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Girls On Film
They come on strong, and they can be outrageous. They know how to flash cleavage, even when wielding a knife. But the women in Pedro Almodóvar's films are the best we have
If you've never seen any of Pedro Almodóvar's movies—never embraced the high kitsch, low cleavages, and saturated colors of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, the sweet sadism of Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, or the beauty (and body) of Penélope Cruz in Volver—you're missing one of the greatest love affairs ever captured on film: the one between Almodóvar and his characters. There isn't a director alive who more fully loves the people he creates, even when they do bad things, like put bodies in freezers or tie up their favorite porn star. It is the love of a hyperactive mother—insistent, highly tolerant, a little too indulgent perhaps, but always with a clean motive: to protect what she's put on this earth.
Almodóvar grew up in small-town Spain, nurtured by a community of women from whom he learned to tell stories. (The men, he says, "were always out working and then going to the bars.") His passions were hemmed in by the inevitable pillars of life back then: the Catholic Church and the repressive regime of Francisco Franco. In fact, his whole career pretty neatly aligns with the death of Franco, in 1975, and the cultural awakening that followed it, known _en español _as la movida. Remember when Chevy Chase used to crack, "This just in: Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead," and everyone laughed? That's the exact cultural moment Almodóvar began laughing, turning the whole riotous act into theater, his own 35mm liberation movement.
Over the years, he's made sixteen feature films—including the Oscar winners All About My Mother and (my vote for his best) Talk to Her—and his love has only deepened. His movies, which used to swirl around the bad habits and outrageous afflictions of his characters, have become more disciplined, more anchored by emotions than hysterics. He works now by calming the passions he unleashes, as if trying to say: Don't judge my characters so quickly, listen to them talk, give them a chance.
Almodóvar likes to meet interviewers in his comfort zone; we spoke at New York's Peninsula hotel, surrounded by his Spanish entourage and the detritus of a man on the road. He manages to be animated and relad at the same time, completely comfortable in his skin—and his hair. It's hard not to keep looking at the hair, which is the stuff of wonder, high and flamboyantly white, possibly un-biodegradable, like something you could use to insulate a small shed. Although he speaks English with hardly a stumble, he prefers to have a translator—in this case, a woman—to whom he can turn and, in a moment of perfect clarity, ask for further clarification: What do I mean? What do I want to say? We spoke mostly of his obsessions: girls, film, girls on film, and other variations.
Let's begin with rape, shall we? Talk to Her involves a male nurse who cares for a patient who's in a coma, falls in love with her, and eventually rapes her. When I saw it, I remember thinking: I can't believe he's going here. But then I remembered seeing a news story about an American nurse who had raped a patient in a coma. So I'm curious: People always say you're an autobiographical director, but I have this image of you poring over newspapers and clipping out stories, searching for material. Are your films ever inspired by the news?
Always. All of them. But particularly Talk to Her. And you're right, I took notes about that case. It happened in New York, I think. A nurse impregnated a woman who had been in a coma for about nine years. That story had a huge impact on me. I kept thinking about it. I knew there was something behind it that could inspire me. What grabbed me was the idea that someone who is supposedly almost dead—she was brain-dead, after all—could also engender life. There was another news story I followed in the European papers that inspired Talk to Her. It happened in the old Yugoslavia, in a morgue. One day, the body of a young woman was brought to the morgue. I don't know if by now my imagination has added to the story, but her body was attended by a night watchman, a guard, who I, of course, also imagined was very guapo, handsome. And in the night—I imagine he was feeling very alone. To have that job would be so weird. Well, it is alleged that this guard raped the corpse of that girl, and she woke up.
He actually saved her life? By raping her?
By raping her, yes. Of course, the police took him to prison. But listen to this: The family of the girl was grateful to this guy. He had raped their daughter but saved her life. They would visit him in jail, bring him gifts. It's incredible. So I was interested in the human story, in the contrast between the parents' reaction to the rape and the law's reaction. The origin of a plot is always very mysterious. It's almost as if a little bug sort of lands on your head and transmits this idea to you, but then you have to develop it. The most eccentric and extraordinary things that appear in my movies—the most surreal things—all come from the papers. They all are real.
You've written some over-the-top characters in your films—transsexual fathers in All About My Mother, heroin-sniffing nuns in Dark Habits—but I imagine that rapist nurse was the most difficult character you've ever written.
Very much so. My challenge was trying to create a psychopath for whom the audience can feel empathy. It had to be a very sweet psychopath, and a psychopath who understands reality but who, at the same time, lives on a parallel plane to reality. My challenge was just to present him as a human being. In the end, I created such a relationship between myself and the character that when I came to the point of the rape, not only did I not want to see it; I didn't want the audience to see it.
Odd, because you never shied away from showing rape in any of your earlier films, like Matador and Kika.
True. But this time, I felt I couldn't show it. Which is why I filmed the rape as a silent movie. I generated a screen, or cover, for the act. And yet I still gave hints of what was going on. It became a new way for me to explain something. I'm happy with the result, because it's become one of the pieces of my work I'm most proud of.
Your approach to storytelling has always been pretty fearless. Were you always this way? Even as a kid?
I was very precocious as a child. Even at 10 or 11, I understood everything that happened around me. I used to go to the movies a lot and other kids thought I was very strange, because I talked about movies and movie stars. In fact, at school I had a little bit of a following—other kids who would sit and listen to me tell stories about the films I had seen, and sometimes I would reinvent the endings. I also had kids who hated me and made fun of me. For me, it's always been that way. I've always attracted both types—people who would give their life for me and people who hate me, who are completely against what I do.
I know school wasn't easy for you. In Bad Education, you describe a world where priests routinely molested young male students, and this was based on your experiences in the Catholic schools of Spain. Was the abuse there institutional?
At the time, sexual harassment in Spain was so common that you can't imagine. Not only in my school; it was everywhere.
Was this common knowledge?
We all knew what was going on. As kids, we would tell each other everything. I heard stories from kids, of course, who experienced the abuse as a traumatic thing. But what was shocking to me is that there were also kids who actually experienced something pleasurable. That really came as a shock to me. But it wasn't just the students who knew what was going on. Everyone in the village knew it. The schools knew it, but they never fired anyone. After a scandal, the priest or the principal would just get transferred to another school. To me, it was made all the more horrible by the fact that I took all this very seriously—the rituals, the church, the fact that these people were really instructing us in faith and what faith means. I had to sit there and watch them at the pulpit, touching things, and I could almost literally see their hands dirtied with sperm. So at 11, I decided that I had given up faith. Faith is a gift, and I didn't have that gift, and I couldn't get it by myself.
Is it true that as a boy, you once publicly outed a priest, told him in front of a crowd that you knew he was abusing one of the boys at your school?
Yes. That priest was a monster. He had a harem of boys. And one day he was walking around the school grounds with his "official lover." He was just a kid—let's call him Eduardo—and what I couldn't get over was that the boy seemed pleased to be the official lover of the priest. They were just talking like a couple, strolling quietly. And then the priest saw me sitting there with some boys, idle. We were making piles of sand so we could make goalposts and play soccer. One of the rules the priests would pound into us was that boys always had to be engaged in physical activity, because if you were constantly moving, then you couldn't be lured by bad thoughts. Well, I was already tired. That was enough ercise for me. So the priest saw me there, and he yelled, "Almodóvar! Get up! Go do something. You have to play." I said, "I'm already playing." And he said, "Don't answer back!" As a student, of course, you're expected to be silent. So I turned to him, and at this point he's moved closer to me, and I say, "Well, since we're going to speak of playing, what kind of game is Eduardo playing at this very moment?" He couldn't believe it, the priest. He absolutely couldn't believe it. He didn't say a word. He just walked up to me and slapped me, two really hard slaps across the face.
I sort of see that act as the first chapter in your work.
Yeah, that was perhaps my very first public moment where I confronted something that was wrong and that I did not like.
You grew up in the Franco era, and you once said that when you started making movies, your whole work was a rebellion against the repression and brutality of Franco. Can you explain that?
When I started making movies, I decided I didn't want Franco to be in them. Even the idea that he existed before. So I didn't allow him to exist. I refused him. In those early movies—Pepi, Luci, Bom; Labyrinth of Passion; Dark Habits—my hope was to erase his existence. It was my revenge.
But weren't you also rebelling against the Catholic Church?
Well, you know, Catholicism was very linked to the Franco dictatorship. In fact, even though they called themselves fascists, the actual name was National Catholicism. And so the two were very much tied together. It's also one of the reasons why, even after the end of Franco's rule, the Catholic Church has really resisted any kind of social movement that goes against what Franco stood for. Curiously, now thirty years later, I'm more concerned—not only concerned, but curious—about the Franco period. Maybe it's a symptom of getting older, but I'm much more interested in reading books about the Second Republic, about the origin of the war, and about what happened after the war, how Franco killed thousands and thousands of people and buried them in common graves. I'm also more anticlerical than ever. For a time, I forgot the church. I think I forgave the bad education they gave me. But now the church in Spain has become almost like a political party, where bishops and priests are preaching from the pulpits—using the pulpits to incite people against things like gay marriage and gay adoption, and to deny not only the past but also the present.
Do you consider yourself scarred by the church?
Only insofar as my sexuality is concerned. I was already conscious of being gay when I was in school, but when I left, I pushed my sexuality away, precisely because of all the trauma that I had undergone. In fact, I was heterosexual when I came out of school. My discovery of sex was heterosexual.
It was?
Yeah. For years, I couldn't really imagine having sex with another man. It had nothing to do with going to hell or anything like that. It was just the idea of that power and that violence that the priests had generated in me. Thinking about sex had become nightmarish for me. And it wasn't until maybe five or six years after school, when I moved to Madrid, that I was able to have experiences, experiences with men and women.
I've always loved that you are a gay man who directs women and appreciates their sexuality. Penélope Cruz never looked more voluptuous than she did in Volver. You even said that while you were filming it, she became your obsession, sexually—
Yeah, I like her very much indeed, physically, particularly in this movie. And I think it was good for the film that resulted, for me to desire her in a way.
But it's more than that. Far more macho directors in Hollywood shoot women very graphically, and yet they don't come off as sexy as your women.
It's true that when heterosexual men make movies—I'm not talking about pornos—they pay less attention to the power and sexual beauty of women. The goal should be simple: to create a wonderful woman. Just pay attention to a woman. It doesn't matter whether you are gay or straight—if you pay attention, you will discover how rich they are. I don't like when journalists, usually heterosexual, say, "Oh, you understand women better because you are gay." That's absolutely ridiculous. I'm gay, but I don't want to become a woman. I understand women because I'm interested in them. I like them personally. I like them as dramatic subjects. And I have to say, as dramatic subjects, they are richer than men. But male directors today aren't interested. I don't want to reproach Martin Scorsese, but Scorsese never portrays women as full characters in his movies—he'll only use them in secondary roles. In his case, I don't mind, because he makes wonderful movies with a world of male characters. But you know, it wasn't always this way. Italian cinema of the '50s and '60s was led by strong, sexy women like Anna Magnani, Sophia Loren, and Claudia Cardinale, who exuded this kind of sensuality.
Simple question: What are your three favorite movies of all time?
That's really, really difficult! I have so many. All About Eve, of course, which inspired All About My Mother. We filmed a lot of _All About My Mother _in a dressing room, just like All About Eve, and I instructed the crew that the dressing room in a theater is like the sanctum sanctorum of the actresses. You see, before making movies, I was an actor in theater, and I always was fascinated by the dressing room. It's a magic space, an intimate place where lies can't be told. When a woman is in front of her mirror and putting on her makeup and doing her hair, it's...it's as if time stood still. I love screwball comedies. Some Like It Hot is one of my favorites. I love Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch—they made Ninotchka together, which is wonderful. I love Westerns, like The Searchers by John Ford. He's one of my favorites. It's odd, because I never watched Westerns when I was a child. Or war movies. And while I still don't like war movies very much, as I got older, I fell in love with Westerns. I don't know why it took me so long. No, actually, I know why. Because they always starred John Wayne. I hate this kind of actor.
Because for me, they represent machismo, authority, the reactionary father. The man who is always right. And I was sure that I would never be the perfect son of a man like that. I hate every movie with John Wayne and every movie with Spencer Tracy.
Spencer Tracy? He's totally innocuous. I mean, I guess I can see not liking John Wayne, but—
Look, I don't know how John Wayne was personally, but I know he made a movie called Las boinas verdes that was really reactionary. How do you say it in English?
The Green Berets. You have to say that one in English. Las boinas verdes is weird.
Yes, Green Berets. It was very reactionary. But I have to concede he was a good actor.
How about Clint Eastwood?
Clint Eastwood I like. I still remember the first movie that I saw of his, The Beguiled. I don't know if you've ever seen it, but it's very interesting. Full of women. Very violent and very intense, almost like a Tennessee Williams play. But I have to say that I'm not a big fan of the spaghetti Western. I find it, like, cheap. I don't share the admiration that people have for Sergio Leone. His reputation, I really don't get it. I mean, I don't get what's so great about watching a very, very tight close-up of Charles Bronson's face for a full minute. I don't get it. For me, this frame represents emptiness. But bad movies can have good effects. Bad movies can generate wonderful movies. I mean, I don't like Sergio Leone at all, but I love the way Quentin Tarantino used, reworked, and converted Leone's work into something completely different. That's inspiration.
Well, now Clint Eastwood does war movies—pops them out two at a time—but it sounds like you won't be watching them anytime soon.
No. Because they only have men, and that's just not appealing to me. Why make movies where you can't see actresses?


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FREE Vaginal Mesh Legal Informational Brochure
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subset: commoncrawl


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Transform your photos into one-of-a-kind, hand painted masterpieces!
by Anil Nene
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You'll never run out of power again! If the battery on your smartphone or tablet is running low... no problem. Just plug your device into the USB port on the top of this portable battery charger, and then continue to use your device while it gets recharged.
With a recharge capacity of 5200 mAh, this charger will give you 1.5 full recharges of your smartphone or recharge your tablet to 50% capacity.
When the battery charger runs out of power, just plug it into the wall using the supplied cable (included), and it will recharge itself for your next use.
1.80" W x 3.875" H x 0.90" D
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September 6th, 2017
Worst experience ever. Ordered on 16/08/2017 and estimated ship date was 21/08/2017, it's 06/09/2017 now and there is still no info when item will be shipped. Tried to contact pixels.com twice via contact form, no answer. Charger supposed to be gift for my father's birthday on 09/09/2017 but you managed to ruin it. Since I tried to contact You via contact form, and got no result. I hope that you'll read this comment and return me my money, since you failed to deliver product which is now useless to me because you weren't able to provide any info for couple of weeks
Elizabeth Layman
May 2nd, 2017
I bought this for my sister who is graduating soon. She spends a lot of time on her cell phone, and I thought this would be a personal and usefu giftl. The image is a bit dark but over all nice quality. The charger came with some charge (blue light came on). It looks easy to use, and I'm eager to see how my sister likes it!
Some flowers are soothing to eye.
I have been working in the architectural field since last 15 years. I am fascinated by the aesthetics in art and built form. My fascination led me to venture into field of water color painting. Painting integrates all of the basic art expressions. I enjoy doing them and it's like finding invisible through visible. It has enriched my perception and understanding. It has always been another energizing factor for me. It helps me to think of leaping beyond my abilities. It is the expression of the whole experience. I have learnt to look at everything intensely through painting. I love challenges in painting like choosing subject, taking risks, play of lights/darks, colors, tones, textures, values and finding compositions in ordinary...
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Fine Art America sells thousands of pieces of artwork each month - all with a 100% money-back guarantee. We take great pride in the fact that hundreds of thousands of artists have chosen Fine Art America to fulfill their orders, and we look forward to helping you select your next piece!
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Natural Gloss Finish
The poly urethane finish on your Breedlove instrument plays a vital role in the sound, look, playability and protection of your instrument. To keep our finishes as thin as possible we apply four coats of sealer, lightly sand, and then four coats of top coat. Our finishes are applied to express the character of the woods while not restricting the voice of the instrument. To achieve the smooth playability on our Breedlove necks, we hand rub the finish into a smooth feeling semi-gloss.


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As much as I love my Flickr account, its not without its complications: I discovered this past week what it means to be NIPSA'd.
There are a bunch of great folks on Flickr who are scanning and sharing vintage ephemera with the hopes of keeping all these long forgotten visuals from being lost forever. Flickr is a great site for storing and organizing and sharing all this stuff but in its current incarnation Flickr is not intended for anything but photos.
This policy means that unless you are a member of a pool like the one I co-administer, Mid-Century in Print, you cannot see any of the images the NIPSA'd contributors have added to the pool. In my case, the nearly 600 images I have contributed to Mid-Cent are invisible to you if you have not joined the pool.
You can still see these images in my photostream but then you're not seeing all the images contributed by others unless you hop over to the pool - or to the other contributors photostreams.
This is probably starting to make your head spin!
Until Flickr Central comes up with a new policy this is just the way its going to be. So if you want to see everything in one place, open a free Flickr account and become a member of Mid-Century in Print!


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Python Implementation of Logistic Regression and Naive Bayes Algorithms -- 2
Бюджет $10-30 USD
(a) Logistic Regression. Report the accuracy on the test set. Vary the learning rate (η) and report the results for 3 different learning rates. Report the confusion matrix on the test set. Since this requires a k-class logistic regression, predict if the class is 1 or not.; to achieve this, create a new version of the data set where for all the examples where the class label is not 1, you assign a new class label (say 0). Thus now your binary task is predicting whether class 1 is true or not. Do the same for the test set as well.
(b) The counting based Naive Bayes classifier: Assume Laplacian correction. Again, treat the task as binary and report the results as a confusion matrix.
Data: from the UCI Zoo data set (zoo-train and zoo-test). There are 16 features (the first 16 columns) and the class labels are in the last column. There are 7 classes (numerically specified as class 1 to 7). All features are binary except for feature 13, which is a categorical variable with possible values 0,2,4,5,6,8. Note that to create binary split, please use the one-vs-rest approach.


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Video: Kristin Chenoweth Skewers Anthony Weiner In 'Popular' Song Parody
Nigel Campbell | July 31, 2013
We can't resist Kristin Chenoweth when she goes into Wicked mode and we'd never bother to try, so we were obviously thrilled when she decided give her own take on the Anthony Weiner scandal to the tune of one our faves!
Check out Kristin's "Popular" advice to the NYC mayoral candidate that can't keep it in his pants...
Again! Again!
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What's more, compared to similar cellulite-reducing procedures, patients obtain far superior results with VelaShape. Why? Because VelaShape not only incorporates mechanical massage, but also takes advantage of radiofrequency energy and infrared light to heat the tissues. The combined effect produces significant skin tightening and improvement of cellulite.
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Masala House, Watervale Shopping Centre, 5/2-14 Calder Park Drive, Taylors Hill. Phone: 9307 9601
Another zydeco-fuelled drive, another outer west shopping centre, another case of chole bhature for lunch?
Well, actually it's something of a surprise.
I've ventured to this modestly proportioned, newish shopping centre ostensibly for the purpose of checking out the Masala House doasas and the like.
But the appearance – not on the weekend lunch menu, but on the menu proper – of one of my favourite Indian dishes sways me in quick time to change my mind.
After all, it's been a while since my last chole bhature, let alone a really, really good one.
The smiling, courteous staff are happy to oblige.
Though they seem a little bemused by the fact I have no need to have the dish explained to me …
"How come you know what chole bhature is?"
"You must eat a lot of Indian food?"
… like that.
Masala House is set up near one of the centre's entrances, and in such a way as to cater for lunchtime takeaway punters and those seeking a more formal eating experience.
At the bain marie there's rice, lamb rogan josh and butter chicken that I, naturally, ignore completely.
According to the Masala House website, they also have a $20 buffet on Mondays and Wednesdays that looks a lot more promising.
My $9 chole bhature is the biz and a splendid lunch.
Two breads the size of footballs – fresh and hot, but oh blimey, exceedingly, excessively oily.
I figure this is because they've fired up the deep fryer solely on my behalf so cut them some slack in my mind. Besides, they still taste great, though I do try to eat the less oil-drenched portions.
Chick peas divine and wonderful – mildly spiced, flecked with fresh coriander and almost-fresh tomato.
And I make good use, too, of the chunky raita and piquant commercial pickle, though leave – as ever – the raw onion.
After spending a few bucks to shout myself a big, fat carrot, a large onion, some celery and a cuddly bag of chicken necks for stock, making of, I cruise home in a meandering way.
I don't crawl or otherwise drag my feet, but I don't exceed the various speed limits, either.
Yet for almost all the way home I am constantly tailgated.
By bogans in clapped-out Commodores.
By bogans in SUVs.
By bogans in Beemers.
By bogans with caps on backwards.
By bogans smoking cigarettes.
By bogans using mobile phones.
And even by bogans using mobile phones AND smoking cigarettes.
Dickheads one and all.


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Developing an integrated customer view has been on the wish list at insurance giant MetLife for at least 10 years, but it recently took a fresh approach to the challenge by choosing a NoSQL database as the platform for bringing together data from more than 70 separate administrative systems, claims systems and other data sources. It moved from pilot to rollout in 90 days -- breakneck speed in an industry used to measuring IT projects in months and years.
"We had 60 different teams working together as one group, and they were working nights and weekends not because they had to but because they were excited and wanted to," says Gary Hoberman, MetLife's senior VP and CIO of regional application development.
The choice of NoSQL for the project makes sense because these databases can ingest structured, semi-structured and unstructured information without requiring tedious, expensive and time-consuming database-mapping or extract, transform and load (ETL) processes to normalize all data to a rigid schema, as required by relational databases.
[ 10Gen's Matt Assay will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming E2 Conference in Boston, June 17 - 19. ]
Like any big company, MetLife has a profusion of product lines and supporting systems. Some systems are home grown, some are commercial software products and some are commercial or home-grown apps gained through acquisitions. Many systems have to meet complex federal and state regulatory requirements imposed on the annuity and individual- and group-insurance products that MetLife sells.
Ripping out, replacing or otherwise touching these mission-critical systems of record was out of the question. So how could MetLife access information from these diverse sources? NoSQL databases have emerged in recent years as a diverse and scalable option.
MetLife also confronts its share of data-quality and data-diversity challenges within systems. By definition, life insurance and annuity products are long lived, but as healthcare and the insurance business have evolved, so, too, have data-collection requirements and standards. Today's policy records, for example, have many more fields of data than the records behind policies issued in the 1990s, 1970s or 1950s. Look across the corpus and you have what might be described as ragged or sparse data with missing fields -- another argument for NoSQL.
Finally, MetLife deals with semi-structured and unstructured information, such as images of health records and death certificates. This contributed to MetLife's selection of MongoDB -- 10Gen's open source document database -- over other NoSQL alternatives such as Cassandra, which MetLife is testing in other applications.
"Everything we know about a customer and everything we know about a policy stores into a single JSON [Java Script Object Notation] document," says Hoberman, one of three top IT execs at MetLife who report up to the Global CIO. "Any other database wouldn't allow us to view customers as a single record without caring about structure at all. With Mongo, we can bring a group policy and an individual policy together without any [data] normalization, and we use a Web services layer and the application to render the best view of that data."
MetLife worked with software development firm Infusion to select the database and together they envisioned an interface akin to a Facebook Wall. The screen shows a customer profile listing all products owned on the left together with a reverse-chronological timeline of events on the right. The event feed shows all interactions with contact centers, logins to various websites, and in-person interactions with insurance agents, claims specialists, employer administrators and other touch points.
Once the key technology and interface decisions were finalized late last year, it took just two weeks to build a prototype and seed it with 2 million fake customer records to prove that it would scale.
"Within a few weeks of building the prototype, we were in front of the executive group of MetLife presenting a live demo, and the excitement in the room was tremendous," according to Hoberman, who says the project was given an immediate green light.


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January 16, 2011
John Lott Brown, an OSA Fellow Emeritus who served as The University of South Florida's third president and the one credited with setting it on a path to research prominence, died 16 January 2011 in Ohio. He was 86.
A native of Philadelphia, Brown enrolled at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, MA, in 1942 through the U.S. Navy's wartime V-12 program. He graduated with a BS in electrical engineering near the end of World War II and completed a year of active Navy duty. He earned a master's in psychology at Temple University and worked briefly for the Link Belt Co. before deciding to return to school. In 1952, Brown earned a PhD in psychology at Columbia University, where he took over a research program in human factors engineering sponsored by the U.S. Air Force.
In 1954, Brown was named head of the psychology division in the Aviation Medical Acceleration Laboratory at the Naval Air Development Center, where he helped train astronauts in NASA's Mercury program to perform under conditions of high acceleration. He served simultaneously as assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Five years later, he joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School full time, and in 1962 he was named director of the graduate training program in psychology. Brown's research focused on the psychology of the visual system and the senses. He wrote seven chapters on those subjects in a major textbook on psychology.
Brown moved in 1964 to the University Kansas, where he won appointment as provost. In 1969 he accepted a post as a research professor in the Center for Visual Science at the University of Rochester. He would go on to head the center before being tapped in 1978 to serve as the third president of the University of South Florida (USF), which had been founded just 22 years earlier.
During his decade as USF president, Brown oversaw the transformation of the school from a small liberal arts institution to a major research university. The university's annual research funding grew from $14.7 to $23 million, its budget doubled, and its enrollment rose from 23,000 to over 30,000, eclipsing that of Florida State, which had been the second largest public university in Florida. Brown was a champion of professional programs at the university, creating a medical school, an engineering college, and the Moffitt Cancer Center. During his tenure the university also introduced 38 new degree programs, significantly expanded its library holdings, and opened two branch campuses. The satellite campuses today include a Sarasota campus, USF Polytechnic in Lakeland and a fully accredited independent University of South Florida St. Petersburg.
After stepping down as president, Brown accepted joint appointments at USF in engineering and medicine, with an additional appointment as professor of industrial engineering. He later served as director of the Human Factors Division of the university's Center for Urban Transportation Research before retiring in 1992. He emerged from retirement the following year to serve as interim director of UCF's Center for Microelectronics Research.
From 1994-95, Brown served as interim president for his alma mater, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, while the school searched for a permanent leader.
Brown was named a WPI trustee in 1971 and an emeritus trustee in 1983. He received the WPI Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Professional Achievement in 1969, an honorary doctorate in science in 1984, the William R. Grogan Award for outstanding contributions in support of the mission of the university in 1996, and the Herbert F. Taylor Alumni Award for Distinguished Service in 2006. During his year as interim president, he was tapped for Skull, the senior honorary society.
An OSA member since 1952, Brown was elected as a Fellow in 1967.
Brown is survived by his wife, Catherine, four children, and six grandchildren.
If you would like to make a memorial donation to the OSA Foundation in honor of John Lott Brown, please visit www.osa-foundation.org/give.


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How counseling by unqualified therapists and distorted use of a 12-step program brought a young gay couple together at an 'ex-gay' camp
DAVID TAFFET | Staff Writer
KC Jansson came out to his parents in ninth grade. His parents sent him to counseling. Then he came out to them again as a high school senior.
"My dad's a Southern Baptist pastor in Missouri, in a small southern town." he said. "They said I was either going to be on the streets or do it their way. They were going to pay 10 grand for me to go to this camp.
"I didn't have a choice but to go there," he said.
Jansson described the camp as a sort of drug rehab center for being gay. He said he was raised to believe that if he was gay he was going to become an alcoholic and a drug addict and get AIDS and never go to college or love anyone.
Larry Jansson, on the other hand, lived in Southern California and had very accepting parents.
"I never thought I'd marry a small-town guy," he said. "There was no God in my family. No church."
But when he was 18 and still struggling with his identity, Larry started doing theater with a Christian group.
"They started doing their work on me," he said.
He "got saved," he said, by a group called Harvest Crusade. But from then until he was 26, he lived a double life.
"I was either hanging out with these people who thought that I was a Christian or I was out totally doing the gay thing without them knowing," Larry said.
Then he found out about Love in Action, a group in Memphis, Tenn., that does "reparative therapy." He decided that he was going to figure things out and so spent his entire $10,000 savings to attend.
Larry said he convinced himself, "If somebody says that God is the answer and this can be changed, I want to know for myself."
So Larry's parents drove him to the program. But his mother kept telling him he didn't have to go.
KC and Larry arrived at the facility at the same time. This was KC's first time away from home and his first time to be around other gay people.
The camp
The two described the restrictions: No cologne. No clothing by Calvin Klein.
"I had a Nintendo Gameboy. I couldn't keep that, because it would keep me from being focused on God," Larry said.
"I played piano," said KC. "I couldn't play because they said it would distract me from my therapy."
And although they described the therapy as based on recovery programs used for addictions, the 12 steps they followed were a very distorted version based on shame, the two men said.
For the first three days, they were not allowed to talk and always had to look at the ground. Each person was assigned a "house brother" who had gone through the program. That person, who was gay, had made it through the first three months to the next stage.
"My big brother was more flamboyant than anyone else in the house," Larry said. "But he was so about Jesus and getting through this."
The first night there was a meeting with the four new house members and their "big brothers." Although they weren't supposed to look at each other, Larry and KC kept making eye contact.
There were no doors on the rooms and each room had three beds. Larry and KC were assigned to share a room.
Bathroom time was limited to 15 minutes. They had to set a timer to make sure no one was spending too much time locked in there doing something they weren't supposed to be doing.
The next day they went to church. Larry and KC described the church as Prestonwood Baptist-sized, and said all of the members knew who they were. They were escorted to the first row and felt the condemnation of the crowd as they took their seats.
Each morning they would drive down to the church. They would sit in a circle for "Courage, Honesty and Respect" group.
"You would call someone else out for something they did," said Larry, and the person being accused couldn't respond for 24 hours.
"I would say something like, 'KC, you didn't set your egg timer this morning and we have rules here and I want you to think about that,'" Larry said. "And KC would get fuming red — but he couldn't say anything."
KC regarded the rules as a joke. Larry took them very seriously. He wanted to know if these were the rules that were going to turn him straight.
They had group and individual counseling sessions. A woman in Larry's group said that she was raped and that she didn't feel comfortable sitting next to a man.
No one there could help her.
KC said his "counselor" was in college but worked at this house unsupervised. Two others were former drug addicts who had gone through 12-step programs themselves. None was a licensed therapist.
"In individual sessions, I was asked to open up about certain things that only a real counselor could deal with," Larry said. "I now am seeing a true counselor because they opened up these wounds and never closed them."
At night, the counselors would discuss the group. In the morning they would come to the meeting and tell each one what they could no longer do.
Larry was a dancer and today teaches two dance classes in Plano. He said when he was nervous he'd begin to tap. One morning he was told he could no longer dance.
"That was one of the most devastating things they could do to me," he said. "It was like waking up one day and finding out I was paralyzed."
In order to turn the group into "men," at 6:30 each morning they had to go to the gym because gay people don't go to a gym.
But they had Larry play basketball.
"We're in a gym full of hot bodies and muscles," said Larry. "One day, they had me play basketball. Just because I'm 6'-2" doesn't mean I can dunk a damn ball."
But he did it because he wanted the program to work.
Building a friendship
During the first three months of the program, KC and Larry developed what they both called a genuine friendship.
Whenever they went anywhere, they had to go in groups of three and always had to be within eye contact of each other. Larry said that if one person needed to go to the bathroom, they all had to go.
After three months, Larry and KC graduated to the second part of the program. Their parents attended an actual graduation ceremony, but they simply continued to the next phase of the program.
KC said he had no choice but to stay because his alternative was to return home to rural Missouri. Larry was still determined to see the program through.
During this period, they were allowed to get a job. Larry went to work for the church, and KC got a job at Radio Shack. But the program still tried to monitor every movement.
"But they're constantly calling you, constantly e-mailing you," KC said.
"You have to call your house manager when you leave work and they time you to make sure you get home at the right time," Larry said.
In this part of the program, they had to work on "trigger trips." They sent the group of four who had started together to places that might trigger sexual feelings.
Their first trip was to the mall — their first shopping trip in three months.
"I remember walking into that mall and hearing angels," Larry said.
Larry was given a clipboard and had to write down what triggered them.
One member of the group wanted Godiva chocolate but the other three restrained him because apparently only gay people eat Godiva chocolate.
But the biggest test was when the four walked by Abercrombie & Fitch. Larry said that when the four saw the huge poster of the ripped model in the window, they stopped short and fell on top of one another.
Larry and KC had become best friends and once they graduated and were given more freedom, they began doing things together.
"Any time we were allowed to be alone together, we started doing crazy little date things," Larry said.
They went to a drive-in movie; "We told them we were going to go to the batting cages," KC said.
But still nothing happened between them. They were just enjoying each other's company.
"I never even told KC that I thought he had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen," Larry said, "because I thought God wanted something else for me."
Over the next five months their friendship developed, but without physical contact between them. "No kiss. No hug. No touch," Larry said.
Then the church secretary was going out of town and asked Larry to walk her dogs and water her plants. KC began to tag along.
"All of a sudden we had this place to go that was a little more intimate," Larry said.
Then on the way back one evening, they stopped at Sonic.
"I had my leg propped up where the gearshift was and he put his arm on me," KC said. "And from that point forward, I knew I was in love with him."
A few days later they were at the church secretary's house. Larry could tell something was wrong with KC.
When Larry finally convinced him to talk, KC admitted he had feelings for Larry and both agreed that it was wrong.
KC turned his back to Larry, and Larry put his arms around him. And as they sat on the couch with their arms around each other, they told each other that it was wrong.
They drove back to the house where they were living, conflicted and in silence. But later that night, they had to let the dogs out again, so they went back. And that's when they had sex for the first time.
Larry said KC told him he loved him before they had sex. KC thought it was after.
But KC said he told Larry, "I love you. I want to be with you. We'll do whatever it takes."
Leaving the program
They were in the last month of their program. Larry needed to decide what he was going to do. He thought he might return to California, but whatever he did, it would be whatever Jesus had planned for him.
He knew he loved KC also, but couldn't say it.
"I was the brainwashed one trying to make this work," Larry said. "I wouldn't let myself say it."
He wondered if he should tell someone what they had done.
On the third day after they had sex, they drove around Memphis looking at houses. Larry drove up to a mansion that he had seen and stopped.
"What are we doing here?" KC asked.
"I'm going to get you that one day," Larry told him and KC started crying.
They said that was the point they knew they would build their lives together.
"We just needed to find a way to get out of there together," Larry said.
KC had planned to move to Dallas, live with his brother and go to college. Larry signed up to go on a short missionary trip to Dubai.
At the end of the six months, KC left for Dallas and Larry left for Dubai. Larry had spent all of his savings on the program. KC had some money. He took enough to get to Dallas and left the rest in a drawer at the house for Larry to get when he got back from Dubai.
When Larry got back from the Middle East, he returned to Memphis, gathered up his belongings, collected the money KC had left for him, got in his car and headed to Dallas.
He packed and snuck out of the house at 3 a.m. No one from the program ever called him to find out where he was or what happened.
KC's brother was married with three children and Larry was not welcome there. So KC rented him a room at a cheap extended-stay motel. KC told his brother that Larry was his accountability partner. Accountability partners are friends that help each other not be gay.
Larry drove into Dallas and met KC at a gas station at Frankford and the Tollway.
"We were excited about beginning our life together," Larry said.
Larry had already gotten a job in Carrollton with Washington Mutual, the company he had left six months earlier in California to enroll in the program.
After three days, KC couldn't stand being apart from Larry and he moved in with him. He told his brother, he said, who was more extremely religious than his parents.
"Thanks, con man," his brother told him. "You better get out of my house before my wife gets home."
Happily ever after
Larry and KC lived in the extended stay hotel, changing hotels several times until they could afford an apartment. Then three months after moving to Dallas, Larry proposed.
For KC's birthday, the two drove to Galveston. After checking into their hotel, they went to the beach and walked out onto a rock pier.
Larry got down on one knee, took out a ring and said, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"
But before they were able to get married, Larry got a call in the middle of the night that his mother had been killed in car accident. A drunk driver hit his parents and his father was seriously injured as well.
KC recalled the last time he saw Larry's mother.
"As we were leaving, she said to me, 'Promise me you'll take care of him for the rest of your life,'" she said to him.
They waited for the trial of the drunk driver to be finished before getting married. In September 2009 they legally married in Connecticut and then held a ceremony for friends and family at Cathedral of Hope in December. They had 14 attendants and a lavish reception at the W Hotel.
They invited everyone they knew, and a few they didn't, including the Obamas and Larry's favorite TV host, Tyra Banks. While the Obamas didn't respond, Banks sent her regrets but invited them to participate in a show on same-sex marriage, which they did last June.
By the time the wedding in Dallas took place, KC's brother had divorced his wife. The brothers had become closer and he served as KC's best man.
The couple took a honeymoon cruise, and now own a house in Frisco and a little Maltese dog. They decided they wanted the same last name. Because they liked the way KC's sounded better, with the help of attorney Lorie Burch, they legally became the Janssons.
KC is finishing his degree in accounting at UT Dallas and works full-time managing a salon. Larry is the director of marketing for Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County.
Mention the Janssons to Dawson Taylor, the pastor who married them at Cathedral of Hope, and he just laughs.
He said he's never met two people who are so perfect for each other and so in love.
And despite having gone through reparative therapy camp, Larry said, "I want everyone to know we're good with God."
Taylor agreed and said that their wedding was as much a worship service as a marriage ceremony.
After dealing with Larry's mother's death and the subsequent trial, Taylor said, Larry's family needed a celebration. Family members came from all over the country and Larry and KC reveled in being the source of joy after so much sadness in the family.
Now, life for the Janssons has settled into a normal routine.
In addition to their jobs and school and a happy suburban life in Frisco, both have returned to activities taken away by Love In Action. Larry teaches dance classes. KC plays the piano.
And once KC finishes school, they'll begin seriously looking into adoption.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition Feb. 11, 2011.
If you feel that you are tormented by uwanted same-sex attraction then the answer lies in loving and accepting your true self not rejecting or self loathing. The term 'unwanted same-sex attraction' adds to the denial. It is not an attraction it is an orientation. It is far deeper than just an attraction or behaviour and is a part of your brain wiring, thought processes, hormones and behaviour. People nedd to examine the 'unwanted' part of the statement not the orientation itself.
Before you invest the time, money, emotional energy and possibly years of your life trying to go from gay to straight, ask the ex-gay leaders what guarantee they can give you that it will work. If they are honest with you, the best they will be able to offer you as a degree of 'heterosexual functionality', but the gay never actually goes away. Then ask yourself what would be the best way to spend your time, money and emotional energy…..rejecting yourself or accepting yourself.
After 22 years of trying to change including ex-gay programs, exorcisms and 16 years of marriage, I came to the realisation that loving myself was far healthier than hating and rejecting my true self. Like 1,000's of others today, I finally discovered that I can live a wonderfully fulfilling, moral life as an openly gay man and still have my faith.
Anthony Venn-Brown


text: Does anyone have experience with those rolls of design that I think are called Borders Made Easy or something like that? I've only done SID so far, but wanted to try a design in the border. I bought a roll, but have been hesitant to use it. Doesn't seem like it would stick well enough, and to be perfectly honest...I'm scared about turning the corners correctly. :oops: Any users out there?


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Change can be a good thing. At least sometimes.
Changing the look of downtown Campbellsville is definitely a good thing. We can't help but wonder if a few of the changes planned for streetscape and beautification don't necessarily fall into the "sometimes" category.
New, handicapped-accessible sidewalks and walking paths are definitely a plus. Closing the main entrance to the library parking lot, though, we're not as sure about.
The ABC documentary "A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains" and its short follow-up stirred a lot of talk in Central Appalachia this month. But what action will ensue? That is the question the people of the region, and their journalists, need to answer.
Did you know there are math problems in today's newspaper? What about a language arts quiz? Or a science or social studies project in the making?
Well, local teachers have known this for years. That's why many are firm believers in the Newspapers In Education program, a worldwide initiative that promotes the use of newspapers in the classroom.
Educators say using the newspaper in their classrooms provides a real-world connection that is motivating and adds real-life dimension to their classrooms.
It has to be difficult to move to a new country, and even worse when you don't speak the language.
That's why programs in place at local public schools - and at Campbellsville University - are so important.
If any of you have ever visited another country where you didn't know the language, then you know at least part of what we're talking about. Now, imagine moving to live in that country.
Report cards - they're either dreaded or anticipated. They keep us as parents informed about how well our children are doing in school. And good report cards are a sign that our schools are teaching our children what they need to know in their journey to adulthood.
A story on today's front page explains our local schools' report cards, which provide information on schools' and districts' progress. All Kentucky students are expected to reach "proficiency" - or scores of 100 on state tests - by the year 2014. And that's not too far off in our future.
"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."
— From Maya Angelou's "On the Pulse of Morning"
If you're not a regular subscriber, you may have missed the beginning of our annual four-part series in honor of Black History Month.
"I wish you shelter from the storm
And a cozy fire to keep you warm
And most of all
When snowflakes fall
I wish you love."
-Albert A. Beach
English lyrics
Love is in the air ... and in our newspaper pages.
Between Valentine's Day this Saturday, the winning love letters on today's front page, a story about the Happiness and Opportunity through Marriage Education program, or H.O.M.E., and the Bridal Feature on page 8A, we're celebrating love.
Do you have a mailbox? If so, there's a proposal before Congress right now that could affect you.
Postmaster General John E. Potter has asked Congress to lift a federal mandate requiring six-day mail delivery. Apparently, the United States Postal Service is facing a loss this year of as much as $6 billion.
And this is their attempt to save money.
As difficult and inconvenient as the past week has been for many residents of Taylor County, it has been an enlightening week as well.
With the ice storm of last Tuesday - and then the inch and a half of snow that followed the very next day - more than half a million people across the state lost electricity. Though Taylor County didn't get the worst of what Mother Nature had to offer, we still had thousands without electricity and heat.
Editor's Note: This editorial first appeared in the Casey County News on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
One of the provisions in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that citizens have the right to a free press.
And that means a press unencumbered by the dictates of a local, state or federal government deciding what can be printed or broadcast.
However, one state legislator wants to limit access to 911 recordings because the recordings, in his opinion, are being used by media companies to attract viewers and boost ratings.
In today's newspaper, readers will notice a new addition. It's called Success Stories. And each month throughout the year, a new Success feature will be published.
The feature stories are written by the news staff to run simultaneously with advertisements purchased by those businesses that choose to participate. The businesses listed in the advertisements at the bottom of the "Success" page will be featured in the upcoming months' stories.
What do these numbers mean to you ... 4, 4, 13, 7, 6 and 8? Any idea? If one adds them together, the total is 42. But they're more than just numbers. They're lives.
Forty-two is the number of people who lost their lives in car crashes in Taylor County over the past six years.
That's 42 people who left loved ones behind involuntarily ... unexpectedly. And those 42 are mourned by many, many more.
Emily Cox, the reigning Miss Kentucky, made her hometown proud on Saturday night by making the Miss America pageant's Top 12.
To top that off, Cox won a preliminary award before the pageant even began.
Cox's work with her platform - "Uniquely Me: Promoting Self-Esteem in Adolescent Girls" - earned her the Quality of Life Award. She will receive a $6,000 scholarship.
The right to breathe clean air should take precedence over the right to smoke, simply because smoking endangers others' health.
And that's why we believe a smoking ban in all public buildings is needed.
There have been attempts in the past to ban smoking in restaurants. But why stop there?
If one has a right to eat in a smoke-free building, why shouldn't one have a right to conduct other business in a smoke-free place as well?
Tomorrow, as the 44th President of the United States places his hand on the very same Bible that former President Abraham Lincoln did so many years ago, history will be made.
Record crowds are expected to watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama, both in person and on television news channels.
And several of those on hand for the personal experience will be representing Campbellsville. We can't help but wonder how many communities our size will be represented at such a historic occasion. Few, we would assume.
Nearly 50 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told the world of his dream for the future.
His most famous speech included these words: "... I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character ..."
Every New Year's Eve, millions of Americans resolve to get healthier (e.g., quit smoking and lose weight) and wealthier (e.g., increase savings and reduce debt). This is not surprising because health and personal finance "issues" (people don't have problems anymore ... they have "issues") affect millions of Americans.
Congratulations to residents of Campbellsville and Taylor County who took part in the public idea exchange forum regarding a possible school district merger Thursday night.
A hearty thank-you to the representatives of Campbellsville Independent School District, Taylor County School District, Campbellsville City Council and Taylor County Fiscal Court for their willingness to come together to listen and participate in the discussion.
Taylor County Junior Miss Auburn Wigginton will leave Sunday for Lexington to participate in the state Junior Miss Program.
We know she will represent Taylor County well, just as all of our local participants have in the past - whether they won or not.
Those who wish to send cards or flowers may do so by mailing them to: Auburn Wigginton, c/o Robin and Tim Blair, 525 Crewe Court, Lexington, Ky. 40503.
Good luck at state, Auburn. We'll be cheering for you.
None of us likes to run short on money. It means cutting back on expenses, getting a second job or even doing without. And with the state of today's economy, even our governmental agencies are running short.
As the Kentucky General Assembly goes into session this week, the state of the economy will be a major focus. Legislators will be charged with finding ways to do more with less.
And there's really only two definitive ways to do that - raise taxes or cut services.
Copyright © 2019
The Central Kentucky News-Journal is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Campbellsville, KY and the surrounding area.


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Loren Healy Dominates at 2014 King of The HammersPosted in News on February 11, 2014
The 2014 King of The Hammers brought out over 35,000 people to Hammertown for one of the wildest off-road races in the world. King of The Hammers' humble beginnings goes back eight years ago when twelve good friends made a bet for a case of beer to see who could run the Hammer Trails of Johnson Valley the fastest while hitting the high speed desert sections. There weren't any sponsors or fans cheering them on, just a dozen off-road enthusiasts with one goal on their mind, beating everyone else. It wasn't long before the race snowballed into one of the wildest off-road spectacles in the world and this year, 158 racers showed up with their purpose built race buggies to attempt to take home the ultimate bragging rights trophy, the King of The Hammers Crown!
The racers blasted off the start line two at a time at precisely 8 a.m. Nick Nelson had captured the fastest qualifying time during the 2-day time trials so he got to kickoff the ultimate desert race and run in clean air. Lined up alongside Nick Nelson was Tom Wayes in a bright orange IFS race buggy. Marcos Gomez and 2012 King of The Hammers Champion Erik Miller started just behind the first row followed by another returning Champion, Shannon Campbell. Barely a mile into the start, racers had the option of going up Backdoor or bypassing it, but on at least 1 of their 3 laps they had to complete the challenging waterfall. Shannon Campbell opted to hit Backdoor on his first lap. Unable to make it up, Campbell had to break out the winch right away. Nelson, Wayes and Miller went straight for the high speed desert sections. Campbell would later break a transmission and would be declared out of the race.
With Shannon out and having his vehicle recovered from the course, his son Wayland Campbell was still very much in the race. The team focused on putting Wayland in contention for the win. Later in the race Wayland broke an axle shaft. Per the rules, crews cannot deliver parts to racers. Competitor Lucas Murphy loaded up a new axle shaft to deliver to Wayland on the course.
Nick Nelson spent 2 laps running strong out in the lead. Nelson once again bypassed Backdoor on his 2nd lap requiring him to hit the waterfall on lap 3. Nelson's day would come to a sudden end as he ran out of fuel crushing his hopes for the coveted 2014 King of The Hammers crown.
Next in contention was 2012 King of The Hammers Champion, Erik Miller. Miller was ahead of Loren Healy and running strong. Miller wasted no time coming down Jack Hammer onto Chocolate Thunder. On the final lap checkpoints reported Miller in the lead over Healy. When Miller got to Claw Hammer, he broke a steering orbital box. A spare unit was sent out to Miller so he could make the repair on the trail but it would result in a fair bit of lost time.
Loren Healy was back in the lead, but Derek West would be right on his tail. Healy had to put time on West if he wanted to win. As they both went through Claw Hammer, they had to get around several stuck vehicles strewn across the race course. Both would make it through with ease.
Randy Slawson was also in contention for the win. Slawson opted to go through Backdoor on his first lap. Slawson would come into the pits after lap 1 with a stuck throttle cable. A quick repair would get him back out on the course. By the third lap, Erik Miller entered Backdoor and Slawson drove through the bypass hoping to make up time and get into the lead. At some point during the third lap, it was reported that Slawson had rolled his race car on the course. Slawson was out of the hunt for the win when his race car was put out of commission with a brake line problem.
Tom Wayes would come blasting across the finish line in the lead with a very flat front-left tire but was immediately counted out for the win after cutting through a bypass line used by the UTV's early in the race. Officials notified Wayes of his mistake but he opted to continue on the course. Wayes was on a mission to make up time knowing a penalty was coming. In Backdoor Wayes throttled his IFS Buggy right up the waterfall and over the top of 2 stuck vehicles. Wayes would momentarily get slowed by a traffic jam in Claw Hammer on the final lap.
Loren Healy and Derek West would hit the finish line at the same time. Healy would once again wear the King crown, winning the 2014 King of The Hammers. Healy won the Hammers in 2010.
"I thought we had given it away. Our axle shaft blew out and the car was in limp mode all day. Then we put a hole in the radiator," said Healy.
In the Smittybilt Everyman Challenge, John Currie started first off the line and never looked back. Currie had clean air the entire day earning him the win for the 4500 Rubicon Express Modified Class.
Erik Miller took a win in the 4600 Pro Comp Stock class while television host Jessi Combs won the 4700 Spec Class. Brad Lovell was the winner in the 4800 Legends class.
For complete King of The Hammers Officaial Results, please visit: www.Ultra4racing.com
Check out Dirt Sports' exclusive extended photo gallery from the 2014 King of The Hammers! http://www.dirtsportsnation.com/photos/2014-king-of-the-hammers-photo-gallery/


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The Department of Defense (DoD) initiated the Unified Facilities Criteria program to unify all technical criteria and standards pertaining to planning, design, construction, and operation and maintenance of real property facilities. The program seeks to streamline the military criteria system by eliminating duplication of information, increasing reliance on private-sector standards, and creating a more efficient criteria development and publishing process. Both technical publications and guide specifications are part of the UFC program. Previously, each service had its own publishing system resulting in criteria being disseminated in different formats. UFC documents have a uniform format and a standardized numbering scheme.
The UFC program is administered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (HQUSACE), Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), and the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC). Additional information may be obtained by using the pull down menu under each of the logos above. Numerous working groups with one or more technical experts from each participating organization develop the technical publications. Further information on the UFC program can be found in MIL-STD-3007 and in the UFC program report from the last fiscal year. UFC 1-300-01 and UFC 1-300-02 provide information on developing UFC documents. Read More
Though unification of all DOD criteria is the ultimate goal, there are instances when a particular document may not apply to all services, or some documents may have not been fully revised to reflect all service requirements before being issued in the UFC system. In these instances, the UFC document number will be followed by an alpha-designator, such as UFC 1-300-09N. Alpha-designators are as follows:
F Air Force
N Navy
UFGS in MasterFormat™ 2004 have a numeric designator at the end of the document number, for example UFGS 01 20 00.00 20. The fifth numeric pair in this numbering system identifies it as an agency-unique section. If there is no fifth pair in the UFGS number, it is a unified section, for use by all participating agencies. Numeric designators are as follows:
20 Navy
30 Air Force
In 1989, DoD adopted the Construction Criteria Base (CCB) information system as the official distribution method for facilities criteria. Over the years, the military services have been instrumental in the advancement of CCB and have overseen its evolution into the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG).
The documents below are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs.
Click on the 'Category' heading to sort by ascending or descending order.
|Unified Facilities Guide Specifications (UFGS)
|Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC)
|Unified Master Reference
|Engineering and Construction Bulletins (ECB)
|DOD Unified Design Guidance
|DOD Supplemental Technical Criteria
|DOD Handbooks
|DOD Manuals
|DOD Unit Cost/Area Cost Factors and Facilities Pricing Guides
|Washington Headquarters Services: Building Code
|Non-COS Standards
|Military Health System (MHS): DoD Space Planning Criteria for Health Facilities
|Military Health System (MHS) Templates
|MIL-STD-1691 Military Medical and Dental Facilities
|Federal and Military Specifications and Standards


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Behavioral and Social Sciences Uncategorized
Regius Award Winners
Among the many distinguished alumni from the Social Sciences Department at Evangel University, the following have been honored over the years with the receipt of the Regius Award. They are representative of the varied professions served by the Social Science disciplines.
*All titles reflect the position the recipients held at the time the award was presented.
Each academic discipline has emphases, purposes and approaches unique to that discipline. This is also true of the broad area called the Social Sciences.
The Regius Award has been established to honor Social Sciences alumni who have demonstrated outstanding qualities in both professional accomplishment and who have also shown interest in, and support for, the purposes and values of the Social Sciences.
American college have frequently made use of symbols from medieval Europe — the historical period when universities formally developed, especially as encouraged by the scholars of the Church. Evidence of this influence from the Middle Ages is everywhere present — from academic gowns to the liberal arts curriculum prized by the medieval scholars.
Many years ago scholars and faculty of the Social Sciences established an award to be given annually to university Social Science graduates who had brought honor to their university and to the Social Science disciplines. It was evident that the medieval ruler Alfred the Great symbolized many of the goals of the Social Sciences. He was noted for his good public administration. He improved the codes of law in his day. He encouraged historical scholarship and education. He strengthened the social and cultural institutions of his society. He translated into English the "World History" of Orosius in order to provide his citizens with understanding of other cultures and parts of the world.
As a well-known professor of English history has written, "Alfred had a high ideal of kingship, seeing it as a divine Christian trust for the benefit of the people."
The Social Science award, therefore, was named the Regius Award (the King's Award), recalling the good work of the medieval social scientist, King Alfred the Great.
The symbol of the Regius Award is that of the medieval royal knight leader, hand-crafted of slate in Wales. It serves as a reminder of the lofty purposes of the Social sciences — kingly honor and service.
1990: Bernard Bresson
- Established the Social Sciences Department at Evangel University
1990: Arnold (Bud) Greve
- Superintendent of Schools, Springfield, Missouri
1991: Donna Whiteman
- Secretary of Human Services of the State of Kansas
1992: Judge Paul Spinden
- Judge of the Missouri Court, Western Division
1993: Ted Papit
- CEO of Black-Eyed Pea Restaurants
1994: G. Stanton Masters
- Distinguished Attorney in Kansas City, Missouri
1995: Dr. David Moore
- Senior Director of Administration, Convoy of Hope
1996: Dr. Ronald Cleek
- Prosecuting Attorney, Christian County, Missouri
1996: Dr. Klaude Kendrick
- First President of Evangel University
1997: Dr. Alex Karmarkovic
- Contributed greatly to the Pre-law and Political Science Programs at Evangel University
1997: Dr. George O. Wood
- General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God
1998: Dr. David Clark
- President, Palm Beach Atlantic University
1999: Cori Holsinger Hartje
- Director, Marketing and Readiness, Worldwide Licensing and Pricing-Microsoft Corporation
2000: Allan Caldwell
- Assistant General Counsel, Koch Industries, Inc.
2001: Maria Rost Rublee
- Management Analysis, Environmental Protection Agency
2001: Gregory Rublee
- Branch Chief and Congressional Liaison, National Guard Bureau
2002: Dr. Daniel Johnson
- President, University of Toledo
2003: Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan
- Federal Judge of the Northern District of Illinois
2004/2005: Dr. J.C. Holsinger
- Contributed greatly to the Social Sciences Department and the History Program at Evangel
2006: Dr. Donald Smeeton
- Director of the Squires Library at Lee University
2007: the late Capt. Shane Mahaffee
- Fallen Hero of Iraq War, 489th Civil Affairs Battalion
2008: E.J. Arnold
- 2nd Secretary and Vice Consul Public Diplomacy Officer, Provincial Reconstruction Team, Diyala, Iraq
2009: Dr. Troy Paino
- Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Truman State University
2010: Dr. John Deegan Jr.
- Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs The National Defense University
2011: Bonnie Brewster
- Tulsa, Okla., area schoolteacher and has served more than 30 years with the Girl Scouts of America
2012: Mr. John D. Harper
- Vice President for External Affairs at Public Service Company of Oklahoma
2013: Mrs. Renee (Yniguez) Cotton
- Advocate for the Maryland Coalition of Families for Children's Mental Health


text: I have had this problem in the past, when I run php-eaccelerator phpmyadmin stops working. Today I did a fresh build and could not get anything to work including the ISPConfig panel. My solution was to remove php-eaccelerator and replace it with APC by using the following steps: yum install php-pear yum install php-devel yum install httpd-devel pecl install apc echo "extension=apc.so" > /etc/php.d/apc.ini /etc/init.d/httpd start Is this a common error or what am I doing wrong? Should the Perfect Server tutorial be updated? This page has the command in question: http://www.howtoforge.com/perfect-server-centos-6.0-x86_64-ispconfig-3-p5


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Twitter Now Filtering Malicious URLs
While attempting to report on one, F-Secure's Mikko Hypponen discovered that Twitter has begun blocking URLs of known malicious sites in posts to their service. Good eye Mikko.
I tried it myself. Twitter rolls the following banner down at the top of the page and then your post disappears:
I also tried it in twhirl, my main Twitter client and the post just fails without a message. Twitter may still be testing the new feature.


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It's... interesting. As I thought the field had more than one trick in stock and, as expected, Schierke eventually just dispelled it. But that fiery golem (Wicker Man reference?) looks like it's using dead souls to power it? They're not exactly like the usual specters but clearly related. I wouldn't have expected to see a witch use that on Skellig. That new witch character is interesting too. Seems to be the senior of the three stooges we've yet to see in full. Hmm.
I suppose that was what was animating the scarecrows and pumpkins too, which is cool.
A new witch appears, telling the others they're really soft. Her name is something like "Molder" but this is absolutely not confirmed and can't be at this point, so please keep that in mind.
Maybe since the merger, there is a swarm of specters even on Skellig and they used them for their defenses, would that be possible in your opinion?
Could that colored illustration be the new volume cover? Or one of the inside posters?
See the summary just above, that explains how it happened. It's an ancient relic that was lying around. The witch used it against the rules because the group had defeated their usual defenses.It'll probably be one of the posters. It wouldn't make much sense for it to be volume 38's cover. I like it well enough, but it's not blowing me away.
Aw you probably updated your post as I was asking this!
I didn't expect to see a classical witch on a broom. That was priceless for me.
This new character was the star of the episode. Very interested to see how this new, flamboyant witch interacts with Schierke. They're seem like complete opposites.Schierke has said some witches are capable of flying I think it was in Vol 28? Either way yeah, neat to finally see that.
For some unfathomable reason, Guts' move when busting the wicker man from the crotch to the head with his cannon reminded me of the Garbage Pail Kids.
Thank you to Puella and Aaz for the quick summary. I sincerely appreciate your hard work.
When mentioned by one if the witches that it is taboo, could it mean this is something that Flora might have known too, but didn't tell Schierke or wasn't there yet to learn it.
It also features the new painting from this episode and holy shit, it simply looks insane seeing it with this amount of quality.
The new witch's name in Japanese is モルダ, so... Molda I guess. I imagine we'll get confirmation of the spelling in volume 39.


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Sometimes this faith journey goes pretty smoothly and it is easy to express your trust and dependence on God.
At other times it feels lonely, frightening and sad. I have been navigating the latter reality of late.
I give grace and it is not returned. Every street feels like it is one-way. Dear friends are deeply wounded by people who claim to be following Jesus. I agonize over how these believers can wound so deeply and still say they know Christ? Marriage vows are abandoned at the altar of self. Illness ravages families and friends. I question my ability to have any impact for Christ as I stumble clumsily through my own journey.
It is at these crossroads that we realize how much we are really trusting God. A song by Jason Gray resonated with me. Most of Jason's songs do resonate with me and I am beginning to suspect he has a spy camera on my faith walk. The song is titled "A Way To See In The Dark" and it captures my recent experience.
Here I am
Begging for certainty again
But simple trust
Is what you're asking me to give
If I am saved
You tell me it will not be by sight
Simple trust. A simple concept that is anything but simple to live out. And yet I am convinced that the simple act of trust and faith pleases God more than any blog I can write, good deed I can perform or gift I can offer. The truth is that all of those things flow naturally out of trust anyway. I try to reverse the order by doing, giving and performing to try and "beef" up my trust. I think God is saying during these days to quit flailing and start trusting.
The question mark
Hung at the end of every fear
Is answered by
The promise that you are with me here
And that's all I've got
I believe God's promises intellectually. During times like these He is asking me to believe them in my heart. The key is to keep my eyes on Jesus and His grace. Peter learned that lesson during a literal storm.
Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, "It's a ghost!" But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage. I am here!" Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water."
"Yes, come," Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted.
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?" (Matthew 14, NLT)
It is so easy to judge Peter while I am busy doing the same thing. Hypocrisy is really annoying. Peter made the same mistake that I made recently. He took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the storm. The waves and wind are terrifying when you face them alone. But I don't have to. And neither do you. I write a lot about community and the need for others. There are times when all of us need to focus on Jesus and Jesus alone. Grace reminds me that when I fail Jesus will immediately reach out and grab me at the instant I call out to Him. So I find myself at peace today. Circumstances are only marginally better but my focus is back where it should be. There is a way to see in the dark. Jason Gray says it well.
As I reach for your hand in the night
When the shadows swallow the light
'Cause I'm giving up, giving in
Once again a childlike faith
Is my only way
To see in the dark
Dave Burchett is the author of "When Bad Christians Happen to Good People".