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Lockard, Michael Morley
Hagberg, James
MetadataShow full item record
BACKGROUND: Circulating number of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and EPC colony forming units (EPC-CFUs) have emerged as valuable predictors of cardiovascular health. Improvements in EPC number and EPC-CFUs have been associated with exercise and exercise training, although the mechanism for these improvements has not been identified. PURPOSE: This study examined the association of exercise-induced thrombin production with changes in circulating EPC number and EPC-CFUs as well as investigated the effects of exercise and thrombin supplementation on EPC differentiation and proliferation in vitro through gene expression analysis. METHODS: Subjects included healthy male Masters athletes (n = 12) and sedentary matched controls (n = 11) aged 55 - 80 years. Circulating EPC number, EPC-CFUs, plasma prothrombin fragment (F1+2) concentration and plasma thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) concentration were measured at rest and after 30 minutes of vigorous treadmill exercise. Gene expression was assessed on resting EPC samples treated with 0U, 1U, 5U, or 10U of thrombin, as well as on EPC samples obtained after exercise. Gene expression analysis was performed for cell cycle genes cyclin A2, cyclin D1, and p27, and for cell surface markers VE-Cadherin and VEGFR2. To investigate the association of long-term exercise training, all outcomes were compared between Masters athletes and sedentary controls. RESULTS: Plasma concentrations of F1+2 and TAT increased significantly after exercise, however, EPC number and EPC-CFUs did not change. Changes in plasma F1+2 concentration with exercise correlated with changes in EPC number and EPC-CFUs in Masters athletes and with EPC number in control subjects Expression of the cell cycle genes cyclin A2 and cyclin D1 increased with thrombin treatment, while expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p27 decreased, peaking at 5U of thrombin. No change in VE-Cadherin or VEGFR2 expression was observed in control subjects, however, expression increased at 1U thrombin treatment in Masters athletes. Similarly, EPCs isolated after exercise demonstrated increased expression in cyclin A2 and cyclin D1, decreased in p27, and showed no change in VE-Cadherin or VEGFR2. CONCLUSION: Elevated thrombin production during vigorous exercise may play an important role in the regulation of EPCs, specifically cellular proliferation through changes in expression of cell cycle genes.


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Even though the fantastic Öresund Bridge now connects it physically with Copenhagen, Malmö is still a distinct city with its own culture and scene. International feel is larger than life and a growing nightlife scene draws travellers to the late night music and dancing. Renting an apartment here, no matter how long your stay, is the best way to quickly become part of the international community.
We are proud of the fact that Red Apple Apartments has been awarded the Certificate of Excellence by Tripadvisor and has also been recommended by Tripadvisor as a preferred apartment provider.
Red Apple Apartments has a satisfaction rating that is almost 100% on Tripadvisor.
We believe in personalized service! We are here to help with advice and to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone, online chat or email.
Ever since our launch in 2008 we have constantly listened to feedback from customers and apartment managers, making our booking experience as smooth and positive as possible for all parties.We think our average customer stay rating of 91/100 speaks for itself!
Many of the world's most prominent companies and government agencies come to Red Apple Apartments to book their staff accommodation. We also provide lots of private travelers with housing each year. Red Apple Apartments offers both short and long term accommodation options all around Europe, from just one night up to a year or more.
The spacious and bright 3 room apt. is on the 3rd floor and has high ceilings and big windows. It easily accommodates 2-4 people at 93 m2 with a big living room, a dining room, a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom. The kitchen is well-equipped and is connected to a small ...Show on map Add to favorite More information
The apartment is big and you have a lot of space. Located in Västra Hamnen which attracts visitors from all over Malmö and the world. Turning Torso, designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava is a well known attraction with its twisted design and its 190 met ...Show on map Add to favorite More information
Renovated beautiful apartment. 2 renovated bathrooms. 3 bedrooms. 2 balconiesShow on map Add to favorite More information
Three room apartment with spacious kitchen and a large living room with TV projector. The apartment is very large for a two bedroom apartment so it accommodates 4 guests comfortably.Show on map Add to favorite More information
The apartment is situated in central Malmö in the heart of Dalaplan, in a beautiful house on a quiet street. The apartment is small but cozy with lots of light and it is a good size for a couple. The kitchen is fully equipped, there is wireless internet and laundry access.Show on map Add to favorite More information
100 year old apartment with beautiful details and modern equipment. 5 rooms and a kitchen installed in 2012.Show on map Add to favorite More information
Simple, cosy and with all necessary equipment. The apartment is located in central Malmö so it is the perfect accommodation option for three people.Show on map Add to favorite More information
Spacious140 sqm high ceiling flat in the heart of Malmö. Recently totally renovated. Big balcony, three rooms and kitchen, one bathroom, two separate toilets, one large walk-in wardrobe. Building with cultural feeling. Fresh flat easily accommodates 4 people (if more � ...Show on map Add to favorite More information
The apartment has big windows, high ceilings and beautiful wooden floors. It´s a light and open apartment with a lot of space and the apartment is decorated in different styles between the rooms. From modern, retro and colorful to music inspired, asian, vintage.Show on map Add to favorite More information
Nice and bright 2-bedroom apartment from 1917 with Malmo's most beautiful yard with private patio. The place is a paradise for both adults and children.Show on map Add to favorite More information

subset: commoncrawl


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Intel Global IoT DevFestCelebrating the FIRST EVER Global IoT DevFest! Registration is Still Open to Watch Replays! ATTENTION – There's still time to sign up for the latest edition of our Intel Global IoT DevFest II on Nov 7-8th 2017.
Supporting a New SoM Baseboard with MRAA's JSON Platform API
Intel has been developing SoM (SoC on module or System on module) for a while and with the Intel® Joule™ module and Intel® Edison module you can easily create your own daughterboard/baseboard easil


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Jan Bibby isn't looking forward to Thursday night - the Lifewise Big Sleepout in Auckland. I mean, the Vodafone executive doesn't even like camping holidays – what are hotels and motels for?
But for the third year in a row, Bibby will join almost 150 soft corporate types for a night sleeping on a piece of cardboard in the central city.
It's an experience which will give Bibby just a hint of what it's like for the hundreds of people who sleep rough – and cold – in New Zealand each night.
OK, so it's "gleeping" on the street ("glamping" reference - Ed). You bet Bibby will have her thermals, and the warmest sleeping bag she can rustle up. There will be food brought in, and security people around. There are powerpoints so the rough sleepers can keep their gadgets topped up. Best of all, she knows she'll be back in her warm bed tomorrow night.
But for Bibby, the Lifewise sleepout is a sort of "there but by the grace of God" evening.
"I grew up in family where mum and dad didn't have a lot of money but we always had roof over our head and warm bed and three square meals. Some people take that for granted now."
One of the hardest part of the sleepout, she says, are the stories she and her fellow volunteers will hear from real and former homeless people – stories of childhoods filled with abuse, alcohol, multiple foster homes; stories of mental illness, addictions, prostitution. They paint a picture not of "ne'er do wells" getting what they deserve, but of ordinary people who drew the short straw, leading them to pick sleeping rough as the best (or the only) alternative.
"You understand how tenuous the line between having a home and not having a home is. It's good for me to remember how lucky I am; how lucky my children are.
"Some of [the homeless young people] do poetry, sing. Some of these kids are hugely talented. I never come away without shedding a few tears."
Lifewise estimates more than 100 people sleep rough just in Auckland's city centre each night, and thousands live in "unsafe or unsuitable" accommodation. About half of them are young people – under 24 years old – and that's the focus of this year's Lifewise Sleepout, now in its sixth year.
"You understand how tenuous the line between having a home and not having a home is. It's good for me to remember how lucky I am; how lucky my children are."
Each sleeper tries to beg, steal or borrow $1500 from sponsors, and the overall goal is to raise $250,000 for Lifewise's aim of getting everyone off the streets and into permanent homes by 2020.
With less than a week to go before this year's sleepout, more than $160,000 has already been pledged. (Donate to Lifewise here) or to Jan Bibby here.)
In addition, using the high profile nature of the annual event – with its mover-and-shaker executives and its TV coverage – Lifewise aims to get corporates working on solutions the rest of the year as well.
"It's a bunch of influential people that can do some stuff and make a difference," Bibby says. "Last year they ran a workshop about what things we could do – brainstormed some initiatives that council could then get off the ground.
Jan says last year there were 11 in the Vodafone team, and they raised $11,000, which was matched by the Vodafone foundation.
"We didn't do bake-offs, just people giving a donation. We put it on Facebook and Linked in, and we used social media and friends and family."
Why would business people get together and take time out from busy lives to sleep on a sheet of cardboard?
Bibby, who is general manager of the human resources team at Vodafone, says it's a sign of the times; increasingly staff want more than just a pay cheque from their employee – they want signs the company has some wider community commitment.
"People want to work for organisations that aren't just about shareholders, but about giving back.
"I find with people, particularly young people, who come into the organisation [for an interview] it's often the first question they ask, what do we do as corporate citizen.
"They come to see if this is organisation they want to work for.
"In past they asked around the job, the pay, what am I going to get from working for this organisation. Now they ask what do you do for the community, the environment."
The sleepout is also a chance to bring a bunch of Vodafone people together who she would not normally meet up during day-to-day operations, Bibby says.
"The Vodafone team has grown year-on-year. Once you do it once, you stay with it. I can't not do it now."
All you need to know about the Lifewise Big Sleepout.
Where: AUT quad, Auckland CBD. There's also a Big Sleepout in Rotorua
When: Thurs July 2, starting at 6.30pm
How to get involved: You too can join – and get a few high-power contacts. Bidding is open on TradeMe to win a piece of cardboard and a privileged position among the great and the good – including Blues players Josh Bekhuis and Joe Edwards and singer Lizzie Marvelly, and the bosses of big New Zealand corporates - Anthony Healy (BNZ), Peter Reidy (KiwiRail), Graham Yan (Heritage Hotels), Derek McCormack (AUT), and Paul Bull (Signature Homes).
The Trade Me auction promises a "once in a lifetime bed and breakfast" experience, with "gold standard open-plan living under the twinkling city lights", a "deluxe cardboard mattress, and luxurious tarpaulin to use in case of rain".
Going for a song – only $210 when Idealog checked it out.
Top tips for Lifewise Big Sleepout newbies:
From Jan Bibby: "Get there early, so you get under the concrete balcony, in case it rains. Get a piece of cardboard, and a warm sleeping bag."
Or see a group of homeless people'stips for sleeping rough.
Etiquette: Girlie chats and midnight feasts are off the cards.
"It's not designed to be fun; it's designed to be a bit humbling," Bibby says.
Live streaming: Gloat at your cold mates from the warmth of your own bed. This year, Lifewise is going to be streaming the event live: www.bigsleepout.org.nz
Hot off the Press: While researching this story, Idealog editor Nikki Mandow decided she really should be there on the night. She slept out for a week in London when she was much, much younger (and much less wimpy), and is (kind of) looking forward to doing the one-night version in Auckland. She has just sorted her profile, and you can sponsor her at http://bigsleepout.org.nz/page/nikkimandow
Idealog has been covering the most interesting people, businesses and issues from the fields of innovation, design, technology and urban development for over 12 years. And we're asking for your support so we can keep telling those stories, inspire more entrepreneurs to start their own businesses and keep pushing New Zealand forward. Give over $5 a month and you will not only be supporting New Zealand innovation, but you'll also receive a print subscription and a copy of the new book by David Downs and Dr. Michelle Dickinson, No. 8 Recharged (while stocks last).
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All remaining closed Wood County snowmobile trails will open for the season at 8 a.m. on Friday according to Sandra Green, Wood County snowmobile/ATV coordinator.
Trails currently open include the Kellner Knights trails and the Sunset Drifters trail that runs from Highway 54 in Port Edwards into southern Juneau County. People are asked to use caution on trails and respect private landowners by staying on the trails.
The Wood County Snowmobile Ride/Food Pantry Drive will be held at 8 a.m. on Feb. 20, and will be hosted by the Auburndale Nite Owls. For more information, please call 715-421-8422 or visit www.co.wood.wi.us/departments/parks.


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By Major General Uzi Moscovici and Maj Oron Mincha
On a Thursday evening, several weeks after Operation "Protective Edge" took place, numerous officials from Israel's military, National Security Council, and Shin-Bet internal security service, as well as various others involved with national security and especially cybersecurity, assembled at the Prime Minister's Office. The Prime Minister intended to summarize the national framework for coping with cybersecurity incidents. This came about as a result of a recent Iranian attack that occurred during the fighting in Operation "Protective Edge," an Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip aimed at reducing rocket fire into Israeli territories.1
It is estimated that the attackers were coordinating their actions with Hamas during their activity in Gaza. The Israeli public was barely affected by this attack, but for many involved in cybersecurity, this attack "rang the alarm bells," so to speak.
The discussion continued several hours, lasting late into the night. There were quite a few disagreements regarding who is responsible for the security of the strategic assets of the State of Israel: the National Security Council, or the Shin-Bet. Clearly, it is a matter of prestige, as well as a conflict over manpower.
The discussion concluded with the proposition and eventually the resolution to establish a body responsible solely for cybersecurity. The "Protective Edge" incident and the increasing frequency and significance of cyber threats to the country had made this resolution more or less unavoidable. On February 15, 2015, the State of Israel approved Decision 2444, which goes by the name of "the Promotion of National Preparation for Cybersecurity." The main conclusion of the agreement is that it is necessary to establish a governmental body within the Prime Minister's Office that will be responsible for national cybersecurity.
The body will manage, operate, and execute all national-level cyber defense efforts, in order to provide a full and consistent response to cyber attacks in real time, as well as create situation reports, focus research and intelligence, and maintain contact with the special units. In addition, this new authority will operate a center that will provide support in dealing with cyber threats (effectively, a national CERT), and act as a central interaction point between the security groups and units in the economy. Its eventual goal will be to build and strengthen the immunity of the entire economy in the cyberspace through preparation and regulation, including guidance of the economy in cyber defense, improvement of sectors' and bodies' cyber defense capabilities, regulation of the cyber defense service industry, licensing, holding exercises and training, and providing incentives and other necessary tools.2
The Four Pillars That Stabilize the State's Defense
Fortunately, Israel did not wait until 2015 or until the Iranian attack in 2014 to create order in its cyber realm. From the dawn of the modern-technological age, Israel has been investing in technological progress, and wisely so. It was the first prime minister of Israel, David Ben Gurion, who consolidated Israel's approach to security. Ben Gurion designated that, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are quantitatively small relative to their surrounding adversaries, they must aspire to hold superiority over them in terms of quality. This approach led to the development and improvement of the human qualities of the Israeli soldier, with emphasis on equipping him with advanced weaponry through both in-house development and foreign purchases. This advantage has strengthened throughout the years, and it is backed by the development of Israel in numerous other sectors, such as science, technology, and industry. This advantage has manifested itself in the development of Israel's aerial capability, and in its ability to accurately strike targets with far greater firepower.3
Following Israel's upheaval after The Yom Kippur War, in 1974 the IDF established a technological information security body, with its main goal being to encrypt communication systems. From that moment onward, the IDF acknowledged the need to use "in-house" tools to protect its systems, starting with communication systems and later on advancing to information security systems. It's worth mentioning that with us being a small country, despite the conflicts between various security bodies (IDF/Shin-Bet/Mossad/Police) for assets, prestige, and manpower, there is strong cohesion between these bodies in terms of systems defense.
The current reality works on the basis of 4 security circles: The National Cyber Council acts as a national regulator until it becomes an authority with its own taskforce and defensive capabilities. The Shin-Bet, which is trusted to defend strategic assets today and in the future, will be forced to pass some of its authorities and manpower to the new national body. There's also the Ministry of Defense, which is responsible for defending its networks and regulating the defense of security industries in Israel. Finally, there's the IDF, which is responsible for defending its own networks, its objectives, and its capabilities, whatever those may be.
Despite there being a separation between these bodies, the Israeli reality overpowers bureaucracy, as it is a high-quality society where people know each other personally, whether it is because they served together in the army, studied together, live in the same city etc. The constant dialogue and support between people is unmatched by anywhere in the world. As a result, no one is surprised to see military personnel, dressed in civilian clothing, aiding the national bodies during a national event. The conflict over prestige and resources has intensified, but the national cause is always the one leading the approach of the tactical echelon. We allow the leaders, the managers and generals to fight over resources, and allow the working grades to do what they do best – work.
Cyber in Regards to Israeli Society
Cyber, as a brand, entered our vocabulary at the start of the 21st century. The Y2K bug frightened everyone at the dawn of the new millennium and caused the public to understand the basics of the challenges that come with network and information security. With this, we must remember that we are discussing a workspace that is unique due to it being man's creation and being idea based, contrary to the air, land, maritime, or space domains.
Israel is seen as an advanced and high-tech country, capable of capitalizing on the potential of this manmade domain. For many years the Israeli high-tech sector has developed ideas and solutions to system and information security, reflecting the "Start-Up Nation" phenomenon showcased in Dan Senor and Saul Singer's 2009 book of the same name. These technical and innovative skills in the cyber domain stem from education with a realistic orientation, combined with experience in IDF high-tech units, an active reserve service, and the leveraging of Israeli or international high-tech industry capabilities and resources.
A good example of this is Adam Singolda, a 34-year-old who founded the search company "Tabula" right after his military service in the technological "Matzov" unit of the C4I Directorate. In an interview in 2013 he said "Matzov is no different from any civilian startup. I learned there that the most important thing is the people you work with. In Matzov, they took a group of smart and fresh nerds and transformed them into those responsible for Israel's encryption. There, a 19-year-old knows that if he makes the slightest mistake, the enemy could hurt soldiers."4
Thankfully, Israel has talented people like Singolda by the hundreds, if not the thousands. Some of them have already burst into the general public's view, while others have yet to do so- but they still provide the nation's defense. They are the ones building Israel's high-tech, affecting the global high-tech scene, and creating a healthy, relatively secure cyber ecosystem that provides for better and safer usage at the individual, organizational, and national levels.
About the Authors
Major General Uzi Moscovici is a 34-year veteran of the IDF and a graduate of the U.S. Army War College. He currently serves as Head of the IDF J6/C4I Directorate, to which the IDF Cyber Defense Division reports. An armor officer, he has commanded at the battalion, brigade, and division levels, and served as the IDF Central Command's Operations Officer.
Major Oron Mincha is the Head of IDF C4I Foreign Military Cooperation. He has previously served as Company Commander, IDF Military Police Special Forces; Spokesman at IDF Central Command; Aide de Camp to Head of IDF Central Command; and assistant to IDF Defense Attaché, Israel Embassy, Washington, D.C.
End Notes
1. Kronfeld, S., & Siboni, G. (2014). Iranian cyber-attacks during Operation "Protective Edge". Retrieved from: http://heb.inss.org.il/index.aspx?id=4354&articleid=7583
2. Prime Minister Office. (2015). Promoting national preparations for Cyber Protection. Retrieved from: http://www.pmo.gov.il/Secretary/GovDecisions/2015/Pages/des2444.aspx
3. Ben-Israel, I. (2011). Israel's approach to national security. Tel Aviv - Broadcast University.
4. Orbach, M. (2013). 700 million Exits of Trusteer came out from MATZOV unit. Retrieved from:
Photo credits (in order of appearance):
1. The 4th Media
2. Times of Israel
3. Briff.me
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The so called, "Economic Crisis"
Friday, October 3, 2008, 07:30 AM - Academics, PoliticsAs I understand it, Paulson, et al. insists that if we do not give him lots of money, somehow, the US economy will suffer.
As I understand it, this alleged suffering is due to the habit of apparently all, or at least most, medium sized and larger businesses to regularly borrow money to pay their debts and stay in business.
Yet is it not precisely these business practices, over the past 30 years who have successfully wiped small businesses out of existence in our cities? Didn't we used to have corner drugstores before Walgreens? Didn't we used to have mom and pop hardware stores before Ace and Home Depot? Didn't we used to have friendly neighborhood bookstores before Barns and Noble and Amazon.com?
In other countries of the world, what small businesses there are work the way small business used to work in this country. They'd start business, grow, buy stuff they needed with cash (not credit) and grow some more until they reached an optimum size for their liking and then they would remain that size for many years (or, perhaps fluctuate) but NOT be run out of business by corporations with unlimited access to cheap loans.
I feel strongly that our country should be more like it was in the 1970s when, if you wanted to grow your business, you had to actually pay for stuff. If you couldn't make payroll, YOU WENT OUT OF BUSINESS. And that left opportunities for others to take over.
There should be NO bailout or rescue plan which would further inflate the currency anyway. We should allow investment banks to FAIL for being reckless and those people working there should find work in OTHER FIELDS better suited to them. This model of capitalism has too much inherent moral hazard. All politicians who were duped into thinking we need this need to be voted out of office. Starting with Ms. Wilson.
Sure, a few products will be more expensive. Sure, business will be "Less Efficient" but that way, we can actually get local culture back again and these fat cat bankers can just go crawl back into the hole from which they came.
But hey - that's just my opinion; worth every penny it costs you to read.
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A great new succinct definition for Sexism
Thursday, April 24, 2008, 06:48 AM - Politics, Gender PoliticsSo I was reading this morning about an interesting incident.
It appears that, in the beginning, quite spontaneously, a woman in a hallway at a hotel at a convention told a bunch of guys, "Feel my boobs! It's okay!" and therein began " The Open-Source Boob Project". Quoth the Ferrett :
At Penguicon, we had buttons to give away. There were two small buttons, one for each camp: A green button that said, "YES, you may" and a red button that said "NO, you may not." And anyone who had those buttons on, whether you knew them or not, was someone you could approach and ask:
"Excuse me, but may I touch your breasts?"
And if you weren't a total lout - the women retained their right to say no, of course - they would push their chests out, and you would be allowed into the sanctity of it. That exchange of happiness where one person are told with gropes and touches that they are desirable and the other is someone who's allowed to desire.
For a moment, everything that was awkward about high school would fade away and you could just say what was on your mind. It was as though parts of me were being healed whenever I did it, and I touched at least fifteen sets of boobs at Penguicon. It never got old, surprisingly.
Some women didn't want to. That was fine. We never demanded anything of anyone. And if you didn't want to put yours up for the Project but you wanted to touch, well, that was fine, too. It was simply for folks who felt like being open.
It was a raging success at Penguicon.... And there haven't been any hookups that I know of thanks to the Open-Source Boob Project. It is, as I said, a very special thing. (Though I wouldn't rule it out if two single people exchanged a moment.) And we'll probably do it at other cons, because it's strangely wholesome and sexual at the same time.
Reactions to this caused the originators to backtrack somewhat on their admittedly adolescent male utopia and clarify.
Reactions to the reactions included this wonderful piece that contains one of the very best most succinct definitions of racism and sexism I've ever encountered. See the second paragraph.
I love free speech. (within limits, obviously).
This reminds me of my own story of asking what shouldn't ever have been asked. But you'll have to ask me directly for the details of that. It shouldn't be published.
Meanwhile, back in the victorian era, we have idiots like John McCain doing the same sorts of things. Sigh.
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The economy
Tuesday, March 18, 2008, 07:20 PM - Political Science, Philosophy, PoliticsWhile it has been credibly suggested that all wars are really wars between men and women, I am more inclined to conclude that all wars are really between the rich and the rest of us.
300 to 400 years ago, the world was run by warlords. Words such as honor and fealty meant a lot back then. Then, a funny thing happened; the bankers figured out that armies need to eat and the Bankers stole the world from the warlords.
Bankers have ruled the world ever since. That's why such concepts as savings and investment and "free market economy" are so well respected, irrespective of their actual value to benefit human kind.
Now, the US economy is beginning the Second Great Depression. It will last for years and we will probably never again be the world's most powerful nation. In our lifetimes, we won't even have the buying power again we had 10 years ago. The crooks in the Whitehouse have indeed looted the entire nation and now -- even they're broke! What idiots!
But back to the rich vs. the rest of us.
Who wants to bet that just as Kennith Lay and his friends got off, so too will the crooks on Wall Street whose successful lobbying against strong banking regulations combined with the morons in the Whitehouse with their idiotic war for oil and protection of the government of Israel have plunged this country into economic collapse (within the next year, I think).
The real problem is, let's say for a moment that we all agreed that everyone worth over, say, one billion dollars needed to be hung. Well, the first thing they'd all do is hire a bunch of mercenaries to protect them and kill us, first. That's the truely difficult part of this mess. They've structured the world (bankers, that is) so that they can escape anonymously and -- even if they can't -- they still have power because we use money to trade.
I propose that everyone in the world collectively take a holiday from money.
Let's figure out alternative systems for bartering goods and services within societies on a small scale so we all can be fed, then let's all (that is, everyone all over the world) refuse to offer goods and services in exchange for monetary compensation. That's really the problem. While money has value, the crooks can use it to escape. They have more of it than us. But we have the goods, services and resources.
Hmm. Maybe there are a few tiny holes in my otherwise brilliant plan. I guess this is a kinda half formed thought. I'll work on this some more and get back to you all.
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The Economy in 24 months from now
Sunday, March 9, 2008, 11:21 AM - PoliticsSo since key states such as Ohio and Florida are still using Diebold and ES&S voting machines and central tabulators, there is NO reason to believe that the 2008 presidential "election" will not once again result in a candidate winning who was not voted for by the people.
This time, it will be a democrat. The media is carefully monitoring public sentiment and always adjusting so that the "race" will be appear to be as close as possible so that when the fixed candidate (Hillary Clinton) "wins", there will appear to be less reason to dispute it.
Then, Saudi Arabia will relax their "investment" in US treasury bonds. Other systems currently employed to stave off the current dramatic recession will be retired and much of the nation will be plunged into 3rd world economic status. That is, inflation will go into double or triple digits. Gas will go to $10 or $25 per gallon by mid 2010.
The other thing I am monitoring is lots of speculation among the tinfoil hat crowd that another 9/11 will happen just prior to election day (perhaps this is their backup plan?) so that bush can declare a "national emergency" and suspend voting (and the constitution) "temporarily".
The thing is, this time, the so called, "tin foil hat crowd" has been joined by a number of top intelligence officials. I have even heard it speculated that such an attack will occur in Chicago, Houston or Portland.
I will not be surprised if any of this happens.
I will not be surprised if none of this happens. I am only an egg.
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An Unfortunate Adventure
Sunday, March 4, 2007, 06:46 AM - Sociology, Politics, FriendsIn the late afternoon of Wednesday, 28 February 2007, my housekeeper Rochelle and I had decided to play musical furnishings; she knew of a guy with a truck who, for the better part of a tankful of gas would help us move the table in my apartment (which I'd purchased for $25) into her place and then go to my storage to get me one of my desks to replace it and bring it back to my apartment.
Ernie Montoya, Thief of Albuquerque
She introduced me to Ernie Montoya. He was a fit young articulate sweet sounding 29 year old guy. He said his birthday was today (28 Feb) or maybe tomorrow (1-March) and we conversed in the truck on the way. He had a White 2001 F-150 Ford pickup truck. When we were finished with the trip (he also helped me load a couple of additional pieces of furniture for the apartment in addition to the desk) he dropped me back off at home and left and I realized that my recently purchased $3,000. MacBook Pro laptop computer was missing. Since it was sitting on the very table which we had moved at the beginning of the trip, I knew I had personally moved it immediately prior to Rochelle and Ernie's visit. Since Rochelle had been cleaning for me for over a year without incident, I suspected Ernie of taking the computer.
But when questioned on Thursday, Ernie was well spoken and polite and easily told me he knew nothing about it but he'd happily help me search for it on Saturday.
More of Ernie Montoya, the thief
In further discussions with Rochelle and her sister, Rishanna, it came out that Rochelle had been missing a credit card. Since we now had someone to suspect, further investigation showed that the phone call to her bank to change the PIN number of her credit card had come from his mobile phone, number 505-319-9507. But he still denied everything. He didn't get angry, he just couldn't understand why we could come to such conclusions.
Since I have a camera outside my apartment door (although lack of disk space prevented me from having it on that week) I decided on a bluff. I told Ernie on Thursday that police forensics persons would examine the recording on Monday to see if the black blob he was seen carrying in the pictures would be acceptable identification of the theft in progress. (The computer was in a black bag)
I figured that would give us a weekend to come to an understanding without him losing face. He dissembled. He suggested that he has a black bag of his own and he would discuss with his lawyer whether or not I had the right to film him (using a camera in plain view) on the threshold of my apartment door. He still denied everything. By this time however, I was confident from his lack of anger at my accusations that he was lying.
The police were polite and kind but admitted that it was unlikely in their opinion that I would be able to get my computer back, even though I had lots of circumstantial evidence of the perpetrator, his name, mailing address (4400 San Pedro Drive NE), birthdate and vehicle description.
At first, my reaction was to place myself in his position. This motivated me to offer him $200. cash to get my computer back. But being a $3,000. laptop, he would have no motivation to accept my money as opposed to that from his fence or pawnbroker.
So -on advice from a friend who knows such people- I left messages on his voice mail to the effect that I had $200 to get my computer back, and I didn't care if I gave it to him directly or -if that didn't happen by Saturday night at 9 pm- I would give it instead to a couple of ex-marines who would gladly take it in exchange for breaking his arms to get it back- the choice was his. To cover my own previous lie, I said that I had already spoken with the police forensics people on Friday and they verified that the video wouldn't be good enough.
He called Saturday afternoon at 3 pm. Unlike his usual calm and gentle demeanor, he sounded angry and scared and terse. He would meet me and exchange the computer for the money as quickly as possible with no possibility of witnesses.
I invited over Rishanna (whom he knows) and called him back saying she was there to use my internet connection (a legitimate reason for her presence) but he was adamant; he would not come over until even she left. This frightened me. I figured since he knew her, there would be no reason for him to not feel comfortable with her company. I thought perhaps he wanted no witnesses because he meant to do me violence. I was scared too. The thought of actually being responsible for breaking the arms of another person was upsetting to me and I finally decided that my threat -although thankfully successful- had no teeth; I just couldn't do it.
Although I was glad to feel free of the burden this decision removed, I was at the same time filled with the kind of fear it caused so I made some more phone calls and finally decided, after further advice, to meet him at the Frontier Restaurant which was close by and always populated.
So as I waited there, I explained to another police officer what was happening. He made it very clear that it was his job to strongly advise me against these actions. I believe he was being guided by management decisions that prioritized actually helping the public as less important than preventing the possibility for lawsuits against the city. I could hardly blame him for doing what he was instructed. He left. I waited for Ernie to call.
Ernie the liar and Meth addict
Ernie called; I told him where I was and he said to meet him out the back door. The parking lot of the Frontier is very well lit and probably video surveilled, so I agreed. He drove up in a white 4-door hatchback jeep like vehicle (License beginning with "HP") with another guy. They showed me that the computer worked (I used my telescope to see it in the hands of the person in the passenger's seat from my position at the driver's window) and I showed them the money. We exchanged possessions. They drove off. This freaky subplot had -for the most part- ended.
But only for me. Rochelle is still missing her good pants and credit card. Who knows how many other innocent people have had possessions or identities ripped off? I feel good that I got my computer back, but I feel bad that -although at every step of the way I kept the police informed {Except for the part about the threat} no harm came to him as a result of these experiences.
If I were truly being a socially responsible creature, it would have been incumbent upon me to see to it that some kind of justice be done. Either having him caught by the police and sent to jail for -oh, say- 3 months to 2 years or have both his arms broken. Arms heal (mostly). So I was assuming that two broken arms would significantly change his lifestyle for at least 2 months. To have both broken instead of just one would mean he would need help to take care of himself and this would -I would hope- require that he trust someone absolutely. I thought perhaps this kind of trust would improve his ability and willingness to participate in society more in accordance with its rules, but we'll never know. Perhaps the next person from whom he steels will do this. I understand that if I had done this, there is a chance that I could have been sent to jail for it myself (for causing violence to another person) along with whoever I hired to do it. This would have been a just jail sentence and it would have been appropriate -as long as I didn't have my life ruined in the process, a distinct possibility).
Alas, I was just too chicken. Perhaps if I had not already been feeling bad about other aspects of my life, I might have had the courage to do that. And who knows, maybe he might've fallen in love with his caregiver and it could've been the best thing that ever happened to him. We'll never know.
Update: It appears that Ernie spent the $200 he extorted from me on Methamphedimines. The women he paid for them still might have the bills I gave him. I have their serial numbers on file.
[ 1524 comments ] ( 5453 views ) | permalink | ( 3 / 2998 )


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Following are the day's biggest winners and losers. Find out why shares of Coach and Broadcom popped while Gannett and XTO Energy dropped.
POPS (stocks that jumped higher)
SAFECO (SAF) popped 46%. Liberty Mutual paid $6.2 billion to buy this insurer, in a deal that will create the fifth largest property and casualty insurance company. – Wish I owned it, says Karen Finerman.


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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A law to ban skateboarders?
That's what being proposed in one Long Island community, where residents worry someone is going to get hurt.
CBS 2's Carolyn Gusoff saw one hill in Farmingdale on Thursday that would be perfect for skateboarding.
"It's a perfect grade. It's not too fast and it's not too windy," skateboarder Rob Mantooth said.
But for people who live on what's known as "Lenox Hill," it's perfectly clear: it's an accident waiting to happen.
"It's a dangerous situation. Sometimes you're backing out of the driveway and they're whizzing by. They are smaller than a car so you don't see them," resident Joyce Merzbacher said.
That's why Farmingdale Village officials have proposed a skateboarding ban on the residential hill, with $100 fines for violators.
"I don't want to sound rude and say it's ridiculous, but there are better things to ban like kids who do drugs and drink behind the high school," skateboarder Chris Abel said.
Farmingdale has already banned skateboarding in three of its parks, but on public streets it's legal. The mayor believes in healthy exercise, but said these few blocks have blind turns and the incline is so steep skaters reach speeds of 30 mph.
"I'd like to see them revisit this when they have their own kids 20 years from now, skateboarding down the street at 30 mph with four intersections and people coming out of the driveway," Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said.
Skaters said they always have a lookout for cars. They think they should be embraced, not banned.
"We'd rather be out here skating, not at home on Xbox. Rather be outside in fresh air," one boarder said.
"It's good, clean fun, so it'll probably get banned," added resident Neil Chernakoff.
The skaters said they want village officials to know they're college students who hold down jobs and this is a healthy outlet.
A public hearing is set for Monday night. Skaters said they'll be there — in suits and ties.
There is a skateboard park in the neighborhood, but skaters CBS 2's Gusoff spoke to said they use "long" boards, which require a long, downhill slope.
Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below …


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Engineers without Borders will be selling Hungry Howie's pizza throughout October to raise money to send a team to Peru in December!
Every Tuesday in October we will be outside of Pi R Square from 11am – 2pm selling slices for $1 each. Invite your friends & come hungry!
Don't know where Pi R Square is?
Our table will be located along Spence St outside of the Civil Engineering buildings (between DLEB and CVLB). Click here to see it on a map.


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1 Moon Sets, 3 Moons RisePosted on August 26th, 2009 No comments
Ha, My son Matt & I set up the 13 inch Gorsky scope on the driveway just as our earths moon was setting. We turned the scope to Jupiter and proceeded to watch 3 moons pop out from around Jupiter within 25 minutes. I noticed on the Sky & Telescope Jupiter's Moons program that this was going to occur and was glad to see it happen live. As Europa cleared the planet it was visible as a little bump on Jupiter….So we called it a "Zit". Jupiter only appeared to have 1 moon for a time before the acne problem developed.
On September 2nd at 10:45 pm or so, Jupiter will appear to be without any moons for 1hr & 45 minutes till 2 moons appear within 10 minutes. This is something else I want to see. Kinda funny that on this night, Our moon Luna, will be darn near full, and right next to Jupiter in the sky….(Apparently).
The web site to track Jupiter's moons is: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/javascript/jupiter#
Jupiter appearing moonless is a rare event that happens only about 20 times per century, and we have front row seats.
Happy Gazing!
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DNSWatch Blocking Popular Websites: A Recap and Future PlansApril 17, 2018 | By Patrick Cloke
Last February, DNSWatch mistakenly blocked popular domain names (you can see the details in our past blogpost). Since then we have been creating a plan to limit the possibility of this happening in the future. Recap: What happened? DNSWatch periodically updates the list of domains...MORE


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Learn more about the Monarch® Airway Clearance System.
For more information*
*The Monarch System is intended for patients 15 years and older.
For your next clinic appointment
Review and print these documents so you can discuss the Monarch System with your practitioner.
Monarch® System Patient Brochure (PDF)
Monarch® System Order Form (PDF)
Questions to Ask Your Physician (PDF)
Call us
To talk with a Hill-Rom Respiratory Care Representative about the Monarch® System, call us at 800-426-4224.
©2018 Hill-Rom Services PTE Ltd. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
202763 rev 1 17-APR-2017 ENG – US


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11 September 2017
Dealing with weight gain part seven: staying body positive whilst trying to lose weight
6 comments:
- Anonymous12/9/17 09:13
Couldn't agree more with this post! I never use to own a set of scales so had no idea what my actual weight was, and I really think that can help. I do have a set now, but don't weigh myself very often.ReplyDelete
I am in the same mind-set as you at the moment where I'd like to look after my body a bit more. I'm not overweight but I've decided to do some light exercise a few times a week (as I never did anything before!) and it really makes a difference to how you feel.
Love Melissa x
I think weighing yourself all the time can be really negative. I want to start doing some exercise a couple of times a week, but I think I need to build up, starting with once a week firstDelete
Steph x
I'm so glad you went to do it the healthy way, I've experienced all sides of weight loss and I'm currently happy with how my body is, but I make sure that I be kind to it after all that it's gone through! xxReplyDelete
I've done it in unhealthy ways in the past and it's just not good for me! I'm trying to be kinder to my body tooDelete
Steph x
Great post! Body positivity is different for everyone so its totally up to you how you approach it :) Looking after your body by eating nourishing food and taking exercise is such a positive thing!ReplyDelete
Hannah x
Thank you! It is - being body positive is simply being and feeling positive about your body, and it's different for everyoneDelete
Steph x
I read each and every one of your comments, and really appreciate the time you've taken to add them! If you want or need a more immediate response then contact me through my twitter @stephhartley4. Thank you!


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PORTLAND, ORE. -- Willamette University ran the ball 59 times with 19 different players and never had to punt, as the Bearcats routed Lewis & Clark College, 77-17, in a Northwest Conference game at Fred Wilson Field on Saturday, Nov. 3. Willamette set school records for points in a game, touchdowns in a game (11), rushing touchdowns in a game (11) and rushing yards in a game (599).
The Bearcats improved to 4-5 overall, while moving to 3-2 in the NWC. Lewis & Clark dropped to 0-8 on the season, 0-5 in the NWC.
Both teams scored in the first minute of the game. Willamette's Jose Green (Fr., RB, Downey, CA/Warren HS) returned the opening kickoff 70 yards to the L&C 14-yard line, setting up a 2-yard touchdown run by Skylar Swinford (Sr., RB, McCall, ID/McCall-Donnelly HS) two plays later with 14:53 left in the first quarter. On Lewis & Clark's first play after the ensuing kickoff, A.J. Brown completed a 79-yard touchdown pass to James Connelly, as the Pioneers tied the score, 7-7, at the 14:05 mark.
Willamette added two more touchdowns in the first quarter, while Adam Foote scored on a 40-yard field goal for L&C, leaving WU with a 21-10 advantage to open the second quarter. Three touchdowns in the second period extended Willamette's lead to 42-10 at the break. WU tacked on 14 points in the third quarter and 21 points in the fourth quarter.
The 77 points broke Willamette's previous high of 75, set in 1934 during a 75-0 win over Whitman College. The Whitman game also featured 10 rushing touchdowns and 10 total touchdowns, which were school records until Saturday's win at Lewis & Clark.
The Bearcats' 599 rushing yards against the Pioneers broke the WU single game record of 554 yards, set against Montana Tech in the NAIA Playoffs on Dec. 6, 1997. Against L&C, the Bearcats also threw for 82 yards to give Willamette 681 yards of total offense. The school record of 738 yards was set against Bethany College (Kan.) in the NAIA Playoffs on Nov. 23, 1996. Willamette currently competes in NCAA Division III.
Swinford led all rushers with 108 yards on just four carries. Deon Horne (So., RB, Issaquah, WA/Liberty HS) gained 88 yards on seven carries and scored one touchdown for the Bearcats.
Tony Krikorian (So., FL, Costa Mesa, CA/Costa Mesa HS) rushed for 61 yards on three carries. Dan King (Jr., RB, Nevada City, CA/Nevada Union HS) carried seven times for 79 yards and achieved one touchdown. WU's 11 touchdowns were scored by nine players, with C.J. Washington (Sr., RB, Spokane, WA/Shadle Park HS) and Brent Turner (Fr., RB, Newman, CA/Orestimba HS) each crossing the goal line twice.
Willamette's 599 rushing yards were earned on 59 attempts for an average of 10.2 yards per carry. The Bearcats limited Lewis & Clark to 98 rushing yards on 36 carries (2.7 avg.). L&C also completed 17 of 26 passes for 271 yards, giving the Pioneers 369 yards of offense.
Brown was 15 of 22 passing for 230 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Pioneers also lost two fumbles. Willamette lost one fumble for the Bearcats' only turnover of the game.
Ryan Whitcomb (So., QB, Oak View, CA/Nordhoff HS/College of the Canyons) was 6 of 9 for 81 yards for Willamette. James Yamashita (Jr., WR, Walnut Creek, CA/Los Lomas HS/Diablo Valley College) caught two passes for 35 yards. Josh Lee (Sr., TE, Eugene OR/Sheldon HS/Air Force Academy) hauled in two passes for 32 yards.
Willamette also benefited from the efforts of a balanced defense in which many of the Bearcats received playing time. Jack Bevins (Jr., ILB, Park City, UT/Park City HS) led the 'Cats with six total tackles (five solo) and Andrew Haraldson (Jr., OLB, Eureka, CA/Eureka HS/College of the Redwoods) added five total tackles. An additional 32 players were credited with an least one solo or assisted tackle.
Lewis & Clark was led defensively by Ryan Chapman, who recorded 14 total tackles (eight solo). Shawn Kelly earned 12 total tackles (10 solo) for the Pioneers.
The games' two interceptions went to Willamette defenders James Perez (So., CB. Petaluma, CA/Petaluma HS) and Taylor Hermes (Sr., ILB, Keizer, OR/McNary HS/Southern Oregon University). Both pickoff were recorded in the second quarter.
Hermes ran for 12 yards following his interception, which occurred at the Willamette 1-yard line with WU leading 28-10. Brown of L&C made the errant throw on 1st-and-Goal at the Willamette 8. Following the interception and return by Hermes, the Bearcats drove 87-yards in 10 plays, with King scoring on a 34-yard run for a 35-10 lead.
The second interception was on the Pioneers' next possession. On the sixth play, Brown was intercepted by Perez, who caught the ball at the Willamette 34 and returned it 39 yards to the L&C 27.
Horne rushed for 26 yards on the next play, then scored on a 1-yard run. Matt Bicocca (Sr., PK, San Andreas, CA/Calaveras HS), who went 11 for 11 on extra points on the day to set a Willamette individual record, kicked the PAT following Horne's touchdown to give WU its 42-10 halftime margin.
Willamette will conclude the season at home next weekend, when the Bearcats host Pacific Lutheran University at McCulloch Stadium in Salem, Ore. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. (PST).


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Our "Pick" is the shape that you at home are most like try on your own volition. Hint. Valentines day: home-made heart, that YOU made. Hint: not store-bought.
Who is this man? Pee Wee Herman? John Wayne Gacy? (Bright colors. Balloons. Little kids.)
Nope. Michael Floyd.
While this particular how-to is crazy simple, Michael's tutorials on balloon animals simply dominate our balloon art sub-category. By day, Michael is a web applications programmer. By night, he turns into a possessed balloon twister.
At the tender age of seven, right here in southern California, he became enamored with a local laundromat vending machine in the shape of a square clown. "I remember inserting 50 cents, and out would pop a cardboard box with two balloons and a folded-up instructional manual." It was here Michael learned how to make the balloon giraffe.
In short order, he figured he could how to make a cat, a horse, even an airplane.
We are not as talented as Michael. We start with the heart.


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- This event has passed.
Network With Results International Vancouver
February 27 @ 9:30 am - 11:00 am
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 9:30am on Wednesday, repeating until July 17, 2019
A networking event for members. Bring business cards and/or a colleague. There is an annual membership fee but visitors can attend twice for free. $199 plus a one-time set-up fee of $75.


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Political leaders reflect on the 11th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks
WASHINGTON (WRCB) - Political leaders reflect on the 11th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
Congressman ChucK Fleischmann: "On September 11, 2001, our nation was attacked by al-Qaeda terrorists. Enemies of civilization, these terrorists targeted and murdered nearly 3000 innocent Americans. To this day, I still vividly remember watching in horror as the twin towers collapsed. The images of the collapsing towers, the damaged Pentagon, and the wreckage of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania are forever burned into my mind.
Despite the evil of the attack, stories of heroes emerged: Passengers on Flight 93 who stormed the cockpit and prevented an additional attack, firemen and policemen who gave their lives to help workers escape the twin towers, and Father Mychal Judge, who died on scene while administering last rights to the fallen. These stories inspire us, and remind us of the importance of standing up to evil. Of course, no discussion of heroes is complete without mentioning all of the troops who served our nation in response to the attacks.
Today we honor and remember the dead. We thank those who served, the firemen, police officers, and soldiers who risk their lives every day to keep us safe. May the fallen rest in peace."


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Chicago continues to prove itself as a tech hub. Many have dubbed the Midwest, and Chicago specifically, as the "Silicon Prairie." Do you think this nickname will stick?
MORE: Tribune's Melissa Harris on Silicon Prairie — love it or loathe it?
Have a better nickname? Leave it in the comments above.
MORE: Property Investors Fall for America's Latest Tech Hub: Chicago
Chicago's 'Silicon Prairie' is the Tech Darling of the Midwest
Silicon Prairie: Tech Startups Find A Welcoming Home In The Midwest


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The Health and Retirement Study shows that 56% of Americans over 50 leave their jobs before being ready to retire. more...
December 5 , 1933 : Prohibition ended in the US. more...
Learn something new every day
More Info... by email
Maxwell's Equations have to do with four distinct equations that deal with the subject of electromagnetism. Interestingly enough, the originator of these equations was not the person who chose to extract these four equations from a larger body of work and present them as a distinct and authoritative group. First presented by Oliver Heaviside and William Gibbs in 1884, the formal structure of Maxwell's Equations is based on the work of James Clerk Maxwell during the 1860's.
Each of the four components of the set of equations are configured to address four different aspects of electromagnetism. As a group, Maxwell's Equations seeks to articulate the relationship that exists between the electric charge, the magnetic field, the electric field, and electric current. Of the four equations that are part of this group, only one was actually developed by Maxwell himself. The other three were preexisting understandings posited by others in the field and interpreted by Maxwell in his 1861 work "On Physical Lines of Force."
However, the explanations that were made by Maxwell, along with the manner in which he connected the fundamentals of Ampere's Law, Faraday's Law, and Gauss's Law proved to be compelling research and was widely received. With only some slight changes to allow for developments in the study of electromagnetism, Gibbs and Heaviside extracted these four elements from Maxwell's earlier work and named the combination Maxwell's Equations.
There is also a second set of Maxwells equations that is sometimes confused with the primary set of four. Derived from Maxwell's 1865 work "A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field," this combination of equations totals eight. Within this body of eight equations, six of them are actually constructed in a pattern that contains a set of three sub-equations. In terms of relating the ideas behind the equations contained in each distinct set, the four equation group more or less equates to the ideas that are found in the larger set of eight more complicated equations.
Whether referring to either the set of four Maxwell's Equations or the larger and more comprehensive set of eight, the concepts contained within the equations continue to inform the study of electromagnetism.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!


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Update: new numbers from Compete seem to suggest the fall has been stopped, but the growth strategy has not been articulated, nor has it kicked in.
And while a very nice Marketing Director contacted me to give me some insights into their new strategy, she was not able to go on record with any helpful information. Here's to hoping they have a plan. 1.7m uniques is nothing to sneeze at, but I believe SU has some work to do.
StumbleUpon is evolving, but it may be hurting its relevance within the social marketing community. We saw this happen with Digg, the fall can be swift and permanent. If StumbleUpon doesn't correct it's misstep it could fall into the used-to-be-relevant network category.
I've been a longtime fan of Stumbleupon, so I was frustrated a few months ago when the site seemed to have a hard time retaining my login-credentials. Then, for a few weeks, even when I had my newly refreshed user name and password combo, I still couldn't get in. But the worst was yet to come.
I don't Stumble as a user, but as a content promoter. As part of my socialization routine, I would stumble every new article I published. And the returns, while never viral, did contribute to the findability and perhaps even the Google page rank of my writing.
Back in the glory days, StumbleUpon gave us the ability to classify our content, through a massive dropdown list. But today, if you haven't submitted content for a while, and you can get your password reset, you get this excitingly generic screen.
and this handy congrats screen.
So now, I'm guessing SU does all the heavy lifting and places our LIKE within their system, somehow, from tags or content, or … Nothing. Perhaps it's just a LIKE. But the taxonomy was part of the magic. Now it's on autopilot.
But in looking into SU I now see that the company has focused on iOS and Android versions of their "discovery" platform. (Guess I should go use the app, and see how it works… nah…)
And in the transformation, SU purchased the video discovery app called 5by. (Perhaps I should go try that app out, as well. Nah)
So, overall, let's look at SU's ascendency or the opposite.
As you can see, according to Shareaholic, SU is still #4 but their numbers peaked in March – May of 2014 and have been on a steady decline, mirroring our Compete graph from the top of this article. SU is on the way DOWN. I'm wondering what their plan is. Or perhaps, since Shareaholic is a web-based tracking service, not particularly geared towards mobile, we need to look at a deeper stat from some websites I have access to.
Here's my overview of what's happening with StumbleUpon.
- Technical troubles synchronizing their mobile app with the website caused login problems
- New LIKE add does not allow for user classification
- Focus on mobile space may be killing their web dominance
- #4 Social referral network, but dropping
- Massive spike in activity March – May 2014 just before the dropping influence
- New video-focused app 5by – may be derailing their previous success in the web space
And Yes, I Stumbled this article. (grin)
Following up, I got this nice tweet from StumbleUpon's Marketing Director.
John McElhenney – let's connect online
@jmacofearth & Google+ & Facebook & LinkedIn


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A good blog should have one theme: parenting, travel, homeschooling, running, or living abroad.
But life isn't that tidy. Rather, themes tend to run together like watercolors on the wrong type of paper.
I can't write about one aspect of life without revealing the strange bits, because the quirks (even frustrating ones) are what make my life unique and funny and memorable.
I would like to introduce you to a character you know well from my posts: my arch nemesis…
…the manure truck.
Now this particular truck is not all that bad, because it has hoses that funnel the liquid straight to the ground.
Other trucks I've seen do not have the intricate hoses. Instead, the manure spews out, as if someone had yoinked a giant cork out of the back.
I've also seen manure trucks that mist the fields with their ripe liquid pungency. But those trucks are less efficient, and with the right wind, a lot more dangerous for runners.
Even with your windows rolled up and your air freshener twirling from your full-blast AC vent, merely driving behind one of these trucks will bring tears to your eyes.
If you grew up in farm country, you will tell me this is a classic case of a city girl who is not accustomed to the frische Landluft.
For the record, this manure comes from pig waste.
And pig manure, as we all know, makes cow patties smell like fresh clean laundry by comparison.
When you are out running and you see one of these trucks in the field, turn around and go the other way.
It's not that you will necessarily be sprayed with manure, it is the fact that the stench makes you feel like you should have donned your toxic chemical cleanup suit rather than your running tights.
On the bright side, if you are running parallel to a field where they are manuring, you are guaranteed your best time ever. Manure trucks, for all their flaws, are great motivation for achieving a personal best.
It is the manure trucks that make my training runs interesting. I have to alter, adapt, or change paths because of them, and thus, my runs are never routine.
I sometimes think this would be paradise, if not for the manure trucks.


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WebSphere MQ Logs not at the capacity you need?
ValerieLampkin 27000182R2 Comments (6) Visits (36247)
Not sure how to increase your WebSphere MQ active logs when your application traffic increases? The ideal scenario would be to plan in advance for the message volume and size MQ logs accordingly at the time the queue manager is created. The total number of primary and secondary log files cannot exceed 511 on UNIX® systems, or 255 on Windows. The System Administration Guide has information for calculating the size of the log . However, we often have clients who have had an increase in message traffic and need to then increase their log... [More]


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1. Bearing
The shaft of the crusher bears the full load of the negative machine, so good lubrication has a great bearing on the bearing life. It directly affects the service life and operating rate of the machine. Therefore, the injected lubricating oil must be clean and the seal must be good. The main oil filling place (1) rotating bearing (2) roll bearing (3) all gears (4) moving bearing, sliding plane.
2. Looseness of newly installed tyres is often subject to frequent inspections.
3. Pay attention to the work of all parts of the machine is normal.
4. Pay attention to check the wear of the wear parts, always pay attention to replace the worn parts.
5. Put the mobile device's chassis plane, should go out of dust and other things to avoid the machine encountered the material can not be broken when the mobile bearing can not move on the chassis, resulting in serious accidents.
6. If the bearing oil temperature rises, you should immediately stop and check the cause to eliminate it.
7. If the impact sound of the rotating gear during operation should immediately stop and check, and eliminate.


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Ingredients:3/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1/2 sugar
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Steen's Pure Cane Syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
Cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add syrup, peanut butter and egg; blend well. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Stir into syrup mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
YIELD: Approximately 2 dozen cookies


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We're excited to have you at the EveryLibrary Conference house! This will be a fun event and an exciting way to spend your conference as well as a great money saver.
We made this page to make it easy to pay for the house and to ensure that you get a receipt if you need one. Your receipt will come via email after payment. To pay, ignore the pre-set amounts and enter the amount you owe. This payment system uses Stripe as its processor so its very secure.
If you have any questions or need the invoice in a different format, or if you need to pay in a different way. Just let us know!


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An Established General Law Practice Serving The Altoona Area
Our community means a great deal to us at Gieg Law Offices LLC. Most of us were born and raised here. After going to law school, we came back home determined to make our area a better place. Our law practice is a huge part of that ongoing commitment. The law firm was founded by a grandfather of two of us and continued by his son. The firm is now in its third generation and going strong.
Our commitment to the integrity of the legal profession is also strong. We understand our reputation is at stake with every case, and we work hard accordingly. We apply our knowledge and skills for the sake of helping our clients overcome life's difficulties.


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Daring Deeds - real stories, expeditions, road trips and adventure
Offa's Dyke Leads Home
By Adventure Pedlars
10, Feb, 2017
Part 1: A breathtakingly simple answer to a pretty direct statement: "We should get out and do something"
'Yes' That's how it all starts… A breathtakingly simple answer to a pretty direct statement: "We should get out and do something"… "Hmm,.. Yes".
But where it will lead to is anyone's guess…
Jake and I met at an adventure festival over the summer, both of us there to promote our respective businesses; Jake's Cured Meats and Adventure Pedlars. A conversation sparks up about generating some bikepacking-based promotional material. Cue the aforementioned exchange and we're off… A date set. Adventure in the making!
As busy summer months roll on by there wasn't much further thought given to the matter. The irony of working to set others off on their own adventures is that it leaves little time for planning one's own. Eventually, though, we come up with a loose plan. It turns out that Jake's Farm (the staging post for all manner of free-range porky goodness) sits nestled up against the Welsh 'Black Mountains' and a glance at the map showed that just past it runs the ancient route of 'Offa's Dyke'…
Offa, King of the Mercians, thought to himself, around the 1st Century AD, that he'd rather not have any pesky Welsh folk marauding into his lands and as such he ordered the construction of one of the largest earthworks the world had ever known. Stretching an astonishing 176 miles from Liverpool Bay in the north all the way down to the Severn Estuary in the south, the route of this ancient defence system still pretty much follows the current Wales-England border. Despite Offa's best efforts though, these days his defences are largely ineffective. For the most part the dyke now consists of a faint, grassy mound and ditch snaking it's way across the landscape and I for one spotted several Welsh people crossing it with little or no trouble at all…
It does, however provide a rather nice linear feature to follow across this beautiful, rolling portion of the British Isles and what's more tempting for an adventurer than a line disappearing off over the horizon? So we decided we'd trace it down towards Jake's place from the North coast. However, with the official 'Offa's Dyke Trail' being mostly 'footpath' it's a no-go for mountain bikers so my mind jumped to a route I'd seen in Lawrence McJannet's book: 'Bikepacking: Mountain bike camping adventures on the wild trails of Britain' which followed Offa's Dyke in it's entirety from Prestatyn to Chepstow along ancient byways and bike friendly trails. A quick and lazy fix to route finding, maybe, but this gave us both a starting point and a line on the map to follow and there was something quite refreshing and intoxicating about the fact that I didn't really know where it led…
The point of the journey was twofold. First we wanted to prove to ourselves and others that adventures don't have to be too complicated or difficult, that you can just set off with minimal planning and preparation and that an element of uncertainty and the unknown is in-fact part of what makes it an adventure. Secondly, with Jake - a trained chef, we wanted a way to showcase 'wild camping cuisine', dispelling the popular myth that just because you're roughing it under the stars you have to throw out all taste and objectivity regarding what you eat. Proving that 'adventure food' needn't be highly processed, prepackaged, unethical 'fuel' and that cooking it can itself be an enjoyable and rewarding aspect of a trip.
To get these points across we felt it would be a good idea to film the journey but, as anyone who's ever tried filming an adventure will know, the act of filming a trip has a nasty habit of taking over from what you actually set out to do in the first place. What we needed was someone who'd take care of it all for us and, as life has a funny way of providing what you're after exactly when you're after it, an e-mail dropped into my inbox from Brad, a local photographer looking to get some experience of adventure filmmaking. Perfect. The scene was set as the three of us met up in a chilly Prestatyn train station car park one morning in early November.
Adventure Pedlars provided all of the bikepacking luggage and equipment from their hire fleet, the friendly folk at Alpkit kindly sorted us with a couple of their new Sonder 'Broken Road' titanium 27.5+ bikepacking bikes and Jake's Cured Meats sourced all manner tasty wholesome food for the trip (including countless 'Summit Salamis'). Whilst splitting it all down between us, Jake and I couldn't help but feel at a slight advantage as Brad heaved the second of his SLR lenses onto his setup... Soon enough though we were all packed up and following that enticing line on the map as it beckoned us over the dunes of the North Wales coastline.
The pleasantries were, however, somewhat short-lived as we swung to the South and up into what was a brutal series of height gains that served to blow away any festering cobwebs. The weather had the ethereal air of a British autumn. Billowing clouds with dark, menacing underbellies were broken by piercing beams of golden sunlight that scattered their shifting patterns across the landscape below. Scents of mud and decomposing leaf mulch joined in with a brisk chill as we gulped the air greedily into our lungs, urging ourselves onwards. Offa had clearly done his homework when he routed his embattlements seemingly over all of the highest points the landscape had to offer. If there was a hill, chances were we'd be going over it and more demoralising was the ever present view of the wind turbines off the Prestatyn coastline well into the latter stages of the day reminding us that progress was slow… Or was it? What in fact was 'progress' in the context of chasing this line along the map? Did it matter where we got to? How far we went? Was the point not just to set off with the uncertainty of not knowing where we'd end up? We were outside, away from the normality of life, surrounded by an unfamiliar landscape doing exactly what we'd set out to do. In a world where success is so often measured and quantified by numbers and figures it takes a leap of understanding to comprehend that success may just dwell in the act rather than the objective… I think it occurred to us all around the same time, sat down by our bikes on a Welsh hillside in the golden afternoon light sharing around a packet of Starmix and grappling with an unspoken guilty feeling that we should have been riding… Why? The question arose without pretence and the answer lifted a weight from all of our shoulders. Right then, right there, there was nowhere else we had to be.
Don't get me wrong, I'm up for a bit of self inflicted pain as much as the next 'rugged adventurer' but there's a time and a place for all things and with an industry that's already littered with the inspiring tales of challenges and 'daring-do', here we were out to present a different side. Where sitting at the side of the trail, eating tasty food and taking it all in with new friends becomes just as important punishing yourself against the 'hero-making' climbs. So we held our heads high as we dawdled our way across the hillside in the glowing pink of an early sunset, our trail snaking us around the iron age hill fort of 'Moel Arthur' (500BC), testament to the vast depth of history this landscape holds, and it all felt like it was well worth taking in...
Spots of rain appeared as we refilled our water bottles in the kitchen of Cilcain village hall aided by friendly but bemused members of a WI meeting that were wholly unused to any bearded, muddy cycling interlopers… The warm glow of a village shop-cum-cafe beckoned us in and we watched, clutching treasured mugs of steaming hot chocolate, as the rain intensified against a blackening windowpane. All of us quietly contemplated the unpleasant prospect of heading back outside to find somewhere to sleep. An OS map on the wall showed a nearby woodland that looked as though it may provide some shelter for our night bivi and, as fortune would have it, by the time we drummed up the courage to venture back out into the darkness the rain had passed.
'Devil's Gorge!' read the less than inviting sign as we pushed our bikes off the road and onto the trail through Loggerheads Park. It's meaning quickly became apparent as we found ourselves precariously perched with laden bikes high up on a cliffside ledge looking vainly into the bottomless darkness below for a place to sleep… When you're looking for a suitable bivi spot invariably there's a small voice in the back of your head that tells you the perfect place is actually just around the next corner… In this particular case I was glad we listened as we pushed on and the track eventually widened enabling us to select a nice sheltered, leafy hollow in the trees to set up the tarp.
Knowing that this was British November and that we were planning to spend time in the evenings cooking up our meals, I'd opted to bring along a massive Alpkit 'Rig 21' tarp (suitable for up to 8 people…). A touch overkill for most bikepacking exploits but in this case it proved it's worth, allowing us to set up, cook, lay out our kit and sleep undercover without fearing the rain. Once we were warm and dry Jake set to work prepping the evening meal, a Spanish inspired bulgar wheat and quinoa with chorizo and veggies dish. Using free-range pig lard to fry off his homemade chorizo and pre-prepared spice blend. All unusual additions to the bikepacker's kit list but as we looked on with rumbling bellies, tempting scents drifted back towards our nostrils. Jake explained that despite lard getting a bad wrap in modern cooking, at high temperatures it is often healthier than frying with vegetable oils. As with all animal products, the healthier and happier the life of the animal, the better it is to put in your body. The fat from his free range pigs rummaging in their woodland is high in omega-3s and oleic acid (all apparently good stuff) and their dried, cured meats are rich in complete - muscle building - proteins. Easy to store and transport it's no wonder they've been a fuel of choice for mountain folk and adventurers for thousands of years. From Native Americans to Incans and Romans, cured meats were used long before 'energy food' was ever a marketable thing. Needless to say though, the main issue for us was that it all tasted awesome and once hunkered down with full, warm bellies sleep was not slow to come down in the leaves.
Morning came with a start.. "BARNEY!!"… "BAAARNEEEEEY!!!"… Barney, an excitable cocker spaniel on a mission, came snuffling through our camp before rushing back towards his bemused owner on the track above. Time to get up… Cold bones creaked as we whipped down the tarp and set about making breakfast. Freshly brewed coffee and Israeli inspired Shakshuka of all things... We were indeed living the high life and who said wild camping couldn't be five star!
On the road again we all seemed to feel a fresh perspective about the trip. "Let's just go…, we're not sure where or how long it might take us but don't worry about it and just GO"… It's a lovely concept, real idealistic freedom as we sauntered our way through woodland, across streams and around muddy fields. The route seemed to avoid all settlements and although we were aware of them it often seemed as though we could have been the only ones in that ancient landscape. That blissful, destination-less ideal does, however, all come crashing down around you right about the time you start to get hungry… "hmm, maybe they'll be a shop soon".., "if we see a shop in the next village let's stop of lunch".., "really! another hill!!".., "aaargh!…when will we ever find food!?!"
Mid afternoon and Llandegla village answered all our prayers: 'Community Village Shop & Cafe' read the welcome and well overdue sign outside the old village school house just as the rain started. Bundling inside, we were warmly accommodated (despite ongoing renovation work) as we stocked up on freshly brewed coffee, pies and cakes. The community of Llandegla took ownership of their own village shop after it's closure in 2015 and it now uses the project to overcome many of the issues facing modern rural life - ranging from isolation and loneliness to poverty. It serves as a welcome reminder that, even in these days, communities are able to effectively take matters into their own hands when let down by the system. A wonderful aspect of bicycle travel - especially when there are no deadlines - is the stories you uncover in forgotten places you'd never otherwise stop in. The necessity for stocking up on food and water leads us to dwell in the places in-between destinations. This particular encounter reminded me that you don't have to be at a roadside on the other side of the planet to find encouraging stories of human endeavour. All around us there's signs that the world's not actually all that bad. You only have to find the perspective to look for them.
With rain falling and light fading we pressed on into Llandegla forest, an ethereal mist spilling through the conifer trees as we climbed a never-ending hill past the swooping mountain bike trails in the popular forest park. Emerging from the tree line onto a wet, misty moorland we were faced with one of those decisions… The kind that can make or break an 'epic'. With the light of the day almost gone and finding ourselves in the most wild and exposed bit of landscape we'd yet passed, do we press on with the route further up into the unknown or do we instead retreat down to find a sheltered place to camp in the woods? A brief discussion on the wind-battered hillside and we decide to head on. An 'epic' in the making? Well, possibly… But then these are the story-makers. Those moments when reason would probably have you turn back but something else, something altogether more important urges you on into the mist and the mud.
The lift from increased adrenaline coursing through our bodies had us chuckling to ourselves as the trail became ever more indistinct. 'Chubby' 27.5+ tyres proving their worth as they gripped through the bog and mud of the featureless, darkening moor top. Lights on, dazzled reflection off thick mist. We stop at a phone mast - the only feature for miles - sodden, faces stung pink by worsening hail, briefly contemplating the ludicrousness of our situation. It didn't seem to matter where we ended up now, just so long as we made our way off this freezing hillside. We follow the line on the GPS blindly as it leads us into darkness and down a challenging technical single track. On a dry, sunny day that descent would be well worth re-visiting. Barreling its way off the moorside at a palm's width through the heather; begging to be enjoyed. Even on a fully laden bike, with cold, numbed fingers in the dark and hail it was a grin-inducing affair. Testament to the capability of Sonder's Broken Road. Occasionally stopping to re-group we'd watch the beams off each other's lights bouncing down through the darkness. Cold and wet had most certainly set in but spirits remained high. This was still exactly where we needed to be!
Eventually we hit tarmac. In theory our situation was really no better, we were still sodden and miles away from anywhere in the dark but relief certainly found us all on that road. A bivi in the woods was no longer an attractive option. We all decided that what was needed first was a radiator and a pint! In such situations you tend to adapt your desires to the available options. I daresay on a truly wild part of the world the shelter of a bivibag and tarp would indeed be truly welcome but this was Wales and there had to be a pub somewhere!!
Our fat tyres buzzed off the waterlogged tarmac as we ate through the night miles flying downhill towards Llangollen. Spray in our faces. Pedalling as hard as possible to stay warm. Stale sweat seeped into my eyes and mouth from my helmet pads as they were drenched by the rain. Three flashing red dots disappearing into the cold night. We count down numbers on rural signposts. 11,7,4,2… Fingers and toes lost to all sensation. Eventually a warm glow from street lighting appears in the sky and before long we pull silently and shivering uncontrollably out of the rain and into the heated smoking shelter of a roadside hotel. Peering in through a steamed up window at tables of couples enjoying romantic wine-fuelled evenings by a roaring fire, we decide that despite the temptation we should probably set about looking for less salubrious premises to accommodate the likes of us. Back out into the rain again we scan the highstreet for a pub that might accept us. The Bull Inn, with it's stone flag floors was just the ticket. Outside, smoking punters looked on bemused as we locked up our bikes and rushed inside to clamp ourselves to the radiator. We'd made it! There's nothing quite like that buzz you get from that first post-'epic' pint. It's enough to quash all scruples and drastically change any plans… By the second we'd made the altogether easy decision to find a hostel for the night…
Llangollen hostel was everything we could have hoped for. Friendly, easy going, secure bike storage, outstanding drying-room facilities and a mercifully hot shower. It's always encouraging to come across those small, independent businesses that really take care and think about what they're doing and then get it just right. Despite being an unplanned element of the trip that place certainly enhanced our whole experience. Contrast is so often the quickest route to true appreciation and no more than a couple of hours after shivering our way off the dark, wet hillside with no clue of where we'd be sleeping we were sprawled contentedly over the cozy hostel living room. Fire blazing and bellies full of chips. Uncertainty done well… And, what with changes of plan being the order of the day we took a look at the route ahead. The original idea was to reach Jake's by Friday night. The never-ending work commitments of small business owners beckoned... However, with our blissfully un-rushed attitude towards schedules, the time-consuming activities of filmmaking and limited daylight hours stacked against us, this had by now become an unreality. In a perfect world it wouldn't matter. We'd just get there when we got there… But this most certainly is not a perfect world and at 07:30 the following morning as my phone buzzed to tell me Donald J. Trump would be the next U.S. president, we were already rushing hard to catch a morning train South…
On an adventure the rest of the world tends to feel like it's a long way away. It's one of the main reasons why we're drawn to go in the first place. Missions at hand precede wider world concerns and there, stood on a platform in Shrewsbury train station with an obtuse conductor insisting that only two bikes at a time were allowed onto his almost completely empty train carriage, this indeed felt like the world's greatest injustice!… I hurriedly removed both the wheels and declared as we piled aboard that this was in fact no longer a bicycle but was now 'hand luggage'... enjoying the victory as we slumped down into our seats.
Watching countryside flying past in a blur of greens browns and greys I couldn't help wondering what it was we were missing… that somehow the train journey had stolen away some of our adventure. The certainty with which we would arrive at Pen-y-Bont at 11:37 contrasted starkly with the previous feeling of not knowing what was beyond the horizon. Had we cheated? Can you cheat when you set out without rules? The fact of the matter was, we'd adapted. Adapted our plans and expectations to the uncertainty that we'd managed to achieve. This was just as much a part of our adventure as the wild moor top or the woodland bivi and to acknowledge it was equally important. Sat on that train carriage whizzing towards another new place was again exactly where we needed to be...
Pen-y-Bont station was not much more than a quiet bus stop with rails and after reassembling the bike we were quickly off on the main road to relocate our route. It didn't take long to regain that familiar line on the map as it whisked us off the tarmac and once again into the unknown. The relaxed pace of quiet lanes contrasted starkly with the nervous business of rail travel and the world seemed to settle down once again. We'd jumped ourselves to two thirds of the way down the route and now had only a day or so ride down to Jake's farm. Once again the route traced the line of the hills and soon we were racking up contours to gain a ridgeline disappearing off into the horizon. We stop briefly to watch a white, wild looking pony showing off to us on the hillside opposite, rain clouds and sunshine battling for dominance creating a dramatic vista across the landscape.
Lunch stop at the side of a muddy farm track and Jake produces a side of home-cured bacon from his pack… another unusual trail snack to say the least but as he carves off chunks, setting them to sizzle in a spoonful of hot lard on the stove he explains that uncut cured bacon will actually last a long time outdoors. Traditionally cured in autumn, it would last all winter long, either hung up in the chimney to smoke or left 'Green' in the larder. A far cry from the flaccid, watery mess that gets sold on supermarket shelves and consumed, crispy and delicious, sandwiched between thick chunks of bread right there stood in the mud that was easily, without a doubt the best bacon sandwich I'd ever had.
Carry on reading... with video and recipes! Go to Part 2 Now
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Josep Samitier
|Personal information
|Full name
|Josep Samitier Vilalta
|Date of birth
|2 February 1902
|Place of birth
|Barcelona, Spain
|Date of death
|4 May 1972(aged 70)
|Place of death
|Barcelona, Spain
|Playing position
|Youth career
|Senior career*
|Real Madrid
|National team
|Teams managed
|Atlético Madrid
|* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
|Medal record
|Men's football
|Representing Spain
|Olympic Games
|1920 Antwerp
|Team competition
Josep Samitier Vilalta (Catalan pronunciation: [ʒuˈzɛp səmitiˈe]; 2 February 1902 – 4 May 1972), also known as José Samitier, was a Spanish footballer, manager and scout who played as a midfielder for FC Barcelona, Real Madrid CF, OGC Nice, the Catalan XI and Spain. He later coached Atlético Madrid, OGC Nice and FC Barcelona and worked as a scout for both Barcelona and Real Madrid.
During his playing career with FC Barcelona he scored 184 official goals and currently is the club's all time fifth top goalscorer behind Luis Suárez, who scored 187 goals; Ladislao Kubala, who scored 194 goals; César, who scored 232 goals and Lionel Messi, who scored 613 goals. As a player, he pioneered the midfield general role and was nicknamed Surrealista (The Surrealist) and Home Magosta (The Grasshopper Man)[1] due to his style. As a manager, he led Barcelona to a La Liga title in 1945 and as a scout he recruited another CF Barcelona legend Ladislao Kubala. However, he was later accused of acting as a double agent when the club tried to sign Alfredo Di Stéfano and in the 1960s he fell out with Helenio Herrera and went to work for Real Madrid. Despite his role in the Di Stéfano affair,[1] twice defecting to Real Madrid and his friendship with Francisco Franco,[1] he remained a legendary figure at FC Barcelona.[citation needed] When he died in 1972 he was given a state funeral and a street that leads to Camp Nou.[1]
Club career[edit]
Early life[edit]
Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Samitier played as a junior for FC Internacional before, at the age of 17, he made his debut for FC Barcelona in 1919. As his signing-on bonus, he received a luminous watch and a three-piece suit. Among his teammates at the club was his childhood friend Sagibarba. During holidays at the Catalan resort of Cadaqués, Samitier and Sagibarba had played football with, among others, Salvador Dalí.
FC Barcelona[edit]
By 1925 Samitier was the highest paid player in Spain. He was a member of the legendary FC Barcelona team, coached by Jack Greenwell, that, apart from Sagibarba, also included Paulino Alcántara, Ricardo Zamora, Félix Sesúmaga and, later, Franz Platko. Between 1919 and 1933 he won twelve Campionat de Catalunya titles, five Copa del Rey and the very first La Liga title. Among the goals he scored were four in the Copa del Rey finals of 1922, 1925, 1926 and 1928.
Madrid CF[edit]
In 1933 an aging Samiter found himself in dispute with the FC Barcelona management and he was dropped from the first team. Real Madrid, then known as Madrid CF, were quick to take advantage of the situation. Samitier was reunited with both his friend Ricardo Zamora and then Francisco Bru. Although his career with the Madrid club was short, he did help them win a La Liga title in 1932–33 and the Copa de España in 1934.
Exile in France[edit]
In 1936 Samitier made a brief start to his career as a coach. He succeeded Fred Pentland at Atlético Madrid in the middle of the season, but failed to prevent them from being relegated. However Samitier's new career and Atlético's relegation were postponed with the start of the Spanish Civil War. He found himself arrested by an anarchist militia, but was eventually released and left for France on a warship. His escape was later exploited by the Nationalist side in an account printed in Marca. In October 1936 he joined OGC Nice as a player, where he was reunited once again with Ricardo Zamora. He subsequently scored 47 goals in 82 matches for the French team.[citation needed] He eventually retired as a player in 1939 and was briefly coach at OGC Nice in 1942.
Return to Barcelona[edit]
Samiter returned to Spain and became manager of CF Barcelona in 1944. In 1945 he guided them to only their second ever La Liga title. They then beat the Copa del Generalísimo winners Atlético Bilbao to win the Copa de Oro Argentina. Samiter subsequently worked as the clubs chief scout and was instrumental in the recruitment of another CF Barcelona legend Ladislao Kubala.
In the summer of 1950 Kubala arrived in Spain with his own team, Hungaria. The team was made up of fellow refugees fleeing Eastern Europe. They played a series of friendlies against a Madrid Select XI, a Spain XI and RCD Español. During these games, Kubala was spotted by both Real Madrid and Samitier. Kubala was offered a contract by Real but was then persuaded by Samitier to sign for CF Barcelona. It has been suggested that Samitier used his connections within the Francisco Franco regime to help arrange the transfer. In the midst of the Cold War, Kubala's escape to the West was used as propaganda by the Franco regime and was made into a film The Stars Search for Peace which saw Kubala and Samitier playing themselves.
International career[edit]
In 1920 together with Ricardo Zamora, Félix Sesúmaga, Pichichi and José María Belauste, Samitier was also a member of the first ever Spanish national squad. The squad, coached by Francisco Bru, won the silver medal at the 1920 Olympic Games. He subsequently made 21 appearances and scored 2 goals for Spain.
Samitier also played at least 21 games and scored at least 15 goals for the Catalan XI. However records from the era do not always include accurate statistics and he may have played and scored more. Together with Paulino Alcántara, Sagibarba and Ricardo Zamora he helped the Catalan XI win an inter-regional competition, the Copa Princep de Asturies, three times during the 1920s. In the 1924 final he scored twice in a 4–4 draw against a Castile XI and scored again in the 3–2 replay. His last game for the Catalan XI was his own testimonial on 19 January 1936 at the Les Corts. He scored in a 1–1 draw with SK Sidenice of Czechoslovakia.
FC Barcelona
- La Liga: 1
- Copa del Rey: 5
- 1919–20, 1921–22, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1927–28
- Catalan Champions: 12:
- 1918–19, 1919–20, 1920–21, 1921–22, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1931–32
Madrid CF
- La Liga: 1
- Copa de España: 1
- 1933–34
- Olympic Games: 1
- Silver medallist 1920
Catalan XI
- Copa Princep de Asturies: 3
- 1922, 1924, 1926
CF Barcelona
- La Liga: 1
- Copa de Oro Argentina: 1
- 1945
- ^ a b c d Das, Srijandeep (28 November 2017). "Salvador Dali's Favourite Footballer – Surrealista, Josep Samitier". Football Paradise. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football (2003), Phil Ball. [1]
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill. "Josep Samitier". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC.
External links[edit]
- 1902 births
- 1972 deaths
- Spanish footballers
- Spanish football managers
- Spain international footballers
- La Liga managers
- Atlético Madrid managers
- FC Barcelona managers
- OGC Nice managers
- La Liga players
- Real Madrid CF players
- FC Barcelona players
- OGC Nice players
- Footballers at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Footballers at the 1924 Summer Olympics
- Olympic footballers of Spain
- Olympic silver medalists for Spain
- Footballers from Barcelona
- Olympic medalists in football
- Spanish expatriate footballers
- Spanish expatriate football managers
- Expatriate footballers in France
- Expatriate football managers in France
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in France
- Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Association football midfielders
- Catalonia international footballers


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Must Have: Kurt Geiger Gunning
March 26, 2014
One of my favorite trends of the season is color, bright, bold, beautiful, eye-catching color. These acid bright pumps from Kurt Geiger are exactly right for infusing a punch of color into spring's neutrals and pastels, but they'll also be great with other brights--I'm thinking turquoise, red, and yes, Radiant Orchid. What trends are you most excited about for Spring 2014?
Labels: Must Have
4 comments:
Giiiirl me too! I also want a pair of floral heels!ReplyDeleteReplies
ooh yeah! I'm all about pretty floral prints!Delete
I would love to just own a pair of pumps. I have never worn them as they are to uncomfortable for me but maybe I will start with a pair with a kitten heel. Wish me luck!ReplyDelete
Allie of ALLIE NYC
A kitten heel would be a great start--good luck! I definitely want to hear about your progress!Delete
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