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Lonely Planet Names New U.S. Head as Its Digital Strategy Escalates
Lonely Planet, best known as a traditional travel guidebook publisher, is announcing a new U.S. head tomorrow, as it increasingly moves to reposition the company as much more of a "cross-media" platform.
John Boris–set to take over today as new managing director of Lonely Planet Americas, based at its Oakland, Calif., office–comes to the company from Zagat Survey, where he was the SVP of marketing and interactive.
Previous to that, Boris worked at 1-800 Flowers and Fresh Direct.
"I'm thrilled to be joining one of the world's best-loved travel brands at such an exciting time, with Lonely Planet rapidly evolving as a cross-media travel player," he said in a press release.
As the paid versus free content online debate gets louder over the next year, how well known brands like Lonely Planet–which has a strong reputation among consumers–handle the fallout will be more and more interesting to watch.
Indeed, in recent months, Lonely Planet has been escalating its digital content efforts, which was the initial promise when BBC Worldwide bought 75 percent of the Melbourne, Australia-based company for about $200 million in late 2007.
But the digitization of Lonely Planet's business, as with many traditional media publishers like it, has been slow going, with 75 percent of its revenue still in print.
While that business remains profitable, the breakdown between print and digital will be changing sooner than later, since digital is where much of the growth is coming from, said CEO Matt Goldberg to me over a recent dinner in San Francisco.
Goldberg–who came to Lonely Planet early this year from Dow Jones, where he was SVP of digital strategy and operations, including for WSJ.com–noted that Lonely Planet's digital businesses have doubled their revenues to $20 million this year via premium pricing and advertising.
Besides the obvious use of Twitter and Facebook, Goldberg flagged a number of the more promising and innovative digital initiatives now at work at Lonely Planet, especially in its key U.S. market.
They include:
* Leveraging the 700,000 registered members of Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree community,
* The announcement this week of putting all or part of 600 of its travel guides on the international release of the Amazon (AMZN) Kindle e-reader.
* Work on collaborative trip planning for its "Trippy" gadget, as part of the Google Wave beta launched last week.
* A compass application for Google (GOOG) Android handsets that make use of augmented reality technology to highlight points of interest in cities. As Goldberg described it in an email, travelers will be able to "pan a city destination using the video on their handset and see Lonely Planet recommendations (points of interest from our City Guides) as virtual sticky notes above real live points of interest."
* Over 500,000 downloads from around 70 premium-priced apps on the iPhone from Apple (AAPL), as well as various location-based guide apps for Nokia (NOK) and BlackBerry from Research in Motion (RIMM).
* Travel music collections featured on Spotify and other online music services.
Goldberg highlighted other interesting ideas, such as an online travel video contest and even a "hack" day in Australia recently, which will be followed by one in the U.S. in the late winter.
While not all of it is going to work, this kind of endless experimentation at Lonely Planet is probably the right way to keep figuring out how to deal with the seismic media shifts that show no sign of abating.


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There are so many fantastic things parents can do with their kids it was hard for me to narrow it down to just 10. Since this is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, I think I might do a follow-up 40 things to do for Earth Month post as well … but for now, here's my Top 10 Recommendations on how to spend Earth Day with your kids in 2010.
1. Take them on a Treasure Hunt they'll never forget! – If you haven't tried geocaching, then you have no idea of what your missing. This global phenomenon (did you know there are over 1 Million charted geocache courses!!) is the PERFECT family fun activity perfect for all ages and fitness levels. It's like high-tech hiking (you'll need a GPS or a really smart phone) and treasure hunting all at the same time. Kids will love the thrill of the hunt and the surprise at the end; parents can revel in the mix of nature, fitness and intrigue that comes wrapped up in this outdoor adventure. For more information on how to get started on your first Geocaching adventure, check out http://www.geocaching.com.
2. Pick Something – Visit http://www.pickyourown.org to find a nearby farm where you can pick something (strawberries are in their prime right now) with your little ones. Spend an afternoon collecting your bounty, give them a taste test over an old-fashioned picnic on the farm, then rustle on home and let them choose a few from scratch recipes to make with all their pickings. (Or just dip them in melted chocolate and whip cream, yum!!) Then rush on over and let me know how it went! Planning to do this with my kids next week. (Yay!)
3. Leave your Mark (in a good way) – You don't have to travel far to see the damage humans are doing to our planet. Just take a drive down your street or a trip to a nearby park. Litter is everywhere and just like forest fires , only you can prevent it. So grab some gloves, a few bags and head out with a mission to leave your patch of Earth cleaner than you found it. Children will see first hand why they shouldn't litter and hopefully start a lifelong habit of cleaning up after themselves and others. What better way to tell Mother Earth how much we care than to spruce her up a bit.
4. Try Planting – Speaking of sprucing, why not beautify your yard by planting something new with your kids. Try something fun that has lots of color, or a bold foliage or better yet something edible you can share together later.
5. Get Crafty – Raid your recycle bin and create something fun together. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Check out the Eco Art Camera we made (tutorial coming soon). Drop back by and leave a pic of an Eco Toy you made with your kids.
6. See A Movie – I know, I know spending a day indoors is not my typical recommendation for what to do with your kids on Earth Day or how to spend your days period, but Disney's Ocean movie opening on Earth Day is worth a little quiet time with your loved ones relishing in the majesty of the seas. Unless you have access to a major body of water and a brilliant tour guide, you probably won't be able to teach your children as much in as little amount of time. It could be life changing for you as well. (Personally, I can't wait to see it – but hey, I cry when I see whales at Sea World so what do I know) If you have older children, you can download an 8 page guide to be used to make the learning experience more concrete. (use the link above and go to the Educational tab)
EXTRA BONUS: If you see the movie this week, Disney will make a donation in your honor to save the coral reefs
7. Go on a Bird Watch – Teach your children to appreciate the small things in life and marvel at the wonders of our flighted species. Their songs, their resourcefulness (just take a look at those nests) and their amazing ability to soar above the heavens. Valid proof that someone is watching from above and is an almighty being. After you've identified as many types of birds as you can, make a lasting friendship by hanging some homemade birdie treats for your fine feathered friends.
8. Go Vegetarian – For a day, for a week, for as long as you'd like. Use this meatless period as a chance to teach your children about all the healthful benefits of eating a plant based diet, not to mention showing compassion for animals and the value of sustainable resources. We've been going meatless for 2 days a week all year, but this week we're strictly no meat eaters. We'll enjoy Vegetable Lo Mein, Spring Rolls, Egg Drop Soup, Tomato Tortellini Soup w/ Grilled Cheese Sticks, Stuffed Shells, and Homemade Honey Whole Wheat Pizza (my personal favorite)
9. Go to a Garden – The San Antonio Botanical Gardens may be the hidden gem of the city, honestly I had never been to a Botanical Garden until last year and I am a total convert. It's a treasure trove for parents and children alike. The perfect place to get a little exercise, revel in the beauty of nature and share a picnic with someone you love. Plus, if you're a mother to young children or multiples you MUST check them out. Nature at its finest pretty much toddler proofed just for you. It's the only place I can go and let the kids roam free without worry (I have 3 children 4 & under). And they're hardly ever crowded. EXTRA BONUS: The Gardens hosts all sorts of amazing outdoor concerts, festivals and get togethers year round. Our favorite so far was the Bootanical Halloween festival but Chocolate Day wasn't too bad either :). (I bought my entire family (6) an annual pass for around $60 – the best $60 I've ever spent)
10. Go Camping – Even if its too chilly to stay out all night, pitch a tent and spend at least the evening outside finding fireflys, roasting marshmallows and listening to all the evening music nature has to offer. Heads Up: Sat. June 26 is National Great American Backyard Camp Out night, consider this time a practice run.
Hope you enjoyed this list, choose your favorite 2 or 3 and plan an Earth Day your kids will never forget. Be sure to drop back by and let me know how it went. Happy Earth Day!!!

subset: commoncrawl


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University of Hawaii Community Colleges unveil new, interactive career exploration website and touchscreen kiosks
New software application helps users define career goals and explore career optionsUniversity of Hawaiʻi
UH Community Colleges
Kristen Bonilla, (808) 956-5039
External Affairs & University Relations
HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges unveiled its new Career Connections website and touchscreen kiosks today at a special ceremony at Honolulu Community College. Career Connections is a new, interactive software application developed by a team of UH Community Colleges personnel that helps people define their career goals and explore career options through interest- and skills-based assessments, video clips, career and training information, career-related activities and games, and more.
Career Connections is offered free to the public and is available as stand-alone kiosks at the UH community college campuses statewide or online at http://careerconnections.hawaii.edu. Anyone preparing for college, planning a career change, or interested in learning more about jobs and careers in today's marketplace will find the program extremely useful.
"We know for a fact that students who have a clearly established career goal are much more likely to graduate than those who don't," says UH Community Colleges Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael Rota. "That's why we see Career Connections as a critical piece in our strategy to help students achieve success in school and in their future careers. As educators, it is important that we provide every possible opportunity for our students to be successful."
Career Connections offers users an opportunity to explore more than 1,000 career options, interest- and skills-based assessments, University of Hawaiʻi program information and tips, as well as information on salaries, occupations and industry outlooks in Hawaiʻi and across the nation. It also features more than 400 career video clips, job-readiness tutorials on topics such as writing resumes and interviewing, and fun career-based activities and games.
What is particularly unique about the Career Connections program is it was developed using Rich Internet Applications (RIAs), which incorporate client-side technology that can execute instructions on the client's computer, making it faster and quicker for the viewer to see the information requested. Unlike the traditional web applications, sometimes referred to as "page-to-page architecture," this new web development design using RIAs avoids the numerous round trips to and from the server and the constant reloading and flickering of each static page as the user moves from page to page.
Funding for Career Connections was provided by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. It was developed by Paul Sakamoto and Carol Pang of the UH Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges, and Karen Hayashida, Sandy Hoshino, Melinda Lee and Erin Loo of Leeward Community College. This same team was recognized for their work on the Career Access job-preparation software, the first module developed under the Career Connections umbrella project, with the University of Hawaiʻi 2006 Team Excellence Award of Merit and selected to represent UH in the 2006 Governor's Awards for Distinguished State Service.
For more information, visit: http://careerconnections.hawaii.edu


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The SEC and FINRA have settled a case with Goldman Sachs related to the bank's failure to supervise certain of its employees participating in the firm's "trading huddles," and as a result, Goldman (GS) will pay $11 million fines to both the SEC and FINRA. Goldman consented to the fines without admitting or denying the findings.
In a statement, FINRA's head of enforcement, Brad Bennett (below) said the fines were related to the weekly huddles, which the firm began in 2006 and ended in 2011 and which had previously been the subject of an investigation and action by Massachusetts securities regulators.
During those gatherings, FINRA said, Goldman analysts from its Americas equity research group met with traders from the firm's securities division, and occasionally equity salespeople. The analysts would then disclose the securities on which they were considering making rating changes.
Under a Goldman program called the Asymmetric Service Initiative, some 180 "high-priority clients" selected by Goldman's institutional sales group were informed of these possible changes in conference calls with the analysts. FINRA also charged Goldman with failing to monitor whether those clients then made trades based on the information they received in the conference calls, which included the analysts' "most interesting and actionable ideas." Goldman also failed to monitor for "possible trading in employee or proprietary trading, institutional customer, or market-making and client-facilitation accounts."
Goldman thus failed to "identify and adequately investigate," FINRA said, "increased trading in proprietary accounts in advance of the addition of securities to the firm's conviction list, certain transactions effected in an account in advance of changes in published research that warranted review based on their size or profitability and/or atypical trading for that account, and certain spikes in trading volume that immediately preceded the addition of stocks to the firm's conviction list."
"Goldman's trading huddles created an environment of heightened risk in which material non-public information concerning analysts' published research could be disclosed to its clients," said Bennett in the statement. Moreover, he said Goldman "did not have an adequate system in place to monitor client trading in advance of changes in its published research."
As an example of how the huddles worked, in its Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent, FINRA said that in late 2008, on the day before the weekly trading huddle, "a research analyst received authorization to add Company A to the firm's conviction buy list. The next day, the analyst stated in a trading huddle that Company A 'remains our analyst's favorite idea given a favorable strategic position for the evolving shift of certain CDS products from the OTC market to a cleared exchange.' The firm published a report adding the stock to the firm's conviction buy list the day following the trading huddle."


text: PHA Methodology and Training Practices Addressing Auto-Refrigeration Brittle Fracture Hazards - 25 Years Later Source: AIChE Type: Conference PresentationConference Type: AIChE Spring Meeting and Global Congress on Process Safety Presentation Date: April 2, 2014 Duration: 30 minutes Skill Level: Intermediate PDHs: 0.50 Share This Post: Preview Presentation: Presenter(s): Craig Thompson Once the content has been viewed and you have attested to it, you will be able to download and print a certificate for PDH credits. If you have already viewed this content, please click here to login. Checkout Checkout Do you already own this? Log In for instructions on accessing this content. Pricing Individuals AIChE Member Credits 0.5 AIChE Members $15.00 AIChE Graduate Student Members Free AIChE Undergraduate Student Members Free Non-Members $25.00 Language: English


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Apple's in development to create a television set to use with its iCloud technology that could debut next year, an analyst report said.
While Apple's commitment to the living room remains a "hobby," we continue to believe the company will enter the TV market with a full focus, as an all-in-one Apple television could move the needle when connected TVs proliferate. We estimate that of the 220m flat panel TVs sold in 2012, 48% or 106m units will be Internet-connected, of which Apple could sell 1.4m units.
The analyst, Gene Munster, has been talking about this for the better part of a year -- but as we all know, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Munster seems to think that Apple's iOS apps like NBA, MLB and Netflix are already on board, so the transition will be seamless -- especially with iCloud offering easy media storage. A report this week from Daily Tech, allegedly an exclusive from a former Apple executive, also seemed to add fuel to the fire. Then there are reports about Apple's TV-oriented patents.
U.S. & World
Our gut reactions is that Apple already has it's set-top Apple TV, so why would it bother creating unnecessary hardware? There are already plenty of HDTV, Internet-ready televisions out there. Apple would be competing with manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony and LG, which are already established brands with factories in place. While the Apple television would have Apple internal hardware, most televisions would be iOS-ready without Apple having to create them.
While Munster does have an interesting theory, we can't see the Apple television scenario as anything more than an educated guess.


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Tag Archives: dark
'Please Wait' minimalist wallpaper
Not sure what the secret is of a popular post over on DeviantArt but, well, I made this very simple wallpaper (using Blender, of course) and posted two versions of it on DA. One with text and one without. This … Continue reading


text: I know how to spatchcock a chicken, build a tomato cage out of chicken wire, and shoot a bow and arrow. I've lived in New York City for almost 20 years, which makes me official. Before joining The Stir I contributed to blogs like Civil Eats and One Little Bite. I lean in because I'm hard of hearing.


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Dear Readers. Last week B.D. wanted to know how to resolve a disagreement with her husband about where to live in retirement. Her husband wants to move to a small town in upstate New York to be near his sister and rural green lawns where he can cut the grass with a motorized lawn mower. She wants to stay in the South Bay near her friends and continue to live in their current home. We discussed the question according to what an individual should consider in such a move such as affordability, medical services, climate, etc.
This week we'll take a broader perspective and address the question, "What is it about a community that makes it age-friendly?" Although the term typically refers to those who want to age in place, its characteristics are useful in assessing a current community or a new one.
Age-friendly communities are important in the U.S. and globally. In 2008, for the first time in history, the majority of the world's population lived in cities. And as cities are getting older, so are their residents.
According to the World Health Organization, one of the best ways to respond to what has been called demographic aging is to make cities and communities age friendly. An international effort call the WHO Age-friendly Programme created a global network that fosters the exchange of ideas and experiences among countries that support active and healthy aging.
Despite this important international network, "Communities in which most of us live are hardly good places to grow old," writes Andrew Scharlach, associate dean and professor at UC Berkeley's School of Social Welfare.
He further comments that residential neighborhoods usually are isolated from commercial areas. In Southern California, buying groceries, seeing a doctor or visiting a friend most often requires an automobile – an essential link to the outside world.
Sharlach describes five characteristics of an age-friendly community:
Continuity: An age-friend community allows residents to keep their life-long interests and activities as they age. For example, if you loved gardening, art museums, golf or shopping, there would be opportunities and access to such activities.
Compensation: Such a community has services to ensure that age-related disabilities are met. Examples are affordable in-home care and rehabilitation and non-emergency transportation services.
Connection: In an age-friendly community, individuals have the opportunity to deepen their relationships, establish new ones and have social support. The latter is particularly important since it has been shown to increase resilience to illness and other life stressors.
Contribution: Such a community provides opportunities for residents to make meaningful contributions. Residents are not passive recipients or clients; they are active contributors to the community, to others and to themselves.
Challenge: The final attribute of an age-friendly community is having opportunities for challenge, stimulation and growth. Individuals experience being fulfilled, productive and socially connected to others.
AARP defines an age-friendly community in the broadest sense. It "treats all residents and visitors with respect, regardless of age, income or physical ability. It keeps individuals socially connected and engaged in community life and enhances opportunities to be healthy and active." AARP advocates that these communities meet the needs of those 5 or 105 – "pushing a stroller or boarding a bus with a cane." The philosophy is captured in their national network of "Livable Communities: Great Places for All Ages."
Phil Stafford, director of the Center on Aging and Community at the University of Indiana in Bloomington has come up with a new name: Elderburbia. That's his name for a place where a community is transformed from a place which is isolated to a place where older adults thrive as essential players in the community.
Grantmakers in Aging, a catalyst for philanthropy dedicated to improve the aging experience, has launched a community agenda to enhance and accelerate age-friendly development work in communities across America. To learn more, go to http://www.giaging.org/documents/130402 GIA_AFC_Primer.pdf
B.D., clearly there are many things to think about in contemplating a move. If for some reason you and your husband remain at odds, consider some counseling.
My best wishes to you in finding common ground that will allow you both to live in the best environment possible during your next chapter in life. And thank you for raising a very important question.
Send email to Helen Dennis at firstname.lastname@example.com


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It took an act of God for Gregory Henderson Sr., 70, to learn how to read, he said. Just 12 years ago, the Etna man was illiterate. Like many who can't read, he told no one, fearing rejection and embarrassment. It was an unlikely group of people — inmates in Penobscot County Jail — that set him, finally, in the direction toward literacy.
Faith is at the center of Henderson's story. But whether you are religious or not, it's easy to see the transformational power of words.
Twelve years ago, Henderson volunteered for the first time to administer the eucharist in the jail. In a room with several other volunteers and about 25 general-population inmates, another volunteer asked him to read a Gospel passage. Usually he would have suggested that someone else read it, but at that moment he had a change of heart.
"God was trying to show me that he needed me to know how to read, but he needed me in that jail to share that I couldn't read," he said.
So he told the group of inmates. He said he grew up with dyslexia, hid it all his life and would need their help to get through the Bible passage. What he didn't expect was that his personal transformation would, in turn, make it easier for the inmates to open up as well, extend their own help to him and, in doing so, ease their negative feelings about themselves.
About five inmates tried to help Henderson read that day, and of the five, three "had a real hard time reading, too, but they still tried to help me," he said. Each time someone "reached out beyond their abilities and tried to help me, that helped them, and it's still continuing on." He shared his greatest secret with them, and they opened up to him about their own experiences and pain.
A member of St. Matthew Catholic Church in Hampden, Henderson has been going to the jail nearly every Sunday for 12 years to minister to inmates who request it. Over that time, he's gotten to know many people. A great number have trouble reading. Many are dejected.
Henderson said his aim is to give them a reason to hope: "Where they've been down on themselves and so think they're not even forgivable, when you show them God and his love, it gives them hope, it gives them a new start."
And they gave him a new start, too. As he helped them, they gave him a reason to finally learn to read. "Forgive them for they know not what they do. And this is where it lies. Each of us has an ability that only goes so far," he said. "God has created us to rely on each other to get the part we haven't got."
Two years ago he signed up with Literacy Volunteers of Bangor, which provides free support to adults with low literacy, and was paired with a volunteer tutor, Janet Bertucci of Winterport. He is still learning to read, he said, but has improved remarkably.
Henderson has a lifetime of perspective on literacy. He grew up in the Bangor area in what he described as a dysfunctional home. He was raised mostly by his grandparents, who couldn't read.
Neither high school, nor the military, worked for him. Though he knew the material, he had trouble reading test questions. He describes dyslexia as "a seeing problem." Letters off to the right end up at the start of a word. It takes him time to sort out the page.
Twenty years out of high school, he studied and earned his GED, but it took him three days to complete the test. He learned how to hide the fact that he couldn't read and worked many different jobs, including as a mechanic, carpenter, truck driver and landscaper.
"I do consider myself very fortunate to be able to do an awful lot of things just by watching. That's how I learned," he said.
He said he sees now the value in being honest about his reading challenges. By sharing his story, he assures others that they're not alone.
"I feel like I haven't discovered exactly who I am yet or what God wants of me yet, but I know right now that he just wants me to love his people and the most needy. He needs people to love them," he said.
Henderson's story is not just about learning to read, he said, but helping others grow in the same way he is growing. His goal is to "help people come beyond where they're at in their life because of the hurt of the lack of love."
Literacy Volunteers of Bangor may be reached at 947-8451 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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SHORT STORY- The Last Itako
Dr. Roberts tells me I should make lists when I get upset.
"As problems grow worse in your marriage," she continues, "breaking them down into lists will help you focus on what's really the issue at hand."
We're in her office, only this time it's just me. Caroline has refused to come in yet again.
"It's not problems," I tell her. "It's the same problem it's been for the past fourteen months."
"Make a list." Dr. Roberts clicks her pen. "I'll give you a few minutes." On her clock, the minute hand stalls. I reach for her legal pad and write out the following:
1. French Horn. Tossed it in the back of Cam's cousin's jeep one night; forgot about it. By the time I remembered, he'd already left for UT.
- 1.Caroline's engagement ring, a .065 carat diamond in which someone's father
strongly suggested it should be upgraded after our second anniversary.
3. Brizmark child's size coffin made of varnished Douglas Fir with Mahogany inserts.
I watch Dr. Roberts while she reads my list. When she gets to the end, she puts the legal pad down, making no move to return it.
"You wanted me to make a list? I made a list."
"You're frustrated that Caroline isn't here, and you're displacing your emotions towards her onto me."
"Who upgrades after only two years? Isn't the rule to wait until your ten year anniversary?" I don't say anything after that. Instead, I stare above her head at the clock on the bookshelf.
"Jeremy, are you listening?"
I nod to show that I am, even though at this point, I have one foot out the door.
"I want you to think about making lists on your trip to Japan with Caroline. I think this vacation will really assist with your grieving process. You remember the breathing techniques we went over last week?"
"Inhale for five, hold, exhale for five..."
"Hold," she finishes.
"Anything else, doc?" I finally ask.
"Your lists, Jeremy." The doctor extends her hand as a farewell. "And tell Caroline to call me."
On the plane to Tokyo, Caroline can't find her sleeping pills.
"Did you pack them? " she asks, tearing through her carry-on. She empties the pockets of her blazer, unzips the front of my suitcase, then turns to me with an accusatory look as if I didn't pack them on purpose.
"Well, do you have any idea where they could be?"
"Ma'am," the stewardess approaches us. "If you would please take your seat."
Caroline's seat is covered with the contents of her purse.
"How am I going to fly without my pills?"
I pull out the in-flight magazine and flip to the crossword puzzle on the last page. It has only been partially filled.
"Drink a whiskey," I tell her. "Drink two."
"It's a fifteen hour flight from Detroit," her voice rises, "not to mention a six hour layover! And you know I can't drink on my new medication." For a second I think that all of this—the fourteen hundred dollar plane tickets, the months of planning—will fall to the wayside because of yet another of Caroline's panic attacks. I inhale for four seconds and then, in my head, tell Doctor Roberts to go fuck herself.
"Did you check inside your wallet? Maybe you stashed them there." I put down my magazine and reach for her purse.
I could say that I go over that day again and again, and sometimes I do. When I think about it, it's raining, for example, instead of it being sunny out, so I have to find Gracie's rain boots. That could have given us an extra twenty minutes.
"Gracie," I wouldn't say, "get your bike out of the driveway so Mom doesn't run over it."
I don't see it but I hear it, the thud and the scream, Caroline's scream before Gracie could even cry out. When I go over it, I ask myself each time, why didn't Caroline say goodbye before she got in her car? She always said goodbye—even when running late—yelling out the word before leaving. How was it the one time we didn't hear? By this time, in my head, I am already racing to the driveway, our ignition still running, the wheels of Gracie's bicycle caught and twisted, spinning in circles beneath our tires.
Our hotel is located in the business district.
"I'm going to bed," Caroline tells me.
"It's five o'clock," I protest.
"We've been traveling for practically two and a half days." Without even bothering to remove her jeans, she gets under the covers and turns her face away from the window. "Would you get the drapes? And the light?"
The authorities had reported the death an accident. There were neighbors who had seen Gracie dart out to get her bike, probably thinking she had time to rescue it. At the funeral, when they rolled the coffin out, I reached for Caroline's hand and squeezed. It wasn't until later that we noticed the bruises. The doctors declared it a mild sprain.
"I'm going down to the bar," I say, but she doesn't respond.
After the burial, after Caroline had gone through trials with Lexapro and Lithium, after endless therapy sessions, Doctor Roberts suggested we attempt to make amends with the trip. "Think of this as something to reconnect the two of you," she was insistent, "a vacation to rediscover one another."
At the bar, I signal for the bartender.
I wave my hands at the other patrons. "You can smoke here?"
He pushes an ashtray towards me; I ask for a Sapporo. I had quit smoking when Caroline had become pregnant. It was hard enough to give them up the first time. Pulling a pen from my pocket, I turn a paper napkin over so that the blank side is facing up.
- 1.Smoking
- 1.Burgers at Bingham's. Meat tastes weird. Is this how it's going to be from now on? Where a burger won't even taste good any more?
- 1.Smoking?
I know what Dr. Roberts thinks her 'magical' lists are trying to achieve. I just feel like she never gives me any real direction. "One of the most difficult aspects of grieving," she had told us in our first meeting, "is not only the loss of your daughter, but the loss of your self. You've lost the part of you that she represented. How are you going to tackle these issues as they come up?"
I stuff the napkin into my pocket and signal for the bill.
We sleep the entire first day. Near eleven thirty the following evening, we get up. I haven't eaten since Detroit. I can't remember having seen Caroline eat since we left the house. We walk through the Roppongi district of loud pachinko salons, heading for the first restaurant that has an English-speaking menu. At a noodle shop packed with people, I motion Caroline inside. Vending machines with picture buttons signify our dining options.
"I don't have any cash," Caroline says, "I haven't cashed my traveler's checks yet."
I extract Monopoly-colored bills from my wallet, punch buttons at random, feed money into the machine. Caroline stands there sheepishly. "I told you," I pull her sleeve to the only empty seat at a low table, "no one accepts credit cards here. You should have listened when I cashed my traveler's checks at Narita. Now you're going to get some jacked up hotel exchange rate and lose money."
Ever since the accident, we hear how cruel I can be to her. "It was her time," friends suggest, trying to help. Doctor Roberts reminds me to think before I speak, to inhale and expand white light in my chest. Sometimes, I imagine punching Caroline in the face.
"I think we're doing it wrong," Carline points to teenagers dipping cold noodles from one bowl into the hot broth of another. I stare down at the silverware the patron has placed out with our chopsticks. In one bowl I had poured the noodles, mixing them into a gravy-colored broth. I haven't eaten much, and yet, the noodles suddenly taste like dishwater. A server arrives from out of nowhere and bows, before whisking our bowls away.
- 1.Visit some sort of temple. Say a prayer for Gracie.
1b. Despite the sentiment of this thought, would this set Caroline off into an episode?
- 1.Propose temple visit to Caroline.
3. Harajuku district. Shoto-Club in Shibuya.
Back at the hotel, I visit the business center to check my email.
"Hi there," the first email reads, "Thank you for contacting us this time. I'm Noriyuki Iwai of Tokyo Free Guide. Please call me Nori. Well, Is this your first time to visit to Japan? How long can I show you on the date? I joined our association more than 2years ago. I've been to US 7times. I will take you all around Tokyo. Let's enjoy together!" The email ended with the letters blending into one word: NoriAntinori
"Shit," I say out loud. I had forgotten about the guide.
Neither of us knows what Nori looks like, nor do we know how he will recognize us. In my first reply email months ago, I had explained that my wife and daughter would like to try exotic foods, perhaps see a bit of Japanese history. I had forgotten, like so many other things that have since slipped through the cracks, to mention that Gracie would no longer be joining us.
Finally, a man emerges from the elevator's doors into the empty lobby. I step forward, offering my hand, "Are you by any chance, Nori?"
Nori bows. We bow in response.
"Jeremy-san." He looks from both me to Caroline. "But where is the daughter?"
I wait for Caroline's emotional response to come but she simply puts her hand against my arm to steady herself.
"She couldn't be here. Are you ready to go?"
- 1. Santa Claus is real.
2. Long distance won't be a problem.
3. I think we should give this another shot.
4. I think we still have a chance.
5. No, I don't think it was your fault.
For a guide, Nori isn't much of one.
"We take the JR Sobu line at Ryugoku. The Edo temple, it is hardly three minutes walking distance."
At the subway, I purchase subway tickets for all three of us.
"This way," Nori plows through the crowd, "we don't want to miss."
The train is packed with schoolgirls typing on cell phones with dangling key chains attached, larger than the actual cell phones. Nori frantically moves from the door, to a map, and back again.
"Ginza line, we should have taken the Ginza line. This is express."
"Express like how long express?" Caroline asks.
Twenty minutes later, the train roars outside, passing gray buildings leaning against each other. The sky is an inky color, clouds stretched thin and low against its backdrop. Wet cherry blossom petals litter the streets.
"Did we miss the festival?" I ask.
"By three days," Nori nods, still looking outside. "The festival moves south now."
Chugging along, we pass men on bicycles, their baskets loaded with groceries. The subway car seems emptier than before, with one schoolgirl in striped knee socks reading a manga novel.
"Your daughter," Nori directs this to Caroline. "She wants to try the local food? We can go to a ramen spot I know. All wheat soba. It's very good."
Caroline wraps the strap of her purse around her finger until the tip turns purple. After Caroline stopped coming to therapy, I hacked into her Facebook account. She had written to some high school girl whose name I did not recognize.
"I'm just now terrified," she had written, "of going to Japan, because it's way too soon, and because I don't speak Japanese. I'm just realizing that I've never really been anyplace where I can't stop to ask someone a question on the sidewalk. I'm worried about being the type of traveler no one really wants there." I didn't know what to make of the email so I exited her account and said nothing about it.
"We lost her," Caroline says.
"I, too, lost a daughter," Nori offers to us.
"When did she pass?"
Nori shakes his head. "She studies at University. I don't see her or speak with her much any more. She does not come home on holiday but travels with friends. But now we go to Senso-ji Temple. We pray for your daughter to be found again."
He doesn't wait for us to disagree. I think to take Caroline's hand.
Nori tells us that in the year 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, out of the Sumida River, and that the Senso-ji Temple was built for her. We head down Nakamise, the shopping street leading to it. Stalls are stacked with folding fans and plastic Buddhas. Outside the temple's entrance, American tourists wave their hands around a well filled with smoke.
"The incense scares away bad spirits," Nori leads us to a wall lined with wooden drawers.
"100 yen and we each get omikuji. You put the yen in your own honor box. Shake the cylinder there. Inside are sticks with numbers on them. You shake until your stick falls out, then your stick with the number on it matches the drawer on the wall. That drawer has your fortune."
"What are all those slips of paper tied to string over by the well?"
"Bad fortunes left behind for the wind spirits to carry away."
I drop in my money and Caroline follows. "Nori, please participate with us," she says, "You should have a fortune too." I draw a seventeen, Caroline draws a five, Nori draws a twenty-two.
"What does yours say?" Caroline asks.
Your fortune: Excellent Luck. Everything is promising, and if you are moderate in everything, you are sure to get on in life. The most important thing for you is to be patient.
Missing thing: It will be found at a higher place.
Love: Don't make love in the final, coital sence.
Illness: The most important thing is to pray to God that you might get over the illness.
"What horseshit. The missing thing will be found at a higher place? The thing doesn't even spell sense right."
I throw the list at her chest, where it bounces off.
"The most important thing is to be patient? That's a fucking laugh. I wonder what Doctor Roberts would have to say about that. Huh? What do you think she'd have to say about patience?"
Caroline storms over to the well where she sticks her head into the smoke, taking in gulps of smoky air.
"What does yours say?" I attempt to break the tension.
"Dai-kyo," Nori gently places it on top of a trash can. "It is very bad luck."
I can see Caroline crying. The string trembles with knots of paper, the fortunes' sides folded up like birds' wings. Wind rushes past us, shaking some of the fortunes to the ground, and, for a minute, pushes the smoke in front of Caroline, blurring out the contours of her face.
"Aren't you supposed to, like, tie it to the string? Isn't that what you told us?"
"It makes no difference," he says, "it is bad luck every time."
At the stop for our hotel, Nori forages ahead into the crowd.
"Tomorrow," he tells us, "we use my car."
"I only thought we were going to see sights for one day," I argue
"There is a place: Mount Osore. Mountain of Horror."
"Sounds lovely."
"It is seven, maybe eight hour drive. We shall visit the Bodai-ji Temple."
"Nori," I push through the subway turnstile, "we're more than happy to pay you to show us around. I don't think either of us are up to driving eight hours."
Nori stops. "Mount Osore is the crater of a volcano, no longer active active. We will go to visit the itako."
"The itako?" Caroline asks. Sometimes, hearing Caroline's voice, I forget what it sounded like. At home, we punch dishwasher buttons and turn dryer dials, flip on the television and grind the coffee beans. Any electronic noise to keep from speaking.
"They are the blind shamans who will help you communicate with your dead. The women are getting old and not many replacements have been found. We will go to seek out your daughter."
"She's dead." I feel myself begin to get out-of-control. "There isn't any seeking for us to do, pal."
"Can you pick us up at six?" Caroline talks over me. "We can be ready at whatever time, though, is convenient for you."
In the morning, I take the backseat. My side is stacked with bento boxes; I shove them to the floor.
"Where do you live in Tokyo?" Caroline asks.
"Outside Tokyo. Odawara. I take shuttle car, then train, then subway into the city every weekend."
"How long does that take you?"
"Two hours. Sometimes more."
"And how often do you show Americans like us around?"
"Every weekend."
"But what does your wife think of that? You're gone every weekend? You must not have gotten home last evening until past eight!"
I suddenly feel sorry for Nori, imagining him taking the train ride back, up into the mountains, exiting into an empty station. I picture him making his way down the streets, up the steps into his apartment where he doesn't even turn on a light, but removes a covered dish from the refrigerator, maybe an Asahi beer. I picture Nori by the window in his chair, sipping a beer, looking out into the darkness.
"Tell us again about these itakos," I say.
"Blind women summon the souls of the dead and deliver your messages to them," Nori explains. "Only four itako will appear at Mt. Osore's summer festival this year. Our youngest, Keiko Himukai, will soon stop due to stomach issues. It is a dying practice."
"We're not going to make the summer festival," I point out the bare trees stripped of their precious flowers. "It's March."
"Keiko-san still studies there."
The car hums from its wheels spinning on the highway.
"We have become an era where children ignore their parents and forget about the dead." I hear the bitterness in Nori's voice and I wonder if I should suggest we turn around for a beer, leave the dead to themselves.
"It is good, what we are doing." It sounds as if he is trying to convince himself just as much as the rest of us.
We know we are getting near when we see tents line the street. Hardened lava stretches out for miles. There is a sulfurous stench in the air. Nothing grows in sight but for a few deadened-looking birches.
"Did you bring cash?" Nori turns off the ignition to the car.
Caroline scrambles out of her seat. I reach for her purse. How much did we bring? Was 120,000 Yen enough? 150,000? What exactly was the going rate to talk to the dead?
"Jeremy!" she waves. "Jeremy, hurry!"
At the front of the temple, a line shifts impatiently. For a moment, I am not here, but am back with Steve, hunting our childhood woods. We'd stay low, the air rich with the smells of burnt foliage and cold November. Often, we'd cross farms and come across electric fences. Steve would rip a blade of grass from the earth and touch it gently to the fence, checking for live current. It is here with Caroline, that I remember the first time Steve handed me the blade of grass and the surge I had felt when I laid it across the wire. How I had stood there—frozen—before recoiling back in shock. It takes me only a second to respond and step back from Caroline, as if she is the live wire herself. Here, on the crater of the volcano, I see only one thing: all the lists mean nothing when I know what I have been feeling all along.
"I can't go in with you," I tell her. "I'm so sorry. I just can't."
I expect her to cry but she doesn't. She doesn't wait, just slips inside the temple. Nori moves away and extracts a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
"I don't like to smoke in front of the tourists," he lights a match. We stand there together, the smoke bending around us. We wait to hear what my dead daughter has to say.
"Do you have another?" I ask. He extends a cigarette. I put it in my mouth. Scratch the tip of the match against the matchbox. Hear the hiss of the match being lit. I put my face forward to the flame. I hold for five, and then, inhale.
3 comments
Characters are fabulously vivid and the story unfolds like and opulent rose. Great read!
I wanted to tell Megan that I loved her short story. I want the long version..ie, the whole story! She is a riveting, touching writer and I got really caught up in it.
Is this a book and this is an exerpt from it?
I guess I need to do my homework on this author, because the topic is seldom touched on and I would love to know how it ends.
Thank you
Incredibly powerful story Megan. Love the vivid Japanese imagery...really takes me back to Tokyo. Would love to see this story in a longer form to learn more about the characters. Can't wait to read the next one!


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text:
The latest edition of SFX magazine has been published and features an 18 page special on Doctor Who to celebrate the show's 50th Anniversary.
SFX 241 is available in shops now.
Across 18 pages of Doctor Who goodness, we have an exclusive chat with showrunner Steven Moffat about that golden anniversary , reveal 50 real-life heroes who made Doctor Who great (everyone from the stars to composers and Peter Brachacki, the man who designed the TARDIS interior, take a look at the Daleks' lengthy kill list, and speak to Waris Hussein and Carole Ann Ford about "An Unearthly Child", the very first William Hartnell story from 1963. We've also asked readers what they want to see from the Twelfth Doctor in our regular illustrated Wishlist feature.
SFX 241 is available in shops now.


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Discussions related to anything dealing with webmasters
February 2nd, 2014, 02:28 PM
Tutorials related to webmasters and site owners that do not fit into a different category.
February 20th, 2011, 07:42 PM
January 4th, 2012, 04:45 PM
August 19th, 2010, 04:05 PM
Information on our WCP - control panel used for our Windows based Windows and ColdFusion accounts.
March 1st, 2013, 01:50 AM


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I assume that most of you who make your way here—and I'm flattered that there are more of you than I ever thought there would be when I started doing this—do so because you're interested in history. I try to respect that by keeping my posts focused on that topic. (I should add, though, that I really enjoy reading the non-history-related posts of fellow history bloggers, whether the subject is politics, culture, or just the day-to-day business of living. It gives things a little added personality.)
A second reason I try to focus on history here is just because it's what I know the most about, given my educational and vocational background. I agree wholeheartedly with an insightful statement by John Lawson: "The irony of the Information Age is that it has given new respectability to uninformed opinion." The last thing I want to do is to contribute to all the superfluous noise out there.
Still, one of the universal human traits is a tendency to ponder those big questions about the meaning of life, the state of the world, and what to do about it. And an equally universal trait is to expound your conclusions to anybody who'll listen. So at the suggestion of a friend of mine, I've started another blog about this very thing. If you're interested, you can find it here. If you're not, there's nothing to fear. It'll still be business as usual here at this blog.
That's it for the cross-promotion. Scout's honor.


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I have had Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) since March 2002. Both of my sons also got ME/CFS at ages 6 and 10. Our younger son fully recovered after 10 years of mild illness. Our older son still has ME/CFS and also has Lyme disease plus two other tick infections. This blog is about how our family lives with chronic illness, with a focus on improving our conditions and enjoying our lives in spite of these challenges.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009
All in all, despite spending the past 5 months battling Lyme disease, 2008 was mostly a good year for me. During the first 7 months of the year, I felt better than I had in the past 7 years, since first getting sick with CFIDS, thanks to anti-viral treatment and low-dose naltrexone. Best of all, I was able to be more active and do more, and it was a wonderful treat after being sick for so long. I still experienced periodic crashes but less often and much less severe.
Of course, the past 5 months have been rough, with Lyme, but hopefully that's behind me now (I'm still on antibiotics but am Lyme symptom-free now). I'm looking forward to a good 2009.
I also set goals for 2009 this week. My perpetual problem - even before CFS - is trying to do too much. I always have lots of ideas and plans but have trouble finding the time and energy to tackle all of them. Obviously, this problem was greatly exacerbated with CFS! Last year was a breakthrough for me because I felt so much better. I was able to start lots of new writing projects and do some things I'd been planning for years. I didn't see a lot of results in 2008 (or new income), partly because I was so sick the last 5 months, but I got a lot of things started that I hope to follow-up on this year. So, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of what I'd like to do but mostly optimistic about the new year.
And that horrible mess pictured here? Ah, yes, that's my desk, covered with stacks of paper. First of all, I hope to get it cleared off, so I can start the year a bit more organized. I posted the picture here so I'd be shamed into doing something about it! I finally got a start today. So, I'm feeling ready to start the new year!
5 comments:
You are very brave to post a picture! My desk looks very similar to yours.ReplyDelete
I love having goals instead of resolutions for the new year. It is so much more workable, instead of the feeling of failure if you miss a resolution.
I'm interested in hearing more about your writing projects, as I feel I'm being led in that direction as well. I'm also going to look into LDN -- thank you for sharing that information!
I love your blog and I appreciate your encouragement. It is very inspiring to find someone who, as you've said, is learning to live life fully with CFS. You've shown what a worthy and attainable goal that is!
I've had CFS for the past 7 yrs too and am still learning to cope with it. Thank you for sharing your story.
I just started a blog a couple of days back. I'd love any comments/suggestions :)
Sue - I'm glad you're doing so well. I hope you're contagious :-)ReplyDelete
New beginnings are so exciting. I hope we all get that chance..
Hi, Ms. F -ReplyDelete
Thanks for stopping by my blog - I'm glad you enjoyed it. I will go and check out yours as well. I think you'll find a wonderful and very supportive group within this virtual CFS blogging world - and all of us have similar experiences and understand what you're going through. Welcome!
Thanks so much for visiting my blog Sue. I will check out the book you mentioned!ReplyDelete
I also look fwd to following your blog.
Cheers :)


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What do you hear Ozzie?
"I don't see him being here pretty soon. Maybe after the All-Star break, that's my opinion. Some players, when they go to play in the minors, they can't wait to get out of there. But we aren't going to make that mistake again. We have to make sure he's ready to help us here. We try to do the best we can to get him off the field a little bit. He won't come back here 100 percent. I talked to a couple of people down in the minor leagues. He's not running full speed right now. I want him to test his foot before he comes here."
About the spy. Is he a retired CIA guy?
"Oney told me, 'I don't think he can run right now, Dad. He can be honest. He knows what I need. He said he swings the bat well. Right now, he said he doesn't see him pushing hard enough to be up here."
Paging Buddy Bell…


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Home >> Course Descriptions >> College of Arts and Sciences
Concert Choreography.
One semester hour.
Conceptualization, realization, direction and production of a choreographic work for formal and informal presentation. Three studio hours per week.
Home - General Information - Student Services -
Academic Undergraduate Regulations -
Undergraduate Degrees - Academic Graduate Regulations -
Graduate Degrees - Course Descriptions - Faculty -
Appendix A - Appendix B - Appendix C - Appendix D


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Part 2 Computacenter was a £463m sales organisation when Mike Norris took the helm in 1994, with an operating profit of £8.5m. In 2011, turnover was £2.85bn and operating profit was £74m.
Norris began his ascent through the ranks in 1986, when he was made the firm's top account manager. Two years later he was regional manager for operations in the capital, and he then became GM of the systems division in 1992 before finally becoming CEO two years later.
"Money was a motivation when I first started but it isn't now, don't get me wrong, I love being paid, I wouldn't do it for nothing but I want to build something bigger, I like the adoration, the ego of it, but I think there are more egotistical people. I love the team, and doing it together as a team".
Norris says he still goes onto the sales floor for a cup of coffee and likes to get involved in sales calls, talking to 'my people' and 'my people's people'. "I like reaching down into the organisation, it makes it a better company and the job more enjoyable."
In nearly three decades at the company there have been some sweeping changed in Computacenter and more widely in the channel.
"The obvious thing is the international stuff because more than 50 per cent of Computacenter's employees and revenues are outside of the UK."
Computacenter launched in France in 1994, the year Norris took and in Germany 1996, it also has operations in Belgium, Switzerland and 600 staff at a call centre in Spain.
The continental spread stabilised group results in 2011 and this year helping to offset a decline in spending by the UK government and the City.
Norris says it plans to expand further in Western Europe, "there are gaps" before "I head out to other territories," he says.
The organisation has a tie-up with Compucom in the US and forecasts turnover of $50m this year with zero staff, backing off global contracts to the firm stateside and charging the customer for work done.
Computacenter building in Hertfordshire Credit: Jack Hill, licensed for reuse under Creative Commons
Norris says the power base is "definitely" shifting to the continent with an SAP system deployed first in Germany and across the rest of Europe. It is also worth noting that two of Norris' exec line-up are from the continent: Henri Viard, CEO at CC France and Oliver Tuszik, his German counterpart.
The industry has also evolved dramatically during Norris' tenure, with the obvious point being the commoditisation of IT products and plummeting margins.
Indeed it's no longer de rigueur to be classified as a reseller because the money in simply shifting tin has almost entirely evaporated.
"We've been selling services for a long time to enrich the sale: when you are selling hardware you might as well sell a maintenance contracts, support, help desk, a bit of training. Improving the margin"
The "gear change" that sped up the death of reselling came when HP acquired Compaq and overhauled "incredibly good Ts&Cs to "not dreadful but more normal Ts&Cs".
This was evident in CC's 2005 profits which nearly halved to £34m from £68m in the previous year. "It was very, very painful... We pushed services to the front of the sale rather than an afterthought.
"We realised we needed to be less reliant on vendors, more reliant on things that are inside our control. I can't run a listed company and some guy in Palo Alto gets out of bed the wrong side and wants to change world Ts& Cs and I'm screwed.
"CC can't be relied upon if we are at the whim of vendors, especially when it is very consolidated, so we've got to be more in control of our own destiny and actually that probably means developing a services-based business."
CC has experienced only two years when the top line went backwards: in 2000, following the bumper 1999 – when it could be argued that customers fearing the Millennium Bug wasted billions of cash worldwide on upgrades; and then in 2005.
"Vendors are very important to me," he says. HP is CC's largest vendor and Cisco is the second biggest. "But there's no single one event, no one vendor that could do a single thing to me that could really really make me [put out ] a major profit announcement."
Services account for 50 per cent of Computacenter's gross margin but the road has been long. When Norris started at the company more than half of the staff were sales bods, now the sales team number 300 out of 5,000 wage earners in the UK.
"In the early '90s, customers started asking for a proposal, send out RFPs, a big wedge of documents and do presentations, so I think it's more structured, more planned: big reviews, pipeline management... The sales campaign lasts months, it used to be hours.
"It used to be about stock availability: I've got those products, do you want them? If you had a product the chances are no one else did so capturing stock was really important. Inventory was short. Now procurement consultants sit on the other side of the table with customers, its a much more structured bid process and that is very, very different,
"It's about getting senior IT people to say that company did a great job for me; I trust them. If I can get senior IT people in organisations to promote our work to other IT people that is the best way to sell," he says.
The cloud is the next evolution in the shift to delivering IT as a service though analyst Canalys reckons the biggest opportunity for the channel between now and 2015 is in transforming data centres.
"I think that is right. I get a bit angry though. The trouble with cloud is that you are either in one of two camps: you've either got total religion on it or you are anti. Cloud is an evolution not a revolution, the market's gone from ASP, to SaaS, to cloud computing – the label's changed but its effectively the same thing maturing and getting more likely as the speed of the network increases, and reliability of the server, storage improves.
"Cloud will change the data centre side of our business. But whether the server you attach to or the app you look at is in the cloud or in the basement, the end user still needs support, especially if they've forgotten their password or a device breaks."
The evolution of resellers is something that has been under discussion for years. Does Norris still have the stomach for the channel or would he fancy moving into the hot seat at a vendor?
"I'm probably getting to the stage where I'm unlikely to go and do any other job anywhere else, if you'd asked me five years it might have been different but [now] it's CC to the end".
Sources suggest Norris had a sniff around vendor land a few years ago but was not likely to get anywhere near the same level of control he enjoys at CC.
The age of retirement is set to rise to 67 leaving Norris with 17 years to go.
"I don't want to quit anytime soon; I enjoy it too much. The work-life balance in interesting. Different people treat life in different ways; I'm a grazer, I don't have a division between work and life. I love my life being integrated. When my wife married me she married CC as well.
"I look at very senior people that run the UK sub of an American company, they don't have much influence over the corporation and I'd miss that. I run a public company. It's not my company: it has my image for obvious reasons, but I'm a hired hand. I'm a well-paid hired hand but I'm in charge and have the ability to say it's my bat and my ball."
Maybe IT's gain was nightclubbing's loss. ®


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Friday, April 27, 2007
This bat was obviously made in Ohio
With all due respect to our female readers, let the clip below be a warning: Beware women swinging baseball bats as this Michigan student and/or fan found out...
Bat Vs Face - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!
(HT: JR at Chattablogs.com/quintus)
Bat Vs Face - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!
(HT: JR at Chattablogs.com/quintus)
Posted by Yost at 1:55 AM
Labels: michigan fans
5 comments:
- beast in 'bama said...
Is this actual footage of Annie Wilkes?
"She can't be dead, MISERY CHASTAIN CANNOT BE DEAD!"
- April 26, 2007 8:35 AM
- Out of Conference said...
Good pull, Beast! I bet she's the Bucks #1 fan.
I'm guessing she will be giving him some serious in bed treatment later on when he regains his senses.
- April 26, 2007 9:40 AM
- TitleIX said...
it's only fun til someone loses an eye.....
- April 26, 2007 9:57 AM
- Yost said...
Hip reference, BiB.
- April 26, 2007 11:21 AM
- AmaizeNBlueinRedChina said...
off topic, but funny as ALL hell:
seriously, one of the funniest things I've seen in a LONG time.
"..everybody wants to get their hands on my cookie..."
- April 26, 2007 6:12 PM
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text: So You've Made it To 'Manager' … How To Survive And Thrive! – 22nd & 23rd September 2020 Sydney Details Price QtyTwo Day Ticketshow details +hide details -$704.00 (AUD)* Quantity 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 DetailsPrice Name Description Amount Two Day Ticket$640.00 (AUD) subtotal $640.00 (AUD)GST10% $64.00 (AUD) Total $704.00 (AUD) Sale Dates - The dates when this option is available for purchase. Goes On Sale: 19-09-2018 11:30 am Sales End: 21-09-2020 4:55 pm Access - This option allows access to the following dates and times. Date Time Sold Remaining TotalSold Total SpacesLeft Management Course 22-09-2020 to 23-09-2020 9:30 am to 4:00 pm 8 57 20 57 * price includes taxes please do not enter anything in this inputDownload Brochure Management Course22-09-2020 - 23-09-20209:30 am - 4:00 pm Program OverviewBeing in a management or supervisory role can be rewarding in so many ways, but it can also be challenging and frustrating at times too! Deadlines, lack of time, having to deal with 'difficult' behaviors, unreasonable expectations, inadequate supervision or support can make your job challenging … and maybe exhausting!So if you are struggling a little, want to learn new management skills or just confirm that you are managing effectively, our ever-popular two-day management workshop is for you!The course is packed full of practical ideas, techniques and tips that will result in you immediately becoming a more effective and confident community services manager … we guarantee it!Time: 9.30am – 4.00pm each dayHere's what we will cover over the two days:Managing yourselfManaging your management styleManaging your timeManaging goals and objectivesManaging difficult conversationsManaging your teamManaging and assessing performanceManaging and resolving conflictManaging 'difficult' people and their behavioursManaging your managerManaging changeManaging the 'Boss V Friend' relationshipManaging team member motivationVenue: UNSW CBD Campus Address:UNSW. CBD Campus, Level 6, 1 O'Connell Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia


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Safe alone: Cav kids club ups the fun
Not long after my family and I moved here— from a much larger city, I have to say— our next-door neighbor offered my kids free tickets to a UVA men's basketball game at University Hall. "They can go by themselves with no problem," he assured me.
My boys were in fourth and eighth grades at the time, and, unconvinced that they would be safe in this situation alone (I had terrifying visions of the big city college basketball venues back home), I politely declined this kind offer. I have since come to realize how wrong I was. Not only are UVA games safe for age-appropriate kids on their own, they are great family entertainment and a great value.
And just to make a good thing better, the UVA athletics department offers sports fans in grades K-8 the chance to join the Cavalier Kids Club. "We're trying to reach out to the community as much as we can," says director of marketing Katie McFadden. This year, the club isn't just for women's basketball. The promotions people have added admission and special promotions for five more sports to the Kids Club. For a $35 annual membership fee, young fans can get into all regular season home games for men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, and baseball, as well as women's basketball.
The list of other perks includes an official T-shirt, a women's basketball rally towel, player autograph sessions and other meet-and-greet opportunities, special seating at basketball games next to the tunnel where players enter the court, prize drawings at games, a complimentary visit to the ACAC rock climbing gym, a Cavalier Kids Club event at ACAC Waterpark, and more.
Even if the kids don't join the club (which they can do at any time during the school year), admission to most games is only $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. Many sports have games with two-for-one deals (one child admitted free with an adult) and other promotions, such as the September 28 women's and men's soccer doubleheader that offers free admission for one child and one adult when they show a Giant Bonus Card. And if you're looking for a real bargain, a number of Cavalier contests are totally free including field hockey, swimming, volleyball, wrestling, and most women's lacrosse games.
These days I never worry about sending my boys to the game without me. Most of the time, though, I'm there cheering on the Hoos right along with them. I mean, why should the kids have all the fun?
All the particulars about UVA sports— including news, scores, schedules, season ticket information, and the Cavalier Kids Club order form, can be found at virginiasports.com. Advance tickets can be purchased by phone at 924-UVA1. Tickets and Kids Club order forms are also available at the Virginia Athletic Ticket Office at Bryant Hall on the south side of Carl Smith Center.


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Setting up vulnerable Virtual Machines is one of the easiest ways to test exploitation techniques. These VM's can come in a variety of formats, but seem to be distributed mainly as either an ISO, or a directory you can place on a web server.
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You can find the list here: http://g0tmi1k.blogspot.com/2011/03/vulnerable-by-design.html


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Atlantis The palm - Overview Grand Opening of Atlantis
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Atlantis The palm - Overview
Grand Opening of Atlantis


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Police to discuss neighborhood involvement at northwest Omaha park
A Dundee Neighborhood Watch group is making its streets safer, and now police are trying to get residents in northwest Omaha to do the same.
The residents of Dundee are committed to keeping criminals off their streets. Brent Ruswick said it starts with people being good neighbors.
"I haven't felt any reason to be concerned about myself or my possessions here," Ruswick said.
A robbery Friday night had the community talking. Police said two men in a white sedan held up another man near 49th and Cass streets around 11 p.m.
Laurie Morris, block captain for one of Dundee's Neighborhood Watch groups, learned Monday that the car may have been spotted in Dundee within the last two weeks.
"Hopefully, we can catch the people doing the crimes and keep it safe," Morris said.
Omaha police know community policing can make a difference, which is why they are trying to get residents near Greentree Park involved.
Police said they have received several reports of fights and vandalism at the park near 129th Street and Meredith Avenue. They want to address their concerns to the community at the park at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
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But on the morning of December 10, 1996, I woke up to discover that I had a brain disorder of my own. A blood vessel exploded in the left half of my brain. And in the course of four hours I watched my brain completely deteriorate in its ability to process all information. On the morning of the hemorrhage, I could not walk, talk, read, write or recall any of my life. I essentially became an infant in a woman's body.That happened due to a golf-ball-sized blood clot pressing against the language centers of her brain. Bolte took eight years to fully recover, a fact that makes this eloquent speech an even more stunning accomplishment. The audience is led through the unraveling of a mystery as Taylor describes exactly what it felt like to be having a stroke and trying to figure out what was happening to her. It's dramatic: Will she be able to dial the phone to call for help? It's visual, with an unusual prop and expressive gestures. It's intensely personal and emotional, and while it's loaded with technical details, they are delivered in language anyone can understand. Here's what you can learn from this famous speech:
- As props go, nothing beats a real human brain: You'll hear the audience gasp as she brings out the brain, testament to one of my favorite rules of thumb for props. If you have access to an object that helps you explain what you're describing, and it's unusual, hard-to-find, rarely seen or intriguing, use it. Scientists have this as a distinct advantage when they speak, and should use it more often.
- Humor can underscore an improbable experience and connect with the audience: She can afford to do this now that she has recovered fully, but Bolte injects humor throughout the speech, often making gentle fun of herself as she describes trying to figure out what was happening. Make no mistake, it takes enormous learning, effort and skill to pull off a detailed description of what is happening to your body as it stops functioning. But Bolte helps the audience get through it with humorous comparisons, imitating a golden retriever to show how her language skills had disappeared or joking about how she suddenly forgot about her work and every source of stress in her life, making it sound like a good thing.
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This talk isn't just technical, but also is inspirational to many, as Bolte shares insights from this near-death experience and describes her recovery and what it means to her today to be alive. What do you think of this famous speech?


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Pakistan skipper, selectors sparred over Afridi's inclusion in ODI squad
Pakistan selectors insist on dropping Shahid Afridi from the one-day squad in an effort to start rebuilding the team for the next World Cup.
The naming of Pakistan's Twenty20 and ODI squads for this month's tour to India was not without disagreements as the selectors overruled captain Misbah-ul-Haq while axing experienced all-rounder Shahid Afridi for the series.
The selectors also came under pressure to select opener Imran Nazir and some other players but stuck to their guns to give a chance to the outstanding performers in the ongoing domestic season.
"Misbah who captains the one-day squad wanted Afridi in the squad at the cost of Umar Akmal but the selectors rejected his suggestion," one source said.
"Misbah's argument was that Afridi remains a match winning player despite being out of form and his experience would count for a lot in India under pressure and secondly that his presence would put pressure on the Indian side given his past performances," the source said.
But the source said the selectors insisted on keeping Afridi out of the one-day squad saying they wanted to rebuild the one-day team keeping in mind the next World Cup. "Misbah's argument was also that since they had retained Afridi in the T20 squad he should also be given a chance in the ODI squad," the source said.
In the selection of the T20 squad, there was plenty of outside pressure to retain opener Imran Nazir who struggled for form in the World T20 Cup in Sri Lanka few months back. "There were people who wanted the selectors to give Nazir another chance but the selectors insisted they wanted to give a chance to Ahmed Shahzad," the source said.
Another reliable source stated that the selectors had also conveyed to Afridi that the two T20 matches in India would be crucial for his future as a Pakistan team member.
Interestingly, there was not much debate on the ouster of either senior all-rounder Abdul Razzaq or fast bowler Mohammad Sami. "In Razzaq's case it appears as if he has been punished for having made the public comments about Hafeez's captaincy after the team returned from Sri Lanka," the source said.
But a source close to the selectors said the idea behind dropping Razzaq was to start grooming a younger player for the future. "That is why Asad Ali has been chosen as he is a good medium pacer and capable batsman and performed well in the recent national T20 championship taking 15 wickets." Asad also hails from Faisalabad the hometown of both the national captains, Hafeez and Misbah.
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HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Texans have placed linebacker Tim Dobbins on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
Dobbins has appeared in 14 games with six starts for the Texans this season. He had 43 tackles and an interception.
The Texans signed rookie linebacker Cameron Collins from the practice squad to fill the roster spot.
Houston hosts Cincinnati on Saturday in a wild-card playoff game.