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Jodie Foster has copped to making "contact" with a teenage boy as he tried to snap the Oscar-winner's photo, but argued the boy's claim she scratched, grabbed and bruised him must come from another galaxy.
"This guy was most definitely a professional paparazzo," a rep for the "Contact" actress told People. "He had a large camera bag and 1000mm telephoto lens. He tailed Jodie and followed her all the way from the movie theater to the valet."
According to a police report obtained by RadarOnline.com, the alleged altercation went down May 29 when the unnamed 17-year-old was photographing Foster with her two children in a Los Angeles mall parking lot.
Local news from across Southern California
Foster "followed [victim], poked him on his chest, grabbed [victim] by his left arm causing visible injury," the report read.
"Do you even have a mother, you slime ball?" the actress allegedly said.
The teen's dad told Radar his son had simply wanted to snap a fan photo of Foster.
Not true, said Foster's rep, who called the young shutterbug's behavior "completely inappropriate" and the police report a "fabrication of the incident."
"He crowded her and her two young children and took photos of them the whole time," the rep told People.
In a separate statement to Radar, Foster's spokesperson conceded the Oscar-winning actress touched her accuser on the elbow "in an attempt to take him aside to talk to him and tell him to stop."
The Los Angeles Police Department is evaluating the case, a spokesperson told Radar.


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Longmont-based DigitalGlobe released photos Monday of Malaysia Airlines flight 17's crash site.
The images show the charred field near Hrabove, Ukraine, where the flight crashed, killing all 298 on board.
The satellite imagery company trained three of its five satellites on the crash site shortly after the July 17 crash. It took until Sunday to capture images without clouds.
DigitalGlobe sells images of natural and man-made disasters to governments and industry for emergency response.
Thad Moore: 303-954-1902, firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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|Philosophy & Political Theory What is the meaning of life? What is truth? Good vs Evil? This is the forum to debate about anything and everything!
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Baileys Irish Cream: Capitalism/Fascism
Consumerism culture is modern and global and it speaks to a pedestrian interest in the streamlining of fashion and couture for shoppers interested in convenience and access (e.g., Amazon.com, Facebook, eTrade, Wal-Mart, etc.).
When we see the marketing of 'culture-centric' goods/items such as Baileys Irish Cream liqueur or Lucky Charms cereal or Thomas' English Muffins, we might discover a consumer demand for pedestrian lifestyle commodities that reflect a shopping interest in convenient access to 'worldly flair.'
So understanding how consumerism/capitalism might give rise to 'culture-exposure' through simple merchandising informs our evaluation of marketing-based networking (i.e., Wall Street).
Investigating this 'dominion' from a philosophical, political, or even legal standpoint can help us analyze the modern intelligible value of the international currency market (a 'thesaurus' for capitalism dogma if you will) among other things!
CONSUMER: I want to feel like I'm Irish!
MERCHANT: You'll love Baileys then...
CONSUMER: This is more expensive than I thought.
MERCHANT: Good taste is worth the cost.
CONSUMER: So now merchants sell 'taste.'
MERCHANT: It's all about aesthetics, no?
CONSUMER: I suppose Chinatown is aesthetics.
MERCHANT: Drink Baileys and you'll want to see Ireland.
CONSUMER: It's great I can purchase this in America!
MERCHANT: You can purchase Baileys online too.
CONSUMER: What will they think of next?
MERCHANT: Perhaps 'intellectual merchandise'...
CONSUMER: You sound like the Devil.
MERCHANT: I'm merely a 'leprechaun' (a critic)!
Addendum: Lucky Charms Breakfast Cereal
Lucky Charms is a brand of cereal produced by the General Mills food company since 1964.[1] The cereal consists of toasted oat pieces and multi-colored marshmallow shapes ("marbits" or marshmallow bits). The label features a leprechaun mascot, Lucky, animated in commercials (source of information: Wikipedia).
Capitalism is a form of resource aesthetics negotiation (e.g., NASDAQ), so we can see how/why a culture-centric brand such as Lucky Charms (obviously an allusion to the Irish leprechaun) would be considered some kind of homage or toast to the general 'creativity' of consumerism itself.
You might be served a bowl of Lucky Charms breakfast cereal by your hospitable stewardess on a KLM flight from Amsterdam to New York, which would motivate you to ask, "How do commercial contracts in the modern geopolitical landscape arise and how do these contracts complement tourism-gauged culture-exchange?"
Commerce offers us appreciation of goods and services, but it also creates social networking and hence culture-exchange (e.g., World Bank).
We should therefore contemplate how/why Lucky Charms breakfast cereal inspires in modern thinkers a contemplation of the contouring of culture-exposure with commercial ideology.
TRUMP: They should serve Lucky Charms in hotel continental breakfasts.
CARTER: Why?
TRUMP: The Irish leprechaun (Lucky) mascot represents hospitality!
CARTER: Yes, commerce creates culture-exchange on many levels.
TRUMP: That is the 'spirit/ethos' behind the hospitality of Las Vegas.
CARTER: Capitalists care about self-consciousness...
TRUMP: Yes, they do, and checks-and-balances ensure improvements.
CARTER: However, Lucky Charms does not 'cure' racism...
TRUMP: No, people still consider it simply a 'consumer-brand.'
CARTER: That's unfortunate, since ethnic-mascots symbolize teamwork!
TRUMP: They sure do (e.g., sports-teams mascots), but it's a problem.
CARTER: Perhaps consumerism aesthetics can breed 'political trust.'
TRUMP: That's what happened during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
CARTER: Yes, North and South Korea were temporarily 'united' for media.
TRUMP: Let's consider why the European Union is capitalism-ideal...
CARTER: Well, the EU creates interesting 'terrorism dialogue.'
TRUMP: Yes, we can consider why commerce-pacts destroy rebellions.
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Spyderco C10JBBP Endura Folding Knife 3.75" VG10 Damascus Steel Blade, Blue Jigged Bone Handles, Sprint Run
SP10JBBP: Endura Damascus/Jigged Bone Sprint
One of the most purchased Spyderco models is the Endura. Initially released in the early 1990s, it continues improving and is still the gold-standard of workingmen and working women's lightweight reliable folders. It's never been elegant or dressy but epitomizes function and cutting performance. That is about to change.
Spyderco announces the release of a limited number Sprint Run of Enduras featuring blue-colored jigged-bone handle scales, blue titanium bolsters and a PlainEdge Japanese VG-10 Damascus blade.
A state-of-the-art cobalt stainless steel, VG-10 takes a highly retentive cutting edge. The steel is produced through a process of stacking layers of erosive and non-erosive material over a VG-10 core center. The erosive layers are hard martensite stainless steel and the non-erosive layers are anti-corrosion nonferrous metal. These layers block carbon particles in the core from spreading to the outer layers. After layering the blade is forged to intentionally distort the layer-lines making a complicated, artistically beautiful pattern called Suminagashi. Suminagashi is the traditional Japanese art form of creating ripples of Chinese ink on the surface of water. This steel mimics the art form with interesting results on a knife blade. Once the layers are distorted, the blade is bathed in acid etching the pattern to vivid relief. The result is an elegant swirled pattern steel that is superbly functional and highly attractive.
The folder's titanium bolsters are blue-colored complementing the blue-colored jigged-bone handle scales. Mid-positioned on the knife's spine is a back lock featuring a cut-away David Boye Dent for added safely and a piped lanyard easily accepts a thong or cord for secondary attachment.
A dressy option for every Endura lover, it performs and feels like and old favorite but looks more like a custom piece and is guaranteed to be noticed.
The C10JBBP is clipless and comes in a padded zipper pouch.
Sprint Runs
A Spyderco Sprint Run is defined as a limited edition production of any Spyderco product in a configuration different than what has been previously produced. It can include changes in the handle color, materials, blade steel, coatings, etc.
The quantity of each Sprint Run is generally 600 or 1,200 pieces, which is determined by Spyderco.
- Length Overall: 8.75" (222 mm)
- Length Closed: 4.88" (124 mm)
- Hole Diameter: .53" (13 mm)
- Blade Length: 3.86" (98 mm)
- Cutting Edge: 3.44" (87 mm)
- Blade Thickness: .118" (3 mm)
- Blade Steel: VG-10 Damascus
- Weight: 5.2 oz. (147 g)
- Handle Material: Blue Jigged Bone
- Made in Seki-City, Japan


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My supplier at EBV have placed the order for a few thousand units, starting with 5 samples. Hopefully I will get the confirm tomorrow.
But after reading this topic, I wonder if it's not that easy after all..
If the A1 models were filling in nicely at the distis, then I would expect the announced A3 and A4 models to follow along in due time.
But as the silicon for the first Xmega model has been very slow to reach "available now" status, when exactly would you expect to get a production supply of an A4 when even Atmel's marketing seminar says will not be available till next year?!? (And what makes you think that the '16A4 will be the first available model in the A4 series?)
So worrying about ISP programming that particular model will be the least of your worries. As the architecture is essentially the same I'd expect no significant ISP or code generation differences so I don't think compiler support or ISP support will be a problem--once you can get your grubby hands on some chips.
Re "can't use 100 pin" -- that seems to me to be the only reasonable alternative if you want to start dev. now. Perhaps a few 64-pin samples by the end of the year.


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Earth from Space: Arid Arabia
This image, acquired on 28 October by Envisat, shows central Saudi Arabia on the arid Arabian Peninsula.
Most of Saudi Arabia has a desert climate and experiences extremely high temperatures, sometimes reaching up to 50°C in the summer.
While there are virtually no permanent rivers or lakes in the country, large valleys called 'wadis' fill with water during times of heavy rain. Most settlements are located along these valleys.
The area pictured is on the central plateau, Nejd, which slopes downwards from west to east.
The dark circle near the centre of the image is the capital city of Riyadh, the nation's legislative, financial administrative, diplomatic and commercial hub.
Despite the dry climate, large irrigated crops have been established in the area west of the capital. The irrigation of the fields largely depends on fossil water that was stored underground when the area received more rain several thousand years ago.
This image was acquired by the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer on Envisat.
The Image of the Week is featured on ESA Web-TV, broadcast online every Friday at 10:00 CET.


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If an American guy says proudly that he's never watched a Super Bowl, the American imagination assumes he's either a professor who resents the moron sports-money his department isn't getting, or gay. He could be both, but American imaginations aren't as flexible as American tight ends.Too bad that most popular assumptions are demonstrably wrong. You've never been to a gay sports bar? Lite beer or boutique EPA only. Plenty of gay-guy house parties as well -- those wings had better be hot hot hot and not drip on the Eames.(Sorry, there's a long … [Read more...]
You are here: Home / Archives for Super Bowl


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VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency will look to continue their perfect start to the 2013-14 United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) campaign this weekend against a pair of Southern California rivals.
After opening the season with three straight road victories, Whitecaps FC's U-18 and U-16 sides will make their home debuts Saturday against Pateadores at UBC's Dhillon Field. They will then make a short trip to Bellingham, Washington to host Strikers FC at Whatcom Community College on Sunday.
The U-18s are fresh off a perfect California road trip to begin the season, with their most recent result being a 2-1 victory over San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday.
Striker Jordan Haynes knotted things up at one in the first half and midfielder Kianz Froese scored the eventual game winner to extend Vancouver's winning streak to three matches.
Froese and fellow midfielders Marco Bustos and Matthew Chow now each have a pair of goals on the young season. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Nolan Wirth has posted a 1.00 goals against average in his two victories, while Marco Carducci kept a clean sheet in his lone appearance.
Gordon Forrest's side currently sits in first place in the West Conference, Northwest Division standings with a spotless record of 3W-0L-0D.
Pateadores will open their season against the 'Caps on Saturday after having a decent go last season, finishing in fifth place in the West Conference, Southwest Division with a record of 15W-11L-5D.
Last season, Vancouver won their lone meeting against Pateadores in their regular season opener September 8, 2012. Graduated players Spencer DeBoice, Yassin Essa, and Brody Huitema all scored to give the 'Caps a gritty 3-1 road win. Wirth was in net to record the victory.
Strikers FC will also be making their season debut this weekend after finishing just behind Pateadores last season in the Southwest Division with a 14W-11L-6D record. Whitecaps FC did not perform as well against Strikers FC last season, losing their only meeting 3-0. Graduated striker Paul Salcedo Borrego bagged a hat-trick on the night to give Strikers FC the victory.
"The Residency boys are looking forward to playing two more games this weekend, in particular the chance to showcase themselves at home on Saturday at UBC," U-18 head coach Gordon Forrest told whitecapsfc.com. "It's been another good week on the training field with the boys and they're excited for the weekend to play against two challenging teams."
Kickoff for Saturday's match vs. Pateadores is set for 2:30 p.m. PT at UBC's Dhillon Field, while Sunday's meeting with Strikers FC is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. PT at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington. All Whitecaps FC Residency home matches are free of charge to the public.
Like their older counterparts, Whitecaps FC's U-16 side are off to a perfect 3W-0L-0D start with wins over Cal Odyssey and San Jose Earthquakes this past weekend. They too currently sit atop the West Conference, Northwest Division with nine points.
Vancouver's most recent result was a dominant 4-0 win against San Jose with goals from Terran Campbell, Dario Zanatta (2) and Aymar Sigue, who has five goals in the first three matches. Midfielder Thomas Gardner also has a pair of goals this season.
Rich Fagan's side has now scored 12 goals in just three matches – just as impressive is the fact that they have yet to concede a goal. Canadian U-15 goalkeeper Aidan Aylward, formerly of Ottawa Fury, posted a clean sheet in each of the three games.
He will hope to continue his fine form on Saturday against a Pateadores side with whom Vancouver drew 0-0 in last season's opener.
Pateadores will be opening their season against the Blue and White after last season's sixth-place finish in the West Conference, Southwest Division. The Southern California outfit will also need to play much better in hostile territory this weekend, as they amassed a 4W-8L-1D record on the road last season.
Strikers FC, meanwhile, kick off their season on Saturday against Crossfire Premier before meeting Vancouver Sunday at Whatcom Community College. They will definitely be looking for better results this season after finishing eighth in the West Conference, Southwest Division last season with a 6W-16L-6D record.
Last season, Strikers FC beat the 'Caps 4-1 at home in the lone meeting between the two teams.
"We are really looking forward to the challenge this weekend," U-16 head coach Rich Fagan told whitecapsfc.com. "The players are very excited to kick off at home in front of their families and friends against two quality Southern California sides."
Kickoff for Saturday's match vs. Pateadores is set for 12 p.m. PT at UBC's Dhillon Field, while Sunday's meeting with Strikers FC is scheduled for 11 a.m. PT at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington. All Whitecaps FC Residency home matches are free of charge to the public.


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Here is the question: Given an array of ints, return the number of times that two 6's are next to each other in the array. Also count instances where the second "6" is actually a 7.
Here is the code:
public int array667(int[] nums) {
int len = nums.length;
int count = 0;
for (int i=0;i<len-1;i++){
if ((nums[i]==6) && (nums[i+1]==6||nums[i+1]==7)){
return count;
I don't understand why it has to be initialized at i-1 in order to work. Please explain
Also are there any other scenarios in which i-1 would be needed maybe even not for just initializing i.


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Horrible marriage circa 1929.Posted May 24th, 2009
Tags: 1929, bad marriage., Womans Home Companion
I have been reading a lot of womens magazines from the '20s and '30s. They are mainly filled with the most hilarious kind of grandiose over views of domestic life. Everything was happy and under control, or on its way to both. And then I came upon this one piece in an April 1929 edition of Woman's Home Companion entitled "I Married the Wrong Man" that kind of took my breath away , maybe because I wasn't expecting such a relentlessly grim treatment of marital bliss in the midst of a magazine that mainly shows women throwing on "a smart little frock" and dashing off to the market to find something "splendidly nourishing" that will "please and satisfy the whole family." Here is a bit of it: Read more


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This is not an offer for credit and should be used for estimation purposes only based on the information you provided. You should not base your decision on this estimate alone. Title, registration, tax and other fees, and personal circumstances such as employment status and personal credit history, were not considered in the calculations.
Take your ride off of the pavement and unleash it on even more playgrounds.
Electronic distribution system - Foot-operated, hydraulic 3-wheel
Front - 270 mm discs with Nissin 2-piston floating calipers
Rear -220 mm disc, 1-piston floating caliper
Parking - Park lock
Front - Aluminum rims, 5-spoke Carbon black & machined, 16 x 4.5 in. (406 x 114 mm)
Rear - Aluminum rim, 5-spoke Carbon black & machined, 16 x 6.5 in. (406 x 165 mm)
Front - MC145/60R16 66T
Rear - MC205/55R15 81T
Front - Double wishbone; KYB HPG with preload adjustment 36 mm; Travel - 6.38 in. (162 mm)
Rear - Multi-link - mono swing arm; KYB HPG 40 mm with remote reservoir 4-positions compression adjustable damping and preload adjustement; Travel - 6.89 in. (175 mm)
Intense Black
Adrenaline Red
Yellow Shock
Immortal White
Carbon Black
Liquid Steel
Midnight Red - Limited Edition
Haze Blue - Limited Edition
Orange Blaze - Limited Edition
Electric Yellow - Limited Edition
Heritage White - Limited Edition
Army Green - Limited Edition
Front fenders with integrated LED lights
Dual USB port
Glove box
Max Mount Structure
Reinforced Rims
Rally Tires / Rally Seat
Front Grill Protection
Skid Plate
Structural Hand Guards
Rally Mode
Stability Control System
Traction Control system
Anti-lock Braking System
Dynamic Power Steering
Digitally Encoded Security System (D.E.S.S.™
Hill Hold Control
Factory - 1-year BRP Limited with 1-year roadside assistance
Extended - BRP's B.E.S.T. extended service term available from 12 to 36 months


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By the Rev. Dr. Ed Hird
My family and I watched an Academy Award-winning movie which reminded me that every one of us owes an enormous debt to Dr. Louis Pasteur.
Just think of pasteurized milk and honey, making food safe for our families to eat and drink, thanks to Louis Pasteur.
Think of our children whose lives are safe from rabies transmitted by 'mad dogs', thanks to Louis Pasteur. Think of our wives and mothers who need not fear death from infection during childbirth, thanks to Louis Pasteur. Think of the sheep, cattle and chickens that we can safely rely on for our food supply, thanks to Louis Pasteur. No wonder that Pasteur's name is better known than any other scientist who has ever lived.
Louis Pasteur is a living reminder that anyone who wants to make a difference in life is bound to face bigotry and opposition. The most narrow-minded usually turn out to be those who pretend to be the most open-minded and inclusive. Pasteur was maligned as a murderer and a menace to science. He was even challenged to a duel by an angry physician.
His 'criminal' behaviour was none other than publishing a pamphlet urging doctors to wash their hands before surgery and to sterilize their instruments. Thirty percent of pregnant women in Paris were needlessly dying from infection during childbirth. One grief-struck husband, whose wife had just died from childbirth fever, went on a rampage and shot his doctor dead. Medical doctors rallied against Dr. Pasteur, blaming his pamphlet for the murder and claiming that Pasteur was making the practice of medicine unsafe for physicians and surgeons. "Who did Pasteur think that he was?" They said. "He isn't even a medical doctor…just a lowly chemist".
The Emperor's wife invited Pasteur to the French Court to explain his radical ideas. Pasteur had the nerve to tell the Emperor that the hospitals of Paris were death houses, and that there was hardly a doctor who didn't carry death on his hands. After accurately predicting the death of the Emperor's sister-in-law from childbirth infection, Pasteur was condemned as a fraud and banned by the Emperor from ever speaking out publicly again about medicine.
Having been banished into obscurity in the countryside of Arbois, Pasteur spent the next decade researching the causes of anthrax, the black plague ravaging the sheep across France. Miraculously Pasteur invented an anthrax vaccine, which he gave freely to all farmers' sheep in Arbois.
When the French government needed more sheep to pay the 5 million francs War indemnity to Germany, they came to Arbois to find out why Pasteur's sheep were healthy. Telling them of his vaccine, Pasteur was again mocked as a fool and charlatan by the Academy of Medicine. Only after a rigorous test where infected Anthrax Blood was injected in 50 sheep, was Pasteur finally vindicated. To everyone's amazement, the only sheep that survived were the 25 sheep which Pasteur had injected with his vaccine.
Was Pasteur then accepted by the medical establishment? Not on your life! When Pasteur had the nerve to look for a rabies cure, again he was vilified and humiliated without mercy. Pasteur was such a servant of all humanity that he even risked facing prison or guillotine to save the life of a rabies-infected ten-year old boy, Joseph Meister. Joseph Meister was later made the caretaker of Pasteur's tomb at the world-famous Pasteur Institute in Paris. When the Nazis tried to force him to open Pasteur's tomb in 1940, Joseph tragically committed suicide rather than defile the grave of his hero.
The 'great physician' Jesus once said that if anyone wants to be first, he must become the very last, and the servant of all. Louis Pasteur was indeed the servant of all, who sacrificed his time, energy, and health so that others might live. Pasteur selflessly taught that the benefits of science are not for the scientist, but for all of humanity.
Though he has saved millions of lives through his discoveries, Pasteur was unable to save the three out of his four daughters who died from typhoid fever. In his unceasing striving to cure rabies, he suffered a crippling stroke at age 46. Yet even that setback did not stop him from successfully finding a rabies cure.
Near the end of his life, Pasteur was finally honoured by the French Academy of Medicine. He graciously said to them: 'Doctors and scientists of the future, do not let yourselves be tainted by a barren skepticism nor discouraged by sadness of certain hours that creep over every nation. Do not become angry at your opponents for no scientific theory has ever been accepted without opposition.'
In so many ways, Pasteur embodied the true meaning of Christ-likeness. My prayer for those reading this article is that we may never let opposition embitter us as we seek to be the servants of all.
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, BSW, MDiv, DMin
-author of the award-winning book Battle for the Soul of Canada
-previously published in the Deep Cove Crier
-Click to check out our newest marriage book For Better For Worse: discovering the keys to a lasting relationship on Amazon. You can even read the first two chapters for free to see if the book speaks to you.
-The sequel book Restoring Health: body, mind and spirit is available online with Amazon.com in both paperback and ebook form. In Canada, Amazon.ca has the book available in paperback and ebook.
It is also posted on Amazon UK (paperback and ebook ), Amazon France (paperback and ebook), and Amazon Germany (paperback and ebook).
Restoring Health is also available online on Barnes and Noble in both paperback and Nook/ebook form. Nook gives a sample of the book to read online.
Indigo also offers the paperback and the Kobo ebook version. You can also obtain it through ITunes as an IBook.
To receive a signed copy within North America, just send a $20 cheque (USD/CAN) to ED HIRD, 102-15168 19th Avenue, Surrey, BC, Canada V4A 0A5.


text:
Clear by Parentage
Welcome to Iron Hill Retrievers!
Iron Hill Retrievers is located in the beautiful rolling hills of Eastern Iowa, close to Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. We are a small breeder of English
Type Labradors and Golden Retrievers. Breeding quality Labs in black, chocolate and yellow, ranging from light cream to fox red. Our puppies are
raised in our home with lots of love and care.
At Iron Hill Retrievers, both our Labradors and our Goldens typically have a lovely strong head, a wide back skull and thick muzzle, well angulated shoulders and
rears. Our Golden Retrievers are from European lines.
Most importantly, Iron Hill Retrievers possess true temperaments, very laid-back and gentle in the home, but love the outdoors and the opportunity to hunt if required. All
breeding dogs have health clearances before being breed. Our Labs and Goldens have some of the best pedigrees in the Midwest.
Iron Hill Retrievers are members of our family and embraced by all the comforts of our home and family. Home of the "Heavenly Puppies"......
If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call!
Closed on Saturdays & Sundays!
Christina 563-212-9609
All contents & photographs are property of Iron Hill Retrievers. Unauthorized use is prohibited.


text:
Hey there loyal readers (blog stats tell me it is still a few more people than our parents and Madeline and Hili that read this blog so I'll keep talking as if it's a captivated audience of 1000s)… April has certainly turned out to be the biggest rollercoaster of a month for me/us in hmmm… 7 years? Strangely enough EXACTLY 7 years ago, almost to the day from this year's ups and downs, Dani and I got married and my previous business dissolved in a flash of rage and we found ourselves in one hell of a happy/sad headtrip. Seems April is cursed for us, we'd better watch out in April 2020… that sounds ominous.
I wont ramble on too much about the goings on of the month, but I do believe in open-book honesty, as that's what this blog has always been about, so I dont want anyone out there who is / has / will go through tough times as an artist or creative person to think that it's all smooth sailing here and we're just posting up photos and exclamation marks when things go well, that's what Instagram is for.
To start on a good note – WE WENT TO MERCEDES BENZ FASHION WEEK AND IT WAS COOL. Dani and I made the accessories for Christina Exie's debut runway show, and it rocked the house. We spent the week soaking up some Sydney sun and helping Christina with the million and one tasks she had to do leading up to the show, we ate gelato and sushi, we arrived backstage 3 hours before the show and got to see the madness that goes on when trying to get 10 models styled, dressed and ready to walk a runway.
It was in no way without drama, there were some serious last minute hiccups to work around and I hope to do a post on all of the details of that adventure soon, but for now, here's a quick preview of what we made and how it looked on the runway.
my 3D printed visors…
dani's resin cast bangles…
the collection.
all images from zimbio.com
I was planning on doing a classic making of sort of post on these, but as I'm now thinking of going in to production with the visors asap I might wait a bit before I swing open the doors and give away all my trade secrets and intellectual property. Our friends at DI$COUNT have been ripped off royally recently by some dipshits in Sydney, so you cant really trust anyone these days it seems.
This was definitely one of the "ups" for April, and it was a great way to further our working relationship with Christina, meet a bunch of new people and get something seen outside of Melbourne.
That said, it lead me, and to a much lesser extent Dani, to crash out completely with post-event adrenalin and motivation loss. I've been trying to distract myself from the reality that I have somewhat 'run out of steam' since early January, and now that the outlook is on another year of hard work and determination all I want to do is pop into bed for a 6 month sleep.
this is what my plans for 2013 look like in my head at the moment.
All of our plans are so damned lofty that every now and then the weather changes or something sad happens and it's hard not to just say "fuck it, I'm done with this shit"… but that's the key to success. Knowing that those times will come and getting your ass off the couch and back in the saddle.
The sad event that came within 3 days of us arriving home from Sydney was the news that our friend and fellow creative hotshot-in-the-making Maya died of cancer at age 27. It's making me choke up a little typing this so I'll move on, but we are devastated to have lost her so early and hope that the good we can take from it is the motivation for us – and anyone reading this – to SEIZE THE DAY. Get out there and live your dreams as you have no idea when your time will be up.
Maya, you were awesome, and will never be forgotten.
So… ups and downs huh? How about having a new niece born 3 days after Maya passed? Is that up and down enough for you? Faaaaark.
We welcomed our new heartbreaker Olivia to the world on Monday and she is tiny and beautiful and quiet and possibly a redhead. I am in love already of course.
So… it's now a public holiday, I'm in the studio typing away trying to get my mojo back, and hopefully…. hopefully, I'll be blog posting this year with a new stream of stories about shoes and studios and manufacturing.
It seems the most financially sensible path for me (and Dani too) to take is for us to look at getting help with our brands so that we can break this exhausting cycle of trying to design, make and market everything all by hand. It works on a tiny turnover scale, but if we want to make these businesses actual "businesses" then that means working with a team, PR, marketing, bookkeeping, manufacture etc etc.
We just need to work out how to incorporate that into our Dead & Buried dream of integrated retail and manufacture, and how, when and where it will make sense for us to head in the next year or two – with the long term goal still being a home and life in ol' Manhattan. Woo.
The other "up" for the month was getting to film a quick fashion film for Dani's brand to launch her new resin jewellery range. We managed to get the brain-meltingly hot and cool Maximus Po to turn up at a photographic studio and dance her assssss off for an hour or two, whilst I directed and our friends Christian and Kik documented the whole thing. Below is a quick edit teaser film that I put together before Sydney… there'll be a bigger and better and sexier one coming soon, once Christian and I get a chance to get back together and do some editing magic.
Dani M vs Maximus Po | Teaser Film from danimdesigns on Vimeo.
Oh, and one last thing, I made some postcards to give away whilst in Sydney and was lucky enough to have Jeannine Tan allow me to use one of her photos. She has a killer eye for photography and colour ranges that I am super envious of, so I am verrrry excited about working with her in the future to get the "look" for my brand just right. Go have a look at her site > www.jeanninetan.com
So that's a wrap.


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I am qualifying a circuit board that is round except for one notch. I started out with a round outline, then I created the notch (in the board outline) with ViewMate Deluxe. Now I am going through the DFM module, and it seems to think that "the board outline contains data other that path". I click on "show errors in ViewMaster EZ": up pops the area where I created the notch, filled with arrows indicating where I moved the curser in (trace) scratch mode to erase a section of old board outline.
This brings up three questions:
Was there a better way to erase a section of board outline, other than my method of going into (trace) scratch mode?
Where is this data (that the DFM module is choking on) located?
How can I edit this extraneous data?
I have tried to attached the bin file, but the forum system will not allow bin files. So I suppose "how do I attach a file for analysis" becomes a fourth question. Thanks in advance.


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Monday, February 9
My Wife Breaks Tiger Baby News to Me
The proud father. (Keith Allison/Flickr)
HOW DID YOU HEAR about the birth of Charlie Axel Woods? My wife told me. That's right, my wife. It's a perfect reminder of the enormity of Tiger Woods.
"Oh," she said this morning while I was sipping my first cup of coffee. "Did you hear that Tiger and his wife had their baby? It's a boy."
My wife knows a few things about golf through ARMCHAIR GOLF osmosis, but most of it escapes her like a bad slice in a crossing wind. But she knew about the birth of Tiger's second child. Before me. (Not that I have a problem with that.)
It does makes me wonder how many people on the planet who know little or nothing about golf know that Tiger Woods is now the proud father of a baby boy. I'm going to take a wild stab and say 3.1 billion.
The legend just keeps growing.
−The Armchair Golfer
3 comments:
- Tom Blogical said...
Looks to me like your wife needs a regular gig here at least once a month, since she scooped you. ;-)
I was wondering when you were going to post something.
- Matt said...
It is pretty awesome. I've been thinking in 20 years we could see Tiger, Axel, and Sam Alexis in the same pairing. You never know.
- The Armchair Golfer said...
Good idea, Tom. Maybe I can lure my wife into a regular gig. But she would turn me down. It was a fun thought -- for about two seconds.
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South Coast Divers, your source for scuba diving in Laguna Beach
Lobster diving in Laguna Beach:
Since January 1 2012, it has been illegal to take ANYTHING within the city limits of Laguna Beach. The distance out from shore is the better part of 3 miles. If you want to read part of what is posted from the DFG/DFW (Dept of Fish & Wildlife), go to
Diver Etiquette & Night Diving in Laguna Beach:
First, general Diver Etiquette. I can't count how many times I have to tell divers to be quiet and respect those who live around where we park in Laguna. Back in the 1960's the residents of Laguna got together and were nearly successful in banning scuba diving in Laguna. An agreement was reached where we see the regulations that are on the books with the City about having proper gear, including a snorkel (Which has been relaxed in the last few years). Part of this etiquette is wearing a proper swim suit. Nothing bugs residents more than divers standing around in their wet underwear (Or less) and changing into their street clothes. It would be my guess, you could also get cited by the local Police too. "Come on people" show some respect for the home owners!! If you have issues with that swim suit "bind" then wear a long speedo type of suit (Also know as a Jammer). Then use a towel "Poncho" and change into your clothes. I am always surprised how many times I have to tell divers this. Night Diving. We are very fortunate we can dive Laguna year around, 24 hours a day (Conditions permitting). But at night don't "Blow air" after a dive. Simply take your gear elsewhere to break your gear down. If you don't think the residents can end diving in Laguna, "Think again". To read more about Skin & Scuba Diving in Laguna Beach, see Chapter 18.21 SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING in the Laguna Beach Municipal Codes (Click on Search).
Chamber Day
Each year the diving community gets together to raise money for the chamber at Catalina, the only chamber that is only for diver use in S CA. It is a non profit run chamber and they need divers to help support it.
SCD Hat? How do I get one?
The only way to get an official SCD hat with your name on the back is to show up for one of our dives, then you too can order an SCD hat., to get one, show up on a Saturday and place an order with me.
|South Coast Divers Associations
If you have a web site and want it listed here, join the SCD Email list (top of page)
and then drop me an email and we can discuss your needs and links.
This page
Everything and every part of this
site is Copyrighted by
Richard Parker Consulting
1997 - 2020
All links to this site must be
accessible & not password protected.


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You can take one carry-on bag and one personal item.
Because of limited capacity in the aircraft cabin, exceptionally on busy flights some carry-on baggage may be removed and stored in the hold at no extra cost. If your carry-on baggage is larger than standard it will be placed in the hold and you may have to pay an additional charge.
The Iberia Regional Air Nostrum aircrafts are smaller so there may be some limitations as to what you can take with you in the cabin. In this case, your luggage would be placed in the luggage hold and be available for collection upon arrival.


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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins are keeping hockey's best one-two punch together through their primes and beyond.
A day after signing coach Dan Bylsma to a two-year contract extension, the Penguins and star forward Evgeni Malkin agreed to an eight-year deal that will keep the 2012 NHL MVP and franchise cornerstone Sidney Crosby in the fold well into the next decade.
The $76 million deal begins with the 2014-15 season and will carry an average salary cap hit of $9.5 million, a little bit less than the $10.6 million Crosby will average over the first nine years of the 12-year extension he signed last summer.
It's a matter of semantics, really, for two of the game's biggest stars.
"I think it's good," Malkin said. "I like to play with him. I think he is the best player in the world."
A title the 26-year-old Malkin has toyed with at times during his seven seasons in Pittsburgh.
The second overall pick behind Alex Ovechkin in the 2004 NHL draft won the Rookie of the Year in 2007 and has twice captured the Art Ross Trophy given to the NHL's leading scorer. He was named league MVP in 2012 when he collected 109 points and helped carry the Penguins as Crosby continued to recover from concussion-like symptoms.
Malkin's numbers dipped this spring during the lockout-shortened, 48-game season. A concussion and a lingering shoulder injury limited the Russian star to just 33 points in 31 games. He bounced back during the playoffs, collecting four goals and 12 assists during Pittsburgh's romp through the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators but was held scoreless -- as was Crosby -- during a four-game sweep by the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals.
The stunning collapse led to a few days of anxiety for the team that cruised to the second-best record in the league. Rather than panic after falling to a lower-seeded team for the fourth straight year, Pittsburgh decided to keep Bylsma, who has developed a close relationship with Malkin since taking over in February 2009.
The fact the announcement of Malkin's extension came less than 24 hours after Bylsma was given a very public vote of confidence is hardly a coincidence.
"I like Dan," said Malkin, who shouldered much of the blame for Pittsburgh's flameout against the Bruins. The NHL's highest scoring team managed just two goals in nearly 14 periods of hockey.
"It's my mistake that I scored zero goals," Malkin said following a 1-0 loss in Game 4. "It's not good for me."
The disappointment did little to shake Malkin's confidence in the future. He turns 27 next month. Crosby turns 26. They guided the Penguins to a championship in 2009 -- with Malkin being named the playoff MVP -- and with them in the fold for the next decade there remains plenty of time to return to the top.
"We're still young and can stay here a long time," Malkin said. "We're a group that we've won Stanley Cup before and I believe we will again."
Malkin was about to enter the final year of a contract that paid him about $8.7 million annually. Getting a new deal in place before he went home to Russia for the summer was important. He didn't want to enter training camp in September answering questions about his future.
Now that it's set, he won't have to. The deal includes a provision that would require Malkin's approval if the Penguins ever tried to move him. At the moment, it's a difficult scenario to imagine.
"I like the city, is good for hockey," Malkin said. "I like fans. I have house here and all my friends here. It's good for me."
And good for the Penguins. General manager Ray Shero praised Malkin for being adamant about his desire to stay in Pittsburgh rather than hit the open market in a year, when he could command an even higher salary and go to a team where he's not 1-B to Crosby's 1-A.
"He made it very clear that this is where he wanted to play," Shero said.
The spotlight in a bigger market has never been something Malkin craves. One of his fondest memories is skating off the ice after his first game in Pittsburgh to a standing ovation.
He has become a folk hero of sorts, his improving but still somewhat stilted English makes up in earnestness what it lacks in eloquence. His parents have become fixtures in the stands during the annual playoff runs. When he told them he was staying rather than playing elsewhere in the NHL or entertaining a return to Russia -- where he played during the lockout -- they were fully on board.
The agreement allows Shero to examine the next item on his offseason to-do list: negotiating a possible extension with defenseman Kris Letang, who is also entering the final year of his current deal.
The 26-year-old was a finalist for the Norris Trophy this year but played miserably against the Bruins. Still, he remains one of the top men at his position in the game and will likely ask for a significant bump over his $3.5 million salary.
"We'll certainly turn our attention to Kris here over the next little bit and see if we're in the same ballpark," Shero said. "He's certainly a key player for us."
One that may be too expensive for the Penguins to keep. It's the nature of the business. Pittsburgh will find a way to manage either way. Having Crosby and Malkin through at least 2022 means the team will remain a prime destination for free agents.
"When you have two world-class players like this," Shero said, "you do everything you can to keep them."


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DVD & Blu-ray » Facets » Cast and Crew » Lori Alan
When the world's best spy is turned into a pigeon, he must rely on his nerdy tech officer to save the world.
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Swifty the Arctic fox works in the mail room of the Arctic Blast Delivery Service but dreams of one day becoming a Top Dog (the Arctic's star husky couriers). To prove himself worthy of the Top Dog role, Swifty secretly commandeers one of the sleds and delivers a package to a mys...terious location. He stumbles upon a secret fortress where he comes face to face with Otto Von Walrus, a blubbery evil genius who walks around on mechanical legs and commands a loyal army of oddly polite puffin henchmen. Swifty soon discovers Von Walrus' plan to melt the polar ice caps and flood the world in order to reign supreme. Now, Swifty has to enlist the help of his friends: PB, a concerned polar bear, Lemmy, a scatterbrained albatross, Bertha and Leopold, two conspiracy theorist otters and Jade, a worldly fox. This ragtag group of Arctic misfits has to band together to stop Von Walrus' sinister plans and save the day.Read more
Set in 2012, three years before the events of the Jurassic World movie, LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar picks up where the story left off from LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit.
Join Thomas and the Steam Team in an extended adventure! After a series of mishaps puts the diesel engines out of action, the steam engines have to work doubly hard to avoid confusion and delay! Whilst at Brendam Docks, Thomas sees an overwhelmed Percy struggling to keep up with ...his workload. When Thomas witnesses his best friend have yet another accident, he turns from helper to determined hero. Encouraging all the tired engines to pull together, Thomas rallies the Steam Team together to help Percy and save the day - Steam Team to the Rescue!Read more
Career con man Roy (Ian McKellen) sets his sights on his latest mark: recently widowed Betty (Helen Mirren), worth millions. And he means to take it all. But as the two draw closer, what should have been another simple swindle takes on the ultimate stakes. Legendary actors Mirren... and McKellen star together on screen for the first time in this suspenseful drama about the secrets people keep and the lies they live.Read more
Trouble returns to Monterey, CA. As relationships unravel, loyalties erode, and the potential for emotional and bodily injury still looms large, HBO's smash-hit series is back. In Season 2, the Monterey Five - Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata and Bonnie - look to pick up the piece...s of their shattered lives - just as Perry's mother (Meryl Streep) arrives looking for answers.Read more
A little pig named Peppa and her little brother George have journeys everyday with their family and friends.
After her breakup with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins forces with singer Black Canary, assassin Huntress, and police detective Renee Montoya to help a young girl named Cassandra, who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare diamond from crime lord Roman Sionis.
Sing, Dance & Play! brings children more singing and dancing fun from Emma, Lachy, Simon and Anthony. The Wiggles are joined in the fun by their friends Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus and Wags the Dog, along with new adventures with The Singing Barb...ers of Wiggle Town, The Carnival of the Animals, The Little Wiggles and more!Read more
There is a bomb in Centennial Park. You have thirty minutes. The world is first introduced to Richard Jewell as the security guard who reports finding the device at the 1996 Atlanta bombinghis report making him a hero whose swift actions save countless lives. But within days, the... law enforcement wannabe becomes the FBIs number one suspect, vilified by press and public alike, his life ripped apart. Reaching out to independent, anti-establishment attorney Watson Bryant, Jewell staunchly professes his innocence. But Bryant finds he is out of his depth as he fights the combined powers of the FBI, GBI and APD to clear his clients name, while keeping Richard from trusting the very people trying to destroy him.Read more
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A Single-Player-Coop mod for Unreal Tournament 3. Work with your past and future selves to complete your objective.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.
Screenshots from the latest version of the award winning Unreal Tournament 3 mod, Prometheus.


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I have been doing clothing swaps forever. Some of the greatest ones that I have participated in involved hundreds of women at Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts. Not much is more fun than getting a gaggle of gals together to share, inspire, and swap their favorite clothes. It is one of the reasons why I created the art of Soul Style… teaching women to adore and adorn themselves through their precious gift of Turn On.
And for some time, I have been seriously desiring to do one myself, focusing on my Soul Styling techniques and my love of service. So this summer I heard from my briliant agents at Plant about this store in Williamsburg that might be interested in my new swap idea . . . S.S.W.A.P – Soul Styling With a Purpose. Which was nice, but I WAS NOT GOING TO DO THIS IN BROOKLYN. I am a Manhattanite and even tho I love and lived in Brooklyn, and Williamsburg is supremely, divinely hip- I was not schlepping there. NO WAY. That is… until I actually went to the store, Spacecraft, and met one of the beautiful owners, Stella Metzner. And in one heartbeat, I practically puddled with the delight of being in one of the most original stores in NYC. My jaw dropped, my heart sang and I flashed back into a world that I always wanted to live in…looking at jars filled with marbles, vintage beads and buttons and geegaws and thingamajigs and ribbons and endless wondrous crafts projects that will transform you into a brilliant artist. Soulful, loving fairies created here and I wanted to, too. In my charmed state of mind, I told everybody that this is our new home for my first S.S.W.A.P. And that because of the struggles that owners Cristina and Stella were facing right now to survive and stay open, I knew that my purpose to serve was fulfilled. So where there is a desire, you bet there is always tremendous pleasure to be had. Just like their 2nd Annual Brooklyn Pie Bake-off Benefit that happened today. And the Amy Sedaris new book signing coming up on December 4th; Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People. Hysterically funny.
So join the Dame, my gorgeous Soul Stylists, Kayte, Rochelle & Sherie and Spacecraft for the best Clothing SSWAP of your life where you can enjoy Brooklyn Brewery Beer, spacecraft snacks, a runway spectacular, the hottest pieces, the Dame's sassy Soul Stylings, surprises and all the silly, sharing, inspiring love you can handle. Here are the deets, my friends:
Saturday, November 20th, 2010, 5:00-7:30pm
Spacecraft Brooklyn– The Best Crafts Store in NYC
358 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, NY, DIRECTIONS
$20 Door Donation to Benefit the Spacecraft Revolution and The Sewing Rebellion.
A SSWAP (Soul Styling With A Purpose) is for friendly gals swapping clothes, accessories and fun to serve our souls, the Earth and our wallets!
Bring your best clothing, shoes and accessories to swap and upcycle your wardrobe.
Dame Lori is a passionate pleasure and sensuality expert who inspires women to adore and adorn themselves with their own intimate Soul Style.
The Sewing Rebellion offer free workshops that teach people to reclaim sewing skills.
Spacecraft Brooklyn is the best craft store in NYC and is adored by all, including craft experts Martha Stewart and Amy Sedaris.
Dame's SSWAP Tip #1:
Please bring your cherished pieces in the best, cleanest quality-
A SSWAP brings great prosperity and health to donor and recipient.
Bring your own SSWAP bag for your booty, too!
Any questions: please email me at email@example.com or call: 646-373-9038.


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There is a cultural bias which maintains that males cannot be victims. Males are expected to be confident, knowledgeable, and aggressive. When boys are victimized, they tend to be blamed more for their abuse and are viewed as less in need of care and support, than girls who are abused.
Types of male abuse, facts and statistics
– At least 41 percent of the victims of domestic violence are men. (Harvey P. Forehand)
– As many as 1 in 5 males will be sexually abused before the age of 18. And one in five of adult rape victims are male. (Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US, or FBI)
– One in six men will be a victim of domestic abuse in their lifetime. (The British Crime Survey 2006/07 figures)
– Same-sex batterers use forms of abuse similar to those of heterosexual batterers. They have an additional weapon in the threat of "outing" their partner to family, friends, employers or community. (Lundy, Abuse That Dare Not Speak Its Name: Assisting Victims of Lesbian and Gay Domestic Violence in Massachusetts, 28 New Eng. L. Rev. 273 (Winter 1993)
– women who abuse men tend to prefer forms of abuse that don't involve physical violence. The hurt, the injury caused by the habitual use of vicious mockery, frequent emotional blackmail, spreading odious lies and so on aren't visible. (Harvey P. Forehand)
– Male Sexual Harassment in the Work Place on the Rise; According to a report by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission there were a record amount of harassment complaints filed by men in 2006. The figures given in the report state that of the 12,025 sexual harassment claims made in 2006 15.4 percent of these claims came from men. This shows a significant increase of male harassment cases made in the last ten years of 4.5. ([link])
– Munchausen by Proxy is when someone is causing illness or injury in another to obtain attention; usually by a parent or caregiver against a child (in 85% of cases the child is male) ([link])
Useful websites and books
Why men do not disclose – [link]
ManKind (chariity supporting male victims of abuse) – [link]
M-Power – [link]
Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims of Sexual Abuse – by Mic Hunter
Victims No Longer: Men Recovering from Incest and Other Sexual Child Abuse – by Mike Lew
The House On Telegraph Hill (An Asylum): Growing Up with Abusive Parents and a Lifetime After – by Charles S. Wilson


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Imagine if your Facebook account was hacked? If someone accidentally deleted your Twitter account? What if your blog crashed? How would you recover all the work that went into creating your profile? With Social Report - this backup is done for you automatically!
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We have to download all of your social data on regular basis - several times a day. Not just your chats and friends, but also many other elements that provide more in-depth information about your network such as employment, education, and interests.
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therman necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 105 diseños de 23 diseñadores freelance.
We are a small search engine marketing firm that specializes in helping small local business owners (chiropractors, lawyers, landscapers etc.) get onto the first page of Google. People hire us to manage their online presence.
We have a formula/recipe for page 1 rankings.
We do all the work for them. They don't have to lift a finger.
We're fun, simple to work with and exclusive. Once we have a client in an area. Nobody else in that niche in that area can work with us.
Why the name?
Because we drive traffic to your website... And, just like a Bakery - we have a recipe we follow to make that happen. Plus a Bakery is a local shop just like your local Dentist, Doctor, Florist etc. So there's a little bit of a play on community.
Our target audience are business owners that know they need to get a better online presence but don't know what to do, where to start or have the resources to compete at that level.
There more than likely younger (30-50) and in the service based business category.
They're really aren't any major requirements.
Our tag line will probably be:
"Your Recipe For Online Success"
I would probably prefer something fun and whimsical.
Don't be afraid to use color.
Please don't use any script type fonts.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Run faster, cooler, smoother, and up to longer


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"I wanted to pass on that this past week our server appears to have been performing very well. Our sites have been consistently responsive, our DB is running fast, and our e-mail broadcast last night -- our largest ever -- went out without a hitch.
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What I mean is this: how much do you actually know about the science most atheists parrot? Most atheists know as little science as most Christians know as little theology. Just as a Christian trusts his priest to tell him what he believes, an atheist trusts scientists with a Ph.D. tacked to their name to tell them what they believe. But how many times have the scientists turned out to be wrong? I only ask this because it seems this is central to the problem that most atheists have. They are repulsed by the phrase "believe" – they are addicted instead to the phrase "know". But honestly, do you really know, or are you just believing what you're told? I would like to remind you that in the 1970′s the scientists of the day were seriously concerned that we were about to enter an ice age, and less than 30 years later they are now convinced Earth is about to turn into a desert.
Unless you've observed something yourself, or observed and interpreted the evidence yourself and drew your own conclusions, you are just as guilty as faith as any religious person.
Views: 6034
Replies are closed for this discussion.
We are not talking about poverty, and we, being well fed, and have never been raped, could not even begin comparing the two, to see which one is worse???????
There are all kinds of ways to measure that, in terms of the long-term outcomes for children. It's also worth remembering that rape, and child abuse more generally, are highly correlated with poverty.
Priests in these countries will also be abundant, as they will have a better lifestyle, with a car and driver, a cook and a cleaner, a lovely place to live, plenty of food, and get trips to the vatican, and stay in an apartment worth millions.
LOL. That's too funny. I guess you've never spent any time with priests or religious in 3rd world countries. I have. Would you like to borrow my Pinocchio clothing?
That is the result of people like you, Bob, not getting involved in a change of the catholic stance of celibacy
Ah, celibacy now is the cause of pedophilia. Really? I suppose you have evidence of that? Nah.
Where what is accepted - homosexuality or pedophilia.
Either or both. I was raising the ancient Greek example, where such "mentoring" was normative, before us repressive Catholics got involved and changed the social norms.
Kids under 16 not all that long ago were considered adults. Old enough to marry, with all the penis that involves, old enough to be apprenticed out to a trade and not live at home any more. Some things are cultural. What aboriginal people do around the world after "coming of age" would be considered child abuse/endangerment here in the U.S. Some judgments are really just cultural. I personally don't think all are, but then I believe in a God and universal law. My question is how you can make any claim, when norms, and perhaps "harm", may just be cultural.
Once again, ask the people that this affects their lives, their families lives
I'm sorry, I thought you might be asking me a serious question that you wanted an answer to, not that you were just looking to rant about. Should you want a serious answer, you'll have to answer my questions. By which adults? What sort of contraception? Do they have any prior medical conditions? For what purpose?
how much do you actually know about the science most atheists parrot?
If experimental results are reproducible on demand, it's science. Being able to parrot can be useful skill for learning things, but skepticism is even more highly esteemed in science, unlike in faith.
Most atheists know as little science as most Christians know as little theology.
True, in terms of percentage of what there is to know, and that percentage is decreasing daily. Meanwhile, the body of scientific knowledge is growing exponentially, unlike in theology. We couldn't have detected earth-like planets in other solar systems without first knowing and applying Newtonian science. No scientist knows all science, yet we can put scientists and engineers together and build MRI scanners to diagnose diseases, while other scientists and engineers figure out how to produce surgery an medicines for cures. Compared to faith and/or prayer, there's no question about which method is most effective.
an atheist trusts scientists with a Ph.D. tacked to their name to tell them what they believe.
As mentioned in above paragraphs: 1) skepticism is essential to the scientific process; 2) a PhD usually means highly educated and should be listened to; 3) the body of scientific knowledge grows exponentially. The advantage science has over faith here is that we can read what PhDs publish, weigh the different opinions and evidence, and learn how dependable their methods and results are compared to other PhDs (and non-PhDs), and a myriad of other, separate, scientific institutions. And we have an explosion in the body of knowledge that we can access. We're already curing some cancers, and additional future cures are a scientific certainty. (Note that cancer is just one, relatively "tiny" example of daily life that science addresses.)
But how many times have the scientists turned out to be wrong? I only ask this because it seems this is central to the problem that most atheists have.
The strength of science comes not only from skepticism, but by learning from unpredicted or inconsistent results of tests. The fact that science is testable and self-correcting makes it radically different from faith.
are addicted instead to the phrase "know". But honestly, do you really know, or are you just believing what you're told?
Using this logic alone, how do we "know" that the earth is round? For you, is this really just a matter of "faith"? For most of us, it's a matter of reasonably evaluating the preponderance of evidence. Furthermore, the preponderance of evidence is collaborated across many, different sources of scientific evidence. It does not require a rocket scientist to understand this, nor does it require a leap of faith.
I would like to remind you that in the 1970′s the scientists of the day were seriously concerned that we were about to enter an ice age, and less than 30 years later they are now convinced Earth is about to turn into a desert.
This story is also complicated by the effect that humans have had on the earth's greenhouse gases, and possible runaway warming (as ocean and land biomatter release even more gases). Meanwhile, faith's answer to the question of climate change is either non-existent, or based on various, ancient mythology.
Unless you've observed something yourself, or observed and interpreted the evidence yourself and drew your own conclusions, you are just as guilty as faith as any religious person.
Does this mean to you that the earth might be flat? Can you even be sure that oxygen exists, since it's invisible?
@Strega - It is so nice of you to want to extend Bob's education - as it seems to have a very big gap, regarding ethics, morals right and wrong. So, Bravo you in taking this time to help. :) and let us hope, that this time he doesn't take a hissy fit, and refuse to add this knowledge to his morally bankrupt education.
@Bob- Because children have been raped by catholic priests in unprecedented numbers, I think it would be prudent for all priests to wear chastity belts - but who would be The Keeper of the Keys - mmm....who can one really trust????
@Bob - By which adults? What sort of contraception? Do they have any prior medical conditions? For what purpose?
An adult, is an adult, is an adult! Of legal age in their respective countries, to give consent, to vote, to drive, etc. etc.
What sort of contraception - As an Adult, it is their choice, not the dogma of a particular, in this case, the catholic church, of an unmarried pope, who does not bare the cost of either having a child, or feeding a child. In the meantime, third world countries are having more children than they can feed, and clothe. Forget education, that doesn't even come into the equation.
Do they have any prior medical conditions? - Last time I looked, one doesn't need to go to a doctor for condoms- which the catholic church bans.
For what purpose? To have the children they can feed, clothe and educate. It is an adults choice to use contraception - for whatever reason they see fit for their family - nobody elses.
It's also worth remembering that rape, and child abuse more generally, are highly correlated with poverty.
Not in Australia - the majority of children who were raped were from wealthy white families, boarding schools, away on camps, after lessons, in the priests private rooms, when everybody is asleep.
Third world countries have yet to be hit to the extent that white countries were hit by these dregs of humanity - now that pedophile priests have to move out of white societies, 'cause white societies are now aware of the extent of these crimes, and how they were hidden and covered up, they will go to third world countries, for example, Ethiopia - where the families are poor, and to be able to go to heaven, they have to give the church part of the money from their crops - which goes to the priest, who also has a cook, a cleaner, a house and a driver, as people come real cheap in these countries. I have a Filipino friend, an ex priest who is now an Atheist - he was in a poor area - but still had the accruements befitting a man of the 'stature of a priest' - he left the priesthood to marry.
Ah, celibacy now is the cause of pedophilia. Really? I suppose you have evidence of that? Nah.
There are two meanings of celibacy - In the catholic cult, celibacy is taken for granted that it only means no sex, when in fact, the other meaning is not to marry. The demons of the catholic church are women - those bloody sirens tempting these poor naive men - a priest is told not to left alone in a room with a woman, not to be enticed by a woman, to keep propriety when dealing with women etc. etc. because sex outside of marriage is a sin - therefore he must remain chaste.
There are many gay priests in the hierarchy of the catholic church, but this isn't a bother, they are doing no harm, adult with adult. Gay priests are balanced, and do really good work, as they have empathy, are in relationships, have human contact, all the things the average human needs.
Successive popes have known about the prelates in The Curia that are Gay, and did not and have not, as yet, done anything about it. Too many to just what, sack, and then it would actually be out in the open, denigrate Gays wanting to marry, etc by fobbing it off 'We don't hate Gays, we just don't like what they do", when it is exactly this, that has been going on in the Vatican. Gays went into the priesthood, hoping they would 'be cured' by praying to be cured, often by their families, and when that didn't work, they found themselves with many other Gays. Sad that they thought they may be 'cured' but Hallelujah , they found their niche, as they also, didn't want to be with women.
So, many heterosexual males go into the priesthood, and are turned into a stunted, inadequate, lonely male, by a system who will not have women in the hierarchy, who are told of the 'enticements of women', these men are heterosexual, so who is next on the list, who is an easy target that they can put 'The Fear of God' and will and can be forced to never speak about it - children. It is not JUST about the abuse of children, it was the systematic cover up, spending millions, if the priest was eventually forced to go to court, it is the systematic destruction of any and all incriminating papers after ten years.
But, after saying that, there are certainly priests who have affairs - and with those bloody women, no less. Hypocritical, yes, but at least they have a healthy attitude towards sex.
Certainly, there are pedophiles in other groups, they are also stunted, inadequate males who prey on children - the difference being, the catholic church breeds them, then covers up the crimes. So, while you naysay about celibacy - it will continue. Klonk.
The following statement is from "The Roman Catholic Faithful -
Mr. Y, a homosexual man, can only become a priest if he makes a vow of celibacy - if he vows to remain unmarried to a woman.
He does not vow to remain unmarried to a man because, according to his Catholic faith, he can never marry a man - he cannot vow to give up what he cannot have in the first place.
Therefore, Mr. Y's priestly vow of celibacy is an easy, ludicrous and utterly pointless promise for him to make since he does not want to be married to a woman. (It wasn't so easy, ludicrous or utterly pointless, however, for Mr. X.)
With his priestly vow of celibacy per se he does not, as is frequently believed and wrongly reported, make a vow to refrain from sex. He makes a vow to remain unmarried. But since he has vowed to remain unmarried to a woman, and since he cannot validly "marry" another man, he is required by his Catholic faith to remain perpetually chaste - he can never have sex.
My question is how you can make any claim, when norms, and perhaps "harm" may be cultural - Are you saying the rape and abuse of children by catholic priests is 'cultural'?
We are talking about America - I am talking about Australia - ask the parents of these children if they consider the raping and abuse of their child is cultural - ask the children how the rape and abuse has affected them - ask the children what it is to be called a liar, ask the children if they think that "Jesus loves them, and will protect them.'


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Remedial SEO ROI Generation
SEO-ROI 100: Remedial Course in Measuring SEO-ROI
Last week two great articles were posted that, at their core, really want to discuss the issue of exactly how to measure and how to prove your SEO efforts are actually providing an ROI.
Link Economics 101 by Stephen Spencer and The Business of SEO by Todd Friesen (a.k.a. Oilman) both talk about externalities involved in SEO business management, but the heart of both these articles is really about how to demonstrate the value, and subsequently the return on investment, you bring to the table with the professional SEO services you provide. (You should probably read these articles before moving ahead)
Stephen's article focuses on the off-site aspect of SEO, link building, and trying to capture a solid way to measure those efforts toward the client's ROI. While Todd's article focuses much more heavily on justifying the cost of a professional's SEO program.
Everyone Just Take A Deep Breath and Move One Step Back
Both articles need to take a step back and think about the root cause: ROI. It's the "What am I getting out of this" syndrome. And it's a fair question, in which measurement certainly plays a major role. And the bottom line you get out of both of these articles is old SEO defense of, "we just know, ok?".
Pinpointing ROI at an advanced level would be great if it could actually be done, especially in Link Economics. Which is why I think it it was time for a remedial course in demonstrating SEO-ROI. There are still plenty of ways to show your work is providing more profit now (with SEO and SEM strategy implemented) than it would have otherwise. Think of it like this:
We find/acquire several high-powered links (under the assumption that you have a solid linking campaign already), but those services we provided weren't cheap. Client X wants to know how that money is going to turn into increased profit, and to Stephen's point, it's almost impossible to tell you, Client X. Not unless you are expecting referrer traffic from the link, in which case, we'll have metrics.
Honestly, how do you think ad agencies get away with charging ridiculous amounts? There's no possible way they can link/measure the success of a spot that airs at a specific time, on a specific channel, directly to sales. That just can't be done. But they do use tons of extraneous data and extrapolate the value to the brand and the bottom line the ads they created generated. And that's exactly what search marketers need to do.
Every Time a Butterfly Flaps It's Wings, An SEO…
It's really chaos theory at it's finest (a butterfly flaps it's wings in Nicaragua = a man buys a lotto ticket at an out-of-the-way gas station and hits it big).
Example: The Miller Light plant has had a slight machinery malfunction that causes 10,000 less cases to be shipped out. No one except Big Brass and floor employees know this.
Let's say you provide SEO services to Budweiser. You've implemented an on-site change (let's assume you tweaked a title tag and found a one incredible link, willing to provide you with highly targeted text). Two weeks later you see a spike in site traffic and conversions, in conjunction with sales of Bud and it's counterparts increasing 20%.
You could claim that this was all because of your onsite tweak, but it really has to do with the Miller plant shipping out 10,000 less cases. Miller ran out much quicker, and, therefore, people bought more Bud. It's nearly an identical situation with search engines. It could be something that has been implemented months ago just now taking effect that has either pushed or plummeted search traffic and conversions.
Get Back To Basics: Extrapolate and Make Connections
An SEO can still demonstrate value and ROI, and more than just by claiming we "hit the machine in the right spot". How you ask? Simple. Show the numbers. Ladies and Gents, that's what they are there for. Analytics are not only a tool for mining great data to optimize sites with, they're your best friend when having to demonstrate to a client your value.
In a time-starved world, I know it's pain in the ass to spend an extra hour/two hours building up data reports that proves you've been adding to the bottom line. The key is to relate everything back to conversions. Using keyword data, to show clients the increased traffic and conversions on those words. Using geographical data in relation to keywords and conversions in order to create new, more effective strategies for certain geographical segments. Just stay away from SERP positions. They're crap. They fluctuate incessantly; they're whimsical. Once you get locked into that bit with your clients, you're toast. Focus on conversion/lead/sales generation. That's your home.
There are customized reports with analytics, so use them. You can build out any number of reports pulling lots of disparate information together. It's a temporal exercise, people. You have to be able to think and strategize not only on the clients behalf, but yours too. But ethically. If you drown and rinse your numbers for a cleaner view, someone is going to know. I'm not suggesting that you come in with junk-numbers and no reasons. There's always a reason and that's what they pay you for. Find and rectify it.
Get Your SEO-ROI Proof-Positive
SEOs, in my opinion, need to get back to the basics of ROI proof-positive. It's somewhere between Stephen and Todd. Just as with ad agencies, it's not possible to show causality on every front and for every tactic, but there is plenty that can be shown with a little elbow grease, and you can justify cost through these data by extrapolating and making connections.


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Posted 9 years ago
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This cap was given to me by Dave Kingman at the end of the 1979 season. The bat was given to me earlier in the season for returning a Grand Slam HR ball to him. I caught the ball at Wrigley Field, it was Kingmans 214th career Home Run.


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DR. HOOK- Waaaa! Crying can be a healthy tension reliever
"Cry me a river, cry me a river, I cried a river over youuuuuuuuuuu!" Go, Barbra Streisand.
We cry for many reasons: sadness, joy, relief, anger, Clay Aiken finally coming out. (Clay, we love you! Congratulations for being honest and brave!) Weddings are notorious vales of tears, which is why waterproof mascara is essential (it's also useful in beauty pageants). When Carol Brady found Cindy & Bobby after they'd been lost in the Grand Canyon, she cried. They asked their mom why she was crying, and she said that is something adults just do.
On the other hand, one saying is unfortunately kind of true, "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone."
Is it that difficult to cry in front of another person?
I'm not sure if it's cultural, biological or both, but men seem to cry less than women.
"As a man, I've cried only twice in my life. First time was during my son's bris. The second was at his bar mitzvah. Oh, wait– I kind of cried when the Yankees lost the World Series," we might hear a man say.
I once cried in front of a friend and apologized for boo-hooing so long. She responded, "Ah, you only cried for 10 seconds– if that." It seemed like an eternity for me, though. I enjoy crying in front of someone else as much as vomiting.
I have had many men, though, cry during their office visit with me. No, I'm not Barbara Walters doing a tearful interview. I think it's just that most men aren't vulnerable with their family members or friends, but doctor-visits allow real emotions to come out. Frankly I'm honored that people feel safe enough to express their feelings.
However, many of my female patients apologize to me whenever they cry in my office. I don't know why we apologize when we cry. It is like a sign of weakness, but let's face it. We need to purge that energy at times. Keeping things bottled up inside can be very destructive to our well-being.
My best friend in medical school could cry at a drop of a stethoscope, but she rode a motorcycle in Africa while she was in the Peace Corps. So I figured she was tough as nails. And she is, but she cried whether she laughed, got mad, or was sad. Niagara Falls would erupt. It wasn't weakness. It was healthy honest emotion.
I was really surprised once to hear a doctor tell me, "She cries every time I walk into the room, or really, when anyone walks into the room– except you. But she laughs when you walk into the room. Why is that?" (Because I tickle her feet with a feather?)
I asked my patient why that was. I thought it was important for her to share her tears with me as well. I think there's a healthy balance between laughter and tears, and that's what she was doing.
Fred Flintstone always gave in to Wilma when she cried because her tears made him feel horrible. And I think folks don't want to cry in front of others because they don't want to appear to be a party-pooper.
Some people don't want to "cry wolf." Some don't do well with others who cry, and they don't take another's tears seriously. "Oh, buck up and get over it. You aren't depressed," they'll say.
In our Prozac nation, tears seem to be allowed only for actors. I think if I were an actor, I'd have to hold an onion to my nose to cry for my close-up. I don't cry– I whine. I whine more than all the grapes in Napa Valley.
Dr. Hook cracks a joke or two, but he's a renowned physician with a local practice. Email him with your questions.


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Slow Flow
A river cruise on the Mekong through Laos has nothing in common with the colossal ocean extravaganzas – this trip teaches humility, respect for the unknown and a love of deceleration.
Anke Knaber, 56, is a little surprised. "I expected it to be warmer in Laos," she says. Dressed in functional clothing, she's standing at the railing of a small cruise ship, gazing into the cool mistiness of a Laotian morning. The shore flows past Anke or vice versa. Despite the hot mug of coffee in her hand, she's still feeling chilly. Anke is on vacation with her husband, Stefan, who's sitting a little way off at a table and eager to talk about his favorite travel destinations. "Africa," he says loudly, "I like Africa best."
The sun isn't yet casting its rays into the river wildly cutting its course through this country. Laos, a country that is so very different from all the others in Southeast Asia. This country which has no seacoast and therefore attracts far fewer tourists than its neighbors; for which visitors need a visa, and in which communism – or what people here consider to be communism – is still taken seriously. The neighboring economic miracle countries, Vietnam, Thailand and China, have only very little influence on it. Laos is still slumbering.
Anke, Stefan and I are wide awake. It's seven in the morning, somewhere between Luang Prabang and the capital, Vientiane. Traveling in Laos is not an easy undertaking. There is no railroad network, the buses drive perilously fast, and 24-hour journeys are not uncommon. Most of the people visiting Laos are backpackers, here to party on the "4000 Islands" in the southern Mekong, in a stretch of the river that's so wide there's space for thousands of islands. Later, when they go back home again, they will say that Laos is still untouched. What they mean is that it has no tourism infrastructure. I have often been in Laos and I once spent three weeks riding across the country on a motorcycle, dozing in buses and drifting drunk downriver on tractor tires near Vang Vienf. But I have never been on the Mekong before.
The river is so wide that in many parts travelers might imagine they were by the ocean. On the coffee plantations in the south, near the city of Pakse, it is so cold in the early morning that your breath comes out in big clouds. And then, of course, there's the mighty north, with its mountains and jungles and small towns in between, foremost among them Luang Prabang, a small post-colonial town, now discovered by tourists but still not overrun – yet.
Time came to a halt in Laos some time at the end of the 1970s. And maybe that is the greatest attraction this country has to offer. Slowness is not something you discover in Laos, you live it. To grasp this tempo, it's a good idea to take the main transportation route in this country, the Mekong. The river that supplies Asia with food, with life. People grow up and rice paddies spread out along its banks.
It is a wild river, an impetuous one, especially the stretch that traverses Laos – barely straightened, the sharp rocks capable of slitting open a boat's belly still lying in the middle of the riverbed. It's an adventure, but it is navigable. Normally, only day trips are offered on the Mekong on which travelers make their way from town to town, from the south to the north of the country. But there's also the Mekong Sun, a ship that connects the country's capital with Luang Prabang in six days. The ship is operated by a German line, Lernidee Reisen, which also runs unusual trips through Russia and Asia, of which a Laos river cruise on this wooden ship is one.
Why I am making the journey is soon explained: I want to learn something, to know something without learning it off by heart. I have been measuring the world not with an atlas but in flight miles. I have been able to remember countries, forests and the names of rivers because I visited them, not because I read about them. If I travel with people of my own age or even younger, I generally don't learn much because then I drink alcohol with them and forget most of what I experienced. I prefer to travel with older people, two generations older than me at best. They are rarely stingy, they can talk about a life I don't yet know, and they have experience. This way, I get to know foreign countries, strangers and my possible future.
The Mekong Sun, just under 40 meters long and with a total of 14 cabins in three categories on two decks. It doesn't look like a cruise ship, but recalls the pleasure steamers of European capitals. When I saw it for the first time, in Vientiane, on the unfortified shore of the Mekong, I was moved. A wooden house on the water, teak and mahogany, not a soulless steel monster. On board, the atmosphere is positively homely with the smell of wax and the slippers everyone has to wear to preserve the floor from premature scratches. It feels like I'm on an outing into the old Indochina of the 1920s, like George Orwell in Burma, but without the gin and the malaria.
Our group of voyagers consists of three families from India and France, the couple I mentioned earlier from Germany, a group of friends from England and me; 20 passengers in all. I naturally have my reservations about this kind of travel. I've been backpacking around the world for 20 years and still do. It has the advantage of independence, of being able to decide every minute of every day what I do, with whom I speak, what I experience. A river cruise is the polar opposite of this: It presents me with experiences and gives me little choice of conversation partners. So this trip is also a premiere, an experiment.
My generation always wants to experience the maximum, it wants adventure, not a seating plan. And yet I find myself adapting to the situation with astonishing ease. On the first evening, we are told where we will sit; no discussions. Two large tables, the French and the Indians at one table, the Germans and English at the other. There's a lot of broken English at our table. "Um God's Will," Stefan exclaims when the English relate their travel adventures and hilarious misadventures. Anke and Stefan talk about their tours of Namibia and South Africa, Ethiopia and Ruanda. Experiences are compared in grand style. Because such a small ship feels like a home, the conversations soon become more intimate. Everyone joins in over our meal of laab gai, Laotian chicken salad.
Every night, the ship has to anchor at a sandbank. Traveling by night would be too dangerous – the Mekong Sun could capsize and no one would notice.
The chili peppers redden our lips, the sun sinks into the jungle, the diesel engines of the ship fall silent. The air turns cool and we all unpack and pull on our functional jackets. Every night, the ship has to anchor at a sandbank. It would be too wild and dangerous for the Mekong Sun to sail at night. We could capsize in the dark and no one would notice.
Anke and Stefan talk about life in the old days in East Germany, about optimism and new beginnings after the fall of the wall. In Stefan's excited face I recognize the determined dream, the great dream of being free to travel which the engineer and the teacher are now fulfilling. You meet these kinds of people on ships like the Mekong Sun, not at hotel bars or in hostels. It takes the enforced intimacy of an evening meal shared to get to know people like these better, people from a different generation.
Every day, there's an excursion, and every day, we travel roughly 100 kilometers. In the small town of Xanam-khan, I experience the power of the group. We visit a temple; with his iPad, the French grandfather belonging to our travel group awkwardly photographs the colorful murals, while the English smoke although it's not permitted, and Anke and Stefan look annoyed. Many people, different needs, the tour guide tries to keep everyone happy. Tom Kobold, 21, came to Laos as a backpacker – and wanted to stay. Now he takes passengers across the country on board the Mekong Sun. With great self-assurance, he gives us lectures on the history of the country, explains the food and the customs, and calms down tourists in temples. "We still have time to go to a market," he says, leading us all onward. At the market, a new impatience immediately arises and it soon becomes clear that we weary wanderers want to get back to the ship. Its wooden cabins with their little showers, their European-standard sockets and floor-length windows that make you feel you are sleeping in the jungle have a great appeal. A cozy nest for tourists drifting along the Mekong.
This trip is one on which no one is counting the days backwards. We simply lose touch with the world. The Internet is poor in Laos, so no contact with the outside world. A cruise with so few fellow travelers has something of a family outing about it. Unspoken agreements, friendly nods of the head, amiable understanding. On other, big cruises, passengers are encouraged to spend money. On the Mekong Sun, they are supposed to take things easy. They lie, they sleep and they see the sights. Nothing happens; that is probably the greatest promise of this trip. I am amazed. I never wanted to be inactive; as a child, I used to shove my dozing parents out of their beach chair: "Do something with me!" Now here I am, sitting perfectly calmly on a ship's deck with not a want in the world.
On the last day, just before we reach Luang Prabang, we pass through a gigantic lock. All of the passengers are on deck, busily taking photos. Concrete columns as tall as skyscrapers rammed into the river, steel gates holding back the water and lowering the level of this mighty river. Then it's back to taking it easy again. We pass the final kilometers to Luang Prabang sitting on deck, drinking coffee. We are all agreed that not much happened. And that is exactly what most of us wanted. And so we have grasped the essence of this country without guessing or planning it. Time passes more slowly here. Anyone wishing to travel Laos must learn to appreciate the slow pace of life.
This story first appeared in Lufthansa Exclusive, the frequent traveller magazine. For more information about Lufthansa Miles & More offers, please click here.


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International Business Systems (IBS), a top global integrated ERP and supply chain provider, has named Doug Braun, a former RedPrairie executive with more than 30 years of supply chain experience, as chief executive officer. Christian Paulsson, who was serving as acting chief executive officer and chief operating officer, will continue as chief operating officer.
"Doug's vision for IBS combined with his list of accomplishments over 20 years at RedPrairie – from leading the first true-on demand SaaS supply chain offering to managing global expansion combined with his turnaround experience – make him the ideal candidate to move IBS forward," said Pallab Chatterjee, chairman of the board, IBS. "Our leadership team is now in place and now is the time for IBS to reclaim its heritage as the leading distribution management ERP and supply chain company with the deepest knowledge and the industry's most complete solution."
"I look forward to instilling a customer first mentality; articulating a clear technology vision to take the industry's best distribution software to the next level and making IBS a great place to work," said Doug Braun, chief executive officer, IBS.
Most recently Braun served as president of global operations for RedPrairie where his responsibilities included unifying and leading the global product management, product development, publication, translation and quality assurance efforts across a complex multi-channel software solutions suite. In addition, he was responsible for the direction of the global hosting and support organization, creating the SMB unit and served as one of four members of the RedPrairie operating committee.
Other roles included executive vice president of Americas, managing director of European operations, senior vice president of implementation services, vice president of support services, as well as several product management roles.
Prior to his tenure at RedPrairie, he worked in technical and project management roles at Northwestern National Insurance Company, Viking Insurance Company and Chem-Bio Corporation. He serves as the board director for the Institute for Human Resources and the Divine Savior Holy Angels High School and previously served as an adjunct professor of mathematics for Mount Mary College.
Braun holds a Masters Degree in International Business and a B.B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin.


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Celebration of 'La Caballada' procession along a country trail. Atienza, Guadalajara © Turespaña
Horseback procession under an arch. Atienza, Guadalajara © Turespaña
CategoryFestivity of National Tourist Interest
DatesMay 23, 2021
Popular fiestas with typical costumes that recreate the history of the town.
It commemorates the charge of muleteers in Atienza, 1162, that saved king Alfonso VIII from falling into the hands of his uncle, Ferdinand II of León, who wanted to seize the throne from him. It is said that the soldiers of the king from León were celebrating a pilgrimage in honour of the Virgen de la Estrella, and that for this reason the muleteers managed to leave without being seen. This fiesta combines historical and religious elements.
The fiesta begins on Sunday morning when the fraternity members, on horseback, make the pilgrimage to the hermitage of the Virgin of La Estrella ('The Star'), accompanied by the sound of the drum and the 'dulzaina'. There, a procession of the image of the Virgin takes place, along with a platform auction, and pastries that are still weighed in 'celemines' (old Castilian measure). The auctioneer is called the 'manda'. Members of the fraternity, astride mules, with long capes and black hats, cross the town preceded by 'gaita' (type of bagpipe) players, the standard-bearer, the abbot, the 'prioste', the 'seises' and the major-domo, on their way to the hermitage of La Estrella, where they attend a mass, followed by a procession and a fraternity meal. The entourage returns in the afternoon and, after crossing the town, the fraternity members compete in furious races through the Puerta Caballo neighbourhood, to end up electing the new elder brother in front of Trinity church. The president of the Brotherhood is called the 'prioste' and those who have held this position in a previous year are called the 'seises'. Those who have been "priostes" (heads of brotherhoods) wear a cape and hat, while the others wear unusual, beautifully embroidered jackets. Women also take part in the fiesta, with their own "priostas", and the respective "seisas" – their main job is to adorn the statue for the procession.
Discover the surroundings