!!
As luck would have it, the White Sox were finishing up with BP and were running off the field. I knew I would have about 2-3 minutes before the balls would be flying once again.
Quickly, I removed the old rubber band and grabbed a new one from my backpack. I bit it to make one long rubber string (I have to do this so I can string the rubber band through and around the stringing in my glove) and tied it through. After a 3-4 minute delay, I was back in business.
Things started to happen really fast from here on out.
Ball #3 was snagged on the bounce off the bat of Miguel Olivo.
Ball #4 was then glove-tricked out of the moat.
Here's a blurry shot of me reeling in #4…
A few minutes later, a ball was hit out to deep center. Royals coach Rusty Kuntz (cool name, huh?) waddled out to retrieve it.
I said, "coach, any chance I could get that or do I have to earn it?"
Rusty responded, "you have to earn it!"
Just when I let my guard down for a second and looked away, I saw the Rusty ball descending down toward me. In a defensive reaction, the ball clanked off my glove and fell into the moat. Dammit!!! I looked a little foolish missing that ball. Whatever, I would glove-trick it. Or so I thought. Out of nowhere, came two brothers with a glove-trick of their own. They were quicker than me to get their glove-trick lowered, so, I let them go for it. After they fumbled with it for 4-5 minutes, I told them I would take care of it. After about 30 seconds, I reeled up Ball #5.
When it was hit, I hurdled three rows of bleachers, ran over about 5 feet and put my glove up as high as I could reach.
Smack…on the fly.
A new group was taking the cage. So, I scanned all the moats…nothing. I had a weird feeling about the gap behind the centerfield fence. Nobody was paying any attention to that area.
When I peered over the railing, this is what I saw…
Ball #7 took about 7 seconds to reel up.
I was locked in.
A bunch of lefties were now hitting for the Royals, so, I moved to right field. It was crowded.
That's where I met a really cool guy named Ben.
Ben asked if I was "The Happy Youngster." I told him I was and we began to chat like we knew each other for years. Ben was wearing this really slick Dan Quisenberry Royals jersey. Oh yeah, Ben has a collection of jerseys that would blow your mind. According to "jerseyboy" (his handle on the mlblogs network), he has over 1500 jerseys!! Holy crap! I told Ben I would catch up with him after BP (picture to follow).
After about 6-7 minutes, MIKE JACOBS launched one in my direction. I scrambled through the aisle like my *** was on fire. I found my spot and made the snag on the fly.
As an added bonus, it was an HHH Metrodome commemorative baseball.
I *needed* to get to double-digits to break the Coghlan curse.
(if you don't know by now, don't ask)
Unfortunately, BP soon ended.
As BP ended, the rain began to fall.
There truly is a BP God…I swear.
As the majority of the stadium attendees sought refuge, I relished in it.
I've mentioned before – roofs are overrated. I enjoy an occasional rain delay.
A rain delay is what I got…
During the delay, we wandered around the stadium.
That's when I saw *it*
Do you see it? Holy ****!!
The Carlos Quentin home run hit on August 4th was still lying out on the batter's eye two weeks later! Same spot…same ball. EXACTLY the same ball.
I had to get that ball for the following reasons:
- it would make a cool story
- it would give me double-digits for the 1st time since 5/13/09
- it would give me 52 career game home run balls snagged
I just *had* to figure out a way to get that ball.
After about an hour rain-delay, the weather began to clear.
That's when a rainbow appeared above US Cellular Field…
In the top of the 2nd inning, Yuniesky Betancourt hit a home run into the White Sox bullpen. Would it be glove-trickable?? Alex (who was sitting next to me in the 2nd row above the Royals dugout) and I were about to find out. So, we raced out to left field to take a look.
When we made it to left, we grabbed a couple seats in about the 7th row. When the time was right, we made it down to the railing of the Sox bullpen.
If that would have stayed at the rear of the bullpen, it would have been glove-tricked.
No doubt about it.
Alex and I stayed in the 7th row behind the bullpen. When the Sox 1/2 of the 2nd rolled around, JAYSON NIX launched one straight in our direction. I started to dart down the staircase. A fat guy in the 5th row acted like it was coming straight at his head. He just froze in the aisle and put his arms out. After I maneuvered around Fat-Man, I made it down to the front row. As I extended my glove-hand all the way out over the railing, the home run ball bounced off the bottom of the rear wall of the bullpen and bounced back toward the front of the pen, coming to a rest about 1 foot away from the Betancourt home run. I had just come about 6 feet from a game home run. Damn.
Immediately, Sox Coach Juan Nieves ran out and grabbed the Nix home run. In the process, he kicked the Royals home run and made a gesture with his hand, pinching his nose as if something stunk. Alex and I were both in the front row waiting for the toss-up. Nieves launched it over our heads.
Where did it land, you ask?? Directly in the seat Alex vacated in the 7th row.
Double-damn…the kid took it hard but I told him he made the right decision by getting to the front row. There's just no way of knowing that ball would have been tossed 7 rows up.
After more on-again/off-again rain…
…the White Sox defeated the Royals 8-7.
After the game, I tried for an ump ball from Chad Fairchild…with no luck.
I wandered over to the Royals dugout for a toss-up ball…with no luck.
That's when I met back up with Ben (aka-jerseyboy).
Here's Ben and I after the game by the visitor's dugout…
I said my goodbyes to Alex (and his Dad) and told my friends I was determined to end the Coghlan curse.
For various reasons (that should be obvious to most), I cannot provide exact details.
I can say this:
- I was alone and unassisted.
- I did obtain the home run ball directly.
- It was, without a doubt, the home run ball hit on 8/04/09 by Carlos Quentin.
- It was partially waterlogged.
- I was the 1st fan t
o obtain possession of it.
- While unorthodox, it counts toward my career home run stats.
- I did have a few witnesses (from afar) for the majority of the ball's retrieval.
If you see me, ask me about it.
Here I am with Career Game Home Run Ball #52…
An injury incurred along the way…
But, at least the sweet-spot was clean…
…I've gone completely nuts.
What a day…
- 10 total balls 8/17/09
5 batted baseballs (including 1 game home run hit by Carlos Quentin on 8/04/09)
1 tossup baseball
4 device baseballs
4/7/09 = 5 baseballs
4/8/09 = 10 baseballs
4/9/09 = 10 baseballs
4/10/09 = 3 baseballs
4/11/09 = 5 baseballs
4/12/09 = 5 baseballs
4/13/09 = 11 baseballs
4/14/09 = 6 baseballs
4/21/09 = 5 baseballs
4/27/09 = 15 baseballs
4/28/09 = 9 baseballs
4/30/09 = 4 baseballs
5/01/09 = 7 baseballs
5/02/09 = 4 baseballs
5/08/09 = 11 baseballs
5/09/09 = 1 lousy ball
5/12/09 = 14 baseballs
5/13/09 = 12 baseballs
5/19/09 = 8 baseballs
5/22/09 = 3 baseballs
5/23/09 = 2 baseballs
5/26/09 = 3 baseballs
5/29/09 = 6 baseballs
5/30/09 = 5 baseballs
6/01/09 = 1 baseball
6/02/09 = 9 baseballs
6/09/09 = 4 baseballs
6/10/09 = 0 baseballs
6/11/09 = 2 baseballs
6/12/09 = 9 baseballs
6/23/09 = 6 baseballs
6/24/09 = 9 baseballs
6/26/09 = 9 baseballs
6/27/09 = 4 baseballs
6/29/09 = 3 baseballs
6/30/09 = 5 baseballs
7/07/09 = 6 baseballs
7/10/09 = 3 baseballs
7/20/09 = 7 baseballs
7/24/09 = 6 baseballs
7/27/09 = 8 baseballs
7/29/09 = 3 baseballs
8/04/09 = 4 baseballs
8/11/09 = 7 baseballs
8/12/09 = 6 baseballs
8/15/09 = 4 baseballs
8/16/09 = 3 baseballs
8/17/09 = 10 baseballs
292 baseballs (48 games)
6.08 average per game
7/20/09 @ US Cellular Field
Let's get the 2nd half rolling, shall we…??
I had spotted this date on the calendar a few months ago. The defending A.L. champion Tampa Bay Rays were going to be in Chicago to play the south-siders on a Monday night.
I circled the date.
A good friend of mine, Jamil, was taking the trek with me.
We jumped on a train headed to downtown Chicago and before we knew it, we were in "The Windy City."
This would be my 4th trip to "the Cell" this season.
My 2009 U.S. Cellular Field stats:
For all you math majors, that's a 6 ball average…right on par with my current season average.
When we arrived at the ballpark, we immediately went to the ticket windows to purchase our seats (as you may or may not know, select tickets are 1/2 price every Monday night).
"Two 1/2 price bleacher seats, please," I said confidently.
"All we have are upper reserved," the ticket rep responded.
Turns out it was Italian night or something. All tickets were 1/2 price!
Great. Just great. There goes my batting practice.
For those planning a trip to see the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field: you must have a lower level ticket to be able to access the bleachers for Batting Practice.
So, we sat by the home plate entrance and waited for a few ticket sellers/scalpers to show up.
They never came.
5:15 pm rolled around and we had to make a decision. Either buy upper reserved and HOPE we could access the bleachers
get back on the train, drink some beer and go home.
I decided we would take a chance and buy the upper reserved (total nosebleed).
After the tickets were purchased (for $9.50 each), we jumped in line.
When the gates opened, we went up the ramp and approached the security guard that was checking tickets/granting access to the lower level.
As luck would have it, he recognized me from ESPN and granted me access.
Are you kidding me?!?!
Shortly after the gates opened, the left field bleachers were crowded.
Take a look…
…it got much worse.
There was another challenge…
…the sun is brutal at "the Cell."
See all the people shielding their eyes??
No worries. I had a secret weapon to beat the crowds and the sun…the glove trick.
I was about to have a glove-trick party.
The 1st thing I did when I ran into the left field bleachers was to scan the moat that's positioned between the 1st row of seats and the left field wall.
What did I see?? A lonely baseball lying down there yet to be claimed.
But, wait…there's more!
I quickly lowered the glove trick and had my 1st ball on the day.
Check this **** out…
…sweet Mother of God!
An absolute perfect World Baseball Classic ball.
The White Sox are using WBC balls?? Holy hell!!
I was not finished.
A quick peek into the Sox bullpen in left field…
…oh yeah!
BALL #2 and BALL #3 were waiting for me.
What was even better??
#2 was another WBC ball!
What was even better than that??
#3 was given away to a nearby kid standing with his Dad.
A closer look at the two (2) WBC balls snagged…
…as you can see, they were perfectly white. Only marred by the ridiculous "PRACTICE" stamp.
I hate that stamp.
By the time I had reeled in those three, the Rays had already begun to hit. I found a spot in the 2nd row where I could stand and actually have enough room to itch my asssss.
That is where I would make my biggest error on the season.
With Jamil as my witness, I had a Longoria BP homer ricochet off the end of my glove.
It was a combination of three things I tell you:
- sun
- bad footwork
- white men can't jump
****!! That sucked.
It was a good thing I still had the secret weapon.
Before BP was over, I managed to glove-trick three more balls out of the Sox bullpen, bringing my total on the day up to six (6).
BALL #6 was given to an adult. Yeah, you read that right. An adult.
Earlier, the guy had that very same ball bounce off his bare hands only to have it drop into the pen.
At first, I asked him if he had any kids. He was slow to respond which meant, "no."
It didn't matter. I gave it to him, anyway.
He had been overly cool about letting me into the aisle above where the baseballs had been lying. Besides, he and his wife said I was awesome. What more do you need?
Toward the end of Batting Practice, I noticed Rays reliever Randy Choate limp-wristed one toward the front row. It fell short and fell into the moat…
…oh, darn.
After BP, I went over to the spot where I could recall the ball had landed…
…there it was.
(The above picture was taken by leaning way over the fence and aiming my camera underneath me and the fence. That ball could not be seen by simply looking st
raight down)
To get it, I would have to swing the glove underneath the platform and knock it back out so it would be directly below me.
Surprisingly efficient, it took me two swings to get it into position. Another 5 seconds and BALL #7 was mine.
7 balls snagged…all via the glove trick. Sweet.
Hey Zack…if you're reading this, what's your single-game record for glove-tricks??
Just curious.
Jamil posing with 2 of the 5 remaining baseballs…
…we were having a good time.
We took a stroll, ending up over at the Rays pen.
Just in time to see this young stud take his warm-up pitches…
…David freakin' Price.
That guy is a stud.
The stadium was packed, so, we wandered around.
After consuming over $50 in concessions (between the two of us), we ended up behind the plate by the 9th inning.
I was going to try to make it 8 balls on the day.
For those who plan on visiting "The Cell," the ump entrance/exit is located below…
…through the gate and up that tunnel.
Home Plate umpire Mike Reilly wanted to keep his balls, though.
No problem.
Our night was over.
The five baseballs I took home…
…which reminds me-I have to set a couple aside for Jamil's two boys.
One final picture taken on the train-ride home…
…apparently, we were not the only ones who had a fun day.
- 7 total balls 7/20/09
7 device
4/7/09 = 5 baseballs
4/8/09 = 10 baseballs
4/9/09 = 10 baseballs
4/10/09 = 3 baseballs
4/11/09 = 5 baseballs
4/12/09 = 5 baseballs
4/13/09 = 11 baseballs
4/14/09 = 6 baseballs
4/21/09 = 5 baseballs
4/27/09 = 15 baseballs
4/28/09 = 9 baseballs
4/30/09 = 4 baseballs
5/01/09 = 7 baseballs
5/02/09 = 4 baseballs
5/08/09 = 11 baseballs
5/09/09 = 1 lousy ball
5/12/09 = 14 baseballs
5/13/09 = 12 baseballs
5/19/09 = 8 baseballs
5/22/09 = 3 baseballs
5/23/09 = 2 baseballs
5/26/09 = 3 baseballs
5/29/09 = 6 baseballs
5/30/09 = 5 baseballs
6/01/09 = 1 baseball
6/02/09 = 9 baseballs
6/09/09 = 4 baseballs
6/10/09 = 0 baseballs
6/11/09 = 2 baseballs
6/12/09 = 9 baseballs
6/23/09 = 6 baseballs
6/24/09 = 9 baseballs
6/26/09 = 9 baseballs
6/27/09 = 4 baseballs
6/29/09 = 3 baseballs
6/30/09 = 5 baseballs
7/07/09 = 6 baseballs
7/10/09 = 3 baseballs
7/20/09 = 7 baseballs
241 baseballs (39 games)
6.18 average per game
ONE LAST NOTE: Through a connection of mine, I'm now off to meet a celebrity who happens to be a big baseball fan. He got a few backstage passes for my wife and I.
Here's a few hints…
- he's an "IDOL"ized musician
- he was raised in Missouri
- now lives in Tulsa, OK
- performed at the 2009 Home Run Derby
- is an avid baseball fan who cheers for the K.C. Royals.
Any guesses or did I give it away????


text:
|MAIN How To Page
See also: How to Care for Sea-Beans ...protect your collection!
One way to collect sea-beans (the best way!) is to go get them yourself. Go to the beach, walk the beach, find some treasures! To accomplish all this, successfully, the stars don't have to line up but there are several things to consider: which beach, currents, what time (of the day, month, or year), the weather, technique, and other beaners.
1. Which beach? For those lucky enough to live close to an oceanic shoreline, several options may be available. Choose a beach that is close by, has adequate parking and other facilities, and is safe. For those that don't live close to a beach, travel is on the agenda. This opens the door to other options, but adds expense... a little or a lot! If traveling, consider which beach may have more sea-beans than another. Talk to others about where to go; the SEABEAN-L listserve is a good place to post questions, particularly if your travels will be distant.
2. Currents: Consider the local currents. These currents carry and deliver the sea-beans to the beach. Is this current "fed" sea-beans by a tropical or subtropical source? Are the currents likely to hold sea-beans? If so, are the currents close enough to the shoreline to deposit the sea-beans on the beach?
3. Timing: The time of year can affect how successful you are at collecting sea-beans. There is a "Sea-Bean Season"! Currents often meander closer to the shore; when this happens, the sea-beans may be more likely to become stranded on the beach. The best time of the month for sea-beans may be influenced by the monthly cycle of the tides, which may bring more water higher onto the beach... and may carry more sea-beans. Now-a-days, with sea-beaning becoming more popular, the time of day to go beaning may be important. Sea-beans may be deposited in the middle of the night... the early beaner gets the beans!
4. Weather: The weather, particularly winds, can play a very important role in delivering sea-beans to the beach. Because they float, the sea-beans are affected by the wind, as is the surface water that they are floating in! Watch for an onshore breeze... the longer it persists, the better. The farther offshore the bean-carrying currents are, the longer it takes for the winds to blow the sea-beans ashore. Listen for news of Portuguese Man-o-War washing ashore... what blows them ashore will also blow sea-beans ashore!
Portuguese Man-o-War, Physalia physalis
5. Other beaners: friend or foe? Well, that person just up the beach from you may have found that coveted Mary's Bean that you surely would have found. Oh well. Maybe they found two and will give you one! Maybe you can trade that Dioclea you found! Nonetheless, beaning is becoming more popular and the beans (seemingly) not more abundant. That said, all beaners miss sea-beans right under their nose. Talk to the other beaners on the beach... you might learn something or make a new friend!
6. Technique: How and where you search is important. If you're searching for sea-beans at the low-tide line, among all the seashells, then get out-a-there! Head up the beach face above the high tide line and (more importantly) the wrack line!!! Sea-beans float, and you'll find them among the other stuff that floats: the seaweed. This "wrackline" may consist of different types of plant material. You're looking for the oceanic algae called Sargassum. If the currents and winds have blown this ashore (it floats too), then there may be sea-beans among it.
The wrack line... after a storm.
Forms of Sargassum spp.
These clumps are freshly washed ashore. After a couple days on the beach, they'll be dry and a dark brown color.
Local storms may create great waves that hit the nearshore ocean bottom and dislodge benthic (bottom growing) algae or seagrass which then washes ashore. When you see that the wrackline is composed of this, remember its source... it's not from where sea-beans come from, and it won't provide you with a bonanza of sea-beans.
Finding Sea Beans on the Beach
Courtesy of YouTube's "seabeanie" --- August 06, 2009
You can purchase or trade sea-beans too!
Another way to "collect" sea-beans is to purchase or trade for them, much the same way as many people "collect" stamps. If you don't live next to the beach, or can't get there, purchasing or trading may be an option for you. Even if you can get to "a" beach, perhaps you can't get to that special beach half way around the world that you'd just love to have some drift seeds from. Again, sending seeds to other countries may be problematic. Good Luck!
How to Collect Sea-Beans
ALL web pages © www.seabean.com --- All rights reserved.
ALL photos © www.seabean.com or other photographers individually credited.
Use of ANY photo without written permission is prohibited!


text:
Say: tim-pah-noh-gram
Tympanic membrane is the fancy name for eardrum, so when a doctor wants to find out how your eardrum is working, he or she may get a tympanogram. In this test, a doctor uses a special machine that is small enough to be inserted into you ear. It makes a quiet noise that should get your eardrum moving. The result of this test is known as a tympanogram.


text:
|In 1904 the Danish silversmith Georg Jensen founded his first modest silver smithy in the heart of Copenhagen. Thirty years later, he had made an international name for himself. When he died in 1935, the New York Herald Tribune saluted him as "the greatest silversmith of the last 300 years."
Georg Jensen was unique among silversmiths because he was as devoted to art as he was to craftsmanship. He had intimate knowledge of materials and brought this experience to bear on all of his designs.
One of the most important parts of his legacy was that he was not satisfied just to realize his own talent. He went a step further and created a tradition, an inspiring and demanding framework for creative artists and proud craftsmen. Today, Georg Jensen encompasses more than just the man; the name is now a concept synonymous with excellent Danish design throughout the world.
In his early years, Jensen was heavily influenced by Art Nouveau style. He made it his own, though, by combining the sculptor's strong, free lines with the silversmith's intuitive feel for the material. His works are characterized by his fertile, creative imagination, and his capacity to innovate new styles. It has been said of Georg Jensen that "he never followed fashion, he created it."
Following an exhibition at the Danish Museum of Decorative Arts in Autumn of 1904, Georg Jensen designs became fast favourites of Copenhagen's high society. As time went by he surrounded himself with a staff of talented colleagues, laying the foundation for a definite artistic and artisan morale.
Beginning in 1912, Danish expansion of the studio was underway. In 1917, Jensen built workshop large enough to hold hundreds of employees. By the time he had died in 1935, Georg Jensen was an international design house where inspired artisans were encouraged to carry on the tradition of mixing expert craftsmanship with forward-thinking design.
shop more work from Georg Jensen Silversmithy


text:
March 7, 2013
Medicare Basics for Boomers and Beyond workshop April 4
Are you approaching 65 years of age? Do you assist your parents with medical issues? Does the word Medicare send a shiver down your spine? Are you confused about your options and what to expect once your insurance changes?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then an upcoming Medicare basics workshop is for you. This unbiased and free class will help you gain the knowledge you need to make informed decisions.
Jennifer Wilson, Riley County extension agent and Senior Health Insurance Counseling For Kansas partner will present Medicare Basics for Boomers and Beyond from 6–8 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at the Alumni Center Ballroom.
This is an event through the university's Division of Human Resources. There is no charge to participants, but registration is necessary to ensure adequate seating and materials. Spouses and guests of employees are welcome to attend. If you plan to bring a non-employee spouse or guest, please email firstname.lastname@example.com with their name to ensure a proper count, in addition to registering yourself.
You may register in one of two ways:
1) Through HRIS Self Service, Training Enrollment, or
2) Email to firstname.lastname@example.com. Please include your name, employee ID number, course title and session number. Course Number: WTD137 Session: 0003
If you have questions, please contact email@example.com or 532-6277.


text:
Crystal Cathedral to Host a Pro-Life Event
A pro-life event is being held at the Crystal Cathedral church Thursday night and will feature several prominent pro-life advocates, including the CEO and founder of a California-based network of parental health consultation clinics.
The event, free to the public, is to be led by Kathleen Eaton, president of Birth Choice Health Clinics, a network of counseling pro-life institutions spread throughout California. The organization describes itself on its website as a "licensed community care clinics providing medical consultations, pregnancy tests, STD testing, HIV/AIDS testing, well women care, and prenatal care."
"For millions of young women and men across our nation, 'choice' has come to mean 'abortion,'" Eaton said in a statement released Tuesday. "But in California, Birth Choice Health Clinics and its supporters are putting 'life' back in 'choice' and spreading the news!"
Birth Choice Health Clinics is a church-backed network. Most of its events take place at churches. The organization will celebrate its 31st anniversary at the famous Orange County church, which recently split after years of financial struggles and leadership disputes.
Other keynote speakers visiting the signature glass church in Garden Grove, Calif., Thursday night include Lila Rose, president of Live Action, a youth-led pro-life movement; Jack Hibbs, founder and senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, Calif.; and Kristan Hawkins, director of Students for Life of America, who is "responsible for tripling the number of pro-life campus groups in the United States over the past six years," according to the event description.
Additional special guests include: Jason Jones, promoter of the movie "October Baby;" pastor Matt Doan of Calvary Santa Ana; pastor Al Baca of St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Tustin, Calif.; and Pastor Seth Gatchell of Pacific Church of Irvine, among others. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. PST.
The church property currently belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. It was sold to the Catholic Church in February following a bankruptcy filing by Crystal Cathedral Ministries. According to the lease agreement with the Diocese of Orange, Crystal Cathedral Ministries can continue using the Garden Grove campus for three years before having to find a new home.
As the Crystal Cathedral tries to carry on its ministry following the departure of its founding family, the Schullers, in March and multiplying financial difficulties, obstacles keep springing up. In a recent statement, John Charles, president & CEO, revealed that the church needs to "move forward quickly or, sadly, the lights will be turned off."
"As I write, we have funds enough for six weeks, so your donation to your Crystal Cathedral, today, is urgent," Charles wrote in the statement, just a month after he told The Christian Post that church donations have doubled since the Schullers' departure. CP did not manage to get a comment for this story by press time.


text:
- This event has passed.
Sunday, June 23, 2019 @ 10:30 pm - 11:45 pm$10 – $20
Book Now
Israeli born and Australia raised, Tal Cohen's performance sensibility and original compositions are global, exuberant and life affirming! Jazz legend Joe Lovano says that "Tal Cohen is among the best of a very few young inspired pianists I've encountered….his playing is full of passion, focus and creativity." Another jazz great Terence Blanchard calls Cohen "one of the brightest stars playing the piano to come along in a long time and has the promise of being at the top of the curve changing our minds about music." Cohen's trio holds the stage with the verve, power and command of a much larger band. The trio combines complex modern jazz with graceful phrasing, thoughtful development and probative honest expression. Cohen doesn't play for his audiences. He magically draws them into a celebration of his music and ideas. His new album, "Gentle Giants", has received critical acclaim from DOWNBEAT and others and has warmed the hearts of jazz aficionados and newbies alike. The album possesses an audacious quality, making one sit up and pay attention to what each musician is playing and how the ensemble interacts and moves through the works. In his winter residency at Black Cat, shows were sold out and guests returned for a second dose of his musical magic. Don't miss this.


text:
Otto Warmbier, an American college student who was released by North Korea in a coma last week, died Monday afternoon. He was 22.
The family announced his death in a statement released by UC Health Systems, saying, "It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home. Surrounded by his loving family, Otto died today at 2:20pm."
The family thanked the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for treating him but said, "Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today."
They said they were choosing to focus on the time they were given with their "warm, engaging, brilliant" son instead of focusing on what they had lost.
Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor in North Korea, convicted of subversion after he tearfully confessed he had tried to steal a propaganda banner.
The University of Virginia student was held for more than 17 months and medically evacuated from North Korea last week. Doctors said he returned with severe brain damage, but it wasn't clear what caused it.
Parents Fred and Cindy Warmbier told The Associated Press in a statement the day of his release that they wanted "the world to know how we and our son have been brutalized and terrorized by the pariah regime " and expressed relief he had been returned to "finally be with people who love him."
He was taken by Medivac to Cincinnati, where he grew up in suburban Wyoming. He was salutatorian of his 2013 class at the highly rated high school, and was on the soccer team among other activities.
Ohio's U.S. senators sharply criticized North Korea soon after his release.
Republican Sen. Rob Portman of the Cincinnati area said North Korea should be "universally condemned for its abhorrent behavior." Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Cleveland said the country's "despicable actions … must be condemned." Portman added that the Warmbiers have "had to endure more than any family should have to bear."
Three Americans remain held in North Korea. The U.S. government accuses North Korea of using such detainees as political pawns. North Korea accuses Washington and South Korea of sending spies to overthrow its government.
At the time of Warmbier's release, a White House official said Joseph Yun, the U.S. envoy on North Korea, had met with North Korean foreign ministry representatives in Norway the previous month. Such direct consultations between the two governments are rare because they don't have formal diplomatic relations.
At the meeting, North Korea agreed that Swedish diplomats could visit all four American detainees. Yun learned about Warmbier's condition in a meeting a week before the release the North Korean ambassador at the U.N. in New York. Yunthen dispatched to North Korea and visited Warmbier June 12 with two doctors and demanded his release on humanitarian grounds.


text:
A data breach is an incident where information is stolen or taken from a system without the knowledge or authorization of the system's owner. Victims of data breaches are usually large companies or organizations, and the data stolen may typically be sensitive, proprietary or confidential in nature (such as credit card numbers, customer data, trade secrets or matters of national security). Damage created by such incidents often presents itself as loss to the target company's reputation with their customer, due to a perceived 'betrayal of trust'. The damage may also involve the company's finances as well as that of their customers' should financial records be part of the information stolen.
Data breaches may be a result of cybercriminal activity (targeted attacks) or by complete accident/human error (misplaced business laptop/smartphone).
A typical data breach occurs in three phases:
3. Exfiltrate. Once inside the network, the cybercriminal is free to extract the data he needs from the company's infrastructure and transmit it back to himself. This data may be used for either blackmail or black propaganda. It may also result in the cybercriminal having enough data for a more damaging attack on the infrastructure as well.
Other Causes of Data Breaches
Real-World Data Breach Examples
For Enterprises:
For Consumers/Employees of Enterprises:


text:
For screen reader problems with this website, please call937-434-97709 3 7 4 3 4 9 7 7 0Standard carrier rates apply to texts.
SANUS Natural Series NFC18 is an 18-inch stand for center-channel speakers up to 25 lbs. Its extra-large, black-lacquered MDF base includes adjustable carpet spikes and screw-in polyester feet for stability. Twin hardwood pillars support a 14 by 8-inch top plate with adjustable-height brass studs and neoprene pads to provide superior isolation and resonance damping for center channel speakers. A patented wire management channel conceals and protects cables. This product is sold individually.
Tools You Will Need For Installation - Phillips Head Screwdriver
|Width (in.)
|Depth (in.)
|Height (in.)


text:
Cash can bribe dieters to lose weight, study finds
- Study involved 100 obese people
- Participants lost an average of 9 pounds
- Researchers%3A Keep incentives going
Researchers are reporting success with using cash incentives to help people lose weight.
In a yearlong study, people were offered a chance to win or lose $20 a month if they met certain diet goals. They lost an average of 9 pounds compared to just over 2 pounds for other study participants who were not offered the chance to win money if they shed pounds.
The diet study involved 100 obese employees at the Mayo Clinic.
Offering incentives is a tactic that many employers, insurers and Internet programs use to entice people to change bad habits like smoking or not exercising. Mayo researchers say it is important to keep the incentives going to maintain healthy changes.
The study will be discussed this weekend at a medical conference in San Francisco.


text:
Interlaken Inn Wedding
A wonderful day for a wedding ceremony by the lake in Lakeville, CT. Interlaken Inn offers such a unique ceremony view. Using an ultra wide Canon 11-24mm f/4 lens, I managed to capture the breathtaking scenery. I always use 3-4 camera bodies during the ceremony as there is no time for switching lenses.
The Private Estate - Yannis Malevitis
This was a fall wedding at the Private Estate, in Germantown, NY. The groom got ready at the Delamater Inn, in Rhinebeck, NY. The view of the Hudson river is breathtaking and offers a great background for the ceremony photos. My favorite photos were at the pond with the beautiful fall foliage. A highlight of the wedding is the rustic barn which creates a very romantic atmosphere for the couple and the guests. The wedding coordinator was Every Little Detail. The florist was Floral Fantasies by Sara.
Interlaken Inn Wedding - Yannis Malevitis
This is the gallery of a New Year's Eve wedding at the Interlaken Inn, in Lakeville, CT. It was a great experience celebrating the New Year with Jo, Jake and their friends. The wedding ceremony took place indoors. The available light was so low that I had to use three camera bodies with only f/1.4 prime lenses attached.
Locust Grove Estate - Yannis Malevitis
I have so many wonderful memories from the wedding of Evelyn and Bobby. Locust Grove Estate in Poughkeepsie is a great location for a wedding reception. It offers a beautiful scenery that may be used as the frame of the bride and groom portraits. The bride and the groom were truly in love. I just asked them to be themselves and captured from a distance their personal moments. A long telephoto prime lens like the Canon 200mm f/2 L IS allowed me to create the artistic effects that I visualized.
Rhinecliff Hotel - Rhinebeck
A year ago I photographed the wedding of the bride's sister at the Full Moon Resort. Catherine and Scott live in Montreal and wanted a relaxed and fun wedding day. Rhinecliff hotel in Rhinebeck, NY offers an amazing view of the Hudson River. The Rhinecliff train station is a great location for a first look.
Full Moon Resort - Yannis Malevitis
A favorite wedding at the Full Moon Resort, in Big Indian, NY. Brett and Kristen are adorable and I was very happy to have the opportunity to photograph their wedding. I used mainly f/1.4 prime lenses which were necessary during the barn ceremony and the reception.
Jewish Wedding at a private property
From the first moment I met Jodie and Luis I felt like being one of their friends. The wedding ceremony was a combination of Jewish and Christian Orthodox rituals. My favorite moments were mainly the interaction of the father and the bride before the ceremony and the sentimental instances during the ceremony. Holding the Canon 200mm f/2 L IS lens allowed me to capture those moments without being obtrusive.
Interlaken Inn wedding - Yannis Malevitis
This is a winter wedding at the Interlaken Inn. It was too cold to have the ceremony by the lake, but we managed to capture a few beautiful moments during the first look. I loved the joy and the passion of all the guests especially during the latin dances. Daniel Linares was the DJ of the wedding. I highly recommend him.
This is a gallery from my first wedding at the Full Moon Resort, NY. Susannah and Paul were adorable. I loved each single moment of their ceremony in which their close friends spoke about them.
This is the gallery of a summer wedding at the Interlaken Inn. The weather was amazing and allowed me to create a few stunning ultra wide images of the wedding ceremony at the lake, in Lakeville, CT. The bride got ready at a private house in Sharon, CT. The highlights of the day were the groom's reaction immediately after the ceremony and joyful dances after dinner.
This is one of my favorite weddings at the Interlaken Inn, in Lakeville, CT. Adrienne and Drew created so many beautiful moments. The father of the bride was very sentimental and I am very happy to have captured such a strong portrait of him with his daughter at the beginning of the ceremony.


text:
Everything old is new again at the Grand Lyon Lumiere Festival, which offers a smorgasbord of new prints and restored cinematic delights, ranging from a color version of Georges Melies' "A Trip to the Moon" to the French classic "War of the Buttons," which Gaumont restored in advance of two competing remakes.
With its spectacle freshly polished, William Wyler's "Ben-Hur" unspools in a single exclusive showing as part of the fest's tribute to Warner Home Video simultaneously with the screening at the New York Festival (and before its bow at the Rome Film Festival).
The fest's many showcases include a complete retrospective of French filmmaker Jacques Becker, admired by the likes of Francois Truffaut and Jean Luc Godard, featuring 13 restored prints. "Like Melville, I'm sure his genius will become appreciated Stateside as well," fest topper Thierry Fremaux predicts.
Hollywood helmer William Wellman gets a similar treatment of 13 pics, among them restored versions of 1928's "Beggars of Life," with Louise Brooks and Wallace Beery, and "The Story of G.I. Joe."
As part of a tribute to film historians and restorers Kevin Brownlow and Patrick Stanbury of London-based Photoplay Prods., the fest will also screen Rex Ingram's "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (1921) with musical accompaniment by the Lyon National Orchestra.
Among the more recent works unspooling at the fest are new prints of Jerry Schatzberg's 1970 drama "Puzzle of a Downfall Child" and Martin Rosen's animated canine adventure "The Plague Dogs" (1982). Jean-Paul Rappeneau's 1975 romantic comedy "Le sauvage," with Catherine Deneuve and Yves Montand, screens in the fest's 1970s' Deja classique sidebar.
Lumiere also continues its exploration of Asian cinema, and promises movie mayhem with a series on Japanese yakuza gangster pics from the 1960s through the 1980s, including Masahiro Shinoda's "Pale Flower" as well as new prints of Kinji Fukasaku's "Battles Without Honour and Humanity" and Hideo Gosha's "The Yakuza Wives."
Grand Lyon: Film feast for archivalists | Digital difference | To protect and preserve | Celluloid spotlight


text:
Networks Skip Audio of IRS Official Lecturing Pro-Life Group: Don't 'Force Your Beliefs' on People
A pro-life legal group on Monday released audio footage of an Internal Revenue Service agent telling them, "You cannot force your religion or force your beliefs on someone else." Yet, ABC, NBC and CBS all have ignored the story so far. In the audio, IRS agent Sherry Wan lectured, "...You have to know your boundaries."
Alliance Defending Freedom, a Arizona-based group, is a non-profit legal organization. Wan continued, "But you have to respect other people's beliefs, other people's rights and not, you know, use some kind of confrontation." While the networks ignored the story, Sean Hannity featured it on Tuesday, touting, "This is audio proof that conservatives in fact were targeted and it's proof that they were bullied into keeping their belief silent." [MP3 audio here.]
He added, "Second, this is only one woman story. How many other Americans were also unfairly harassed by the IRS?"
At one point, Wan insisted, "you have no right to go against other people's beliefs."
What has ABC's Good Morning America covered instead? On Wednesday, the morning show devoted a segment to the "art of mantiquing,"a story on turning your man cave into a more cultured place. The same show also looked at a "pain test" for women's high heels.
Considering the recent revelations about the IRS, plus the time devoted to superficial stories, the networks could at least look into this.
To read a full transcript of the exchange between the IRS agent and the group, go here.
A partial transcript from the June 11 Hannity is below:
SEAN HANNITY: Now, while leading Democrats are trying to say that the IRS enemy's list has been, quote, "solved." New evidence is emerging that proves this couldn't be further from the truth. Now, the latest example comes to us courtesy of the alliance defending freedom. Now, that group released a recording of an IRS agent tape back in March of 2012 telling a prolife activist to remain quote, "neutral" on certain issues if she wanted to gain tax exempt status. Here's part of that conversation.
SHERRY WAN: You have the religious freedom, you have you the freedom of speech. And other people also have their civil rights, human rights. For other people you don't have the belief. So, I don't believe you need the right to do this. Start confrontation, protesting if you do apply for tax exemption. You have your right of belief to do what you're supposed to do. But you have no right to go against other people's beliefs. And like I said, you have the right to believe. You have the right to do, your religion told you what's right. You have a right to, you know, outreach to other people. But meanwhile, you have to know your boundaries, you have to know your limits.
HANNITY: Pretty unbelievable. Now, here is why the story is important to you. First, this is audio proof that conservatives in fact were targeted and it's proof that they were bullied into keeping their belief silent. Second, this is only one woman story. How many other Americans were also unfairly harassed by the IRS? Will we ever know the answer to that?
-- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.


text:
MasterMover Global News
Cart Mover Reduces Risk Of Injury And Increases Efficiency At Lancashire Teaching Hospitals
The Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LTFT) has reduced risk of accidents and injuries to its staff and improved handling efficiencies by investing in six cart movers. The electric operated materials handling tugs are used to move roll cages for catering, laundry and medical notes around its two sites.
"Since purchasing six cart mover tugs from MasterMover we've seen a significant improvement in our handling efficiencies,"
comments Trevor Loftus, Head of Physical Risk at LTFT.
"The SmartMover tugs have also reduced the risk of handling injuries to our staff."
Trevor explains why the investment in handling machines was necessary: "Prior to investing in the six SmartMover tugs, catering supplies, laundry and medical notes were being unloaded from a truck and then moved by roll cage to their required destinations. A roll cage of linen, for example, can weigh up to a third of a tonne and so moving it would often require two people, one to push and the other to pull."
He continues: "As well as being inefficient in terms of manpower, moving heavy goods around our sites posed too high a risk of injury to staff. Pushing a roll cage can be physically demanding for staff and dangerous in terms of line of sight. If you are pushing a roll cage, you cannot always see what's in front of it, or if you're pulling a roll cage, you can't always see what's behind you."
After a market review, MasterMover was appointed to deliver a suitable solution and a SmartMover was suggested straight away. This versatile machine is designed specifically to move heavy roll cages. By clamping to the base of the roll cage, the unit ensures that the cage cannot be tipped over. This reduces serious injury to employees and makes unloading and moving goods a single-person procedure. Efficiency and safety are further improved by enabling the movement of multiple roll cages using towing links.
MasterMover conducted on-site training at LTFT for a total of 18 staff in how to operate the six machines. "This training was fast, straightforward and provided a real morale-boost for our staff," says Loftus.
"Although the initial cost was justified on how the machines would reduce the risk of manual handling injuries to staff, the SmartMover tugs have also improved our handling efficiencies significantly. Using the tugs has encouraged staff to think more about how moving supplies around the hospitals can be carried out more efficiently."
If you would like to arrange a free demonstration of the SmartMover contact MasterMover today.


text:
Are you looking for a Landscaping Company in Rockland County, NY? Beautiful Outdoors, Inc. is a full service property maintenance and landscaping company that provides professional Landscaping Services in Rockland County, NY with vast experience and great customer care. Our Landscaping service staff are well-trained and have the necessary knowledge to beautify your property's natural beauty and maintain your yard.
Beautiful Outdoors, Inc. is committed to Hard Work & Diligence while utilizing the finest landscaping materials and advanced craftsmanship. Beautiful Outdoors, Inc. provides both residential landscaping design and commercial landscape design. Our full array of landscaping services include Landscape Construction, Irrigation Systems, Lawn Maintenance, Yard Drainage, Outdoor Lighting, Outdoor Audio, Spring Cleanup, Snow Removal and property management services.
Beautiful Outdoors' landscape maintenance team will evaluate your yards appearance, appeal and functionality and make your yard maintenance easy.
Beautiful Outdoors, Inc. are experts in modern landscape technology and can provide outdoor lighting, outdoor audio, and irrigation system design. Our mission is to provide great quality landscaping service at a fair and competitive rate.
Beautiful Outdoors, Inc. will analyze your space and create a landscape design idea which will boost your property's elegance, comfort, sustainability, and value.
We listen to our clients' needs and create a plan that will first address your vision and ideas. The idea is enhancing your property's natural beauty, functionality and the ease of maintaining the yard.
Our expert landscape designer will craft a blueprint featuring your property's existing style and beauty, while adding additional elements to perfect it.
At Beautiful Outdoors, Inc. we care about our customer. We are committed to providing excellent Landscaping Services. Beautiful Outdoors, Inc. will provide fair rates and quality Landscaping Contractor work. We also offer a free Landscaping estimate in Rockland County, NY when you call us.
Beautiful Outdoors Inc. specializes in landscape design, landscape construction, and landscape maintenance services. We are a one stop solution for carrying out all of your yard and garden tasks. From outdoor lighting and landscape construction to lawn maintenance and garden work - we will take care of all your landscaping needs.
At Beautiful Outdoors Inc. we work with each landscape project according to the owner's personal specifications and the environmental conditions. Our landscaping team has the experience of creating a "beautiful outdoor" that satisfies clients and improve their property.
Beautiful Outdoors Inc. had designed, built and maintained many landscape solutions with creative ideas and precise work that has lead to a strong and beautiful outdoors. Our landscaping has improved the look and appearance of many homes and businesses with a unique and individual style that has enhanced the outdoors.
For more information on Landscaping Company in Rockland County, NY, contact Beautiful Outdoors, Inc. at (845) 735-1163.
Beautiful Outdoors, Inc. – Your trusted source for Landscaping Company in Rockland County, NY.


text:
Press Release No 003 / BC / 2016″whistle citizen"
Your "citizen" whistle whistle for the end of bad governance and whistle at the beginning of the rotation for the reorganization of the Republican and democratic values in Chad. On the eve of a fateful day that marks the official launch of the operation of the citizen and civic concept of "whistle citizen", The "I whistle, so I'm alternating", The Coalition enough is enough, camojet, Grail-Chad as well as all other platforms sisters of the interior and the diaspora call all citizens of Chad with liberty, of social peace, of the Republican and democratic values to participate massively to this action A citizen who is in this day of 10 March 2015, to whistle for 15 minutes starting from 5 Hours 30 minutes and 15 minutes in the evening from 21 hours.
By making this gesture citizen, you're whistling the end injustice, impunity, nepotism, cronyism, favoritism, corruption, of your misery, your daily suffering to get your next meal, bribery, embezzlement of Public Funds, the freezing of integration to the public service, censorship and Wild Mills, communications, social networks by the government in complicity with the mobile phone companies, short of bad governance which you asphyxiation and a whistle and thus for the alternation In 2016.
In Active citizen who wants to contribute to the real change in your country, so you're the referee central of democratic game for the grand championship of alternation, Edition 2016. A gesture so simple but who gives a strong message to the actors of political life Of your country which must take into account your deepest aspirations for a rotation this year. The change, it is now and the main actor unavoidable, it's you.
The whistle citizen that's out the hardship, abuse, violations, the exclusion of all kinds and the harmful effects of democratic decline by the blast, whistling. The Breath Liberator of internal pain, the whistle which becomes voice, the voice of freedom who will be born of your courage! The Whistle, it is simply the citizen who referee, it is the people who referee. With your "whistle citizen", You're whistling the end of 25 years of governance at trial and error and a whistle and the beginning of the alternation in 2016.
With your "whistle citizen", Express your anger from your home, without taking the risk of making you molestation, as you have done so well during the day "Villes Mortes" of 24 February 2016, away from your killers armed with your money against you , to kill you! With your "whistle citizen" you just bring your tear gas citizen which allows you to fizzle out, to stifle a system already dying who you asphyxiation.
With your "whistle citizen" you become the referee central of alternation in 2016! Beyond a one-time event, as a citizen in a country where no choice do you is given to get out and walk peacefully in order to express yourself, you have to make this valuable concept of "whistle citizen" that allows you to express yourself freely when There is need for it and the way you want.
Has your " Whistles citizens " For tomorrow, 10 March 2016, from 5 Hours 30 minutes to 5 hours of 45 and 21 hours to 21 hours 15 minutes. This is the 15 times two sequences that are 30 minutes for a start! Be the main actor of change and don't stay on the sidelines of this beautiful story takes shape for the well-being of all and all. The Alternation you suck inevitably, it's your precious breath that you use for whistling in your "whistle citizen" everywhere and every time that need to be.
Done at n ' Djamena, on 9 March 2016
The spokesperson
Mrs Narmadji Celine


text:
Christmas Fancy Girl's Pajama Set
- Regular Price
- $39.95
- Sale Price
- $39.95
- Regular Price
- $39.95
- Unit Price
- per
Christmas kid's pajama set in super-soft and breathable bamboo/cotton jersey fabric. Pants have elasticized waist for easy on and off. Also available in baby and adult sizes for family matching and Mommy & Me!
Sending a gift? Purchase our beautiful linen keepsake gift bag and add a message at checkout. We'll wrap it, include the message and send it for you!
We usually ship within 2-3 business days, so you'll receive your order promptly. For domestic orders over $75 our standard shipping is FREE in the US. If you're in a hurry you may upgrade shipping at checkout. Some items may require longer processing time.
We accept returns and exchanges on non-sale and non-personalized items. Returns must be in new condition and received within 30 days of original shipping.


text:
It gave a person a start when, at close to 2 A.M. on Election Night, Sasha and Malia Obama walked across the stage in Chicago with their mother and father. Four years ago, when Barack Obama was first elected President, the girls were small children—they are still just eleven and fourteen—and now Malia is about as tall as her mother. If the quarrels and deliberations associated with politics are, as Obama said in his speech, "a mark of our liberty," then his daughters were a mark of the passage of time. Mitt Romney had tried to win the election, in part, by making people a little ashamed of how they'd felt back in 2008—that their hopes had gone bad, like adult children living in rooms and lives too small for them with, as Paul Ryan, his running mate, put it, fading Obama posters on the wall; or, at best, that they'd taken part in a noble failure. And yet some things hadn't faded, it turned out. Obama won, and will still be the President when Malia is old enough to vote for his successor.
[#image: /photos/5909543d6552fa0be682ca2a]
The hour was so late because Mitt Romney had taken so long to concede that he had lost. The interval included some transfixingly odd moments on Fox News, involving Karl Rove and reports that the Romney campaign might want to contest just about everything; then they realized that there was nothing practical to contest. Romney came out onstage alone. He said that his wife would have been a wonderful First Lady, that he would pray for Obama and his family, and that he believed in America. For this, he was praised afterward in the effusive way a person often is when others are done with him. He sounded like a man who had no idea why he'd lost.
One reason had to do with women, and with the Republican Party's failure to address their concerns. This was a campaign in which Romney attempted to pass off an extreme position on abortion—a ban that would leave exceptions only when a woman was the victim of rape or incest, or if her life was at stake—as a moderate one. The slim logic was that he was not as extreme as Senate candidate Todd Akin, of Missouri, who talked about the pregnancy-preventing powers of "legitimate rape" while running against a woman he said wasn't "ladylike"; or Richard Mourdock, of Indiana, who ruminated, in a debate, about God's plan for women who became pregnant as a result of rape; or his own running mate, Paul Ryan, who only wanted to permit abortions if it was very clear that the woman would otherwise die. The Romney team was put in the position of trying to use the unscientific illusions of some of its more eccentric nominees as camouflage for the actual policies of its standard bearers. Either way, it was all too conspicuous. Both Akin and Mourdock lost badly.
But Ann Romney and her husband were correct when they said, by way of dismissing the issue of reproductive rights, that women had other things to worry about, including issues of jobs and taxes. Romney just wasn't able to persuade women that his economic plans, at this fiscal-cliff moment, were the right ones for them as wage-earners, as securers of health insurance for children and health aides for elderly relatives, as illusion-free members of the forty-seven per cent. These issues are intertwined, and not only because women's health is also an economic issue. When you are insulted, when you are told that endless conversations about liberty do not include control of your own body, when it becomes clear that a politician views the crisis of a woman who has just been raped as an abstraction, you begin to think about sympathy, and its limits. And you begin to think about trust.
Obama spoke to a very different impulse in his victory speech, which was better than anything we've heard from him for a long while. He finally brought up climate change. He spoke about an America "open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag." He used the word "love" a half dozen times, both when he spoke about the responsibilities that come with freedom—"And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism"—and when he said, "Michelle, I have never loved you more." Around the time their daughters were small, there was also an idea that Michelle Obama might be divisive—the angry black woman out of place in the White House. That has been thoroughly dispelled. Michelle Obama's first term was undoubtedly a success.
"We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions," Obama said, in what may have been the speech's most direct retort to Mitt Romney. He said that our wealth didn't make us rich, though we are wealthy: "What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth…. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, abled, disabled, gay or straight." Sasha and Malia are part of a generation for whom respect for gay marriage is not an act of rebellion, but a homily—a change reflected in four different ballot initiatives.
Around the time that Obama spoke, Tammy Baldwin, of Wisconsin, defeated Tommy Thompson to become America's first openly gay senator; and a woman in Hawaii named Tulsi Gabbard, a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, became the first Hindu to be elected to Congress. These results speak to the problem of "demographics"—a word that, on Wednesday morning, was repeated so often by distraught Republicans as to form a single unbroken whine. But what does it mean, beyond the observation that in America there are people who are black, Hispanic, gay or lesbian, or are women—not exactly an obscure minority—or who are simply young? That is not a dilemma; that is a matter of children getting older. And they do.
Photograph by Darcy Padilla/Agence VU.


text:
Finding another menswear-lovin' lady is no small feat, especially one who can geek out with me over the Internet-based explosion of men's fashion, the importance of a good men's espadrille, and the many faces of the monk strap within ten minutes of meeting. And not just geek out; I'm talking full-blown, dissected discussion.
But I found just that in Marisa Zupan, the 27-year-old creator of the Brooklyn-based blog The Sig Other. Vermont-born and NYC-raised, she woke up on Memorial Day years ago to the realization that she needed an outlet for her inner menswear aficionado. The idea had been there for a while, but it wasn't until her friends joked that she was getting a little too weird with her everyday enthusiasm. "It was like I was possessed," she says. "I woke up that morning, and just needed to get to a bookstore." The trip spurred the beginning of a little red Moleskin notebook she still has filled with pages of men's magazine clippings. This compilation quickly became the beginnings of the blog's lookbook.
"I'm into men's fashion, but not fashion with a capital F," Marisa says while scrunching her nose and sipping her white wine. Think: Lotuff Leather, Isaia, Ovadia & Sons, L.B.M. 1911, Sid Mashburn (and sister Ann Mashburn for the ladies). And her style on this particular day reiterates this moral: a pastel green romper with neutral wedges and black glasses framed by dark blunt bangs. Subtle, subdued, making a statement. That's what The Sig Other is all about.
"[The blog] is really a creative outlet for me to tell stories, whether it be visually or written, about the things I find and people I meet in this industry," Marisa says. "One of the things I love about menswear is its inherent appreciation of the story behind the clothing--where something is from, how it's made, who made it, what influenced it. All these things are considered just important as the product itself."
The site features Q&As with designers and other superstars within the booming men's fashion world and notifications about collaborative sales Marisa organizes with sites like Huckberry. She also throws in a few of her own fashion-inspired photographs--a woman's take on the men's sartorial world. "It's really about finding something interesting to talk about that 700 other people haven't covered already," she says. "It's getting harder to do these days, but I'd rather wait to find something really great, something that I really care about, than just post everyday just for the sake of posting something. I mean, does the Internet really need another round up of Steve McQueen photos?" Well said, girl.
Get more on Marisa's take on menswear at thesigother.com, and on Tumblr.


text:
My daughter is only 3 months old, and already she's taught me a few things. I'll be stressed out — about a missed UPS delivery, her sleeping schedule, vacation plans — and I'll realize that Sigrid's been grinning at a pillow for 15 minutes. The vaguely Japanese print on the fabric seems to make her totally blissful. Perhaps she has a future in textile design — or maybe an infant's happiness equation is simple arithmetic (nap + milk + something to gaze at = bliss). Obviously, life gets stickier and more complicated as we age. And for many of us, the childhood wellsprings of joy shrink to a trickle. A recent Pew Research Center national survey found that only one-third of American adults are able to describe themselves as very happy.
Luckily, several new studies suggest a good way to shift that statistic: Take a few happiness lessons from the kids in your life — and the kid you once were. Here's a short refresher course.
Start small
"In church, I explained to Erin, my 3-year-old, that when you pray, you quietly thank God for all of the good things you have in your life," says Maureen Ahearn, 34, of Syosset, NY, who also has a 6-year-old son. "I asked her later what she prayed about, and she said, 'My cup.' She loves one in particular because it has princesses on it. I think of Erin and her cup when I'm annoyed by something, and I always feel better." Happiness and an appreciation for the small stuff are related, according to Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, and head of its Positive Psychology Laboratory. "Happy people report that they enjoy simple things like a sunny day or having lunch with a friend," she observes. They also take less for granted, and they're more grateful. A 2003 study showed that people who regularly take note of the positive things in their lives feel more overall satisfaction, more connection with others, and greater optimism than those who focus on their burdens.
More From Good Housekeeping
Lyubomirsky recommends consciously "savoring the moment" — pausing to appreciate the positive components, large and small, of your life. But don't take the savoring itself for granted, she cautions. She asked two groups of people to regularly write down five things for which they were grateful. One group wrote three times a week, one wrote weekly, and a third control group didn't write at all. Only the once-a-week blessing counters reported feeling significantly happier—probably, Lyubomirsky thinks, because they avoided slipping into mindless routine.
That kids are so often on the move — scrambling up a jungle gym, hurling themselves into a game of dodgeball — is part of the reason they are so upbeat. The mood-enhancing effect of physical activity has been well documented: In one study, 9- and 10-year-old children reported feeling happier after 15 minutes of moderate exercise than after passively watching a 15-minute video. An even shorter burst of exercise is enough to change an adult's state of mind, according to researchers at Northern Arizona University; they found that just 10 minutes of aerobic activity improves mood, increases vigor, and lowers fatigue in adults. And the benefits of exercise are lasting, says Edward McAuley, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology (the study of human movement) at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He asked research subjects to engage in moderate activities, such as walking and stretching, three times a week, gradually increasing each session from 10 to 40 minutes. After five years, those who continued to be active were not only fitter, but happier. "Physical activity has a positive effect on people's perceptions of their own capabilities, which in turn increases their sense of well-being," McAuley says. "And this isn't about running marathons. Moderate, brisk activity can be just as effective in getting these results." Instead of simply adding treadmill time to your daily routine, opt for a kid-style workout — the physical play that experts call "active leisure." Rather than plopping down in front of the television, invite your kids outside for a Frisbee toss or a run through the sprinklers. Take a walk with your spouse, play with your dog. Or follow Maureen Ahearn's lead: "I doubt that I would blast silly music and dance around the house if it weren't for my kids," she says. "That's a mood booster any day!"
"Sometimes my 3-year-old son will tell me, mournfully, 'I just need to cry right now!'" says Adrienne Boxer, 32, of Portland, OR. "So I let him, and after his venting session, he's back to normal. Kids know when they need a good cry, a nap, or a snack." Adults can profit from reconnecting with that kind of natural self-regulation, says Lyubomirsky, especially when it comes to getting enough rest. "We focus on diet and exercise," she says. "But Americans get way too little sleep, and that's just as important." A University of Pennsylvania study found that people allowed to sleep only four and a half hours a night for a week felt sadder, angrier, and more stressed than people who got a full night's sleep (about eight hours). And an analysis of 56 sleep studies showed that sleep deprivation affects mood more than it affects either cognitive skills or physical performance.
So how does a busy mom get more (or at least better) sleep? First, get enough daily sunlight, since changes in light signal the brain to regulate your sleep–wake cycle. At night, make sure the kids' bedtime is at least two hours before yours. Don't exercise too close to bedtime. And while it may seem like a good idea to wait until the kids are asleep to motor through household chores, you'll pay in the long run with exhaustion and stress. Kids will choose a happy parent over a tidy house any day.
"Two Halloweens ago, when he was 4, our son, Cinco, asked to be 'a dog named Chocolate driving a Subaru,'" says Jenifer Walter, 37, of New York City. "It was wonderful to see him in his one-of-a-kind costume, driving his cardboard car through a sea of red Power Rangers. He's totally himself, unafraid of being different."
Children don't often suffer from writer's block, or freeze in front of an easel not knowing what to paint. Tapping into the unfettered creativity we had as kids — when no inner critic yammered in our heads — can make life more pleasurable.
"Many studies have shown that creativity is associated with positive mood, even joy," says James Kaufman, Ph.D., a professor of psychology and director of the Learning Research Institute at California State University at San Bernardino. "Other studies have shown that people who express themselves in writing on a regular basis are less depressed, take fewer bad risks (like smoking), and visit doctors for physical ailments less often." Writing reduces physical and mental stress, Kaufman says, because creating a narrative orders our thoughts. You don't have to sit down and produce the Great American Novel; keeping a journal, blogging, or writing to a friend has the same positive effect.
"One of the hallmarks of creative activity is the feeling of flow — losing track of time because you're so involved in what you're doing," Kaufman points out. "If you experience flow, whether it's while you're amusing your child or cooking a meal, that's creative."
There are lots of ways to stoke your creativity. For example, the next time you need to buy something, make it instead — a birthday card, a loaf of bread, or a Halloween getup for next year. Or you could spend some time noticing how often you engage in creative problem-solving even without realizing it.
The familiar sound loop of a 3-year-old — "But why? But why? But why?" — may sometimes drive us bonkers, but in essence, it's worth emulating. Kids are dogged in their pursuit of knowledge. "My husband and I are amazed at our little gadget junkie, Larkin," says Deborah Helman, 34, of Houston. "He's just over a year old, and he's already figured out how to turn on the dishwasher and use the remote!" Larkin is as delighted as his parents when he acquires new skills by exploring. Curious people are more likely to be positive, explains research psychologist Todd Kashdan, Ph.D., of George Mason University. "They expose themselves to challenges that lead to the accumulation of knowledge or experience. This leads to improved skills, which leads to an increase in confidence and well-being."
But as we age, our natural sense of curiosity can wane. "We become more self-conscious and have a hard time deviating from planned activities," Kashdan says. We can, however, restore our openness to new experiences. Shake off negative preconceptions, he suggests, by going outside your comfort zone — even a short way. Talk to a stranger, eat something unfamiliar, choose books you'd normally ignore. "Afterward, come up with three things you liked about the new experience," Kashdan advises. In one study, people who said they didn't like country music were made to listen to it and then asked to list three things that were interesting about it. "Their whole perspective changed. It's important to withhold judgment and let your curiosity unfold naturally."


text: Back Safety for Snow Sports Whether you're heading for the mountain to ski or just taking your sled to the hill, you can enjoy a great day out and get some exercise at the same time. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends minimizing skiing injuries by getting in shape pre-season, taking lessons to improve skills and understand the outdoor conditions, and wearing properly adjusted equipment. Wear helmets for all snow sports to stay safe. The rest of your winter sports outfit should include many layers, gloves or mittens, and a hat so you can stay warm no matter which of these sports you take part in: Alpine skiing. Downhill skiing works your leg muscles, so it's a good idea to get in shape before you ski. Observe the rules of the slopes and know when to yield to oncoming skiers. Boots and bindings should be appropriately set, adjusted, and maintained. Warm up slowly before completing more strenuous runs. Stay on marked trails. Cross-country skiing. Cross-country skis are longer and narrower than their alpine cousins. Before you put on your skis, make sure to stretch your arms and legs. Ensure equipment is properly maintained and adjusted. Snowboarding. The number of snowboarders is climbing. Wrist injuries are a common snowboarding risk, so consider wrist guards. If you're just starting out, take a lesson with a qualified instructor at the ski area. Sledding. Although you may view sledding as a child's pastime, it can get your heart rate going. Walking back up a hill is great exercise, and you get the reward of a sled run, plus a great time with your family or friends. Do not sled head-first; instead, sit in a forward-facing position. Make sure that the hill does not end in a potentially dangerous area such as a street, parking lot, or body of water. Make sure there are no poles, trees, or other objects at the end of the run. Snow toys. Snow toys let anyone have a good time on the slopes. Many ski mountains offer snow tubing—it's like sledding with a lift. Some mountains rent snow bikes and scooters that can put you on the slopes in new ways.