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Lisa Arrowood: 'A Leader Has the Courage to Make Decisions'
Lisa Arrowood is a founding partner of Arrowood Peters LLP, whose practice concentrates on business litigation, employment disputes, medical malpractice, personal injury, and legal malpractice. She is the Secretary of the BBA Council and a member of the BBA's Executive Committee. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is Vice-Chair of the ACTL Massachusetts State Committee. She holds a three year appointment (2010-2013) as the First Circuit Representative to the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.
- What leadership experience was necessary to found your own litigation boutique?
My litigation boutique, Arrowood Peters, is the second new law firm I have founded; I had co-founded Todd & Weld in 1992. So I had done it before, but I learned a lot in the 20 years at Todd & Weld about being a leader within a law firm. It was an interesting experience to be one of two female partners at Todd & Weld – for the first five years, I was the only one. There's a certain understanding that comes from being the only female partner in a firm with a lot of female associates – you have to be a good role model and leader for women in particular.
That, combined with a lot of experience leading teams on cases that went to trial, helped a lot in setting up the new firm – especially learning how to organize people, how to get tasks done, and how to motivate others, among other things.
- As a leader of other lawyers in volunteer organizations, what skills, qualities, or style do you consider crucial to ensure success?
I think this is true of leadership in general, but one of the most important abilities is to make decisions and 'let the buck stop with you.' In order to be a good leader, you need the courage to make those decisions, and sometimes that means you need the courage to be wrong and work from there. In a volunteer organization, something key to keep in mind is respecting the fact that all of the volunteers are very busy and have a lot of responsibilities, so being efficient and not wasting time is extremely important. Volunteers are giving very precious time to the organization, so it's always important for leaders to be sensitive to that.
- How do you establish credibility as a leader?
As a leader, you have to be willing to do some of the work and not just delegate, although good leaders do know how to delegate and are good at it. I am a firm believer that you can't get everything done if you insist on trying to do it all yourself.
Beyond that, it often depends on the leadership role. For heading up a trial team, for example, where the goal is to win the case, people who work under you have to be confident that you know what you're doing, that you're going to do a good job, and that things need to be done a certain way because that's the best way to do them – and it has to show up in results. That's where people will see you as an effective and credible leader: when the direction you provide will get everybody to the place they want to be. Within the BBA or a volunteer organization, it's a little more complex, because it's a multifaceted organization with many different goals. That's where it's great to have an unbelievable team like the BBA staff to prepare and assist its leaders.


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In my entire quilting career (14 years now) I've only ever purchased an entire quilt line twice. It never so happens that every print, every colour in a line grabs me and makes me excited to create. I've been rather impatiently waiting for Sympatico from Cloud 9 Fabrics to arrive ever since Michelle and Gina posted the previews of the line.
(Interesting side note: the only other line I've gathered in its entirety was another organic line: Shades of Grey from Daisy Janie.)
I waited until I finished a bucketload of work this summer to treat myself to these fabrics. 1/2 yard of each print. I think I need even more of the stripes because they would make such wonderful bindings. Now I impatiently wait for some solids to match so I can get sewing. No hoarding going on here, I'm desperate to cut into those prints!
Not being able to sew myself with the fabric didn't stop me from buying something made from Sympatico. After 10 years with a decent camera I finally picked up a camera strap. It's thick and padded and looks like a little too much for a camera strap, but it is perfect because the girls are constantly borrowing the camera now. This big strap makes me less nervous when they are around. I picked this up from Sew Fantastic. Another Friday Favourite.

subset: commoncrawl


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Following on from my post about upgrading one of the internal drives in my 2008 Mac Pro, I moved on to upgrading the disk inside my LaCie d2 Quadra external drive this morning. Once again pretty straightforward thanks to SuperDuper, my Voyager Q and a Philips screwdriver. If you've got one of these LaCie drives and you'd like more space for whatever reason (and the existing drive is out of warranty), then dive in because in less than ten minutes you'll be enjoying lots more free space.
The LaCie d2 Quadra is a solid and well constructed external unit which actually makes replacing the drive inside it very easy because all the parts are machined to fit together just so. You won't be struggling with screw holes that don't line up or bendy bits of plastic as the case is a nicely machined piece of aluminium (or aluminum depending on your side of the Atlantic!).
1. Ok first step is to remove the four screws at the back of the unit. You'll discover that these screws hold on both the back and front bezels as they go right the way through the case!
2. Having removed the front and rear bezels, next remove the thin masking plate that covers the ports on the rear of the device. Take care to do this gently and to not bend it.
3. Turn the unit on it's side and remove the two screws that hold the internal assembly in place.
4. Now you can slide out the whole internal assembly which is basically a mounting plate, a circuit board and the drive itself.
5. Turn the assembly over and remove the four screws that hold the drive onto the mounting plate.
6. Next you can gently slide the drive off the SATA connector. I found the best way to do this was to just rock the drive slightly from side to side while gently pulling it.
7. From here on in it's pretty much a case of reversing the procedure starting by gently sliding the new drive on to the SATA connector then re-attaching it to the mounting plate. The screws really don't have to be that tight as the drive barely vibrates and isn't going anywhere once re-fitted.
8. Slide the whole internal assembly back into the case, making sure that the two screw holes on the side of the assembly line up with their corresponding holes in the side of the case.
9. Secure the assembly inside the case using the two screws on the side.
10. Replace the masking plate over the ports at the back, again taking care not to bend it.
11. Replace the front and back bezels and secure them in place using the four long case screws.
That's it, pretty straight forward eh? The procedure for cloning my existing 1.5Tb drive in the LaCie on to the new 2Tb disk was much the same as for the internal drive upgrade I just did. I popped the 2Tb drive into my Voyager Q, created a single Mac OS Extended (journalled) partition with a unique name then used SuperDuper to copy everything from the existing LaCie drive to the new one. Finally I ejected both drives, did the hardware swap, powered up the LaCie with the new drive inside and renamed the volume back to the original name (so that I don';t have to change any backup routines, etc).
Choice of Hard Disk Drive
It's worth noting that the LaCie d2 Quadra is a passively cooled drive enclosure, i.e. there is no fan to pull air through it. For this reason I have stuck with a Western Digital 'Green' SATA hard disk – the WD20EARS SATA 3Gb/s 3.5inch IntelliPower 2Tb 64Mb to be exact. I have used WD Green drives before and found them to be both very quiet and not too hot, plus they are plenty fast enough for data and backup drives like the LaCie.
Update 05/December/2012
I have been using Western Digital 'GREEN' drives in both my Lacie Quadra (Firewire) drive and in a number of Synology NAS devices. While they have performed well, I have had two failures out of eight drives in the past year – that's a 25% failure rate. These have not been catastrophic failures resulting in data loss, rather drive errors found by software like Drive Genius or S.M.A.R.T. utilities. Western Digital make it very easy to return drives, they have a long warranty period and seem to be very quick at replacing drives without any argument, so I am happy to continue using WD drives. However, I am now looking at moving from their 'GREEN' drives to their 'RED' drives for storage that is external to my Mac Pro. The 'RED' drives are around 25% more expensive than the 'GREEN' drives, e.g. current price of a 2Tb RED drive on Amazon UK is £90 compared with £74 for a 2Tb GREEN drive, but the RED drives are optimised for NAS and external storage as opposed to power saving.
Filed under: case, disk, Hardware, LaCie, Mac Pro, SuperDuper, upgrade, Voyager Q |


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AUSTIN � The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will increase DWI patrols for an 11-day period that includes the July 4th holiday. From June 27�July 7, DPS troopers will focus DWI patrols in high-risk locations at times when alcohol-related crashes are most frequent.
�As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July, DPS urges Texans to do their part to help keep our roadways safe during the holiday,� said DPS Director Steven McCraw. �Individuals should always designate a sober driver or find other means of transportation if they plan to drink alcohol. During the holiday, DPS troopers will be performing increased patrols aimed at protecting all travelers and removing dangerous drivers from the road.�
The increased patrols that target impaired driving are funded through a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). During the 2013 July 4th enforcement effort, DPS troopers made 1,124 DWI arrests, and 173 of those arrests were the direct result of the increased patrols. DPS enforcement also resulted in 720 fugitive arrests, 602 felony arrests, more than 15,700 speeding citations and more than 2,400 seat belt/child safety seat citations during this period.
According to state statistics, approximately every 20 minutes in Texas, someone is hurt or killed in an alcohol-related crash.��For some alternative transportation options, visit www.SoberRides.org.


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To Understand a Turkey, Walk a Mile
in His Feet
By Babe Winkelman
Send a link to a friend
[July 16, 2014]
yelped, he gobbled. I purred, he fanned. But there was a
problem. He did it 80 yards away, and for a long, long time. No
matter what I tried, that hung-up Tom just wouldn't close the
distance. What to do, what to do?
Ever since I began hunting and fishing, I've tried to approach my
quarry by understanding what makes them tick. I've tried to get
inside their heads. Walk a mile in their shoes, so to speak. Or
should I say walk a mile in their hooves, paws, feet, fins. Oh wait,
that would be "swim a mile in their fins."
At any rate, what's important here is for hunters (and anglers) to
have a working knowledge of their prey and to use that (along with
our superior cunning) against them. What I've learned is that
there's a 3-part common denominator for all creatures which serves
as a foundation for outsmarting your adversary. The common
denominator is that all living creatures are driven by these simple
(1) To eat.
(2) To not get eaten.
(3) To breed.
Understanding this makes it easier to appreciate how all living
things relate to protective cover; how they develop predictable
travel patterns between sleeping areas and food sources; and how
their need to breed creates huge vulnerabilities in their desire to
"not get eaten."
So, back to this hung-up Tom. To get him to close the distance, I
had to do something. What I was doing wasn't working well enough. So
I instinctively studied the situation as it related to the 1,2,3
common denominator I just mentioned.
Was the Tom on a food source he simply didn't want to leave? Hmmmm,
my answer was no. He was spending most of his time strutting out
there at 80 yards. Occasionally he'd lay his feathers down to peck
at a seed or bug, then gobble and go back to strutting. And frankly,
the cover type between me and him was identical, so whatever he was
eating could be eaten closer to me. So I checked off #1.
Then I considered #2. Was there something about the set-up that had
this Tom on edge? He seemed to like my calling, because he gobbled
every time I called. It got him excited! I surmised that there was
nothing about my ambush position that made him nervous, because he
didn't act goofy at all. I was in a hunting blind and I knew he
hadn't seen me. So I checked #2 off the list as well.
Which left me with dwelling upon #3 - the need to breed. Obviously
this Tom was full of love, so why hang up? Then I heard it: "yelp,
yelp, yelp, yelp, yelp..." A real live hen was just beyond a slight
dip in the landscape below the Tom. I couldn't see her, and never
knew she was there. So I quickly understood that he was "playing the
field" to hens on either side of him. Smart bird... ups the odds of
getting some action!
[to top of second column]
Now, how could I compete with a living, breathing, sexy hen? I had
my calls and plastic decoy, sure. But that's no comparison to the
real thing! Then I asked myself: "What if I could convince Mr. Tom
that there's a second hen here? And that she's going away!"
So inside the blind I put a diaphragm call in my mouth that had a
wildly different sound than the box call I had been using. My plan
was to begin calling with the box, which he was accustomed to, and
then cut in over the top of that calling with the mouth call. He
would hear TWO birds! Then I would continue calling as Hen #2, only
I would gradually turn away from the Tom's direction each time I
called, and make it softer, so he'd think a hot hen was walking away
and giving him the cold shoulder. Maybe, just maybe, he'd get so
upset about being left at the alter that he'd come running.
I set my plan in motion. 30 seconds later it was lights-out for Mr.
Turkey hunting success takes a mix of skill and luck. It also
requires psychology. Even though they're very peculiar birds, if you
understand how their minds work at a primal level, you can put your
big brain to work outsmarting them. I hope that helps you next time
a turkey hangs up on you.
Good Hunting!
[By BABE WINKELMAN]
Babe Winkelman hosts "Good Fishing" and
"Outdoor Secrets," the most-watched fishing and hunting programs on
television. Tune in on NBC Sports Network, Destination America,
Velocity, Time Warner Sports Texas & New York, and many local
broadcast channels. Visit
Winkelman.com for airtimes and more information. Follow
Babe Winkelman on
Facebook and Twitter.
Outdoors with
Babe Winkelman
Recent features
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The fall genealogy season is here, with the first meeting of BIFHSGO being held this coming Saturday morning at Library and Archives Canada!
The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa is in its 15th year, and it will start off its fall programme at 10:30 a.m. with a lecture by Brian Glenn, "Circling the Wagons Around Jack Fraser".
His talk will be an update on his maternal grandfather - a topic he first spoke on in a Great Moments talk in 2004.
If you get there at 9:30, there will be the usual Discovery Tables on England, Ireland, and Scotland, hosted by knowledgeable volunteers ready to answer your questions.
Later this week, I will give a rundown of the BIFHSGO conference to be held from September 18th to the 20th.
Visit their website at <www.bifhsgo.ca>.


text:
Dr. Michel Murr reviews medical content for Healthwise, a nonprofit organization with a mission to help people make better health decisions.
Dr. Murr is the Chief of Surgery at Tampa General Hospital and Director of Bariatric Surgery at Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.
MD: American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, 1986
Internship in Pathology: University of Iowa Hospitals, Iowa City, IA, 1987–1988
Residency in General Surgery: University of Iowa Hospitals, Iowa City, IA, 1988–1993
Research Fellowship in Gastrointestinal Surgery: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 1993–1995
Gastrointestinal Surgery Scholar: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 1997–1998
American Board of Surgery
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL:
Instructor in Surgery, Mayo Medical School, Rochester, MN, 1998
This reviewer reported no financial conflicts.
Last Revised:
March 30, 2012
Healthwise Staff
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


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1. If a store is helping troubleshoot problems with your diapers, please give them all the information. If you've been adding a cup of bleach and a scoop of fabric softener, tell them so they can give you the best advice. They won't judge. Many will go above and beyond to help you, including contacting the manufacturer for you.
2. Even though most store owners still work at least part time from home, please give them some time to answer your emails or return voicemail, especially if it is during the weekend or at night. There may be times you get a response in five minutes and other times it may take a day. Remember, behind each store are real people with families, commitments, interests and so on.
3. Trust them! They really do know what they are doing. Most store owners thoroughly research and try the products they carry. When they give you opinions, it is based on years of experience.
4. If you are shopping in store, please do not open packages. Many times, there are sample products available for you to look at and/or try.
5. Please don't ridicule the products. It's fine to ask questions about the products, but please don't say things like "Who would buy this?" or "Who would spend this much on this?" There are other customers that love those products and it can be really uncomfortable for them to hear other customers mocking them.
6. Ask first if it's okay to take pictures in the store.
7. Yes, certain manufacturer policies suck, but the manufacturers decide on these policies, not the store owners or sales people. If a store goes against a manufacturer's policy, they could lose the right to sell that brand.
8. Please supervise your kids! Many stores offer a play area for children. Do not take advantage of this by expecting the store owners and/or employees to watch your kids. If your child takes a product off a shelf and damages it, offer to pay for it or at least apologize.
9. Local stores want your shopping experience to be wonderful, but they do have other customers to attend to as well. If you need help that will take longer than a few minutes, please ask if they have time to help you or contact the store beforehand to schedule some one-on-one consultation time. If you purchased the products from that store, they will be more than happy to help you.
10. Treat them like you wish to be treated. Yes, if it wasn't for the customers, the stores wouldn't be here. But, that doesn't give you the right to be rude or pushy. This is especially true when you are shopping online. Sometimes, we forget there is an actual person on the other end of that email.
11. Retailers expect to make a living and not a killing. Cloth diapers have some of the worst price margins. Even if a diaper costs $30, a retailer may only be making 25-30% profit on it. After paying taxes, employees, shipping and overhead costs, there's not much left. This is why they can't offer sales, coupons and free shipping on a constant basis. Most retailers do not start a store to get rich but they do need to support their families.
12. They work hard, spend endless hours educating, ordering products, displaying, cleaning, pay taxes and payroll and take time away from their family. Please respect that.
13. The internet is full of cloth diaper opinions and advice, some good and some terrible. Your local retailer can save you hours of time, frustration and even money in the long run. By asking the right questions, your retailer can help you choose cloth diapers you will love and, as a bonus, they are available to troubleshoot if needed. You will rarely get that level of service from the big box stores.
14. Cloth diapers will be peed and pooped in on a daily basis and washed thousands of times in their lifetime. They are an investment and should be treated like that. So, shop locally and get advice from professionals.
15. While retailers love helping families, please do not purchase your entire stash somewhere else and go to your local store for help. While a few questions are fine, they cannot spend an hour of their time helping with products that were not purchased at their store. Besides, if it is a diaper that retailer doesn't carry; they may not know the answers to your questions. If you do purchase elsewhere and need help, consider attending a local Cloth Diaper 101 class.
16. When you support local stores and websites you are saving local jobs and the local economy. Saving a buck on deal sites may seem great at the moment but hurts everyone in the long run. Support your local cloth diaper retailer and they will always be there for you.
17. It hurts when you use their time and stock then leave empty handed and shop online. When you don't shop at your local store, it will eventually close and there will no longer be a local place to 'browse'.
18. Every dollar you spend is a vote for what retailer/manufacturer you want to see succeed. Buying North American made products from local retailers really does make a difference.
19. Before purchasing a product from a deal site, check with your local retailer. Once you add in the hidden costs, it may not be that great of a deal.
20. Give feedback. If the retailer provided great service, let them know. If there was something you didn't like, let them know. The only way they can grow is if you let them know what you like or don't like. But, please contact the store before leaving negative comments on social media sites. A simple misunderstanding could ruin a store's reputation.
*I'd like to thank all of the cloth diaper store owners that helped me write this post!
If you are a retailer, please comment on this post with a link to your website and/or social media pages. If you have a brick & mortar store, let us know where you're located!
Customers - what would you like retailers to know? Join the conversation on our Facebook page.


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Cocaine Anonymous
November 3 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
| Free
|Recurring Event (See all)
Every week
Event Navigation
A group run by members for members helping people to recover from drug and alcohol addiction. Open to anyone who thinks they may have a problem with drink or drugs or is interested in our work.
There is a regular weekly meeting on a Tuesday evening 7pm- 8pm at Liskeard Methodist Church – the room above Manna Café.


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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'micro greens' tag.
Last night I made a pot of lentil soup and added so much dill in the end that I pushed my lentils over the edge into a full on identity crisis. WHAT ARE WE? A LENTIL SOUP OR A DILL SOUP, DAMMIT! Jason loved it despite the boycott in the bowl. The rebel however continued within his intestines and made itself heard throughout the evening.
I wasn't spared either. The anger of the lentils caught up with me this morning, and let me just say I'm glad the Earth shook in Baja two days ago, and not today. Otherwise I would have to take the responsibility. The only one I had to give personal apologies to this morning was Cosmo, who at some point lifted himself from his third nap today, gave me—let's call it—a disappointed look, and rushed to the other room to pack his bags. I'M OUTTA HERE!
I think I'll stick to the simple greens today.
My passion for edible weeds makes even more sense when you look into my family history. My mother back in her teenage days was a fearless daredevil. Let's see. For a bar of chocolate she:
– climbed a 3-storey building up its lightening-rod only to be later rescued by fire marshals as she was too terrified to repel;
– walked across a cemetery at midnight, while her guy friends ("Those idiots!") hid behind the graves only to appear in their ghostly, white bed sheets in front of my chocolate-driven teenage mother;
– wrote 24 different essays for her classmates thus fulfilling their home work; (The teacher was no fool—she got an F for cheating and an A for creativity and hard work.)
– played goats with her friend where they roamed a green meadow on all fours while grazing and chewing on juicy grass and wild flowers.
Come to think of it, all this could explain way more then merely my ecological sentiments. However, one thing must be clarified. My dear mother was growing up in post-war Poland (in the 50's and 60's). Hence, her chocolate bar then was your safe Toyota today, just as hard to come about.
Anyways, my battered insides are fully functional again and asking for a fresh, non-lentil food supply. Come and check out my refrigerator to see what we're having for lunch:
– Mixed greens (duh)
– Shredded white cabbage
– Micro greens
– Scallions
– Fresh dill
– Fresh basil
– Half of an avocado
– Green Apple
– Walnuts (toasted)
Brilliant. Let's quickly whisk simple vinaigrette: extra virgin olive oil (3 parts), apple cider vinegar (1 part), Dijon mustard (1 tsp), honey (1 tbsp), and a reasonable amount of sea salt and pepper. Taste, approve, and pour over all the GREEN MEADOW of your bowl. Please, make sure you chop the stuff before tossing into the dish, OK? We are making a GREEN APPLE SALAD after all.
Happy grazing everybody. I have lunch plans with my fellow goat. BBBLLEEEAAATT!


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By STEVE KRAH
Dan Vaughan doesn't swing a bat or throw a baseball for a living.
But he is just invested in what his team does as the players.
Vaughan talks about the end of his first season as the play-by-play voice of the independent American Association's Kansas City (Kan.) T-Bones as if he were between the lines.
"It came down to the last inning of the last game to see if we were going to make the playoffs," says Vaughan. "I was thinking there would be postseason baseball Wednesday and then DONE! I was a stunned mess. We had been going and blowing everyday."
Vaughan admits to being a homer — in two hemispheres. When he's not calling baseball in the U.S., he is Down Under with the Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League.
Vaughan, who worked for the AA's Gary (Ind.) SouthShore RailCats before going to Kansas City, was asked by a youngster in the business about the approach to take with his broadcasts through the Play by Play Announcers, Sideline Reporters, Color Analysts, Studio Hosts page on Facebook.
Vaughan summed up his response.
"There's no governing body," says the Texas native. "It's all preference. There's no right or wrong answer to the question. You're on the bus with people for 100 days a year. You get to know people. You can't help but care.
"It's human nature to me. I try to be fair (and will let the audience know if a player makes a mistake). But I want them to do well."
Vaughan was in pre-season mode in Gary — working on play biographies, sending out contracts, updating the website and travel planning — when the KC opportunity presented itself.
T-Bones vice president/general manager Chris Browne, whom Vaughan knew during their time together with the Double-A Jacksonville (Fla.) Suns in the mid-1990's, invited the broadcaster to join his operation.
"We prayed about it," says Vaughan, who is married to Dallas area school teacher GayMarie, someone he has known since junior high. "We wanted a clear answer.
"Things happen for a reason — Faith, Hope and Love."
GayMarie was a regular visitor to her husband in Gary and Dan was close to family in the Elkhart/Goshen area. Being in KC put him closer to his home in Texas.
"They were good to me (in Gary)," says Vaughan. "They gave me a chance (after an 11-year hiatus from broadcasting baseball)."
So he took the job. On the first homestand, GayMarie drove the seven hours to surprise the Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations at the park.
Besides calling live action, Vaughan posts game stories and videos on social media and helps promote the team — whether in the U.S. or Australia.
He was sure to let local media know when comedian Bill Murray came to KC to film some promo spots or when the crew from "Brockmire"— the IFC series starring Hank Azaria — was there to do the same.
He got the word out when Kansas City Chiefs first-round pick out of Texas Tech University — Patrick Mahomes — made a T-Bones game his first public appearance in the area.
"You have to be creative," says Vaughan, who notes that the AA was home to Pete Rose Jr. (Wichita Wingnuts manager), Billy Martin Jr. (Texas AirHogs manager) and Joe Jackson (KC outfielder and great great grand nephew of the Deadball era star Shoeless Joe Jackson) in 2017.
George Tsamis is now manager of the AA's Saint Paul Saints. In 1994, he plunked Michael Jordan " between the 4 and the 5" and Vaughan was there in Birmingham to call it as part of the Jacksonville broadcast. Terry Francona was MJ's manager during the Basketball Hall of Famer's baseball interlude.
A baseball character both with Saint Paul and the Melbourne Aces in Australia is pitcher Mark Hamburger.
When Matt Sergey started as a right-hander on a Thursday and relieved as a left-hander on Saturday for KC, Vaughan was sure to accommodate the media who wanted to know more.
"I've got to get reasons for them to come out here," says Vaughan.
He plans to start a KC blog in October and will also launch a podcast.
Down Under, Vaughan does less writing and more videos for YouTube etc. It's all about being interactive.
"People love the videos," says Vaughan. "The ball club has become the source (of information). That's a responsibility that wasn't there when I first started (in broadcasting after graduating from Texas Tech)."
"We want to get Facebook likes and Twitter clicks."
Kansas City (Mo.) is home to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and Buck O'Neil (who died in 2006) was a regular at T-Bones games in the early years of the franchise) and is remembered on the wall at CommunityAmerica Ballpark to this day.
Through baseball, Vaughan has been able to talk about the game with Hall of Famer and Royals vice president of baseball operations George Brett and his son Jackson — on both sides of the Pacific.
Browne, a Royals bat boy back in the 1980's, has former second baseman Frank White as a first base coach with the T-Bones.
Vaughan notes that independent baseball is flourishing because of the on-field talent and family entertainment and the second chance it offers for ballplayers. Many teams pick up players through word of mouth or former associations.
"That's there best recruiting tool," says Vaughan.
In a few weeks, Vaughan will head into his fifth season based in Western Australia, where he co-hosts "Talking Baseball Australia," the only live baseball radio show aired on the continent.
Thanks to Vaughan, broadcast partner Paul Morgan and others, the Heat achieved their goal of broadcasting every game — home and away — during the 2016-17 season.
"It was a real commitment," says Vaughan. "Being online helps. Baseball is still a fringe sport in Australia. Cricket and Australian rules football get more radio and TV coverage during (their) summer."
Like baseball, cricket is a bat and ball sport. But the rules differ greatly and some matches can go on for days.
Vaughan notes that the Twenty-20 cricket — a short form — is gaining an audience and even has the elements of minor league baseball with promotions and sing-alongs.
"(Cricket) is trying to appeal to a younger crowd," says Vaughan.
Australian baseball has sent some of its finest players into Major League Baseball.
Liam Hendriks (Oakland Athletics), Peter Moylan (Kansas City Royals) and Warwick Saupold (Detroit Tigers) have all pitched in the big leagues in 2017.
ABL rules call for six domestic players to be on the field at any given time.
"The spirt of the rule is to grow the game," says Vaughan.
An MLB showcase is one way for Australian players to get a chance to play in North America and international tournaments — like the U-18 World Cup (held in 2017 in Thunder Bay, Ont.) and U-23 World Cup (held in '17 in Monterrey, Mexico, with Australia placing second to Japan) are others.
Dan Vaughan, a Texas native and former play-by-play man for the Gary (Ind.) SouthShore RailCats, calls baseball action for the Kansas City (Kan.) T-Bones in the U.S. and Perth Heat in Australia.


text:
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- Trace elements (chromium, cobalt, molybdenum)
- Phytosterols (cholesterol-busting)
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Add to yoghurt, smoothies, ice cream, fruit juice, water, milkshakes, muesli, or margaritas!
Organic dried acai berries.
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Keep refrigerated.
Write Your Own Review


text:
I attended Percona Conf in Santa Clara last week. It was a great 3 days of lots of people dropping expert MySQL knowledge. I learned a lot and met some great people.
I gave a talk about the Etsy shard architecture, and had a lot of good feedback and questions. A lot of people do active/passive, but we run everything in active/active master-master. This helps us keep a warm buffer pool on both sides, and if one side goes out we only lose about half of the queries until its pulled and they start hashing to the other side. Some details on how this works in the slides below.
The Etsy Shard Architecture: Starts With S and Ends With Hard
View more presentations from jgoulah


text:
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Make Your Own colored fluff for flowers and snow
Hey everyone! By now if you are a Squigglefly newsletter subscriber you have received your newsletter! I wanted to be sure you noticed that there is a coupon at the bottom of the newsletter. The coupon is good until October 19th, and there's no better time to shop than now with all of the new images out!
I hope you had a great day yesterday. I certainly did! The weather here was perfect! We had blue skies
with just enough clouds to cover the sun now and then so it didn't get too warm
I spent a lot of time outside with Riley. she was really loving being outside and I snapped some pictures of her. This one is especially cute because I put a dandelion behind her ear and she left it there!
Well, I've got some fun stuff to show you today! First of all let me show you my card
(click to enlarge)
I used the new image from Crissy Armstrong called Christmas With Oswalda I colored it with copic markers and then added some faux flower soft on the ground and the ball and brim of her hat.
You know the other day I said that I thought you could probably make your own polar white flower soft by grating styrofoam? Well, I decided to give it a try. It worked great! Click on any picture for a close up.
I bought some of these styrofoam balls at the dollar store
Then I simpley rubbed them together and let it grate itself! Here is a comparison of the styrofoam and the polar white flower soft
Then I wanted to try my hand at coloring it. I used some re-inkers and just laid some drops around a pile of styrofoam and then mixed it together with a pencil. It worked great!
I made a video showing you how I did it. It's quick, easy, fun, and a real money saver! Plus if you only need a little of a particular color you can make as much as need! Here's the video. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for looking!
EDITED TO ADD- The original video had to be edited and here is the revised video
87 comments:
- pinky said...
Great little image, just love y our card. The snow is excellent will definitely be making some of that. thanks for the tutorial.
- October 18, 2009 at 5:12 AM
- Jeanne said...
You are brilliant! I'm excited to try this for myself. Thank you SO much for sharing! *Ü*
- October 18, 2009 at 7:04 AM
This is way to cool as i was reading i thought about coloring it then wa la you did it. Thanks for the tip im off to try now.
- October 18, 2009 at 7:33 AM
- Stef H said...
you are one creative genius!
and one super lady!
luv u bunches!
- October 18, 2009 at 7:39 AM
- Anne said...
wow, now that is clever, thanks for the tut
Anne x
- October 18, 2009 at 8:11 AM
- freida said...
I am SOOO anxious to try this! Holly you DEFINITELY ARE the smartest crayon on the box! Teehee! :) And Ms Oswalda sure looks spiffy with her gifts and in her warm hat! I LOVE THIS IMAGE! The color you chose goes so well with the DP! This card is FABULOUS! Look at that Holly Soft!!! You go , GF!
And Ms Riley looks spiffy too! Can't leave her out! Check out that flower! :)
- October 18, 2009 at 8:42 AM
- Carole RB said...
Hi Holly
You are a genius! Thanks so much for sharing this and your tutorial. Here a flower soft jar cost $7.95 plus 13% tax and they don't carry all colors!
You make my day!
- October 18, 2009 at 9:10 AM
- Jenny said...
Holly, this is just too cool! Very clever!
- October 18, 2009 at 9:31 AM
- Debby said...
Again with the cleverness! Dang why did I buy that flower soft ;-) I was lazy and couldn't wait. Love your card. I love this image!
- October 18, 2009 at 9:37 AM
- Debby said...
Riley looks adorable btw!
- October 18, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Well aren't you the clever little lady?!! Love your flower soft idea!! Your card is sooo gorgeous too!! Love the colors and that image!! Too sweet!! :)
Looks like you had a REALLY super day outside...it's been so cold over here!!
- October 18, 2009 at 11:41 AM
Thanks for the great idea! I can't wait to make my own.
- October 18, 2009 at 11:53 AM
- mE said...
This is FABULOUS!!!
My friend, Jeanne, (2nd commenter here) shared this with me. I am going to have to point my blog readers in your direction. INGENIOUS!
Thank you for sharing this with us!
Inky Smiles!
- October 18, 2009 at 12:17 PM
- cheryl said...
gorgoues card hun so beautiful and one great video tutorial too fab idea hugs cheryl xxxx
- October 18, 2009 at 1:17 PM
- Diane said...
Very, very clever.....and I just gave a HUGE bin of styro balls to the Goodwill...but kept a few...geez I could of supplied everybody for months! Cute~cute card, too~~~
- October 18, 2009 at 2:01 PM
- Dragonlady said...
Hi Holly,
Beautiful card and thanks for the faux flower soft tip - ingenious.
Ali x
- October 18, 2009 at 2:14 PM
- Merry said...
Thanks for showing this tut on making your own flower soft. Clever.
- October 18, 2009 at 4:09 PM
- Sarah said...
Brilliant!!!! Thanks SO much for sharing this idea. I have been wanting some flower soft but had put off buying it in an attempt to save money!!!
Beautiful cards too..fun image.
- October 18, 2009 at 6:56 PM
- Linda said...
This is fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing.
Riley is adorable!
- October 18, 2009 at 7:08 PM
- Jeri said...
Holly-I never heard of Flower Soft until yesterday--I don't get out much. I used this technique years ago on a project. If only I had bottled it then. LOL!!! Your video was great and I used your "Holly soft" on the Sledding Sara image. I posted it on SNR.
- October 18, 2009 at 8:55 PM
- Christine said...
This is amazing! I've put flower soft in my cart several times while online shopping but just couldn't justify the price. Thanks so much for this wonderful tutorial!!! You've saved me soooo much money!!! And just in time for all those Christmas cards!
- October 19, 2009 at 1:38 AM
- Norine said...
all I can say is WOW how creative love it and will be trying this for sure thanks so much for the idea and the video
- October 19, 2009 at 7:42 AM
- Maria Matter said...
I'll say it again...you're a genius!
I can't wait to do this!!!
Blessings, Maria
oh, I love your card, too cute!
- October 19, 2009 at 8:04 AM
- mel m. m. mccarthy said...
You are too brilliant for words. Genius for sure! Thank You so much for sharing this. :o)
- October 19, 2009 at 6:32 PM
- Michelle said...
That's awesome! I'm pretty sure craft stores will now be running short on styrofoam balls! Can't wait to try this!
- October 19, 2009 at 8:35 PM
- Kim said...
Love your pictures! Your dog is so cute!!!!
LOVE your card! I can't wait to get to the city for some styrofoam balls to make my own flower soft!!
- October 19, 2009 at 9:57 PM
- Tethered2Home said...
Saw a link to the you tube video at Paper Craft Planet. This is such a clever idea, wtg. Will have to try this.
Thanks again,
- October 20, 2009 at 5:39 AM
- berg4 said...
Great idea - fabulous tutorial. TFS!
- October 20, 2009 at 8:53 PM
- Chris (catt871) said...
YOU ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOO CLEVER!!!!!!!! LOVE your thrifty idea!!!! Thanks for the video - awesome job!!! (love your accent too...LOL)
- October 20, 2009 at 9:01 PM
Holly...you are just too creative! Thanks for the video..I will try this idea for sure. The card had so many different things going on...the glitter on the blue board, the "fake flower soft" lol...love the ribbon too. You went above and beyond today =)
- October 20, 2009 at 10:31 PM
- Beverleigh10 said...
Hey great idea, but here in the UK we are trying to work out what a styrofoam ball is, as we are dying to try this. We know its not polystrene as this is way to tough any links to where we might be able to source this then we know what we might be looking for in the UK. Pretty please!!
- October 21, 2009 at 7:07 AM
Great idea. Thanks for the tip!
- October 21, 2009 at 9:04 AM
- Nora said...
You are a wild woman! Can't tell you how much I love this idea, GF!
I've got some HugSisters that are RAVING about your clever idea. They were watching you on PaperCraftPlanet, but the link has pooped out or been overloaded, so now I'm directing them all HERE, so they can see you in all your humorous glory! *LOL*
- October 22, 2009 at 1:02 AM
- Ila said...
I love your card!!..the image is the cutest and your coloring is fabulous!!..Thanks for the tip and tutorial about making flower soft...Looks Wonderful!!..Hugs, Ila
- October 22, 2009 at 2:08 AM
This is a great tip! Here in Holland we can buy bags of fake snow, its almost the same as flowersoft and only needs a re-inker to give it color. It is already grated.
- October 22, 2009 at 8:59 AM
- Rachel said...
OMGoodness what an adorable card!!! i really need to sit down and watch your video, your faux flowersoft looks great!!
- October 22, 2009 at 11:09 AM
- Lori said...
Thank you so so much for the great tip! You are awesome : D
- October 22, 2009 at 11:42 PM
- Shelly Schmidt said...
This is so cool- I love this idea and am going to try this today! TFS
- October 23, 2009 at 10:30 AM
- Betty said...
BRILLIANT!! I knew there had to be something to make a faux version but I hadn't thought of that. I thought about the stuff they use for model railroading type stuff but couldn't find it. THis is perfect and readily available. Thanks so much.
- October 23, 2009 at 10:33 AM
- J. Hunley said...
this is so awesome.......thanks for sharing the video.....I just have one question...what kind of ink was used...I am at work and don't have sound?
- October 23, 2009 at 11:34 AM
- MrsLoomis said...
- October 24, 2009 at 9:02 AM
- Lake Side Living said...
Clever Girl!!!! Thank You for showing us how. :)
- October 25, 2009 at 7:31 AM
- Vicki Dutcher said...
HOW CREATIVE OF YOU! Thanks you so much for sharing this WONDERFUL idea!!
- October 25, 2009 at 9:38 AM
- Selma said...
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing this info. I use so much Flower Soft and will have fun making it in colors I want.
- October 25, 2009 at 12:44 PM
This is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing
- October 25, 2009 at 3:47 PM
- Chris said...
This is too cool! I've been wanting to try flower soft but didn't have it in me to spend the money...but foam balls I DO have! Thanks for sharing this!
- October 26, 2009 at 12:35 PM
- Sheila Bennett said...
Great idea! I've never used that product myself, but have seen it used on cards and thought it looked nice. Now I need to search my house (or the local Dollar Store) for some styrofoam. :)
- October 26, 2009 at 1:14 PM
- ccriscat said...
In the current Stamp n Scrap magazine under inklings a woman made her own flower soft with a grater and sponges from the dollar store.
- October 26, 2009 at 1:47 PM
- KAT said...
Your ingenuity & creativity never cease to amaze me, Holly!
- October 26, 2009 at 2:44 PM
Love your idea regarding the flower soft. Will be giving this a test in the near future. Like the idea of it being cheaper than buying Flower soft. My girlfriend and I have always bought flower soft and split it up between us. Trying to save some money in the process. Thank you again.
- October 26, 2009 at 9:55 PM
- Jamie Lane Designs said...
This is amazing, thanks sooo much for sharing. I have posted about this on the Practical Scrappers message board, linking them back to you for the details!
Thanks again!
- October 27, 2009 at 9:43 AM
- donna mikasa said...
Oh, my word! That is amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing your tutorial....
- October 27, 2009 at 12:36 PM
- Your Mom! said...
CAUTION! This is indeed a great use for styrofoam, but keep in mind that styrofoam is a petroleum product and is HIGHLY flammable; not only that, but if it is melted or burned it gives off toxic chemicals. So just be sure that if you are going to emboss anything on your project and use the homemade shavings on it that you do so BEFORE you put the styrofoam on. It is also hazardous to use any product that contains acetone with styrofoam - cause it can cause the styrofoam to melt (an example would be aerosol spray paints).
Not trying to be a debbie downer, cause I think it's a great use for a non-recyclable item. Just wanted to make sure that everyone is safe!
PS- for the UK readers: styrofoam is a brand name (Dow Chemical's) for polystyrene, so maybe you can track it down that way!
- October 29, 2009 at 8:21 AM
- Haley D. said...
Thanks for an awesome tip!
- October 29, 2009 at 8:01 PM
- marilynprestonn said...
Cool, I tried it and will use it on a card this week-end. This is so much fun! I want to try colouring it with food colouring and watercolouring also. Will let you know how that goes
Kindly, Peggy
- October 29, 2009 at 9:38 PM
- Traveling Bells said...
Or colored tan for beach sand...this idea rocks!
- October 30, 2009 at 7:00 AM
- LorraineB said...
Well ladies I tried doing this a little while ago and had a great time creating colors!! I don't have many reinkers so I used my alcohol inks and distress inks and the colors are really pretty. I also used a cheese grater to shave the foam. Got tired of rubbing the foam balls together. It worked well. It's very addicting!! Can't seem to stop making colors - lol. THANKS!!
- October 31, 2009 at 4:15 PM
- Bon said...
Well done, and I do have flowersoft but now prefer to use Homemade Fluff. The end result is better and i do like the idea of making my own colours. Using this with stampin up! card, paper and reinkers make a perfect match. Great job and thanks for sharing.
- November 2, 2009 at 10:04 AM
- Paulette said...
Question for you. How do you get it fine enough? I tried this, and keep getting chunks off. Has anyone tried to grate it by food processer?
- November 2, 2009 at 4:10 PM
- LorraineB said...
At first I thought mine was TOO fine but it wasn't. Rubbing the two foam balls together seemed to shred it fine enough as well as using the cheese grater. I did find a few larger pieces but not enough to consider it a problem.
- November 2, 2009 at 7:02 PM
- Dawn B. said...
I am cracking up here.. I was at a craft store here in NC. The owner was trying to sell us FS. She said that if we knew what it was made of we would not believe it. This is a terrific tutorial. Thank you so much for taking the time to do it and for sharing.
- November 4, 2009 at 10:39 AM
- MariLynn said...
Your tutorial was awesome. Thank you so much for sharing. I had been wanting some FS but I don't have the money to get any. Dollar store here I come.
- November 6, 2009 at 8:35 AM
- KAT said...
I am IMPRESSED - looks just like the real stuff BUT cheap, cheap, cheap... Wonder how your brain thinks to set you in the direction of the Styrofoam balls. Thanks for sharing this awesome idea and video!!!
- November 9, 2009 at 10:34 AM
- Unknown said...
- November 9, 2009 at 3:27 PM
- Cindy Cade said...
Great job! I used to think up budget tips like this. But it seems I just don't get the time to play like I used to.
I made a ton of colors today and it looks awesome. I look forward to using it. The Ranger sprays work great, adding mists of water to your reinker drops helps it blend quickly, mixing in little baggies worked fabulously. I even made some with gold reinker. I know that it will be part pigment so will have to see if I can get it apart once dry. It is drying on a non-stick surface. How handy it will be for the holidays if it works!
Thanks for sharing and may you always get the credit you deserve.
- November 11, 2009 at 2:29 PM
- Nichole said...
I was hoping being too cheap to pay for the FS would benefit me in the end! How great is this! I can't wait to try it!! (squeal) TFS!!
- November 14, 2009 at 9:32 AM
I wish I had seen this before I ordered some Polar White, it's costing me $13.50 here in South Australia. GOing straight out to Cheap as Chips for some styrofoam. Thanks for a great idea.
- November 23, 2009 at 5:44 PM
- Carol said...
Thank you so much for this tip! I love playing with Flower Soft, but it is not readily available. I'm psyched! Thanks, again! Carol (waving from Boston)
- December 18, 2009 at 8:04 AM
- GrandmaD said...
thanks for sharing this with us. I will give it a try very soon. Thanks the video was a great help.
- December 25, 2009 at 12:04 AM
- Michelle said...
thank you for this amazing tutorial!!!! i've gotta go buy some styrofoam at the dollar store - yeah!!!! really appreciate your sharing this technique!!!!
- January 3, 2010 at 9:39 AM
- Stamp Muse said...
Thank you for sharing your clever and creative idea! Who would have thought you could dye styrofoam with reinkers?!!! You have certainly driven the sales of styrofoam up by now!
- January 27, 2010 at 6:29 PM
- Gabby319 said...
Thanks for a cool idea and helping us to save money. The only question/concern I have would be if you wanted to use it on a scrapbook page, is the styrofoam from dollar stores/craft stores acid free? I noticed that the REAL stuff is touted as being acid free. I realize that for making cards it would not really matter one way or the other, but if you wanted to use for scrapbook pages it would matter (unless, of course, you are one of those people that are not concerned about things being acid free.
- February 14, 2010 at 12:35 AM
Thanks so much for sharing a great tip, and money saver. I can't wait to make some and use it. Blessings to you, Rea
- May 28, 2010 at 7:56 AM
- LorraineB said...
Anonymous - you will be surprised at how addicting making the "fluff" is! Have fun. I found this blog quite a while ago and have a supply of fluff in lots of colors.
- May 28, 2010 at 9:21 AM
- Shirley said...
Just wanted to thank you for this wonderful tutorial. I love it and it's easy peasy. You can make a ton of with little or no effort and in all the colors of the rainbow.
- September 3, 2010 at 7:43 AM
- Elena Lai Etcheverry said...
that is impressive!!! wow! go girl!
- October 28, 2010 at 4:27 PM
- CADC Blog said...
I just discovered your blog and this idea in awesome. I have not bought the flocking material you are imitating due to the cost. So I can't wait to go to the dollar store tomorrow and pick up styrofoam balls.
You rock!
- December 12, 2010 at 6:13 PM
- Florist said...
wow this is awesome.
- February 3, 2011 at 10:28 PM
- Carolina Girl (Cely) said...
Just found your tutorial...wish I had found it a month ago before I finally bought the flower soft...but better late than never and I can now do other colors I need. Sorry about dealing with the company. Another friend did a tutorial and they called her too. Thanks again.
- February 9, 2011 at 7:48 AM
thanks for this tips
- February 23, 2011 at 8:11 PM
- Sheree said...
Fantastic!! I'm definitly going to give this a try!! I am now wondering how it will look with my Stampscape stamps too! What a smart Chickee you are :o)
- March 20, 2011 at 9:47 PM
- Linda W. said...
I just now found this tut, Holly - sorry I missed it til now. But never too late - this is just an awesome idea - I can't believe how inexpensive and easy! I have a lot of reinkers and can also use the ink from my stamp pads by pressing down on the cover! Thank you!
- May 14, 2011 at 9:16 AM
Nice and thanks!
- June 10, 2011 at 8:42 AM
Really good post!
- June 15, 2011 at 10:05 AM
This is a good blog. Keep up all the work. I too love blogging and expressing my opinions. Thanks
- June 23, 2011 at 6:26 PM
- Rushd Lady said...
Love the idea! And I have the stryfoam balls at home!
- August 2, 2012 at 6:41 PM
- Suzy Christodoulo said...
Hi! Just saw your blog, busy watching video. Was thinking about ways to make it. Actually bought the real deal, but in ivory colour and thought I wld try and colour it, and it worked. Thing is, once it's finished I will use your method for sure. It's awesome. Thanks for the tip. Genius...
- May 6, 2013 at 12:44 PM


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text:
Internet links shown in these posts are designed to provide more detailed information if required.
It is probably best to be brutally honest here: neuropathy is essentially nerve damage and as of November 2011 (the writing of this piece), there is no cure for nerve damage and nerves where the cells are dead cannot be repaired. Anyone who claims to be able to "cure" your neuropathy is exaggerating at best!
That said, many of the worst aspects of neuropathy, and that means the symptoms, can be helped or alleviated, so that life becomes more bearable. Doctors may also tell you that some forms of neuropathy can be cured but that means that the cause of the neuropathy may be curable and if the neuropathy is not very advanced, the nerves can theoretically regenerate as long as the nerve cells themselves are not destroyed. In general though, HIV-related neuropathy can be made to feel better but it can't be taken away.
That's obviously not good news for those who are trying to think positively about their condition and are hoping, if not expecting, that it will eventually be cured. We are so used to taking a pill, or undergoing an operation to cure us of our illnesses, that it almost seems inconceivable that there's a disease that can't be completely cured. Then we remember that we also have to deal with HIV and although it's a cruel truth, neuropathy is just as difficult for the medical researchers to find a cure for. Two incurable diseases then ... no escaping it ... life's a bitch!
Okay, once you've got your head around that, you can move on and explore the many ways that neuropathic problems are currently treated and hope that one or more will work for you. After that, your optimism can kick in and you can evaluate your options with your doctors, and aim for a more comfortable life.
Step one involves finding a home doctor who will listen to your story and symptoms; will believe and sympathise with you and if not a specialist himself, will refer you to a neurologist. That may seem to go without saying but many neuropathy patients have to jump several hurdles and stamp their feet before they are taken seriously and this of course increases stress and causes unnecessary frustration ... not a good start to your treatment.
Let's assume that you've reached a specialist. If he's very experienced, he may listen to your story and make a diagnosis there and then (neuropathic symptoms are pretty much unique to neuropathy) but most will send you for a series of tests because illnesses need to be "officially confirmed" for all sorts of reasons, in order to try to establish the extent of the nerve damage.
At this point you should be aware that a large percentage of neuropathy patients emerge from the testing with inconclusive results, and the cause cannot be established although their suffering from neuropathy is not disputed. The condition is then referred to as idiopathic neuropathy and in the case of HIV-positive people, the cause is often assumed to be either the HIV meds or the virus itself (although it could easily be any of the other well-known causes). Most specialists will not expose you to further forms of testing; it's expensive and intrusive and will frequently also lead to inconclusive results.
Having been given a diagnosis of which sort of neuropathy you have, based on testing, whatever your symptoms are and the details of your experiences so far, the specialists seem to pretty much universally follow a standard series of medication treatments, until one is found which will alleviate your symptoms and these are discussed below. If you're lucky your HIV specialist may well be very experienced in dealing firsthand with HIV-related neuropathy, otherwise you may receive treatment from a neurologist or even your home doctor -- they nearly all follow the accepted sequence, if only because this has already been the way for decades and the disease is not known for innovative "light bulb" moments when it comes to medication.
In principle, any other underlying conditions are treated first, followed by symptomatic treatment for neuropathy.
You can read about the various options in much more detail by following the links at the end of this post. They can give you a much better explanation than I could ever do. What follows is a short summary.
Strange as it may seem, after you have been told to try the common, over-the-counter analgesics, (aspirin, ibuprofen, paracetamol etc.) which have little effect on nerve pain, you may commence treatment with an anti-depressant. (You may well need one at this point!) Amitriptyline is the most common starter drug to try to control the tingling, burning or dull pain most often in the feet and legs; closely followed by Nortriptyline. These are so-called TCAs (tricyclic antidepressants) and the intention is to inhibit painful signals to the brain but they do have side effects (like all anti-depressants).
If these don't work then your doctor may move on to SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) which are basically another form of anti-depressant. Drugs like, citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine and sertraline are just some of the options.
If one of these doesn't help then the next step is to move on to try anti-convulsant medication (epilepsy drugs) which for reasons which are poorly understood can have a calming effect on neuronal activity. The most common of these are: carbamazepine and phenytoin, followed by a sort of second generation with fewer side effects such as: pregabalin (Lyrica), gabapentin, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine (a metabolite of carbamazepine), tiagibine, topiramate, and zonisamide. Carbamazepine, pregabalin and gabapentin are by far the best known of these but the side effects are still too much for many people.
I realise that lists of drug names and their drug classes have absolutely no meaning for most people but the likelihood is that you will meet one or more of these in the course of your treatment, and knowing what sort of drug they are will help you follow up with your own research later.
Remember, every drug you take may have an effect on your HIV medication -- always check with the doctor for potential clashes. It's a fact of life ... your HIV meds must come first.
It's also possible that at some stage you will be prescribed so-called topical anaesthetic therapies, which are delivered via patches or creams. Lidocaine and capsaicin (chili pepper component) are the commonest to tackle the pain more or less where you feel it, on the feet or wherever it is worst. High-strength capsaicin patches (Qutenza) can bring very promising results, although the treatment is not easy and not without discomfort at first. The benefits are that you're not swallowing chemicals every day and you only need a treatment every few weeks.
For many people, one or more of those drugs will be enough to make their neuropathy bearable but if none of the above have worked for you, or you can't get used to them because of the side effects, or if the pain has reached such a level that they are just ineffective, you may be advised to move on to stronger medications such as opioids. Doctors will begin with relatively low doses of opiates like oxycodone, or tramadol and they may well take the edge off your pain but very often, higher doses are needed to mask the pain completely. The problem is that the body eventually needs more to achieve the same effect and they are potentially very addictive with all the associated side effects that brings. If you're taking opiates, you need a doctor who will keep an eye on your progress and not let you become addicted and believe me, that's easier than you think.
The side effects of neuropathy treatment drugs lead many people to explore other options to help with their pain. Many doctors will advise physical therapy but mainly because they feel they should, especially due to the fact that inactivity through pain can lead to muscle wasting and weakness but many patients find it almost impossible to keep it up -- the discomfort is just too great. Psychological therapy may also help but is often required to treat the side effects of the drugs, or the desperation many people feel when the drugs just aren't working. Many patients may try yoga, acupuncture, biofeedback, relaxation techniques, hypnosis, imagery, or a host of other meditative techniques to help reduce tension and help the mind to deal with the symptoms of neuropathy.
Many clinics and neurology departments also offer techniques involving electrical stimulation, ranging from TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation involving applying small amounts of electrical stimulation to the skin) to invasive surgery using spinal cord stimulators and surgery on the nerves themselves. However, with no guarantees of success, these can be expensive and/or last-resort treatments.
Finally, encouraging research is finally being done in the field of nutrients and supplements, especially in the area of B-vitamins, anti-oxidants and co-enzymes such as acetyl L-carnitine and alpha lipoic acid. Again, every patient reacts differently and what works for one is useless for another, but the evidence is mounting that several of these supplements can play an active role in helping with the symptoms.
Every individual is different and responds differently to the various treatments available and many people respond well to a particular drug or therapy. If only it were possible to take one form of neuropathy and apply a standard treatment to it with a reasonable chance of consistent success! Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way; the symptoms may be similar but its effects are pretty much unique to its sufferer, as are the treatments that are applied to it. The absolute minimum we can hope for from our doctors is sympathy, a constructive approach to treatment and on-going support as we move through the various stages of the disease. Without those basic elements, neuropathy can be a very lonely disease and its effects can limit your life more than you ever imagined. Support from your doctors, family and friends, both physical and emotional, can make its worst effects more bearable and give you a positive outlook regarding dealing with the disease but it's not easy for anyone involved.
The specific links which follow provide much more detail regarding the general treatment of neuropathy and many of the other posts on my blog Neuropathy and HIV cover individual drugs, therapies and alternative treatments. It is strongly advised to do as much research into your own neuropathy experience as possible; only then, (after discussions with your medical professionals) can you make informed decisions.
Useful Links
How Professionals Look at Neuropathic Pain: Part One
How Professionals Look at Neuropathic Pain: Part Two
Modern Drugs and Neuropathic Pain
Peripheral Neuropathy Medications


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Summer Open Gym- Laurel Hill Elementary
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During Summer Open Gym we will have arts and crafts, and high-energy gym games, nature walks, cookouts, scavenger hunts, archery, and much more.
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Organization/Study Skills Overview
Click the photo above to watch a voice thread of three 8th grade students' perspectives on strategies they use to study. (learningsuccess.wikispaces.com)
The need for organization and good study skills is critical to school success. The underlying cognitive process that supports these skills is executive function. According to the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, (www.minddisorders.com), "The term executive function describes a set of cognitive abilities that control and regulate our abilities and behaviors. They include the ability to initiate and stop actions, to monitor and change behavior as needed and to plan future behavior when faced with novel tasks and situations. Executive functions allow us to anticipate outcomes and adapt to changing situations. The ability to form concepts and think abstractly are often considered components of executive function."
This section contains resources that support executive function success and the development of study skills. There are many websites devoted to concepts or strategies that can be used to improve study skills. Teachers promote and model good habits by encouraging the use of planners, Google docs, color coding or by teaching students strategies such as how to take notes using two-column notes. Executive function support includes memory aides and environmental modifications to support attention to task. While there is no dispute regarding the importance of these skills for school success, it should also be noted that they are critical skills that transfer into daily living; keeping track of bills and due dates, grocery lists, organizing important papers for taxes, etc.


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The search found 106 results in 0.01 seconds.
The positive association between educational attainment and adult health ("the gradient") is stronger in some areas of the United States than in others. Explanations for the geographic pattern have not been rigorously investigated. Grounded in a contextual and life-course perspective, the aim of this study is to assess childhood circumstances (e.g., childhood health, compulsory schooling laws) and adult circumstances (e.g., wealth, lifestyles, economic policies) as potential explanations.
Hip-hop has deep historical ties to disadvantaged communities. Resounding success in mainstream and global music markets potentially disrupts those connections. The authors use in-depth interviews with 25 self-defined rap/hip-hop artists to explore the significance of place in modern hip-hop. Bringing together historical studies of hip-hop and sociological neighborhood studies, the authors examine hip-hop artists' community connections.


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The First Program Language Conundrum
31 Replies - 71096 Views - Last Post: 30 January 2017 - 06:30 AM
The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 14 April 2012 - 01:27 PM
First, I don't know what I want to do. My goal isn't to make a game or create web apps or desktop apps. My goal is to achieve a level of skill in multiple languages so as to be able to do all of these thing. I intend to devote time to refining my knowledge of programming to beyond super-guru-ninja-yoda like status. I recognize it may take years but having rediscovered the enjoyment I get from code I am willing to commit. First some background.
I haven't coded anything in years. When I did, I really didn't. I knew a smattering of basic and taught myself html when it was still required to make webpages. I once took a grade 10 or 11 class in Pascal. I am not brilliant. I did wake up at 4am today and say 'oh', felt happy and went back to bed - after playing over the Fibonacci code sample from Java I saw a couple of days ago, it finally clicked and I kind of understood what recursion is and why it is pretty damn cool.
So now for the questions:
1)Object Oriented programming is cool but: I understand what it is. What are the alternative styles of programming? In 1 or 2 lines can they be defined? When and what sort of applications would these alternate forms be better for. Strengths, limitations etc.?
2)Desktop vs web apps: I have read a lot of information that says C++ for desktop development and Java for web apps. However when I check sources and dates this seems to no longer apply. Java with its applet capability is being used to deploy simple applications on programs more and more often and as we are becoming ever more integrated the definition of what is and isn't a web vs desktop app seems to be getting blurry. Can someone possibly help me define these terms? Also it seems that while Java is evolving C++ is stagnating. Speed is no longer an issue with Java so which would be preferable?
I have played with both for about a day and the learning curve while daunting on both is not something I thing I think will make a huge difference. What I am unable to ascertain is if I study really hard and become 'fluent' in 3 or 6 months what will be the pros and cons of one vs. the other?
3)Java vs RubyI like ruby - the 'culture' around it seems kind of cool. Also it seems to be a platform where with a little learning I can contribute back sooner. What I don't quite grasp is the difference between a scripting language like ruby and high level language like Java. If ruby is a web scripting language and Java isn't doesn't that suggest Java is suitable for standalone applications?
The bottom line is I have researched and understood the history of how these languages have formed. I've written hello world's in all. In ruby and Java I've set up simple programs to compare variables, roll dice etc. I still don't understand what one does vs another. I don't understand why one was created to do things vs the others and I can't find a resource that says for type of project X, language Y is good for these reasons and bad for these. I do want to learn assembly but I need some more solid and positive feedback before that and don't plan on attempting it for at least a year or two. I would like to achieve fluency in at least 2, may be 3 languages first. By fluency I mean if I outline a relatively simple program I can sit down and code it in a few days not an in depth understanding of all the underlying concepts -- that I realize takes more time and experience.
4)Those cool graphic gamesThis is more out of curiosity but I was looking at league of legends and some MMPORGS a little while ago and I was curious as to what language they are programmed in. One of the biggest problems I am having is trying to figure out what something alook like. I read about using swing in Java so have a very basic understanding of how a front end interacts but as far as C++ and ruby go all of the outputs in the first few weeks of study are basically to a command line.
So to sum up, I am trying lots, learning little, adding questions but I still can't figure out where to start or what any language does vs others.
Responses are solicited and welcomed. Lists encouraged. A comprehensive table will make you famous on the internet -- believe me it isn't there!
Thanks in advance!
Also sorry to post in the Java forum. I looked around and couldn't find a forum for Clueless Newbies and finally decided this seemed like a good place. Sorry for any trouble.
Replies To: The First Program Language Conundrum
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 14 April 2012 - 02:00 PM
- WTF is Perl and do I want to look at it? and
- Has anyone considered a book, course system to teach different languages as one in paralell so people can grasp what tools to use rather than just go to their most in depth languages? Kind of a different way to address the when all you have is a hammer everything is a nail syndrome?
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 14 April 2012 - 02:56 PM
Which Language Should I First Focus on Becoming Proficient in?
And as Winston Churchill (Litterature Nobel Prize) said:
A preposition is a little word you should never finish a sentence with
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 14 April 2012 - 02:56 PM
Programming languages can be put into two broad groups (with multiple sub-groups on each side). The first group is Object Oriented, and the other is Functional. Object oriented programming allows you to create objects which have variables and functions associated with them and also offers you a way to protect data (normally) so you can restrict what people can get direct access to. This is awesome as you don't have to rely on people using your code in the exact way you intended it to be used, but can instead provide functions which they have access to and somehow modifies the data behind the scenes; this is typically known as encapsulation. There are other types of OO programming languages known as prototyping languages, such as Javascript (not associated with Java in anything other than name), it allows you to create objects, add variables/ functions to certain instances of an object of to all objects on the fly as it is running (thanks to it being a scripting language you can accomplish this). Then there are functional programming languages, which don't really offer you any way of using objects, but instead do things more linearly offering functions and things of that sort. I am not too knowledgable of functional languages, so I won't worry about trying to go into depth on them.
This is a difficult one, depending on what you read you may find a ton of different answers. There was a time where anything interactive on the web had to be done with Java (applets), then flash came alone and killed the need for applets by giving a better suited (or at least easier to use) development environment which non-programmers could pick up quicker. Now people claim Javascript will kill flash. The point here is that things change, a lot.
There are a ton of different languages you can use for web-based development, but you will have to use HTML, CSS and Javascript for client-side things regardless of what back-end technology you choose to use. I personally use PHP for the back-end as I find it very C-like and much easier to develope with than Java. I haven't used .net, Python, or Ruby for back-end web development, so I can't give any input here. When it comes to desktop development, there are again a number of languages you could use, all of which are nicely suited to at least part of what you would want to do. Python and Java seem to be common at the moment as you can theoretically develop your application once and run it on any OS, however if you use proper frameworks and libraries you can use C/C++ as well and just need to re-compile the program for a given OS.
As for defining a web application and a desktop application, I just go with a simple rule: If it runs in a web browser it is a web application. If it runs in its own window on the desktop (not in a web browser), it is a desktop application. Sure, the lines can be blurred at times, but I like my general rule overall.
Now, I disagree that C++ is stagnating, they just came out with a new specification for it in 2011 (C++0x11, or C++2011 depending on what you read). Java and C++ are both moving forward, just in different directions. I also disagree that speed is no longer an issue. It all comes down to what you are working on. If you are doing mass storage devices (such as backup devices or something) speed is very important, and in that case you will be working in C/C++ and Assembly. Assembly is still the best bet for programming when speed is the most important thing.
Here it basically comes down to preference, but in general Java will likely be quicker to develop an application from start to something on the screen. C++ on the other hand will be generally faster (though this isn't a terribly large concern unless you need the application to be fast -- such as a game).
I don't know ruby so I will leave this for someone who does.
Some games these days are written in Java (such as minecraft), however they are compiled to executable (assembly), so it really isn't running on the java virtual machine in the end. In general, all serious games are written in a C-style language (be that objective C, C/C++, or Visual C++), so if you are looking into creating games I would suggest starting with C/C++.
Additional thoughts:
Perl is a programming language which was originally developed for quick text-file modification and things of that nature. I haven't used it that much but have to say it is really nice when dealing with files from what I have done with it. I also love their regular expressions (PHP has a perl-regex engine which I use quite often).
I don't know if people have tried this, but I would think it would add complexity to an already daunting task of learning a programming language. There are a lot of languages which do things slightly differently and if you mix them it may add to confusion. I have never had any problem learning 1 language at a time. In fact, learning a single language well makes it extremely easy to pick up another language down the road in a short amount of time.
Hopefully that all makes sense.
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 14 April 2012 - 03:47 PM
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 14 April 2012 - 04:23 PM
I think it may make sense for me to work backwards down the hierarchy. So Java, them C++ and then assembly. Once I have a basic grasp on those I may come back and ask for some more help / guidance, I am guessing it may be some years?!
One last quick question - If java can be compiled to executable / assembly then doesn't that mean a Java program should be able to run at the same speed as a C++ program?
Thanks again for the awesome answer!
This post has been edited by macosxnerd101: 14 April 2012 - 04:35 PM
Reason for edit:: Removed quote
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 14 April 2012 - 04:29 PM
I however have a more modest ambition for the near future -- to go boldly where many have split their infinitives before and develop a solid foundation in programming.
I wish to do this for intellectual challenge and stimulation. It would be nice if it created a skill set that I could choose in the future use to earn an income. It would be convenient if I could make a few little programs to show off to friends and release into the community. Freeware helped me a lot when I needed it and if I could learn to give back a little that would be incredible. So, what language should I learn?
pbl, on 14 April 2012 - 02:56 PM, said:
Which Language Should I First Focus on Becoming Proficient in?
And as Winston Churchill (Litterature Nobel Prize) said:
A preposition is a little word you should never finish a sentence with
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 15 April 2012 - 03:09 AM
Make a difference between development technology and language technology.
OOP is not about language, but the way you "visualize" the program.
object oriented programming language is a language that tries to support that kind of program structure.
In OOP there are objects that do things to themselves and ask other objects to do things to themselves.
Older paradigm was "structured development" where data was considered to be signals flowing through the system made of connected "transformationa" that manipulate the signals.
The "structured" was borrowed from general systems theory, and the idea was that transformators shoul only be connected in series, parallel and as feedback.
Also the famous DFD was borrowed from the general systems theory. It was called "generalized cirquit".
As you can observe, most popular programming languages are structured. Sequential clauses = series, ifs and cases = parallel, loop = feedback, so programming language technology and software development technology are different things.
About the languages:
C++ web-programming is not supported too well. There are not many good libraries. In java, there is quite a lot of stuff.
The same goes with smart phones.
If you want to get well employed, the languages C++ and java are the most widely used in your list. C++ is well supported in desktop programming.
This post has been edited by turboscrew: 15 April 2012 - 03:12 AM
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 15 April 2012 - 04:15 AM
Magooguli, on 14 April 2012 - 01:27 PM, said:
There are many different paradigms of programming, some programming languages are biased into a particular paradigm.
Some programming are even "multi-paradigm"
So Broadly these are the paradigms:
Concurrent computing
Relativistic programming
Declarative (contrast: Imperative)
Cell-oriented (spreadsheets)
Abductive logic
Answer set
Constraint logic
Functional logic
Inductive logic
End-user programming
Function-level (contrast: Value-level)
Imperative (contrast: Declarative)
Non-structured (contrast: Structured)
Parallel computing
Programming in the large and small
Structured (contrast: Non-structured)
Modular (contrast: Monolithic)
By separation of concerns:
Value-level (contrast: Function-level)
(source wiki)
In terms of strengths and weakness, I suggest you learn at least the major types and find out for yourself!
These are tools, and they can be used in an infinite combination to solve problems.
Magooguli, on 14 April 2012 - 01:27 PM, said:
I have played with both for about a day and the learning curve while daunting on both is not something I thing I think will make a huge difference. What I am unable to ascertain is if I study really hard and become 'fluent' in 3 or 6 months what will be the pros and cons of one vs. the other?
The boundary between Desktop vs Web is slowly eroding. Classically Web applications are "Sever Client" model. Desktop applications use to be "Self contained". Web applications are sand boxed inside a browser with no access to the host file system. However even this is changing.
Modern applications can be through of as "Fat client (aka desktop application)" and "Thin Client (aka web application)"
In terms of technologies, stop worrying. You can program in just about any language, BUT what you need to be aware of is
"Server Side Language" and "Client Side Language".
In terms of becoming "fluent" in f months, forget it, try 10 years. Sure you can be competent possibly in 6 months, but you certainly can not master it in "6 months"
Magooguli, on 14 April 2012 - 01:27 PM, said:
The bottom line is I have researched and understood the history of how these languages have formed. I've written hello world's in all. In ruby and Java I've set up simple programs to compare variables, roll dice etc. I still don't understand what one does vs another. I don't understand why one was created to do things vs the others and I can't find a resource that says for type of project X, language Y is good for these reasons and bad for these. I do want to learn assembly but I need some more solid and positive feedback before that and don't plan on attempting it for at least a year or two. I would like to achieve fluency in at least 2, may be 3 languages first. By fluency I mean if I outline a relatively simple program I can sit down and code it in a few days not an in depth understanding of all the underlying concepts -- that I realize takes more time and experience.
Again, you can use almost any language for either server side OR client side. Stop thinking in a "X vs Y" mentality.
Its NOT about the language (its about the framework).
You say you want to learn a few languages and I will come back to this point.
Magooguli, on 14 April 2012 - 01:27 PM, said:
Graphics programming, is another level, it really depends on platform specifics. There are many ways to do it example:
* Java, swing or JavaFX
* OpenGL, DirectX
If you want to get your feet wet, try HTML 5 + JS, this is probably the quickest way (no fancy software needed, just notepad + browser).
Magooguli, on 14 April 2012 - 01:27 PM, said:
I was once in your exact same prediciment, trying to learn EVERYTHING.
Let me tell you something:
[quote="Wise Old Man"]
We can all eat cake, just not in one go.
Pick ONE thing, just ONE thing. Then build from there. Build on it "One brick at a time".
I hope that helps.
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 15 April 2012 - 08:41 AM
Not exactly. Procedural languages, I think is the term for what you're thinking of. C, Pascal, Basic, and so forth, are languages which define a program as a set of steps. You go through the steps one by one until you reach the end, and you report an exit status, and you're done.
There might be "functions" in these languages, but they could be better named as "subroutines", since they're really sort of detours in the program flow.
Now consider a language like Lisp (the granddaddy of functional languages) in which a program is composed of a set of functions, period. Rather than an expression b+c; you'd have a function (+ b c). The order of the pieces doesn't matter, but what's important is what each of these is. The algol-style syntax indicates a series of instructions which more or less translate directly to the machine level: load value from each of two places in memory, evaluate their sum, and return the result. The lisp-style syntax is a little different. It indicates "evaluate this '+' function, taking these two expressions as the arguments to it". It doesn't know what those expressions are, and crucially it doesn't know whether a and b are values or functions - in a lisp, there's no difference.
I think that's the crucial thing about a functional language: functions and data are not separated in the language. This is a hard one to get the mind around, but once you get there, it offers a lot of advantages.
Rather than distinguishing between them and insisting on one correct label for each language, I think it's important to look at paradigm cases and understand what make a language procedural, or functional, or object-oriented, and apply each term as appropriate.
For procedural languages, the paradigm would be classic BASIC: a numbered list of instructions, to be executed in sequence. For functional languages, lisp: a program is basically function composed of functions. You evaluate the function, and there you are. For object-oriented, there's a lot of argument, but Java is pretty close to a paradigm case (an object-oriented language with a procedural definition language baked in, if you like). Smalltalk is apparently the better case, but it's not an example most people are familiar with.
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 15 April 2012 - 08:51 AM
The last, of course, is why it's never used in large-scale development, but the rest of that list is why most serious programmers of a certain generation always reach for perl first for system tasks.
It's the duct tape of the internet, the Swiss Army chainsaw.
For a great example of most of the features of perl - flexibility, power, unreadability, look up "JAPH" on wikipedia. Just have someone around when you to it, to reboot your brain in case you try to read some of the code.
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 15 April 2012 - 08:54 AM
I will have to say start with Assembly first, you will write better code in the HLLs when you learn them. You will have a deeper understanding of what goes on "behind the scenes" How and why your code gets compiled a certain way for a CPU. You will have a deeper understanding of memory/arrays/loops/everything in general. There is a great pleasure of being able to write low level code and "talk" with the CPU.
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 15 April 2012 - 09:12 AM
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 17 April 2012 - 01:57 PM
Jon, damn you, I am downloading a book on perl and the distribution just to play with it. You know because I already has such a firm grasp on so little I figured let me add to it!
Thanks again guys!
Re: The First Program Language Conundrum
Posted 18 April 2012 - 12:36 PM
Now for your questions. OOP is most useful for things that lend naturally to object abstraction such as games, graphical interfaces, and the like. Don's let OOP partisans convince you it's the One True Paradigm. Most of the time it'll only make things harder or more bug prone, especially if you try to apply the obhect metaphor to every little thing.
Next, avoid Java as your first language. It teaches to approach things with a "plumber in a hardware store" mentality. A side effect of being OO in my opinion, but that's just my own conjecture. It isn't too bad for fast production once you're knowledgable, but I avoid it. Also note that Java will never be as fast as C++ owing to being interpreted/JITed at best.
I can't comment on Ruby much but I'd say regardless that either Perl or Python would be better.
Avoid mangled languages (every Visual- and -Sharp language, .NET, anything else M$ put their filthy fingers in too), BASIC, Pascal, and reliance on IDEs. Grab a copy of the GCC toolchain and a nice text editor.
I'd recommend either Python or C/C++ as a good entry point. C/C++ is sufficiently low enough to teach you many useful things; C is the mother tongue of UNIX and is indispensible if you ever try system programming. Python is easy and powerful, and is the top dog of scripting.
As for other languages, Perl has its uses especially for small scripts, and a suitable stand-in for awk and sed. I also recommend Common LISP, the mother tongue of AI. Often what you do in other languages, CL can do it better and more elegantly; it's also great for learning and is powerful in many regards no other language can match.
Now as for the question regarding how fast you'll grow, read Norvig's essay "Teach Yourself Programming in 10 Years". Look into Eric S. Raymond's "The Art of Unix Programming" for some good points. And some good books are K&R or K&R2 and ANSI Common Lisp.


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Language: SQL
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Description: Example of a Regular Expression SELECT statement
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George Clooney has seemingly been living the dream for two decades, but a nightmarish accident in 2005 nearly drove him to suicide.
It was while filming "Syriana," for which he would win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, that Clooney hurt his back doing a stunt that went awry. The subsequent pain was so intense, he seriously considered the ultimate solution.
"I was at a point where I thought, 'I can't exist like this. I can't actually live,'" Clooney told Rolling Stone in an interview for an upcoming cover story.
U.S. & World
"I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm, unable to move, having these headaches where it feels like you're having a stroke, and for a short three-week period, I started to think, 'I may have to do something drastic about this' ... but I never thought I'd get there," he explained. "See, I was in a place where I was trying to figure out how to survive."
It got to the point where he planned how he would take his own life, but luckily he had second thoughts. He then turned to alcohol to dull the pain.
He's since had surgery which has relieved most of the discomfort, though he still suffers from occasional headaches related to the accident.


text:
I think that urge to write publicly comes most often when I feel like I've figured something out or when I've made a decision. When I feel relatively sure of something, I want to say it to the world.
When I go through periods when I'm feeling less sure, I have much less desire to write. One of the things I've been trying to do in the last couple of years, since I moved to NYC, is embrace a beginner's mindset. I want to be new, to have wonder, to know that I have everything to learn and to exist in that somewhat uncomfortable place of not knowing everything.
It's been much harder to write.
I'm going to graduate school in August, which is the start of a different period in my life. It's one in which I'll have a more specific goal, and in which I hope to construct an identity for myself that encompasses more of who I am. I want to still be a sexual deviant, but I suspect that will fade in importance in favor of being a student, scholar, teacher, friend, romantic, and aspiring mother.
I'm also entering a professional atmosphere where it will be important to keep my students from reading everything about my sex life.
I'm planning to start a new blog. I'm not going to link to it from here, but those of you who know me in real life will be able to find it easily. I'm going to migrate all the posts from this blog which have to do with scholarship, culture, feminism, politics, etc. Then I'll delete them here. I'll leave behind the things about my personal life.
I may still blog here, when I have the irresistible urge to declare myself to the universe. It will be separated, though, from my professional life.
I'm hoping that blogging can become an outlet for the learning I'll be doing, for a voice I might not be able to let loose in academia. I'm hoping it'll be a professional tool for networking and making friends. It may still, on this site, be an outlet for a type of expression that's often taboo. That's been less necessary for a while, and I suspect that will continue.
I appreciate everyone who's read and commented here through my sporadic episodes of writing over the years. I think that's all I have to say, for now.


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I just hope to see ppl online when ashes comes out on the 13th AUG ?
I never ever see anyone online at gamespy on RP07 ? maybe the lag very bad ?
Be good to have a online 20/20 comp but maybe only have 6 overs each or game go forever lol
Will Ashes 09 have a Lobby online or is it like RP07 ? because gamespy (gayspy) suxs


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Saw this article today in the San Francisco Chronicle. Thought it was an interesting premise. A play based not on the trappings of the game (in this case D&D), but the relationships of the people involved.
Is that why you got into gaming? At first it wasn't for me. I got into gaming because it was fun and I liked the fact that I could pretend to be someone else and could be powerful. Later on, as I matured (I know, the old joke about the immature gamer - spare me please) I realized that while all of that was still enjoyable, I was really interested in the relationships I had with the people around the table. The interactions with them and their characters. We had a lot of fun. Still do.