text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - Mongolia Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Mongolia Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> General Asia Forum View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message hermanJoined: 30 Apr 2003Posts: 42Location: City by the Bay (SF) Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2003 7:55 pm Post subject: Mongolia I've been accepted to intern in Mongolia this summer at an English institute. I was wondering if anyone's worked there before who could tell me what it's like to teach/work there. Or perhaps you've been to Inner Mongolia at least and could inform me about the cultural differences so I can anticipate them inside and outside the classroom? Thanks, Herman Back to top scot47Joined: 10 Jan 2003Posts: 15340 Posted: Thu May 01, 2003 10:30 am Post subject: which Mongolia ? Inner Mongolia is a province of the PRC. Mongolia is an independent country sandwiched betwen China and Asiatic Russia. Which one ? Back to top hermanJoined: 30 Apr 2003Posts: 42Location: City by the Bay (SF) Posted: Thu May 01, 2003 12:30 pm Post subject: Ulaanbaatar Mongolia itself because I'll be in Ulaanbaatar. I didn't know if there were more people who've had experience in Mongolia or Inner Mongolia so I wanted to ask both. Tell me about your experience if you've been to either place! I'd just like to get ready for anything that might be a "shock" or need time adjusting to. Thanks, Herman Back to top scot47Joined: 10 Jan 2003Posts: 15340 Posted: Fri May 02, 2003 6:44 am Post subject: Mongolia Even before the counter-revolution of 1989, there was a British Council Lecturer in Ulan Bator (Ulaanbataar ?) Since the changes Soros has maintained a presence. There are probably some brave souls who have gone there under their own steam. I envy you but suspect that you are in for a tough tiime ! Back to top TrebekJoined: 30 Oct 2003Posts: 401Location: China Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2003 5:35 pm Post subject: Do it! I haven't been there but I've researched the place. Maybe get there a week before your scheduled to start work and look around. If you don't like the place, then go to China or Korea and find a job. Here's a cool web-site on Motorcycle tours offered out of Ulaan: http://www.hctravel.com/chinamongolia.htm Maybe you can e-mail them (since they do live there), and ask your questions. Hope this helps. Back to top NipponPokeJoined: 17 Jul 2003Posts: 20 Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 10:41 am Post subject: Mongolia Herman, I'd be interested in hearing how things have turned out. I visited UB for a week recently and was interested in it. What a place! You recommend it? Back to top lostinparisJoined: 04 Feb 2004Posts: 77Location: within range of a flying baguette Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 2:17 pm Post subject: I know this thread is a bit old, but wanted to add my two cents... I spent three months working with an NGO in Mongolia in the summer of 2002 and LOVED IT!!! (The organization I worked for is a "volunteer tour" organization, restoring an ancient Buddhist temple in the Khentii province. Their website is www.crtp.net if you're interested) Mongolia is incredibly beautiful during the summer, and the people there (both the Mongolians and the ex-pat community) are welcoming and fantastic. Food isn't much to write home about... mutton, mutton, and more mutton...and the architecture is pretty ugly in UB (think Soviet-inspired communist bloc type buildings).. Roads are also spotty and pretty much nonexistent once you leave UB. But that's part of the fun. I spent most of my time out in the countryside with local people and had a fantastic experience, despite the fact I spoke little mongolian...i learned a whole lot though! Most Mongolians know no English unless they've formally studied it in school. You'll find that most English speakers in Mongolia are university-educated women. When I finished up my stint with the NGO, I was offered a position teaching English at a school in UB (they were offering $600 USD/month + one bedroom apartment at the time), but I ended up turning it down because I had already accepted a position in Paris. I still fantasize about going back to Mongolia... the three months i spent there were better than the two years i've spent here in the city of lights... For anyone interested in Mongolia as a teaching destination, i highly recommend it. if you have more questions, i'll be happy to share what I know from my experience there. Back to top silkroadJoined: 12 May 2004Posts: 3 Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 7:04 pm Post subject: Mongolia Please see my later post under Jobs in Mongolia. Back to top hermanJoined: 30 Apr 2003Posts: 42Location: City by the Bay (SF) Posted: Sun May 23, 2004 1:05 am Post subject: oh, funny how I forgot about this post! lostinparis, I totally agree with all you've said! To those interested in knowing, $600/month plus apartment is a really good offer in Mongolia, compared to the average Mongolian teacher earning around $100, depending on the school. Public university teachers actually earn only around $80, I heard, which is really ridiculous. I guess it's the same everything; people just don't see how important and difficult a profession it is. Anyways... NipponPoke: please read my post in "Jobs in Mongolia???" I didn't say too much about my experience in that post, but you can ask more specific questions. lostinparis summed it up pretty well. Back to top AndaJoined: 16 Jan 2003Posts: 2199Location: Jiangsu Province Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 12:34 pm Post subject: Yep If you do a net search on Google using "Mongolia English Teaching" you will find sites like this http://home.att.net/~patricksommer/mongol.htm Back to top LyovJoined: 24 Jul 2004Posts: 43 Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2004 2:59 am Post subject: I love Mongolia I am currently living and teaching in UB Mongolia and I really love it. I haven't found anything too shocking. I almost think its too bad, traveling has become for me something like a drug, when you first step off the plane and all you can do is go 'wow' and everything is like a dream. I didn't really get that in Mongolia. I guess I just find the Mongolia people very understandable (not by their language mind you.) It is a wonderful place but you have to enjoy jumping over potholes and dodging traffic. It can be rather dangerous in UB, so it is not considered safe to go out alone at night, I think a few weeks ago a foreigner was stabbed to death. The Mongolians (especially the drunk male) seem to have a greater tendency to employ violence as opposed to a simple mugging, so that can make it a little difficult when you can't go out at night. I wouldn't let that deter you though. Happy to answer any questions ~Lyov Back to top hermanJoined: 30 Apr 2003Posts: 42Location: City by the Bay (SF) Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 6:37 am Post subject: hey I'm glad you enjoy it there Lyov. about the drunken men, I've never been free or un-tired enough to go out at night, but I think it depends on where you are walking. I heard about the drunken men; I've been told not to look them ever in the eyes if I ever see one (and I do during broad daylight as you know they just sleep somewhere overnight and wake up walking down the street still rather drunk). about dodging cars, it's actually fun. maybe i just got used to it in Hong Kong I hear Erdenet is a much nicer city although I've never been there and wonder what teaching opportunities there are over there anyway. What got you to Mongolia? Where are you teaching? Back to top LyovJoined: 24 Jul 2004Posts: 43 Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 10:53 am Post subject: Hi Herman, Sorry I took so long. I'm really enjoying Mongolia. The people are really great, except for those who want to kill me for no reason, but I can usually avoid those people. I've learned how to time the swaying of a drunk man so that I can cross their path without accidently being hit by them. I'm sure its a useful skill elsewhere in the world. Its difficult to not go out at night in the winter when it gets dark by 6 Pm, and thats when the drunks come out. Currently I'm teaching at a place called JET english, TOEFL training, and I got to a couple of companies to teach business english. Also I am studying Mongolian at the National University. I really don't enjoy teaching without every learning the language, I always felt like I was missing so much. The more I learn of the language the more depth and complexty I find (and an understandable but neverless hugh obsession with livestock). I've always been interested in Mongolia. Its kind of a rough country, you've got to be able to ride a horse and hold your vodka, but I don't know about anyone else but I've really fallen in Love with UB, its so small you can really get a handle on it quickly. Also if you make a good Mongolian friend you will never find a person more loyal or ready to back you up in a bar fight. Sometimes it is a great joy to be around these people. I really think you would like it here. Wish you luck. Lyov Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> General Asia Forum All times are GMT Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Where to Begin----------------General DiscussionNewbie ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumOnline Teaching Forum Africa Forums----------------General Africa Forum Asia Forums----------------CambodiaChina (Job-related Posts Only)China (Off-Topic)Hong KongIndiaIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandGeneral Asia ForumVietnam Caribbean Forums----------------General Caribbean Forum Europe Forums----------------Czech RepublicFranceGermanyGreeceItalyMacedonia and the BalkansPolandRomaniaRussia & C.I.S.SpainTurkeyUkraineUnited KingdomGeneral Europe Forum Latin America Forums----------------ArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaMexicoMexico (off-topic)PeruGeneral Latin America Forum The Middle East Forums----------------BahrainEgyptIsraelKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesGeneral Middle East Forum North America Forums----------------General North America Forum Oceania----------------Australia/New Zealand You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. 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text:
Storms make way for blue skies
Following a series of storms that brought some much needed precipitation to the Lake Tahoe Basin, sunny weather is expected to return to the area this weekend and into next week.
South Shore ski resorts reported receiving up to 23 inches of snow during the past week, a welcome change from the historically dry conditions experienced in January and February.
But the mostly clear weather of the past two months will make a quick comeback. Clear skies and warm temperatures are forecasted through the coming week. The expected high for Saturday is about 40 degrees, with high temperatures rising into the mid-50s next week, according to the National Weather Service.
The region could see some moisture returning to the area next weekend though, according to snow forecaster Bryan Allegretto at http://opensnow.com.
"Models are still up in the air about how much moisture will still be getting pulled in from across the Pacific," Allegretto wrote in a Friday post. "We may start with some higher snow levels next weekend and then falling as the colder air pushes South. We could see light or heavy amounts of precip depending on how much moisture is still feeding into the jet stream under the ridge off the coast."
This past week's snowfall bumped the water content of the snowpack in the Lake Tahoe Basin up to 69 percent of its historic median water content for this time of year, according to the most recent data from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
"However … it will take a series of strong storm systems to return the snowpack to normal conditions by April 1st … which is the typical time of maximum snowpack accumulation," according to a Thursday outlook from the National Weather Service. "It appears very unlikely that snowpacks can recover from the current deficit this late into the wet season."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
Salaam and Greetings of Peace:
O Lord, we humbly thank Thee for the bounty of our table, when so many in the world go hungry. And we thank Thee for our family and friends, when so many in the world walk alone.
O God, grant that we who are filled with good things from Your open hand, may never close our hearts to the hungry, the homeless, and the poor.
Ameen! Amen!
Ya Haqq!


text:
Demolition of the Paris Metro
The Paris Metro and the service it provides are deeply intertwined into the fabric of the city. As the 4.5 million passengers who ride it every day will probably attest it's the quickest way around whether it's for work, for play or both. The metro's distinctive art-nouveau style is unmistakable and the plant like green wrought iron entrances topped with the orange orbs and Metropolitan signage designed by Hector Guimard which sprout up all over the city lead one down to the gleaming white tiled platforms to be whisked away around Paris. On my first trip to Paris I arrived into Gare du Nord and entered the dense maze that is the metro. Despite the crowds, the noise and the distinct odour of piss, I was in love. The kind of love which inspires one to risk life, limb and deportation to get up close and personal.
The History
On 20 April 1896 the project to construct an underground transportation system for the city of Paris began. Four short years later the Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris (CMP) opened their first line, running east-west from Porte Maillot–Porte de Vincennes. Not long after that the CMP was joined by the Société du chemin de fer électrique souterrain Nord-Sud de Paris (Nord-Sud) and between the two companies almost all of the 10 lines first planned for Paris were built by 1920. Initially these lines served only the city of Paris (the snobby residents even went to far as to ensure the metro ran right hand side, to guarantee non-interoperability with the left hand side system in the suburbs) but in the 30's - 50's the suburbs were finally connected. Today Paris' metro is still growing and changing through constant renovations, line extensions and the conversion of lines to run driverless robotrains like those of line 14.
On a more recent note however, sometime in October 2007 a few hours after midnight and before the first trains rolled into regular service, qx and I took our first timid steps onto the tracks of the Paris metro. With more nervousness and care than I'd like to admit we gingerly stepped down between the metal rails just off the end of a platform wondering what madness had possessed us to do so. We'd never done Metro like this before and this scary new world was full of elements we didn't understand at all. Looking at every rail critically working out which carried the power, asking ourselves so many questions: how far could the electricity arc, would that even happen, could the cameras on the platform see us, did security wait in the tunnels after hours, were there any trains after service, if so how fast did they go, did anyone live in the tunnels, would we encounter writers? We'd heard lots of stories about RATP security forgoing the usual legal punishments and simply beating up those found in the tunnels and kicking them out onto the street. We weren't packing paint but would that really make a difference?
We took a few careful paces into the tunnel then hastily retreated to the safety of our discreet entrance and back up the ladders up to street level. Our initial forays were short and clearly we had no fucking idea what we were doing but that taste was like a dirty needle in the arm of pure adventure crack. We were hooked and craved it constantly like two dirty fiends.
Over the next few years we were enslaved like only those who grew up in a city deprived of metro could be. Week in week our we hit the tunnels, scouring our maps and coming up in the early hours smeared from head to toe in that thick black dust which never fully washes from your clothes. I would wake the morning after with that distinctive smell still hovering in my nostrils, for imbued was it into the fabric of all my clothes, my sheets and my hair. The thick slabs of scunge under our fingernails was like a badge of honour, the black tinge in the folds between thumb and index finger which never faded a symbol of dedication. The symptoms pervaded our appearance, our speech and our dreams. To us the system was an open slate ripe with possibilities. We could only oblige by beginning to dismantle it piece by piece.
The ghost stations
Before developing a deeper appreciation of the system we were drawn to the abandoned stations. Some of these seem totally abandoned and haven't been reappropriated for other uses, some have become RATP storage and others, even more rare, were never even open to the public. With time we would conquer them all.
Arsenal, Champ de Mars
The stations Arsenal and Champ de Mars are the easiest to visit as they can be reached from the topside so they're as good a place to begin as any. While situated at opposite sides of the city these two stations share a similar story. They were closed on the same day, 2nd September 1939, when the metro employees were recruited to join the war effort. After the conclusion of the war they were never reopened for general service as they're simply so close to other stations. The paris metro is one of the most dense in the world with an average distance between stations of ~500m.
Following these the next craving one might satiate comes in the form of those abandoned stations which require one to partake in the third rail steeplechase commonly referred to as running the tunnels. Obviously one could choose to walk instead of run but unless you're doing this well after service the luxury of a leisurely stroll is not on offer. Whilst the alcoves spread evenly along the tunnel are reasonable concealment they're not foolproof and you're not invisible to the drivers so do yourself a favour and minimise their use. Pack your running shoes and get ready to duck under signal boxes, leap over the points and generally deal with all the problems that come with running over an unforgiving mess of wooden sleepers, metal points, rocky ballast and tangled cables.
Good form is to, as the train passes by, launch oneself from the alcove down the half meter wide gap between the third rail and the tunnel wall. This isn't the olympics so nobody expects gazelle like speed and grace, the uneven rocky metro ballast will see to that. Ideally the front runner watches ahead for trains, the last watches behind and if you've a third they can count how long you've been running for. It's also prudent to watch for electrical boxes and the like protruding from the walls which require one to duck and weave while still avoid the third rail beside your knee. Knocking oneself unconscious, falling on the juicer and being pulped will crimp your day. Faites attention! With each alcove assess the situation, consider how far it is to the next (if you're lucky enough to see the damn thing) and decide whether to stop and wait or cast those fucking dice again and keep running.
Croix-Rouge (Red Cross) station was the original terminus for line 10 which operated for only 16 years before it, like the two aforementioned stations, closed in 1939 for the war. Similarly it was never opened again for public use. Like Arsenal, Champ de Mars and Saint Martin, Croix-Rouge can be seen from the windows of the passing train as it lies on regular service track. Using this as a guide we judged the distance we'd need to run to get the station and thinking it wasn't too far I invited my gf along for a look. She cautiously accepted which to her misfortune was totally validated when we discovered the distance was far greater than estimated. I doubt I'll ever be totally forgiven.
Saint Martin
Of Paris' abandoned stations Saint Martin is the largest and the most well known. It's the only abandoned station to be dual layer and to have two different lines running through it - 8 and 9. In addition to its size Saint Martin is well known for the 1940's advertisements it contains.
"Both these photos are of advertisements circa 1948, which have never been seen by the public. Note that there is no graffiti, in Paris that means one of two things: they are in a very public place and surrounded in security cameras... or they are very hard to access. In this case, they are very hard to get to...
After the war the metro advertising business was in bad shape, so during the stations brief reopening it was decided that the station would be used as a showcase for what companies could buy in the way of public advertising in the cities metro. However, the station closed soon after and the ads were never used for their intended purpose.
Both these ads are for real products, and I believe "Maizena" (a brand of corn flour) is still in production. These are examples of semi permanent type ads for which a company would pay an annual fee. They are made of hand painted ceramic tiles, which explains why they appear in such good condition after 50 years." - courtesy of Pridian.net
The stations never used
Following the entry level stations above one might begin to seek more exclusive fruits and rightfully so. Both the stations Haxo and Molitor are a different breed altogether to those mentioned above because they were never finished, never connected to the surface and never open to the public. Adding these to the haul takes a different approach as both Haxo and Molitor lie on sections of track not used by the general service. As such there's no option to peer out the window of a passing train to even catch a glimpse of what's in store if you're lucky enough to reach them. Further both lie on sections of track commonly used for storing trains. Anywhere the RATP stores trains is guaranteed is bring adventure.
Haxo sits on a piece of track named La Voie des Fêtes in the north east of Paris. No stairs or surface access was ever installed to the station, in fact only one platform was built and only part of the platform is adorned with those gleaming white tiles which Paris known for. The station is however, plastered end to end in graffiti. In compensation for the station being so empty the journey to Haxo by foot is a risky, and therefore exciting, undertaking. The Voie Navette to the south is home to layed up trains, workers and security guards with dogs; and to the norths is an awkwardly positioned station which has a history for security busts.
No exploration of the Paris metro is worth mentioning with a trip to Molitor, hardest of the abandoned stations and my favourite. We'd never heard of anyone exploring Molitor and a Google image search turns up some RATP tour photos and little else. This challenge was too good to ignore.
Shortly after midnight, when the train platforms thin of commuters and the workers emerge from their holes to go about their business. There is a slight overlap between these when the last of us, the commuters, and they, the first of the workers, co-inhabit the platforms. A single worker milled around the western end of the platform, shuffling piece of equipment in and out of his work room. He turned back into his room, we leapt from the platform and ran full speed down the tunnel. We bolted straight through the alarms and quickly the flashing lights disappeard behind us.
If you want this one, you need to work for it. Molitor has an island platform with an arched roof of gleaming white tiles. Unfortunately there's no signage but this is offset by the trains. Lots of trains. Leading south away from the station is the Voie Murat which was packed with probably another dozen - along with more cameras and more alarms. I'd neatly copied a map of the surrounding tunnels and the Voie Murat onto a small scrap of paper folded in my chest pocket. In case of capture I was to eat the paper and claim we were looking for the bathroom. The Artline pen I'd used said the ink was non-toxic but considering the rest of the night's activities I don't know why I bothered to check.
The Voie Murat is much longer than my hastily scrawled map suggests and through a dozen full length trains we snaked, dodging the cameras frequently bolted to the tunnel wall. By climbing over the couplings or walking through the trains themselves we avoided the cameras but not the dong barrier infestations which sprout up between the nose of one train and the ass of the next. Passing them isn't too difficult if you're athletically inclined. For sake of brevity one method is depicted below, discovery of other methods is left to the reader.
With various conspirators I returned twice more to Molitor and both were nail biting experiences. The first time we encountered cleaners in the old station and spent an hour lying on the floor of a train carriage hoping the broom wielding cleaner ninjas wouldn't bust in on us.
The second we were separated and pinned down in the approach tunnel by a late train coming in for overnight storage. The driver knew something was up as he parked, exited the train, walked towards us, paused for a while then turned around and walked quickly off the other way. While heard us running off, our unorthodox and circuitous route to the surface guaranteed that nobody would catch us before we vanished. We'll always return to places like Molitor and while the space may never change each trip will be a unique nerve racking, sack shrivelling adventure. And that's the point, n'est-ce pas?
Raccord Tunnels
In addition to the stations listed above the system is full of raccords, or linking tunnels, which span between lines to enable easy movement of the rolling stock. In our travels though they seemed to be mainly used for work trains traversing the system and for storing trains after service. The raccords are extremely convenient, as like the trains, one can lay up there for a while and wait for the system to close, or simply avoid the busiest stations by working from line to line. As an added bonus they're excellent chill out spots for listening to trains moving through the major tunnels, passing every few minutes in peak hour then at increasing intervals as the service winds down. It's worth noting not to get too comfortable though, lest a lumbering work train interrupt your nap. When those lumbering diesel beasts roll past at 5km/h, covered in workers, you'll be sweating.
Almost all of the raccord tunnels are small, single track affairs with dimmer lighting and less graffiti than the main lines. The movement of air pushed and pulled by the trains deposits little piles of litter in the raccords, amongst the stacks of spare materials and components often found in them. One could venture a guess there's less graffiti in them since there's no passenger service there and nobody to see the works. There are exceptions naturally and many of the raccords contain oddities unmarked on any map. Without checking them all, you'll never know.
Rolling Stock
With time the tunnels become repetitive, the junctions similar and the abandoned stations seen. Cliché as it may be, eventually the metro becomes about the experience and the adventure, more a journey than a particular destination. The journey is a conflagration of uncontrollable variables which conspire to make it unpredictable and dangerous. But that's the fun of being within a live system and as they say, there's never a dull night in the metro.
Naturally the biggest risk is the rolling stock but like the moth and the flame it's what we grew to have the biggest hard on for. Not in an anorak way - you won't see us scribbling down carriage numbers and looking at engine specs; but in a manner of respect for these intimidating beasts which roam the system. They're unconcerned by our weak, fleshy bodies and totally indifferent to whether said body remains in one piece, or many smeared down 100m of track. It's inevitable that over the course of our adventures we'd encounter these beasts up close and personal, in fact by the end we began to seek them out as we gained the courage to venture further into their territory.
There are regular trains, the driverless robotrains of line 14 (and soon line 1), work trains and of course, the Spragues. One night while totally unprepared for such we chanced upon a mint Sprague sitting on a platform, like it was fresh from a 1930's production line. It was a twin-car train resplendent in ravishing red and green against the sparkling backdrop of white tile. Red for the ballers in first class, green for second. The panels were shiny and true, the inside lovingly worn. The wooden second class seats were polished, the padded first class ones still springy. It's probably still sitting there waiting to be taken out for special occasions. Don't ask where it is, I can't say.
The Risks
Naturally the activities presented here are dangerous and concern varying degrees of legality but I'll spare you the disclaimer and hypocrisy of "do as I say, not as I do" and offer a short list of situations I or my friends found ourselves in from which you can choose for yourself your own (in)actions.
- getting caught by security and police while too drunk to function, inspired by 2 French cataphiles on shrooms
- getting into a fist fight with coked out bunch of frenchies while midriding
- qx dropping his keys and having them land perfectly balanced on the third rail
- riding in the back carriage and hitting the bell button, getting yelled at by the driver then having the train stop and wait in the station while we fled
- being 10 seconds from running headlong into a ghost train near Vavin
- sprinting out a raccord tunnel after a robot train started up automatically just as we reached it
- a driver in the voie des fetes telling qx and AC he was glad they weren't throwing rocks at him
- hiding on the floor of a layed up train near molitor waiting for the cleaners walking by to leave
- cramped into an alcove with snappel, qx doing similarly on the opposite side of the tunnel while pinned down by a late arriving train near molitor being parked by a driver who clearly knew we were there.
- meeting workers in an old station and them being totally cool with us, then having a nap on the ground while waiting for the trains
- jumping out from a midride as the rain pulls into station, way before it's safe to do so and almost collecting a dozen people standing on the platform who are totally shocked at this person materialising out of nowhere onto the platform and hurtling towards them
- getting caught up between two groups of workers near a yard while trying to access a raccord tunnel
- exiting from a tunnel onto the platform to discover security hiding and waiting for us by looking at the tv screens used by the drivers to check it's safe to close the train doors. Naturally we turned and crept away very very quickly.
- getting caught by securitons in the tunnel and discovering they were really scared of the 3rd rail and wouldn't cross it, only go around it. Then the looks on their faces when, expecting bags of spraypaint, we opened our backpack and out came the pile of 1 series bodies and lenses.
- Jumping up onto a platform mid service and meeting ticket inspectors, who couldn't' give us a cheap fine since we had valid tickets and instead found something much more expensive to hit us with.
- the police stopping beside us one night while we were trying to open a locked metro manhole with a street sweeper bristle. Then them deciding it was a catacomb manhole and asking us about the catacombs.
- Being chased away from a tunnel into a yard by a single security guard yelling "bougez pas bougez pas!". Yeah right!
- Running a certain camera'd and alarmed to the hilt loop track, emerging topside just in time to avoid being seen by a dog equipped secca who asked "was that you in the tunnels?", "nah mate we're just Australians getting drunk" and lifting our cans of disgusting 12% Maximator beer with a grin.
The Oddities
With the risks accepted, ghost stations done, raccords run and trains encountered one begins to develop an appreciation for the oddities in the system and begins to comb it, seeking out the weird, the undocumented and unknown places. These places will always draw back those who have a stronger interest in the metro than collecting the set of abandoned stations. Here's a sample.
Really fucking weird places you find in the tunnels - NDC
It could have been the sandwich or perhaps the dainty black leather coin purse with the silver snaplock lying on the table. Certainly something here was Not Right. Turning over the cover of the faded log book, flipping a little then opening it to a page marked with a pen, scanning down rows and rows of dates and times scrawled in blue ink. Today's date was there on the very last row. Check in time - 7pm. Checkout time - blank. Nom de gardien, nom de chien. Name of guard, name of dog. Name Of Dog. We ran.
Juggling our cameras, fumbling lenses back into backpacks, slipping and sliding over the smooth concrete platform we bailed past 2 trains sleeping quietly alongside the platform. Somewhere amongst the rooms to our right a toilet flushed and we heard water surging through the pipes. We'd dodged the guard by virtue of a visit to the pissoir. We bailed past the offices, the training rooms and then off the abandoned platform, over the fence and out into the tunnels. We were safer in the tunnels, the guards don't like it in there around the third rail.
The area around NDC isn't used so much, it's a little dead spot in the system. The trains pass frequently on the other lines though, their lights charging towards you then swerving away at the last minute on route to other destination. Each one brings the fear that it might be the one train to leap the tracks into the dead tunnel and bear down upon you; swaying angrily side to side in an attempt to collect anyone not flattened properly against the wall, or simple lounging in the middle of the tunnel sitting on the tracks. None ever have but the nagging feeling it still there. The air is stiller around NDC, without the constant push pull vacuum you get in the shorter raccords. Even the graffiti is mostly old, faded and coated with a thick layer of black dust. Clearly even the writers don't bother passing by.
These little dead spots in the system bring true variety to exploring the metro, places you can't see passing by and looking out the window. Little pockets of temporal stasis, islands of quiet found only by those who walk le chemin de fer ( start kung fu theme )
Enormous vent systems
The Zébulon
This was the protype for the common MF67 stock, found on an abandoned platforms of an active station.
Voie de Finance
The Voie des Finances is a short section of tunnel which was used up until 1967 to transport money collected from the other stations to a large RATP office in the east. Special trains running on a 60cm gauge track were used. This small tunnel joined the regular system on a short raccord tunnel between lines one and five.
Unfortunately the VDF was mostly destroyed during the created of line 14 then locked off from the main system by metal mesh. The short section of tunnel pictured above is one of the only parts remaining. There are unfortunately no trains and of course no loot. At least not anymore. How did you think I fund these adventures?
Tunnels under the river
The small section of line 12 which passes under the Seine is an interesting one because unlike the rest of the system it's constructed of bolted together iron rings which resemble The Tube of London. Most of the metro tunnels are flat but in this section we could quite noticeably feel the gradient which would drop us low enough to pass under the river. Unlike The Tube there's a comfortable walkway on the side so the danger is much lower, except for the nosy populace getting pissed off and whinging whenever they see somebody having more fun than themselves. We snapped our pics and departed.
Line 14 tunnels
This is the driverless automated line on which opening the platform doors halts the line.
Porte Maillot loop
Out on the western side of the metro map sits a small odd looking piece of look track, the original western terminus of line one. By 1937 Line 1 was extended west into snob ville Neuilly, then further to La Defense. The loop entrance is visible through the train windows before one's train enters Porte Maillot from the east. They're close enough for one to presume there is access between the two but on our first attempt we couldn't find it - which resulted in us bumbling laughing into an RATP train worker change room, and sprinting (laughing) back out being yelled out by an angry worker. We gave up on this plan and busted out our hurdling technique down line 1 from Argentine instead, midservice, dodging more trains than drunken party girls.
The inbound platform on the old loop has been converted into a workshop known as l'Espace Maillot. The old platform has been totally renovated including work rooms and even an inspection bit. Of course, knowing our luck a worker turned up and we had nowhere to run. We'd been caught in the Metro... again. Shortly after a work train rolled in and we were left sitting watching the efficiency of french workmanship. It was worse than watching a grandma pay with cheque at the supermarket - an entirely normal and everyday occurance at your local supermarché.
Moving and unloading one work-train of two items took almost two hours of consultation, reconsultation and more of the same. Thankfully I didn't understand most of it and took a nap. Amusingly we discovered that not all the workers knew the keypad code to the main door, so they installed a complex modern system where a plastic streamer was tied to the inside door handle, then passed out through a hole so the door could be opened from outside, by anyone who turned up and yanked the plastic. Naturally we exploited this security feature until they clued in and we were forced to open the door in broad daylight, inside the station, being passed by dozens of commuters, using a fucking stick we found in the gutter.
General dicking about
And of course, the abandoned section of tunnel converted into an underground facility, including a tunnel packed with the fading red and green of vintage Sprague rolling stock waiting to be moved to a museum. Shortly after we found it the tunnel became the venue for the illest party of the year. You can read more about this place here.
The end?
As we haven't walked every section of tunnel nor checked every door, and considering the evolving nature of the system and the city it supports there is and will always be more to see, find and experience in the metro. This is in no way a definitive list, nor even a checklist for future explorers to use in their adventures in the metro, since discovering your own places is substantially more rewarding and something we should always pursue. Counter intuitive as it may seem, the system still feel so virgin despite the thick layers of graffiti almost (:P) everywhere. Not once did we encounter others of a similar disposition to ourselves down there. Not a single graffiti writer, nor a single explorer. It's easy to believe the Metro is yours alone to explore and no doubt there is much more to be found secreted away below the streets of Paris. Pose 'em and get fucking involved.
Shouts first and foremost to quantum-x and marshall, the two with whom I spent the most time tucked into alcoves as the trains whistled past. Also to snappel and hount for the nights face down in the ballast, nose to the third waiting for the perfect moment. To BHV for that first piece of information which led us down onto the tracks that first stressful night. To everyone else I got dirty, stinky and downright filthy with. To the iron men of the CMP and the NS who built such an excellent system and the hard working staff of the RATP who maintain and extend it. Last of all a special shout to le-mec-sans-nom, whose hours of painstaking work opened possibilites everywhere. Your contribution to this project is forever appreciated.
ds, 2010.


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Jamaica Bobsled, Skyride & Zipline Adventure TourMontego Bay Jamaica
If you can't ever get enough excitement and you love nothing more than having your pulse rate race, then this is a can't-miss excursion designed just for you. A triple-threat experience that combines three encounters in one, this amazing tour invites you to ride the Rainforest Sky Explorer, a state-of-the-art chair lift that soars 700 feet above the tree tops, transporting you high above Ocho Rios. Next up, you can hop aboard Bobsled Jamaica, a high-tech, custom-designed bobsled that speeds you along stainless steel rails on a 1,000-meter, gravity-driven thrill ride through the forest. Finally your journey ends with a rainforest Zipline Canopy traverse that sends you whizzing across a tensile cable strung between a series of tree-to-tree platforms arrayed across a lush, tropical forest.
Tour Highlights
- A triple-threat experience that combines three encounters in one
- Witness spectacular views of Ocho Rios on the sky explorer
- Experience a gravity driven thrill ride on a custom boblsed
- Your journey ends by ziplining through the rainforest
- Click the video link below to see more!
Important Information
- Confirmation will be sent within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability and minimum tour requirements
- Tour duration is not inclusive of travel time to tour location
- All tours are weather permitting
- Age restrictions may apply
- Maximum weight 275lbs
- Need More Information? Check our FAQs and Terms of Usage
6:00 hours approx.
Minimum Age: 5 year(s)
Days of Operation & Tour Time(s):
Monday:11:30 AM
Tuesday:11:30 AM
Wednesday:11:30 AM
Thursday:11:30 AM
Friday:11:30 AM
Saturday:11:30 AM
Sunday:11:30 AM
What to Bring:
- Sneakers
- Change of Clothes
- Towel
- Swimsuit
- Cash
- Camera
- No Jewelry
- Insect Repellent
Additional Information
- Not recommended for pregnant women
- Not accessible for the physically challenged
- Not recommended for people with back problems or who have had a recent back surgery
- Not recommended for people with respiratory or heart problems
- Not recommended for people with a recent arm/hand surgery
- Not recommended for people with motion sickness
- Not recommended for people with a fear of heights
- Not handicapped accessible


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gbv30120 wrote:Hi Andrew, many thanks for your advices.
I tried the mosaic mode this afternoon because the several tests I made before were done with a preset. The one I used, included in Papywizard, is a 6 picture taken at 0° and zenith and nadir.
As it seems so simple, the rendering was awful. A real disaster. So I decided to change the lens, I took the Nikkor 18-55 instead of the Tamron 10-20mm. And the result I got in mosaic mode was the one included above.
I'll make a new try with preset generator you gave me. I cross my fingers because I really would like to success making something good.
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OROVILLE — A houseboat that was floating upside-down at its mooring at Bidwell Marina in Lake Oroville was pulled upright late Wednesday morning and hauled to shore.
Big Valley Divers of Chico had been doing a salvage operation since the boat capsized and rolled early Sunday.
After about three hours, crews finally had the single-story, 50-foot-long vessel partially out of the water by around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
By the time California State Parks Ranger Kirk Coon checked on the progress an hour later, the houseboat was fully upright.
Coon said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon that keeping the vessel upright to tow it to shore was somewhat difficult because there were still a few problems.
First, one of the pontoons still had fluid in it. Also, waterlogged furniture had shifted to one side of the cabin and added weight, making the vessel more unstable, and a small structure on top of the main house was crushed when straps were put on the houseboat to pull it up.
To remedy those issues, the dive crew placed airbags underneath the vessel and either inflated or deflated as necessary to pull the boat safely to shore, the ranger said.
Coon said he expected the houseboat pulled to shore and hauled to the maintenance boatyard by the afternoon.
He will then take a look at the pontoons and begin investigating the cause of the mishap.
The 1972 houseboat is owned by Danny Johnson of Live Oak. It capsized and rolled completely sometime Sunday morning, turtling — resting upside-down — at the water surface.
Bidwell Marina staff had been keeping an eye on the vessel that morning due to a report it was seen listing to one side a couple of days earlier. When staff checked at 8:45 a.m., it was fine. It was overturned when they checked again at 10:45.
Earlier this week, Coon said boats usually capsize after taking on water, though he wouldn"t speculate on what caused this vessel to do so until he can thoroughly examine it.
He plans to start investigating by checking out the pontoons once the houseboat is in the boat yard.
"I could find nothing is wrong, I could find lots of problems," he said. "I can"t tell what"s wrong until I look at the pontoons."
Although he didn"t watch the entire process today, he was told by Marina manager Bill Harper that righting the boat went as smoothly as expected.
"Nobody got hurt, and there were minimal environmental effects," Coon said. "This is as good as we could hope for, for a salvaging effort."
Staff writer Barbara Arrigoni can be reached at 533-3136, firstname.lastname@example.com, or on Twitter @OMRBarbara.


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Top Items:
Randall Stross / New York Times:
Digital Domain: Apple's Lesson for Sony's Stores: Just Connect — RETAIL is supposed to be hard. Apple has made it seem ridiculously easy. And yet it must be harder than it appears, or why hasn't the Windows side of the personal computer business figured it out?
Discussion: Apple 2.0, michael parekh on IT, Howard Lindzon, Memex 1.1 and digg
Ilya Lichtenstein / Neomeme:
Reddit hacked — Update: Looks like the malicious code on the comments is now being replaced with "i am a terrible person". But it is still possible to submit malformed URLs, and it remains to be seen whether the exploit is completely fixed. — Digg this story if you want to read the comments of gloating Digg fanboys:
Discussion: Download Squad, franticindustries, Mashable! and digg
Brad Linder / Download Squad: Reddit and Pligg vulnerabilities discovered
Stan Schroeder / franticindustries: Security vulnerabilities found in Reddit and Pligg
Stan Schroeder / Mashable!: Reddit Hacked, Fixed
Eric Eldon / VentureBeat:
Facebook users vote for iLike, but what happened to Audio? — (Editor's note: We promised a 24-hour moratorium on Facebook coverage. That is now over.) — Here's the early winner of Facebook's open embrace of third-party applications, announced two days ago: iLike …
Discussion: Publishing 2.0, Paul Kedrosky's …, daily.gigaom and blog.lendingclub.com
Om Malik / daily.gigaom: The Upside of Facebook Overload
Renaud Laplanche / blog.lendingclub.com: Lending Club: Our first day on Facebook!
Dare Obasanjo aka Carnage4Life:
Initial Thoughts on the Facebook Platform
Initial Thoughts on the Facebook Platform
Discussion: tins, HipMojo.com, Elliott Back and TechCrunch
Rick Klau / tins: Obama Facebook app
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch: iLike: By Far the Most Popular Facebook Application
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Last.FM Too Slow: Users Create Their Own Facebook Application
Last.FM Too Slow: Users Create Their Own Facebook Application
Discussion: A VC, BuzzMachine, GigaOM, Business Week and MediaCritiq
Jeff Jarvis / BuzzMachine: That's my boy — My son, Jake, and I were chatting …
Om Malik / GigaOM: The Facebook after effect: Pleasure & Pain
Stephen Baker / Business Week: If the rest of us used Facebook like the Northlanders...
Scott Karp / Publishing 2.0:
User-Generated Content Is Not A Panecea — The Infinite Monkey Theorem (which now has an official name, thanks to Wikipedia) states that given an infinite amount of time, a monkey banging on a typewriter will eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare.
Discussion: Digital Markets, Jim Kukral and Global Nerdy
Donna Bogatin / Digital Markets: YouTube: How to win with User Generated Ads
Jim Kukral / Marketing Ideas Online: Can You Buy Customer Evangelism?
Joey deVilla / Global Nerdy: Advertising: Best Left to the Professionals?
Tricia Duryee / Orlando Sentinel:
Cell phones Want to come in — SEATTLE — It's all too familiar: You enter a house, a concrete parking garage or an elevator and the cell phone call drops. — Even worse is the dead zone that's a permanent fixture on your living-room couch or is like a cloud hovering over your entire house.
Discussion: VoIP Watch and broadbandreports.com
Andy Abramson / VoIP Watch: WiFi and Wireless Internet It's Not Really Coming Of Age
Ionut Alex Chitu / Google Operating System:
Screenshots of YouTube's New Player — YouTube tests a new version of its player that will improve the way you interact with videos and will create a cinematic experience. — The player will add a feature that was already available in Google Video: jump to any part of the video even if the video isn't fully downloaded.
Discussion: Beet.TV
Andy Plesser / Beet.TV: YouTube Tests New User Interface with Thumbnail Previews …
Don Dodge / Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing:
Why 1% of search market share is worth over $1 Billion — ComScore released their April 2007 search market share numbers showing that Google increased its market share lead to about 50%. Yahoo has about 27%, Microsoft 10%, AOL 5%, and Ask.com has 5%. That got me thinking.
Discussion: Mark Evans, HipMojo.com, Read/WriteWeb, WebMetricsGuru, Sadagopan's weblog …, Joe Duck, Guardian Unlimited and comScore
Froosh / HipMojo.com: Search Wars: Lucrative for All?
Emre Sokullu / Read/WriteWeb: Google Making $1 Per Internet User
Marshall Sponder / WebMetricsGuru: Is each 1% of Search Market share is worth at least $1 Billion in market cap?
Jack Schofield / Guardian Unlimited: Make a billion bucks from your search engine
Duncan Riley / TechCrunch:
Intelliverb: Is It Intelligent Investing in Search? — Maryland based Intelliverb is a full content based search engine with a relevancy model driven by point of operation dependency. — The company founders have designed and implemented an algorithm called PageScale, which ranks pages on an …
Discussion: WebMetricsGuru
Marshall Sponder / WebMetricsGuru: Intelliverb - a review — Read about Intelliverb in TechCrunch today.
Ben Goldacre / Bad Science:
Wi-Fi Wants To Kill Your Children — Won't somebody, please, think of the children? Three weeks ago I received my favourite email of all time, from a science teacher. "I've just had to ask a BBC Panorama film crew not to film in my school or in my class because of the bad science …
Discussion: Wi-Fi Networking News, Technovia and Guardian Unlimited
Glenn Fleishman / Wi-Fi Networking News: "Bad Science" Reporter on BBC's Bad Science
Ian Betteridge / Technovia: BAD SCIENCE » WI-FI WANTS TO KILL YOUR CHILDREN
Jack Schofield / Guardian Unlimited: Bad Science — Wi-Fi Wants To Kill Your Children
Enigmax / TorrentFreak:
Multiple Police Raids Take Down BitTorrent Tracker — This week, police carried out co-ordinated raids targeting more than 10 locations in Germany following claims from the GVU (German Federation Against Copyright Theft) that movies and software were being traded, including a computer game …
Ionut Alex Chitu / Google Operating System:
Restrict Google Image Results to Faces, News — Google Image Search has a new feature that lets you restrict the results to some general categories. For the moment, the only categories that are available seem to be faces and news-related images, but other categories should follow.
Discussion: Googlified and Threadwatch.org
The Founder / Threadwatch.org: Try adding &imgtype=face to google image search
Anne Eisenberg / New York Times:
Novelties: A High-End Remote for a High-Tech Life — COUCH potatoes who don't like the clutter of four or five remote controls can buy a single version to rule the television, cable box, DVD player, stereo and even the lighting system. Most of these devices use clickers or buttons …
Garett Rogers / Googling Google:
Google Maps "Street View" to be launched at Where 2.0? — Yesterday Google registered several variations of the domain "googlestreetview.com" — normally I would think the feature would be months away, but given Where 2.0 starts on Tuesday, it will likely be available (or at least announced) by the end of the month.
Discussion: parislemon and ResourceShelf
Declan McCullagh / CNET News.com:
Brain-eating zombies invade SF Apple store — A horde of decaying zombies invaded San Francisco's downtown Apple store on Friday evening, hunting for brains, terrifying the customers, and gnawing on iMacs. — I've placed some photos here. I'm pleased to report that the zombies ultimately …
Discussion: Web Strategy, Gizmodo, MacDailyNews, Engadget, GracefulFlavor and digg
Jeremiah Owyang / Web Strategy: Witnessing an Internet Flash Mob: Zombie Attack in SF (100s of pics and 3 videos)
Ryan Block / Engadget: Zombies invade Apple store
Jeff Ventura / GracefulFlavor: Zombies invade SF Apple Store. Literally.


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Antwerp, Belgium - January 5, 2015: Atlas Copco rental to supply Nitrogen generators and related equipment for the inerting and preservation of tanks when unused.
January 5, 2015
Sadara Chemical Company is an alliance between corporate leaders in their respective industries – Saudi Aramco and The Dow Chemical Company and is constructing the world's largest chemical complex ever built in a single phase. The complex will house 26 integrated world-scale manufacturing plants that will produce more than three million tons of products every year. It is stated that Sadara will be a Fortune 500 company within the first year of full operation.
Within this complex, one of the contractors is in charge of the tank farm project, which consists of 62 tanks of different sizes and for different products. These tanks will be used for packing and inerting applications. When unused, the tanks are inerted with nitrogen and preserved at 7 bar until needed. For this, the customer needs 300 CFM at a purity of 98%.
In the first meeting with the customers, they were looking for a nitrogen purity of 99.9% for the inerting of the tanks, which our nitrogen membrane cannot deliver. However it was clear from the beginning for the Atlas Copco Rental sales engineers that this level of purity would not be needed for this application where the tanks would be used to store hydrocarbon products. After several technical and financial meetings, our sales engineers managed to convince the customer that a purity of 98% would be sufficient.
We will be delivering our nitrogen membrane BB2000 with two PNS's, which will run for twelve hours each. One will be running the day shift and the second running the night shift with a high pressure dryer. Further we will supply a manifold, air hoses and an air tank as well as two operators. Two service engineers will be deployed for the duration of the project, which is planned to last for three month.
" We hope this deal will be our window to do a lot more (nitrogen) business in the giant project Sadara is working on. "
Atlas Copco is a world-leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions. The Group serves customers with innovative compressors, vacuum solutions and air treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems. Atlas Copco develops products and service focused on productivity, energy efficiency, safety and ergonomics. The company was founded in 1873, is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has a global reach spanning more than 180 countries. In 2015, Atlas Copco had revenues of BSEK 102 (BEUR 11) and more than 43 000 employees.
Specialty Rental is a division within Atlas Copco's Construction Technique business area. It serves customers in the industry segments around the world with temporary air, nitrogen, steam and power rental solutions. The specialty rental services are offered under several brands. The divisional headquarters is located in Houston, USA.
17th Street , Office 15, Plot 3, Sector M2
Abu Dhabi-Mussafah
United Arab Emirates


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For the first part of 2016, my iPhone camera lens had a crack in it. This was a huge bummer, because it prevented me from creating iPhone Portraits. It was the first time in about 3 years I wasn't creating spontaneous portraits with my iPhone. As someone who usually doesn't create an image without some sort of production, creating a spontaneous portrait on a whim is an incredibly satisfying and exciting experience.
Not having a fully functioning iPhone camera for several months was a pivotal time for this project. A little part of me was feeling burnt out and tired. In the first three years, I had photographed over 300 iPhone portraits of family, friends, and strangers. I wondered if I would ever regain my excitement for this project if I stopped pushing myself to create.
Eventually in the Spring, I did get a new iPhone. The 6s. As soon as I picked up the phone, I couldn't wait to make an iPhone Portrait. What I began to realize is the time away from this project gave me new energy and excitement to explore and push myself further. My pace has slowed a bit for several reasons, but my excitement and focus has only grown. The above images are a handful of the recent portraits I have made this Summer and Fall. I will continue to share more about this project as I move forward.
You can see a larger gallery of my iPhone Portraits here, and you can also follow @johnkeatley on Instagram to see the full project unfold.


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An 86-year-old man who died last fall of injuries from a beating had been attacked by his housemate with a baseball bat in a dispute over a can of food, prosecutors said today.
Ellison Jordan Jr. died Sept. 22, five months after he was attacked in his home by Donald Henry, now 56, after Henry started arguing with Jordan over the food, prosecutors said today.
Henry has been in Cook County Jail since just after the attack about 7:35 p.m. April 21 at the men's home in the 1900 block of South Homan Avenue. Criminal Court Judge Edward Harmening today ordered Henry held in lieu of $900,000 bail after Henry was charged with murder last week.
Henry's bail was initially set at $350,000 on aggravated battery and armed violence charges soon after he was arrested in April, according to the Cook County Sheriff's office.
Jordan was at home with Henry and two other people who live there when he went into the kitchen to make food, and Henry followed him, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Stephanie Buck said today. Henry began arguing with Jordan over a can of food, and Jordan picked up a stick as he stood near the back door, across the room from Henry, prosecutors said.
Henry left the kitchen, went to his bedroom and returned to the kitchen with a baseball bat, prosecutors said. Jordan was still in the same place near the back door, and Henry rushed toward him with the bat raised, then hit him several times in the head with the bat, prosecutors said.
Jordan fell to the floor, and Henry fled the house. When Henry returned home soon after, he was arrested, prosecutors said.
The critically injured Jordan was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and in May transferred first to RML Specialty Hospital in Hinsdale, then to a nursing home in the 2400 block of West Touhy Avenue in West Rogers Park.
Jordan was never discharged from nursing care after the attack. He was able to open his eyes, but lost the ability to walk, talk and feed himself, prosecutors said. Though Jordan was declared dead on Sept. 22, 2012 at Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, an autopsy was not performed until Oct. 18 because of a delay receiving Jordan's body.
Initially, the Cook County medical examiner's office made no determination in the case, pending additional studies, but eventually the medical examiner's office determined Jordan died from multiple injuries from an assault in a homicide, prosecutors said today.
Henry is due back in court Feb. 15 before Criminal Court Judge Charles Burns in his initial case.
Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking


text:
Find the dog best suited for you with our breed selector guide.
When to switch your puppy to adult dog food
Tips for bringing a puppy home
Does your cat have tummy troubles?
When to switch your kitten to adult cat food
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Learn what it takes to ensure our love and respect for pets is put into practice.
Learn how IAMS ingredients help your pet.
Find the perfect match for your home.


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Scan a few home rental options, and you'll quickly understand the appeal and value of staying in your carefully selected vacation rental. How about a three-level luxury log cabin with spectacular views, cathedral ceilings, Jacuzzi, pool table and wood burning fireplace? Or a contemporary log cottage with lakeside deck, cozy fireplace, hot tub and rocking chairs for a romantic honeymoon vacation rental! Finally, for large groups, consider a luxury cabin rental that hosts up to 26! Gather your in-laws, outlaws and every other family member for an unforgettable retreat with huge kitchen, screen porch, hot tub decks and incredible game rooms.
At the virtual doorstep of the always popular Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg has become a four-season mountain resort destination, with hundreds of condo, cabin and chalet rentals and more to see and do than you could possibly imagine. Natural attractions rank highest with hiking, ranger programs, scenic views and soaring waterfalls. Created in the mid 1920's, the park's scenery and natural resources provide peaceful vacation enjoyment in a protected environment. Add full-blown tourist attractions to mountain lore and crafts, and your vacation will delight every age and interest. Sprinkled among candy kitchens and Ripley's and other attractions, mountain artists offer one-of-a-kind creations from rustic furnishings and colorful quilts to handsome pottery and Native American art. Spread along the Downtown Parkway, restaurants shops and entertainment venues cover every taste. Gazebos and benches line the banks of the Little Pigeon River for pleasant walks and lazy picnics. And high above the mountain town, the ever-changing Ober Gatlinburg delivers a "mountain top of fun" with aerial tramway, chairlift, carousel, 8 winter ski trails and Alpine slides. It's doubtful you will exhaust all of the adventures available in and around Gatlinburg, but some choose to visit nearby Sevierville, home to Dollywood and outlet shopping.
Hotel room stays and constant restaurant meals can break the bank of any family. Your spacious chalet or cabin rental offers plenty of room, spectacular views and the ability to mix home-cooked meals with restaurant dining. You'll find national chain restaurants, quaint inn-style dining and great Tennessee 'down home' cooking among the many local dining options.


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White Papers and Application Notes
A Transient Unified Model of Arc-Weld Pool Couplings During Pulsed Spot Gas Tungsten Arc WeldingA. Traidia[1], and F. Roger[2]
[1]AREVA NP, Technical Center, Saint Marcel, France
[2]ENSTA Paristech, Paris, France
Using COMSOL Multiphysics, a finite element model is introduced in this paper to describe the couplings between the welding arc and the weld pool dynamic in pulsed gas tungsten arc welding. The cathode, arc-plasma and melting anode regions are taken into account. The unified time-dependent model describes the heat transfer, fluid flow and electromagnetic fields in the three regions. The originality of the numerical model is its ability to treat the arc and weld pool time evolution under pulsed current welding in a unified formalism, taking into account eddy current in the weld pool. A comparison between the pulsed current welding and the corresponding mean current shows that they are energetically equivalent but produce different weld pool shapes. We can conclude that for a given level of energy, it is more interesting to use a pulsed current welding to get a greater weld shape.


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SureFire illumination tools are the finest in the world — compact, rugged, powerful, reliable, and efficient. Engineered for maximum performance and manufactured with precision, they produce optimal beams featuring impressive light output with no defects or shadows. That's why people whose lives depend on having the right amount of light when they need it — such as military personnel, emergency responders, law enforcement officers, and outdoors professionals and adventurers — rely on SureFire.
Body Materials Anodized Aluminum and Nitrolon® Polymer
SureFire's aluminum-body illumination tools are machined from a high-strength aerospace aluminum alloy, making them extremely resistant to damage from impact, crushing, or bending, and allowing them to be made as small and light as possible without sacrificing strength. Some of our lights are made of Nitrolon® polymer, discussed below.
SureFire's Multi-Axis Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) lathes ensure precision-machined components. SureFire's aluminum-body WeaponLights and flashlights are further protected by a finish called anodizing. The anodizing process uses electricity and a chemical bath to grow a layer of aluminum oxide on an aluminum surface. Aluminum oxide is the second-hardest substance known to man, exceeded only by diamonds, and certain anodized finishes can be made extremely durable, such as the Mil-A-8625 Type III Class 2 military specification finish that SureFire uses.
Polymers are durable, lighter in weight than aluminum and are more comfortable to hold in cold weather. Some flashlight manufacturers use relatively cheap polymers such as ABS. In contrast, SureFire's polymer flashlight bodies and WeaponLight components are made of Nitrolon®, a proprietary high-strength, non-conductive, impact-resistant, glass-filled polyamide polymer. "Glass-filled" means that the polymer matrix has been mixed with fine glass fibers that add rigidity, abrasion resistance, and increased stability at higher temperatures.
Light Output Lumens vs. Candlepower
Some manufacturers dramatize the performance of their illumination tools by measuring output in candlepower units. This measurement can be misleading because it is usually taken by focusing the beam into a narrow cone and taking the measurement in this bright spot, without respect to the overall beam configuration.
Imagine a flashlight whose beam produces an extremely bright spot six inches in diameter when shone against a wall fifteen feet away, but which produces almost zero illumination elsewhere on the wall. A candlepower measurement taken in that bright spot may be quite high, but the flashlight's beam would be useless for most purposes.
Now imagine taking the total amount of light in that bright central spot and spreading it out evenly into a broad cone. The beam is now in a much more useful configuration, but if you measured candlepower at the same place on the wall where the bright spot was previously you'd get a much lower figure, and the beam as a whole might appear too dim for your needs.
This is why the best starting point for comparing the performance of illumination tools is the lumen, which measures total light output. This puts the illumination tools you're comparing on a level playing field; you know how much total light you're getting from each one. After that, the primary performance concerns are (1) beam configuration, meaning the shape of the tool's emitted cone of light and how the available light is distributed within that cone; and (2) efficiency, meaning how much energy is required to produce the lumens emitted in that cone of light.
A technical note: although candlepower and lumens measure different things, there is a relationship between them. A light source with an intensity of one candlepower (or candela in modern terminology) that is emitting equally in all directions (that is, in a spherical shape) generates about one lumen per steradian. A steradian is a solid conical shape that can be envisioned as a circular cored-out section of a sphere, wide on the surface of the sphere and narrowing to a point at the center. Since there are about 12.5 steradians in a sphere (4π to be exact), that means our one-candela light source is producing a total of about 12.5 lumens of light.
SureFire uses integrating sphere photometers to measure the total lumen output of our illumination tools. This measurement is weighted toward the yellow-green light that the human eye responds to most strongly, which is around 560 nanometers in wavelength.


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January 3, 2013
To listen to this podcast, click "Download the MP3" (requires Real Media Player) or "Listen Now" (requires Adobe Flash Player).
Length: 0:59 minutes | Download the MP3 (937KB)
IRA DREYFUSS: From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
What teenagers have been saying about marijuana recently is worrying experts in the field. The 2012 Monitoring the Future survey of eighth, 10th and 12th graders reports continued high use of the drug, along with a drop in the teens' perception of its potential harm. At the 12th grade level, for instance, only 44 percent saw regular use as harmful.
Researcher Lloyd Johnston of the University of Michigan, who leads the study, gives 12th graders as an example:
"If you're looking at a class of 30 kids, two of them are heavy pot smokers, on average. And given the increasing information about the consequences of that – including dependence, including brain damage, including the effect on IQ – that is really of concern."
The study is supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
Drug Topics
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Library Modular System with 3-Drawer File Cabinet
$2010 Regular
$1507 Member
Elegant, timeless neoclassical design meets the demands of the modern home office. Our Library collection's modular pieces work seamlessly together and can be configured to your specific space and workplace needs. Crafted of solid hardwood, it is purpose-built to support the germination of great ideas, this century and next.


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Do you love chocolate ? Well this recipe is for you! These no bake brownies are made in a 6 inch cake pan and can be pressed into a square, round or the heart shaped pan like the one I use. This recipe is fast and easy to make and tastes so delicious you may […]
You are here: Home / Archives for maple syrup
posted on August 30, 2015 by Yvonne
Chocolate Brownie Cake
Filed Under: From My Kitchen Tagged With: black figs, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, maple syrup, medjool dates, raw cashews, raw coconut oil, raw walnuts, vanilla extract, water


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How to use Archive and Install
Tip: Before starting the installation, you may wish to use Disk Utility to verify and repair the volume. See "Mac OS X 10.2: Directory Issue Verification or Repair Is Not Part of Installation".
- Start up from your Mac OS X Install Disc 1 or Install DVD. If you have different versions of Mac OS X Installer discs (for example, if your computer came with version 10.3 and you later purchased and installed version 10.4), start from the disc that most closely matches the installed Mac OS X version. Usually, that's the latest (newer) version.
Usually, you can start from the disc by putting it in your computer, restarting, and holding the C key. Or, put it in the computer and click the Install or Restore icon you see in the disc's main window (after which the computer will start from the disc without you needing to hold C.)
- Select your language. The Welcome to the Mac OS X Installer window appears.
- Click Continue. The Important Information window appears.
- After reading or printing the information, click Continue. The Software License Agreement window appears.
- After reading or printing the information, click Continue.
- An agreement sheet appears. If you agree with the license agreement, click Agree. The Select a Destination window appears.
- Click the volume that you wish to install to.
- Click Options. The installation options sheet appears.
- Select Archive and Install.
- Select the volume which already has Mac OS X installed.
- You should also select Preserve Users and Network Settings, to preserve network and Home directory settings. (See notes and Related documents below.)
- Click OK.
- Click Continue to begin the installation.
Tips and notes
- The Archive and Install feature is not available in Mac OS X 10.2 Upgrade CDs. It is only available with standard retail CDs, and on installation CDs or DVDs that come with new computers.
- Some third-party software items may not be preserved. If third-party software doesn't work after the Archive and Install is performed, reinstall it or contact the vendor.
- The version of Mac OS X installed by this process is the same version included on your installation CD or DVD. If you have installed Mac OS X updates, they are not automatically re-installed by this process. For information about updating Mac OS X, see Mac OS X: How to Update Your Software.
- Some applications may store items in the Shared folder, and these items may be missing after the Archive and Install. See "Mac OS X 10.2: Contents of Shared Folder Missing After Archive and Install".
- Archive and Install does not affect your Mac OS 9 System Folder, if you have one, but you may need to reselect it in Classic preferences after performing the installation.
Files and folders that are moved into Previous Systems folder
When you perform an Archive and Install installation, the following items are moved to /Previous Systems/Previous System 1 (unless a Previous System folder exists, in which case the installation will create a Previous System 2 folder, and so forth for each Archive and Install installation—the highest number is the most recent):
- /Developer
- /Users
- /Library (All items here except /Library/Application Support, which is left untouched on the Mac OS X volume)
- /mach.sym
- /System
- /bin
- /mach
- /mach_kernel
- /sbin
- /private (All items in the folder except /private/tmp)
- /usr
- /etc
- /var
- /Applications/Address Book.app
- /Applications/AppleScript
- /Applications/Calculator.app
- /Applications/Chess.app
- /Applications/Clock.app
- /Applications/DVD Player.app
- /Applications/Extras/BlastApp.app
- /Applications/iChat.app
- /Applications/Image Capture.app
- /Applications/Internet Connect.app
- /Applications/Mail.app
- /Applications/Preview.app
- /Applications/QuickTime Player.app
- /Applications/Sherlock.app
- /Applications/Stickies.app
- /Applications/System Preferences.app
- /Applications/TextEdit.app
- /Applications/Utilities/AirPort Admin Utility.app
- /Applications/Utilities/AirPort Setup Assistant.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Apple System Profiler.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Applet Launcher.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Assistant.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Audio MIDI Setup.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Bluetooth File Exchange.app
- /Applications/Utilities/ColorSync Utility.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Console.app
- /Applications/Utilities/CPU Monitor.app
- /Applications/Utilities/DigitalColor Meter.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Directory Access.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Disk Copy.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Display Calibrator.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Grab.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Installer.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Java Plugin Settings.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Java Web Start.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Kerberos.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Key Caps.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Keychain Access.app
- /Applications/Utilities/NetInfo Manager.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Network Utility.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Macintosh Manager.app
- /Applications/Utilities/ODBC Adminisrator.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Print Center.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Process Viewer.app
- /Applications/Utilities/ProcessViewer.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Server Admin.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Server Monitor.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Software Restore.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Server Settings.app
- /Applications/Utilities/StuffIt Expander.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Directory Setup.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Asia Text Extras/Chinese Text Converter.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Asia Text Extras/IM Plugin Converter.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Asia Text Extras/TrueType Font Editor.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Asia Text Extras/Plugin_Text_Sample
Additionally, in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger or later, these items are moved:
- /Applications/Automator.app
- /Applications/Font Book.app
- /Applications/Graphing Calculator.app
- /Applications/Safari.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Java/Input Method HotKey.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Java/Java 1.3.1 Plugin Settings.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Java/Java 1.4.2 Plugin Settings.app
- /Applications/Utilities/Java/Java Web Start.app
- /Applications/Utilities/VoiceOver Utility.app
If you select "Preserve User and Network Settings," these items are preserved in any Mac OS X version (10.2 or later):
- Home folders in the Users folder
If you select "Preserve User and Network Settings," these items are preserved in Mac OS X 10.2 through 10.2.8 only:
- /private/var/db/SystemConfiguration
- /Library/Preferences
- /private/var/root/Library/Preferences
- /private/var/root/.CFUserTextEncoding
If you select "Preserve User and Network Settings," these items are preserved in Mac OS X 10.3, 10.4, and later:
- /private/var/db/SystemConfiguration
- /Library/Preferences
- /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/
- /Library/Keychains/FileVaultMaster.keychain
- /Library/Keychains/FileVaultMaster.cer
- /Library/Fonts/Arial
- /Library/Fonts/Arial Black
- /Library/Fonts/Arial Narrow
- /Library/Fonts/Arial Rounded Bold
- /Library/Fonts/Brush Script
- /Library/Fonts/Comic Sans MS
- /Library/Fonts/Courier New
- /Library/Fonts/Georgia
- /Library/Fonts/Times New Roman
- /Library/Fonts/Trebuchet MS
- /Library/Fonts/Verdana
- /Library/Fonts/Webdings
- /private/var/root/Library/Preferences
- /private/var/root/.CFUserTextEncoding
- /private/var/db/shadow/hash
- /private/var/db/samba/hash
- /private/var/db/CodeEquivalenceDatabase
- /private/var/db/CodeEquivalenceCandidates
- /private/etc/ssh_host_dsa_key
- /private/etc/ssh_host_dsa_key.pub
- /private/etc/ssh_host_rsa_key
- /private/etc/ssh_host_rsa_key.pub
- /private/etc/ssh_host_key
- /private/etc/ssh_host_key.pub
- /private/etc/kcpassword
- /private/etc/localtime
- /private/etc/hostconfig
- /private/etc/ntp.conf
If you select "Preserve User and Network Settings," these items are also preserved, in Mac OS X 10.4 or later only:
- /private/etc/httpd/users
- /private/var/db/volinfo.database
How to get files from a previous home directory after Archive and Install (Mac OS X)
Mac OS X 10.3: Reinstalling from a Mac OS X Panther Upgrade disc
Applications don't work after reinstalling Mac OS X
Pro Applications: Some features do not work if drag installed or if copied following an Archive and Install
Mac OS X 10.2: Archive and Install Does Not Preserve Some Settings
Mac OS: Versions, builds included with computers (since 1998)
Safari may not work after an Archive and Install


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Use a firewall to secure the data stored on your computer networks. Network firewall appliances from SonicWALL, WatchGuard, and Dell offer all-in-one system gateways for to secure multiple users on the same network. Let a firewall stop intruders before they have the opportunity to steal your data.
Prevent Data Theft
Using a network firewall appliance prevents unsolicited attacks from botnets, malware, or users phishing your personal and business data. Increase your network security with identification sign-in information required for each user with permission to access your network. User authentication combined with the home firewall and wireless security camera help protect your files from users attempting to leach the data. For remote devices, add a virtual private network code to users on the go or in rooms without access to Ethernet cables.
Multiple User Functionality
Firewalls eliminate cluttered hardware by working as routers, delivering a defense system against network intruders and viruses. Multiple users can securely access the network under the protection of the firewall without needing an individual firewall appliance for each device. A firewall appliance delivers affordable functionality as your network expands to include more computers and other user devices. Cut down on technical labor with a firewall appliance that allows you to manage your from a central location.
Lock Out Uninvited Users
Prevent data interception with a series of encryption protocols available on all network firewall appliances. Provide your employees and customers with a firewall that has at least a 256-bit encryption protocol that deters uninvited users from accessing their private data. For added security, use a firewall with NAT routing and VPN pass-through to increase the difficulty of accessing the network.


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Fairfacts is planning a trip to 'the smoke' and is keen to meet up with right-leaning bloggers.
I've saved up all my tokens from some of the local papers so can afford the rail fare down and make an overnight stay of it.
So which members of the VRWC would like to come along- either late next week or sometime during the following week?
I haven't been to London for 5 years so I am sure there will be some interesting changes to look forward to.
I am open to suggestions for a venue and date.
General Debate 30 January 2020
1 hour ago


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But, what would movie night be without popcorn? Just like pizza, popcorn is practically a food group for Hubby. His favorite popcorn is made on the stove top in a Whirely Pop popcorn maker, but the microwave serves well for those got-to-have-it-now cravings. The Boy Scouts know to always knock on our door during their sales promotions. Extra Butter, Kettle Corn, or Caramel, the variety doesn't matter as long as it is popcorn.
I have found a way to give our popcorn treat an anti-oxidant and flavor boost. Tangy pome-granate seeds are a great combination with slightly sweet, yet salty popcorn. Until last year, I had only sampled pomegranate juice, and had no clue what to do with the luscious edible seeds of the whole fruit. Now, I am adding the colorful seeds to salads, chicken dishes, and this great popcorn treat. Grab a movie, a blanket for cuddling, some popcorn...and don't be afraid to try a little pomegranate.
Pomegranate & Popcorn
1 bag microwave Kettle Corn popcorn
1 medium pomegranate
salt, to taste
1 medium pomegranate
salt, to taste
Remove the seeds from the pomegranate.
Pop the popcorn according to package directions.
Salt the popcorn to taste.
Put about a cup of popcorn in a bowl.
Add a handful (about 1/4 cup) of pomegranate seeds.
I suggest mixing this a bowl full at a time, because the pomegranate sinks to the bottom.
Be sure to get some of both the pomegranate and popcorn in each bite to truly enjoy this snack.


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Richter (33) eyes a second-period shot from Presizniuk (photo courtesy Gil Talbot).
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Union defenseman Greg Coburn scored a power-play goal to break a third-period tie and lift No. 15 Union to a 2-1 win in the season opener for the Harvard men's hockey team Friday night at Bright Hockey Center.
The Dutchmen (6-1-2, 1-0-0 ECAC Hockey), playing their ninth overall game but opening league play, overcame 33 saves by Kyle Richter, a tying goal by Danny Biega earlier in the third period and a loud opening-night crowd of 2,374. Keith Kinkaid made 15 saves to record the win.
The winning tally came off the offensive-zone faceoff following a Harvard penalty. Adam Presizniuk won the faceoff from the left dot to John Simpson on the left point. He passed across to Coburn, who boomed a one-timer through traffic for his third goal of the season.
The goal came on one of just four power plays in the game. Union was 1 for 3 with the man advantage, while Harvard (0-1-0, 0-1-0) was unsuccessful on its only chance. Rence Coassin led the Crimson with three shots on goal.
The first period was short on whistles, both for penalties and for goals. Neither team earned a power play, but the Dutchmen managed 11 shots on goal, all of which were turned away by Richter.
The game had nearly reached its midpoint when the Dutchmen netted the first goal. Kelly Zajac took a pass from Josh Jooris in the left corner and got the puck across the crease to Adam Presizniuk. Richter stopped Presizniuk's shot, but Zajac skated into the slot to put away the rebound. Richter added another 11 saves in the period, as Union held a 12-5 shots edge.
The Crimson picked up its play in the third period. Colin Moore delivered a huge hit on Cole Ikkala early in the frame, and Richter slid right-to-left to snag a great Josh Jooris chance. Richter finished with 11 saves for the third straight period.
Biega erased the Crimson's deficit nine minutes into the period. Daniel Moriarty caused an offensive zone turnover, waited for Biega to get open and found him with a pass from the left corner to the top of the right circle. Biega had one shot knocked down but corralled the rebound and shot the puck off Kinkaid's stick and in from behind the goal line.


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Nature-lovers can enjoy lots of great adventures in Didim and, there is plenty to keep you busy on your holiday
In Didim you can charter your own boat for the day or even longer with a trusted and experienced crew on board to sail wherever your heart desires, away from the hustle and bustle with friends and family.
For many the most dramatic feature is the ruins of the Ionic Temple of Apollo with its columns pointing up into the sky, and its legend of the romance between Apollo and Daphne. The original temple and home of an oracle was destroyed during the Persian Wars and the one we see today was rebuilt following the victory over the Persians of Alexander the Great. [2] [3] [4] Nearby Miletos, the ruins of the ancient city including a well-preserved antique theatre, stadium, baths of Faustina, temple of Serapis and much more.
The easiest way to travel between Greece and Turkey is on a ferry from a Greek island to the Turkish mainland(or vice-versa). Ferries (motorboats and hydrofoils) depart from at least six Greek islands to ten ports in Turkey. The busiest, most convenient Turkish ports are Bodrum, Marmaris,Kuşadası and Çeşme; those in Greece are Rhodes, Kos, Samos and Chios


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Saturday, April 02, 2011
The Tortoise's Travels
The napkin doodle has found it's way to end as my latest limited edition Giclée Print.
The idea for this came up the other day while I was playing with my kids and one of them saw a turtle shaped cloud above in the sky and that follows a long story about the tiny things this turtle was doing in his cloudy life up there... she has a house, she eats an apple, she plays volley ball, enjoy the sun and every once in a while visits her friends and family houses, during the time my son was talking about all the things this turtle enjoyed to do we noticed the turtle shaped cloud was going away pushed by the wind so I asked my son – If the turtle is forced to move out, what do you think she would like to take with her? – He responded, well, the most important things for her are obviously her family and friends so probably will take their entire houses with her...
So, I made this sketch first based in our turtle conversation :)
And the final piece just arrived!
This is a signed and hand-numbered 100 Limited Edition Giclee Print.
Size: 16" x 20" (40 x 50 cm) on 100% cotton rag, archival acid free base, fine art paper.
Now at my ETSY Store! --> GO HERE!
Posted by Alberto Cerriteño at 1:33 PM 17 comments
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We admire the gumption of an Oklahoma high school student who refuses to apologize for saying "hell" during her graduation speech.
The cost of her refusal appears to be her diploma.
It's not especially becoming to swear during your high school valedictorian speech. We get that. Kaitlin Nootbaar probably offended some people, certainly some school officials.
But that in no way justifies their punishing her for exercising her fundamental right to free speech. Give the young woman her diploma and move on to more pressing issues.


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"We can't believe he was still available" and other loads of bull you'll hear from the NHL draft
T-minus 12 hours or so before the the first pick of the NHL draft commences. Nobody will be surprised when Steve Stamkos goes to the Lightning, and other teams in the top 5 make their picks.
After that, there will be plenty of "stunned" and "shocked" teams that couldn't believe their good fortune that Player X was still available.
The Avalanche has been right up there with the best over the years in this department. Judging from all the wonderful things they said about their top picks over the years, you'd think some of them are just rounding out their Hall of Fame careers right about now.
Just for giggles and grins, I went back and dug up the stories from draft days past, to see what was actually said about many of the Avs' top picks.
2002, Jonas Johansson, first round, 28th overall
What was said: ""We certainly had him rated pretty high," Avalanche chief scout Jim Hammett said. "We're expecting big things from him. He has very good hockey sense. That's something you can't teach."
What happened:
Johansson never played for the Avalanche. His NHL career lasted one game, with the Washington Capitals. He was last seen kicking around the Swedish League a year ago, after kicking around the North American minor leagues.
Guys the Avs passed up: Jarret Stoll, No. 36. Trevor Daley, No. 43. Jiri Hudler, No. 58. Valtteri Filppula, No. 95.
2000, Vaclav Nedorost, first round, 14th overall
What was said: "He's got a gifted set of hands," Avalanche chief scout Brian MacDonald said. "Very good playmaker who has strong defensive skills as well."
What happened: Nedorost's career lasted 99 games, with 10 goals and 10 assists. He had a great first game of his career, in Pittsburgh, scoring a goal, but had just two goals and four points for the Avs in 2001-02. He went on to play briefly for the Florida Panthers before his NHL career fizzled. He played last year in the Czech League.
Guys the Avs passed up: Brooks Orpik, No. 18. Steve Ott, No. 25. Niklas Kronwall, No. 29. Nick Schultz, No. 33. Ilya Bryzgalov, No. 44. Andreas Lilja, No. 54. Paul Martin, No. 62.
1999, Mikhail Kuleshov, first round, 25th overall
What was said: ""He's a big, strong winger – a power forward," Avalanche chief scout Brian MacDonald said. ""He's got a real hard shot
and a (good) pair of hands. We were somewhat surprised he was still available at our pick. I don't buy the knock that he takes games off. Maybe a shift or two, but a lot of players his age do that. With the Russian (junior national) team, it's kind of a difficult situation to explain, but a lot of the players couldn't understand the system of the coaches."
What happened: The knockers were right. Kuleshov played exactly three games in the NHL, for the Avs in 2003-04, with no points. He was a major bust, even with the Hershey Bears. He hasn't been heard from in any league the last three years.
Guys the Avs passed up: Martin Havlat, No. 26. Mike Commodore, No. 42. Ryan Malone, No. 115. Henrik Zetterberg, No. 210 (ouch).
1997, Kevin Grimes, first round, 26th overall
What was said: ""We think he'll develop into a very good NHL player," Avs chief scout Dave Draper said. "His character, combined with his size and commitment to training,made him a very attractive pick. He is the type of player the organization needed."
"We've secured size for the next five to 10 years. I'm not only pleased with (Grimes), but our staff was as well," general manager Pierre Lacroix said.
What happened: Um, yeah, not so much with this guy. Grimes never played in the NHL. He did play for a wealth of minor-league teams, however, including such powerhouses as the Pee Dee Pride, Mobile Mysticks, Jackson Bandits and Greensboro Generals. He hasn't played for any recognizable team since 2004.
Guys the Avs passed up: To be fair, this was a bad draft after the first 20 picks or so (although Brenden Morrow was taken right before Grimes, at No. 25). But the Avs, along with a lot of other teams, missed out on Brian Campbell at No. 156.
1996, Peter Ratchuk, first round, 25th overall
What was said:""We've seen him for two years now, and he's a very strong offensive defenseman, and we think he'll turn out to be a very solid NHL defenseman," Avalanche chief scout Dave Draper said.
What happened: 32 games. That's how long Ratchuk played in the NHL, and not once for the Avs. He quickly was moved to the Florida Panthers, scoring one goal and one assist in those 32 contests. But you can't say this kid isn't still persistent. He played last year for some German team named the DEG Metro Stars, a team that featured another former top-2 round draft pick, Charlie Stephens.
Guys the Avs passed up: Tom Poti, No. 59. Eric Belanger, No. 96. Brett Clark, No. 154. Fernando Pisani, No. 195.
The moral of the story? The draft is a crap shoot, and judging by the history of failed draft picks, by EVERY team, it's like William Goldman's old saying about the movie business: Nobody knows anything.
Keep that in mind, when the Avs say glowing things about their first pick in the draft tomorrow. But I'll write them down anyway.


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I start for searching a coverFlow component so I wouldn't need to code it from strach where I end up with a nice one on Doug McCune's blog. I built some category shelves to support multi coverflow lists, add a regular list and some regular controls.
After several small and serious bugs (after intense testing by Cenk and Sinem) here is Altair with the initial version, which is named after the great game Assasin's Creed. Besides coordinating the coverflow, the list and the mp3 player I also try to recode the existing code (the most i could) with Flex4.
I am going to submit the full code very soon after refactoring and rewriting the rest but still feel free to contact me for the current source code if you need it immediately.
Ladies and gentleman here is Altair performing Cenk's great scores..