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Wetbags are a great solution for storing dirty cloth diapers until laundry day. However, their utility extends well beyond diapers. Here are a few ideas for alternative uses of wetbags you may not have considered!
- Storage bag for the pool or beach - Wet bags are the perfect, leakproof place to put wet towels and bathing suits after a day at the pool or beach. And once you're home, they can be thrown in the wash along with the contents of the bag.
- Gym clothes - Transport sweaty workout gear home in a bag that not only contains smells and wetness, but is easily laundered and ready to go back to the gym the next day.
- Toiletry bag - Have you ever opened your suitcase to find a bottle of lotion or shampoo has spilled all over your clothes? Never worry about this happening again by placing all of your toiletries in a small wetbag before packing.
- Travel bag for dirty clothes - While traveling, use a zippered wetbag to store your dirty laundry and never come home one sock short again!
- Keep on hand for accidents on the go - Wetbags are a useful item to keep in your car or purse for those unexpected spills and messes. They are a much more convenient option than searching around for a plastic bag as well as a cleaner option than balling up soiled clothes on the floor of your car.
- Menstrual product storage - Cloth diapers aren't the only reusable products that can be stored until laundry day in a wetbag. A wetbag is ideal for keeping soiled cloth pads in one place until time to wash them. Some companies manufacture mini wetbags specifically for this application.
- Protect electronics - Wetbags are perfect for storing items away from accidental exposure to moisture while away from home.
- Ice packs - A small wetbag can easily be transformed into an ice pack. Fill with ice cubes for an instant first aid accessory that is comfortable and stays dry.
- Universal storage bag - Anything that can be stored or transported in a plastic bag can be stored or transported in a wetbag too! And unlike plastic bags that are typically thrown away after one use, reusable wetbags are a more environmental-friendly option to put cosmetics, snacks, drinks, toys, first aid supplies, medications, dog treats, loose items in your purse - the possibilities are endless!
Besides cloth diapering, how do you use wetbags?


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African Union Again Calls For Libya Ceasefire
Russia called NATO's latest bombings in Tripoli a "grave departure†from UN resolutions on Libya that could lead to a further escalation in violence and cause more suffering.
[Global: Libya]
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe joined other African leaders in Ethiopia on Wednesday for an extraordinary summit of African Union to discuss the Libyan conflict.
The meeting being held on Wednesday and Thursday at the bloc's headquarters in the Addis Ababa came as Russia and India aligned themselves with the mood in Africa against Western military operations in Libya. India said the "decisions relating to Africa should be left to the Africans" while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he hoped the African Union could hammer out a plan for ending the hostilities.
Libya's Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi had called for a summit in April to find ways for the continent to fight "external forces".
The African Union last month proposed a truce but this was rejected by rebels, insisting on Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi's departure.
The north African country has been mired in a bloody conflict pitting Gaddafi's forces against opposition rebels since the eruption of massive anti-government protests in mid-February.
A United States, British and French-led military coalition intervened on March 19, launching air raids and missile strikes based on their reading of UN Resolution 1973 authorising the use of "all necessary measures" to protect civilians in Libya. NATO took command of the air campaign on March 31. At the start of Wednesday's summit, South African leader Jacob Zuma announced he would visit Tripoli next week for talks with Gaddafi on Monday.
Zuma will meet Gaddafi in "his capacity as a member of the African Union high level panel for the resolution of the conflict in Libya," said a statement posted on the Presidency's website. The African Union panel to Libya includes Uganda, Mauritania and South Africa. It is the second trip for Zuma, who was part of an African Union delegation that visited the nation last month. That visit included talks on a cease-fire, which appear to have failed.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lended his weight to the resumption of efforts by the African Union to bring peace to Libya.
"India wants peace and tranquility to return to Libya. India favours a swift resumption of the political process in the country. In this we will support the position taken by the African Union," he said.
Russia called NATO's latest bombings in Tripoli a "grave departure" from UN resolutions on Libya that could lead to a further escalation in violence and cause more suffering. "We clearly see another grave violation on UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Lavrov told reporters: "I hope that some positions will be worked out based on all these approaches (offered by opposition representatives in Benghazi, the African Union and the UN), which allows a stop to bloodshed as soon as possible."
Lavrov said that opposition leaders have realised that other parties, including the government in Tripoli and representatives of the country's other regions, must participate in the talks on the settlement of the crisis in Libya.
On Monday, Lavrov held talks with the Libyan opposition delegation headed by Abdul- Rahman Shalgam, who is also a former Libyan foreign minister. He said the main aim of the meeting between Russia and the Libyan opposition is to secure a ceasefire in Libya.
(Source: NewZimbabwe.com)
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- Ann GarrisonFebruary 22,2018 @ 08:03 PM
I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
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One of the more interesting hikes in the Santa Rosa Mountain area of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a hike up Rockhouse Canyon to Jackass Flat where Mountain Cahuilla Indians continued to live in a village area named Ataki until the late 1800s. Many deep mortero holes and slicks are scattered in the area as well as pottery shards that may be seen on the ground. Do not collect or move the shards as exact location of pottery shards is important to archeologists who study Indian sites, and they are protected by the American Antiquities Act of 1906.
The first part of the hike follows the rough, rocky four-wheel drive road 3.1 miles up Rockhouse Canyon. At the road's end, a foot trail begins up the narrowing canyon, which is part of the Santa Rosa Wilderness. Less than a mile up this foot trail is Hidden Spring, which is signed and may have some water that is not potable. Bees may be encountered around this spring. Look for a trail just short of the sign that leads up the ridge to Jackass Flat. At the top of the trail, El Toro Peak, the highpoint of the Santa Rosa Mountains at 8716 feet, will be visible to the north. This eastern edge of Jackass Flat was the site of the village. The trail forks at this point. Head left or west toward the head of Butler Canyon, which is the return route via a magnificent, narrow, high-walled serpentine gorge through Butler Canyon.
Plants growing in Jackass Flat include desert broom, cheese bush, creosote, Mormon tea, cactus, agave, and ocotillo. Butler Canyon has palo verde trees. A long-abandoned two-wheel cart may still be seen in the canyon, causing some conjecture as to how it ever was transported to this very remote location. As Butler Canyon begins to narrow and twist, the granite and schist walls become smooth and polished from the force of water that has swept down this canyon during occasional floods. The mouth of the canyon opens up on a boulder field that needs to be carefully negotiated down to the end of the Butler Canyon Road. It is a mile down this road to the junction with Rockhouse Canyon to finish the loop.
This mountainous area was formed by the action of faults within the San Jacinto Fault System. The Clark Lake Fault in Rockhouse Canyon is separated from the Coyote Canyon Fault by a spur of the Santa Rosa Mountains that has slipped down forming Coyote Mountain. Rockhouse Canyon takes its name from the remains of rock houses found in Rockhouse Valley where the canyon opens up. Butler Canyon takes its name from an old prospector who did mining in the area. Jackass Flat, presumably named for a feral donkey that was found in the area, is a bench separating Rockhouse Canyon from Butler Canyon.
Distance from downtown San Diego: About 108 miles. Allow 3 hours driving time. Drive to Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs via I-8, SR-79 to Julian, SR-78, and SR-3; or via Ramona, SR-78, SR-79, San Felipe Road, and SR-22. From Christmas Circle drive 7.2 miles east on SR-22 to the signed turnoff for Rockhouse Canyon Road just past post mile marker 26. High clearance or four-wheel drive vehicle recommended on this dirt road. Drive 1.6 miles and turn left (west) at the Rockhouse Canyon sign, continuing on for another 7.7 miles, crossing Clark Dry Lake and skirting around the northeast wedge of Coyote Mountain to the junction of Butler Canyon and Rockhouse Canyon and park. (Do not attempt to cross Clark Dry Lake if it is wet or muddy — you will get stuck.) No facilities.
Hiking length: 10-mile loop. Allow 6-8 hours.
Difficulty: moderately strenuous. Elevation gain/loss, 1000 feet. Carry at least one gallon of water, snacks, and wear hiking shoes or boots.
More from SDReader
- More stories by The Canyoneers
- Coyote Canyon and Rockhouse Canyon, once home to Coyote people, traveled to the territory of cat people to find marriage partners — March 6, 2019
- Begin where the jeep road ends — May 27, 2015
- In the footsteps of the Cahuilla — May 14, 2014
- Alcoholic Pass Trail — Dec. 5, 2012
- Explore a lonely corner of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and visit a site of archeological interest. — Jan. 4, 2007
A great hike. The trail that goes up from the "Hidden Spring" sign is the one where I encountered the ram that I use as my icon. I actually took 26 photos of that goat while he stood on the trail not 10 feet from me. He seemed pretty peaceful and turned right, left, put his head up and then down, posing while I kept snapping photos.
There are a lot of Indian artifacts laying around on the ground up on Jackass Flat. Morteros too.
Back down Rockhouse Canyon about 1/2 mile is another trail known as Alcoholic Pass. I heard it was used by miners and Indians to get from Rockhouse to Borrego Springs. That's a long walk but I have walked the trail where it crosses from Rockhouse to Butler Canyon.


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Then & Now: Bicycles were big on turn-of-the-century Madison Street in Oneida
Oneida >> The corner of Madison and Main Streets in downtown Oneida was originally dominated by a massive four story building that was a hotel back in 1906. This building was destroyed by the Hiscox Block fire in 1913.
The original postcard-view photo was taken at a point in time around the centennial in Oneida, judging by the sign that sat at the end of Main Street. Back then, Main Street ended at the bend shown in the photo where it met Madison Street.
The site of the old hotel is the current location of China King Chinese restaurant which was formerly the home of Oneida Music, a small, one-story brick building.


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How to Use the Images
(Bureau of Reclamation; Ben Glaha, photographer)
Six Companies came up with a number of new and ingenious ways to drill the four diversion tunnels more quickly, and one was the "drilling jumbo." Eight of these jumbos were built, each mounted on the back of a 10-ton truck. The jumbos backed up to the working faces in the tunnels so that men using all the drills could work at the same time and higher on the wall without the need for scaffolds. The men filled the holes they had drilled with dynamite and then the jumbos drove away. After the dynamite was detonated, the rock dislodged by the explosion was taken out of the tunnel. Eventually they removed 1.5 million cubic yards of rock.
Questions for Photo 4
1. Look carefully at this image. Look for the drills (they look a little like machine guns). How many of them can you count?
2. Why do you think Six Companies developed this process? How do you think they might have done this work without the jumbos? Why do you think Six Companies was so anxious to get this part of the project done quickly? Refer to Reading 2 if necessary.
3. Internal combustion engines produce carbon monoxide. State laws prohibited using them in enclosed spaces like tunnels for health and safety reasons, but Six Companies used the jumbos anyway. What kind of danger does carbon monoxide present? Why do you think Six Companies disregarded the state law?
4. What other hazards do you think the men working on the jumbos might have faced?
Click here for a larger version of Photo 4.


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Shannon's mother tells of devastation at losing two daughters in seven weeks
A DEVASTATED mother who lost a second daughter to suicide has spoken of the tragic loss of the "lights of our lives".
Shannon Gallagher -- who would have been 16 on Christmas Day -- was found dead at a house in Castlefin, Co Donegal, late on Wednesday night.
Her 13-year-old sister Erin took her own life in October after being systematically taunted on the website ask.fm.
The children's distraught mother Lorraine was being comforted at a wake at the family home in Ballybofey last night.
"Erin and Shannon were the lights of our lives," the 36-year-old said.
"They were as close as any two sisters could be.
"We are just devastated by what has happened and we just can't say any more. We are all just numb.
"We are lost for words to describe how beautiful they were and what they meant to us.
"We just cannot understand what has happened or why it has happened. There are no answers. We just want time to grieve and to give Shannon a proper burial.
"We are asking people including the media to respect our privacy and allow us time to bury Shannon with respect and dignity."
The family's solicitor Patsy Gallagher reiterated the family's plea for privacy at this time.
"I appreciate there will be a level of media interest but I would appeal to the media to respect the family's privacy at this time," he said.
The teenagers' granddad James choked back tears as he told the Irish Independent: "I've spoken to Lorraine and she is devastated beyond words.
"It's really hard to take in and we are just trying to get our heads around it."
He is due to arrive home from Scotland this morning to help comfort his daughter.
"She was talking on Facebook with friends last night. She had been wrapping Christmas presents and was saying she had been missing her wee sister," he said.
"We are now preparing for another funeral this Saturday and I just don't know what to say. Lorraine was told about it on Wednesday night. It's just awful." Both girls had been students at Finn Valley College in Stranorlar.
Yesterday special prayers were led by local curate Father John Joe Duffy as the HSE activated an emergency response plan for the second time in seven weeks.
"The HSE extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased," said a spokeswoman.
"Currently, the HSE is liaising with the family in relation to this incident and all supports are being made available to provide assistance at this difficult time."
Outside the school, parents were left stunned by Shannon's death. "Erin's death was bad enough but now this... it's heartbreaking for everyone in the school," said the mother of one student.
The chief executive of Donegal VEC, Shaun Purcell, said it was "an extremely difficult time for all concerned".
He added: "Our thoughts and prayers are with Shannon's family, school and community at this sad time.
"The critical-incident team is in place in the school as a support for students and staff."
Shannon had been staying at a house in Castlefin, not far from the graveyard where Erin had been laid to rest on October 31.
It is understood adults in the house had checked on her just a few minutes before she was found dead at 10.30 on Wednesday night.
She had spoken about missing her sister and had been dreading Christmas without her.
The teenager had written notes every day on Erin's Facebook page.
One read: "Morning, beautiful. Everywhere I look I see that cute smile that I adored. Your wee laugh plays over and over again in my head.
"Still can't come to terms with that I won't see or hear that again. I don't believe you're dead yet. I even found myself ringing you last night and then it really hit... sleep tight darling." Her sister Erin had been tormented by online bullies.
Shannon, friends said, had been "the perfect big sister" in trying to help her through the ordeal and was left distraught at her sister's death.
She will be buried alongside her sister after 11am Requiem Mass in Ballybofey tomorrow.


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The goal of this lesson is for two groups of students to exchange information (e.g., through poster presentations, Podcasts, debates, or PowerPoint presentations) about how two different theories explain a natural phenomenon: Newton's Law of Gravitation and Einstein's General Theory of
The lithograph contains a Hubble Space Telescope image that shows the colorful Planetary Nebula NGC 2440 with one of the hottest known white dwarf stars at its center. The text briefly explains the process of stellar death of sun-like stars and those with a mass greater than eight times the Sun.
This is an activity about electromagnetism. Learners will set up a simple circuit using a battery, wire, and knife switch, and then use a compass to map the magnetic field lines surrounding the wire. Next, they will add a coil of wire to the simple circuit and map the magnetic fields again.
In this activity, students will describe similarities and differences between galactic star clusters and globular clusters.
In this data analysis activity, students interpret basic line plots of wind speed using authentic NASA data. The lesson provides detailed procedures, related links and sample graphs, follow-up questions, extensions, and teacher notes.
Learners will gain an understanding of simple machines and how they may be used in our everyday lives. Students will also have an opportunity to design a Rube Goldberg Machine of their own. This is lesson 10 of 16 in the MarsBots robotics learning module.
In this science-based storybook, students learn about making observations, taking scientific measurements and recording their findings in a science journal. Simon, Anita and Dennis join Hannah, a local scientist, as they compare spring and fall observations of changes they see at Willow Creek.
This is a set of one-page problems about the size and area of solar panels used to generate power. Learners will will use integer arithmetic to tally the number of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon atoms in a molecule and determine the number of methane atoms that can result.
This exercise shows a practical application of trigonometry in the aviation environment, where student pilots consider the relationship between altitude and distance to complete a landing. It requires a scientific calculator.
This textbook chapter summarizes the changes in the ecosystems found in the world's forests. This is chapter 2 in the unit, A New World View, which introduces global systems science, emphasizing the concepts of environmental diversity, Earth as a system, and sustainability.


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|Minutemen (L to R: d. boon, George Hurley, Mike Watt) at the 1984 Los Angeles Street Scene (photo by Eric Stringer) (Source).
While we are on the topic of statistics [1], I only need to remind you of a song verse. It goes something like this:
Let's say I got a number. That number's fifty thousand. That's 10% of 500,000. Oh here we are in French Indochina. Executive order. Congressional decision. The working masses are manipulated. "Was this our policy?" Ten long years — not one dominoe shall fall.Some of you will recognize these as the lyrics to "Viet Nam," from the Minutemen's ground-breaking Double Nickels on the Dime (1984). Released by SST Records the very same year as Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade, Double Nickels on the Dime was a blast of jazz-funk-inflected agitprop that continues to be recognized as one of the most important rock albums of the late 20th century, if not all time. Combining guitarist d. boon's slinky, trebly guitar parts, Mike Watt's muscular and melodic bass playing, and George Hurley's acrobatic drumming, the Minutemen did much more than just create the definitive sound of America's music underground during the early 1980s. They created a template for punk rock's labors by setting a minimum threshold for band membership and songwriting. Guitar. Bass. Drums. That was all that was needed to write songs. With hardly a guitar solo, and with tight compositions that made the most of the band lineup and instrumentation, Minutemen albums were, sonically-speaking, lean affairs.
|Top: What Makes a Man Start Fires? (1982) (Featuring cover art by Raymond Pettibon). Bottom: Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)
But that's only part of it. Not only could the Minutemen play songs better than most (they were all incredible musicians), but by the time your shitty band finished a song, boon, Watt, and Hurley already played four or five. This was the Minutemen equation: don't just play better music, but play more music. The result was a head spinning catalog of music where almost all songs clocked in somewhere between 45 seconds to 2 minutes. Listen to a Minutemen album, and suddenly the idea of diminishing returns is turned on its head. Each musical volley leaves you wanting more and more.
Here is some statistical evidence. Their first full-length, The Punch Line (1981), contained 18 songs. The longest track from the album, "Tension," clocked in at 1:20. The shortest, "Fanatics," at 0:31. The album's total run time is only 15:00, which, by my math, is over 5 minutes shorter than Rush's epic "2112" (which is somewhere around 20:33). The Minutemen's second album, What Makes a Man Start Fires? (1982) also had 18 songs but ran at a slightly longer 26:39. The 8 songs from Buzz Or Howl Under The Influence of Heat (1983) could technically qualify their third studio recording as an EP, but it was marketed by SST as a full-length LP (its run time was 15:30). These songs tended to be longer affairs, a trend that would continue with Double Nickels on The Dime (43 tracks, with a 73:35 running length). Their last album, 3-Way Tie (For Last) (1985) featured their one of their longest songs, a cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "The Red and The Black" (4:09). With 16 songs, its run time is 36:11. Here's the final tally: 5 albums; 103 songs; and 4 hours, 16 minutes' worth of recording time.
But back to "Viet Nam." The song is a furious, nervous exchange of ascending and descending figures between bass and guitar (a popped bass note marking the transition between each phrase). Underneath all this, Hurley begins with a crescendo/decrescendo of drum rolls, eventually sliding into a crisp, brillant, breakneck high-hat motif. The drumming only hints at something that is not-quite-disco, not-quite-funk. But whatever it is, it is thrilling and propels the song forward like a cannonball, its concussion rattling your tympanum, your brainstem, until something gives, and the very thing within you that resists the urge to get down suddenly, beautifully, gives way.
|Detail to back of gatefold sleeve for Double Nickels on the Dime (1984), "Viet Nam" begins on the second line
(Photograph by Francisco Ramirez)
The excerpt that introduced this piece contains all of the lyrics to the song. It is the song "as heard." However, if one were to peer at the back of Double Nickels' gatefold sleeve and look at the lyrics to "Viet Nam," one would see this:
Let's say I got a number. That number's fifty thousand. That's 10% of 500,000. These are the figures of our involvement in French Indochina. Executive order. Congressional decision. The working masses are manipulated. "Was this our policy?" Ten long years — not one dominoe shall fall.The difference here, of course, is that the lyrics as written refer to the statistical number as "figures of involvement." Never sung in the recording, yet part of the original song, this small clause points to the political nature of much of the Minutemen's work. The name "Viet Nam" suggests that this was a song protesting American foreign policy, and if you were—like d. boon, Mike Watt, and George Hurley—in the business of politically-oriented punk music, you would probably be writing songs about the Vietnam war as well as American involvement in Nicaragua or El Salvador (for example, cue the first track, second side, second album of Double Nickels, "Untitled Song for Latin America"). As Michael Azerrad points out in his definitive Our Band Could Be Your Life (2001), "America was in a catatonic state through the Eighties, and the Minutemen's music—all angular starts and stops, challenging lyrics, and blink-and-you-missed-'em songs—was a metaphor for the kind of alertness needed to fight back against the encroaching mediocrity"[2].
|Rear to gatefold sleeve for Double Nickels on the Dime (1984) (Photograph by Francisco Ramirez)
In addition to their music, their look, and their ethos, the Minutemen used their catalog to communicate their message in unique ways. Along with "Viet Nam," all of the lyrics to Double Nickels on The Dime—in fact, all Minutemen albums—fit in a compressed space, covering only up to 20% of an LP's 144 square inches of graphic design real estate. Although this layout reflects the band's brand of short, urgent songs, it is nevertheless visually compelling. This is because when printed, the lyrics do not look like lyrics; that is, they are not presented as poem-like verse. Instead, all lyrics on a Minutemen album are displayed as a single block of unjustified type, with the titles of songs (usually in italics, bold, or both italic and bold typefaces) separating the songs. The lyrics to a single song are therefore printed to appear as a single sentence with hardly any punctuation. The effect is twofold. On the one hand, the seemingly unconnected song lyrics become part of a single stream-of-consciousness rant. On the other hand, they mimic the actual listening of the recording. You can't just pick up at one point only to go to another. You read the lyrics in the way you listen to the recording: from beginning to end.
|Top: rear sleeve to What Makes a Man Start Fires? (1982), also featuring artwork by Pettibon. Bottom: detail of sleeve (Photographs by Francisco Ramirez)
Such presentation of lyrics rings quite familiar in this day of Facebook status messages and clipped 140-character Twitter bursts. To be tapped into the constellation of social networking sites requires one to be clipped and to the point. It is as if one's online existence is reduced to short sentences and paragraphs. This kind of practice has a visual component: strange as it may seem, you only know if a person has updated their status or Twitter stream when a new sentence, phrase, or clause appear. Your existence in ætherized, online space is mediated by episodes of smallness: short messages, blips, utterances comprised of few characters that announce your presence to the world.
|Top: book of poems by Charlotte, Emily, and Branwell Brontë measuring 2 3/4in x 1 1/2 in (Source). Bottom: excerpt from Charlotte and Branwell Brontë, The Secret (1833) (with accompanying ruler for scale) (Source)
This kind of economy by virtue of size has some important precedents, to be sure. Emily and Charlotte Brontë (along with their brother, Branwell) wrote miniaturized "books" that were large enough to be held by dolls and often included their own maps and illustrations. Robert Walser composed thousands of cryptic "microscripts" on the backs of business cards, book covers, and other found paper objects using a special alphabet that was only millimeters high. For the Minutemen, however, their economy of size was inversely proportional to the influence of their output. Their shortened songs (with shortened lyrics) amounted to a music that was easily consumed and that delivered a maximum wallop. The visual presentation of their lyrics in condensed blocks of text was a vital part of this strategy.
[1] An edited version of this piece appeared in Junk Jet 4, the "Statistics-of-Mystics" issue. A big "thank you" goes to Asli Serbest and Mona Mahall for letting me publish a version of this piece in their wonderful, offbeat "jetzine."
[2] Michael Azerrad, Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2001), 71. (Note: this book's name is a reference to "History Lesson, Pt. 2," from Double Nickels on the Dime).


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Randy Browning watched from behind the glass as Kimberly McCarthy slipped quietly into unconsciousness, snored briefly, then finally stopped breathing. It didn't matter to him that this woman — who'd brutally stabbed and mutilated his beloved godmother and mentor — was allowed a peaceful, painless death.
For Browning, it was enough to know that Dorothy Booth's murderer was no more.
"I'm happy not to share the planet with Kimberly McCarthy," he said from his home in Austin, Texas. "But would I want her to be strung up and tortured? No."
The prolonged — some say "botched" — execution of double murderer Joseph Rudolph Wood last week in Arizona fanned the flames of the unending debate over whether vicious killers should suffer as they die for their crimes. The controversy follows two other recent executions that went awry: In January, an Ohio inmate snorted and gasped for nearly a half hour before dying; in Oklahoma, a man died of a heart attack minutes after prison officials halted his execution because the drugs weren't being administered properly.
Talk with loved ones of their victims, and you'll find some on all sides of the issue.
In Wood's case, Richard Brown questions whether he suffered enough.
"This man conducted a horrifying murder, and you guys are going, 'Let's worry about the drugs,'" said Brown, brother- and son-in-law of Woods' victims, Debra and Eugene Dietz. "Why didn't they give him a bullet? Why didn't we give him Drano?"
Wood died by lethal injection Wednesday for the August 1989 slayings of his estranged girlfriend and her father. But he did not go quietly. About 10 minutes after the drugs began flowing, Wood started gasping. When it had continued for more than an hour, the condemned man's lawyers made a desperate appeal to state and federal courts to halt the execution.
After nearly two hours and what witnesses say were hundreds of gasps, Wood was pronounced dead.
As the accounts played on television, cries of "cruel and unusual punishment" resounded, and calls came down for a nationwide stop to the death penalty. The Dietzes' family lashed out.
"You don't know what excruciating is," said Brown's wife, Jeanne. "What's excruciating is seeing your dad lying there in a pool of blood; seeing your sister lying there in a pool of blood."
Randy Browning was not seeking retribution as he sat in the viewing room on June 26, 2013. He was looking for closure.
McCarthy was convicted of killing her 71-year-old neighbor in 1997 during a robbery of the retired psychology professor's home in Lancaster, Texas. Police say the former nursing home therapist beat Booth with a candelabra, stabbed her with a butcher knife, then cut off the elderly woman's finger to steal her wedding ring.
McCarthy, who was linked to two other slayings, became Texas' 500th execution since capital punishment resumed there in 1982.
"She was a vicious, psychopathic serial murderer," says Browning, who credits Booth with setting him on the path to becoming a psychologist.
But as he sat watching her die, he could not help thinking of her own family, viewing the execution from another room.
"I did have feelings of compassion," he said. "Not to the point where I wanted them to stop doing what they were doing. But, I mean, it's just so much suffering."
To Randy Ertman, suffering is beside the point. In June 1993, his 14-year-old daughter Jennifer and Elizabeth Pena, 16, were rushing to make curfew on their way home from a party when they took a shortcut through a Houston neighborhood and stumbled into a gang initiation. What followed was what one prosecutor called a "feeding frenzy" of rape, torture and murder.
Six men were convicted in the killings. Three avoided the death chamber because of their ages at the time of the crimes, but the others were sentenced to die.
Randy Ertman attended all three executions. When told of Woods' slow death in Arizona, Ertman let out a wheezing chuckle.
"Good for him," said the grieving father. "It didn't take him long enough."
Brad Bowser understands Ertman's rage. Glenn L. Benner II was convicted of the 1986 kidnapping, rape and murder of Bowser's 21-year-old sister, Trina, a childhood neighbor in an Akron, Ohio, suburb. Benner left her body in the trunk of her car along a highway. A year earlier, he had strangled Cynthia Sedgwick, 26, in Cuyahoga Falls after a concert.
When Benner died by lethal injection in February 2006, Brad Bowser was there.
"I thought he got off easy," Bowser said. "The way that he killed my sister, and I think for someone just to get a needle put in their arm and be able to go to sleep and go to the next world, or whatever, is about as easy as it gets, you know? I mean, I'm dying of cancer right now, and it's going to be a lot slower, rougher death than what he had."
Still, Bowser was sorry to hear how long it took Wood to die and wonders why the government can't execute people "more efficiently." But he's also angry that it took 20 years for Benner — and even longer for Wood — to be put down.
"The way they're doing it is about as humane as you can get right now," he said.
Clara Byrd Taylor has read her Old Testament and its many references to the ultimate penalty. But her support for capital punishment has always been tempered by doubt.
"Government today being so imperfect, man being so imperfect, there are so many injustices," she said, "it's hard for me to say that in every case I think the death penalty should be carried out."
For the murderers of her brother, she has no such qualms. The evidence was overwhelming.
On June 7, 1998, white supremacists chained James Byrd Jr. by his ankles to the bumper of a pickup truck and dragged him three miles down a rough asphalt road in Jasper, Texas. Lawrence Russell Brewer and John William King dumped what was left of Byrd's mangled body outside a black church and cemetery.
Brewer and King were convicted of capital murder. A third man received a life sentence.
Before she died in 2010, Taylor's mother made her promise to see Byrd's killers punished. So when an unrepentant Brewer was executed in September 2011, Taylor stood witness.
"It didn't bring me any sense of peace or relief," she said. "It's just a matter of saying that this one chapter in the book was now closed, and we can move on to the next part of it."
A date has not yet been set for King's execution. When it is, Taylor plans to be there.
"And I hope it goes as peacefully as Brewer's," she said.
Should the condemned suffer? Victim families torn
Randy Browning watched from behind the glass as Kimberly McCarthy slipped quietly into unconsciousness, snored briefly, then finally stopped breathing. It didn't matter to him that this woman — who'd brutally stabbed and mutilated his beloved godmother and mentor — was allowed a peaceful, painless death.


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Dominique Font by Canada Type
About: An endearing upright script with outspoken shapes, casual connections and generous swashes. Somewhere between very legible handwriting and calligraphy, Dominique captures the attention of a much larger audience than either strictly elegant calligraphy or regular everyday handwriting. A font full of alternates and ligatures is also provided. Perfect for book covers, magazine advertisement, music design, party invitations, food-and-drink and cosmetics branding, etc.
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Browsing Theses by Subject "Stress management"
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A Study of Role Strain in Nursing Students with Multiple Roles (Drake University, 1994-04)The problem. The purpose of this study was to examine role strain in female nursing students. Procedure. Role strain was measured utilizing the Lengacher Role Strain Inventory (1983). The approach used in this study was ...


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Scouts tidy up trail on Mount Kilimanjaro
St. Thomas troop scales mountain to haul off trash left by climbers
by Don Faber, Ann Arbor News Staff Reporter
It's one thing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. It's quite another to come down laden with other people's trash.
Boy Scout Troop 8, run by St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Ann Arbor, returned July 9 after three weeks in Tanzania. The high point of the trip was conducting a cleanup of Kilimanjaro, at 19,340 feet the highest point on the African continent.
Kilimanjaro, like Mt. Everest, has suffered from the effects of accumulated trash left by climbers on its popular routes. Eight scouts and three adults each filled about five 30-gallon trash bags and carried them down the mountain. "We barely made a dent" said Desti Pilon, 18, of Ann Arbor.
Troop members organized the trip, which included a week's hiking, a couple of days of safari, and service work in the remote villages of the North Pare mountains. They had plenty of local help. Stamos+Travel got discounts on airfare. Journeys+International supplied discounts on ground logistics. Bivouac kicked in gear and discounts.
The troop raised money from can drives and general fundraising, but the bulk of the money came from the proceeds of building and installing lofts in University of Michigan dormitories, courtesy of a student-run group in the loft business.
The boys learned some Swahili "to travel appropriately in the culture," said Bob Geier, 37, of Ann Arbor, coordinator of Scouting for the parish. "We wanted to know enough of the language to be respectful."
On the mountain, the Scouts removed tampons, broken beer bottles, lots of toilet paper (despite the presence of pit toilets) and "every variety of Power Bar wrapper," Geier said.
Troop 8 took eight days going up Kilimanjaro and two days coming down. They worked the back side of the mountain and camped in designated spots.
"We could have spent three whole days up there cleaning out trash," said Chris Wiseman, 15, of Ann Arbor, who was in charge of planning the trip.
Why Kilimanjaro? "It's one of the Seven Summits" - the highest peak on each continent, said Pilon, one of the elder statesmen of the troop. "We wanted a chance to go out big." Other Scouts who made the trip were Luke Elliott, Tim Kieras, Shawn Pate, Erik Lyons, Terry Smith and Colin Forgacs. The adults who accompanied them were Geier and assistant Scoutmasters Russ Todd and Ian Darnell.
Troop 8 is about 60 years old. The 40-member troop includes Scouts 11-18 years old and is headed by Scoutmaster Jamie McDevitt of Ann Arbor. It was the first troop in the area to teach environmentally conscious "Leave+No+Trace" camping.
While the Scouts were in Tanzania but not working on Kilimanjaro, they stayed in schools in villages, assisting in cleanup work. It gave them a chance to relate to natives on a more personal level. Pilon found the difference in conditions between Tanzania and the United States startling.
What are the most lasting images of the trip?
Pilon recalled spending a day in a Masai village where tribe members are nomadic herdsmen and seeing flies on children's faces. "It's considered bad luck to shoo them away because they're associated with cattle, their source of livelihood," he said.
Elliott, 18, of Ann Arbor remembers "the people we met, especially our guide and cook from the Chagga tribe. And the view of the crater at the top of Kilimanjaro was pretty amazing."
Also, the strain of climbing Kilimanjaro is something he'll remember the rest of his life. "We had to push ourselves pretty hard to get up," he says. And coming down with all that trash wasn't so easy either.
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NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald's Corp. is having trouble stomaching the competition.
The world's biggest hamburger chain said Thursday that a key sales figure fell for the first time in nearly a decade in October, as it faced intensifying competition and a challenging economy. The company, based in Oak Brook, Ill., says global revenue at restaurants open at least 13 months fell 1.8 percent for the month. The last time it dropped was in March 2003.
The figure is a key metric because it strips out the impact of newly opened and closed locations. It's a snapshot of money spent on food at both company-owned and franchised restaurants and does not reflect corporate revenue.
McDonald's says the figure fell 2.2 percent in both the U.S. and Europe in October. In the region encompassing Asia, the Middle East and Africa, it dropped 2.4 percent. CEO Don Thompson cited the "pervasive challenges of today's global marketplace" for the declines.
After years of outperforming its rivals, McDonald's has seen sales slow recently, with longtime rivals such as Burger King and Wendy's working to revive their brands with improved menus and new TV ad campaigns. Taco Bell, owned by Yum Brands Inc., is also enjoying growth with the help of new offerings such as it Doritos Locos Tacos and higher-end Cantina Bell bowls and burritos.
Additionally, people are increasingly flocking to restaurants such as Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. and Panera Bread Co., which offer better-quality food for a little more money. Still, McDonald's said on Thursday that it would remain focused on underscoring its value message.
In the U.S., for example, executives said last month that the company would return to focusing on its Dollar Menu, which was introduced about a decade ago. That was after the company's attempt to shift to an "Extra Value Menu," which charges slightly higher prices and provide better profit margins, had fallen flat.
On Thursday, McDonald's said that the impact of its Dollar Menu advertising in the U.S. was offset by "modest consumer demand" and heightened competition. Moving forward, the company said it would continue its everyday value marketing.
The same was true for Europe, where McDonald's gets 40 percent of its business. Amid the region's ongoing economic uncertainty, McDonald's said it would offer new meal combinations at various price ranges and continue remodeling restaurants. The company said positive results in the United Kingdom were offset by declines across many other regions.
In the Asia, the company said it plans to differentiate itself with menu offerings tailored to local tastes.
McDonald's shares were down 61 cents at $86.23 in premarket trading. The company, which has more than 34,000 locations worldwide, had warned last month that sales were trending negative for the month.
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Stay Sharp is the latest shirt from U.K. based artist, Olly Moss, and it features lots of yellow! The shirt, which was produced for New Standard, is available now for purchase at Urban Outfitters for $24.Â
This is the perfect shirt for creative types. Know someone who loves to write or draw with tradition tools (i.e. pencil)? This is the shirt to get them. Though, you might want to check if they are fans of yellow.Â


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|Laurel, Md.
|High School:
2014 Outdoor: Competed in the 400m dash at the 2014 America East Outdoor Track and Field Championships, advancing to the finals of the event… Placed eighth in the prelims with a time of 58.19 and then trimmed her time down to a season-best 57.44 in the finals to finish in seventh… Also raced in the 400m event at the Mason Spring Invitational… Named to the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll.
2013-14 Indoor: Advanced to the finals of the 400m dash at the 2014 America East Indoor Track and Field Championships… Recorded a career-best time of 56.92 in the event at the Penn State Relays… The time ranks as the sixth-fastest in program history… Also competed in the 200m and 500m events during the winter season.
2013 Outdoor: Placed sixth in the 400m dash and 11th in the 200m event at the 2013 America East Outdoor Championships… Recorded her top career time of 56.93 in the finals of the 400m competition after setting a best in the prelims (57.32)… Her top time ranks sixth all-time in program history… Also registered her top 200m time of the season at the conference meet at Binghamton, completing the 200m dash in 25.59 in the event prelims… Led off for the silver medal-winning 4x400 relay team at the America East meet.
2012-13 Indoor: Ran the second leg of the 4x400 relay as the Retrievers captured the conference title in Boston… Also helped the relay squad set a new school record of 3:44.06 at the ECAC Championships… Finished eighth in the 400m dash after qualifying fourth with a season-best time of 57.52 in the event prelims at the 2013 America East Indoor Championships… Also placed 15th in the 200m dash at the conference meet in Boston… Recorded her top time in the 200m event, 26.32, at the Penn State Relays.
2012 Outdoor: Helped the 4x400 relay team earn a bronze medal at the America East Outdoor Championships... Earned an eighth-place finish in the 400m dash with a personal-best time of 57.47 which slotted her sixth on UMBC's all-time list... Named to the America East Honor Roll.
2011-12 Indoor: Anchored the 4x400 relay team to a school-record time of 3:48.54 and a third-place finish at the America East Championships... Placed tenth in the 400m dash at the conference meet in Boston... Set a season-best in the event by running a 57.38 in the prelims of the America East competition which ranked as the fifth-fastest in UMBC history at the time.
Background: Competed in track and field for Laurel High School... Named the Prince George's County Female Track athlete MVP and 1st team All-County... All-Metro Honorable Mention... Regional and County champion in the 400m dash and County champ in the 200m dash... Holds the Wise High School 400m record.
Personal: Daughter of Mfon Umoh... Has three siblings... Brother Kalada competes in track and field for Howard... Majoring in biology and working on a minor in writing... Born June 30, 1993.


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The Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks capture worldwide attention this weekend while British and Japanese 3-year-olds also crank things up.
The reigning U.S. Horse of the Year, Wise Dan, is back in action at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. Bob Baffert is focused on Hollywood Park rather than Churchill Downs. And international milers will take to the turf Sunday in Hong Kong.
Read on about one of the year's most exciting racing weekends.
The Derby and the Oaks
The weatherman is calling for an excellent chance of rain -- perhaps substantial rain -- at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. If the forecast is right, an off track would make an already fascinating race even tougher to call as none of the top contenders has ever run in the mud or the slop. In fact, there are only a handful of off-track running lines in the past performances of any of the 20 prospective starters for the $2 million, Grade I Kentucky Derby, Presented by Yum! Brands. Since they're all in the same boat, the favorites for the 1 1/4-miles race, first leg of the Triple Crown, remain Florida Derby winner Orb, who will start from gate No. 16 under Joel Rosario, and undefeated Wood Memorial winner Verrazano, who drew No. 14 and has John Velazquez up. Orb is trained by the venerable and respected Shug McGaughey, who is looking for his first Derby winner. Verrazano is one of five starters trained by Todd Pletcher, who has won the Derby only once from 31 starters in 12 runnings of the American classic. Verrazano has another jinx to break -- he did not make his first start until New Year's Day. No horse has won the Kentucky Derby without starting as a 2-year-old since Apollo -- in 1882. After the favorites, the race is very wide open, with good odds available on the likes of Louisiana Derby winner Revolutionary (10-1 on Mike Battaglia's morning line), Santa Anita Derby winner Goldencents (5-1), Arkansas Derby winner Overanalyze (15-1) and UAE Derby winner Lines of Battle (30-1). Casual bettors who pick by their horse's name can find the likes of Itsmyluckyday, Giant Finish and Charming Kitten. The Derby only rolls around once a year (the rest are called "Dahr-bies"). So don't miss it. NBC-TV and the Horse Racing Radio Network will have live coverage and simulcasting is available in many parts of the word.
You won't often find 3-1 odds, even on the morning line, on a horse that has won four of six career starts in top company and took her last race, the Grade II Gulfstream Oaks, by 21 3/4 lengths -- without even being asked for her best. But that's where Dreaming of Julia starts the wagering as the oddsmaker's favorite for Friday's $1 million Longines Kentucky Oaks. Of course, it's not like there's no competition for the daughter of A.P. Indy. The 10-filly field also includes Beholder, a winner five times from eight starts, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks. Then there's Unlimited Budget, undefeated in four starts and winner of the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks last time out. Flashy Gray was to have been the 11th horse in the Oaks but was scratched Friday when she came back from a workout with a bruised heel.
Churchill Downs on Oaks day
On Fire Baby and Believe You Can are the heavy favorites in a field of seven entered for the $300,000, Grade II La Troienne for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the main track. On Fire Baby, a 4-year-old Smoke Glacken filly, won the Grade I Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park last month in her first start since May of 2012. Believe You Can, a 4-year-old daughter of Proud Citizen, won her first two starts this year in New Orleans. Midnight Lucky has won both her starts for trainer Bob Baffert, including the Sunland Park Oaks in her last trip. Close Hatches is 3-for-3, including the Grade II Gazelle at Aqueduct.
The $300,000, Grade II Alysheba Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the main track drew nine, with three longshots on the inside and the remainder all contenders. Among the likelies: Richard's Kid, Hymn Book, Take Charge Indy, Macho Macho, Bourbon Courage and Cyber Secret.
Thirteen 3-year-olds were drawn for the $200,000, Grade II American Turf at 1 1/16 miles on the lawn. Noble Tune and Admiral Kitten are the morning-line favorites. The former has three wins from four starts with a second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last fall sandwiched in between. The latter is 2-for-4 with a close second in his last outing.
A well-balanced field of 14 is set for the $150,000, Grade III Eight Belles Stakes for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs on the dirt. How tough is this field? I'll tell you how tough: The 7-2 morning-line favorite, Calistoga, won a maiden event and an optional claimer at Gulfstream in her only two previous starts for trainer Bill Mott and is drawn on the far outside.
Also on the Oaks Day card is the $150,000 Edgewood Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the grass.
Churchill Downs on Derby Day
Marketing Mix makes her first start since the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in Saturday's $250,000, Grade II Distaff Turf Mile and likely will have to chase down Daisy Devine if she wants to win this one. The latter, a confirmed frontrunner, hasn't been out of the exacta in her last six starts, including a second in the Grade I Jenny Wiley at Keeneland. Stephanie's Kitten is making her first start since last October at Keeneland but usually is in the mix. At total of 10 are set to go.
The $400,000, Grade II Churchill Downs, a 7-furlongs affair, attracted nine, including morning-line favorites Trinniberg and Delaunay. Trinniberg is wheeling back just a bit more than a month after finishing 11th in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on World Cup night in Meydan but ended last year's campaign with a win in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Delaunay has won five straight -- four in Louisiana sandwiching the Bet On Sunshine Stakes at Churchill Downs almost exactly six months ago. Unbridled's Note is almost always around at the finish. Handsome Mike could be a big overlay after showing some life with a win when finally shortened up from routing in his last start.
The reigning Horse of the Year, Wise Dan, is the obvious pick in the $500,000, Grade I Turf Classic at 9 furlongs on the grass. The 6-year-old Wiseman's Ferry gelding has won eight of his last nine races and hasn't lost since returning to the turf five races back. This is no walkover, though, especially with Point of Entry drawn right to the outside of Wise Dan. Point of Entry has won seven straight races and eight of his last nine and comes off a win in the Grade I Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. The other seven have something to prove against this level of competition.
It's Guineas weekend for the 3-year-olds at Newmarket -- the 2,000 Guineas on Saturday and the 1,000 Guineas for fillies on Sunday.
Thirteen are entered for Saturday's race as trainer Aidan O'Brien elected to send Group 2 UAE Derby winner Lines of Battle to Louisville. That leaves O'Brien with only three starters for the English Classic. He did not, however, dispatch his jockey son, Joseph O'Brien, to Churchill Downs and the youngster instead will ride Cristoforo Colombo in the 1-mile test at Newmarket. The favorite is Godolphin's hopeful, Dawn Approach, trained by Jim Bolger and partnered with Kevin Manning. Dawn Approach, an Irish-bred son of New Approach, won all five of his starts as a 2-year-old, culminating in the Group 1 Dubai Dewhurst Stakes over the Newmarket greensward, and is looking to get off on the right foot here. Also fancied is Toronado, a High Chaparral colt trained by Richard Hannon, who is 4-for-4 with one win as a 3-year-old already in the books. How "classic" is this race? It's the 205th running. The Kentucky Derby is 66 years behind.
Sunday, 18 fillies are set to go in the 200th running of the 1,000 Guineas. The early market choice in Hot Snap, a Pivotal filly trained by Sir Henry Cecil for owner/breeder Juddmonte Farms. Hot Snap is 2-for-2, with one of the wins coming over the all-weather course at Kempton. Tom Queally is named to ride.
Hong Kong
Sunday's Group 1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin lost a bit of its luster when Ambitious Dragon was roughed up in last Sunday's Group 1 Audemar Piguet QE II Cup, finishing sixth. Had he won, trainer Tony Millard was considering running him back in the Mile. Instead, it will be Penitent, representing the U.K, and King Mufhasa, representing New Zealand, against eight local runners, including some champions. Likely favorite Glorious Days drew gate No. 2 and trainer John Size liked that. "He's been hitting the gates pretty well and able to put himself up on the speed or pretty close to the lead after a good gate," Size said. King Mufhasa's rider, Michael Rodd, said he was happy with gate No. 6 because, "I prefer to let him find his rhythm early rather than have to hustle him from an inside gate." Penitent drew the lucky No. 8. Xtension is looking for a third straight win in this race and will start from the No. 5 stall.
Sunday's Group 1 NHK Mile Cup often is regarded as a setting for secondary 3-year-olds but does have a history of producing the occasional Japanese Derby winner. King Kamehameha won both races in 2004 and Deep Sky turned the same double four years later. Seeking the Pearl, a filly, won the NHK Mile Cup in 1997, then went on to become the first Japanese horse to win an overseas Group 1 event, taking the 1998 Prix Maurice de Gheest in France. There are no foreign horses in this year's race and the field provides an opportunity for any number of starters to step up and be noticed.
Belmont Park
Dream Peace is the morning-line favorite among nine in Saturday's $150,000, Grade III Beaugay for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the grass. Dream Peace has yet to win in the United States after racing as far afield as France and Singapore. The 5-year-old Dansili mare makes her first start since last October. Centring is entered only in the event the race is moved to the main track.
Only six signed on for the $150,000 Fort Marcy at 1 1/16 miles on the turf and Speaking of Which and Real Solution are the early picks in a well-matched field. Speaking of Which started his career in Ireland, then finished second in his U.S. debut last fall in the Grade II Twilight Derby on the Santa Anita turf. He finished last in the Grade I Hollywood Derby when forced to take up in traffic inside the quarter pole. Real Solution comes from Italy, where he won three of his five starts last year.
Hollywood Park
With no runners in this year's Kentucky Derby, trainer Bob Baffert can concentrate on one of his 2012 starters, Liaison, in Saturday's $150,000, Grade II Mervyn LeRoy Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather surface. The Indian Charlie colt won the Grade I Cash Call Futurity as a 2-year-old, but then didn't win again until this year's debut in the Santana Mile at Santa Anita. In between, he was sixth in both the Grade I Santa Anita Derby and the Kentucky Derby and third in the Grade II Swaps at Hollywood and the Grade II Jim Dandy at Saratoga. The second- and third-place finishers from the Santana Mile are back -- Midnight Transfer and Tres Borrachos. But with no shippers in the field, Liaison has every chance to show he can make his mark in the depleted ranks of California handicap horses.


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Pittsburg State University ROTC has a tradition of success in the Ranger Buddy Challenge, a grueling test of cadets' physical and mental toughness. They extended that tradition recently, coming in a close second at the University of Kansas Ranger Buddy Challenge where they competed against 130 teams from 30 universities.
The Ranger Buddy Challenge is designed to be tough, beginning with a 15-kilometer road march at 4:30 a.m. and ending with a 2.5-mile run at 5 p.m. In between, the cadets cycle through seven events that are designed to assess basic skills under duress. For the competition, there were eight events for each of the three divisions. PSU teams took first place in seven events
Lt. Col. Chris Lambert, chairman of the Military Science Department at PSU, said he was proud of the way the Pitt State students represented the university and the Gorilla Battalion.
"We sent a total of six, two-cadet teams," Lambert said. "Four of the teams were all-male, one of the teams was all female and one was co-ed. Our all-female team placed second overall in their division."
In addition, one of the all-male teams placed second in their division, another placed eighth and a third placed 21st. The co-ed team placed fourth overall.
Lambert said the PSU squads nearly took the top spot, tying host KU for first place, but losing the tie-breaker by just one point.
Some of the other universities in the competition were the University of Oklahoma, the University of Colorado, the University of Arkansas, the University of Missouri, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, the University of Nebraska, Central Missouri State University, the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, Missouri Science and Technology, Missouri Western State University, the University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, and the University of Northern Iowa.
PSU's success at Ranger Buddy Challenge is especially notable, according to Lambert, when the competition includes some of the largest and best known universities in the Midwest.
• All-female team – Lexi Skaggs/Kada Barbour, 2nd place out of 13 teams
• All-male team – Paul Hartfield/Keith Weaver, 2nd place out of 88 teams
• All-male team – Hal Rivard/Andrew Thomas, 8th place out of 88 teams
• All-male team – Adam McDonald/Sean Gilbert, 21st place out of 88 teams
• Co-ed team – Kristina Willis/John Fatkin, 4th place out of 17 teams
Student coaches for the competition were Jared Beachner, Mason Johnson, Stephen Cuff, Clayton Argyle and Ethan Clouse.


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ljm needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 65 designs submitted by 36 freelance designers.
We're looking for a logo that will appeal to users of mozilla thunderbird and zimbra. The logo will support an exciting new thunderbird extension which synchronises thunderbird's address book with the contacts on a zimbra server. This free extension will be downloaded by thousands of users worldwide.
Desired Color Scheme:
suggestions: red, orange, blue and grey but other thoughts welcome
Accepted File Formats:
high-res vector format: psd or eps
The logo should convey a sense of trust and confidence in this new open-source software, which delivers behind-the-scenes usefulness.
The logo needs to be generic enough to be able to apply to other related products and services. It also needs to be versatile, as it will be seen:
- on a website (of course)
- in a screenshot showing the extension in action at the mozilla download page:
- favicon.ico
- in the extension itself (png of similar size to favicon.ico)
- in print (ie. logo must work in both black and white and colour)
Logos you might want to look at include:
- http://www.mozilla.org (firefox and thunderbird)
- http://www.zimbra.com
- http://www.opendns.org (simple, bold, and versatile)
- http://www.plaxo.com
- http://www.linkedin.com
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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This is the second presentation this year from Clinical Nutritionist Sotiria Everett and Part 2 of our Nutrition and Lupus series. In this presentation, Ms. Everett focuses more specifically on the heart and renal (kidney) disease as these relate to nutritional considerations for people with lupus. (See Part 1 for a more general overview of nutrition and its importance for people with lupus.)
Ms. Everett began her presentation by discussing some important general facts about heart disease. Heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the United States. Heart disease is a slow and silent process. Often patients will not feel any symptoms, so it is important to be aware of the risk factors that are at play. Factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, tobacco use, diabetes, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition can put people with lupus at an even greater risk for heart disease, or for worsening symptoms. It is important to understand that there are a lot of "little" things you can do to help reduce your risk.
Ms. Everett next highlighted some of the important issues that relate to lupus and heart disease:
All of these risk factors are important to be aware of. There is still much you can do to limit or lessen your risk from future disease. Ms. Everett highlighted that although we are unable to change risk factors like our genetics, gender, and age, there is still much we can do to lessen our risk. Some techniques that Ms. Everett discussed included controlling risk factors of heart disease by increasing physical activity, going to physical therapy, practicing healthy eating habits, seeking out a nutritionist, joining a smoking cessation program if you are a smoker, controlling your weight, and so on. It is very important that you keep in close contact with your doctor in order to control and monitor lupus and the medicines you take.
Ms. Everett describes these all as therapeutic lifestyle changes, and not a diet or something you will do once in a while.
To maintain a healthy weight, it is important to know approximately how many calories you need to eat each day. Ms. Everett discussed that men require about 2200-2400 per day, whereas women require about 1800-2000 calories per day. Try and exercise for at least 30 minutes daily to help maintain your weight. It is important to reduce abdominal obesity where waist circumference for men should be below 40 inches and, for women, below 35 inches. It is also important to maintain your body mass index (BMI) below 25.
Next, Ms. Everett discussed in greater detail some of the important foods and nutrients that are important to lessen the risk of heart disease: Omega-3 fatty acids, soy protein, and fiber.
A number of studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA, can contribute to heart health. Omega-3's consist of alpha linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DPA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Food sources of omega-3's include the following:
There are many ways to boost your omega-3 intake, including:
Fish oil supplements:
If you have heart disease, the American Heart Association recommends one gram of omega-3 fatty acids from DHA and EPS per day. Talk to your doctor before taking fish oil supplements to determine if they are right for you.
Soy protein is a low-fat protein alternative for meat and cheese. Some studies indicate that soy protein may also help reduce cholesterol. Further research is needed.
Fiber has been shown to help with weight control and blood sugar levels. Aim to eat at least 25 grams of soluble and insoluble fiber daily.
Ways to boost your fiber intake:
Here is an example of the difference between a low fiber and a high fiber breakfast:
Ms. Everett next discusses some key techniques that can help one in making positive lifestyle changes.
In order to help you to begin to maintain your own healthy diet at home, Ms. Everett next provided some useful recipe substitutes to try and incorporate into your diet:
Tips: instead of two slices of pepperoni pizza and an eight oz. Coca-Cola, which equals 14 grams of fat, 780 calories, 753 mg of sodium, and 75 mg of cholesterol, choose a roasted turkey sandwich on wheat bread with two teaspoons of light mayo, lettuce & tomato, along with a low calorie iced tea and one apple, equaling three grams of fat, 580 calories, 440 mg of sodium, and 28 mg of cholesterol.
Next, Ms. Everett reviewed some important facts about kidney disease and some essential dietary recommendations for people with lupus. Lupus nephritis is a form of kidney disease that affects people with lupus. Lupus nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys in which tiny filters in the kidneys are damaged, resulting in a loss of kidney function. Retention of fluids causes weight gain and swelling and puffiness in the legs, ankles, and/or fingers. Lupus nephritis may be treated with corticosteroids or immunosuppressive agents.
The dietary recommendations are very similar to those suggested for heart disease. Ms. Everett highlighted that patients should follow a heart healthy diet by keeping salt intake low and, depending on your blood work, cutting back on protein foods and avoid high potassium foods. This is very important to check with your doctor.
Your doctor may advise you to limit the amount of protein in your diet. Since you would need to eat a smaller amount of protein, choose heart-healthy protein foods like fish, chicken breast, lean red meats, egg whites, low fat soy products, and low fat dairy products as your main protein sources. Limit servings of milk, yogurt, cheese, dried beans and peas, nuts and seeds, peanut butter, and some soy products, which are high in both protein and phosphorus. Phosphorus is a mineral that builds up in the blood as kidney failure progresses.
If your doctor tells you to limit high potassium foods, these foods include avocados, bananas, cantaloupe, dried fruits, honeydew, kiwi, mangos, artichoke, dried beans & peas, pumpkin, potatoes, French fries, Spinach (cooked), oranges & orange juice, papaya, prune juice, milk, yogurt, ice cream, chocolate, molasses, salt substitute, seeds and nuts, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable juice, and winter squash.
Try to eat lower potassium foods such as apples, berries, grapes, lemons, peaches, canned pears, pineapple, plums, watermelon, vegetables carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, green beans, lettuce, onion, summer squash, sweet peppers, dairy substitutes (nondairy creamers, rice milk [unenriched]), sorbet or popsicles, nondairy whipped topping, popcorn (unsalted), pretzels (unsalted) and red licorice. Remember to watch your portions of these foods. The bigger the portion, the more potassium that is consumed.
Some other risk factors that can affect people with lupus are diabetes and osteoporosis.
To lessen your risk for diabetes, be sure to limit sugary foods and watch your portions of carbohydrates, i.e., fruits, starches, milk/yogurt, desserts, and breads/grains. It is important to keep your heart healthy and to stay active.
To lessen your risk for osteoporosis, be sure to stay active, maintain a healthy weight, stop smoking if you currently are, and get enough calcium and vitamin D.
Ms. Everett summarized her presentation by sharing some key points that people with lupus should follow in order to maintain and also lessen their risk for developing future disease.
Ms. Everett concluded by speaking briefly about the nutrition services at Hospital for Special Surgery. She highlighted that meeting with a nutritionist can be effective if you are interested in a one-on-one consultation about your diet. For more information on a nutrition consultation at HSS, please call 212-774-7638 or 212-606-1293.
The Division of Rheumatology at HSS has also launched a cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention counseling program for HSS patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and/or positive antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). This free-of-charge program, which is partially supported by the New York Community Trust and partially by HSS, will provide a basic assessment and education of the CVD risk factors in patients who participate in counseling.
Learn more about the HSS SLE Workshop, a free support and education group held monthly for people with lupus and their families and friends.
See separate summary for Part 1: Nutrition and Lupus Part 1: Ways to Maintain a Healthy Diet.
Posted: 11/14/2010
Summary Written by Christie Carlstrom, SLE Workshop Coordinator and Social Work Intern at HSS.


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Chuck Hogan is the co-author, with Guillermo Del Toro, of The Night Eternal, which concludes their best-selling Strain trilogy. He is also the author of Prince of Thieves, recently filmed as The Town.
Q: Now that the Strain Trilogy is finished, is there anything that you would change about it if you were starting again?
A: Not realistically. Books and movies are never finished, only surrendered. There are always things you wish you could insert after the fact, but nothing about the trilogy feels lacking. We had a plan and we executed it, with many unforeseen twists and turns along the way. Read the rest


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The Euro-styled i40 Series 2 range combines emotive design and intelligent practicality with all the substance and performance you demand, whether driving in the city or cruising through the countryside.
The Euro-styled i40 Series 2 range combines emotive design and intelligent practicality with all the substance and performance you demand, whether driving in the city or cruising through the countryside.
Based on Hyundai's signature 'Fluidic Sculpture 2.0' design language, every flowing line and sculpted curve of the European-designed i40 Series 2 range reinforces its bold and confident looks.
Flooding the cabin with light, the twin-panel panorama glass roof provides shade and insulation from the wind, and offers relief from heat and external noises, all at the touch of a button.
Only available on: Premium variant
When standing with the proximity smart key for more than three seconds within a metre of the rear of the vehicle, the Smart Boot senses your presence and automatically opens to allow you to store your cargo, hands free. The Smart Boot also opens and closes at the press of a button. Only available on: Premium variant
Quality emanates from the premium appointed leather soft touch surfaces, such as the beautifully detailed seats and cloth covered pillars. The soft comfort of leather appointment is extended to the steering wheel, gear shift knob and other interior surfaces. Only available on: Premium variant
Stay cool, calm and connected wherever you're going. Everything's within easy reach or controllable from your steering wheel - air-con, Sat/Nav, tunes, hands-free calls and more - and you can see it all on the LCD multi-media touchscreen.
At dusk, or when encountering low light levels such as in tunnels or underground car parks, i40 Series 2's headlamps automatically turn on. And led daytime running lamps enhance safety by making your i40 Series 2 more visible to other drivers. Plus the LED projection headlamps with daytime running lights help make the i40 Series 2 more visible to oncoming traffic.
See all accessories available to enhance and customise your vehicle.View All i40 Accessories
455 Mulgrave Road
Cairns QLD 4870


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An International Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation
Richard L. Windsor, O.D., F.A.A.O. - Craig A. Ford, O.D., F.A.A.O.
Laura K. Windsor, O.D., F.A.A.O.
Hartford City - Indianapolis - Fort Wayne - Lafayette
In the News
- Dr. Laura Windsor Honored as Top 20 Under 40
- Dr. Massela Joins Indianpolis Staff
- USA Today Cites Dr. Laura Windsor on Bioptic Driving
- LVC of Lafayette Collaborates with NeoVision
- Dr. Laura Windsor Awarded National Young OD of the Year
- Meghan Sims Donates Artwork to LVCs
- Dr. Laura Windsor Honored with Two State Awards
- Russian Doctors Learn from Our Doctors
- Dr. Windsor Co Chairs NAP
- News Archive


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Warli Paintings are indigenous of Maharashtra. The word "Warli" come from the word "warla" which means the piece of land. Warli is the name of the biggest tribe found on the Northern outskirts of Mumbai.
Warli Paintings tradition of stretching goes back to 2500 or 3000 BC. Warli paintings are extremely rudimentary wall paintings. They use a very basic graphic vocabulary like a circle, a triangle and a square.
Earlier Warli painting used to be etched out on walls of Warli houses, but nowadays, they are being painted on paper, vases, mugs, bedsheets, apparel too. This art is pretty popular all over India and the world as well. Simple and aesthetic in appeal.


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Starting your own web design business, like every other business, requires careful consideration. Which aspect of Web design would you like to concentrate on? Graphic design, interior design, web development or web hosting are just a few of the available niches. Feel free to investigate the other niches to find a good match for you.
Once you have decided on a niche, you have to research it thoroughly by putting together a business plan. You need to look at web design from different angles – the opportunity it presents and how your strengths and weaknesses fit into the big picture. A level of experience will serve you well in this area but lack of experience should not deter you. There are a lot of resources available that can help boost your level of experience. You can leverage your inexperience by partnering with someone who is more experienced in this area or you can even choose to employ staffs who are more qualified. However you decide to tackle this aspect, the options are almost endless, choose what suits you best – you may even choose to learn the skills required either by taking a course or teaching yourself (a good place to start is by reading 'Teach Yourself web design in 21 days' by Laura LeMay's).
Your business plan also needs to address other issues such as your financial projections for the year ahead and preferably also for the next five years, a look into what your competitors are doing and how you will position yourself to operate successfully irrespective of your competition. A business plan should be a live document that guides you from point A, which is thinking of starting your web design business, to point B, actually starting the business and running it.
Once you have successfully written your business plan and raised sufficient funds, you then need to put together your equipment for running your business. Of course this will include a computer and a number of different software packages. Since this is a dynamic and ever changing field my advice is for you to research online for the current popular products that are in use. Check out reviews on the products you like so you make an informed decision before making any financial commitment. Start with the minimum that you can get away with and still be able to offer your clients a professional job. As your experience and business grows you may then be in a position to add more packages to your repertoire of tools to increase your service level.
After you have succeeded in setting up and running your business you will certainly need to promote it so your potential clients know where to find you. You can choose to promote your business either offline or online but the latter is the cheaper option and you tend to see results faster. Promoting your business is a skill in itself. If this is not done properly your business will suffer. You can either choose to outsource this very important task if you have enough funds or you learn to do it yourself. The latter option is more desirable to me because no one knows your business like you do and neither will they be as passionate. There are resources available to help you learn the skills needed to successfully market your business which you may want to check out below.


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Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
|Psychologists at San Francisco State University say people reported feeling happier when they spent their money on experiences -- spending on a meal out or theater tickets, perhaps -- rather than buying material objects. The study was presented recently at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. It is scheduled for publication later this year in the Journal of Positive Psychology. In this segment, Ryan Howell, psychologist and head of SFSU's Personality and Well-Being Lab, talks with Ira about the study results and speculates on whether they extend to gift-giving as well.