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The bird-feeding season is upon us, and invariably questions about which foods and feeders are best fill my mailbox. Here's a pre-emptive effort to answer some of those questions.
If you are new to feeding birds or you just want to keep it simple, offer black-oil sunflower seed in a high-quality tube feeder made by Droll Yankees or Aspects. I have used tubes made by these manufacturers for more than 20 years.
Black-oil sunflower seed is the single food that attracts the greatest variety of seed-eating birds. Its thin shell is easy to crack, and the meat has a high oil (energy) content. In fact, black-oil sunflowers are grown primarily as a source of the sunflower oil sold in grocery stores.
Striped sunflower seed also attracts many seed-eating birds, but its heavier shell is more difficult to crack for smaller birds. It s a favorite of cardinals, grosbeaks and blue jays. Offer striped sunflower seeds in tubes, on platform feeders or in hopper feeders.
Many manufacturers make excellent hopper and platform feeders. Base your selection on appearance and the quality of construction. I prefer those made from 100 percent recycled plastic that simulates wood and weathers well.
Hulled sunflower seeds are more expensive because the hulls have been mechanically removed. But there is no mess and no waste; every kernel is eaten. The hulls of in-shell sunflower seeds make up as much as 45 percent of the weight of product, so there's a good bit of waste.
Despite the higher price, I think sunflower kernels are the best value in bird food. But because the hulls have been removed, they must be kept dry. Gold Crest's All-Weather feeder is the only truly weather-proof feeder I can recommend.
Nyjer, the tiny black seeds often incorrectly called thistle, attracts goldfinches, house finches, pine siskins and purple finches. Because nyjer is imported from Africa and southeast Asia, it's more expensive than sunflower seed, but its high oil content makes it great winter food. Offer nyjer in a tube feeder specifically designed with tiny feeding ports for finches.
Nuts are another more expensive bird food, but their appeal to species such as chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and woodpeckers justifies the expense. Peanuts, walnuts and almonds are the more familiar nuts that are commonly found in better quality nut mixes.
Nuts must also be protected from rain and snow. The ideal nut feeder is Droll Yankee's Big Top. It is a bowl-style feeder protected from above by a large dome. It lacks perches so only strong-footed clinging birds can access the feeding ports.
White millet is a great seed for ground feeders such as song sparrows, white-throated sparrows, towhees, doves and juncos. But don't put millet in elevated tube or bowl-style feeders. Birds that use these feeders such as woodpeckers and chickadees rarely eat millet. Instead scatter millet on platform feeders or even on the ground.
And remember millet is usually the dominant ingredient in many bird seed mixes. Also, read the ingredients labels found on seed mixes. Don t buy mixes that include milo (sorghum) or cereal grains such as wheat and oats. These are filler seeds that birds rarely eat.
Finally, suet is a favorite of woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches. Best offered in inexpensive plastic-coated wire baskets, suet is high-energy animal fat.
Suet recipe
It is available commercially in blocks, or you can easily make your own. My favorite suet recipe is Martha Sargent's No-melt Peanut Butter Suet. Melt and blend one cup of lard and one cup of chunky peanut butter (buy a cheap generic brand) over low heat, then stir in two cups of quick-cook oats, two cups of cornmeal, one cup of white flour, and 1/3 cup of sugar.
And feel free to add a handful of sunflower chips, peanuts and/or raisins. Pour the mixture into a flat container about 1 and-a-half inches thick. Place in the freezer about an hour, then cut blocks sized to fit your suet basket. Place a piece of wax paper between the blocks, then stack, bag, and store in the freezer. It keeps for months, and the birds love it.
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A couple years ago I was working a shut down in a pulp and paper mill. In Northern Ontario Canada. Near the end of the shutdown almost all the contractors had finished there work and left the but there was still groups equaling up to maybe a hundred contractors. While a few groups where working in an area they kept getting shut down because of a gas leak coming from a diegester tank. So we were all BAD_WORD down until the tank could be quickly repaired. ( there was a crack in the top of the tank). So while being shutdown the next day for a few hours we sat in the smoking area about 15 of waiting for the welded to finish. While the welded were working on the tank a friend of my was doing fire watch and confined space watch for the mill. As we sat waiting havering a cigarette the foreman came out and said they should be done in like 15 min. Then it happen a huge explosion. The side of the build was blown out and we had to run back in side because of falling debris. Of course once the terror was over we asked if everyone was here and ok. For some very strange reason we all made it to safety with no injuries. After the explosion that shook the entire mill we had to get out because of gas leaks we stepped outside again and seen that the washer floor wall was blown out and the roof blown off. Then I realized that's where my friend and the welded were. Right away we put on SCBA's and went looking for survivers. Well we found the two welders with injurys but couldn't find my friend ( he wasn't supost to be on that shift but he switched because it was Halloween and he wanted to take his daughter out) adventually they found him. But a year later almost to the day I was back doing repairs to the mill to get it up and running. There were me and 2 other guys working in this mill that's been shut down for a year. After midnight there was no one else there bug us three which was so unusual. While working we heard whistles and I mean human whistles. The two younger guy refused to work alone in the mill. Me I sensed it I knew it was my friend he was getting my attention. I told the guys I need to go to the area that the diegester tank blew. They thought I was crazy but they came with me. They where very uncomfy but followed behind as I got there I can see thd giant hole . In the wall and roof. As I went to the. Blown tank the whistle was heard again but this time it was like a song. The funny thing is I knew for sure it was my friend I have heard him whistle. That song a lot when we walked through the mill. As the guys I was with freaked out and left the mill I sat there. I felt releif that he contacted. I sat there with him and I listened. I knew he was ok but I felt the pain that he felt because he couldn't be with his baby daughter and his girlfriend. I asked him does he want me to say anything. His whistle changed it was like he was talking to me through his whistle. He wanted me to get a hold of his mother and say he was okand that he will be watching over his daughter. To protect his family his mother and myself I have withheld the name of the mill and people. But I was able to get his mother there andbi took her to the accident she needed to see and hear and sure enough the whistles start. I have been there since now that the mill is running. I haven't heard him whistle but I know he is there I can sense him some day I will here that whistle again I know it.
A Friend Lost Is Found
Started by Jynx , Jan 30 2013 05:29 AM
2 replies to this topic
Posted 30 January 2013 - 05:29 AM
Posted 01 March 2013 - 04:44 PM
Were you working at the time of the incidents? As a contractor?
Posted 01 March 2013 - 04:53 PM
Were you working at the time of the incidents? As a contractor?
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subset: commoncrawl


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2013 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG First Test
When it Comes to the Hi-Po G-Wagen, Just Throw Logic Out the Window
There may be nothing as wonderfully illogical, as satisfyingly silly, and as beautifully irrational as the G63. Think about it -- this is a near-6000-pound SUV, built like a tank, that hasn't changed all that much philosophically (or physically) since it debuted in 1979. It is somewhat of an anachronism. It defies engineers' goals of improving aerodynamics to increase fuel economy. It offers incredibly good off-road capability, almost to the point of overkill. You want cupholders? There's one (up front); it consists of a ring and a net. This may be the most cube-shaped vehicle on the road -- even more so than the one named Cube. Pickup trucks have more curves.
Yet the G-Wagen, the low-volume SUV that has been handbuilt in Graz, Austria, since production began -- the same year ESPN was launched and "The Dukes of Hazzard" was on in prime time -- continues to be a strong seller for Mercedes. The strangest part is that the AMG version makes up more than 65 percent of G-Class sales.
The 2013 G63 AMG we sampled arrived in full, intimidating "don't give this truck a dirty look or it will hurt you" Magno Night Black, and it was a matte finish at that. Lose the truck's chrome accouterment, and this could be a menacing part of any small army's motor pool. Yet ours was more suited to urban life, with low-slung side steps, 20-inch wheels with short-sidewall tires, and side pipes that peeked out below the steps. We drove this one off-road and on, in the dirt at Hungry Valley off-road park, on the freeways, and in and around Beverly Hills, and while the G63 was right at home in all these venues, it also stood out wherever it went. There are a lot of sports cars in Southern California, and it isn't unusual to see Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, and Audi R8s on the road. Yet the G-Class is more unique than any of those. It turns heads.
We climbed into the five-seat sport/utility and realized that despite many of the aforementioned old-school elements, the cabin is more modern than we would've expected. There are redundant steering wheel controls, Bluetooth connectivity, navigation, and satellite radio. The seats are covered in quilted designo black leather, the dash in designo nappa leather. We slammed the door shut -- this vault's doors will close the first time if you slam them -- and felt securely sealed in. There is an unquestionable feeling of security and safety in that cabin. It's as if this vehicle could survive the apocalypse.
As we headed out on the road, the door locks gave out a loud, solid "clack," and we were on our way. It was clear this vehicle is much faster than you would expect. Acceleration is brisk, and the engine gives out a low, guttural growl as you get to speed. The G63 sounds like an old-school V-8 hot rod, or as close to that as you can get with a German twin-turbo V-8. That feeling of speed was confirmed at the track, where it went 0-60 in 5.0 seconds flat, and got through the quarter mile in 13.4 seconds at 105.2 mph. That's faster than a (V-6) Mustang. Braking is equally confident; thanks to the AMG's 1.5-inch-larger brakes (and 2.3 inches bigger in back), the G needed only 113 feet to come to a stop from 60 mph.
If there are weaknesses on road, it's with noise levels and handling. Both reflect the trucky nature of this beast. It isn't quiet inside. In fact, it's a bit on the noisy side. But, really, this is such a cool vehicle -- who cares? It is proudly a truck, and it handles like a truck. You figure that out pretty fast, and it ensures that you won't enter a turn too quickly. On our drive loops, the G63 got 12.8 mpg, partially because of the Eco mode that this G-Class comes with.
We headed out of the city, and north toward the Grapevine to Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area, our favorite local off-road destination. We drove to the dirt, and went through the obstacle course that's available there, as well as trying out a hillclimb and a few trails. Of all the AMG SUVs we have driven, the G is the most off-road capable. It retains the G-Class' signature three independently locking differentials, but we only used two of them. To use the lockers, we put the G63 in low range, then locked the center diff. (That sent 50 percent of the power to the front, 50 to the rear.) We paid special attention to rocks on the trail, as we had to make sure we wouldn't do anything to pinch the low exhaust pipes, and we were well aware that the tires weren't even close to the right aspect ratio for off-roading. With all that in mind, the G easily got through the trail obstacles, with tires and exhaust fully intact. At one point, we used the rear locker as well. Unlike newer four-wheel-drive systems, this one used more mechanical elements and fewer sensors. Its off-road prowess reinforced the feeling that this vehicle could survive anything.
We love that this off-road icon continues to be popular. It's odd that a big reason the G is still around is because of the high-performance AMG version. As far as we're concerned, though, it doesn't matter why people still love the G-Class, or how many actually take them off-road. We're just happy it's still being made.
|2013 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG
|Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
|5.5L/536-hp/561-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8
|7-speed automatic
|5876 lb (51/49%)
|112.2 in
|LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT
|187.5 x 80.9 x 76.3 in
|5.0 sec
|13.4 sec @ 105.2 mph
|113 ft
|0.56 g (avg)
|31.7 sec @ 0.53 g (avg)
|12/14 mpg
|281/241 kW-hrs/100 miles
|1.51 lb/mile


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any details?
while that is quite interesting news, why are they closing them? what were the ones that are getting closed.. etc? enquiring minds want to know...
907 of the government's 1,700 websites have closed following the recommendations of the Varney report in 2006. A further 479 are "committed to be closed", according to a written answer from Cabinet Office minister Angela Smith on 27 January 2010. She was responding to a request for information from shadow Cabinet Office …
So a total of 1386 sites will be closed, out of 1700. That's 81% of them.
As a taxpayer, I would sincerely like to know what clown(s) set up those Web sites in the first place, only to have them shut down again within a few years. That must represent a large waste of public money (although admittedly everything else pales into insignificance alongside the vast cost of the bank bailout, the NHS "reforms", the wars in Asia, etc. etc.)
One of the webpages that was shut down was the job centre website which has been merged into direct gov much like the DVLA website.
Its a tad ironic that the job centre website was shut down and merged seeing that there is mass unemployment going on. The new fangled farkled website has less search options than the old one and truely ancient jobs are being posted on there. Admittedly it wasn't the best place to look for jobs but many online sites are not exactly great anyway.
My search this morning I found jobs from 2008 being posted as recent...
A cynic might suggest that this is purposeful to hide the lack of jobs around as my prior Manchester jobs searches usually garnered a single page of results before changing to locales such as London or Cornwall a bit far on the commute.
But many of those jobs were fake CV harvesting jobs anyway...
Even if 1700 websites changed into just 1 vast website with 1700 sub-sections its not really changing at all. So the exact number of websites is a meaningless figure. The sub-sections in government behind each web site or part of a web site will still remain. So they just want us to see change, but behind the superficial changes its the same sub-sections of government.
- - - -
Kenno: "Its a tad ironic that the job centre website was shut down and merged seeing that there is mass unemployment going on"
According to Ministry of Plenty figures there has never been any unemployment. So the Ministry Of Truth has never needed a web site to talk about unemployment.
Kenno: "The new fangled farkled website has less search options than the old one"
The Ministry Of Truth website has not changed. Only in your mind has it changed. You need help. Repeat after me, 2 + 2 = 5
Kenno: "A cynic might suggest that this is purposeful to hide the lack of jobs"
Your lack of belief in Big Brother has been reported to the Thought Police and Room 101 is being prepared for your arrival.
Given that almost all public sector Web sites aren't compliant with RFC2822, it's about time these were shut down.
Try entering an e-mail address containing an ampersand ("&") in the local part into any Government Web site, and see what I mean ("Please enter a valid e-mail address"). Of course, the restriction comes about because the proprietary "GovTalk" ( a bastardised version of Microsoft's BizTalk) has to block the ampersand character in input strings, because of Microsoft's horribly broken security - their software is particularly vulnerable to strings containing this character.
The B&Q Web site is the same, a bit embarrassingly for them. But of course it's a perfectly legal character as far as the (open) standard RFC2822 is concerned. It's funny, corresponding with Government departments that tell you it can't be used in an e-mail address, when... errmmmm... they're emailing you using your e-mail address with an ampersand in it... :-)
Similar things happen with a lot of websites and + characters.
Not to mention a seeming inability to comply with long-established government guidelines NOT to write for a specific browser.
Ironically the uk gov pages explaining everything must be w3c standards compliant aren't w3c compliant themselves - http://coi.gov.uk/guidance.php?page=188 and onwards.
is that after years of plugging the internet and with Suggs with his "it must be gov", why didn't they just do a website like most search engines and run it on one huge server? Still, referring to what Kenno states, searches on the JC+ site don't really woerk properly even if you do narrow the results down to a specific location. Up north when I look for a job, I get 'em in London. Too big a commute for me as well. If you actually go into a job centre, instead of the old printed cards, since 2000 we have new whizzy XP boxes with a flash interface. Hey presto, the same thing happens there too. Indeed, my sister looks for cleaning jobs and she turns up a pile of jobs for 1 hour, paying £10. Get a bus ticket to get there, poof, your tenner (and more) is gone. Anyway, Gordon has farmed out some of the JC+ stuff to Serco. Read it and weep. http://serco.com/ and click on the welfare section.


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Verizon announced a short list of phones to be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in a press release today. The carrier is vague about whether it plans to add to the list.
The smartphones confirmed for an upgrade include the HTC Thunderbolt, Droid Incredible 2, HTC Rhyme, and HTC Rezound; the Motorolas Bionic, Razr, Razr Maxx, and Droid 4; and the LG Spectrum. Tablets include the Motorola Xoom, Droid Xyboard 8.2 and Droid Xyboard 10.1; and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Tab 7.7.
This leaves a lot of phones and tablets flapping in the breeze, including some that came out only last fall such as the Samsung Stratosphere, the Motorola Droid 3, and the Motorola Photon 4G. The Stratosphere wasn't in Samsung's plans when it announced phones it planned to upgrade in December. Likewise, the Droid 3 and Photon 4G are down in Motorola's list of planned upgrades as "further details to follow."
Most phones whose Gingerbread fate has been sealed, like the Droid X and Droid 2, are well over a year old (and in many cases nearing their second birthday). With this in mind, it makes sense not to work towards upgrading them. But it would be a bold move for both the carrier and manufacturers to not pursue an Android 4 upgrade for phones much younger than that. Of course, companies are already taking many months to get the Android 4 upgrade out to customers. By the time they even get around to the case of these less high-profile phones, they may be beyond saving from the corporate point of view.


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Here is the Handout from the VoiceThreads session.
VoiceThreads: Share Your Story
I will post your ideas to this blog.
Deborah Lazar,librarian at New Trier suggests:
Use Voice Threads for book reviews. We just added a voice thread to our Abe Lincoln Book blog. Now there are multiple ways for students to view books and/or comment.
See: Uber VoiceThread http://abemob.blogspot.com/


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The MS in Computer Science online program is available for interested individuals who have an adequate technical background, but do not necessarily have a baccalaureate degree in engineering or computer science. The online graduate degree in computer science can be completed in as little as two years and focuses on areas that include foundations, software, analytics, electives and a project option.
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Sphyrna tiburo
Although a type of hammerhead shark, the bonnetheads have a much smaller, shovel-shaped head, but it does have the classic shark-shaped body and distinctly taller first dorsal fin of other hammerheads. They are gray-brown above, fading to white underneath, and grow to around 48 inches long but rarely as much as 59 inches. These warm-water coastal sharks migrate with the seasons, and have excellent senses for hunting and communication with other bonnetheads.
Order – Carcharhiniformes
Family – Sphyrnidae
Genus – Sphyrna
Species – tiburo
Common Names
English language common names include bonnethead, bonnet hammerhead, bonnet shark, bonnethead shark, bonnetnose shark, and shovelhead. Other common names throughout the world include cabeza de pala (Spanish), cação (Portuguese), cação-chapéu (Portuguese), cachona (Spanish), cambeva-pata (Portuguese), cornuda de corona (Spanish), cornuda tiburo (Spanish), cornudo de corona (Spanish), kaphamerhaai (Dutch), kleiner hammerhai (German), lopatoglów (Polish), martelo (Portuguese), pata (Portuguese), peixe-martelo (Portuguese), pex martillo (Spanish), requin-marteau tiburo (French), rodela (Portuguese), sarda cachona (Spanish), tiburón bonete del Pacífico (Spanish), and uchiwa-shumokuzame (Japanese).
Importance to Humans
Bonnetheads are a common inshore shark and are often taken by small fisheries with shrimp trawls, nets, longlines, and hook-and-line. The flesh is marketed as fresh, fresh frozen, or dried salted for human consumption as well as processed into fishmeal. Although it is marketed, this species if of little economic importance.
Recreationally, bonnetheads can provide great sport on light tackle or fly fishing gear. They are often found on shallow water flats and caught on live and cut bait including crabs.
Danger to Humans
Considered harmless to humans, this species is rather shy. There has been only one recorded unprovoked attack attributed to the bonnethead.
Currently, this species is categorized as a species of "Least Concern" due to its high population numbers by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The IUCN is a global union of states, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations in a partnership that assesses the conservation status of species.
> Check the status of the bonnethead at the IUCN website.
Geographical Distribution
The bonnethead is limited to warm waters of the Northern Hemisphere, ranging in the Atlantic Ocean from New England (U.S.) (rare) south to the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil. It is common throughout the Caribbean Sea including Cuba and Bahamas. This shark is rare in Bermuda. In the Pacific, this shark can be found from southern California to waters off of Ecuador.
Summertime finds the bonnethead commonly residing in the inshore waters off the Carolinas and Georgia (U.S.) while during the spring, summer, and autumn it is found off the coast of Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico. Bonnetheads move closer to the equator, as waters grow colder during the winter months.
Bonnetheads reside on continental and insular shelves, over reefs, estuaries and shallow bays from depths of 32-262 feet (10-80 m). They usually occur in small schools of up to 15 individuals, however during migration events they are seen in groups of hundreds or thousands. As spawning time approaches, bonnetheads tend to group by gender. During pupping season; females predominate in shallow waters where they give birth.
Bonnetheads travel long distances everyday, following changes in the water temperature. This preference for water temperatures over 70°F (21°C) leads to migrations to warmer waters during the winter months. As a result, the bonnethead is found closer to the equator during the winter, moving back to higher latitudes during the summer.
This species must swim continuously so that its gills receive oxygen from the water, otherwise it will sink. Although this shark is not territorial, it appears a hierarchy exists within groups of bonnetheads. Another interesting aspect of this species is a cerebrospinal fluid used in chemical communication among individual bonnetheads, informing others when there is a bonnethead in the area. Further studies are needed to learn more about this communication system.
Distinguishing Characteristic
1. Head is shovel-shaped with evenly rounded between the eyes
Distinctive Features
The shovel- or bonnet-shaped head is a distinguishing characteristic of this species, making it easy to identify among hammerhead sharks. The eyes are located at the ends of the evenly rounded lobes of the flattened head, increasing the field of vision. When the bonnethead swims, the head rolls from side to side. The arched mouth is located ventrally. The body is moderately compact and lacks a mid-dorsal ridge. The high first dorsal fin originates just behind the base of the pectoral fins. The second dorsal fin is slightly less than ½ as long as the base of the first dorsal fin with a slender free rear corner. The pectoral fins are short and the anal fin has only a slight indentation. The caudal fin has a nearly straight upper margin with a lower lobe about 1/3 as long as the upper lobe with a nearly straight rear edge. Bonnetheads lack air bladders and have strong digestive chemicals in their specialized intestines.
Bonnetheads can be distinguished from other species by the flattened, bonnet-shaped head that is rounded between the eyes rather than hammer-shaped. Also, the head lacks a notch at the midline. It is the smallest of the hammerhead-type (family Sphyrnidae) sharks, reaching an average of 3-4 feet in length in comparison to the scalloped hammerhead which grows to an average of 6 feet and the great hammerhead growing to almost 20 feet in length.
Coloration of the bonnethead ranges from gray to gray-brown, occasionally with a green tint. Dark spots are sometimes seen on the sides of the body. Viewed from the side, the color changes from top to bottom to a lighter gray and then white on the underside. There are no conspicuous markings on the fins.
Dentition of the bonnethead includes small, sharp teeth located in the front of the mouth used for cutting up prey and flat, large molars in the back for grinding hard prey items. The sharp front teeth have short, stout cusps lacking serrations, followed by teeth with oblique cusps and then the flat molars in the back of the mouth. As with all sharks, the bonnethead has additional rows of teeth that are used as the older teeth become lost or worn.
The dermal denticles are larger than those found in the smooth hammerhead (S. zygaena) and vary greatly in arrangement from closely overlapping to loosely spaced. The blades are steeply raised with 5 ridges and 5 sharp marginal teeth.
Size, Age, and Growth
Bonnetheads reach an average size of 36-48 inches (100-120 cm) with a maximum length of approximately 59 inches (150 cm), with females reaching greater lengths than males. The maximum recorded weight of a bonnethead is 24 pounds (10.8 kg). Males mature between 20-30 inches (52-75 cm) and females mature at 33 inches (84 cm) or less in length.
Food Habits
Bonnetheads feed during daylight hours primarily on crustaceans, dominated by blue crabs. They also feed on mantis shrimp (Squilla empusa), pink shrimp (Penaeus durorarum), mollusks, and small fishes. Occasionally bonnetheads will also feed on seagrasses as documented by stomach contents of some individuals. This species has been reported burrowing under coral heads in search of small fishes and invertebrates in the waters of southern Florida. Females tend to feed more often due to the need for increased amount of energy budgeted for reproductive efforts.
Prey items appear to be correlated with seasonality as well as habitat. Although crustaceans are the primarily food source throughout the year, during the autumn diversity of prey items increases with the inclusion of spider crabs (Libinia dubia), purse crabs (Persephona punctata), stone crabs (Menippe mercenaria), and various cephalopods including octopus. Bonnetheads residing inside bays feed on a less diverse array of prey items than those caught off beaches in open waters.
The bonnethead has evolved well-developed sensory and nervous systems that allow them to be efficient predators. Vision and hearing capabilities are exceptional as well as the sensitivity of the lateral line to small vibrations, alerting them to nearby potential prey.
Upon locating a prey item, the bonnethead swims slowly within range followed by a quick acceleration to attack that item. The item is then crushed with the molariform teeth. There are two jaw closing phases, continuing the closure of the jaws. This differs from the capture event typical of other sharks, where the jaws are initially closed and biting ceases at jaw closure. This allows the bonnethead to take advantage of prey that is not available to other species of sharks. After the prey is crushed, it is moved by suction to the esophagus.
In Florida waters, bonnetheads are believed to mate during the spring and autumn or perhaps even year-round. In the waters off the coast of Brazil, mating occurs during the spring. After mating, the females can store sperm for up to four months prior to actually fertilizing the eggs. The control over the fertilization period is believed to be an adaptation to ensure that the pups are born during optimal conditions for their survival.
Bonnetheads are "viviparous", or live-bearing. Female bonnetheads produce eggs that are maintained and nourished by a yolk-sac during the initial phase of gestation.
The eggs withing the female are tough but elastic with folded ends allowing for growth of the embryos. The embryos released from the eggs absorb the yolk-sac. This sac attaches to the uterine wall of the mother forming a yolk-sac placenta. Blood vessels running through this placenta provide nourishment until birth of the embryo. Also, after hatching, sections of the uterine wall come together to separate each embryo and its placenta in its own uterine compartment. The gestation period, shortest among all sharks, is only four to five months.
Females move to shallow inshore waters during pupping season, giving birth in late summer and early fall. Litter sizes average 4-14 pups, each approximately 14 inches (35 cm) in length and 0.4 pounds (0.2 kg) in weight. During this time, the females lose their desire for food, which prevents them from feeding on their pups. Males move to a different location, also an adaptation to avoid feeding upon their own young.
Larger sharks are potential predators of the bonnethead.Parasites
The monogenean Erpocotyle tiburonis has been reported to cause gill lesions on bonnetheads. Other parasites include copepods such as Eudactylina longispina collected from the gill filaments of a bonnethead caught in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Karl Linnaeus first described this species as Sphyrna tiburo in 1758 after initially naming it Squalus tiburo. Synonyms referring to this species in past scientific literature include S. vespertina Springer 1940. The genus name Sphyrna is derived from the Greek word "sphyra" which translates as hammer. Bonnetheads are the smallest species in the family Sphyrnidae.
There are approximately ten related species of hammerheads throughout tropical and temperate regions including the scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran), and smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena).
Prepared by: Cathleen Bester


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Here is a quick checklist of things you can try.
I still have grub 0.xx how can I use grub2?
If you are using an older Sabayon install like 5.1 or earlier, grub might have been updated as a package, but it still would not be installed to the master boot record. You will have todo that manually if you want to switch over to grub2!
grub2-install /dev/sda
Will install the newer grub to the MBR, from here you need to generate the /boot/grub/grub.cfg
MIND THIS: grub2 does NOT use /boot/grub/menu.lst or /boot/grub/grub.conf anymore!!
To generate your new cfg file as root issue this command:
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
I have grub2 but it does not work from my external USB drive!
If you use grub2 from your USB MBR you want to add these flags to the kernel line in /boot/grub/grub.cfg
doslowusb scandelay=10
or even better would be to add them here:
in GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=""
and then regenerate you grub.cfg (grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg)
reason this is better is because whenever entropy automatically triggers the grub config rebuild script your direct edit on /boot/grub/grub.cfg will be lost.
I have grub2 and it boots fine , but my bootsplash image is corrupted!
Add this to your kernel boot line:
Hope it helps.


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Silvalex needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 24 designs submitted by 15 freelance designers.
We need a trained eye to review our current design and improve it.
You may take the current flash header and add to it. Contact us for the FLA file. Or feel free to simply touch up the remainder of the site.
our existing mockup site
- The design must look high tech without going too overboard.
- We must keep the design looking clean, cleaner than it currently looks
- Nothing too cheesey


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"Four thousand years ago, when we couldn't even read, the Chinese knew all the absolutely useful things we boast about today," wrote French philosophe Voltaire in 1764. But if today in the West we widely acknowledge those words to be true, that's largely due to an Englishman.
Joseph Needham, a brilliant Cambridge don, was a "bespectacled, owlish, fearless adventurer ... a nudist, a wild dancer, an accordian player, and a chain-smoking churchgoer." He was also the man who dragged China's reputation in the West from the dustbin ("this booby nation," as Ralph Waldo Emerson called it in 1824) to its rightful place as a principal forger of human civilization.
Needham is the subject of The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester, former journalist and bestselling nonfiction author ("The Professor and the Madman," "Krakatoa," and "The Map That Changed the World.") Winchester stumbled on Needham's name while researching another project and was surprised to realize that he knew nothing about the eccentric professor who had authored a massive, multivolume encyclopedia called "Science and Civilisation in China."
Readers might be forgiven for imagining that the life of an encyclopedist of scientific history would have all the zip of a tax seminar. But not in the case of Needham.
He was trained as a biochemist – and a brilliant one at that. But Needham was also a being stuffed to the brim with energy and passion. His enthusiasms spilled over into many areas – leftist politics, railways, morris dancing – and beautiful women.
His marriage to another brainy young biochemist (both with bright futures at Cambridge University) did not prevent him from falling headlong for a Chinese scientist named Lu Gwei-djen.
Needham's passion for Gwei-djen led him to learn her language, a study that he found to be "a liberation, like going for a swim on a hot day ... into the glittering crystalline world of ideological characters."
Once fluent in Chinese, Needham was invited by the British government in 1943 to make a diplomatic mission to China while it was under siege by the Japanese. Needham accepted with alacrity and spent the next few years traveling the country.
Winchester draws heavily on Needham's own writing and does a lively job of helping readers to see the China that so entranced him – a land of "narrow streets ... fizzing with lanterns, jammed with stalls, and crowded with tides of humanity" and "great mountain passes, overwhelming scenery, unpredictable roads, bridges broken down."
He also re-creates the fury with which the ever-curious Needham tore through the Chinese countryside, exploring the Chinese origin of everything from the orange to the magnetic compass. The more he learned, the more awed Needham was by the depth and breadth of early Chinese ingenuity.
Needham would never return to the study of biochemistry. Instead, he would spend the rest of his life puzzling over a question he first scribbled on the back of a letter while voyaging: "Sci. in general in China – why not develop?"
In other words, why had China failed to capitalize on its early, historical promise? It was a question he would never fully answer.
Needham lived to be 94, a life filled with multiple journeys to China and a privileged position at Cambridge. Needham's career, however, was not without controversy. In the 1950s he headed a commission that charged that the US had used biological weapons against North Korea (a charge now largely presumed to be false). He also turned a blind eye to what many Westerners saw as the abuses of Mao's government. ("The first freedom is to eat – and now the Chinese people are being fed," he insisted in defense of his friends in the country's Commmunist government.)
"The Man Who Loved China" has a breathless quality. The land that Needham loved is vast – as are his own accomplishments. Readers travel at warp speed to reach the end of such a career in less than 300 pages of text. Perhaps as a result, we see Needham in action – constantly – but we learn surprisingly little of his interior.
However, with all eyes turned to China this summer, those interested in the achievements of the Olympics' behemoth host will do well to take a tour with this remarkable guide.
• Marjorie Kehe is the Monitor's book editor. Send comments to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Modern Minimalist Kids Bedroom Design Ideas
Hi, buddies. What are you doing? Are you having a walk with your kid in a department store? You can buy your lovely kid with some toys to make his happy. But, designing his room can be also a prize for your kid. So, just do it. If you are confused about the kid's room design, I will help you. Moreover, you have twin kids, it can be a solution for you. I will share about Minimalist Kid's Bedroom Design Presenting Splash Color. We know that many kids are fans of color. So, just enjoy these pictures here.
We see some splash color in so much part in this bedroom. The bedroom is designed in minimalist way. We see the kid's bed first. There are two single beds designed with line shape. We can see dark and light brown presented as bed cover. How re about the pillows? They are decorated with purple and yellow theme with flower pattern. Most of this room is designed with wooden accent like we can find of the wardrobe, the desk and even the floor.
I love some rugs here. The kid's nuance can be presented here with theme. With splash color in the rug, with animals theme and assorted colors in those rugs, generate cheerful nuance. There are double study spaces for your kids. They are designed with a long wooden desk and two white rocking chairs. The coziest thing in this room is some attached bookshelf designed in splash color of white and light green. The wardrobe is located near the bed with white and black theme. I like the wallpaper in near the bed. It is a big leaf with white theme on wooden floor.Read more »


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Once again a Democrat's letting the Right set the terms of the debate. This time it's House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who's undercutting her party's tax policy in an odd way: by redefining "middle class" so that it includes people making a million dollars a year.
Pelosi's proposal would be great for millionaires – and bad for everyone else.
It hurts the nation economically by depriving the government of revenue when it should be providing more stimulus funding. It also muddies her party's messaging, and reinforces the unpatriotic idea that taxes are punishment rather than a fair exchange. Nancy Pelosi is better than this.
How good is her proposal? Let's take a closer look.
The Upper Upper Upper Upper Upper Middle Class
President Obama has proposed ending the Bush tax breaks. That would, among other things, raise the tax rate from 35 percent to 39.6 percent for income above $250,000. But since he's keeping taxes where they are for income below $250,000, that would preserve a tax break for millionaires too!
After all, you can't earn a million dollars unless you earn $250,000 first.
Nevertheless, Minority Leader Pelosi sent a letter to her Republican counterpart, House Speaker John Boehner, demanding an immediate up-or-down vote on a very different proposition: letting the tax cuts expire for income above a million dollars.
To make matters even more confusing, Leader Pelosi described the proposal as an "extension of the middle-class tax cuts." While opinions differ on what constitutes a middle-class income, this appears to be the first time in history that a million-dollar income was characterized as "middle class." The average personal income in the United States as of the last survey was $39,959 and, as Suzy Khimm explains, the more meaningful measurement is the median income, which was $26,363.
In other words, Pelosi's proposal gives its "middle class tax break" to people who make up to 25 to 37 times as much as those in the national "middle," depending on how you calculate it. And its greatest tax advantages go to the 235,000 people, or about 0.1 percent of the people filing tax returns, who earned a million dollars or more per year.
Who Gets the "Middle-Class" Tax Breaks?
We made some rough calculations to estimate the tax breaks that people would receive at different levels if Pelosi's plan were adopted instead of Obama's. Our admittedly crude estimates suggest that person earning $251,000 would receive a $45 benefit using Pelosi's plan rather than the President's.
But a person earning $1,000,000 or more would get a $34,500 tax break under her "middle class millionaire' proposal.
That includes billionaires, who would still get at least $34,500 more in tax breaks under Pelosi's plan than Obama's.
Where Are the Democrats?
Leader Pelosi is giving away most of her party's position before the negotiations even begin – and that position was arguably too weak to begin with. The highest marginal tax rate under Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower was 91 percent. It was 70 percent when Ronald Reagan took office. Yet all her party's asking for is a return to a rate for millionaires and billionaires that's less than half of what it was under Eisenhower.
A smart and aggressive Democratic Party would be telling the American people, who overwhelmingly support higher taxes on the rich, that billionaires should pay far more than they're asking for now. A smart Democratic Party would be explaining that taxes like these built the Federal highway system and made our country strong – under Eisenhower.
Where are the Democrats who'll fight to restore the kind of progressive taxation that made this country strong?
Talking About $250,000 – but helping billionaires
The Republicans have been smart about suggesting that the Obama Administration is planning to "raise taxes on people making more than $250,000." But the effect of letting the Bush tax breaks expire at this level is minimal for people who are near the $250,000 level.
The Center for Tax Justice calculates that people who earn $250,000 to $300,000 will only pay $98 more per average under the Obama plan, while those earning $400,000 to $400,000 would pay an average of $1098 more. Those earning $750,000 to $1,000,000 would, however, see an average increase of $23,766.
People earning $20,000,000 or more would, on average, lose $1,797,414 in tax breaks under the Obama plan. That's what this is all about for Republicans: protecting the highest earners. (Although even they will retain a variety of savings under the Obama plan, since it preserves the Bush tax cuts at lower income levels.)
Where are the Democrats who will explain that, instead of undercutting an already tepid proposal?
Muddy Messaging
What impression will Pelosi's move leave with voters? For one thing, it's going to show them that Democrats don't have their act together on economic policy. The President says one thing about the tax cuts, she says another, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid isn't saying much at all these days.
It also sends the message that Democrats, who have staked their ground on defending 'middle class tax cuts,' are so out of touch with ordinary voters that they think millionaires are middle class.
And it destroys the one clear message Democrats had been sending on taxes: They don't want to tax rich people, but we know they must pay their fair share.
The Millionaires' Tab
The Pelosi proposal also costs a lot of money – $366 billion over ten years, to be precise. Ending the Bush tax breaks for earnings of $250,000 and more as the President has proposed would bring in $899 billion in revenue over that period of time. ut, as the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities has shown, Pelosi's proposal would only bring in $463 billion. And as the CBPP rightly notes, this lost revenue will increase the political pressure to make even more extreme cuts in the coming years.
Worse, it meets the Republicans far more than halfway before the negotiations even begin. How's that worked out for Democrats so far?
Fair Share
The Democrats' "fair share" message on taxes plays well – and it should. The President's proposal to increase taxes on earnings over $250,000 only affects about 2 percent of earners – and, as we've seen, it has very little effect at the lower end of that 2 percent group.
Instead of caving to Republican rhetoric, we would have expected Leader Pelosi to counter it. The message is a simple one, and it's been used by centrist Democrats from Clinton to Obama: From whom much is given, much is expected.
And the Obama proposal isn't that much to begin with. $45 from someone making $251,000? $34,500 from people earning a million dollars or more? Instead of undermining these increases, Nancy Pelosi should be explaining why this is a small price to pay to the nation that has permitted some people to become so prosperous.
Paying taxes isn't a punishment. It's an acknowledgement of privilege.
What's going on?
We've long admired Nancy Pelosi's tenacity and brains. As Speaker of the House she faced a press corps — and often fellow Democrats, in the White House and elsewhere – who tried to marginalize her as 'extreme' or 'ideological." But she kept right on leading her majority in passing bills that reflected the view of the American majority, and often of most Republican voters, much more accurately than the falsely-labeled "centrism" and "bipartisanship" that resisted her.
Nowit's time to reverse roles. The Senate and then the White House must stand firm against a compromised proposal from House Democrats. That hasn't been the usual Washington drill lately.
The bills passed under Speaker Pelosi would have led to a much better economic and political climate had received strong Presidential backing and been passed in the Senate. Nancy Pelosi's been a smart and tough fighter for the right policies. That's why it's so baffling and disappointing to see Rep. Pelosi, now the House Minority Leader, suddenly acting in the same misguided manner as her Democratic critics.
First it was her embrace of the misguided Simpson/Bowles plan, which suddenly placed her in the austerity camp just as those policies are decimating Europe's economy. Then came this pre-emptive capitulation over the longstanding Democratic position on the Bush tax cuts, which was already weaker than it should have been.
Tactical Foul
Political insiders tell me that this move, like the Simpson/Bowles comments, reflect a tactical decision to make the Republicans appear 'unreasonable' by offering reasonable-seeming compromises. Apparently the idea is to show voters that Republicans just aren't reasonable people, which will supposedly drive them into the Democratic camp.
If so, that's exactly the kind of thinking that led President Obama to offer one misguided compromise after another. How'd that work out? Republicans were soon driving the political dialog, even when Democrats held the White House and both Houses of Congress. And Democrats were blamed for bad results, not praised for the cleverness of their tactics.
It was a "tactic," we're told, to create the Presidential Deficit Commission. It was a 'tactic' to sacrifice the public option in health reform. It was a "tactic" to offer a "grand bargain" during the debt ceiling crisis. It's a "tactic" for the White House to brag about all the spending cuts the President has made. And it's a "tactic" for Nancy Pelosi to offer these cuts to the GOP.
If there's anything Democrats are even worse at than communicating, it's "tactics."
We've seen this kind of thing from Democrats over and over – but not from Nancy Pelosi. Failed Democratic tactics keep hurting their party, and they keep failing the economy. Let's hope the Minority Leader changes her tactics and sees the light before it's too late.


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Richard E. Waugh, professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and James M. Farrar, professor of chemistry, have been elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society and the publisher of the journal Science.
Waugh and Farrar are among 539 new members being honored for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.
The AAAS recognized Waugh for his "distinguished contributions to the study of cell and membrane mechanics and for leadership in biomedical engineering."
Waugh received a Ph.D. in bioengineering from Duke in 1977 and came to Rochester in 1980. His laboratory has historically been one of the leading facilities for investigating red blood cell mechanical properties and the stability of biological membranes.
Farrar was selected for his "distinguished contributions to gas phase ion chemistry, especially the dynamics of ion-molecule collisions and spectroscopy of mass-selected cluster ions." In the chemistry department he joins his colleagues, Robert K. Boeckman, Jr., William Jones, Thomas Krugh, Douglas Turner, and Richard Eisenberg as a Fellow of the AAAS.
Farrar received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1974 and joined the Rochester faculty two years later. Farrar and his research group focus on reaction dynamics and the photochemistry of ionic species.
New fellows of the AAAS will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Saturday, February 18 at the Fellows Forum, during the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, B.C.


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Dell Buyout Broken Down: Silver Lake Puts in $1.4 Billion
how the $24.4 billion will be gatheredand more details on the deal.
A day after announcing its buyout, Dell Inc. has broken down
According to the filing, Silver Lake has committed up to $1.4 billion in equity for the deal.
Michael Dell will rollover 273 million shares, worth $3.73 billion in the deal, and committed personally $500 million more. Meanwhile, the Dell family's $12 billion investment fund, MSD, will contribute another $250 million.
Microsoft, as was announced, committed a $2 billion loan.
And then the debt gets a bit complicated.


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No snickers: Arsenic natural, but deadly
When I wear a polka-dot tie, I think of one person: Cary Grant. Cary talked kind of– well, peculiar– but he was a star. Even The Flintstones had Cary Granite as a guest. Remember when he starred in North By Northwest and was chased down by an airplane while wearing a suit that never got crop-dusted? Or in Charade, when you couldn't tell if he was going to kiss or kill Audrey Hepburn? Cary was big, big, big! As Norma Desmond would say, "I am big! It's the pictures that got small."
Well, in Arsenic and Old Lace, Cary Grant had two very innocent co-stars: Aunties Abby and Martha Brewster. These two very nice ladies– well, nice on the surface– had an odd habit of poisoning lonely old men with arsenic. Ted Bundy, eat your heart out.
Arsenic is a natural element. (I love it when people complain that medicines aren't natural, but what they take is natural. I often respond, "Arsenic, hemlock, and cyanide are all natural. I'm blond, too– natural.") Acute high doses of arsenic are toxic and can be deadly within hours. Chronic low doses of arsenic might not be deadly, but can pose numerous problems over time– like how "Barney" has progressively gotten on everyone's nerves over the years, poor purple thing.
Arsenic is a heavy metal. (If there's a heavy metal band named Arsenic, their first song should be, "Poison Me, Poison You.") Arsenic is found naturally in the earth's crust compounded within many different ores. Arsenic gas (AsH3) is not as common.
Arsenic is found in a lot of things, actually: semiconductors, smelting, decorative glass-making, moonshine, pressure-treated wood, and– believe it or not– in some Asian remedies, homeopathic remedies, and herbals. Arsenic has been used in medication in the past to treat syphilis (boy, what a way to punish someone for having unprotected sex), parasitic infections, some skin conditions, and even a type of leukemia.
Arsenic can be found in soil and rocks, and can trickle into drinking water– gulp! No, wait, don't gulp! In Bangladesh and West Bengal, the water was contaminated with arsenic which led to more than one million cases of skin lesions, liver problems, and neurological damage.
Symptoms of acute poisoning by arsenic are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea– sounds like food poisoning. This is followed by cardiac shock and respiratory distress that can lead to death. The brain becomes dazed by arsenic which can result in seizures, coma, and delirium– like me preparing for re-certification of my board license.
Chronic poisoning by arsenic can show up as skin lesions and nerve damage. Sensory problems can develop like feeling pins-and-needles, movement disorders, weakness, and mental problems. Some cancers, diabetes, liver problems, high blood pressure, and miscarriages have been associated with arsenic. (Egad! I wonder if I can also attribute my poor finances to arsenic?)
So how much arsenic constitutes "chronic poisoning"? In the US, drinking water contains an average of 2mcg of arsenic/liter. Seafood actually contains a lot of arsenic. Hey, even some chickens treated for parasites with arsenic can be ingested by humans– finger licking bad!
There's no real equation to measure arsenic poisoning, but in general ingesting >600mcg per kg body weight per day has resulted in death. A 24-hour urine test can reveal if a person is ingesting toxic levels of arsenic. A blood test isn't sensitive because evidence of the element usually pops up only within the first four hours of arsenic exposure.
I hope this article doesn't make everyone paranoid about arsenic. You should be paranoid about FoxNews instead. If arsenic were a laughing matter, I would become an African American comedian– Arsenic Hall. I'm sure you are dying with laughter over that one!
Got a medical question? Dr. Hook wants to hear from you!


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About Jeff Masters
Cat 6 lead authors: WU cofounder Dr. Jeff Masters (right), who flew w/NOAA Hurricane Hunters 1986-1990, & WU meteorologist Bob Henson, @bhensonweather
By: Dr. Jeff Masters , 4:40 PM GMT on September 09, 2012
It's a wet, windy day on Bermuda today, where Tropical Storm Leslie is bringing high winds and heavy rain as the storm's core passes 120 miles (200 km) east of the island. At the Saint David's weather station on the east end of the island, Leslie brought sustained winds of 39 mph, gusting to 54 mph, at 12:30 pm AST today. Bermuda radar shows a large area of heavy rain from Leslie is over the island, and these rains will continue through most of the afternoon, and the Bermuda airport is closed until 4 pm AST. Satellite loops show that Leslie is a large storm with a huge eye 60 miles (100 km) in diameter, but the storm does not have an eyewall.
Figure 1. Radar image of Tropical Storm Leslie from the Bermuda radar, taken at 12:43 AST.
Forecast for Leslie
As Leslie continues to move north over warmer water, the storm should be able to build an eyewall and become a Category 1 hurricane. The strong trough of low pressure pulling Leslie to the north will bring Leslie very close to Newfoundland, Canada by Tuesday. At that time, Leslie should be weakening due to cooler waters and increased wind shear, and is likely to be a tropical storm. Heavy rain will be the main threat to Newfoundland. The latest 11 am EDT NHC wind probability forecast calls for a 36% chance that Leslie will be a Category 1 or stronger hurricane Tuesday morning at 8 am EDT, when the storm will be near Newfoundland. Even if the core of Leslie misses Newfoundland, the island will still likely experience tropical storm-force winds, since 39+ mph winds are expected to extend outward from its center 160 miles to its northwest on Tuesday. Large swells from Leslie continue to pound the entire Eastern Seaboard, and are creating beach erosion and dangerous rip currents.
Figure 2. Tropical Storm Leslie as seen by NOAA's F-16 polar orbiting satellite at 9:20 am EDT Sunday September 9, 2012. At the time, Leslie had top winds of 60 mph. Bermuda is the yellow triangle at the left of the image. Image credit: NOAA/RAMMB.
Hurricane Michael weakens to Category 1
Hurricane Michael has weakened to a Category 1 storm with 90 mph winds, out over the open mid-Atlantic Ocean. Satellite loops show that Michael is still an impressive storm with a well-developed eye. None of the models show that Michael will threaten any land areas during the coming five days, and Michael will likely die at sea over cold waters east of Newfoundland in 3 - 4 days.
Figure 3. Hurricane Michael as seen by NASA's Terra satellite at 9:40 am EDT Sunday September 9, 2012. At the time, Michael was a Category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds. Image credit: NOAA/RAMMB.
91L off the coast of Africa
A tropical wave that emerged off the coast of Africa on Friday (Invest 91L) is 250 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands, and is headed west-northwest at 10 - 15 mph. The disturbance is large with plenty of spin, but has limited heavy thunderstorm activity due to dry air. Most of the reliable computer models are predicting that 91L will develop into a tropical depression by Wednesday. In their 8 am EDT Tropical Weather Outlook, NHC gave 91L a 40% chance of developing into a tropical depression by Tuesday morning. Our two most reliable models, the GFS and ECMWF, predict that 91L will pass at least 500 miles to the northeast of the Lesser Antilles Islands late this week, on a track that would likely keep this storm far out at sea away from any land areas.
Jeff Masters
The views of the author are his/her own and do not necessarily represent the position of The Weather Company or its parent, IBM.
Cat 6 lead authors: WU cofounder Dr. Jeff Masters (right), who flew w/NOAA Hurricane Hunters 1986-1990, & WU meteorologist Bob Henson, @bhensonweather


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Views: 261
We have just as much of a right to express ourselves as atheists.
sometimes I think ppl see "freedom of religion" as "freedom to bash other beliefs" or "freedom as long as you agree with me".
I don't have the right words to say how sorry I am.
I did mean we atheists have just as much right to express ourselves.
and you are wrong, John.
I dont need you talking to me like this.
If you have a problem with me, take it up with AN and they can deal with me.
Contrary to what you think, I am too someone who belongs here!
(crying a little; really hurt my feelngn!)
You will have to find your own way of dealing with your situation that matches who you are. I know that in dealing with my mother, she will have to accept who I am, or at least act civil. If not, I will never have anything to do with her again. It is only because of my weak ability to feel attachment that I can do such a thing. Most people wouldn't consider such an option. You may decide that any form of confrontation is not worth the potential damage that you have in your relationship. But also remember this, by not sharing who you really are, your mother will not truly know who she raised. She may not want to. I won't know. You should have a good ideal, provided you really know her.
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Continuing to taper, while staying strong at the doctor's office
It's time for another installment of "My Fall Lupus Flare", which has unfortunately morphed into "My Winter Lupus Flare". But that's okay. That's why I have this blog…and all of your wonderful comments, emails, and questions. To remind myself that I'm not the only one who's had a flare that's worn out its welcome, lasting a month (or three!) too long. This, too, shall pass – and I'll just plan on writing about it as I wait…patiently.
Over the past few months, I've given you details about how my flare began back in August, and about how well I was feeling by October. I then recounted the unfortunate events in November, which set back my holiday plans in December. I also mentioned the fabulousness of the symptom reprieve I experienced in January. And now it's February, and I owe you an update. Or maybe I owe myself an update. Or maybe it's just time to talk about where I may be headed in March. In any case, here's where I am:
About a week before Christmas, I saw my rheumatologist. He listened intently as I explained that I'd almost completely tapered off my increased prednisone in November, practically arriving at our goal of 5mg every other day. I then described the Thanksgiving fiasco, and the terrible joint pain and swelling that ensued. He nodded his head as I told him that the pain was too debilitating, and I'd been forced (with his blessing) to go back up to 10mg, which is where I'd been for the 10 days leading up to my appointment. He then conducted a physical exam, asked a few questions, and answered some of my concerns. He then told me that he thought we should try something new for the joint pain, since the prednisone and increased plaquenil weren't working. He felt I was on too much of both as a long-term solution, and suggested methotrexate. And I just sighed.
I didn't want to try a new drug. I didn't want to change up the regimen that had been working for the past several years, albeit with a bump here and there along the way. I didn't want to do new research, deal with new side effects, or change the way I handle my meds. I especially didn't want to give up my current regimen when I'd been so close to my goal - only to have a single week in November set me back to the beginning.
Although I didn't tell him all of that, I did tell him that I wanted another shot. I wanted to try tapering off prednisone one more time over the course of the next three months. I told him I thought I could do it, that I'd just had a bit of a setback, and I was fairly confident that my body just needed another few months to return to a place of stability.
He looked at me, blinked a few times, and said, "I don't understand what you're saying. You're not even speaking English."
Now – if it had been any other doctor, and if I'd had a couple less years under my belt as a lupus patient, I probably would have burst into tears. I might have even dismissed my idea completely, too shaken, frustrated, or both to repeat it. But I didn't. Not with my rheumatologist. We've been through too much together for me to get thrown off by something like this. And I wasn't going to just let it slide, either. So I took a deep breath, put on the best "doctor speak" I could, and explained my situation. Again. Clearly, concisely, and with as little emotion or extraneous information as possible.
And he bit. He said something like, "Okay, so you want to get through the holidays on 10mg, and then start tapering down after that. You think that once things settle down at the beginning of the year, you'll be able to taper off the prednisone successfully."
I smiled, trying not to smirk, and said, "Yes. That's exactly what I'd like to try. And if it doesn't work, then methotrexate, here I come."
He said that sounded fine, set up a tapering schedule for me, and planned for a follow-up a few months out. He said to call him if the tapering didn't go well, and I mentioned that I had an annual opthamolgist appointment set for January. He said he'd look for those results, since that report might make the decision for us regarding the current medication regimen anyway (i.e. if the plaquenil is affecting my eyes, as it has in the past.) We ended the appointment well - both on the same page and with a plan in place.
So here I am – mid-taper. I went from a total of 3 weeks on 10 mg, to 3 weeks on 7.5mg, to my present dosage of 5mg per day. I'm doing okay. Not great, but not awful by any standard.
I have joint pain and swelling almost every morning, which lasts anywhere from an hour to 4 hours after I take my medication. It's not debilitating joint pain every day, where I can't get out of bed, but it definitely inhibits my activities for the day. Some days, once the medicine kicks in, I feel good as gold. Other days, the swelling and joint pain return and I go to bed in the same crummy shape I woke up in. Again - it's not completely unbearable, but it's not quite up to my standard of living well.
So I have some homework to do. In an upcoming post, I'll detail my plan of attack regarding methotrexate, assessing my joint pain, and figuring out where to go next. My work's cut out for me - looking within and reaching out – and I'll fill you in soon!


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Commonwealth Bank activates emergency package for people affected by South-East Queensland floods
15 October 2010: The Commonwealth Bank has responded to residents and businesses across south-east Queensland by activating its special emergency assistance package to help people affected by the disaster.
"The Commonwealth Bank is concerned at the impact the rain and flooding has had on local residents and businesses," said the Bank's Acting Group Executive Retail Banking Services, Michael Cant. "We've put special arrangements in place for our customers, and our staff are ready to assist them promptly with their financial concerns and enquiries."
Key features of the Bank's special assistance package include:
- providing changes to repayment arrangements for Commonwealth Bank home loan customers who may experience difficulties because of the flooding,
- loan restructuring for business customers with existing loans, without incurring the usual bank establishment fees,
- considering requests for additional loans (including emergency credit limit increases) where, based on our enquiries, the customer could meet the additional repayments without financial difficulty,
- expediting claims to CommInsure for customers seeking help through their home, contents and motor vehicle insurance,
- waiving prepayment charges over the next month for affected customers wishing to access term deposits, Commonwealth Investment Bonds and CBFC debentures ahead of the maturity date,
- waiving branch service fees where the customer is looking to obtain a service from the Bank as a result of the disaster.
"Our staff will be happy to discuss with customers their overall financial position, any change in repayment arrangements, or to consider options for additional loan funds," Mr Cant said.
For more information contact:
Adam Welch
Commonwealth Bank
Ph: 02 9117 7052


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Mary Dean West McFarland, 82, of Gainesville, died Wednesday, May 7, 2008, at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, following an extended illness.
The daughter of the late Benjamin and Lela Bell Watson West, she was a lifelong resident of Gainesville and was born on June 6, 1925. She was a member of Bethany Baptist Church for more than 70 years, was employed by the City of Gainesville for 33 years, and was the first woman in the Hall County area to deliver a successful set of triplets.
Survivors include sons and daughters-in-law, Joseph Larry and Paulette McFarland, Gillsville, J.C. and Sandy McFarland, Gainesville; daughters and sons-in-law, Nita and Larry Fuller, Gainesville, Norma and Jim Gibbons, Manassas, Va.; grandchildren, Scott McFarland, Braselton, Julie McIntyre and Nick Fuller, both of Gainesville, Jullian Byrd, Jacksonville, Fla., Bryan Gibbons, Fairfax, Va.; great-granddaughters, Haley McIntyre, Gainesville, and Kaleigh McFarland, Braselton; one step-granddaughter, Dana Peek, Cedartown; one step-grandson, Corey Byrd, Athens; step-great-grandchildren, Ella Kate, Harris and Julianne, Cedartown; nieces, Linda Holcomb and Martha Simmons, both of Cleveland, and Ann McAllister, Gainesville; and a host of other family and friends.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 10, at 2 p.m., at Bethany Baptist Church with the Rev. Lamar Purcell officiating. Burial will be in Alta Vista Cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday, May 9, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the funeral home.
Memorial Park Funeral Home, Gainesville, is in charge of arrangements.