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REGINA -- The number of southeastern Saskatchewan communities under a state of emergency has risen to 36, the provincial government said today in a province-wide conference call.
State of emergency now in effect in 36 Saskatchewan communities
REGINA — The number of southeastern Saskatchewan communities under a state of emergency has risen to 36, the provincial government said today in a province-wide conference call.
In a day that seemed to get progressively worse, the Carnduff RCMP released an advisory Sunday evening that the town of Gainsborough was placed under a mandatory evacuation order. Residents can seek shelter at the Carievale school, Carnduff school and Carnduff Legion where food will be available.
The Mounties advise that Highway 18 east of Gainsborough to the Manitoba border is closed and Highway 18 west toward Carievale is becoming washed out.
Highway 1 was also closed in both directions on Sunday evening due to flooding in the Wolseley vicinity. Westbound traffic is detoured south on Highway 9 at Whitewood to Highway 13 at Stoughton. Eastbound traffic headed for destinations east of Wolseley is detoured on Highway 10 near Balgonie to Highway 16 at Yorkton.
Before travelling, motorists should check the Highway Hotline because of the number of traffic restrictions and road closures due to flooding.
"We haven't had any reports of any life-threatening issues, however there have been significant areas impacted and some areas are reporting a large number of homes that have been impacted by overland flooding and sewer backups," Duane McKay, commissioner of emergency management and fire safety for the province, told media Sunday afternoon.
Two rapid response teams, each with four members, will be based in Regina, along with a large cache of equipment. The teams will deploy to flood areas to train people to use equipment such as pumps, sandbag machines and water barriers.
"We have set up our emergency operations centre and we are having regular conference calls in terms of making sure that provincial government resources from all Crowns, ministries and agencies are available to respond and are responding in a coordinated fashion," McKay said.
Some of the most devastated areas were around Moosomin, Esterhazy and Redvers where rain gauges showed between 175 and 200 millimetres, or about eight inches of rain, said Rob Paola, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.
Water damaged a temporary structure that was erected at Bellegarde while work was being done on a bridge there. Consequently, the access road to the hamlet was closed.
"We're working with them and the Ministry of Highways to ensure that whatever resources they require will be available," McKay said. "Social Services is on standby in the event that we need to move people beyond the capacity of the municipalities."
He did not know how many people were impacted by the flooding, but said it would be significant.
The relentless rain caused a significant rise in lake and reservoir levels, particularly Round Lake which is about half a meter higher than the usual summer level, said John Fahlman with the Water Security Agency.
"People can expect another half meter rise on Round Lake and less so on Crooked (Lake), but it is still significant," Fahlman said.
Flood waters closed about eight highways in southeast Saskatchewan, said Doug Wakabayashi with the Ministry of Highways.
"These are largely in an area approximately defined by Highway 5 to the north and then between the Manitoba border and Highway 9," Wakabayashi said.
Water is running over about six highways in east-central Saskatchewan water, but the roads are not closed.
"Right now, the only highway where we've seen any sort of significant damage is on Highway 13," Wakabayashi said. "There is a culvert failure on Highway 13, but we'll need the water to go down a bit and assess the damage before we can make an estimate of how long it will take to repair."
Typically, Regina receives 71 millimetres of rain in June. But as of 6 p.m. on Sunday, 66 millimetres were recorded at the Regina International Airport, Paola said.
While Regina didn't declare a state of emergency, the city had water woes.
Three vehicles were submerged in the Albert Street underpass Sunday afternoon, but no one was injured.
Helene Henning-Hill, manager of sewer and drainage operations with the City of Regina, couldn't say when the underpass would be clear of water.
"As the system starts to take that water, Albert Street will start to unplug itself … We're still kind of at the mercy of Mother Nature. If we get a big rainstorm again, our system will have to take that rainfall," Henning-Hill said.
Many Reginans were pumping water out of their basements and a number of streets were flooded, including 14th Avenue around the Regina General Hospital.
Between 60 and 100 city employees were out all day unplugging storm drains and monitoring the impact of flooding, Henning-Hill said.
"We're encouraging residents, as much as possible, to stay home and make sure that the sewer caps are in place," she said. "If they have backflow preventers, make sure they are fully operational and that downspouts are away from foundations."
Residents are asked to remove debris from catch basins and stay away from retention ponds.
Henning-Hill urges residents to be cautious when navigating flooded streets because some manholes and catch basins might have been raised. If you see a manhole cover that is off, call 306-777-7000 so city crews can respond.
The Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) will help residents and communities in flooded areas — particularly for items not covered by insurance, said Karen Lautsch, assistant deputy minister with Government Relations.
"We can assist with things like cleanup costs, replacement of household items, structural damages and repairs for private residences," Lautsch said.
"And of course, we will be able to assist communities with some of the issues they're facing with road damages."
To access the program, communities must contact PDAP and request designation under the program, which is separate from a declaration of a local state of emergency.
When it's safe to do so, Lautsch suggests homeowners take pictures and video to document flood damage. More PDAP information is available by logging on to gr.gov.sk.ca/PDAP or calling 1-866-632-4033.
Crews were dispatched to deal with power outages affecting about 8,000 customers throughout southeast Saskatchewan because of downed trees on power lines or poles damaged by water, said Kristin Linklater with SaskPower.
Customers can report outages by calling 306-310-2220.
Likewise, Vanessa Beaupre with SaskEnergy urges residents with flooded basements to call 1-888-700-0427 so crews can shut off gas service.
The City of Yorkton was among the communities that declared a state of emergency on Sunday.
"We're having localized issues with sewer backup and there are some low-lying areas that are having some flooding issues," said Mayor Bob Maloney.
"It's certainly nothing like 2010, but it's serious enough that we want to make sure that residents are checking on neighbours and looking after each other.
Some intersections and an underpass were flooded.
"There is so much water in our sanitary and storm system that it's got nowhere to go," Maloney said. "It's slowly draining off, but if the rain continues and if people keep pumping their sumps into our storm or sewer system, it's basically overcharging the system and that's when it backs up."
Similarly, the City of Melville declared a state of emergency Sunday because high levels of rainfall were overwhelming the city's storm and domestic sewer systems and lifts.
"Our city crews have been up all night," said Mayor Walter Streelasky Sunday morning. "We have set up a command centre at city hall, but it's flooding right here in city hall along with a whole lot of residences and probably commercial sites also. We have received more than 5½ inches of rain in the last 24 hours and it's still coming down very hard."
Residents are urged not to do laundry and limit the water they use for showers and washing dishes.
Citizens who live in homes with sump pumps that currently empty into a basement drain are asked to divert the hose so it drains outside towards the street instead of entering the domestic system.
However, the forecast holds hope.
"The rainfall will ease off (today) compared to the rates we've seen over the past day or two," Paola said. "By Canada Day, it looks like clearing conditions and then sunny and warmer for the rest of the week."


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For the past few years, Nanotechnology has been gathering momentum in India. There is an established government funding and a number of industries are showing interest for coming out with Nano-based products.
Mr. Mukul Somany, Chairman, CII, Eastern Region in his inaugural speech informed that while the market for nanotechnology in manufacturing goods is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 33% during the period from 2007 to 2015, that for the consumer products is projected to grow at an AAGR of 9.4% from 2005 to 2010. According to him, the global spending on nanotechnology grew by 29% in 2006 with government share standing at 52% followed by corporate and venture capitalist spending and CII after launching its nanotechnology initiative in 2002 under CII National Committee on Technology at national level is working towards to create a growth environment for industry through knowledge exchange missions, awareness program, workshops, market research and other range of services in the nanotechnology sector. As Mr. Somany informed, CII is working presently at the larger arena of international community through initiatives like Indo-US High Technology Core Group (HTCG) and India-UK-JETCO (Joint Economic & Trade Committee) program.There is commendable research work going on in many countries. Nanotechnology is being applied in a wide range of industries such as healthcare, textiles, agricultures, IT, materials, telecom, chemical, automotive and energy production. Addressing the present audience, Prof. Suranjan Das, Vice Chancellor, University of Calcutta, said that instead of staying confined within the boundaries of classrooms , interfaces like this between the academia and industry have a major role to play as they represent a dual recognition - a recognition of excellence that is being attained by the University of Calcutta in the realm of research and learning process in the field of Nano science and Technology and also the recognition by the University community of the growing importance of the collaboration of industry and academics in promoting science and technology in the country.Talking on the occasion, Dr. Debesh Das, the Honorable Minister in Charge, Department of Information Technology, Government of West Bengal, lauded this initiative and assured that the Government of West Bengal is very much eager to get maximum output from researches in this field and will provide requisite support system to every possible extent in this regard.In his address, Dr. D.J. Chattopadhyay, Director, Centre for Research in Nanotechnology and Nanoscience (CRNN) & Pro- Vice Chancellor, University of Calcutta, informed that the Centre for Research in Nanotechnology and Nanoscience will be starting a PhD program both for students as well as for people from the industry and to facilitate operations like this representations from Industry Bodies like CII has been kept in the Governing Body of the Center for valued industry R&D inputs. Apart from this , the University of Calcutta has also set up particular specialized groups in this field which has taken off with a collaboration with the Department of Law to set up a framework of rules and regulatory guidelines for the research in the sector of Nanotechnology. Recommendations in this direction have also been placed before the Government of India by the University. He also informed about the forthcoming project of the Business Incubation Cell to be established shortly. This Business Incubation Cell has been planned to provide support to large and medium business efforts in the field of Nanoscience and Technology by making infrastructure available to companies to start up, preferably with the faculty member / members taking the lead in the formation of the companies. This incubation will be a temporary intermediate stage for the formation of the Company. The Cell, on the other hand, will provide incentives for the faculties to innovate and also to enable students to gain hands on experience in a hi-tech industrial set-up. It will be also be a training ground for budding entrepreneurs. In this occasion he also announced that, the University of Calcutta has already been approached with a joint proposal by West Bengal Green Technology Development Council and West Bengal Department of Science and Technology to set up an incubation cell for the synthesis of photo-voltic cell in collaboration with an University in USA and a MoU will be signed very shortly in this regard.Dr. Arup Chatterjee, CEO, I-Can Nano, said that if the last century was the Century of IT, then the present century is of NT, i.e. of Nano Technology. He projected the huge potential of the Nanotechnology in the coming years. According to him, after 4 years in 2009, the Nanotechnology industry will be almost a trillion dollar market which will require about 2 million nanotechnology workers thus belying the factor of employment constriction. He mentioned that by using the nanotechnology, the existing products will go up the value chain to a higher end.Dr. G Sundararajan, Director, ARCI, in his speech made reference to the fact that so far industry, especially the entrepreneur or technocrat driven companies, have been really forthcoming in adopting nanotechnology in their operations which has also encouraged the researchers to develop industry specific products.
Dr. Debesh Das, the Honorable Minister in Charge, Department of Information Technology, Government of West Bengal, graced the occasion along with various other eminent dignitaries, both from academia and industry, like Dr. D.J. Chattopadhyay, Director, CRNN & Pro- Vice Chancellor, University of Calcutta, Prof. Suranjan Das, Vice Chancellor, University of Calcutta, Dr. Arup Chatterjee, CEO, I-CanNano, Dr. G Sundararajan, Director, ARCI and Mr. Mukul Somany , Chairman, CII, Eastern Region.
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McLEAN, VA – Abraham Lincoln has inspired Americans for generations, but it was just revealed that he was a slave owner.
"For the sake of your race, you should sacrifice something of your present comfort for the purpose of being as grand in that respect as the white people," Lincoln said, promoting his idea of colonization: resettling blacks in foreign countries on the belief that whites and blacks could not coexist in the same nation.
Lincoln went on to say that free blacks who envisioned a permanent life in the United States were being "selfish" and he promoted Central America as an ideal location "especially because of the similarity of climate with your native land — thus being suited to your physical condition."
As the nation celebrates the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's first inauguration Friday, a new book by a researcher at George Mason Universityin Fairfax makes the case that Lincoln was even more committed to colonizing blacks than previously known. It even reveals that Lincoln himself owned slaves.
The book, "Colonization After Emancipation," is based in part on newly uncovered documents that authors Philip Magness and Sebastian Page found at the British National Archives outside London and in the U.S. National Archives.
In an interview, Magness said he thinks the documents he uncovered reveal Lincoln's complexity.
"It makes his life more interesting, his racial legacy more controversial," said Magness, who is also an adjuct professor at American University.
Lincoln's views about colonization are well known among historians, even if they don't make it into most schoolbooks. Lincoln even referred to colonization in the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, his September 1862 warning to the South that he would free all slaves in Southern territory if the rebellion continued. Unlike some others, Lincoln always promoted a voluntary colonization, rather than forcing blacks to leave.
But historians differ on whether Lincoln moved away from colonization after he issued the official Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, or whether he continued to support it.
Magness and Page's book offers evidence that Lincoln continued to support colonization, engaging in secret diplomacy with the British to establish a colony in British Honduras, now Belize.
Among the records found at the British archives is an 1863 order from Lincoln granting a British agent permission to recruit volunteers for a Belize colony.
"He didn't let colonization die off. He became very active in promoting it in the private sphere, through diplomatic channels," Magness said. He surmises that Lincoln grew weary of the controversy that surrounded colonization efforts, which had become enmeshed in scandal and were criticized by many abolitionists.
As late as 1864, Magness found a notation that Lincoln asked the attorney general whether he could continue to receive counsel from James Mitchell, his colonization commissioner, even after Congress had eliminated funding for Mitchell's office.
Lincoln joins George Washington and Thomas Jefferson as U.S. President that were slaveholders despite misgivings. Washington freed his slaves when he died. Lincoln never got the chance to do that.


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It was hard for me to hear that -- she had successfully recovered and yet I was still criticized. It was equally difficult for me to erase the whispers I'd sensed behind my back while I opted to work with her at home, with three professionals, rather than place her in a clinic.
"You are wrong to leave him there!" chastised a solid friend of 20 years when both the hospice and my father's family physician insisted I place him in an Alzheimer's facility for his own safety. Worse than that to her mind was the fact that the facility (wisely, it turns out) had advocated I stay away for eight weeks in order for my father to adapt more easily to his unfamiliar surroundings.
Mary, we will call her, still refuses to speak to me.
Prepare yourself to be criticized and lose friends as you make decisions about a family member's treatment. Just as your patient may suffer unforeseen side effects to various medications and emotions, so too shall you, the caregiver, be ambushed by unanticipated animosity from longtime companions.
Once you have overcome the additional grief of losing a friend over what feels like unfair judgment, you may or may not discover reasons for that friend's behavior. Is she herself threatened by the existence of such serendipitous sorrow as the random and sudden onset of an uncontrollable illness?
Following my mother's stroke and accompanying paralysis, her friends flocked to the house, content to sit with her and bring her the news about town. For a while.
After a month or two, the steady stream of spike heels diminished until the only footsteps through the screen door were mine. She couldn't blame them. They were her contemporaries who looked with one eye to her and the other to themselves: "When will this be me?"
After a time, I guess it was simply easier not to have to face it.
The loss of friendship in the wake of gravity is, perhaps in part, the inevitable shedding of one life stage for another. In the end, it does no good to judge a friend's judgment -- unfair though it may be.
"There but for the grace of God go I," my mother used to say when seeing someone in a wheelchair.
God bestowed a different sort of grace upon her, my father and my daughter. I wish friends could have seen past their own fear, to see the hope in that.
Miller is the author of 300 essays and stories that have appeared in such publications as Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, Orange Coast Magazine and the Christian Science Monitor. Her column, "Peaks and Valleys," appears in Montana Woman Magazine. She lives in Huson, Mont.
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Sad Story.. Mother Gets Her Wish: Real Benjamin Buttons Brothers! (Aging Backwards)
"By the looks of their home, Tony and Christine Clark are raising two rambunctious 7-year-old boys. Model train tracks and Monopoly pieces are scattered on tables and cartoons flicker on the TV set. But the Clarks' two sons are grown men who share only the same interests and emotional fluctuations of little boys. Like the character portrayed by Brad Pitt in the 2008 film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons," Matthew, 39, and Michael, 42, are aging backwards. " - Yahoo
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Posts tagged "fitness"
'Prehab' helps patients recover from surgery faster
The literature backs up the benefits of 'prehab,' said Elyse Pratt-Johnson (left), a physiotherapist who works with patients before surgery to improve their fitness and function so they recover faster. You've heard of 'rehab' but what about 'prehab'? "The name is not well known but the concept sure has had a positive uptake," said Jane […]


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Just what is a "Carabiner?" They're small, clips that contain spring-gates. The spring gates allow the user to quickly clip them onto something. Once clipped on, they cannot spring in reverse unless the gate is deliberately activated by the user. This makes them ideal for use in activities like climbing, sailing, construction and even rope rescue operations.
Our version of the carabiner is less industrial, but simple, easy and fun to use as a badge clip for name badges. They're perfect for trade shows and corporate events, concerts or even for use in your store to identify employees. Anyone who uses carabiners for sports or other activities will quickly identify with these handy, innovative carabiner clips. This is why they make especially effective ID holders at sports and outdoor conventions and events.ArtPromos.com carries a variety of Customized Logo Carabiner Badge Holders in a variety of bold and bright colors and different styles, including Retractable ID Badge Holders. They begin at less than 70 cents each, so there is a Promotional Carabiner Badge Holder to fit every budget, event and company. Use one of our fabulous Logo Imprinted Carabiner Badge Holders and make sure your company stands out in a crowd!


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The shipping time will vary based on where you are located and whether the product you order is in stock. We will notify you the estimated delivery time of your item. The Estimated delivery time is 3-5days.You can track your package online.Once we ship your package out, we will email the tracking number to you. The tracking number will be available within 48 hours.
We provide 100% satisfy service, customer could refund for no reason. Customer must follow return policy:
1 . Customer should contact us for a return authorization and advice refund or exchange details. We will release authorziation and provide return address.
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4 . Customer should also contain a note to descript the order number, reason, action, communicate history etc.
So that we could handle your return case asap.
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If customer do not follow any of the policy, we keep the right to cancel customer return service.
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By Thomas Hoffarth, firstname.lastname@example.com
Does it really matter? Yes, and no.
Is the timing right? Sure, and who knows.
As we take all this in, consider the ramifications of such a statement and examine our own fears and stereotypes, maybe the only thing we're fairly certain about Jason Collins' revelation this morning about his sexual orientation is that it'll end up being more about us reacting to it than him admitting to it.
The fact that the pride of the Harvard-Westlake High basketball program of years ago picked this morning to declare in a Sports Illustrated cover story that, at the tail end of his NBA career, he's as comfortable marching in a gay pride parade as he is boxing out Blake Griffin for a rebound arrives special delivery during a curious window of opportunity in our American sports history.
We seem to be braced for a Jackie Robinson moment here. Except this isn't it.
"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay," Collins begins in the SI piece, apparently trying to define what's the most important details of his life's legacy to date.
The way the magazine wants to define him, as well as others in the immediate conversation, is that Collins jumps to the front of the line to become the "first openly gay athlete in a major American team sport." Add to that "male" team sport, and you've got yourself some buzz.
The groundwork, ironically, was probably laid years ago by another prominent San Fernando Valley athlete. David Kopay, who prepped at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, wrote in his 1977 autobiography about his "extraordinary self-revelation" of coming out after his NFL career ended. Kopay, living these days in Pasadena, also used the media to announce his sexual orientation in a Washington Star story that ran Dec. 9, 1975.
That's almost three years earlier, to the day, than Jason and twin brother Jarron were born in Northridge.
Find a copy of "The David Kopay Story" before you start talking about "first" this or "brave" that. And in the years since then, read up about the private lives of athletes such as tennis great Martina Navratilova, retired NBA player John Amaechi and a variety of players in the WNBA.
Collins doesn't seem to be trying to advance any agenda here, except coming to grips with taking control of his own life. He's picked a far more forgiving and comfortable place in our sports time line to further the conversation about acceptance.
The strange thing is that by today's media spin cycle, Collins' first-person story could quickly be dispersed, digested and almost discarded by week's end without any discernible resolution. It'll be talk-show fodder for hours, with experts coming in to speculate about how NBA lockers will be changed forever — even if Collins never enters one again. He's a free agent, after 12 years in the league, easily replaceable in a career that may have reached an end point anyway. Where was the risk?
In truth, there's a larger door waiting to be busted opened here. Speculation has been heavy for weeks about someone from a highly masculine sport such as the NFL finally coming out, with players from the league such as former UCLA standouts Chris Kluwe and Brendon Ayanbadejo laying the groundwork.
That's one reason, SI managing editor Chris Stone writes in the magazine, that this Collins story had to come out now, and why he calls it a "watershed moment."
Or, maybe just another branch in a larger river of conversation reaching new banks?
Cyd Ziegler, the editor of Outsports.com, writes today that "we knew this day would come. We didn't know if it would be this week or next year. But now that it has, I get the feeling that, unlike David Kopay 40 years ago, this may open the door to many more in the near future when everyone sees it worked out just fine for Collins."
Consider the lesson learned by Kobe Bryant, the Laker who got in plenty of hot water about using the "F-word" (the one ending in a "T"). He's already tweeted out: "Proud of @jasoncollins34. Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others #courage #support #mambaarmystandup #BYOU"
We can also take the words of former President Bill Clinton, who says he's known Jason Collins since he was attending Stanford University with his daughter Chelsea: "It is a straightforward statement of a good man who wants no more than what so many of us seek: to be able to be who we are, to do our work, to build families and to contribute to our communities."
In an atmosphere of sports noise today where UCLA has even posted a video welcoming gay athletes to its program, Collins' words resonate. Now the question becomes: Looking inside, how comfortable are you keeping the dialogue moving forward, in or outside your own gym locker room?


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If you are wondering if your tax dollars can re-build the economy, I recommend reading more about this fascinating study by HBS which confirms that government spending skews opportunities for private businesses. I like it when we can separate out the social rhetoric and see the economic factors clearly, particularly with well-meaning government interventions. Central planning has been shown to be far less effective in the many political forms it has tried over the past century. If you are running your own business and having to meet payroll, you will already be aware of these findings even thought the researcher, Joshua Coval, was surprised.
Executive Summary:New research from Harvard Business School suggests that federal spending in states appears to cause local businesses to cut back rather than grow. Read the full article here - A conversation with Joshua Coval.
Key concepts include:
- The average state experiences a 40 to 50 percent increase in earmark spending if its senator becomes chair of one of the top-three congressional committees. In the House, the average is around 20 percent.
- For broader measures of spending, such as discretionary state-level federal transfers, the increase from being represented by a powerful senator is around 10 percent.
- In the year that follows a congressman's ascendancy, the average firm in his state cuts back capital expenditures by roughly 15 percent.
- There is some evidence that firms scale back their employment and experience a decline in sales growth.


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My name is Barry. Not too long ago I was on here after having suffered a crushing blow at an SBC church as a former associate pastor. I actually came across this site looking for people who had been scorned by the church in their past. My scorn was in regards to child safety. There were serious safety issues in the children's program run by a very prominent family in that church and when I went to address them under the direction of the senior pastor, I was quickly threatened and intimidated to keep my mouth shut if I valued my job. They also tried to force me to make my children part of their program even though I was not confident in it at all. This left me with a choice: either tow the church political line and act as if nothing happened, or stand up for children whose safety and well-being was put at risk. The experience left me so emotionally bruised that I wound up resigning in disgust of the church - especially since the senior pastor quickly betrayed me and sold me down the river the moment things got to politically hot for him. His famous last words to me were "Barry, this church is dysfunctional; it's not going to change." This was my cue to exit.
Any way, what I wanted to ask was for a few good atheists to give me their take on the institution we all know as church. If you have roots specifically in the SBC, that is a plus. The reason why I am asking for you to do this is that I intend to start writing about it. There are many problems within the church - starting with the fact that it is an aging, irrelevant, and corrupt institution that is more concerned with power and control than it is with providing freedom, salvation, and enlightenment to humanity.
Oh, and if you are wondering as to whether or not I am a theist? The answer is yes - just not the same one I was several months ago or even years ago, and I am not a pastor anymore. I am not here to debate whether there is a God or not; nor do I wish to convert anyone - the reason why this site exists is because many of you on here have already made up your mind definitively and I would rather respect your position than attack it. You are welcome to ask any question you may have of me if you are skeptical.
Views: 767
glad to hear y'all are safe!
Allow me to try and steer the conversation along a more particular line. Are any of you familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan? It is found in Luke 10. If you are, I wanted to know if you have had any personal experiences along similar lines. In other words: do you identify with the traveler who was beaten in the ditch? Do have any experiences where a priest or "Levite" (an official of the church like a deacon, parishioner, or senior member) completely left you along side the "road" in life to "die", when compassion and care was the most thing you needed? Do you identify with the Samaritan, and if so, what was your experience and how did you help someone in need? I ask because I identify with the man in the ditch as in regards to my experience. Forget about the theological importance of it, I am focused more on the personal experiences which define your positions, and I am focused on that in particular because I feel that I can identify with it - having gone through what I did.
By the way, I only brought up the scripture reference as means to highlight a very prominent problem occurring in the institutional church at large. They behave more like the priest and Levite in the parable than the Samaritan - who the parable praises.
Are you familar with Mathew Fox, a catholic preist that was defrocted early 80's for promoting the 'creation as original blessing' and appearing with a pagan woman Star Hawk at many presentations?
It might be hard to find, but Fox wrote a paper concerning his assertion that the 'catholic church is a dysfunctional family'. Might be a good read for you. Twenty some years latter, it seems rather sad that he was right, or more right...
no wonder he was defrocked...the whole church of cards collapses without original sin!
Yes! A whole population of people that stop listening to the church. For some a blessing for Satan, the rest, 'damn we can finally get a life'.
Dear Barry:
Good to hear about your experience, sad that some/many churches 'talk the talk, but don't walk the walk'.
I have had my falling outs with a few fellowships over the years. A UU fellowship I was with mid-80's, I found to be mostly made up of closet theists, that did not like their props blown.
At a meditation fellowship (early 80's), an attempt to build a newage church, I found that there was a core of folks that used the 'fellowship' as a money making operation to sell massage, music therapy, and meditation classes, and not above using emotional manipulation. During one of these weekend classes, I challenged a presentor that was leading a discussion about 'reality creation and responsibility'. My last question, before the shit happened, 'so if we create our own reality, then were the Jews during the Holocaust, responsible for their own deaths?' The presentor said 'Yes'. This unhinged the group of about 100 people, making this poor woman(presentor) look like a wanabe guru in rages. Sadly we never finished that conversation, I expect that a deeper understanding of conscience and virtue could have been had.
Oh, my dear Heather! I am truly heart broken by your experience. My heart falls to the floor for you and the pain you endured from such heartlessness. I can relate to your experience through the pain, the abandonment, and the betrayal you must have felt - not to mention the years you had to endure of wondering if there was something wrong with you. I am truly sorry for what happened to you. It is unjustifiable!
Sh-T, they could have given you atleast another 8 years, to get your legs under you!
I started asking rather embarrassing questions concerning religion at about 13, and never stopped really, but got more concerned about my audience. Being asked to leave from a UU fellowship could be telling...
The term 'chicken sh-t' comes up in reference to what you experienced. The churches being only interested in producing good little 'yes persons', as a horrible indication of the betrayal of they responsibility to help create functional human beings, not just cogs.
Heather - yep, that's frigging dreadful, and sad, and frightening. I hate that judgmental attitude. What happened to "grace"?
Barry, as a theist have you lost your faith in doG?
If Barry, you have faith in doG, why are you asking a bunch of heathens for help?
Barry, aren't all the answers in the biBle? Why not just pray to the doG and allow the doG to guide you?
Barry, asking non-theists for help is showing your disbelief in doG isn't it?
But I digress.
Barry, it sounds to me, like you're all bent out of shape because your kid got picked on and nobody in authority is willing to change the system to accommodate your hurt feelings.
Barry, I think you're confused about how the real world works, if you are going to make your living by being associated with the religious business, you had better learn not to piss off those higher up the 'stairway to heaven' then you.
Barry, your children will have to learn to deal with the real world to make their way in it, a Martial Arts class will be much more beneficial to them then ALL the sunday school meetings they could go to in several lifetimes.
Barry you said:
His famous last words to me were "Barry, this church is dysfunctional; it's not going to change." This was my cue to exit.
You almost got it! Barry, religion is dysfunctional. And not to put too fine a point on it, so are most systems designed and run by humans, welcome to the real world.
Greg, I'll answer:
No I haven't lost my faith in doG, as you have put it.
Why do you define yourself as a heathen? Why do you assume I am a typical theist?
No, not all answers are in the bible, to believe so is foolish. I do pray, I also meditate, and I also find value in diversity of opinion. How can one be free if not allowed to have freedom of thought? I am not defined by a system of rigid beliefs; I define my own system and not the other way around like most people.
No, asking non-theists for help is not showing disbelief in doG. It is having faith in humanity, regardless of their belief or non-belief. As I have said, and have found through conversation with non-theists: you offer some of the healthiest critiques.
As for being bent out of shape, if were that simple, I would not be here nor had the experiences I had following. I spent many a night wondering and worrying if there was something more going on in terms of abuse than I initially uncovered and I feared for the well-being of other children as well. Thankfully, that was not the case. My concern rested squarely on the shoulders of the staff members involved, and whose inaction led to continued bullying. I was not solely focused on just the bully. I set out to make changes for the benefit of all children - not just my own.
Also, by your question, do you justify bullying behavior towards others as just "how the real world works," so just just suck it up and deal with it? Would you like to share that with all those who have been bullied and suffered mental and emotional harm because of it? Justifying poor and unethical behavior as "how the real world works" just doesn't cut it. Apathy is not an admirable human quality. It is inexcusable.
I've seen public school systems and corporations more functional than churches. If a system becomes dysfunctional - change the system. After all, that is what I was asked to do there.


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Well, time for an update. Yesterday (Sunday) I wiped myself out moving over 200 bales of hay (with help, of course) and then going swimming. Below are some photos from the past few days.
Monday, May 31, 2010
warm weather!
Posted by Good Goats at 8:23 PM 3 comments Links to this post
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Some random photos.
Posted by Good Goats at 8:36 PM 0 comments Links to this post
a small change
As you have probably noticed, I put a new background on here - actually, I made it and had to have my sister put it up here - thanks Q! I hope it is easier to read on.
Just got done unloading some moldy hay (from the trailer that had leaks). . . and moving moldy hay is no fun, especially in the heat.
Let's see. . . yesterday I made rice pudding, maple pudding and cheese. Not much else going on. Just awaiting the truck load of good hay, which should get here in about 1 1/2 hours.
Have a good day!
Posted by Good Goats at 9:48 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Friday, May 21, 2010
a new addition
Yes, it's another goat! The new addition to the herd is an "earless wonder" named Cricket. She is from Mercy Farms, thank you Joanne! Cricket is registered and a yearling first freshener. She has a beautiful udder and I think her face is very cute, but she has one big thing to deal with - she self-nurses. Joanne talked about selling her, and my Mom said she'd like the "challenge" (of trying to make her not self-suck anymore), so we decided to get her and picked her up yesterday. She is a bit shy, but that'll just take a bit of time till she is friendly. Her registered name is MercyFarms MG Cricket.
The other day we dug 9 rows and planted potatoes. . . hopefully we'll have lots and lots of potatoes!
The grass is growing and the goats really can't keep up with it. Oh well. . . I guess that is a better problem to have then having not enough grass! It is weird to think back to California - there our goats had pretty much no grass. They were kept in little dry lot pens, and almost everyday we'd take them out to graze but would still have to feed at least a hay bale a day - and at the time, the hay was about $15 a bale (115 lb bales or so)! There wasn't much feed for them to graze on besides sage brush and bushes, except during the spring, all the flowers would come out with some grass and it was very pretty that time of year! BUT, I'll take Oklahoma over that any day ;).
What I do in my "spare time". . . trim hooves.
Well, have a great weekend!
Posted by Good Goats at 11:17 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Monday, May 17, 2010
the week in photos
Posted by Good Goats at 8:43 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Sunday, May 16, 2010
the past few days re-cap
Well, it's definitely time for an update. Let's see. . .
Late Thursday night Abigail (from Camo Ranch) and Melody (her mom) got here. Abigail looked at Prissy's feet for me. She's (Prissy, that is) had some trouble in the past - several months back she got a swollen knee (me thinking CAE, I tested her and she was negative), then about a month ago she started limping. I looked at her feet and they didn't seem all too bad to me, but I don't know much about goat feet after all, at least compared to the professional Nannycurist. So I emailed Abigail and she offered to stop by and take a look.
Well, she looked at her feet. She "fixed" Prissy up, her feet were not that bad but she had a bunch of bruising in her front feet. From looking at the grow lines, they were wavy and Abigail said that (plus much more info, too much for me to go into right now) shows that she foundered sometime in the resent past. That would explain the swollen knee, the limping, etc. This might sound funny, but I am excited to find that out - at least I know what is/was wrong with her and how to keep her on good feet! Once a goat has foundered, they will always have feet problems - but Abigail told me I can keep those in-check by keeping her feet properly trimmed (keeping the heal down).
Anyway. . . again, I've learned so much from you, Abigail! Thanks!
While we were doing the goat's feet, my Mom and Melody were out in the garden with flashlights (it was 10:30 or 11pm) checking the garden out. . . why not :)! Then it started to storm so we all went in the house and got our storm education ;). It was a late but good night!
Friday was a normal day, and we went to the Leach livestock auction to look for a boar for my brother's little pig, but they all went a bit high - we'll have to go back next time.
Saturday. . . played soccer in the morning and had fellowship all afternoon, and danced as usual ;).
Then today we sold and loaded a lot of hay. Thank you to all of you that came today, it was nice to meet you (or see you again)! Whenever you need more hay, let me know!
Well, that was my past few days. It's late now and will be time for bed soon.
Here's a few funny pictures. . . I have a few more but those will have to wait till another day.
Have a good night!
Posted by Good Goats at 9:31 PM 2 comments Links to this post
Friday, May 14, 2010
Mini Nubian does for sale
We have 4 Mini Nubian does for sale. Here's some info on them. If you'd like pictures and more info, feel free to call (918-598-4007) or email me - I am open to offers and making package deals, just need to move a few does out.
PawPawNin Willa - Willa is about 4 years old. She kidded in February to twins and is being milked 2x a day right now. Willa is blue eyed and polled, and is a small doe with airplane ears. She has a nice and soft udder.
PawPawNin Vivid Bridget - Bridget is a very nice, colorful, medium-sized doe. She kidded in January to twins and is being milked 2x a day right now. She is very colorful and produces very cute kids. Her udder is nice and soft and easy to milk.
Good Goats QW Princess Piggy Pants - I know, funny name, but this is a funny little doe! Princess is black with a small bit of brown. She is a yearling, born 2009. Her ears are long, but I did not leave them taped long enough when she was a kid, so they are folded funny. She is also polled. Princess comes from great milk lines with good udders - I've milked her dam, grandma and great-grandma - all wonderful milkers.
Good Goats JM Toasted Marshmallow - Toasty is a cute little doe. She is grey/white swirl with a bit of brown, and she has pretty good ears. She is a yearling, born 2009. She comes from good milk lines, I have milked her dam and sisters and they all have nice udders.
Posted by Good Goats at 9:11 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Monday, May 10, 2010
The first batch of 2010 first cutting hay is here. . . a big huge truckload right in the front yard! It smells great and the goats like it so much.
Posted by Good Goats at 7:46 PM 1 comments Links to this post
Sunday, May 9, 2010
new buck!
For an update. . . well, we've been busy, as usual! We got a new Alpine buck, thank you to Abigail at Camo Ranch for this handsome boy! He is a yearling buck and his name is Summer Gold Lord O The Dance, aka "Dancer". His great-grandpa, CH *B Willow Run Chevalier Ruffian was the highest ever selling goat at the ADGA Spotlight Sale - $16,000! (By the way, there's no way I'd pay that much for a goat, LOL!). Ruffian's dam, SGCH 2*M Willow Run Armand Rishona, was a beautiful doe and a 4 time National Champion.
I *tried* to shear the white llama girl the other day. . . it did not go so well! I was using scissors. I got a lot of her matted hair on her neck off, which helps. And then I was done for the day... no more! It is definitely not a pretty hair cut and there is still a lot more that needs to be cut off, especially her barrel. All that and the other llama will have to wait till another day, and I think I will use clippers instead of scissors.
Friday there is a local auction, and we went to it this time. There just happened to be a working, nice pair of the big Oster clippers that are so expensive! The only thing wrong with them is a part of the blade is broken, but it'll work just fine without that and it can always be fixed. So anyway, I won them for $17.50!
Well, I better finish this up. A big load of Alfalfa/Orchard grass (1st cutting) hay is suppose to be here almost any minute. If you would like some hay, it's beautiful hay and is $6 a bale. For more info, email or call me (918-598-4007)! Thanks!
Have a good day!
P.S. - Happy Mothers Day to all you moms out there!
Posted by Good Goats at 11:48 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Monday, May 3, 2010
Doctoring calves
Posted by Good Goats at 3:18 PM 2 comments Links to this post


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But I digress, when I read a claim of ribs in under an hour over at The Kitchen Sink, I was immediately intrigued. They looked absolutely amazing but could you really make ribs in under an hour? The answer is yes. These ribs were pretty good. They weren't fall off the bone tender like would be achieved by cooking them low and slow for hours on end, but if you don't have all day to make ribs, these are a very good substitute and will definitely satisfy a rib craving.
As for the risotto, I've posted twice before about wild mushroom risottos, (here and here) and have made many other risottos that I haven't posted about, usually because I don't follow a recipe when making it. Once you have the basic technique for making risotto the flavour possibilities are endless. You can pretty much turn anything into a risotto. If only everything were so easy.
Chinese Barbecued Baby Back Ribs (Gourmet, November 2007)
3 tablespoons chopped peeled ginger
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
4 pounds baby back ribs (2 to 4 racks)
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Line a 17- by 12- by 1-inch baking pan with foil.
Purée ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and oil in a blender, then transfer to a bowl and whisk in hoisin sauce and honey. Reserve 1/2 cup sauce and coat ribs with remainder.
Arrange ribs, meaty sides down, in pan and bake, turning and basting once with some of reserved sauce halfway through baking, until cooked through, about 40 minutes.
Turn on broiler. Brush ribs, meaty sides up, with remaining sauce. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until edges are lightly charred, 4 to 8 minutes.
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Steroids. Sushi vendors. The canonization of George Steinbrenner. Sure you can get down on modern baseball. But as Ken Burns' "The Tenth Inning" shows us, there's always something that allows us to believe in the game again.
No matter how much you might loathe (or love) the Yankees, it's really hard to find fault with former skipper Joe Torre and shortstop-for-the-ages Derek Jeter.
So to hear Torre talking about Jeter in true heroic fashion, as he does in this PopcornBiz exclusive clip, well it kind of brings a swelling of the heart. It makes you want to believe again.
U.S. & World
In this extra from "The Tenth Inning" DVD, Torre talks about the first time he wanted to scold his boy-wonder for making a rare boneheaded base-running blunder. But rather than having to worry about dealing with just another overpaid ballplayer's bloated ego, Jeter came to him on the bench to accept the punishment. Old school!I'm getting choked up writing this.
So even if it's another boring World Series on the way with the Yankees buying their way to another championship and Yankee fans pretending that there's something actually remotely suspenseful about watching their team win yet again -- well, we can all just sit there and say, well at least it's another ring for Jeter. That guy knows how to play baseball.


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Craig Wilson - November 11, 2018
Be Angry and Do Not Sin
From Series: "Ephesians The Riches of God's Grace"
Your salvation is so much more than the forgiveness of your sins. God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Listen to learn more about the unfathomable riches of Christ.


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The PlanadeVic shops were created in the year 2005 with the goal of seeking a new sphere of sustainability for the agrofoodstuffs sector and thus being able to complete the food control circle with the commercialisation phase.
The shops sell products of the members' farms and of other cooperatives and craftspeople, being a space of proximity for selling fresh products and offering consumers the highest level of confidence and safety.
Pork and beef are the cooperative's star products. Originating from animals of the members' farms, they follow a strict traceability process that makes it possible to identify the animal's origin, its feeding history throughout its life cycle and the farm where it was reared.
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Surgeons fix heart of young Darth Vader
LOS ANGELES -- The 7-year-old actor known as the boy behind the Darth Vader mask in a popular car commercial underwent open-heart surgery Thursday, hospital officials said.
The surgery to replace Max Page's pulmonary valve lasted two hours and took place without incident, according to the surgeon, Dr. Vaughn Starnes. The operation was done at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where the boy was recovering in the cardiac intensive care unit.
Max, who plays Reed on the CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless," was born with a congenital heart defect and has undergone multiple surgeries.
The valve used for Max will last about 15 years and won't require invasive surgery to replace it, according to the hospital. He was expected to be released in about five days, a hospital spokesman said.
He faces six to eight weeks of recovery.
Jennifer Page, his mother, said there's been an outpouring of support and kindness and that Max and the family welcome all "prayers and encouragement."
Max's parents and his younger brother, Els, were at the hospital with him. He was in good spirits the night before the operation, making everyone laugh, his father, Buck Page, said in a family statement.
"Max wanted to hold his brother's hand, and Max said to Els, 'It's OK, I'm not scared.' He just wanted to hold our hands and his stuffed animals. He was much calmer than we were," Jennifer Page said.


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Size: 188x188x87mm
Input voltage: AC85~264V
Working current: 500mA
Work frequency: 50/60 Hz
Working temperature: -20~40 Centigrade
Inner Box: 235x235x146mm/1PC
Lux:0.5M/2000,1.0M/1200, 1.5M/500
Lifespan:50,000 Hours
Color: Full Spectrum 400~850nm
Lighting Area:1.0 Square Meters/1.5M
1). Do work under normal environment.
2). Do not touch or beat the product when working.
3). Non waterproof, Do not drip the water in the light.
1). Suitable for Hydroponics & Horticulture & greenhouse.
2). Can be used with fluorescent lights and sodium lamp, suitable for vegetable shed and botanic garden.
3). This model also can make the flower in blossom longer, so it can be used for the flower exhibition.
- 200W COB grow light use 1pcs COB full spectrum 64*3W leds chipset, thus will be absorbed by plants more better compared with the single color Leds.
- COB LED chip ensures more concentrated light and better heat dissipation than normal LED chip. Reflector is used to effectively improve the reflectivity and ensure the output of luminous flux. Built-in cooling fans solves heat dissipation.
- Compared with HID/MH, 200W COB led grow light can work well 3~5 times of HID/MH grow light, which can save 75%-85% on electricity.
- Safe and convenient to use. All our growing lamp is CE, Rohs certificated. Built-in power supply, no reflector or ballast needed, just plug and play.
- Ideal for the plants growth of each stages, for hydroponics, exhibition or greenhouse, etc.


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How about "Sheeduino" for a name?
If I am looking at the picture right -- running a blue LED (which drops 3+ V) off a coin cell (max 4.2 V and with some internal resistance) is not going to cause any problems.
Excellent! It's really cute and appealing (I'm a 50 year old blokey bloke by the way). Love the doll shape - similar to those ones that all fit inside each other. My wife is Polish and they play with those as kids - So that fits with shields going together. Will be great for youngsters of both sexes. I'll ask my wife and her friends what they think too for a ladies perspective.My suggestion for a name is not to go too nerdy and technical with it:How about "Sheeduino" for a name?I would buy it as a starter kit for youngsters in my family.Cheers
I suggest Dollduino as a name for it.It kinda resembles those Russian dolls, doesn't it?
That's cool!
Another silly name...If the male device is a Seeeduino then a female one could be called an Eggduino.
I've always been a fan of your arduino compatible designs and glad to see you are still actively supporting open sourced designs. This product does have a nice 'cute factor'. One question about your posted pictures on this new product. In one picture you show a led stuck into the shield pins with no series current limiting resistor. Is such a resistor wired between the AVR output pin and the shield pin? If not I encourage you to fix that picture as it just perpetuates a problem for many beginners where the oldest original arduino board design did wire a series limiting resistor between the AVR output pin and the shield pin (only on arduino pin #13) but in later designs the built in resistor only limits the on-board led and does not protect the output pin from external connected leds.How about calling it Godzillauino?Lefty


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WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry calls Russia's military incursion into Ukraine 'an incredible act of aggression" and says President Vladimir Putin has made "a stunning, willful" choice to invade another country.
Kerry says Russia should respect the democratic process through which the Ukrainian people ousted their pro-Russian president and assembled a new government.
Kerry is raising the possibility of boycotting the June meeting of the Group of Eight leading industrialized countries in Sochi, Russia.
He's also discussing visa bans, asset freezes, and trade and investment penalties.
Kerry said he spoke with foreign ministers for G-8 and other nations on Saturday, and says everyone is prepared 'to go to the hilt" to isolate Russia.
Kerry was interviewed Sunday on CBS, ABC and NBC news shows.


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Segregation of syllables during the first year of life
Segmentierung sprachlicher Information während der Entwicklung
Search Medline for
|September 9, 2004
The following study measured the processing of different phonemes in dependence on different gap durations between two consonant-vowel items. Event related potentials (ERPs) were recorded to a phoneme change occurring during the iterative presentation of /da-da/, occasionally interrupted by a stimulus /da-ba/. The pre-attentive detection of the change is measured by the difference between the ERPs of the frequently presented standard stimulus and the rarely presented deviant stimulus.
The experiment was conducted during the first year of life to describe the maturation. The results showed that the phoneme change including a short gap can only be detected in the later maturational stadium, whereas a long gap is detected already in the age of four weeks. The greater mask effect in younger infants can be seen to be induced by a slower neural processing in early infancy.
Der kontinuierliche Sprachschall setzt sich aus vielfältigen Variationen akustischer Parameter zusammen. Gemessen an der Vielzahl akustischer Merkmale ist nicht genau klar, woran sich das auditorische System orientiert, um eine Segmentierung und Identifizierung einzelner Wörter zu bewerkstelligen. Die Verarbeitung von akustischen Merkmalen der Sprache kann mit Hilfe von Ereignis Korrelierten Potenzialen (EKP) sichtbar gemacht werden.
In der folgenden Studie wurde die Verarbeitung von Phonemkategorien in Abhängigkeit von unterschiedlich langen Silbengrenzen (50ms und 150 ms) im Alter von 4 Wochen, fünf Monaten und 13 Monaten getestet. Um die Detektion einer Phonemänderung zu messen wurde der Reiz /da-da/ iterativ präsentiert. Die so angelegte neuronale Gedächtnisspur soll durch eine Abweichung der Phonemkategorie /da-ba/ unterbrochen werden. Die prä-attentive Detektion zeigt sich erwiesenermaßen in der Differenz der EKP beider Reize (Näätänen, R. 1992).
Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass eine kurze Silbengrenze erst im Alter von 13 Monaten identifiziert wird. Die langsame Verarbeitung der ersten Silbe scheint hier die Verarbeitung der zweiten Silbe zu überlagern. Eine lange Silbengrenze vereinfacht die Verarbeitung und kann schon im Alter von 4 Wochen genutzt werden, um Silben zu segmentieren. Darüberhinaus zeigen die morphologischen Veränderungen anhand von Amplitude und Latenz eine deutliche Entwicklung des auditorischen Systems innerhalb des ersten Lebensjahres.
The processing of relevant environmental sounds becomes increasingly specialized during early infancy. During language aquisition babys have to learn to segregate single speech units within the complex speech stream and learn to identify relevant information [Ref. 1]. Fast acoustic changes and short interruptions between the phonemes are helping to segregate these single speech units from each other. Psychoacoustic experiments showed that the gap duration which is required for the separation of two sounds is strongly age dependent. Infants of three months of age need longer gap durations than older infants of 12 months of age [Ref. 2]. The underlying neuronal maturation and specialization to relevant sounds is known to be correlated with changes in the cognitive components of the event related potentials (ERPs). Among other factors, the onset latencies of ERPs as response to short auditory stimuli decrease in the course of infant development [Ref. 3]. The aim was to find out how the ability to discriminate consonant-vowel sequences with different gap durations develops in the first year of life. Therefore, we examined the infants' ability to process syllables as separate units. Beside the general change in morphology of ERP components during the maturation we predicted to find correlates to the maturation of auditory system for the detection of gaps with different duration.
All experiments were part of a longitudinal study about healthy and normal hearing infants conducted within the German language acquisition study (GLaD, www.glad-study.de). Parents gave their written consent according to institutional informed consent procedures and accepted to participate with their children in a multiple set of examinations. The study was conducted in infants during their first year of life (in the age of 4 weeks, 6 months and 13 months).The processing of different phonemes was measured in dependence on different gap durations between two consonant-vowel items. ERPs were recorded to a phoneme change occurring during the iterative presentation of /da-da/, occasionally interrupted by a stimulus /da-ba/. The pre-attentive detection of the change is measured by the difference between the ERPs of the frequently presented standard stimulus and the rarely presented deviant stimulus.
The presented stimuli consisted of two consonant-vowel items (CVs) /da/ and /ba/ naturally produced by a male German speaker. The CVs were matched in peak amplitude and stimulus length (100 ms). The stimulus /da-ba/ was presented as the deviant with a probability of 0.2 interspersed with the standard stimulus /da-da/. The gap between the CVs was set either to 50 ms for the short gap condition or 150 ms for the long gap condition. The interstimulus interval was set to constant 750 ms. An electrode-cap (Easy Cap, Falk Minow) was used to fix 11 electrodes according to the international 10-20 electrode system.
The EEG was amplified with PORTI-32/MREFA (Twente Medical Systems) with a sampling rate of 250 Hz. After eliminating artefacts and filtering the EEG-signal, epochs of 850 ms from stimulus onset were averaged for standards and deviants in both conditions. The mismatch response was defined as the response to the average of standards subtracted from the response to the average of deviants. Using the maximal difference of the grand averages statistical analyses of the mean amplitude were carried out for all age groups in a time window around the maximal peak.
As demonstrated at electrode F3 in Figure 1 [Fig. 1], only infants of 13 months showed a mismatch response (MMR) of positive amplitude for the short gap condition in the time window of 200-300 ms after change onset (F1.60 = 11.095, p = 0.001). The mismatch response for the long gap condition occurred again 200-300 after change onset and was significant in all age groups (4 weeks: F1.101 = 5.458, p < 0.05; 5 months: F1.102 = 5.710, p < 0.05; 13 months: F1.62 = 19.438, p < 0.001).
In the present study, infants of the age of 13 months showed a positive mismatch response for both gap conditions, which indicates the detection of the change onset within the bi-syllabic stimulus. The positive amplitude is often found for infants and is defined as mismatch response which can be correlated to the adult mismatch negativity (MMN) in its functionality [Ref. 4]. In contrast to the adult MMNs the infants' MMR is instable in amplitude and shows a positive deflection for slight acoustic changes, which is also discussed to overlay the negative wave of adult MMN [Ref. 5]. Yet, it is not clear which of the infant ERPs are correlated to the adult ERPs, although there is some evidence for the explanation for ERPs of school age children up to adults ERPs [Ref. 6]. Younger infants showed this MMR of positive amplitude only for the long gap condition. The lacking MMR to the short gap condition can be explained by a longer processing time for the first syllable (mask effect). The auditory stream segregation which is important for the detection of sound patterns is highly dependent on the maturation of especially the central auditory system. Although changes in ERP may not be associated with clearly identifiable structural alterations [6] indicators of the electrophysiological methods can help to develop age dependent hearing tests, which can use the basic skills for language acquisition. The results showed that a short gap can only be detected in the later maturational stadium, whereas a long gap is detected already in the age of 4 weeks. The greater mask effect in younger infants is suggested to be induced by a slower neural processing in early infancy.
The authors thank Christina Rügen and Jördis Haselow for recording the ERP data. This study was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG; 381) and Max Planck Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience in Leipzig.
The data characterising the developmental state of our subjects were kindly provided by Volker Hesse, head of the paediatric clinic of the Krankenhaus Lichtenberg, Berlin. He and his team took care for the somatic and neurological data of the children and he provided resources and manpower for recruiting subjects. Finally, we want to thank him for hosting our labs in the Lindenhof hospital.
- 1.
- Jusczyk P, Aslin R. Infants' detection of the sound patterns of words in fluent speech. Cognitive Psychol. 1995; 29, 1-23
- 2.
- Werner LA, Marean GH, Halpin CF, Spetner NB, Gillenwater JM. Infant auditory acuity: gap detection. Child Dev. 1992; 63 (2), 260-272
- 3.
- Kushnerenko E, Ceponiene R, Balan P, Fellman V, Huotilaine M, Naatane R. Maturation of the auditory event-related potentials during the first year of life. Neuroreport. 2002; 21;13(1):47-51
- 4.
- Maurer U, Bucher K, Brem S, Brandeis D. Development of the automatic mismatch response: from frontal positivity in kindergarten children to the mismatch negativity. Clin Neurophysiol. 2003; (114): 808-817
- 5.
- Morr ML, Shafer V, Kreuzer J, Kurtzberg, D. Maturation of mismatch negativity in typically developing infants and preschool children. 2002; Ear Hear, 23(2):118-36
- 6.
- Kurztberg D, Vaughan HGJ, Courchesne E, Friedman D, Harter MR, Putnam LE. Developmemtal aspects of Event-related Potentials. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1984; 425, 300-18


text:
Good morning from Italy
I am using pocomail since few days but for sure for many more.
I can't insert image in source ( I am not sure this is the right definition)
I mean I would like to send e.mail very light.
Instead to insert a photo I would like to insert only the address where the photo is physically in Internet.
Only after the e.mail is received by the client there is the call from Internet to see it.
Is it possible and how ?


text:
Will Yankees' Robinson Cano walk away after walk year?
- Robinson Cano is in the final year of his contract
- Cano%3A %22I love New York. Why not %28want to come back%29%3F%u201D
- Cano downplayed the idea of his pending free agency becoming a distraction
TAMPA — Back in 2008, the New York Yankees took a four-year gamble and turned it into a six-year bargain.
Robinson Cano was not yet a superstar when he signed his first long-term contract, but he turned into one. During those four guaranteed years, he emerged as the best second baseman in baseball, and picking up a pair of club options was a no-brainer for the Yankees.
But the bargain ends at the end of this season. At 30 years old, Cano is heading for a massive payday, and it's unclear whether the Yankees have the financial flexibility to give it to him.
"I just want to go out there and perform," Cano said. "Not think about anything or put any pressure on my mind."
That was his unbreakable stance on the first day of full-squad workouts at Steinbrenner Field. Cano acknowledged that he'd like to come back to the Yankees, but otherwise deflected question after question about his contract.
Is he willing to discuss an extension at midseason?
"That's a good question," Cano said. "I haven't really thought about it."
Is he worried the Yankees' plan to lower their payroll will affect him?
"I'm not worried about anything right now," Cano said. "I still have one year."
Is this an opportunity to cash in on a lucrative, open-market deal?
"It's not about the money," Cano said.
But the money certainly matters.
It was almost exactly two years ago that Cano switched agents, moving from Bobby Barad to Scott Boras. He explained Monday that he made the switch because he wanted to "go with the best," but being represented by Boras brings certain expectations. Boras is well-known — notorious, even — for making massive demands and going after top-dollar deals. He's not known for hometown discounts.
The Yankees are similarly known for extravagance, but that reputation is fading in the wake of ownership's desire to stay beneath the $189 million luxury-tax limit. They've already committed nearly $80 million of next year's payroll to CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Ichiro Suzuki.
They have Curtis Granderson, Andy Pettitte, Hiroki Kuroda, Mariano Rivera, Kevin Youkilis, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Travis Hafner all in the final years of their contracts.
Whether Cano worries about it or not, it's worth wondering whether the Yankees will be able to plug their holes and still be able to afford next winter's top free agent.
"I love New York," Cano said. "I grew up in the Yankees' system and being around all those guys. I love New York. Why not (want to come back)?"
Cano downplayed the idea of his pending free agency becoming a distraction, and the Yankees have to hope that's the case. He's been top-six in the MVP voting each of the past three years, and with Rodriguez on the disabled list, Derek Jeter coming back from injury and age concerns throughout the lineup, Cano is the most reliable weapon in the Yankees' arsenal.
"I think you always worry a little bit about guys during contract years," manager Joe Girardi said. "Sometimes it really works out to your advantage, too. … Just knowing Robbie's personality, I think it helps him out in this situation. It's not too often we don't see Robbie have a smile on his face."
He'll have plenty of reasons to smile next winter. Will the Yankees?
Chad Jennings writes for The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News


text:
This problem was a little more difficult that it looked, I think.
We had some suggestions that the three groups should be right-angled triangles, equilateral triangles and isosceles triangles. I'm not sure that any of the triangles are equilateral. How do I know?
Emily from said St James School told us:
You're right, Emily, thank you. Beatrice from Raffles Girls' School in Singapore sent in a picture of the completed groups:
Cong, from St Peter's RC Primary also sent us an image of his solution:
I think that each one of you has put just one triangle in the wrong place. I wonder whether you can spot which one it is in each picture?
Well done all of you!


text:
JDM Soldier
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ames
Posts: 219
The End of "What Camera Should I Buy?"
This is a wonderful post from Scott Bourne (www.photofocus.com) about his constantly updating "What Camera Should You Buy" posts.
I disclaim myself as an "expert" and cannot tell anyone exactly what camera to buy. I am merely here to lead people in the right direction using information and experience.
This is a LONG atricle. Read it COMPLETELY before posting ANY questions!
PUBLISHERS NOTE: This post is an updated compilation of several shorter posts I wrote in the past trying to answer the question, What camera should I buy?
Its still the most popular question I am asked. What camera should I buy? Lately theres a new twist to the question Is this brand camera better than that brand camera?
No matter how hard I try to tell people that theres no perfect answer, they keep asking. So since I cant convince anyone otherwise, at least know the answers to THESE questions before you ask me YOUR question.
1 ) What subject(s) will you photograph most often? Weddings, portraits, wildlife, sports, landscapes, still lifes, food, fashion, etc.
2 ) What gear (if any) do you now own?
3 ) If you had to choose between ease of use and power, which would you select?
4 ) Do you want a compact pocket-sized camera (point and shoot) or a DSLR?
5 ) On a scale of 1-10 (10 being a working pro and 1 being someone who usually shoots with a disposable camera) how would you rate your skill?
6 ) What is the MOST money youd be willing to spend on a camera?
7 ) How long do you think you might keep the camera?
8 ) What do your friends use?
9 ) Do you have a local camera store that can offer you support?
If you have thought carefully about these questions and have the answers you should then be closer to knowing what the perfect camera for you might be.
Hopefully, your interest in photography is strong enough that youll read this entire article. That will give you the best chance of making the right decision. If youre just not that interested, scroll all the way to the bottom to see some of the popular cameras that I recommend.
For those who stuck with me:
I know that beginners especially want this question answered. They are more likely to think that its the camera that takes the picture, not the photographer. Unfortunately for them, thats not the case. And theres no secret, magic or special camera that will make you into Ansel Adams.
Lets start with goals. What goals do you have with your photography? Photographing the kids is much easier and less expensive than photographing wildlife. Making studio portraits will require a different kind of camera than that used by sports photographers. Do you want to turn pro or just make pictures youll share with your immediate family? Understand this simple truth: There is no perfect camera. And not all cameras are designed for all types of photography. Many photographers have more than one camera, depending on how many photographic pursuits they are engaged in at one time.
Youll need to take into account a wide variety of factors when selecting a camera, and the first is budget.
This post continues below .
Good equipment can sure make it easier to capture great shots, but you do not have to be Bill Gates to afford good quality equipment. Depending on the kind of photos you want to make, and how accessible your intended subjects are, you should be able to get a good camera outfit for less than $500-$600. But if you want to specialize if wildlife or sports photography, that budget will increase. If you want to specialize in food, medical, aerial, high fashion, again the budget will increase.
Regardless of budget, youll need to start with some basics. And I am making some assumptions here. I am assuming you are looking for a digital camera. Few film cameras are sold these days. And the focus of Photofocus.com is digital photography, so I am not going to cover film. If youre the kind of person who doesnt know what kind of camera you want, a film camera is the wrong choice almost all of the time. (You film purists out there flame away, because Ill just ignore you.)
Now if you are serious about producing quality photography, youll need to invest in a 35mm single-lens reflex camera with at least one lens. Commonly referred to as DSLRs, these cameras offer speed, choice, and control. The convenience of smaller format SLRs, combined with their ability to work with affordable lenses, make 35mm SLRs the a good starting point for most types of photography. (There is one exception to this rule. The newer 4/3 Micro format cameras like the Olympus E-P2 arent technically DSLRs. They dont allow you to look directly through the lens. They have larger sensors than most point and shoot cameras but smaller sensors than most DSLRs. There may be some professionals who could get buy with a micro 4/3 camera system.)
Point-and-shoot cameras USUALLY dont deliver enough control or digital data to deliver professional quality photos. You can get some decent images with the higher-end digital point-and-shoot cameras, and as time goes by, youll see more published images come from these cameras, but generally, they dont have sufficient focal length, dynamic range, response or image quality. Another problem with point-and-shoot cameras is that they are often too slow for some types of photography.
Therefore, I highly recommend 35mm format DSLR. Medium and large format cameras are also an option, but not a practical one for most due to their cost, size and learning curve. Digital 35mm cameras offer a wider range of lenses, are usually less expensive, easier to carry, easier and faster to operate, and provide the most flexibility to photograph a wide range of subjects.
Why DSLR over Point-And-Shoot?
Shutter lag is the interminable span of time between the moment you trigger the shutter and the moment the camera actually captures the image. You wont face this problem on a high-end SLR but point-and-shoot cameras are commonly slow. If your goal is to capture spur of the moment and candid opportunities, youll have far greater success with the SLR. This is especially important in wildlife, sports, baby and some other forms of photography. Its impossible to calculate the number of times Ive waited for a subject to move just a few inches this way or that. Having access to instant response in the shutter release is absolutely essential in such cases.
TTL or through the lens is the term used to describe what happens when you look through the viewfinder of an SLR. Youll see the actual composition recorded on the sensor. With point-and-shoot film cameras (most digitals have an LCD view screen), youre usually looking through a viewfinder and not through the lens itself. This factor can introduce something called parallax error, a visual distortion resulting from the difference in apparent direction of an object as seen from two different points. In other words, youll photograph a slightly different picture than what you saw through the viewfinder. Parallax error increases as distance to your subject decreases. This makes photographing close-ups without TTL problematic. While many newer cameras use live view to show you what the lens sees on the cameras LCD, this is hard for some people to get used to, so TTL is the best choice.
Lenses With SLR cameras, you have a wider range of lenses available. Whether you need a macro lens for close-ups or long telephoto lens to pull in wildlife, youll be able to attach one to your SLR body. This is something you cant do with a point-and-shoot camera. Yes, there are macro attachments and digital zoom available on point-and-shoot cameras, but they are almost always for appearance sake and are quality compromises due to low-quality optics.
F/stops By using a variety of interchangeable lenses, youll have a wider range of available f/stops to work with, giving you greater creative control with depth of field.
Shutter Speeds SLR bodies also offer a wider range of shutter speeds, often from 30 seconds to 1/8000 of a second, as well as bulb setting. A wide range of shutter speed settings is a requirement for good general photography. Most point-and-shoots have a very limited shutter speed.
Metering SLR bodies have more sophisticated metering systems. They also give you the choice between different metering patterns such as matrix metering, spot metering, and center-weighted metering. Many even permit you to shift the point of focus.
Auto focus SLR bodies will give you faster auto focus. This is especially useful if you want to include fast-moving subjects in your photography. Most point-and-shoot cameras wont permit manual focusing, something that is essential for landscape and close-up photography.
Filters Lenses on many P/S cameras dont allow for the use of filters. At a minimum, youll need to be able to attach a polarizing filter.
Flash A modern SLR camera body gives you much greater creative control when using flash. Youll be able to use more than one flash, and youll have other creative controls, such as rear-curtain sync and repeating flash.
Depth of Field Preview Button A main reason I recommend the SLR camera over a point-and-shoot camera is the depth-of-field preview button. The DOF preview button shows the effect of your chosen f/stop on your image. You see what the film or sensor will see. This way you can fine-tune your image before pressing the shutter and avoid unpleasant surprises in the final image. I dont know of any point-and-shoot camera that features a depth-of-field preview button, but most midrange to pro-level SLRs offer one. If youre serious about any sort of outdoor or nature photography, I dont recommend buying a camera without this feature.
All that said, there are some very good compact cameras out there. And while they will not deliver the image quality or flexibility of even an inexpensive DSLR, they can make great even salable images.
Assuming you want a DSLR, here are some specific features to look for in a digital SLR camera body.
*Depth of Field Preview button. In my opinion, this is essential but Live View may make this less important.
*High ISO noise reduction.
*Full range of shutter speeds, from 30 seconds and bulb to at least 1/2000 second.
*Spot meter capability.
*Full range of exposure mode options, including manual, aperture priority, and shutter priority.
*Continuous auto focus and focus tracking.
*Capability of using a cable release. This reduces photographer-induced vibrations.
*Multiple focus and spot meter points.
*Motor drive. Most new cameras can achieve at least three frames per second.
*Custom function capabilities that allow you to configure the camera for the way you like to work.
*Built-in or add-on vertical grip with shutter release. This feature makes holding the camera in vertical orientation much more comfortable and makes working in the vertical orientation easier and more efficient, particularly for photographers with bigger hands.
*The camera body feels right. This is very subjective. You should hold the camera in your hand and decide if you like the way it fits.
What havent I talked about? Sensor size for one. Most cameras costing $500 or more have very high-quality sensors that deliver more than enough information to make large prints. Do note that simply having more megapixels doesnt mean better image quality. You want the physically largest sensor you can afford, not the one with the most pixels crammed on it. This is why even cheap DSLRs tend to deliver better picture quality than compact cameras. The sensors in the DSLR are physically larger than the sensor in the compact camera.
I havent talked about battery life, since most modern cameras have batteries that last a long time. I havent covered other technical or specialty features because frankly, if youre reading this with interest, its probably because youre new at this. That means you should stick with the basics for now. Later on, youll know what to look for when the time comes to upgrade.
Should you buy Canon or Nikon? Olympus or Pentax? Any current, brand-name camera system on the market today will give you good results. Some things to take into consideration when choosing a brand are availability of lenses. Someday, you may want to add to your collection. Also consider things like image stabilization, ruggedness, custom features, and how easy it is to use.
What are your friends using? If many of your friends are using Canon, and you buy Canon, youll have a ready-made technical support group (as well as sources for borrowing lenses.) Likewise, if all your friends are using Nikon, buy Nikon for the same reasons.
One point here to consider. When it comes to DSLRs, Nikon and Canon together have more than 90% of the market. That means its probably going to be easier to find accessories, educational materials, support, etc., when using these brands.
There are lots of choices out there. If you stick with big brands that offer large lens lines, youll be fine. Dont agonize over this decision. Remember, you cant go to the store where Stephen King buys his pens, and expect to write great novels. You cant go to the art supply store where Van Gogh bought his paints and brushes and expect to make great paintings. And you cant expect to buy cameras with secret powers either.
Photography is about having a vision, a good eye, passion for the subject, great light, access, storytelling and heart. The camera equipment is just a tool designed to help capture the rest. I dont know a single professional photographer whos ever told me an editor refused to buy an image because the photographer used the wrong camera. Its your eye, your vision, your ability to tell a story with the camera and your desire that matter most.
Now just go out and buy the camera, whichever one it is, and start shooting. Good luck.
If you just want to know what cameras I like, heres the list.
EDITORS NOTE: I am not saying these are the only cameras I like, or that other cameras arent good. I am saying that based on price and performance, these are MY safe picks in each category. I own almost all these cameras. I have no bias against or for any of these companies since I own and use so many different brands. None of these companies sponsor me here or anywhere else. Ignore brand loyalty debates. Just pick the one that seems to fit your needs.
Compact And Pocket Cameras
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 10MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Black)
Olympus PEN E-P3
Olympus PEN E-P3 With Electronic Viewfinder
Nikon Coolpix P7100
Nikon COOLPIX P7100
Super Budget DSLR
Nikon D3100 Body Only
Nikon D3100
Budget DSLR
Canon EOS Rebel T3i Body Only
Canon EOS Rebel T3i
Nikon D7000 Body Only
Nikon D7000
Nikon D300s
Nikon D300s 12MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Canon 7D
Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-inch LCD (Body Only)
Nikon D700
Nikon D700 12.1MP FX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)
Canon 5D MK III
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon 1D MK IV
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV 16.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and 1080p HD Video (Body Only)
Nikon D3s
Nikon D3S 12.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and 24fps 720p HD Video Capability (Body Only)
Leica M9
Leica M9
| Nikon | 10-24 | 18-55 | 35 | 55-200 | SB-600 | V4 |
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I <3 Driving Slow
JDM Soldier
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ames
Posts: 219
Re: The End of "What Camera Should I Buy?"
I will update this thread as Scott updates his posts.
| Nikon | 10-24 | 18-55 | 35 | 55-200 | SB-600 | V4 |
| DTS-Photography | Facebook | Twitter |
I <3 Driving Slow
Jefe De Jefes
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 950
Re: The End of "What Camera Should I Buy?"
Geeezus, you can read the Bible quicker than that article.
I take pictures
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Bahstun
Posts: 3,234
Re: The End of "What Camera Should I Buy?"
My flickr®
Jefe De Jefes
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 950
Re: The End of "What Camera Should I Buy?"
Maybe sticky this? So it doesn't get lost down the list and people can see it right up top. Since we already know lots of people don't know how top use the search feature.
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 1,930
Re: The End of "What Camera Should I Buy?"
98 EJ6 4Dr D16Y7 project 300,000
Vinyl Specialist
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: South DSM,IA
Posts: 2,868
Re: The End of "What Camera Should I Buy?"
I thought Melvin (Mr. Carr) was doing one of his threads.......lol ha ha. Had to say it Melvin sorry....lol
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text:
iluvk9 wrote:Why are you trying to make him wear your flip-flops if he has one foot missing?
TheRedQueen wrote:
What shoe size do you wear? I'll be more impressed if you're a big foot.
madremissy wrote:I thought it might give him some traction.
madremissy wrote:I guess I really lead a sheltered life
madremissy wrote:TheRedQueen wrote:
What shoe size do you wear? I'll be more impressed if you're a big foot.
That is a size 8 flip flop. Is that big??? Erin, you are not impressed with my new little friend? I guess I really lead a sheltered life
amazincc wrote:Oooh, she is PRETTY!
Could be a female looking for a nesting area, and she definitely looks mature enough (I agree w/Jeanine on the age)... I'm SO jealous.
iluvk9 wrote:Missy! You can be a GRANDMA AGAIN if your turtle has babies!!!
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