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Semifinalists advance through Oratorical Contest
Excitement ran high as 52 top high school orators pressed near the bracket-board hoping they would survive the first round of intense competition. The 52 represent nearly all states from across America, the District of Columbia, the Department of France and the Department of Puerto Rico. Each comes to The American Legion Oratorical Contest with one objective: leave with the $18,000 college scholarship Sunday afternoon.
Representatives of California, Ohio, Minnesota, Indiana, Nebraska, Illinois, Virginia, Idaho and Colorado earned the opportunity to return to competition late this afternoon for the semifinals. Only three will emerge from that round to the finals set for tomorrow.
Reaching the semi-finals are Audrea Taylor, El Cajon, Calif.; Caroline McKenzie, Wilmington, Ohio; John Donaldson IV, Eden Prairie, Minn.; Rebecca Frazer, Morgantown, Ind.; Alex Whitney, Minden, Neb.; Athena Saldanha, Schaumberg, Ill.; Ryan McDonald, Chesapeake, Va., Charles Baines, Meridian, Idaho; and Tayanna Todd, Monument, Colo.
This is the 75th annual competition, officially called The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program – "A Constitutional Speech Contest." The three contestants reaching the finals will leave Indianapolis, the headquarters city for the 2.4 million-member American Legion, with a large part of their college education expenses assured. Besides the $18,000 top award, the first and second runners-up receive $16,000 and $14,000 scholarships respectively.
The nation's largest veterans organization holds the competition every year to encourage young Americans to improve their communications skills and to study the U.S. Constitution. More than 6,000 high school students begin competition annually at The American Legion post-community level.
Semi-finalists will be announced later this evening; check back at www.legion.org. Sunday's finals will be webcast live at 10 a.m. on www.legion.org. The website also includes a complete list of contestants by state.


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Some people don't want to talk about social issues and politics every single day.
Crazy in Love (feat. Jay-Z)
Baby Boy (feat. Sean Paul)
Naughty Girl
Beautiful Liar (w/Shakira)
If I Were a Boy
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Drunk in Love (feat. Jay-Z)
Other (specify in a comment)
Some people don't want to talk about social issues and politics every single day.
Britney is far more interesting a topic, tbqh. She's more fascinating at a standstill than neraly all people at the height of their powers.
Yoko Ono was busy sucking Lady Gaga's cock
"She's a very, very mysterious individual. I don't know what's going on in her head half the time, and I believe that mystique is part the reason why she has survived for so many years. I've worked with her now for five or six months; you don't get much out of her and that makes her more interesting in a weird way."
Since the whole breakdown it's like we haven't seen much of her personality. The few times she does interviews it's very scripted by her team.
She's in some ways becoming a female Michael Jackson. Hopefully with a different ending though. She almost pulled a Marilyn Monroe back in 2008.
I've grown quite fond on Yoko Ono as of late. Still can only take her singing in limited doses. But I've been enjoying her art and writing.
She comes here every year to make sure the city spends more on electricity.
That comment isn't at you Laufey. Just at this topic in general.
I'm late to this topic, but I am disgusted that so many so-called journalists who reported that Beyonce lip synched. Beyonce was singing to a backing track. Unless the definition of lip synching changed after the inauguration, the definition does not include any form of live singing. I also agree with those who stated that there are far more serious things to get worked up about and it's a standard practice in the music industry.
Someone said people don't care about Britney lipping because people already know she does it and doesn't pretend to sing live. Britney has been clowned her whole career for lip synching. People just now know she's going to do it now, but I remember within the last few years fans being upset and wanting refunds for her lip synching a whole concert. Any singer who lip synchs doesn't do so with the intention of the audience knowing they are doing it or they wouldn't even mouth the words.
If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.
I mean seriously lol, where in the OP did I mention Britney? Sometimes reading through topics on this forum is so funny because it's almost as if some people are reading something that's not even there.
I have to say I found myself enjoying it at parts. I don't really like the songs she sang though but that's personal preference. She's an amazing vocalist though
I still prefer Madonna's performance last year only because it had Vogue in it and I fucking love Vogue. I also thought Madonna's stage was so bad ass compared to Bey's stage. The visuals of Madonna's show were amazing in my opinion. And Madonna's dancers I feel are far superior to Bey's dancers but Bey's show doesn't really showcase the dancers.
I'm not sure if she beat the record Madonna set last year for viewership. My favorite halftime show is still Janet's.
BEYONCÉ - O2 Priority TV ad
Beyoncé Announces The Mrs. Carter Show Tour
04-15 Belgrade, Serbia - Kombank Arena
04-17 Zagreb, Croatia - Arena Zagreb
04-19 Bratislava, Slovakia - Slovnaft Arena
04-22 Amsterdam, Holland - Ziggo Dome
04-24 Paris, France - Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
04-25 Paris, France - Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
04-26 Birmingham, England - LG Arena
04-29 London, England - The O2
04-30 London, England - The O2
05-01 London, England - The O2
05-03 London, England - The O2
05-07 Manchester, England - Manchester Arena
05-11 Dublin, Ireland -The O2
05-12 Dublin, Ireland -The O2
05-14 Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis
05-17 Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion
05-18 Milan, Italy - Mediolanum Forum
05-20 Montpellier, France - Park & Suites Arena
05-22 Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
05-24 Berlin, Germany - O2 World
05-25 Warsaw, Poland - National Stadium - Orange Warsaw Festival
05-27 Copenhagen, - Denmark Forum
05-28 Oslo, Norway - Telenor Arena
05-29 Stockholm, Sweden - Ericsson Globe Arena
06-28 Los Angeles, CA - BET Experience-Staples Center
06-29 Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
07-02 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion at San Jose
07-05 Oklahoma City, OK - Chesapeake Energy Arena
07-06 Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
07-09 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - BB&T Center
07-10 Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena
07-12 Atlanta, GA - Gwinnett Center
07-13 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
07-15 Houston, TX - Toyota Center
07-17 Chicago, IL - United Center
07-18 St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
07-20 Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
07-21 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
07-22 Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
07-23 Boston, MA TD - Garden
07-25 Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
07-26 Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall
07-27 Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena
07-29 Washington, DC - Verizon Center
08-02 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
08-03 Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
I thought she was good, but I am not a fan. She is a great entertainer that is for sure. It made me a bit sad when the two other girls from Destiny's Child showed up and nobody seem to realize who they where or at least it seemed that way to me. And to add insult to injury, their microphones seem to have a much lower volume than Beyonce's so you could barely hear them, I wonder why?
In his autumn, before the winter, comes man's last mad surge of youth
^I agree.
There's no denying Beyonce's abilities as a performer, she can entertain and proved that this past Sunday on the world's biggest stage. I applaud her. However that performance was a literal mash-up of various award show performances. Plus her setlist just seemed off, not really the best choice of songs, and didn't really surge well together.
Destiny's Child - Say My Name (Cyril Hahn Remix)
Beyonce's HBO Doc Pulls 1.8 Million Viewers
Beyonce proved a huge draw for HBO on Saturday night.
The intimate documentary about the singer, Beyonce: Life Is but a Dream, pulled 1.8 million viewers during its inaugural outing at 9 p.m. ET. It's the largest audience for a HBO doc since Nielsen revised its method of measuring viewership in 2004.
The only other documentary to approach Beyonce's haul was previous record holder When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. The Spike Lee miniseries about the devastation caused to New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina earned 1.7 million viewers in 2006.
Life Is but a Dream's handsome haul pulled three times the ratings of recent first-runs for HBO's Sunday series Girls.
Hew else!?
I missed the show but I caught it on HBOGO and really enjoyed it. And that baby is just as cute as she wanna be and looks like her daddy.
All I want, ain't no other, we together, I'll remember, sweet love, all night long - All Night / Beyonce.
After watching the Super Bowl and Life Is But A Dream I really can't help but admire Beyonce's work ethic and ambition. Her drive is inspirational. She really is a true star and powerhouse performer. However, I also can't help but feel like she is completely self-absorbed and more addicted to fame than she likes to give off. At the end of the documentary I felt like it was more of a meticulously edited and staged promotional device attempting to humanize Beyonce rather than a documentary showing the "real" her.
Absolutely depressed about it... Woke up early for Queen Bey!
"... You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you ..." - Colours of the Wind by Vanessa Williams
Damn. I was just about to pop out to Waterstone's to buy a copy.
I havent seen Ms. Knowles LIVE and I'm not gonna see Mrs. Carter Live....I still love the ol'girl...
In his autumn, before the winter, comes man's last mad surge of youth
This picture reminds me of what the medusa looked like. I can understand why the millionairess' PR Company tried to buy and destroy these pictures
^ it is an extraordinary image. It looks like an elasticised compression bandage beneath the black leather
Actually if you look at a picture of B-Girl's Father (Playa, playa himself) that Still Image is a Carbon Copy of his Face...She looks more like her Hot Mom but she favors her Dad at different times...
Last concert I went to was her Sasha Fierce tour. I remember getting the tickets easily.
This go around, I was not so lucky AND with two pre-sales. She had a Bey-Hive exclusive pre-sale on 02/06; no luck. Toyota Center (venue she's playing at here) VIP Club pre-sale on 02/08; no luck. Sale to the general public on 02/11; no luck! Sold out within 3 minutes!
I'm so depressed!
I bet she releases an official single in he coming months. You can't just come from singing at inauguration and releases a bitch this bitch that song. She has to know the people who don't like Obama will be using this song against him and especially the First Lady. This should have been just a reg track left on the cd.
All I want, ain't no other, we together, I'll remember, sweet love, all night long - All Night / Beyonce.
I had to share.
lol who at Walmart covering Taylor swift CDs lol
All I want, ain't no other, we together, I'll remember, sweet love, all night long - All Night / Beyonce.
The rumours have been confirmed. Beyoncé Knowles is officially the new face of H&M. The superstar singer features in the Swedish retailer's new campaign, modelling pieces which are inspired by her individual style. The print and billboard images were shot by renowned fashion photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin and see Beyoncé relaxing on a tropical beach, posing in swimwear by the sea. Copy on the images read "Beyoncé as Mrs Carter in H&M," tying in neatly with her upcoming world tour.
Speaking about the campaign, she said: "I've always liked H&M's focus on fun affordable fashion. I really loved the concept we collaborated on to explore the different emotions of women represented by the four elements - fire, water, earth and wind… It was a beautiful shoot on a tropical island. It felt more like making a video than a commercial."
My favorite part of his spiel:
"Keyshia, don't go chasing waterfalls. Stick to the Ciara's and the Keri Hilson's that you're used to. Beyonce is not in your weight class. That is a battle you can not win. Go square off with Ashanti or somebody."
He read her for F.I.L.T.H
The singer's first official single will debut on Monday (April 8).
Beyoncé comes face-to-face with her past in the her latest collaboration with Pepsi titled, "Mirrors."
In the one-minute video, King Bey' faces off with reflections of her old self, imitating signature moves from her 10-year solo career before introduciing new ones. "Embrace your past, but for now," she closes by saying. It's also been 10 years this year that Bey' has been working with Pepsi.
he commerical previews Beyoncé's first single, "Grown Woman," off her forthcoming album. The Timbaland-produced song, features a confident Bey', ready to show the world she's still got it.
"They like the way I walk cause I walk with a vengeance/ And you listen to me when I talk cause I ain't pretendin'/ Took awhile now I understand just where I'm going/ I know the world and I know who I am 'bout time I show it/ And I'm moving down like that when I do it/ I could be bad if I want / I can go slow all night long / I'm a grown woman," she sings.
"Grown Woman" will debut on Monday (April 8).
Take my coins, iTunes!
The Great Gatsby Trailer w/ New Music by Beyoncé x André 3000, Lana Del Rey, Florence + The Machine
Beyonce and Andre 300 remake Amy Winhouse's Back to Black
Looking 4ward to this era!
I need "Grown Woman" in full right now! I've played the commercial so many damn times it's not even funny

subset: commoncrawl


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Hi Everyone!
Last Tuesday night was our monthly Genealogy Program at the Schaumburg Township District Library.
Our guest speaker for the evening was Mike Karsen who was going to present his program titled "Liven Up Your Family History with Images".
When I arrived in the late afternoon to get things going for the evening presentation, I discovered that Mike had been trying to reach me via e-mail and phone to let me know that he was under the weather and would not be able to be present to do his presentation. He did offer to try to make his presentation remotely via conference call.
Never having done that before, I fell into a "state of panic". How could we make that happen in as short of time as we had. Could we make it happen so that our audience would have as good an experience as if the speaker were actually here?
A call to our Information Technology (IT) group and a call to our Audio Visual (AV) group initially made me very confident that we would actually be able to set the room up with a speaker phone in conjunction with a microphone by the speakerphone that would allow us to contact Mike on the phone for him to do his thing remotely!
My biggest concern was the possibility of "bad audio feedback" noise coming through with the microphone so close to the speakerphone. A little experiment here, a little trial there and I thought that by about 6:45 PM we could actually make this work for the scheduled 7:30 PM program.
To make a long story short the event came off incredibly well! Our 45 person audience was rooting and cheering that this would work. And lo and behold it did work!
The speakerphone sound was set up perfectly next to the nice professional microphone our AV person used for this "experiment". Our internal audio system picked up the sound perfectly so that everyone in the room could easily hear Mike via the speakerphone. Our IT person found all the right "port" connections needed to allow us to use the phone in the large meeting room.
I was Mike's right-hand person being the one flipping through his PDF provided file of the 82 images he used during his presentation. I asked Mike to note what slide number he was on as he moved through them so that I was in synch with his images he was using at home. Only a couple of times did I get out of synch but was able to recover quickly without really missing a beat.
We asked our audience to hold the questions until the end. I mentioned to the attendees that if they had a question and could easily make it up to the front to ask, then they could do that by the speakerphone. If someone was too far away or had to crawl over others in the row of seating, then I asked them to state the question and I would repeat it to Mike over the speakerphone.
Questions were asked and answered and everyone was able to hear the conversations from both within the room and via the phone.
WOW! Was I relieved that this worked out well for both the off-site speaker and for our audience.
Many attendees indicated they thought the program was executed incredibly well even if Mike was not actually present in the room. Our audience was happy and felt they really received great genealogy information in a completely unplanned and unexpected manner! Smiles were present throughout the room!
I now can see that we can accomplish this kind of program using our internal setups. Because I have now successfully seen this work I now have to really keep an open mind to take a further step to possibly have an actual Webinar Genealogy Program that would utilize similar technology that would also include the ability to have a video feed to see our speaker.
See what a crisis handled successfully turns me into!
Webinars in the future!! Maybe.
Lions, and tigers and bears! Oh My!
I want to again say a big "Thank You" to our speaker, Mike Karsen, and to our internal library staff in Information Technology and Audio Visual for making this short-notice challenge come off very successfully.
Had this not worked our poor audience would have had to endure the evening with me giving some kind of "song and dance" genealogy routine! Oh well, at least for this most recent occasion I was able to put the top hat, cane and dancing shoes on the back-burner.
But they are on the shelf waiting for me to use again if needed!
Lions and tigers and bears! Oh My!
Tony Kierna
Genealogy Coordinator
Schaumburg Township District Library


text:
Marvel Universe
Base of Operations
Beijing, China
First Appearance
(In shadow, unidentified) Alpha Flight #64 (1988); (fully) Alpha Flight #66 (1989)
China Force tracked Guan to Canada, where he was being held as an illegal alien. There, they confronted him with an ultimatum to join them or die a traitor to his country. Before he could decide, however, China Force attacked and defeated him. Taking him into custody, the team began the journey back to China; however, en route, they fell under the influence of the demonic Dreamqueen. She compelled them to travel to Edmonton, Canada, making them believe they had returned to China. The Dreamqueen also influenced Alpha Flight to travel there, and upon arrival they were attacked by China Force, who believed them to be invading China. Ultimately, China Force were defeated after Laura Dean opened a portal to the true China and they were cast into it by Shaman's magic. Guan opted to follow them, seeking to prove to his innocence to the Chinese government.
Meanwhile, China Force's defectors Dog, Horse, and Monkey had come into the employ of Teng Yun-Suan, who sought to use superhumans to take over small countries, beginning with the then-British colony of Hong Kong. Alongside other agents including She-Devil, Auric, and Silver (Jimon Kwan), the trio of defectors came into conflict with the Agent, Rick Mason. After Horse died battling Mason, the Agent slew Teng; however, Dog and Monkey escaped. Their whereabouts since are unknown.Later, the Jade Dragon joined the Collective Man and Nuwa in forming 3-Peace, a group dedicated to seeking freedom for Chinese mutants. Seeking to quell the dissidents, the Chinese government sent China Force after them; however, 3-Peace allied themselves with Reignfire and his Mutant Liberation Front, and during the ensuing clash Reignfire seemingly slew China Force's leader, Rabbit. Reignfire ultimately betrayed 3-Peace to China Force, but they managed to escape capture.
Follow Marvel


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I think we should have standards for how we treat them, but I think that comparing the situation to slavery is somewhat over-the-top. Though it's really hard to think of some objective way of deciding just what rights they should have.
I think, maybe, we should just ask, if we can figure out how. Of course, then there's the morass of objectively identifying and interpreting communication.
I have an easy solution! When dolphins (and dolphins alone) can create tools and devices such that they are able to wage war for their freedom, it should be granted. Until then, they're screwed.
Persons in coma and infants have behind them a lot of humans that like them and want to give them rights.
It's very simple with dolphins. They will get rights right when either:
a) When we humans will just give them rights because it's no big deal/cost for as and we'll just feel like it;
b) They successfully fight for them.
Just as for any other rights-gaining example in the history - rights of different ethnicities and races, rights of women, rights of lower social classes. Any 'universal' or 'natural' or 'una
Well that's kind of a silly standard.
Aren't most "standards" silly these days anyhow?
Most technology is ultimately based on at least one of two things: the opposable thumb
Opposable thumb: Dolphins- Nope
(needed for dextrously manipulating one's environment, exceptions such as an elephant's nose notwithstanding)
Infants and people in comas can't use them to manipulate their environment either.
and fire (and its natural descendent electricity).
Fire: Dolphins: a bit hard to rub two sticks together underwater to create fire, so nope.
By your standard, a person in a coma or an infant are not to be granted rights.
I'm not seeing much difference in the end result between your your definition and the parents.
The dolphins think they're more intelligent for the same reason.
I'll consider accepting dolphins as persons if and only if that means I'm allowed to put them on trial for rape.
This. A hundred times this.
People seem to think dolphins are happy smiling human-equivalents that spend all day frolicking in the water and occasionally hunt for fish. Similarly, apes are just peaceful vegetarians who live in the trees and pick nits out of each other's hair.
In reality, both dolphins and apes (and chimpanzees) are - as they'd say in the old days - brutes and spend their days waring with each other, pillaging for spoils and that includes the females.
In short, the concept of "human rights" makes no sense in a world without law. What's law? In my best Spock voice: To bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, so that the strong should not harm the weak. If you want your favorite higher mammals to have the same rights as us, then guess what, they have the same responsibilities as us too.
Dolphins: "muck about"
Humans: "New York"
Score one for the dolphins.
Seriously though, the the thing that created New York was our opposable thumbs. Without them, New York would likely be muck. And despite having limited appendages, dolphins do hunt in groups, even ON LAND (shore lines). They even have oral history and tribal (pods) dialects for communication. Dolphins are surprisingly complex and intelligent animals, seemingly limited by their physical shape and lack of digits; specifically thumbs.
For what its worth, some research seems to hint that octopi are nearly as intelligent as dolphin. Yet, what sets them apart in a human's mind is a dolphin's physical ability to vocalize. Which basically makes them more accessible for research and easier to relate.
For what its worth, some research seems to hint that octopi are nearly as intelligent as dolphin. Yet, what sets them apart in a human's mind is a dolphin's physical ability to vocalize. Which basically makes them [...] easier to relate.
Or maybe it's just that octopi don't look like they're smiling all the time.
If you grant dolphins "personhood" (whatever that means), then you've got to do the same thing with chimps. And probably orang-utans. And then maybe whales and elephants too.
My suggestion is that we grant them this personhood when they ask for it. When they're able to ask for it, then it's obvious they deserve it. Until then, there's a huge gap between what humans are capable of and what various smart animals are capable of.
Some human "persons" don't understand that they have that right until you explain it to them.
Look at the caste systems.
This is awfully absurd. Maybe they are already asking to be let out of Seaworld and all the other cages we keep them in. Perhaps we aren't capable of understanding them? Does one simply ignore all signs of intelligence because we simply enjoy their tricks? Your suggestion in many ways is how slavery was justified by stating that the slaves were somehow an inferior animal.
Indeed. So are you really surprised that someone should suggest that some other being doesn't deserve rights because of their own ignorance?
Your suggestion in many ways is how slavery was justified by stating that the slaves were somehow an inferior animal.
No. Slaves were fully human, and humans already had "personhood". Not just that, but slaves have asked for freedom. And even when they didn't speak the same language, they were still able to express their displeasure over their captivity. (Although I seem to recall a story about a circus with African elephants that were also clearly unhappy about their captivity, no matter their treatment. And yes, that means they tore the place down, and probably got shot.)
In any case, I'm all for treating animals with respect, and letting them live in their own habitats rather than captivity. But giving them human rights simply because they might be slightly smarter than some other animals is just silly.
Slaves were fully human, and humans already had "personhood".
True, but what GP says is also true.
This is not meant as a troll...
My grandmother from South Africa went to a town meeting (many decades ago). After the town meeting there was some socialising. One white woman had a proper conversation with a black woman for the very first time in her life... and ended up very shocked and traumatised. The black woman was talking about how she was worried that her son wasn't studying hard enough at school and other such things. Just like (shock, horror)
Grant personhood only to those who ask for it? The protectors of the coma wards and unborn human fetuses are going to hate that.
That's the problem with personhood tests: not all humans can pass them, unless you set the bar so low that even most chickens can pass it. The only patch is to add unsatisfying arbitrary clauses, like whitelisting anything with human DNA. (Wait, how much human DNA?) But if you're going to arbitrarily whitelist some species, then you might as well throw out the test altogether, a
I should probably preface this by stating that I am thoroughly omnivorous, fine with testing on lab rats, can't stand PETA and generally hold that most people's preconceptions about animal rights have far more to do with "cute vs ugly" than they do with "right vs wrong".
So it may sound strange that I'm all for dolphins being recognized as near-human level intelligent life, and accorded legal protection befitting said status. Actually I'd go as far as extending such status to most other cetaceans and all apes.
What is the measure of a human being? I don't believe in souls, nor should religion be invoked in temporal debates. Human genetics are no more complex than any other mammal. Human anatomy, while distinct from other apes in a few areas, is mostly unremarkable from the neck down. We're animals ourselves, vertebrate, tetrapod, primate, ape, hominid. We like to imagine ourselves as special, as evidenced by the way we write our mythologies and philosophy, but that's ego talking, not evidence.
All that distinguishes us from the other apes is brain size to body mass ratio. And even then, the gulf isn't vast. We can safely assume that any mammal with a similarly large brain in relation to body mass has the same range of emotions, capacity for complex thought, self-awareness, creativity, what-have-you. Language and communication isn't uniquely human. Nor is art. Hell, even tool use isn't unique to us.
If the only measure of value is sapience, and it can be demonstrated that a non-human of any stripe shares that characteristic with us, than damn straight we ought to treat them the way we treat humans.
If the only measure of value is sapience, and it can be demonstrated that a non-human of any stripe shares that characteristic with us, than damn straight we ought to treat them the way we treat humans.
1. we really need a test for that.
2. we need to be prepared for the implication of some humans failing at these tests.
3. we need to be prepared for the implication of some software programs succeeding at these tests.
We like to imagine ourselves as special, as evidenced by the way we write our mythologies and philosophy, but that's ego talking, not evidence.
What? You don't think the fact that we write mythologies and philosophy at all makes us special among animals?
All that distinguishes us from the other apes is brain size to body mass ratio. And even then, the gulf isn't vast.
No, it's the fact that we write mythologies and philosophy that distinguishes us from other apes. And that gulf is vast.
We can safely assume that any mammal with a similarly large brain in relation to body mass has the same range of emotions, capacity for complex thought, self-awareness, creativity, what-have-you.
No we can't. That's pure speculation. In fact, it's not so much the size of the brain that matters, but the structure.
How do they taste?
they should be treated as 'non-human persons.'
Corporations are, so why not dolphins...
Wish I had mod points. Dolphins are at least as smart as corporations and not as evil.
So, they go around beating the shit out of something and killing other animals for fun, *because they can*.
Sounds awfully like humans to me...
Also clearly dogs are human. So are chimps.
What the hell, what's NOT a human? A rabbit? A cockroach?
You can come up with whatever justifications to 'give rights' to whatever you want, but in reality 'rights' are an abstract idea defined by humans.
Do dolphins have the same 'rights' as humans? Well, it's up to humans to define. I, on my part, will always discriminate against dolphins, I promise that much.
What the hell, what's NOT a human? A rabbit? A cockroach?
An unborn human, apparently.
Considering it has less "human" characteristics than a cockroach I agree.
you mean other than that stuff called DNA?
Otherwise, we'll have community organizers signing up dolphins to vote in elections and lobbying for tax dollars to fund flipper-accessible housing.
It's depressing how accurate this is.
the Uplift begins...
Not that I mind it much. As long as they remain conscientious objectors to war.
Lots of creatures exhibit some form of intelligence. Should they have rights too? And why is intelligence the only factor? Should a stupid person have less rights than a dolphin? What about faster? or stronger? Should animals which have those traits be given rights too?
Why do we have the right to give other creatures rights?
And do you think tuna fishermen are going to stop using nets because they might catch something which has rights?
Lots of creatures exhibit some form of intelligence. Should they have rights too? And why is intelligence the only factor? Should a stupid person have less rights than a dolphin? What about faster? or stronger? Should animals which have those traits be given rights too?
Why do we have the right to give other creatures rights?
You can grant "rights" to any species you like... Dolphins have the same intrinsic rights as humans. i.e. none.
Granting a right to one party is essentially imposing a duty on one or more other parties. For example, if we as humans grant dolphins a right to life, then we are basically saying "We (humans) will try not to kill you (dolphins) on purpose." Thus, by granting them this right, we are imposing upon ourselves the duty to not purposefully kill any dolphins. You can view it, if you wish, as a type of contract, though I'll be quick to point out that the concept of rights and duties extends beyond the legal realm into the moral one.
Why would we grant dolphins rights? Possibly because of what we feel to be a collective moral obligation. Granting rights to animals on the basis of moral obligation is not unprecedented. For instance, most animals for whom there is significant evidence that they can feel pain are granted the legal (and moral) right not to be abused. There's nothing physical stopping me from beating the ever living shit out of my dog, but I don't, because I think that inflicting unnecessary pain is immoral. Thus, I have implicitly granted my dog the right not to have the ever living shit beaten out of him.
Why would we grant dolphins a right to life specifically? This is akin to the question of why we would grant, for example, Homeless Joe with no friends or family a right to life specifically. If you approach the question from a secular viewpoint, it's kind of tricky. After all, there's no one to mourn the homeless person if I kill him, and he certainly won't care if I do it painlessly (in fact, he can't care; he's dead). Most ethicists working in this field approach the problem by appealing to the human traits of foresight and planning. Killing Homeless Joe thwarts his plans and deprives him of the possibility of making his life better in the future. (Interestingly, a very similar argument is used to justify euthanasia in terminal patients). Assuming that the scientific studies that we've done on dolphins show that they share the traits of foresight and planning with humans, denying them the right to life while granting it to Homeless Joe is simply drawing a line arbitrarily and discriminating against dolphins simply because they are a different species. The discrimination has no underlying rational basis.
I think that at least begins to explain why intelligence is an important factor in granting rights to non-human animals and why other traits are not as important. As for the stupid people comment, see the above argument. Consistency would dictate that if a human is so severely mentally handicapped that they do not exhibit foresight (nor will they ever--otherwise it would be totally cool to kill babies), then they wouldn't have a specific right to life under this reasoning (similar to the euthanasia argument above). However, I doubt they would be in much danger. After all, most people would need a reason to kill them (otherwise, why would they expend the effort), and even then, based on the discussion above about non-human animals, it would still have to be done painlessly. Remember, we grant the right not to be abused to most animals anyway, so this case would be no different.
As for your last statement, you bet your ass if a tuna fisherman caught a SCUBA diver in their net and drowned him, they'd be in deep shit. But we've also seen that, unfortunately, commercial interests often trump even well-established human rights, so there's really no telling.
Not to mention the many dolphins slaving away on the cotton fields.
... but they don't appear to develop* at all? I haven't seen any dolphin civilizations or "dolphin science" or "dolphin inventions" lately...
* Develop not referring evolutionary development or something like that, but developing things to help them survive better, live better, enjoy life better.
My cat can tell it's his own reflection in a mirror; he uses it to see his face while grooming. If he sees carpet fuzz or something, he'll wipe it off. I didn't know animals, other than apes, could reason this well.
But they're so delicious! Why would we risk the world's most epic source of food?
Dolphins do deserve a more vigorous protection even though they will never be any good at playing the piano.
If dolphins have rights, we won't be able to use them in genetic experiments to make them smarter.
And if we can't make them smarter, then who is going to pilot our starships?
I really don't see why something as petty as intelligence should affect this decision. Everything dies, and in the end, ones intelligence means nothing. Elevating yourself above another entity simply for that reason is incredibly arrogant.
They kidnap females so they can rape them.
Yup, they sure act human-like.
Humans will kill thousands and millions of their own species because the members of the other species did not share the same religion, culture, ideas or political ideals.
Humans will attempt to draw more 'wealth' for themselves by getting human children to work in their factories - in order to gain more profits on their sales.
Humans will dump dangerous materials into the air, sea or land and deny the effects of these materials. Humans will also destroy large ecosystems in order to farm non-native animals in
Male dolphins will separate a female from her pod and deny her food or sleep until she lets them mate with her.
They kidnap females so they can rape them.
Yup, they sure act human-like.
Don't worry, once Dolphins have 'human rights', any dolphin which rapes another dolphin will be sent to dolphin jail, and any dolphin which kills another dolphin will be sent to the electric chair.
NB: Electric Chair Underwater may not be a good idea.
I support limited rights for animals, in parallel with the level of legal responsibility that they have. Already many animals are granted a few very limited rights, like the right to not be tortured (even if it is legal to kill them). This goes along with their legal responsibilities as in they are not held accountable for their actions like theft or even murder, which is the responsibility of the owner (if there is one). The courts might order an animal put down, but only as a protection for the community, not as a punishment.
So, what level of rights should dolphins be granted? What level or responsibility? Should we make it illegal to kill them? Should we convict them of murder if they kill another person or dolphin? Should it be illegal to confine them? Should they be held responsible if they steal fish from a net?
I suspect much of the problem is one of communication. Dolphin are simply so alien to humans that we may not think similarly enough to communicate richly enough to make sense of this sort of ethical issue. (It also shatters all those awesome sci-fi fantasies about meeting cool alien species who are similar to us, but different, but we communicate and get along. Likely any alien would be so alien communication would be an even bigger issue than with dolphins.)
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/75068 [mentalfloss.com]
4. For the Love of Dolphins
Perhaps the most troubling experiment in recent history is the dolphin-intelligence study conducted by neuroscientist John C. Lilly in 1958. While working at the Communication Research Institute, a state-of-the-art laboratory in the Virgin Islands, Lilly wanted to find out if dolphins could talk to people. At the time, the dominant theory of human language development posited that children learn to talk through constant, close contact with their mothers. So, Lilly tried to apply the same idea to dolphins.
For 10 weeks in 1965, Lilly's young, female research associate, Margaret Howe, live with a dolphin named Peter. The two shared a partially flooded, two-room house. The water was just shallow enough for Margaret to wade through the rooms and just deep enough for Peter to swim. Margaret and Peter were constantly interacting with each other, eating, sleeping, working, and playing together. Margaret slept on a bed soaked in saltwater and worked on a floating desk, so that her dolphin roommate could interrupt her whenever he wanted. She also spent hours playing ball with Peter, encouraging his more "humanoid" noises and trying to teach him simple words.
As time passed, it became clear that Peter didn't want a mom; he wanted a girlfriend. The dolphin became uninterested in his lessons, and he started wooing Margaret by nibbling at her feet and legs. When his advances weren't reciprocated, Peter got violent. He started using his nose and flippers to hit Margaret's shins, which quickly became bruised. For a while, she wore rubber boots and carried a broom to fight off Peter's advances. When that didn't work, she started sending him out for conjugal visits with other dolphins. But the research team grew worried that if Peter spent too much time with his kind, he'd forget what he'd learned about being human.
Before long, Peter was back in the house with Margaret, still attempting to woo her. But this time, he changed his tactics. Instead of biting his lady friend, he started courting her by gently rubbing his teeth up and down her leg and showing off his genitals. Shockingly, this final strategy worked, and Margaret began rubbing the dolphin's erection. Unsurprisingly, he became a lot more cooperative with his language lessons.
Discovering that a human could satisfy a dolphin's sexual needs was the experiment's biggest interspecies breakthrough. Dr. Lilly still believed that dolphins could learn to talk if given enough time, and he hoped to conduct a year-long study with Margaret and another dolphin. When the plans turned out to be too expensive, Lilly tried to get the dolphins to talk another way--by giving them LSD. And although Lilly reported that they all had "very good trips," the scientist's reputation in the academic community deteriorated. Before long, he'd lost federal funding for his research.
This article originally appeared in mental_floss magazine
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/75068 [mentalfloss.com]
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
Good. I honour all living creations (exception being humans), and I very happily endorse any effort that will stop the needless slaughter of non-domesticated flora/fauna.
But on the other hand, if they are so smart; why can't they overcome instinct and jump out of the tuna nets? =)
The lyrics from an Enigma song seem appropiate right now:
"Remember the Shaman, when he used to say: Man is the dream of the Dolphin." ~'Dream of the Dolphin' - Enigma - Cross of Changes - 1994
... be treated as non-persons?
It seems pretty ridiculous to use intelligence to decide if we should treat something else well or not.
... than not allowing dolphins such rights to personage would be to simply stop there, when there are hundreds of millions - billions? - of feline and canine "pets" WHO are routinely denied those same rights and often subjected to serfdom and slavery. Since cats and dogs are reported to have intelligence equivalent to at least a one-year-old human child (and I observe behavior myself every day that seems to confirm it) and we normally treat those children as persons, the bigger crime is that we have this huge population IN OUR MIDST that is often treated worse than the dolphins. Hell, for that matter humans routinely still treat other humans as non-persons: when people use mental trickery like racism, tribalism, demonization, and marginalization, they do it specifically so they can then justify to themselves treating other humans as non-persons or sub-human and thus not deserving of the ethics accorded to persons or the Golden Rule.
"Freeing Willie" is the infinitesimal tip of the ethical iceberg.
The rich get rich, and the poor get poorer. The haves get more, the have-nots die.


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Don't let Republicans steal the election for Mitt Romney
This petition had 5,462 supporters
Ohio has emerged as the latest front in the Republican scheme to derail democracy by disenfranchising millions of voters. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, in a blatant partisan move to steal the election for Mitt Romney, is trying to put an end to early weekend voting before Election Day. This change in Ohio election practices specifically impacts minority and low income voters.
It's not just Ohio. It's also Florida and Pennsylvania. Earlier this summer, CREDO Action members signed over 87,000 petitions and made over 1,600 phone calls urging Senator Patrick Leahy, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to hold Congressional hearings on brazen Republican efforts to steal the 2012 presidential election in other key battle ground states like Florida and Pennsylvania. With Republicans showing no sign of slowing down their tenacious efforts to steal the election, we're escalating our call for Senator Leahy to hold hearings to investigate the GOP effort to suppress the votes of millions of voters in key battleground states across the country.
Tell the Senate Judiciary Committee: Hold emergency hearings on Republicans' schemes to steal the presidential election in key battleground states.
A prominent Ohio Republican state official has already openly admitted that Husted's efforts to shut down weekend voting would result in African Americans voters having a more difficult time voting. A federal district judge struck down Husted's effort to restrict early voting during the three days before the election, and after initially resisting that court order Husted backed down for the time being, pending appeal in higher court.
But the crisis is not over. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit that will be reviewing the district court decision to strike down Husted's efforts to restrict early voting is "a Republican-leaning court with a history of partisan decisions benefiting the Republican Party."
The situation in Ohio is crucial given its recent history in Presidential elections. In 2004 hundreds of thousands of predominantly minority and Democratic voters were disenfranchised on Election Day due to massive lines and "widespread electoral dysfunction." As Ari Berman reported in the Nation:
According to one survey, 174,000 Ohioans, 3 percent of the electorate, left their polling place without voting because of the interminable wait. (Bush won the state by only 118,000 votes).
In response to the mess on Election Day in 2004, Ohio reformed its electoral process by adding early voting before Election Day, leading to a "much smoother experience" in 2008. The opportunity to vote early led to record turnout for African American and low income voters.
Now the Republicans in Ohio are working to disenfranchise thousands of those voters in racially diverse urban centers such as Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland. The restriction on weekend voting is specifically aimed at disrupting minority voters - for example, African-American churches historically rally their congregants to the voting booth on the Sunday before the election.
Tell the Senate Judiciary Committee: Hold emergency hearings on Republicans' schemes to steal the presidential election in key battleground states.
The Republican elections officials in Ohio, along with their counterparts in Florida and Pennsylvania, should be trying to help more eligible voters participate in the democratic process, not disenfranchise minorities and the poor.
With Congress returning from summer recess this week, Senator Leahy needs to get the message from as many Americans as possible that it's not okay for Republican elections officials in Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio - or any other state -- to engage in systematic effort to disenfranchise U.S. citizens for the explicit purpose of swinging the election to Republican Mitt Romney in November.
Let's keep the pressure on Senator Leahy to hold a public hearing on the GOP war on voting today.
Thank you for standing up for the right to vote.
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What they're saying
"I think a lot of us that were here in 2010, we [think] we're better players now. I myself feel that I'm a well-rounded player – got a lot better defensively and without the puck as time has gone on. I feel like I'm more focused about hockey now."
Hawks forward Patrick Kane on his growth since 2010
"There's been a lot of talk about [Tuukka] Rask. Rightfully so. He's played great for them. He's a big part of their success. I think we've played some good goalies in previous rounds. We've managed to find ways to score."
Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith on Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask
"He's always been a Norris Trophy winner for us. You have no idea what this guy does for a hockey club."
Bruins coach Claude Julien on defenseman Zdeno Chara
"He's a pest, but he's also super skilled. He yaps a lot, but he backs it up with his play."
Bruins forward Shawn Thornton on pesky teammate Brad Marchand
Star gazing
Here's a look at the top contenders to earn the No. 1 star of Game 1.
Blackhawks: Marian Hossa
Kane might have stolen the show this weekend with a hat trick to close out the Los Angeles Kings, but Hossa has been one of the Hawks' most consistent performers. Hossa has scored seven playoff goals, six of which have given the Hawks the lead. As for Hossa's other goal during the playoffs? Well, that merely tied the game.
Bruins: Tuukka Rask
Rask was unbelievable in the Eastern Conference Finals as he allowed only two goals in four games against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, Rask has allowed one or fewer goals in each of his last five games. Now, the 6-foot-3 goaltender from Finland will look to improve upon his 12-4 playoff record and 1.75 goals-against average.
Tweet, tweet
If you're on Twitter, here is a good account to follow during the game.
LeBrun wears many hats (not real hats) with his work for ESPN.com and TSN.
Three stats to know
1: Difference, in pounds, between the average weight of the Hawks and Bruins. Both teams' average player height is 6-foot-1, while the Hawks average 203 pounds compared with an average of 202 pounds for the Bruins.
70: Percent of games in which the home team has won during the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs. Home teams have won 56 of 80 games, which is remarkable when one considers that home teams have not won more than 60 percent of playoff games in a single postseason since 1993.
606: Days since the Hawks played the Bruins. The two teams last met Oct. 15, 2011, when Boston held on for a 3-2 shootout victory. The franchises have met 578 times during the regular season, with the Bruins going 261-235-82.


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Nearly half of parents of children ages 10-19 say they support legalizing recreational use of marijuana, nearly three-quarters support medical marijuana, and most say that misused prescription drugs, alcohol and tobacco pose greater threats to kids. But parents still say there should be strict regulations around marijuana -- including 87 percent supporting a total ban on pot advertising.
"It's just not seen as that dangerous," Scott Kotchko, a pollster for New York-based Whitman Insight Strategies, said Tuesday in announcing the results. "This does not mean that adults in this country or in Colorado think that it is OK to use marijuana in a completely unregulated manner."
The Partnership at Drugfree.org, a national organization dedicated to combating substance abuse among youths, commissioned the survey and presented the results at a panel discussion at the University of Denver on the possible impacts of marijuana legalization in Colorado.
Overall, the survey found that half of parents across the country and 62 percent of parents in Colorado had used marijuana at least once in their lives. That experience colored parents' attitudes about marijuana, with parents who had smoked pot more likely to favor marijuana legalization.
But parents also have serious worries about marijuana use by kids, with more than 80 percent saying they think it is a credible concern that pot use could negatively impact future opportunities, hinder brain development and hurt school performance.
Parents also want strict controls on marijuana use and sales. Over 90 percent of parents surveyed said marijuana smoking should be prohibited in the same places where tobacco smoking is, that marijuana should come with warning labels like cigarettes, that it should be illegal to provide marijuana to underage users and that the minimum age for use should be 21.
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, speaking at the panel discussion, said the survey results show the "cognitive dissonance" in Colorado over marijuana legalization: Parents want to allow it, but they also want to keep kids from being exposed to it.
"We're going to have to look at a different way of influencing our young people beside the regulatory system," Suthers said.
Brian Vicente, one of the proponents of marijuana legalization in Colorado, said rules are already in place or soon will be in place to address almost all the regulation concerns that parents raised in the survey.


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With a fun-filled weekend quickly approaching I'm cleaning out my grill and stocking up on staples: graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows. Yes, it is s'more season!
Get creative with some red and blue bowls and have everything set out nicely when guests are ready to get their fingers sticky. I love the use of the old wash tub and some untraditional add-ons.
Isn't this marshmallow tree super cute? Click image for more fun fire skewers.
OR… if you love the taste but the whole open fire isn't with the vibe of your party opt for these pops with cracker crumbs from Gimme Some Oven! (click image for directions) So chic!


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Singapore is synonymous with MRO in the AsiaPacific region, but the fastpaced growth of airlines there is drawing local and global companies to establish aftermarket support operations in Indonesia and Malaysia as well.
Lion Air plans to open four hangars on Batam, an Indonesian island south of Singapore to accommodate the hundreds of aircraft it has on order.
Malaysian entrepreneur Syed Budriz founded Kuala Lumpur International Airport-based Sepang Aircraft Engineering (SAE) in 2007 to provide a local MRO option for AirAsia. "As AirAsia got bigger, EADS came in and invested 40% in 2010," says JeanLuc Coma, acting CEO for the company. Today, SAE completes about 85% of AirAsia's maintenance checks.
Singaporebased Tigerair sent a few Airbus A320s to SAE for airframe C checks and component work, which proved to be a good test case because in December the lowcost carrier awarded SAE 35 more C checks. The first will arrive in April. Tigerair operates 50 A320s, which have an average age of less than three years.
In November, SAE broke ground on a new hangar that it expects to open by the end of this year. It will provide the extra space it needs to accommodate additional customers and facilitate its new role as the Airbus Malaysia Customer Service Center. "We anticipate more C checks for A320s and ATR42/72s from this region in 2014 and hope for a 10% growth rate," says Coma. SAE handles five or six A320 and ATR checks daily, with three to four coming from AirAsia.
On the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, SR Technics is setting up a component repair facility. The Zurichbased MRO, a unit of Mubadala Aerospace, needed a facility in the region to support its Integrated Component Services (ICS) customers. It considered Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia, and by January 2013 had started negotiating for facility space near Kuala Lumpur, according to Heinz Freimann, general manager of SR Technics Malaysia.
In addition to this facility, which will officially opened in March, SR Technics has also formed a partnership with Garuda Maintenance Facility AeroAsia (GMF) to create a component support workshop in Jakarta as part of an ICS agreement for Garuda Indonesia's Airbus A330s and Boeing 737NGs. SR Technics will work with GMF to develop its existing inhouse repair capabilities, which in turn gives the MRO incountry support in Indonesia to reduce turnaround times.
Sivadass Krishnan, SR Technics Malaysia's first employee and human resources manager, wants 90% of the staff at the component repair facility to be local. Each will undergo six to nine months of training, with a special emphasis on hand skills. The first wave of 21 technicians received theoretical and practice core skills training at D'Aviation Solutions near Kuala Lumpur during JuneAugust 2013, and then went to Zurich for additional onthejob process and parts training. They then returned to Malaysia to prepare test benches, organize material in the warehouse and prepare for the production line rampup, including reassembling parts sent from Zurich.
The second wave, 45 of whom were mostly recruited from local technical schools and universities, started training between September and November. Eight of this group also will fly to Zurich for "onthejob training for specific part numbers," says Freimann. They might have less experience, "but we'll show them that they can move up," says Joel Lin, head of maintenance operations at SR Technics Malaysia.
SR Technics expects to receive Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation/EASA audit approval any day, with the first components to undergo repair being hydraulic pumps, ballscrew actuators, power drive units and audio control panels. By the end of this year, the company expects to have 1,200 product capabilities. The MRO's Swiss operation covers 3,500.
While having a local presence should speed turnaround times, it is important that SR Technics Malaysia "brings Swiss quality and the same standards here from the beginning, including workmanship. Customers shouldn't see a difference" between components repaired in Zurich or Kuala Lumpur, says Freimann. "We're like a startup within an established company. Without the group, we wouldn't have chosen SAP, but we must comply with group standards."


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RENO, Nev. - Washoe County Regional Animal Services has captured a black male pit bull that had been on the loose much of the day.
The 9-month-old named Throttle was loose in the area of the 3200 block of South Virginia Street. The dog was considered unpredictable and was showing signs of aggression, according to Animal Control, saying he had bitten his owner before running off Thursday morning.
Washoe Regional Animal Services, Washoe County deputies, Reno police and Washoe County School Police searched for the dog, which was found near Shoppers' Square Thursday afternoon.
A Code Red telephone alert was issued through Washoe Dispatch to residents in the immediate search area, and parents and school bus drivers were urged to keep kids safe near area bus stops.
Animal Control will meet with the dog's family to determine his fate.


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RPMH hosts free diabetic support group
More than 1.7 million Texans 18 years of age and older are living with diabetes. Although the disease can be deadly, it is easily managed through a healthier lifestyle. Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital (RPMH) is offering a free diabetic support group meeting on Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the hospital's emergency department classroom, located at 200 E. Arizona Avenue. The support group meeting will feature guest speaker Dr. Timothy Jones, a new family practice physician at RPMH. This event is free of charge and does not require any type of membership.The program is ideal for those with or those looking to learn more about the disease. Support staff will be on-site to answer questions in the group or individually."Diabetes isn't a death sentence, but it could be if not managed properly," said Jones. "Diet and exercise are key to properly managing diabetes."Diabetes mellitus, typically referred to as diabetes, affects one in 10 adults in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the nation.For more than 11 years, the RPMH has supported the Diabetic Outreach Program. A free service to the community, the program offers diabetic education, support groups, dietary consults, and a variety of resources that help affected individuals and their loved ones live with or prevent the disease."Diabetes is being diagnosed in more and more Americans each year," Jones explained. "The RPMH Diabetic Outreach Program exists to increase awareness about the disease by offering free education and support to everyone in our community."If you would like more information about diabetes or if you think you might be at risk, please contact the RPMH Diabetic Outreach Program at 325-235-1701. About Rolling Plains Memorial HospitalRolling Plains Memorial Hospital provides healthcare for those in the communities they serve. Founded in 1976, Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital offers a wealth of medical services including: 24 hour emergency care, advanced radiology services including CT scanning and MRIs, outpatient lab, physical therapy, surgical services, swing bed services, patient education, home health and assistive services, and more. For additional information, please visit www.rpmh.net.


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The party's over.
Just when the NCAA pool was beginning to overflow with Duck fanatics from sea to shining sea, the Kansas Jayhawks pulled the plug on all the fun — one of only nine teams to do so all season.
By drowning the always-buoyant Duck Express with their own style of run-and-gun basketball — not to mention battering them on the boards by a margin of 61-31 — the Jayhawks earned their first trip to the Final Four since 1993.
Sure, it stings a bit for Duck fans to see such a magnificent season come to a close, but think of it this way: If Kansas goes on to win the title, the Duck Nation can take consolation in the fact that their team lost to the eventual champ (as a long-time competitor, I can say that this truly does offer some solace).
However, I know I won't be the first to say that the Ducks have nothing to hang their heads about. Winning the Pac-10 title and qualifying for the tournament is an accomplishment in itself. Earning a two-seed and proving they were worth it by launching themselves into the Elite Eight is a major achievement.
Ernie Kent and his boys learned a lot this year. They learned how to win close games — take Friday's last-second scramble against Texas, for example. They learned how to win on the road (beating USC and UCLA back-to-back in Southern California showed tremendous resolve). They learned how to come from behind, winning almost as many left-for-dead games as their football counterparts.
But most of all, the Ducks learned that if a team plays with heart and buys into a system, it can achieve anything.
Sure, it helped to have the all-star trio of Freddie Jones, Luke Ridnour and Luke Jackson leading the charge. But this season was a team triumph. Anthony Lever, Kris Kristensen, Robert Johnson, Chris Christofferson and company all had just as much to do with this team's arrival among the elite in college basketball.
Winning six out of nine against ranked opponents — twice beating conference foes Arizona, USC and UCLA — was no fluke either. This team will be back next year. And it will be as fired up as ever to defend its Pac-10 title.
Even if the Ducks don't take home the conference hardware, they're beginning to understand that it's all about getting there — to the tournament, that is. Kansas knows it. Maryland knows it. Duke knows it (but blew it). The reality is, if you have a ticket to dance, no one can take away your one-in-64 chance.
But the hardest part of the tournament for most players and fans is the extreme highs and lows. One night your team wins on a buzzer-beater; the next, it loses by a truckload. No one said the Big Dance was all punch and cookies. Sometimes the aftertaste is unbelievably bitter. Oregon gave it all they had and chipped away at the field of 64 to wind up with a one-in-eight chance.
As Maryland, Oklahoma, Indiana and Kansas will tell the young Ducks, a chance is all they're playing "four." The Ducks have had a taste. Next year they'll be ready for the buffet.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Investors finally got what they wanted from the European Central Bank: a concrete plan to support struggling countries in the region by buying up large amounts of government bonds. That set off a global market rally and sent U.S. indexes to four-year highs.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index jumped to its highest level since January 2008, just one month into the Great Recession. European markets also surged. Treasury bond prices and the dollar dropped as traders sold low-risk investments.
The gains were extraordinarily broad; 98 percent of the stocks in the S&P 500 index rose.
"There's just a sea of green," said JJ Kinahan, TD Ameritrade's chief derivatives strategist. "It's pretty fun."
At a long-awaited meeting Thursday, Mario Draghi, the ECB's president, unveiled a new program to buy government bonds from the region's struggling countries with the aim of lowering their borrowing costs. Draghi said the program will have no set limit on how much it can buy.
Kinahan praised Draghi for two details in the plan. He didn't declare a limit for the bond-buying program and also said it wouldn't put itself first in line in the event of a default, something investors had been clamoring for. Both details should make other investors more willing to buy government bonds along with the ECB.
"In a situation where it was easy to have a slip-up, it seems like he did everything right," Kinahan said.
The S&P 500 index jumped 27 points to 1,430 as of 2 p.m. The Dow Jones industrial average surged 230 points to 13,277. That's just two points away from its highest level since December 2007.
The Nasdaq composite index jumped 65 points to 3,134. The Nasdaq also breached a major milestone, its highest level in 12 years.
European stock markets also jumped in response to Draghi's announcement. Germany's DAX and France's CAC-40 each soared 3 percent.
The gains were even bigger in Spain and Italy, the two largest countries to become caught up in the region's long-running government debt crisis. Spain's benchmark index soared 5 percent, Italy's 4 percent.
The interest rates on their government bonds also fell sharply. That's a sign investors anticipate a surge in demand for them as the European Central Bank starts up its bond purchase program. Spain's benchmark 10-year bond yield fell to 6 percent from 6.39 percent. Italy's comparable bond yield fell to 5.21 percent from 5.43 percent.
Traders shifted money out of U.S. Treasury bonds, considered one of the world's safest places to stash money, and the drop in demand lifted yields. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.67 percent, up from 1.60 percent late Wednesday.
In an encouraging sign for the U.S. job market, a report from the payroll processor ADP said businesses added 201,000 jobs last month, the most reported by the survey since March.
Separately, the Labor Department said the number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell by 12,000 last week to 365,000. That figure won't affect the August jobs report, due out Friday, but could be a sign of a better hiring this month.
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I don't know.
From my experience if your business uses XenApp (a lot do) then they always choose XenDesktop, mainly because the configuration looks just like the XenApp config tools, making the admin staff feel more comfortable using it. XenApp however will work fine in a vSphere/View environment.
While XenDesktop being able to run on Citrix XenServer, VMware vSphere, or Microsoft Hyper-V hypervisor seems like a bonus, I have rarely seen anyone NOT using VMware vSphere, VMware's product seems more mature. VMware started this industry, and as a result has more experience which makes CIO's lean toward them. I personally think any 3 is good, but I too would recommend vSphere
If your company is small, and doesn't need to make granular settings to your VDI then I would recommend View. It's ridiculously easy to setup and maintain.
If your large business is planning to roll out a large VDI infrastructure, to fit many needs, then XenDesktop will give you the granular settings you'll want, and since your IT staff is probably large already you'll have the man power to test, test, test, and then deploy.
Edited 2011-12-18 21:44 UTC


text:
Beorn's Hall
Beorn's Hall lies near The Carrock (a great stone hill with steps carved from it) by the Great River of Wilderland, just west of Mirkwood. Beorn's home was surrounded by a oak trees and a inner inner thorny hedge with a high, broad wooden gate in the Northern side. Many bee-hives were lined-up along the hedge beyond the gate, and large garden covered much of the interior, with several buildings on the Eastern side, and a path that lead to Beorn's house. The path forked towards it's end, going around the back to the Veranda. A courtyard opened up at the front of the house, with two doors on either side leading to the other wings. once inside there were many pillars on either side of the hall, and their was a long table close to the front door, in the middle with benches on either side, and beyond it, in the centre of the room was a wide hearth. Along both sides of the walls, were raised platforms where the tables were stored and extra beds. At the of the room there was a door that opened up to a the veranda.


text:
Even better than that, the phones they're offering are the HTC Surround, LG Quantum or the Samsung Focus - not the more popular phones such as the Omnia or the HD7, which one can learn from other sources [eweek.com] are selling like the proverbial hot cakes.
A poor attempt, really.
The only functionality I use in my phone these days is the address book. Everything else I do through my iPad. If they'd add phone capabilities to the iPad (a bluetooth earpiece and adding a CDMA radio would do it) then I wouldn't even need a "phone" per se. Sure, I want to carry lots of functionality, but the tiny, tiny universe of a phone's screen just doesn't cut it anymore -- the iPad simply crushed that whole domain for me.
As I'm carrying the iPad anyway, much less cumbersome and easier to use than
If they'd add phone capabilities to the iPad (a bluetooth earpiece and adding a CDMA radio would do it) then I wouldn't even need a "phone" per se.
While not exactly native cell phone functionality, I have had great success with whisper [whisper-app.com] voip on my iPad using the normal headphones and mic.
If you have a 3G enabled iPad, you can then install either My3G or VoIPover3G too. Then you can place and receive calls over wifi, 3g, or bluetooth.
Whisper even has a 'free' option if you don't mind listening to an ad. (Good for testing purposes anyway.)
I'm sure there are other VOIP clients out there with different services and price plans.
Even Skype with My3G would
Sonofa, oops... My mistake
Whisper is a chat client. The app I meant to share is Whistle!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/whistle-phone/id322326573?mt=8 [apple.com]
The iPad's a bit awkward to walk around with in your pocket, isn't it? I can't see something that big ever being as universally accessable as a smart phone.
It's all about the right interface for the job. While a pad may provide more real-estate than a smartphone and more mobility than a laptop, it strikes me as being far too bulky to lug around everywhere I go like my smartphone and entirely the wrong platform for general computing tasks. What I want is platforms playing to their strengths and the ability to quickly move data between them. Of course, what I expect is the Industry to tout each platform as the next coming for IT that will completely eliminate
Samsung Galaxy S (T-Mobile) – buy one, get one free! [twentyfourtimes.com] (Android 2.1 OS). Yes, kind of looks like you need Steve Jobs' reality distortion field to convince people to pay undiscounted prices.
Comparing a brand-new phone to ones that already have market-momentum is brain-dead, as has already been discussed on this forum.
And, this is Windows Phone version SEVEN, as clearly described in the name of the product. This might be a brand-new phone to mobile application developers, but for the other 99.9% of the people this is just a new revision of the same old horrible Windows phone operating systems.
It doesn't help at all that this phone is being advertised as "the smartphone for people who don't want a smartphone." Good job finding that marketing niche, Microsoft. What next? Microsoft Fruit Basket 7.0, for people who hate fruit? Microsoft Electric Car 7.0, for people who hate driving?
It also doesn't help that Microsoft's idea of "synergy" doesn't even bother to include embrace, extend, and extinguish anymore. Instead of eating the competition, the divisions at Microsoft are just eating each other. They didn't make a mobile version of XBox live that works on lots of devices, but works better on Microsoft phones. They didn't make a mobile version of the Windows Media Extender that works on lots of devices, but works better on Microsoft phones. Every time Microsoft comes out with something truly cool or innovative, they never let it stand alone. They bundle it to a flailing product, and then act surprised when it all fails together.
Oh really?
The Windows Phone 7 sold 40,000 units on its first day, according to TFA.
By contrast, the original iPhone sold (on June 29th/June 30th 2007 - I can't find the "first day" sales figures, just the first quarter which happens to only be the first two days of the 1st gen iPhone's sales) 270,000 units. If sales were evenly distributed amongst both days, that would mean first day sales of 135,000 units.
It must be a strange world where selling 135,000 (more than 3 times as many) is "not much better" than
Utter nonsense. G1 sold 1 million after 6 months. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10226034-94.html [cnet.com]
And how can you compare iPhone 3G to the first release of a new platform?
Also, TFA extrapolates sales from one deals site in the UK to the rest of the world.
And give me 2 weeks. Dell sold me on this fancy new phone--but won't sell it. How many people are waiting for [insert form factor] phone to have WP7 on it?
Unless I'm missing something, it's a highly misleading summary. In the TFA, the quoted figures are from a UK price comparison site [mobilesplease.co.uk]. It's not sales, it's site visitors comparing phones.
There is a discussion of sales, but it's from an article dated Nov 9.
This is an embarrassing post, even by Slashdot standards.
I saw original Droid phones for 1 penny (w/ contract) just before the Droid Incredible was released by Verizon. Hardly the same as deep discounting of WP7 units a month after release.
The marketing at microsoft baffles me too. I don't know any iphone/android/blackberry users that are even remotely interested in the WP7 stuff. People are staying away in droves.
WTF is wrong with
I thought we established the other day that soulskill was a kdawson sock-puppet.
WTF is wrong with
... Soulskill?
I thought we established the other day that soulskill was a kdawson sock-puppet.
And kdawson is the very small shell script that Taco wrote in 2004 to dupe 3 day old posts.
At this point, I think it's fair to say that Slashdot has achieved self awareness. It's just not benign sentience.
> BOGO offers are in no way a sign of desperation.
Exactly. It's why you often see BOGOF offers on PS3s, digital cameras etc. It's what you do when your product is a runaway success and you can't keep up with demand.
You don't offer BOGO if you can sell both for full price. You mention that Android is selling well. It would seem that BOGO is working for it and is thus a valid tactic.
Call me. Steve not knowing what he's doing could only last so long.
If you want a long-term technology-business-plan, you're new-tech is out-of-touch-tech.
Don't you think Bill would prefer somebody who can write down coherent sentences? Maybe even sentences without basic grammar mistakes?
I don't think the Windows Phone approach is bad actually - there is something to be said for a device that really streamlines the experience - but the question is how much the market wants it. I'd have to see evidence that iPhone/Android/Blackberry/webOS users are really dissatisfied with the current way of doing things (in the way that pre-smartphone users were with their regular phones).
Since Microsoft isn't market-savvy enou
Those Windows Phone ads are worthless because they are saying use our phone and you'll be connected less.
Well, I certainly agree that the Windows Phone ads are simply bad. They seem to suggest you won't use your phone that much, but people like me like to use their phone. A different OS isn't going to let me read any faster or play games quicker. However, I wouldn't say they are worthless. They are funny and get remembered. I caught people at work playing the ads and have had links to them posted because th
I think what they're trying to do doesn't involve the mass retail market. Oh sure, they'd like it to be a hit there, but that's not where their message is the strongest. I think that where they'll try to get their initial momentum is through corporate CIOs. In addition to running Office, WP7 is a platform that can be exploited by the corporate
This is exactly it. I want to like WP7, but as a geek / power user, it's definitely not for me. And for, say, my mom? The problem is that I don't really see any meaningful way to reply to a totally reasonable question of "why this rather than iPhone?". Because, let's face it, it's what the default choice would be, unless you're looking for cheaper stuff (and then it's Android).
Desperate to stay competitive against iPhone and Android mobile devices, Microsoft has released a two-pound lump of actual cow faeces that they claim constitutes a phone.
Windows Mobile 7, in development for several years, strips the mobile telephone down to its fundamental essence: futility, annoyance, malfunction, inconvenience and a socially unacceptable odour. Confounding analyst expectations, the turd is in fact shined.
US mobile carriers hailed the turd as the perfect physical complement to their world-famous customer service. "This powerful product will promote our growth!" said John Harrobin of Verizon Wireless. "We're marketing them as edible."
"We think we can really work the brand equity," said Steve Ballmer, modelling the optional shoulder-length rubber gloves. "Everyone works with our stuff all day every day. They know who Microsoft is and what we do."
"How about making our customers actually swallow our bullshit physically?" said John Harrobin. "Windows Mobile 7 was my idea."
Picture: Steve Ballmer overjoyed at Windows phone sales figures [newstechnica.com].
Or other Japanese manufacturers*.
Honda spent years (decades?) building things with small engines. Starting with 90cc motorcycles, they slowly learned the technology and marketplace. As they did so, they slowly worked their way up the product chain until they reached the position they are in now.
Perhaps Ballmer must go. But does Microsoft have the patience to tough it out for a decade or so, repairing the damage he has done and rebuilding the product teams (while enduring stinking sales figures) before they start to see results?
*There are numerous examples other than Honda. But it was the only car analogy I could think of.
The wisdom from this is engines were Honda's passion, bread and butter. Everything MS does is about market dominance, no passion, they could care less about profits. As soon as they dominate, MS looses interest (IE, Windows Mobile, Microsoft Money, etc etc).
So far I really haven't seen any indications that the OS is doing badly.
There are clearly more Windows 7 phones in stock than there are people buying Windows 7 phones. If this were a hot seller, there wouldn't be inventory for a buy one get one free deal.
Also, anything following your disclaimer is sure to actually be happening: "So far I really haven't seen any indications that........"
There are clearly more Windows 7 phones in stock than there are people buying Windows 7 phones
Where does that come from? All I see on the Net are slews of stories from frustrated people about how shops have 2-3 WP7 phones, which go away in a matter of hours.
If anything, it looks like the number of phones in stock is laughably small, so much so that it raises a brow regarding manufacturers' expectations on how well it'd sell.
You don't offer "Buy one, get one free" deals on hardware you can't keep in stock.
Do you see Apple offering such deals? No. Why? Because they truly can't keep their hardware in stock.
This is basic retail. Whenever you see a "Buy one, get one free" deal, you know somebody is sitting on a pile of sh*t they can't sell!
My personal experience with it has been somewhat mixed. The UI is superb, lightyears beyond Android, but it has its share of weaknesses - a big one I can think of is lack of socket support in the public API.
So you think that square boxes and text that is cut off is light years ahead of other UIs? Have you browsed the web much? MSFT basically took ideas from flash websites and created an inconsistent UI out of it. Should I really expect any more though from someone with the username "linux geek"? The UI is crap.
The lack of socket support is a minor issue compared to the lack of copy and paste and a lack of multitasking this late in the game. They rushed it out. There are gaping holes in the API which cause it to be much harder to develop on compared with even Android let alone iOS. iOS provides a rich set of frameworks whereas MSFT platforms usually offer only basic functionality and you have to either "roll your own" or buy an off the shelf third party library.
The lack of socket support is a minor issue compared to the lack of copy and paste and a lack of multitasking this late in the game. They rushed it out. There are gaping holes in the API which cause it to be much harder to develop on compared with even Android let alone iOS. iOS provides a rich set of frameworks whereas MSFT platforms usually offer only basic functionality and you have to either "roll your own" or buy an off the shelf third party library.
(*yawn*) When the iPhone was released, it didn't have _any_ SDK for writing installed apps, and it stomped all over existing smartphone platforms that did support custom apps, multitasking, clipboard, and sockets -- such as the old Windows Mobile. What made the iPhone a huge success was not its SDK or apps. Just stop think about that for a bit. I think it could be entirely possible for a new smartphone platform to "succeed", i.e. sell widely and turn a large profit, with a tiny app store selection -- if
So you think that square boxes and text that is cut off is light years ahead of other UIs?
Well, that's the form of the UI, but it's the function that I find more compelling than other phones. The focus for Windows Phone 7 is on Hubs rather than apps. While an app focuses on a single task, a hub integrates similar tasks. For instance, on iOS, if I want to check my friend's twitter feed and a facebook wall, I need two apps to do this; I have to launch one, close it, then launch another. On WP7 there is a single location for this information, and what's more is hubs are extensible, so any service can integrate with them.
Tiles serve to visualize the contents of hubs (The people tile for example shows pictures of your contacts, the pictures tile shows your photos) and the "cut off text" along with parallax indicates your relative location in the hub. While it seems like these are simply aesthetic choices, if you actually use the device you find they serve a functional purpose
And anyway, what exactly is the competition doing? Want to talk about iOS, which is essentially a grid of icons? iOS is hardly consistent, as every app has a custom interface. Yes there are a handful of standardized UI elements, but beyond that there is no standardization. The same is true for Android, where every manufacturer is free to re-imagine the user interface.
My AT&T store said that the demand for them was high, especially for the Focus, and I've seen similar responses from the T-Mo reps.
I'd expect nothing less from a salesperson. "This item is wildly unpopular, we have crates of them sitting out the back and we'll never get rid of them all, but please pay the full advertised price" isn't exactly a good marketing pitch. We really need to see figures from a third-party without a vested interest in moving units to determine WP7's success/failure.
Lack of a socket library in a communications device!? That, to my mind is unforgivable.
Even my Sinclair ZX Spectrum has a socket library. For a "modern security device" that connects to the Internet to not have a socket API leaves me, well, speechless.
I might be the exception, but when I saw a picture [mobilemarketingwatch.com] of a phone with this OS, my first reaction was to think it's plain ugly. I wouldn't buy one just for that. Does anyone else think it looks ugly, too?
It has the trademark Microsoft style: design by committee
You can almost tell the key topics the committee came up with:
* Copy Apple's design, but not too much
* Put in a Windows logo, 'cause Windows is a cool brand
* We need to buttons big, so everyone can hit them
Ars summed it up nicely, their launch numbers are not as bad as some are making it sound, certainly not horrible Windows phone 7 launch numbers explained. [arstechnica.com]
They have a lot to add to this new OS to catch the competition, but they know that, they simply had to ship. Overall it is a very well laid out OS with some great ideas. In the big picture the smartphone market is still very young. Microsoft has a lot of talented people, and backed into a corner Balmer might just let them perform. It is way too early to start pointing fingers and snickering.
... (note: I don't have a smart phone because I think they are stupid.)
Microsoft trying to be cool is like dad trying to dance.
Windows is a desktop operating system. It has a popularized reputation (warranted or not) for being unwieldy, crashing, being expensive, and mostly dedicated to the accomplishment of boring or undesirable tasks like work, writing papers, using Office, etc.
And yet, every year millions of consumers in search of a fast shiny new computer still actively seek out one that runs Windows. Even though many of them know that the Mac is supposed to be an easier experience out of the box, familiarity and compatibility
...it isn't dead yet.
Wouldn't it be kinder to put it out of its misery, though?
When people use Windows 7 sales numbers to show how successful and popular Windows 7 is, I keep reminding them that the numbers primarily reflect PC sales. Windows 7 just happens to be there. Sales of new cars automatically implies sales of new tires, not that the tires themselves are a hit with consumers. What we're seeing in Windows phone sales is an example of the dismal performance of most Microsoft products when they actually have to compete on an equal footing.
Thats unfortunately the issue. Microsoft has been going "Try something, if its not a uber success after 2 weeks, drop it, start over with something else". After getting screwed with the Zune (which was a formidable device at the time) in Canada (no music store ever made the light of day, even though they promised over and over and over), the Zune HD virtually not making it out of the states (and got forgotten after its first push), I don't see why Windows 7 Phone (which IS completely awesome btw) would be any different.
As a
says it's about 77K people. You can probably discount about ~50K of that as the developers and MS/Dell employee giveaway, however.
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=135892916448833&v=info [facebook.com]
"No, no, I don't mind being called the smartest man in the world. I just wish it wasn't this one." -- Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias, WATCHMEN


text:
One hundredth of a second.
It is an interval the naked eye can't see, one the mind can't really wrap itself around, yet one that can make the difference between an Olympic medal and the worst place of all: fourth.
That happened to two well-known U.S. athletes last year.
One was He Who Shall Not Be Named, given the latest news about this 100-meter runner's positive tests for a banned substance. That pretty much wiped out the sympathy everyone had over how agonizingly close he had come to a first individual Olympic medal.
Another was swimmer Missy Franklin, who didn't need much sympathy for her near miss in the 200 freestyle since she came home from London with four gold (two individual) medals and a bronze.
Not that Franklin wants any sympathy. She says what bothered her most about the race was not getting on the podium for her team.
But bother her, it did. All the way to the moment, exactly one year later, that Franklin had a chance to swim the event again in a final of a global competition - Wednesday at the World Championships in Barcelona.
She was asked at the press conference after this race how much of a motivation the Olympic 200 free result had been, and it took her barely a second before answering, "Huge. Absolutely huge. . .I don't think I would be here now without that swim."
Here was the top step of the podium, the third time Franklin has earned that place in her three finals at these worlds. This 18-year-old who has become the face of U.S. swimming in Michael Phelps' absence now has a shot at a sort of records he set: becoming the first woman to win seven medals at a single worlds.
The desire to erase her 2012 frustrations in the 200 free led Franklin and her coach, Todd Schmitz, to a wise scratch from the Wednesday evening semis of the 50 backstroke.
Her medal chances there were slim after recording just the 13th fastest qualifying time in the morning heats. Moreover, as Universal Sports commentator Rowdy Gaines, said, the 50 back is "a throwaway event" that is not on the Olympic program.
Most importantly, that semi was only 20 minutes before the 200 free final, and the Thursday final of the 50 back is just 26 minutes before the 4 x 200 relay final.
"The rest kind of outdid the (potential) rewards," Franklin said of skipping the backstroke semi.
It brought Frankin two rewards in the 200 free: Her first time under 1 minute, 55 seconds, and her first individual medal in a global freestyle event.
"I told myself if I would go 1:54, I would be the happiest girl alive," she said.
She clocked 1:54.81, beating her previous personal best by a quarter second and holding off two-time world champion Federica Pellegrini of Italy by .33. Pellegrini had trailed by over a second with 50 meters left.
"I knew she has an incredible second half," Franklin said, "so I tried to get out in front and hold on for dear life."
Franklin also has gold in the 100 back and 4 x 100 free relay at the halfway point of this eight-day meet. She has two individual events (100 free and 200 back) and two relays left (4 x 200 free and medley).
A medal in the 100 free, a race in which she was fifth at the Olympics, would leave her as a seeming lock to be spoken of in nearly Phelpsian terms.
Nearly. After all, he went 8-for-8 at the Beijing Olympics.
"Swimming that many events is amazing, let alone winning every single one of them," she said. "Not enough can be said about what Michael did in 2008."
His winning margin in one of those races was one hundredth of a second.


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text:
Australian Idol success story Guy Sebastian should count moving to Gerroa as one of his biggest hits - at least with his young family.
"We're back and forward between here and our house at Clovelly ... we love it down here and the people are really friendly," says wife Jules, who has been knee-deep in renovations this week with 11-month-old son son Hudson on her hip while Sebastian is in Melbourne for an Australia Day gig.
The couple bought the four-bedroom house overlooking Seven Mile Beach in August last year. It was purchased through their company Guytunes for $1.015 million - as the perfect retreat for an outdoor family.
It is no secret Sebastian, 31, likes surfing and that is supported by the five surfboards which are lined up in one of the downstairs rooms.
There is also a large fishing boat parked on the front lawn.
"I'd love to be spending this time on the beach but there's still a lot of work to do," says Jules, a fashion stylist, as she glances at the pile of empty furniture boxes at the front door.
She said since the couple moved in they had "freshened up" the place and refurnished it. Workmen were on site yesterday re-fitting new windows on the back deck to make the most of the views.
The family fell in love with the area when visiting friends and they seem to have settled in without too much hoopla.
Jules said some of the family's favourite haunts were the Gerroa Fisherman's Club and a variety of shops in Gerringong's Fern Street.
While instantly recognisable out shopping, they have been embraced by locals as locals.
Gerringong's newsagent, who did not want to be named, said they were "welcome in the town like anybody else ... I've seen them walking around the place and as far as I can tell they seem down-to-earth people".
"Before the holidays, I saw them heaps and they are lovely," said an assistant in Jocks Bakery and Cafe.
Two teenagers from St Joseph's Catholic High School at Albion Park helped out on construction work on the house as part of their mandatory work experience.