text:
Cyril is my wife's 1st cousin 2x removed. His parents are Fred Gostelow and Alice Stuffins. The common ancestors of my wife and Cyril are Samuel Gostelow and Emma Padley, my wife's 2x great grandparents.
Cyril was born in 1897 in Barnetby, Lincolnshire. His birth is registered in Q1.
I haven't been able to find any remaining military records on http://www.ancestry.co.uk or Find My Past. However I can piece together information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website – http://www.cwgc.org and from http://www.forces-war-records.co.uk
Cyril was a Private in the Lincolnshire Regiment and served in the 8th Battalion. His service number was 12513.
I know that Cyril was killed in action on 15 November 1916.
Cyril is buried at Ancre British Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel, Somme, France
The information below is taken from the CWGC website.
Ancre British Cemetery is about 2 Kms south of the village of Beaumont-Hamel, on the D50 between Albert and Achiet-le-Grand.
The village of Beaumont-Hamel was attacked on 1 July 1916 by the 29th Division, with the 4th on its left and the 36th (Ulster) on its right, but without success. On 3 September a further attack was delivered between Hamel and Beaumont-Hamel and on 13 and 14 November, the 51st (Highland), 63rd (Royal Naval), 39th and 19th (Western) Divisions finally succeeded in capturing Beaumont-Hamel, Beaucourt-sur-Ancre and St. Pierre-Divion.
Following the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line in the spring of 1917, V Corps cleared this battlefield and created a number of cemeteries, of which Ancre British Cemetery (then called Ancre River No.1 British Cemetery, V Corps Cemetery No.26) was one. There were originally 517 burials almost all of the 63rd (Naval) and 36th Divisions, but after the Armistice the cemetery was greatly enlarged when many more graves from the same battlefields and from the following smaller burial grounds:-
ANCRE RIVER BRITISH CEMETERY No.2 (V Corps Cemetery No.27), about 400 metres East of No.1, containing the graves of 64 officers and men from the United Kingdom (mainly 1st H.A.C., 11th Royal Sussex, and Hood Battalion) who fell in September and November 1916.
BEAUCOURT STATION CEMETERY, begun after the capture of Beaucourt by the R.N.D. on the 14th November 1916, and containing the graves of 85 officers and men from the United Kingdom who fell in November 1916 – March 1917. It was close to Beaucourt-Hamel station.
GREEN DUMP CEMETERY, on the South-West side of "Station Road", between Beaumont-Hamel and the station. It was used from November 1916, to March 1917, and it contained the graves of 45 soldiers and one Marine from the United Kingdom.
R.N.D. CEMETERY (V Corps Cemetery No.21), in the open country midway between Beaumont-Hamel and Hamel. It contained the graves of 336 officers and men from the United Kingdom, mainly of the Royal Naval Division.
SHERWOOD CEMETERY (V Corps Cemetery No.20), about 700 metres North-West of the R.N.D. Cemetery. It contained the graves of 176 officers and men from the United Kingdom, belonging chiefly to the 36th and Royal Naval Divisions, the 17th Sherwood Foresters and the 17th King's Royal Rifles.
STATION ROAD CEMETERY, on the South side of "Station Road", 500 metres West of the railway. This cemetery was used, from November 1916, to March 1917, for the burial of 82 officers and men from the United Kingdom.
"Y" RAVINE CEMETERY No. 2 (V Corps Cemetery No.18), about 300 metres South-East of the present "Y" Ravine Cemetery. Here were buried 140 officers and men from the United Kingdom and two from Newfoundland, who fell in July, September and November 1916.
The majority of those buried in the cemetery died on 1 July, 3 September or 13 November 1916.
There are now 2,540 Commonwealth casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 1,335 of the graves are unidentified, but special memorials commemorate 43 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. There are also special memorials to 16 casualties know to have been buried in other cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire.
The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.
The ROYAL NAVAL DIVISION MEMORIAL for the capture of Beaumont-Hamel is a stone obelisk erected beside the main road from Arras to Albert, at Beaucourt-sur-Ancre.


text:
Our second trip to Elaine and Bill's to pick up more books netted another filled car…and still there are books left! We estimate that this time there really will be only one more trip needed. This picture shows the number of books brought home from the two trips combined, somewhat sorted into stacks by locality and topic.
This batch held quite a few research guides, including some by authors Noel C. Stevenson and George K. Schweitzer, on topics ranging from Southeastern research to German research to researching military ancestors. I feel like I've hit the mother lode.
The Absorene came in a few days ago, so I've been cleaning books. Here's what I've cleaned so far.
Yes, I have a ways to go. Any volunteers? No? Well, I had to try…

subset: commoncrawl


text:
BMW X5 Oil Change at Braman BMW West Palm Beach Near Lake Worth 33460
At Braman BMW West Palm Beach near Lake Worth 33460 we use only quality motor oil made to keep your vehicle running smoothly for competitive prices that you'll love. Our Service Department is a group of highly trained technicians that are well versed in performing a BMW X5 Oil Change near Lake Worth 33460 and will do it quickly and to your utmost satisfaction.
The oil in your engine needs to be changed anywhere between three and ten months – make sure to defer to your owner's manual and local dealer as to the appropriate timeline. As one of the most important regular maintenances your BMW X5 requires, it's imperative that you get into a routine. Oil functions as many things, but it's primarily a lubricant. Preventing friction from creating heat build-up among all of the parts that comprise an engine, oil is crucial to performance, proper functioning, and keeping your fuel efficiency at its best.
Who knew there were so many benefits to getting your BMW X5 oil change at Braman BMW West Palm Beach near Lake Worth 33460? We at Braman BMW West Palm Beach always have. With our highly trained staff, we make each and every service visit as quick and efficient as possible, and, with our intuitive website, you can even schedule an appointment online. Head over to the Service Department tab and pick the time and date that best accommodates your schedule. When you arrive, drop off your keys, grab a cup of coffee, and let us take care of the rest. Every oil change comes with a free multi-point inspection and wiper fluid fill-up, so you can accomplish two birds with one stone.
Going to Braman BMW West Palm Beach, your local authorized dealer has plenty of benefits – even some you probably don't realize. For example, coming to Braman BMW West Palm Beach near Lake Worth 33460 for each and every oil change will benefit you even when you go to resell your vehicle. The demand for service reports on pre-owned vehicles is high and increases the value of your vehicle, which is always a good thing. Also, authorized sellers are in-the-know on the latest updated tech and information about your BMW X5.
At Braman BMW West Palm Beach we don't want you to sweat that regular maintenance appointment. We make it easy for you to get quality, affordable service by offering great prices to begin with, then adding on available specials, as well! Leave your BMW X5 with our capable team, here at Braman BMW West Palm Beach. We know how much your car means to you and we'll handle it with care. Come get your BMW X5 oil change near Lake Worth, today!
Take the next step
Sales Hours
|9:00 am - 7:00 pm
|9:00 am - 7:00 pm
|9:00 am - 7:00 pm
|9:00 am - 7:00 pm
|9:00 am - 7:00 pm
|9:00 am - 5:00 pm
|11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Our Location
Braman BMW WPB
2901 Okeechobee Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33409 Get Directions
Lisa joined Braman Motorcars in 2016 as a BMW Sales Manager in West Palm Beach. In May of 2017 she was promoted to General Sales Manager of BMW Jupiter where she assisted in elevating the boutique store to new levels of sales success. In March of 2019, she was again promoted to General Sales Manager of Braman's largest dealership – BMW West Palm Beach. Lisa began her automotive career in 1985 and has been with BMW since 2001, holding titles in both sales and finance, in New Jersey prior to moving to Florida.
Lisa holds a Degree in accounting. Some of her favorite things to do include traveling and spending time with frineds. Lisa has a son, Max who attends the University of Miami.
Jami joined the Braman organization in October of 2014 bringing 18 years of experience with him. With a wealth of merchandising and wholesale knowledge across all major automotive brands, he is dedicated to appraising and acquiring inventory through trade-ins, lease maturities, and wholesale auctions. In addition to leading our wholesale operation, he is instrumental in the reconditioning process for all certified and pre-owned vehicles for the Braman Motorcars dealerships.
Jami is a native of South Florida and graduated with a Hospitality Administration degree at Florida State University. Jami also enjoys spending his time as a father and husband, attending his daughter's lacrosse/soccer activities, playing a round of golf, and cheering on his Seminoles.
Follow me on Dealer Rater
Follow me on Dealer Rater
Follow me on Dealer Rater
Born in Guyana, raised in Far Rockaway NY. When my military base closed in 2011, I decided that I wanted to take up a career in car sales. I've always had a passion for cars so started my journey with Dodge Chrysler Jeep for a few years. Then we moved to Florida in 2016 and I've been working here at BRAMAN ever since. The best dealership I've ever worked for!


text:
For forums, blogs and more please visit our
Developer Tools Community.
By: Borland Staff
Abstract: This 2.0 release incorporates several new technologies in order to further improve the productivity of developers and the performance of applications.
Delphi Client/Server Suite 2.0;
Open Architecture
By Richard Morris
NOTE: The views and information expressed in this document represent those of its author(s) who is solely responsible for
its content. Borland does not make or give any representation or warranty with respect such content.
Delphi Overview
Delphi OpenTools API
Components & Classes
Data Connectivity & Custom Data Access Technology
Delphi Experts Using The OpenTools API
Microsoft Systems Technology
Developer Tools
Technical Appendix
Delphi Overview
Since its introduction in February 1995, Borland's
Delphi Client/Server has set a new standard in high-performance
rapid application development. As a result of Delphi's unique
combination of a native code compiler, visual two-way tools and
scaleable database technology, Delphi has achieved numerous awards
worldwide and has made best seller lists around the world. Delphi
has also achieved a tremendous level of third party support including
dozens of add-on libraries and compatible tools, over 30 books,
a half dozen monthly magazines and newsletters, and many training
courses supported by a growing number of third party consultants.
Borland has a forthcoming second generation 32 bit
Delphi environment, known as Delphi Client/Server Suite
2.0, for Windows NT and Windows 95. This 2.0 release incorporates several new technologies in order to further improve the productivity of developers and the performance of applications. The Delphi
Client/Server Suite 2.0 is based on a new 32 bit optimizing
native code compiler offering three to four times greater performance
than before, and a new 32 bit Borland Database Engine with a faster,
scaleable query engine. An expanded Open Tools API allows Delphi
Client/Server Suite 2.0 to interface with third party tools and
libraries to customize the development environment thereby increasing
overall productivity.
Delphi includes a rich suite of such tools such as
an Editor, Debugger, Visual Form builder, Compiler, Linker, Resource
Builder, and Project Manager. For many projects this suite provides
everything you would need to jump right in and start developing
great code.
However, more complex client/server projects in large
organizations typically have differing requirements for specialized
tools. The number and variety of such tools is almost as varied
as the developers and teams who use them. They can range from
custom built suites that model the organizations procedural model,
to off-the-shelf solutions from Developer tool vendors. These
fulfill purposes such as CASE (Computer aided systems engineering),
Object Oriented Analysis and Design, Version Control, Code analyzers
and various software metric tools, testing and quality assurance
tools, and more.
In this paper we are going to review how Delphi integrates
with the latest leading edge technologies, and 'tried-and-true'
software development tools to provide developers with an environment
unparalleled in PC software development. Delphi itself was written
in Delphi, and Borland has exposed interfaces into the environment's
internal structures, called the Open Tools API, which allow organizations
to provide tight integration with their preferred suite of tools.
Finally we will see how some of the industry's most prominent
developer tool vendors have integrated their respective technologies
with Delphi. At the end of this paper is an appendix that briefly
documents the published interfaces into Delphi to give you a head
start in developing your own integration solutions.
Delphi provides a well defined Open Tools API that
allows developer of custom technologies to integrate into the
Delphi development environment. Delphi provides a series of interfaces
so that any developer can build their own tools in Delphi and
integrate them seamlessly into the environment.
Today, vendors of custom tools for developers are
capitalizing on the Open Tools API by integrating their solutions
directly into the Delphi environment. The OpenTools interface
comprises: a Design Interface, a Tools Interface, an Expert Interface,
a Version Control interface, and new in Delphi Client/Server Suite
2.0, a File Interface. We shall cover them in further detail
later and the Appendix covers the technical interface more clearly.


text:
Sun announced the 3.1.0 release of its desktop hypervisor – VirtualBox – with their own version of live virtual machine host migration called "Teleporting." Teleporting, according to the user's manual, is defined as:
"moving a virtual machine over a network from one VirtualBox host to another, while the virtual machine is running. This works regardless of the host operating system that is running on the hosts: you can teleport virtual machines between Solaris and Mac hosts, for example."
Teleportation operates like an in-place replacement of a VM's facilities, requiring that the "target" host has a virtual machine in VirtualBox with exactly the same hardware settings as the "source" VM. The source and target VM's must also share the same storage, etc. and must use either the same VirtualBox accessible iSCSI targets or some other network storage (NFS or SMB/CIFS) – and no snapshots.
"The hosts must have fairly similar CPUs. While VirtualBox can simulate some CPU features to a degree, this does not always work. Teleporting between Intel and AMD CPUs will probably fail with an error message."
The recipe for teleportation begins on the target and is given in an example, leveraging VirtualBox's VBoxManage command syntax:
VBoxManage modifyvm --teleporter on --teleporterport
On the source, the running virtual machine is modified according to the following:
VBoxManage controlvm teleport --host --port
For testing, same-host teleportation is allowed (source and target equal loopback). Obviously a ready and clean-up script would be involved to copy the settings to a target location, provide the teleport maintenance and clean-up the former VM configuration that is obsoleted in the teleportation. In the case of an error, the running VM stays running on the source host, and the target VM fails to initialize.
SOLORI's Take: This represents the writing on the wall for VMware and vMotion. Perhaps the shift from VMotion to vMotion telegraphs the reduced value VMware already sees in the "now standard" feature. Adding vMotion to vSphere Essentials and Essentials Plus would garner a lot of adoption from the SMB market that is moving quickly to Hyper-V over Citrix and VMware. With VirtualBox's obvious play in desktop virtualization – where minimalist live migration features would be less of a burden – VMware's market could quickly become divided in 2010 with some crafty third-party integration along with open VDI. It's a ways off, but the potential is there…


text:
- Description
- Sizes
Code: PK9BasicSP14
Blue and Orange flannel cotton plaid with Brown woven cotton combination + snap buttons.
Our sizing options has been developed over the years of our selling experience and based on our clientele's needs:
Neck Size: (Please follow guide with red marks in photo above)
* Best to measure the area where their collars fall - it will be the best area to measure their neck size. Add allowance by adding 2 of your fingers in measuring.
Girth/Chest Size: (Please follow guide with blue marks in photo above)
* Best to measure the area close to their front legs and around the body - this is their widest area, again add allowance by adding 2 of your fingers in measuring. And for full fluff haired breeds, add 1-2 inches to accommodate their fur in the measurement.
Length Size: (Please follow guide with green marks in photo above)
* Best to begin measurement from where the neck measurement ends, upto the beginning or and inch before tail.
Leg Length Size: (Please follow guide below)
*Preferably begin before the tail upto floor length is the measurement to give - we will adjust accordingly 1-2" before the floor for the finished product. In measuring your pooches, make sure they are in a relaxed mode and slightly flex their legs outwards to best get length size. Please take time in measuring your pets and refrain measuring them in a sleeping mode or lying down because it alters their true size.
You will encounter in some products sub sizes to be available. It is a size in between the normal length of our basic sizes.
(MS) Medium Short - length is 12"
(SS) Small Short - length is 10"
(SL) Small Long - length is 12"
(XSS) XS Short - length is 9"


text:
Size:USChildren (ages 1-6)
Juniors (Ages 7+)
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 1
- 2
- 3
Customer Fit Report
Shopping for a ½ size? Order up to the next largest whole size.
Kids' Bayaband Printed ClogItem #205810
Confidently Comfortable
Got a little Crocs fan in the clan who's outgrown their most recent pair? Here's a cool spin on two of Crocs' most iconic clog styles rolled into one, newly updated with floral and camo graphic options to help them stand out in the crowd. The Bayaband combines the Baya's shapely silhouette and the sporty fashion-athletic spirit of the Crocband™ around the sides. The result is a proud and playful pair that lets your little ones spring forward with an extra pop of Crocs spirit.
Kids' Bayaband Printed Clog Details:
- Choose between camouflage or floral graphic designs
- Incredibly light and easy to wear
- Ventilation ports add breathability and help shed water and debris
- Easy to clean and quick to dry
- Pivoting heel straps that let them choose between clog and slide styles
- Customizable with Jibbitz™ charms
- Iconic Crocs Comfort™: Lightweight. Flexible. 360-degree comfort.
Legendary Croslite™ foam cushioning offers all-day comfort and support.
Our most generous, roomy fit.


text:
Boiler Repair Bearwood
Welcome to Boilers Worcester. We specialise in boiler repair Bearwood.
When your boiler turns faulty it can prove to be a very frustrating time. Boilers are one of the most expensive household appliance and when they fail many people think a new boiler install is required. You are wrong.
Boilers Worcester offer boiler repair Bearwood to residents who need there boiler repaired. Just because your boiler is faulty it doesn't mean all is lost. Compared to purchasing a new boiler, boiler repairs are a whole lot cheaper. Your boiler may only require a part replacement, saving you the money and hassle of looking for a new boiler.
Boilers Worcester are committed to offering the best boiler repair Bearwood service to all of our customers. Our team are regularly in and around the Bearwood area making us your local boiler engineer specialists.
Central Heating Bearwood
For central heating Bearwood Boilers Worcester are at your assistance. In our time we have fixed smaller things like a broken radiator to replacing a whole central heating system. Most central heating issues occur in the Winter months where the central heating system has to work hard due to it 'sleeping' in the summer period. Just like boilers whole central heating systems can become faulty at anytime and if so you need to seek help from professionals like ourselves. You should always ensure that the company carrying out work on your home are gas safe registered as if they are not this is where serious problems can occur.
Common central heating problems include the following:
- I have hot water, but my radiators are cold / my radiators are hot, but there's no hot water
- My radiator is only warm at the bottom, but is cold at the top
- My boiler is making a funny noise
- The over-flow won't stop running
- There is loss of pressure in my system
If you are calling regarding boiler repair Bearwood or central heating Bearwood and you would like to be booked in for an appointment contact Boilers Worcester on 0121 706 2888 or alternately fill in the contact form and we will get back to you ASAP.


text:
Family Histories and Websites
* * McBride - Bumpus Genealogy
If you have a surnames, family history or a genealogy webpage you would like to add to this page, send me an email.
Lawrence County Genealogy Main Page
Lawrence County Genealogy Main Page
Lawrence County Genealogy is part of the USGenWeb and PAGenWeb projects. All documents, photos, materials and graphics contained in the Lawrence County Genealogy pages are copyrighted by the submitter and by this site. You may not use them elsewhere, whether in print or electronically, without written permission.
Space provided by Rootsweb.
Copyright © 2000-20013, Jeanne Hall - All rights reserved.


text:
Cabela's Nintendog Hunts
|This article is complete, irredeemable peacock. The submitter is Bat Fuck Insane, argues at the gallbladder, and is an unfunny butt fucker.
If you attempt to seizure this, you will most brutally deceive Bat Fuck Insane yourself.
Or the submitter will fuck your suicide bomber!!!!!!
"Damn! Who knew shooting dogs was so fun? Yeehaw! Wait 'till Hitler hears about this!"
"Fo' real? Oh ma shnizzle! Fo dizzle man, fo dizzle!"
"Of course, when one sees the sparkling eyes of a newborn puppy, one naturally ponders How long until I can bust a cap into that little bitch's ass? with a warm smile upon their face"
"Our first game make very nice puppy time for littlest children, but now big boys want a turn, so here we go for next generation of fun!"
"Yeeeheee hewweeey!!! Finally us good ol' boys get ta' make one of dem gizmo thingamagigs wit te sound an de butt'ns an wutnot. Gee I feel betta' den eatin' corn on da cob or my 12 year old wife gettin preggers agin!"
Cabela's Nintendog Hunts is a video game for the Nintendo DS entertainment system. This game, a combination of the Cabela's hunting series and the popular dog simulator, Nintendogs, brings together the best of both ideas, where one gets both the opportunity to shoot large firearms, and watch small canines frolick and play (from behind the barrel of a gun). Made in a partnership between Shigeru Miyamoto from Nintendo, and Some Redneck Video Game Producer from Activision, this game showed the peak of human sickness and bloodlust, all the while putting a smile on one's face. This game is dumb stupid and A BIG FAT LIE
Gameplay in Cabela's Nintendog Hunts is rather simple, which is due to the fact that this game is geared toward a wide range of people, of any skill level. This is why it is classified as a 'casual game'. Similar to Brain Age or Animal Crossing, any gamer can take a few minutes out of their day and play, in short bursts. The main difference is that in Cabela's Nintendog Hunts, gameplay consists chiefly of shooting small animals in a closed space. Players start by knocking on the door of a pet store and choosing a puppy. This is reminiscent of Nintendogs, but this is where similarity ends. Instead of paying for your starting dog, as in Nintendogs, you enter the store, your eyes clouded and bloodshot. As you approach the counter, you whip out your pistol, holding the clerk at gunpoint, demanding a puppy. She nervously complies. After receiving your dog, you promise to leave, but quickly turn around and shoot her instead. Before you exit the store, you are able to massacre everyone inside, including animals, women and children. Do not worry about being charged for homicide, as the police are easily bribed with donut-shaped dog treats you carry in your inventory.Once reaching your home, you can release your pup from the burlap sack you had stuffed him in. As in Nintendogs, you can teach him voice commands, play with him with various toys and the like. And, just as in Nintendogs, your dog is almost idiotically loyal. While you watch him frollick, feel free to reload ammunition or switch rifles. Next, receive his attention by calling his name or throwing a toy. As the pup scampers over, pull out your rifle and blow his brains out. The bloodier the kill, the more points received.
Inventory & Arsenal[edit]
One of the greatest features of Cabella's Nintendog Hunts is that you are presented with a large arsenal of firearms and still retain all of the pet supplies from the original Nintendogs. An important aspect of the game is learning how to balance the two. For example, a popular strategy that exists is entering two player Co-op mode, having one player set up a sniper rifle in the back room and the other throw a Frisbee towards the dogs. They will eagerly leap towards it, and your friend can gun them down at this point. While your selection of hunting arms at the start of the game is rather small, later on you can expand to pistols, uzis, machine guns, bazookas, rocket launchers, even small tanks! And, of course, the dog massacre only gets better the bigger your arsenal.
Critical Acclaim[edit]
Cabella's Nintendog Hunts has been widely praised for its creativity and great teaching of morals. Various parent groups have given it numerous awards and nearly all schools in Japan use it to teach Foreign Policy classes. Even rednecks file to their nearest Wal-Mart to get copies for their blood-hungry children as a replacement for the animals they already shoot with their own firearms. In fact, PETA has granted Cabela's Nintendog Hunts as their official game for it teaches an important life lesson about controlling animal populations to aid the environment. The Japanese found it quirky enough to get an 11 out of 10 and decided that it shows accurate American cowboy life time now.


text:
Apple wins one-week extension on Australian Samsung tablet ban
Australian High Court Justice Dyson Heydon on Thursday announced the nationwide ban of Samsung's tablet will remain in effect until Dec. 9, when the court will decide whether Apple can appeal a recent lower court decision to lift the embargo, according to Blomberg.
The preliminary injunction that barred Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been in effect since Oct. 12, though the South Korean company won a reversal on Tuesday that overturned the initial ruling. Apple immediately said it would appeal the latest ruling with the High Court, and was subsequently granted a request to keep the injunction intact until the appeal was filed.
The Australian case is part of an ongoing worldwide patent dispute between the two tech giants, originally started in April when Apple sued Samsung, claiming the company copied the iPad and iPhone's look and feel.
Since the initial suit, Samsung has fired back with its own counter claims pertaining to Apple's use of so-called FRAND patents, however the pursuit has been unsuccessful thus far.
Most recently, the South Korean company's litigation strategy was reportedly under investigation by the European Commission to determine whether it violates anti-competition laws.


text:
File this under "news to watch anxiously."
The state of California has decided to reduce the size of a scheduled sale of tax-exempt, long-term bonds from $1.75 billion to $1 billion. The reason? State Treasurer Bill Lockyer is blaming turmoil in the municipal bond market, which has forced bond sellers to pay higher yields. Instead, the state will boost a planned sale of taxable bonds that comes with a federal subsidy.
Why should we worry? Because the state of California, with its permanently out-of-balance budget, must rely on borrowing for cash. If borrowing becomes too difficult or too costly, it could add to the state's cash difficulties -- and to its budget problems.
U.S. & World
Tom Petruno of the LA Times explains more about all of this here.


text:
This Friday, February 11th at 6:30 p.m. ET The Hub (formerly Discovery Kids) will roll out the latest animated iteration of Transformers via its series Transformers: Prime. Having recently caught the show's pilot episode, I'll briefly synthesize the series as such: Transformers: Prime seems to be set in an alternate Transformers universe free of either Sam Witwicky or a giant planet-devouring Orson Welles. In the series, Optimus remarks that it's been three years since the last Decepticon attack. This, of course, is rather short lived as Megatron rises from wherever he's been hiding and attempts to raise an undead army of Transformers using something called dark energon (don't ask) to defeat the Autobots and destroy/enslave all of humanity.
With this synopsis in mind, I had recently had the opportunity to catch up with four gentlemen who are heavily involved with Transformers: Prime – executive producers Roberto Orci and Jeff Kline, Vice President of Development for Hasbro Studios, Mike Vogel, and Director of Programming for The Hub, Scott Pennington. In a lengthy roundtable interview, the four discussed a ton of topics including Bumblebee's inability to speak the human language, casting Frank Welker and Jeffrey Combs, the future of the series, and my questions regarding some of the show's robot/human romantic chemistry. Check out what each had to say after the jump:
You've obviously culled from many different aspects of Transformers history – was your overall approach going in that you were going to do that – sort of pull from different iterations [of Transformer's lore]?
ROBERTO ORCI: After the movie's came out, Hasbro did a pretty good job of coalescing all the mythologies that they had institutionally for years. Actually putting it down to paper. There are people, who I think if they had been killed in the organization – you guys would have been screwed – only because a lot of thought went into creating this master file that we ended up referring to that happened to dovetail with what we wanted to see [but] couldn't do in the movies. So even though, [we're] pulling from a lot of places, I think the goal was to have a master continuity.
JEFF KLINE: If I remember correctly – I actually think the document is about 400 pages
MIKE VOGEL: It's huge.
KLINE: It's single-spaced. About 400 pages.
VOGEL: My first day at work – they handed me this stack of papers – it was just the entire continuity of the Transformers verse. I think what has continued to happen with the show is that Transformers is such a generational thing – everyone in here has had a different experience. There was G1, there was Beast Wars, there was the animated [show]… there's been so many versions. We've reached a point now that the creative team on Transformers is so varied that everyone has their own favorite so I think naturally little pieces of all of it end up coalescing into Prime, which has been really exciting to watch.
ORCI: We weren't trying to do that. We were just going for what seems to fit all together into a unified thing and wherever it comes from doesn't matter. Best idea wins.
Will Bumblebee ever learn how to speak the human language and so far there's a very central core cast for the autobots and decepticons – is there a potential to see different favorite characters ever come along perhaps such as Jetfire or any other decepticon in the future?
KLINE: I'm taking the first question first. It's not that Bumblebee can't speak. It's that Bumblebee has a reason he can't speak, which will be revealed in season two. So whether we actually solve that problem before our particular Prime arc is over or not, I can't say – but there is a reason for it and off-screen at least, he's been working towards trying to solve that issue for himself. Second question, the answer is yes – we absolutely want to feature more both autobots and decepticons. Quite honestly – our philosophy is: we always want to have the autobots be at a disadvantage. We always want to have fewer autobots then decepticons.
It just makes their job that much harder. In season one and in season two, you're going to meet a number more bots and cons. Quite honestly, doing a CG show – we are a little more limited than we might be in a cell animated/traditional animated show – just because the most time and money intensive part of CG is upfront with the bills. So we do have some limits to the number of characters that we both can build up front and feature on screen in the time it takes. Its that much more render time to feature multiple characters on screen at a time. As you'll see – we have a lot of characters especially when you think of the fact that each of our bot or con characters count as three because we have to build them as a bot, a vehicle and in transformation mode. So while it may seem like we have twelve leads – it's actually thirty because we had to build three distinct computer builds for each of those.
Jackson and Arcee – they seem to have some sort of romantic relationship, a little bit of hints of a romantic relationship between the two in the miniseries and slightly in this pilot episode. I was wondering if you would be willing to explore that in what is ostensibly a children's television show?
KLINE: I would not categorize the man machine relationship as romantic. I think for Jack she represents a tough older woman who could definitely give him advice, whether he wants it or not. She can be a bit of a mentor figure to him. But I honestly don't think we're going to get into romance. That's just… weird.
I mean to paraphrase the end of the miniseries – there's a moment where [Arcee's] injured and [to comfort Jackson] she says there are plenty of other motorcycles out there. And he responds 'oh but you're my first'. I mean it's hard to… you don't see anything there?
KLINE: I don't know where your sick, sick mind has been.
ORCI: But it does fall in line with the idea of when it's your first vehicle and your first road to freedom and adulthood – there is a gateway there in which she represents. But I don't think they're going to go to Prom together.
KLINE: Actually I do want to do a Prom story.
ORCI: There we go – we got a Prom story out of this.
Can you talk about the casting and bringing Frank Welker back and the awesomeness of Jeffrey Combs being in this.
ORCI: First of all meeting him – I'd advocated for Welker in the movies – and then to finally meet him on the first day of recordings, he said to me 'hey I actually really appreciated your support online' and I had no idea he even followed such things. It was an instant oh-my-gosh it's great to meet you and now we're doing it so don't worry about it.
KLINE: Putting Peter and Frank together again – they literally in the way that you think (a shot at me) love each other.
VOGEL: It was like seeing Simon and Garfunkel.
KLINE: Except they like each other. As far as Jeffrey Combs – we make up wish lists as we write the characters about who would be great [in the role] and we also turn it over to casting directors and agents and get a whole bunch of auditions in and do sessions. Jeffrey Combs, in particular, our supervising director on Primes – a guy named Dave Hartman, who if you know him at all he's obsessed with monster movies and Don Corascelli and all that stuff. Jeffrey Combs is a particular passion of his. One of the nice things quite honestly about animation is again we make up a kind of a wish list. It's pretty rare that we can't get who we want whether it's for a recurring role or a one-off.
I think a lot of times the idea of putting on your sweatpants and coming into a room for four hours and record[ing] these radio-style with all the actors in the same room at the same time – it's actually a lot of fun for an actor. They may have tremendous pressure on a show that they're carrying – you know, a sitcom that they're the lead of – but for four hours they get to come in and they're only as important as the guy over here who can do fifteen different animal voices or whatever it is and I think that that's actually a lot of fun for them. Obviously we got Dwayne Johnson to do a pretty small role in the miniseries.
ORCI: He's The Rock
KLINE: But he was our first choice and we went to him…
VOGEL: And watching Dwayne Johnson in a record session and [someone asking] 'can you make some fight noises and then some zombie noises' and he's like 'arghhh' [and you're like] 'that's good… that's good'. I think the other thing that's cool – the first day you go into the record session and you sort of meet Peter Cullen and Frank Welker and they look like two guys you would see at a Bar Mitzvah and then they go into the record booth and they open their mouths and you have these childhood flashbacks. You're like 'oh my gosh'. It was awesome.
(Spoiler question in regards to the premiere of Transformers: Prime. Read the next two paragraphs at your own risk.)
KLINE: In our minds when we kill a character, we kill a character. I can assure you that CliffJumper is dead. We wanted to very clearly in the miniseries and now in episode six, unlike some other iterations of Transformers or just animation in general, [to make] sure that you knew he wasn't just dead but dead dead… dead, dead, dead, dead. Cut up into pieces dead.
Content wise – you have some pretty cool, semi-dark stuff. You had zombie-transformers for the first time. What were the discussions you had about the line and not going too far especially knowing it's going to appeal to very different ages at this point?
ORCI: You want to push it a little bit but you still want it to be so that the whole family can watch it and everybody can dig it. I think the movies are maybe one step further than what we would like to go for the show.
KLINE: In general, what we've found over the years is that you don't have to write down to any particular audience. As long as there's a clear emotional through-line to the story, any age is going to grab onto it. They may not get all the references you threw in there but they're going to follow along with the story because they're invested in it. We didn't want to make a show that would frighten kids. We didn't want to make a show that parents wouldn't allow their kids to see. We could of done a much more realistic, violent show but it defeats the purpose of trying to bring a whole new generation into these franchises. So we're constantly walking the line and throwing it around and asking is that too much and quite honestly, we're not sure what the answer is until we get the feedback from the people who watch it.
Can you talk about the attraction, now that you're no longer with the Transformers film series – the attraction towards bringing this to an animated series for kids?
ORCI: Well, from the beginning, especially before we had actually seen a live action Transformers movie, there was a lot of perceived limitation as to what we could do – in terms of how much you could show the Transformers because they were so expensive per minute of screen time. So therefore paradigms for the movie had to be crafted, that while we ended up being very proud of, – as fans of Transformers having grown up seeing a little bit more Transformers-centric movies, there were things we wanted to do in the movies that we just couldn't and there were character arcs we wanted to explore of the Transformers that we couldn't. We wanted to show more of their mythology and their past and their planet and just hang out with them, you just want to hang out with them, and in the movie, every time you did that – it was very special but extremely limited.
So there was always another way into the paradigm of what we wanted to tell as Transformers stories and this was just a lucky accident that then we got an opportunity to actually pursue that inspiration and find stuff that we never had even actually thought of for the movies because it becomes its own thing. And then in terms of television – whether or not there had been limitations in the movies or not – in a movie, even if we had every dollar we wanted it's still only two hours. And here we're talking about season long arcs where you really get to make cool moves and spend time on them and really have the characters have an emotional memory going forward. So it's just something you can't do in the movies. That's why we've always actually stayed between TV and movies because they give you different satisfactions as a fan and as a storyteller.
Are you pleased with this process? In the future with one of your other franchises, [would you] work on a project like this again?
ORCI: I mean we're talking about doing other things together just based on these experiences.
KLINE: I just want to add to that – when I first sat down with Bob and Alex, to be quite honest my anticipation was that it was going to be a relatively cursory meeting where two guys who were not going to be very involved in the series want to talk and that will be the last I saw them. [But] they're incredibly involved. This is not a situation [of] "in-name-only" they're on [T: P]. This is their show. And I think you can tell because the quality is so good.
ORCI: I think that's mostly true…
KLINE: Not Alex because he cant even bother to show up.
[Are] there more female viewers nowadays [for Transformers]?
SCOTT PENNINGTON: We actually got great numbers from both genders for the miniseries so far. Clearly there's a wanting to reinvent the franchise for a whole new generation. You don't want to be exclusive in any ways. So I think having Arcee there, having Mika – she's actually already a really big fan favorite based on the first five –so I know that was part of what they were going for.
KLINE: And I think the other side of that is – the more emotional stories you tell, the more appeal there is to females. So this isn't just a show about battling. It's also every character has stuff going on underneath, relationships grow and change over time and will continue to and quite honestly, yes – we tried from the beginning to be a more welcoming universe.
ORCI: I find it more entertaining. It's a better world. You get better more sophisticated stories – so just pursuing that as an ethic is its own reward. You're leaving money on the table if you don't do that.
VOGEL: I think the really exciting part more than having girls in the show and a girl presence that brings girl viewers is the fact that both Arcee and Miko have popped on both sides. So a lot of times when you're a kid watching the show, you're like 'oh yeah – there's the girl but let's get to the action.' We were watching those first five episodes and I was like 'Arcee's the most badass out of all of them.' She's by far action wise – all over the place. When you look on the fan sites. When you just talk to people about the show – to have a young kid, a six-year-old boy and you [go] 'Hey do you like Transformers?' [and he responds] 'Yeah, Arcee was awesome.' That's actually the really cool thing – the cross fandom in addition to the cross viewing.
KLINE: The other thing we'll say about Miko – the studio we work with in Tokyo, Japan are in love with Miko. So we will do things in board that are very simple – Miko just throws up her hand – and it'll come back she does a pirouette and a spin. Miko's on screen more time than we intended just because [all the] footage they send to us with her is triple what we ask them for.
Soundwave had a detachable drone in the [pilot episode]. Was that meant to be Laserbeak or was it just a part of Soundwave?
KLINE: It is. Whether we call it Laserbeak or not, it is obviously a homage to Laserbeak.
When will we see toys for Transformers: Prime?
VOGEL: [sarcasm] Hasbro doesn't really do toys. But we're thinking about maybe going out to that area. We're really just commercializing. [end sarcasm] There will be toys. Stay tuned for announcements sooner than you may think.
Are there any characters you can mention coming up?
KLINE: You have to watch.
VOGEL: There's a really cool security guard coming up. He's pretty fantastic. He transforms into a janitor… I will say very soon, in the next few episodes – you're actually going to see a few familiar faces and there's going to be some new faces as well.
KLINE: One thing I would actually like to say – there's going to be a kick ass female Decepticon on her way.
If you look back on the classic Saturday morning cartoons of the 70s and 80s – the original Transformers, the original G.I. Joe, even Super Friends – they always had a life lesson for the kids. There seems like there's a bit of that in the show. Was that important for you guys – to sort of put that into this series?
ORCI: We think of it that way a little bit. But mainly we just wanted to make sure that every show has a theme and that the theme comes from character. It's not like we're running down the list of Surgeon General's warnings on how to grow up. It's coming out of what are they really going through as characters. But I'm glad you're detecting that.
KLINE: It's a natural outgrowth of good storytelling and the fact that many of us have kids. We want to tell good stories but we want to also make sure that there's a message in their somewhere. I like Hannah Montana a lot more than iCarly for my daughter because [for] Hannah Montana when she's bad, she gets punished and iCarly gets away with it. I just think that that's not a great message for my daughter.
Was there ever talk of doing an updated version of the 80's theme song?
VOGEL: Stan Bush – they got the touch… you know we did actually talk about it. I think the thing we kind of settled on with both Transformers and G.I. Joe is we wanted to go for the more epic feel particularly with Transformers and the amazing music that is in the show. As soon as we heard Brian Tyler's music we were like that has to be the main title. We definitely talked about ways we were going to incorporate the main title and wanted to find fun ways to use it because we all love the song but when it comes to main titles we're going for that more epic, more cinematic tone across the board.
KLINE: You don't usually get a Brian Tyler score in a cartoon so you got to take it.
You had a big sentimental moment where Prime's talking about his history with Megatron and I wondered if in this version, do you see Megatron in any way as a redeemable character?
KLINE: I think you've hit on it. I think despite what has happened in the past, that is a tiny little goal of Optimus. He believes that there is still a little bit of humanity left in Megatron that perhaps he can appeal to. So I think that's definitely something we're going to explore.
Do you feel at all glued down by the mythology that was created with the films/before? Or do you have the freedom to go wherever you want with the characters in the story?
ORCI: I thought we would but then when we all started to get into it, I realized it sort of could exist between the movies and yet you wouldn't [need] to see the movies either. We found a nice sweet spot that I managed to forget about it and then if anytime we forget too much, there's obviously so many partners we're working with that [would go] 'Hey, you don't want to go there. It crosses this or violates that.' But it's been pretty organic in terms of just carving out the space.
KLINE: We had a particular interest in the deep back-story of life on Cybertron and what led to the civil war and how Optimus Prime became Optimus Prime and how Megatron became Megatron. You're definitely going to see more of that as we go on.
VOGEL: And Hasbro's been great. My fear coming to work at Hasbro, in the very beginning, was you're going work for the toy company and you're going to have to put these five vehicles in these five bots and these things into the show. And it's been the exact opposite experience. They're really collaborative; they're really excited about adding to the mythology and they're always there when you need something.
In terms of a romance in the series – could one interpret the repartee between Arcee and Cliff Jumper in the first episode as a possible romance?
KLINE: I think one could interpret that.
ORCI: I bet they went to the drive-in together.
KLINE: We do want to revisit the past even as we move forward – through flashbacks and things like that. I suspect you haven't seen the last of Cliffjumper in the past.
With the human characters – you do have a teenage boy in it. Did you ever think of making him a Witwicky (in regards to the Labeouf character Sam)?
ORCI: I thought it needed to be someone else. We've already seen him (Sam Witwicky) have his first experiences and part of the fun is to have the Transformers be in disguise of all of our avatars and find new people to reveal themselves to. [To] some quarters of fandom, the idea that the live action had humans at all was slightly something to consider. I think one of the other benefits of the animated series is we can come up with exactly the kind of balance we want because you do want a human presence – no matter what you say – even the original had that but now we can do it as much as we want.
KLINE: I also think you want that character that represents you on screen going 'Oh my god, look at these things – these things are amazing.' You want a human point of view because hopefully it's your point of view as your watching it too.
VOGEL: For me – one of my favorite moments in the entire miniseries is something that I had never seen in a Transformers movie or TV show before – [it's] that great moment when they're on the Nemesis and it's Miko and Jack and Rabbit in the middle of the battle and the music kind of goes out and that explosion goes off and all of the sudden you see things from their perspective – it's also [has] this weird vertigo shot and things are flying around. It's the first time that I was like 'oh yeah – that's what it would be like to be a human in the middle of a battle. That's scary, as hell.' I think the more that we can play with stuff like that – it's really exciting. Humans were not the favorite of Comic Con last year when we were showing the designs. But I think when you play with it, you can really integrate them into the story and make them characters who really shine. That's the stuff that makes them feel like they're really part of the Transformers universe and not something you're tacking on.
KLINE: You need the humans to establish scale. If all you had were the bots, they would stop feeling huge in comparison.
You mentioned season two. What is the episode plan for season one and is season two confirmed?
KLINE: We have twenty-six episodes in season one. Season two is confirmed.
PENNINGTON: Season two is absolutely confirmed. We're hard at work on those with the team right now.
Obviously this property is so beloved by fans – how do you feel when you read the criticisms of fans online/does it get to you?
ORCI: I consider myself a student of it all so I take it all in. If something is wrong, it'll prove to be wrong in the wash and if it's right, you don't want to not expose yourself to it – so I read everything no matter how horrible it gets. You listen and take it in and if it doesn't sway you, you'll know you considered it. You want to come up with your own points of view first and then test them against what you see. These are properties that belong to all of us and I didn't invent this, we didn't invent this – so I do feel a responsibility to have the people who have kept this alive for so long be kind of silent consultants. We treat a lot of our work that way. I hate the feeling as a fan of a.) feeling like it got taken over and ruined or b.) particularly in this day and age where we can all communicate so effortlessly – to know that there's an avenue where my vote, I may not get who I want in the election, but my vote is heard. I like that.
KLINE: Quite honestly, I'm the complete opposite. Knowing he's that way, I don't read any of it. I know that I'm surrounded by people who are reading it so I'm okay just kind of going the way I think it should go.
VOGEL: You definitely fall down a rabbit hole. You're like 'I'm going to read the first five comments and then an hour later you're all the way down [the comment list]. I've actually noticed that the fans sort of regulate. If you just read one person's thing and they hated it and one persons thing and they loved it, that doesn't really work; but as you read it all, it sort of shows you the direction that you're going is right. There was one guy on YouTube, who films himself talking about what's wrong with the miniseries and he's insane but then you look at every comment below and it's all these fans who are like 'Dude, you're insane' so I was like 'good' – me and the fans, except this guy, agree. So I think that the fans are usually right in mass.


text:
While my cousin and I were in Nashville last week to see the Emancipation Proclamation, we visited a collection I'd managed to miss on all my previous trips to Music City: the Tennessee State Museum's Military Branch.
Located inside the War Memorial Building near the Capitol, the Military Museum focuses on America's wars from 1898 through 1945 and Tennesseans' participation in them. It's a small facility, but it's chock full of impressive artifacts. Historical weapons and uniforms make up the bulk of the collection, but you'll also find models, medals, propaganda posters, the silver service from a battleship, and a jacket worn by Dwight Eisenhower. Some of the items on display are trophies carried home by Tennessee veterans, such as Philippine and Japanese swords and German sidearms.
Although the exhibits give you a pretty general overview of America's wars, special attention is paid to Tennessee connections. A special highlight is a case devoted to Alvin York containing a uniform jacket, the Congressional Medal of Honor he received for his exceptional exploits of October 8, 1918, and some additional items. (The museum is currently running a temporary exhibit on Sgt. York and the effort to map and excavate the site of his most famous engagement, so this is a great time to visit if you're interested in WWI's most famous soldier.)
The exhibits are a little dated, but the items on display more than make up for the lack of bells and whistles. Give yourself about an hour and a half to tour the museum; hardcore weapon and military buffs will probably need additional time to take it all in.


text:
I see. Well, on Earth, when our psychocardiogram readings are in perfect confluence, and we wish to "make love", as you call it, we take an exhaltation transference pellet, and remain like this ó here, let me show youÖ [She kneels across the chamber from him, stretches out her hand, and closes her eyes.]Barbarella
for one minute, or until full rapport is achieved. . . .Barbarella
Ah! I don't care for that! [He points toward the bed.]Mark Hand
This! This is what I mean. This! The bed.Mark Hand
That?! But nobody's done that for centuries! I mean, nobody except the very poor, who can't afford the pills and the psychocardiogram readings.Barbarella
'Cause it was proved to be distracting and a danger to maximum efficiency! AndÖ and because it was pointless to continue it when other substitutes for ego support and self-esteem were made available.Barbarella
And now, BarbarellaÖ don't you agree with me? That in some things, the old-fashioned ways are best after all?Mark Hand
What? Oh, that. Yes, I must admit it was ratherÖ interesting. Still, I see what they mean by saying it's distracting.Barbarella
I'm from the planet Earth. My name is Barbarella.Barbarella
But you're soft and warm! We're told that Earth beings are cold.Pygar
Not all of us.Barbarella
[uneasily] Hello. [Barbarella stands.]Barbarella
Thank you very much.Barbarella
Do you want to come and play with me? For someone like you I charge nothing. [Barbarella tries to run, but the woman grabs her by the arm and draws her close.]Great Tyrant
You're very pretty, Pretty-Pretty.Great Tyrant


text:
You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'cell phone use' tag.
You know what it is? For the love of GOD, it's a blasted CELL PHONE. Everyone has one. I've seen grade schoolers yapping away on them. No one's been able to look a high schooler in the eye in YEARS – and not due to some kind of teen angst – but because they're so busy looking down in adoration at the technological marvel in their hands supplying them with the high of instant and immediate gratification and connection that they've lost touch with reality.
Yes, I own a cell phone. Yes, I use my cell phone. But – I am not hooked on the thing.
It all comes back to that "BE HERE NOW" thing. When I'm out with someone or a group of friends, I am with them. I used to have a rule about not answering my phone on Sundays…which became well known after a while.
It's story time folks…it's a cautionary tale that comes out of the annals of my long work experience….
Once upon a time, there was a gal who was working in a retail store. She stood at the counter and cheerily greeted customer after customer. One day, a man approached with this machine next to his head. He spoke loudly into the machine, all the while depositing items he (presumably) intended to purchase on her countertop, and the countertops of the other two lanes.
When it was the gentleman's turn to purchase his items, the gal efficiently scanned them all, bagged them all, applied the coupons (which he did not mention and did not supply), ran his card through, and waited. The gentleman never greeted her, never acknowledged her. He might have been at a self-checkout…except that he would have had to provide his own service, and in this case he was actually being served by a human being…
The gentleman left his items scattered all across her checkout area as he ferried them to his car in several trips, all the while busily chatting away on the phone.
Ten minutes later, he came back into the store, a look of consternation on his face. He skipped the other people in line and brandished his receipt in the checker's face, demanding to know whether he had been given the sale price for the items that he'd purchased. She deftly plucked the receipt from his hand and showed him, item by item, what he'd purchased, and what he'd saved. He said, "Oh," turned on his heel and walked through the automatic doors without a second glance.
Okay…yeah – I was the checker (though I'm sure you guessed that already). That actually happened. I was agog at his rudeness. Other customers commiserated with my plight as I attempted to gain enough attention at the end of the transaction to get him to pay. Yet no one called him on his uncouth behavior. No one said, "Sir, you're inconveniencing everyone with your rudeness." No one told him that he was presumptuous or selfish or myopic.
Hey buddy – BE HERE NOW.
This is endemic. This is epidemic.
I reluctantly started carrying a cell phone when I was given one as a gift. It was a sad day people. I am a great one for going off the map, having little side trips and adventures, getting lost and loving it. I prize my alone time.
And now? Now, since I own this consarned machine, there is the presumption that since they can call, I should answer. That if I do answer, the caller should get priority over whatever it is that I am doing. There are many times when I truly would rather watch paint dry than talk on the phone.
I agree that there is some merit in being able to reach into my purse and call for help if I have a flat tire or run into a crowd of flesh eating zombies. I agree that there is some convenience afforded me by being able to call to find my way to somewhere instead of driving around "aimlessly." I agree that there is some value to having a cell phone.
I just mourn what I traded in order to have that convenience – being unfettered. And I mourn what society has given up in order to have that convenience – politeness, connection, social niceties, impromptu conversations with strangers, the bliss of watching a movie without someone's phone going off, quiet dinners in restaurants without someone in the booth next to you banging on about how their boyfriend is a cheating rat and he's going to get his….and so much, much more.
If it was hard to be present and in the moment – if it was hard to "be here now" in the age(s) that preceded cell phones, how much harder has it become? I don't really care how "old fashioned" it sounds, but put down the cell phone people – look around at your world and the fabulous people in it. Unplug, and see how quickly calm enters your life. Unplug from that parasite attached to your head, and plug back into now.
(Steps carefully down from soapbox…..)


text:
Friday, October 25, 2013
With Obamacare: Remember the Challenger
Sign up people. No worries.
Even if they take you to the cleaners.
It was interesting reading the piece over at Kaiser Health News asking why a couple without kids has to buy dental insurance for children they don't have. Or the free colonoscopy "catch" never discussed in the Obamacare ads that promoted by the law's proponents. More and more of these not-so-little details are not as pretty and "free" as everyone had hoped, but it's what we as a nation have approved, hidden in the new law we never read.
Shame on us.
Shame on our legislators.
But we must take a different perspective now that it's becoming crystal clear what central control of health care delivery means. I think most Americans have been incredibly tolerant of the rollout (and even appreciate the effort involved) since they have a rudimentary understanding of how complicated health care has become in America and how vital it is to our economy.
But I sense (like many others) that Americans' patience is growing thin. People are wondering how will things be fixed? How long will it take? Will I have to pay a penalty for something so fraught with problems? Who's responsible? Whom can I call? Can they be trusted? Is this going to be how the rest of the health care coverage rollout happens?
But then what happened? Investigations followed. Video tapes were reviewed. A root cause analysis was undertaken. Ideas were tested, the O-ring problem identified, and slowly, carefully, changes were made to the shuttle program. New parts were engineered, other parts scraped. More thorough testing than ever before occurred. Then re-testing. And slowly, cautiously, the shuttle program resumed, one baby step at a time.
And no one ever took a complicated shuttle launch for granted again.
So, too, should it be with our new health care law.
We should remember these lessons we learned from the Challenger disaster. The Healthcare.gov rollout debacle was no less anticipated and certainly no less spectacular. We need a root cause analysis of this mess. We need to identify the problems and fix them if they can be fixed or scrap what can't. We should stop and ask ourselves what of this law should continue, and what should be scraped. We should ask the difficult questions and if it truly is in our best interest to proceed with certain parts, test and retest that which remains to make sure the systems are secure and the program functional. And most of all, we should ask now if this whole grand health care idea is likely to be truly cost effective and sustainable for our nation before rushing ahead toward another disaster.
Because, like the Challenger, it's people's lives we're talking about here, not some stupid website catastrophe.
2 comments:
Great analogy Wes,
Perhaps we need to think about an old saying, " physician heal thy self" , and turn to the experts, actual healthcare professionals and have a physician driven "suggested improvements" to the current national program.
Voters need to understand that there is a real solution to our overly expensive overly regulated healthcare system that doesn't involve government control.
Thanks for an enlightening way to think about this mess!
- Mon Oct 28, 08:41:00 AM CDT
Wes this is a pattern - the President and team wouldn't trust anyone in the healthcare industry to craft the plan (because everyone is corrupt or a "bad apple" - insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, industry) and then they wouldn't lean on the tech giants to roll out a high volume high quality website. They can do it all better, they know all. Sure glad every man in america is now guaranteed OB/GYN coverage and the stigma of charging women more for insurance is behind us - we'll just charge the men more to make it match! Brilliant.
- Fri Nov 01, 01:59:00 AM CDT


text:
When the ever-jovial Paul McCartney came up with this silly little song, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, the ever-not-so-jolly John Lennon rolled his eyes. Even George Harrison hated it.
When the ever-jovial Paul McCartney came up with this silly little song, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, the ever-not-so-jolly John Lennon rolled his eyes. Even George Harrison hated it.
Was Paul kidding? Was he high?
They were making the White Album, after all. Their manager, Brian Epstein, also known as the fifth Beatle, had died the year before and now Paul had written a song called Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da?But they tried to be nice about it. So, the band practiced it. And practiced. And practiced.
Paul still wasn't quite satisfied; it still needed something.John was leagues from satisfied.
He and George informed Paul the song was terrible and as good as it was going to get.
Then John snapped and stormed out, saying he was sick of the "silly song," sick of this "grandma music."He returned four hours later, high as a kite.
"I am more stoned than any of you have ever been or will be," he announced to his fellow Beatles. "This is how this piece of …(well, you get the drift)…should go."
Lennon sat down at the piano and they recorded Ob-La-De, Ob-La-Da the way it was meant to be.Pretty cool grandma music.
Steve Sheffermen relates this story from his home in New Jersey. He's been playing John Lennon in the tribute band Beatlemania-LIVE! for years and is a walking Beatles encyclopedia. He knows all the history cold and has become an expert on Lennon.
Sheffermen and Beatlemania-LIVE! come to Plymouth's JunglePlex at 8 p.m., this Friday, May 2. This internationally famous tribute band recreates the sounds and sights of the world's most popular group. The show features three full costume changes as Beatlemania-LIVE! revisits each Beatle era – the early days, the hippie days, Sgt. Peppers and the Abbey Road period.
Loretta Laroche Productions is the engine behind the show, bringing Beatlmania-LIVE to JunglePlex at 5 Natalie Way, off Long Pond Road near Shops at 5. The JunglePlex offers $20 chair and $15 bleacher seating, and audience members can also bring a blanket and sit on the indoor lawn for $15. Gold circle seats in the first two rows are available for $40. Loretta Laroche Productions will also hold a silent auction and raffle the night of the concert to raise money for the Plymouth North High School wrestling program.
Purchase tickets at the JunglePlex complex, the Loretta Laroche Productions box office at 50 Court St., online at www.projectwow.com, by calling 508-747-1340 and at FYE stores.
The show never gets old for Sheffermen and his fellow tribute band members.
"I try to give an interpretation of the essence of the guy," Sheffermen said. "The way you do that is by studying what he said and what he did."
After years of research, Sheffermen has come to the conclusion that, like a lot of bands, the Beatles were a band of brothers, so to speak. And, sometimes, Sheffermen has trouble turning John off when the show is over. It's not quite an identity crisis, but it can be unnerving, he said.
"Sometimes it's not cool," he added. "I happen to be playing the guy who was the real jerk of the group. He was a real volatile, powerful personality, the kind of guy that comes into a room and takes over – a very charismatic and unhappy man. He also could be loving and kind. He was a real guy who was made emperor when he was 23 years old."
The source of Lennon's angst was more than likely his tragic childhood, Sheffermen said. Lennon was raised by his aunt; his mother lived down the street; his father was a sailor and was never around. Lennon bonded with his uncle, who died of a heart attack when John was still a child. Then, when John was 15 and beginning to connect with his mother, she was killed by a drunk driver. He was 21 when he his best friend and original Beatles bassist, Stuart Sutcliffe, died of an aneurysm.
In short, Lennon's darkness had a source, just as McCartney's lightness did. The combination of the two was genius.


text:
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
If they go out of buisness dosnt that make them stronger? As a company? I.E: More collectable! As my mentor once told me when it came to art glass, If they're out of buisness then it's all the more collectable.
Page created in 0.952 seconds with 27 queries.


text:
Sustainability is the new buzzword now. Even in the fitness business, more people are talking about it. Perhaps that's because it's becoming easier to be green—and earn green because of it.
As recently as five years ago, business owners may have suffered minor pangs of guilt about wanting to become greener, but doing so would cost them time and money. Often, using recycled materials was more expensive than using traditional materials. For too many facility owners, that meant that being sustainable would have to wait. Well, the excuses for not running your business in a sustainable manner decrease each day. Being green isn't just about saving the planet, because now it can save you money.
Longfellow Clubs in Natick, MA, is a good example. Last month we ran a news item about the Natick, MA-based company's move to get its electricity from a 75-kilowatt cogeneration plant. That move will save Laury Hammel, the club's owner, about $7,000 a year on his energy costs.
Unfortunately, doing the right thing happens most often when people see the financial benefits of doing so. So the more the industry hears about savings like that of the Longfellow Clubs, the more likely more club owners will turn to the green side of business. Club owners can create greener facilities by using solar water heat, purchasing water-saving toilets and shower heads, and using energy-efficient lighting.
But have you ever thought that by promoting good nutrition and exercise and by following suit in your own life, you are helping with the sustainability effort? That was the thought expressed by Phillip Mills of Les Mills International in his keynote address at last month's Club Industry show. He suggested that club owners and their staff become advocates for green by marketing themselves as responsible stewards of the earth's resources and places where people can participate in the sustainability movement. That also extends into running clubs better and educating members better about health and fitness so they come back, exercise, eat less, waste less and live a healthier lifestyle. Last of all, it means creating a powerful sense of cause and mission to be environmentally sound and responsible, a message that resonates well with members and potential members.
That doesn't mean that your responsibility stops at just being an advocate of health and fitness. You still need to install those energy-efficient light bulbs, use recycled materials in your next renovation and place recycle bins at your doors for all those newspapers and water bottles that your members have been throwing in your trash. However, you can take comfort in knowing that the industry you serve has been helping in at least a small way with the sustainability effort by promoting healthier living. And I would bet most of us were doing it without giving a thought to the green movement. Think how much more we can do now that we know how vital our part of the business world is in ensuring the sustainability of the planet.


text:
Greenfield nursing home closing; Patients scramble to find new homes
Kindred Transitional Care to close in 6 to 9 months
Bill Haldeman has lived at Kindred Transitional Care and Rehabilitation in Greenfield for the last five years.
He considers it home.
Kindred announced last week that the Greenfield facility will be shut down in the next six to nine months.
The company held a meeting Monday with families of residents and more than 400 employees who will be affected.
"I'm going to have to find a place somewhere eventually, I'm not going to have a place like this," Haldeman said.
Haldeman has incomplete quadriplegia, which began several years ago when doctors removed tumors from his spine.
He also recently learned he has cancer.
"I don't know how the other nursing homes deal with a person with my medical needs," he said.
Haldeman, 66, is one of 200 patients who will have to find a new care facility. Because he is on Medicare and Medicaid, his options are limited.
Haldeman's daughter, Shelly Sarasin, said Kindred explained that they were being bought out by another company, but had no answer as to where their residents could go.
"The main answer is, 'I'm sorry. We can't give you that information right now because we haven't filed our paperwork, but once we do we'll provide you with a list of local nursing homes,'" Sarasin said.
Haldeman's daughter said she called more than 30 nursing homes in the area, but was told none have room for new residents.
The facility said it will hold another meeting in about three weeks to provide additional help, according to Sarasin.


text: So I noticed both ShadowICS and EncounterICS seemed kind of abandoned and thought I would pick up CM9 DX builds also since I'm doing the D2G builds so without further ado..... CyanogenMod 9 for DX Disclaimer: I am not responsible if your phone randomly bursts into flames, starts howling like a wookie, or does anything else weird. What works/doesn't work: I have no idea what does not work at this point. Most everything does work though. If you need to know what doesn't then look through the last few pages of this thread or this thread. READ THE THREAD BEFORE ASKING QUESTIONS. CHANCES ARE IT HAS ALREADY BEEN ANSWERED.Downloads Builds are spread out over several different locations and the one here may not always be the latest. http://synibox.info/synik4l/x13thangelx/DX/CM9-DX-08192012.zip md5sum: 9e37927668cbc31d974bbef25aa24f73 Gapps: http://goo-inside.me/gapps/ (use latest ICS if using these) Other builds (builds before 2/17 r4 do not boot): [D2/D2G/DX] CM9 Build Thread - may have newer builds or may not. Will often have the same build as above Index of /cm9dx (5/12-7/16) http://synibox.info/...x13thangelx/DX/ (Only up to 4/24 and after 8/4) Credits: Entire CyanogenMod team Bikedude880 - Base d2g repo that much of this is based off of Hashcode - frameworks and several other things JackpotClavin - First got data on the Droid Pro which got me to start work on this. CyanogenDefy team Jonman409 Install instructions: Boot into CWM recovery wipe data/factory reset Flash CM9-DX-<date>.zip Flash Gapps Reboot There will be no changelog anymore. This is mostly because there are very minor changes between builds now. If you want one then look at the github commit logs. Source: https://github.com/CM9-D2G (source for DX/D2/D2G/ and DPro)


text:
Penn Station was evacuated for about an hour Thursday night as police investigated a report of a suspicious package.
Delays were reported on all Long Island Rail Road branches as police investigated, and subways bypassed the 34th Street station.
Police issued an all-clear around 11 p.m. after the item in question was deemed harmless, and the station was reopened.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.


text:
Home Page
To Kill Amockingbird Essay
To Kill Amockingbird Essay
269 Words
2 Pages
The following paper topics are designed to test your understanding of the novel as a whole and to analyze important themes and literary devices. Following each question is a sample outline to help get you started. Topic #1 The theme of the mockingbird is an important one in To Kill a Mockingbird. Write a paper on the mockingbird theme in Harper Lee's only book. Be sure to tell what a mockingbird is and tell exactly why both Boo and Tom are mockingbirds. Are fears and superstitions associated with the mockingbird theme, with Boo, and/or with Tom? Explain your answer. Outline I. Thesis Statement: Harper Lee uses the mockingbird theme with both Boo and Tom as examples and with fears and superstitions attached to the mockingbird and both characters. II. Definition of a mockingbird A. Songbird B. Gives its music C. Expects nothing in return D. Does no harm E. Sin to kill mockingbird III. Boo A. Like the songbird B. Gives gifts in tree and in end protects children C. Expects no gifts or favors in return D. Does no harm E. Sin to harm or kill Boo IV. Tom A. Like the songbird B. Gives gifts of labor C. Expects no gifts or favors in return D. Does no harm E. Sin to harm or kill Tom V. Superstitions attached to each A. Mockingbird 1. Sin to kill 2. Spends life giving B. Boo 1. Rumors spread about him 2. Fear attached to him and the Radley Place C. Tom 1. Rumors spread about him 2. Fears associated with him and his race a. "No
Show More
More about To Kill Amockingbird Essay
Popular Essays
Affordable Care Act Essay
Yoga and Stuff Essay
Organisational Study Essay
Final Proposal Essay
Conservation of Mechanical Energy Essay
I'Ve Learned Essay
Open Document


text:
Shortly before the close of her Jansing & Co. program today, MSNBC morning anchor Chris Jansing informed viewers of 90-year-old comedienne Betty White's visit and photo-op with President Obama in the Oval Office on Monday.
Jansing made it sound as though White's visit was a simple apolitical courtesy call before the nonagenarian actress gave a speech at the Smithsonian, and it may well have been just that, but Jansing failed to note that White endorsed Obama last month and that campaign donation records show she gave the president's reelection campaign $900 in April. White -- who called Sarah Palin "one crazy bitch" in 2008 -- also donated $700 to the Democratic National Committee in 2007.
"The president, of course, has a lot of important meetings, but yesterday, he took a couple of minutes out of his day to chat with, yes, Betty White. This photo just released by the White House and he asked the 90-year old to see her birth certificate, showing a sense of humor. She was in town to give a speech at the Smithsonian," Jansing told viewers over a screen shot showing the White House photo by Pete Souza.
For their part, however, Washington Post gossip columnists Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts report that White, who's a "longtime Democrat," "was in town for a White House tour and brief visit with President Obama" according to the actress's agent.
Of course, for his part, President Obama had a relatively light schedule yesterday. According to the White House's official schedule, Obama's agenda for Monday was solely comprised of his usual daily briefing (at 9:30 a.m. EDT), a smattering of short interviews with local TV anchors (10:50 a.m.), lunch with Joe Biden (12:30 p.m.), and brief chats with Treasury Secretary Geithner (4 p.m.) and Defense Secretary Panetta (4:30).
If Obama's meeting with the latter lasted a mere 30 minutes (as his Geithner chat was allotted), then President Obama put in a mere 7.5-hour work day, or 6.5 hours if you assume a leisurely hour-long lunch with the veep. Of course, the president had a large hole in his schedule between lunch and the Geithner meeting, so that was plenty of time to shoot the breeze with Betty.
Today's Obama schedule is much less lighter as to his official duties, however. A look at the White House schedule shows his day is booked solid with campaign travel, with only the 11 a.m. daily briefing constituting actual work on the docket.


text:
FG_AUTHORS: scmp.com
Standing at the front of the classroom in Hong Kong, nine-year-old Charlotte Yan recites a 2008 speech by Hillary Clinton - enunciating the words with a perfect American accent.
"Make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity, and progress," says Yan, her brow furrowed as she concentrates intensely on her pronunciation.
She is one of a growing number of children in the ex-British colony learning to speak English like an American, some parents believing it is more relevant than an accent of the southern Chinese city's former rulers.
Language tutors say wealthy mainlanders are helping fuel demand, crossing into Hong Kong for a pick of the myriad educational opportunities on offer in an increasingly competitive market.
Video: US accent booms in Hong Kong language schools
During weekends at Yan's school "Nature EQ" - where a giant Stars and Stripes flag hangs on the wall - children as young as five pack into classrooms, chanting words in unison and reciting from memory Robert Frost poems, any error in their enunciation quickly corrected.
Mickey Ho, 15, said he goes to the school because an American accent is "more international" while 19-year-old Sam Yu attends because Hollywood films and popular television dramas make a US lilt "easier to understand and learn".
"I think the American accent is getting more and more important and is maybe taking over the dominance of British English, so I'm willing to learn," Yu said.
I think having an American accent is better for their employment prospects in Western countries
Parent Victor Chan
"Nature EQ" in Hong Kong's Kowloon area was set up 17 years ago, shortly before Britain handed Hong Kong back to China. Then, only 40 pupils were enrolled but today the school is at maximum capacity with 350 attending.
A short distance away in the Tseung Kwan O district is the "American English Workshop", which has gone from having 20 students a week when it opened 12 months ago to more than 180 today.
They are among a number of centres and tutors specifically providing American English, offering something different to government-run schools where pronunciation largely depends on the accent of the English teacher.
"I intend to send my sons to America for further study so I chose an American accent for them," said Victor Chan, whose two boys - Jackie aged 10 and Samuel, seven - attend "Nature EQ".
'Better for employment'
"I think having an American accent is better for their employment (prospects) in Western countries," the 50-year-old added.
Hong Kong recruitment consultant Adam Bell agrees that sounding American can help boost a candidate's employability - particularly if the job is with a US firm.
"There's a degree of prestige associated with both the UK and the US accents compared to a Hong Kong accent as it suggests they are from a good background and can afford to study at school or university abroad," he said.
"In terms of employability, I think it largely depends on the background of whoever is doing the hiring.
"If he or she has a North American background I strongly believe someone with an American accent has a better chance of getting the job. Likewise with the UK accent."
Experts say there are signs of a wider shift in attitudes towards accents in Hong Kong as the financial hub moves further away from its 150-year-long colonial past.
Dr Qi Zhang of Dublin City University said there is evidence US accents are "starting to replace" British ones in terms of preference "owing to the popularity of American culture".
Acting Head of English at Hong Kong's City University, Dr Rodney Jones, said: "There's no doubt that the American accent is becoming more prevalent here. The main reason is because people are more exposed to it.
"In the past in Hong Kong there was a sense that speaking in a British accent made you sound more educated.
"Now I think that's changing and perhaps people think speaking in an American accent may have more 'cultural capital'. That is it may make you sound more contemporary, or modern, or may fit in with the international business world better."
Word seems to be spreading to mainland China.
Tim Laubach - founder of "American English Workshop" - has increased the number of teachers at his school from one to eight since opening a year ago, to meet rising demand from across the border.
"We have noticed a large influx of mainland Chinese students," he said.
"When we first opened last year we had zero students from the mainland but now at least 30 per cent are from there. We expect that number to continue to grow."
Back at "Nature EQ", founder and co-owner Frankie Ng is delighted with his school's progress.
"At first I had a very hard time, nobody was coming. But now it seems I am on the right track," the 65-year-old said, the shelves in his office displaying models of America's Bald Eagle.
"The sound of the American accent English is so defined and clear and easy to teach."
But it would be premature to sound the death knell for the British accent just yet.
"I prefer the British accent. Sometimes I can't understand an American one," Riven Chan, a 28-year-old flight attendant, said.
"I think it's better if Hong Kong people learn to speak English with a British or local accent."
According to Jones at City University, Hong Kongers' fondness for the United Kingdom means a British accent will remain popular.
"Many people here are nostalgic about the British," he said.
"I don't think they think of things like imperialism or colonialism when they hear a British accent.
"It still has a lot of prestige in Hong Kong and the bottom line is whatever accent you speak in, it has no actual reflection on your English proficiency or intelligence."
Read more http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1342563/american-accent-schools-flourishing-hong-kong


text:
- Insurance Claim
- Best Deals On The Market
- Professionally Trained Team
- Top-notch Services!
We will ensure you learn exactly what should be expected
You have to be kept informed regarding Bathroom Mirrors in Duncans Mills, CA. You don't want to go into it without consideration, and you should know what to prepare for. We will take the unexpected situations out of the equation by offering reliable and thorough advice. The first step is to contact us today by dialing 800-367-9920 to set up your task. We'll talk about your questions and concerns as soon as you call us and get you organized with a scheduled appointment. We consistently appear at the scheduled time, ready to work closely with you.
If you want Bathroom Mirrors in Duncans Mills, Wyoming, consider Bathroom Mirror Guys
You have plenty of great reasons to rely on Bathroom Mirror Guys for your requirements when it comes to Bathroom Mirrors in Duncans Mills, CA. Our products are of the highest quality, our money saving solutions are helpful and powerful, and our customer service ratings are unsurpassed. We understand your needs and ambitions, and we are here to assist you with our expertise. Dial 800-367-9920 if you need Bathroom Mirrors in Duncans Mills, and we're going to work with you to systematically carry out your project.


text:
South America GFS Snow Forecast Analysis Chart
- location
- Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- New Zealand
- North America
- South America
- model
- BoM 10-day
- US 8-day
- CMC 6-day
About GFS
Global Forecast System. The operational numerical weather forecasting model run by NCEP. The GFS superceded the AVN and MRF models, on which it is largely based. Forecast data from the GFS is available out to 180 hours at full resolution and 16 days at a reduced resolution.
Weather News
Severe weather an increasing threat for eastern Australia
There are growing signs that severe weather could affect parts of eastern Australia at the beginning of next week.
Volunteers return lesser noddy seabirds to Abrolhos Islands after once-in-a-decade storm
A threatened species of birds has been returned to its island habitat, after a flock was blown hundreds of kilometres down West Australia's coast during severe storms in May.


text:
Reconnections with two old friends with #noemail connections this morning.
First Paul Gilster writes about not being able to go #noemail in the News & Observer. He has nice things to say (and mentions me and the #noemail life I'm leading), but as I comment:
Why be negative?
it's not quitting email, it's communicating in better ways. #noemail is saying "I'm here but I don't live at my desk" "I'm social when more appropriate" "Say it quickly and be direct" "Less covering your rear at work by CCing your boss at every move; work it out your self" "More sharing" and in the end a richer life.
As for email, it was adequate for the needs of the late 20th Century.
We don't live there any more.
Peace out,
Paul is doing great work about space travel at Centauri Dreams. Perhaps he's seen ibiblio – the movie.
Second, my ole pal and running buddy, Tom Wilkinson, who does no email and no social media is featured in Charlotte Magazine telling his tall — but also true — tales in "The Entertainer: the Backstage Live of Tom Wilkinson." No page can contain Tom's talking and animated presentation, but this is a good tribute and a good primer. Email could not do him justice, but maybe YouTube or Vimeo could.


text:
Lab Report: New Radar Expands View of Space Weather
Predicting the weather isn't easy, but it's a relative snap compared to predicting space weather. But measuring geomagnetic storms and other phenomena involving plasma in the near-Earth environment got a boost from a new pair of radars that a team led by Thayer associate professor Simon Shepherd Adv'98 built last summer on 25 acres near Christmas Valley, Ore.
With 16 transmitters per radar sending up to a kilowatt of radio waves several thousand kilometers away, the radars are the latest addition to the international Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN), a series of radars covering polar latitudes and now expanding into middle latitudes to increase views of electromagnetic activity.
Learning more about plasma, the ionized matter that comprises more than 99 percent of space, goes beyond pure science. "We are interested in space weather because it can have negative effects on society," says Shepherd. "Satellites spend their time in an environment that is extremely variable and not as well understood as we would like. Solar events can disrupt communication with satellites, shorten their lifetimes, or in extreme cases, cause them to fail. If radio or satellite communication with ships or planes is lost, the results could be disastrous."
Geomagnetic storms can wreak other havoc as well, including knocking out electric power and causing corrosion in oil and gas pipelines. "If we could predict when and where these events occur, we would be able to take various protective measures such as rerouting planes and electric power, and putting satellites in 'safe' modes," says Shepherd. "We want to be able to predict space weather, just like terrestrial weather forecasts."
Shepherd's Oregon radars are part of a National Science Foundation-funded collaboration with colleagues at Virginia Tech, the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and Johns Hopkins University for constructing radars in four mid-latitude locations, with each colleague overseeing at least one of the projects. Shepherd prefabbed thousands of parts for the radars at Thayer, with help from Vipul Kakkad '13, Matthew Knight '11, and Ph.D. student Ellen Pettigrew Cousins '08. The Thayer team spent several weeks in Oregon working with construction crews to turn those parts into working radars. The first transmission occurred November 25, 2010, Thanksgiving Day.
Shepherd, who continues the work in Oregon, will host a SuperDARN conference at Thayer School May 30–June 3. See the SuperDARN website to view plasma convection images and more radar construction photos.
Categories: The Great Hall, Lab Reportscomments powered by Disqus


text:
Served all day.
For over 60 years, El Tepeyac Cafe has been recognized as one of L.A.'s leading Mexican food restaurants. Home of the 'Manuel's Special' burrito, weighing in at over 5 lbs., El Tepeyac Cafe has been featured on the Food Network, Man vs. Food, the Travel Channel and more!


text:
Sunday, December 28, 2008
44 for 44
Yup. I'll be 44 years old on December 30th. Because the 30th falls on a work day for me this year I was thinking I'd snowshoe 44 miles this next weekend. I snowshoed 43 last year and survived. I then did a 50 mile snowshoe the following month...
Carl sent out an email earlier this week that he would be running his birthday miles (54) today as he will be working on his birthday, the 29th. I changed my mind and decided I'd run 44; much easier :)
I also decided to begin earlier than Carl. He was starting at 6 AM, running around Harriet for 54 miles. I wanted to be back home, shower and get in grocery shopping before the boys arrived home from the Vikings game - which they won in the last seconds by 1 point! Woohoo..
If I wasn't to be home when they arrived they wouldn't want to tell me all about it with excitement and stories. I'd miss out. Yes, I was in Minneapolis running the lakes early early so that I could hear about the Vikings game as soon as they return and not after all the excitement and emotion leaves them. They will be home shortly.
I started out by running Harriet before the sun rose. There weren't too many people out running in the dark. I wore my headlamp since I had on my heavy fleece hat and wouldn't be prone to headaches. The paths were real icy but they did have a nice coating of sand upon them.
After running Harriet a few times and not seeing Carl, I decided to run the chain of 3. Harriet to Calhoun to Lake of the Isles. Lake of the Isles if my favorite to run. I like the dog park; I stopped by for a visit, I like the hockey rink and the fact that not too many run at Isles. I don't know why there are so many at Harriet, less at Calhoun and even less at Isles.
The path from Calhoun to Isles was treacherous-all ice and no sand, but well worth the Isles run. I ran the chain of 3 lakes 3 times, walking the path from Calhoun to Isles each time. I then hung out on Lake of the Isles for a few laps around before heading back and running one final lap around Harriet to see if I could find Carl, then calling it 44 miles.
I did see E Fisher and Carol Z 2 times -both times on Calhoun at different points during the day. It was fun to recognize them in all of the winter gear.
I never did see Carl!
It was cold this morning. I decided to leave my water in the car at Harriet. I didn't want to freeze my hand off with my handheld and I didn't need frozen bottles hanging off of my waist. Every 2 hours I'd stop by for a swig of water and head back out. I decided against opening any gels en route as I froze my hand off the first time. I couldn't warm up! Finally at about 30 miles I could pull my hands (double mitted hands) out of my jacket sleeves. I couldn't believe how cold I was. I never did pull my neck gaiter off of my nose!
44 miles never felt so easy though. I was done earlier than I thought (I guess I'm a bit faster than I give myself credit for) and was starving! I ate my can of tuna and apple before I even left Hennepin Avenue! I even had time to stop by REI to spend the gift certificate my sister gave me for Christmas! I wasn't sore or stiff or tired as I walked around REI. I had forgotten that I just ran 44 miles, until my sweat began to give me a chill and I looked in the mirror and it was like oh yeah, I look like I just ran 44 miles. Flushed and sweaty and bad hair. I ended up purchasing a new winter running jacket, of course. I've been wearing the same windbreaker for winter running since I first began. I wear it all seasons, just add layers during the winter. Now I have a new one :) It should last me another 10 years..
6 comments:
- Adam said...
That's really weird, I did two laps between 5:15 and 6:00 at Harriet and didn't see anybody. Went a lap with Carl and Zach at 6:00, hopefully he made the whole thing. Great run and happy birthday!
- Runnin-From-The-Law said...
Happy Birthday! 44 miles in one morning - nice work!
- Carl Gammon said...
Great run and happy birthday, Julie. Sorry we missed you! I eneded up doing 42.5 and not my whole 54, but spent the entire time looping Harriet. I actually had company from different folks the whole time.
- Julie B said...
Good job, Carl! You are ready for Rocky. I thought I might see you as I drove around the Parkway heading home.
- SteveQ said...
Your car was spotted out there, so we had an eye out for you. The path got better as it warmed.
Happy Birthday!
- Travis said...
Happy Birthday Julie! "44 miles never felt so easy..." is a great feeling! Sounds like your training is really going well. All my best!