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Gold's Gym recently opened its first facility in Columbus, OH. The 58,000-square-foot club features an indoor swimming pool, a panoramic elevated indoor track, a full-court basketball court, a racquetball court, cardio areas, group exercise classes, a smoothie bar and a pro shop. Another addition is the Fit Factory for children, which is equipped with a basketball court, computer stations and a floor-to-ceiling play land.
For the second consecutive year, Charity Navigator recognized the JCC Association for its fundraising practices. The continental umbrella organization for the JCC Movement earned the group's highest four-star rating for fiscal 2005, which was the most recent data available.
A number of bills were recently introduced in states across the country. In Kansas, House Bill 2008, which would prohibit automatic renewal of contracts for an additional period of one year or more, was introduced and referred to the House Committee on Commerce and Labor. In Indiana, two separate pieces of legislation have been introduced that would require that state's health clubs to purchase an automated external defibrillator. In New York, Assembly Bill 351, which would require every health club to have at least one employee trained to provide first aid and CPR on premises during business hours, was recently introduced and referred to the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection.
Parisi Sports Clubs, a northern New Jersey sports and fitness center chain, chose CheckPoint HR for its Web-based human resource management system. CheckPoint HR is an administrative service organization that offers small- to mid-size organizations a single source for human resources, payroll services and benefits administration.
A bomb threat at an LA Fitness club in Escondido, CA, turned out to be a hoax. According to local police, someone called in the bomb threat the night of April 23. The building and the surrounding area were evacuated, and bomb-sniffing dogs swept it for explosives, which were not found.
The Make a Splash campaign, a public service initiative of USA Swimming that recently launched, is aimed at decreasing the number of drowning accidents in the United States, fostering greater diversity in the sport and encouraging people of all ages to embrace swimming. The first phase of the campaign will be executed through a number of new programs and partnerships. Also, three USA Swimming representatives will speak at the 2007 World Aquatic Health Conference, scheduled for Oct. 2-4 in Cincinnati, OH.
Retention Management formed an alliance with Johnson Health Tech, a provider of fitness equipment in the European market. In the alliance, Johnson Health Tech will be responsible for the sales and marketing of Retention Management's service while Retention Management will provide the ongoing service delivery. The UK market will be the focus in the first year, with additional European markets to follow.
New York Health & Racquet was recognized by New York Magazine for having the best bathrooms in the city when it comes to innovative design and attention to detail.

subset: commoncrawl


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Facebook will kill off at least 10 startups when it begins its social gifting feature, but should anyone be sad about that?
There are several of these social gifting startups: Wrapp, Giftly, Giftivo, Giftdish, Gifthit, GiftSimple, GiftDrop, DropGifts, YouGift, Ziftit, Let's Gift It, according to PandoDaily. And all are tied to Facebook in some way.
But why the heck would anyone use these when Facebook itself will offer ways to send gifts to those on your friend list? That's the rub, and why many of these startups -- who received some serious investment -- should know their days are numbered.
U.S. & World
On Facebook Gifts users can pay right away or add payment details later, but the giftee has to provide an address. The odd part is that the gift just isn't sent, it's actually previewed by the giftee who chooses the color, size or flavor he or she wants -- so much for surprises. However, Facebook didn't come up with this idea in a vacuum. The idea came after buying social gifting startup Karma earlier this year. And the best art for Facebook? Facebook gifts works on both a desktop and mobile, which will hopefully increase their much maligned mobile revenue.
We like people to come with new ideas and innovation, but if there are another 20 startups doing what you're doing, eventually someone is going to be the standard and the rest will not be as successful. However, if Facebook buys the competition and you use Facebook as an integral part of your business model, it's probably time to pack it in.


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NEW YORK (CBS 2) — By day they are just like everybody else, but by night a group of real life "superheroes" patrols the streets of New York City, avenging crime by taking matters into their own hands.
Members of the New York Superheroes go by names like "Snipe," "Spyder," "Dark Guardian," and "Spector," names that could have been pulled straight from the pages of a comic book, and they take their commitment to doing good very seriously.
"We're New Yorkers. This is the city we have to protect," Spyder recently told CBS 2's Maurice Dubois.
Every night they mount their skateboards, which double as shields, and take to the streets.
"Throw it down and I can chase somebody if they're trying to get away," "Zero" explained.
When they are out at night searching the subways and scaling walls, looking for trouble, the superheroes protect themselves with non-traditional body armor made from plastic and metal.
CBS 2's cameras were with the group as they confronted a man who, the superheroes said, had been causing trouble in Harlem River Park.
The activists are part of a much bigger movement sweeping across the country. Some of them even wear full superhero costumes when they head out on their nightly patrols.
New Yorkers told CBS 2 that they like the idea of a group of citizens looking out for the community.
"To me, it's a beautiful thing," one man said.
And how does the NYPD feel about the superheroes?
"We encourage civilians interested in helping their community to join an established NYPD program in their local precinct," a Police Department spokesperson said.
The group told CBS 2 that they try to de-escalate high-stress situations, and frequently work with law enforcement.
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yeah, well, i noticed i don't post much of my stuff here, so to change that i'll show some RPGWW i got in my stuff...
For dia, by request.
there was some context for this pic, but i forgot.
This one is for end, pretty recent, i liked how it came out.
My old RP character, mixed with jigglypuff for nick's thread, but since my old host died, here is it again.

my deviant art thingy!
"Are you dense? are you a retard? i am the goddamned batman!"-Batman


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Seth Rogen's directorial debut, This Is The End, won't be out until this summer, but already Columbia is eager for him to make another film, preferably again bringing his friend James Franco along. The studio—which also released the duo's Pineapple Express—has signed Rogen and writing partner Evan Goldberg to direct and produce their screenplay The Interview, a comedy that concerns "a handsome talk show host" and his not-meriting-a-comment-on-his-attractiveness producer, who suddenly find themselves embroiled in a plot to assassinate the prime minister of North Korea. Rogen would also play the producer, while James Franco would play the actor playing the talk show host, in a recursive commentary on the obvious pageantry that is the news media. Rogen and Goldberg are already confirmed, but talks have yet to begun with Franco—though obviously Columbia is trying to play it cool here, inviting Seth Rogen to their movie party and then being all like, "Oh, do you think James Franco might want to come? Because if he wants to come, that would be cool," like what they're doing isn't totally obvious.
More from The A.V. Club


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One can't help but wonder what the leaders of the Georgia-based accreditation agency AdvancedED have to say about the latest allegations of theft and a romantic tryst between two members of the Wake County School Board.
AdvancedED President Mark Elgart has in recent days had critical things to say about partisan decisions made by the school board, particularly the firing of former Superintendent Tony Tata and the abandonment of yet another student assignment plan.
The decisions, coupled with a complaint from the Wake County Taxpayers Association, have renewed the possibility of another investigation by AdvancedEd, which already has the state's largest schools system on its own brand of academic probation.
Wake County's at-risk status began after the Republicans gained a majority on the school board nearly three years ago and voted to abolish the school system's diversity-based student assignment policy.
At the time, AdvancedED's rating of Wake County schools plummeted to a "warned" status, the rough equivalent of a C. Over time the school system worked its way up to an "on advisement" status, or a B.
Elgart has said the recent spate of 5-4 decisions, this time favoring the current Democratic majority, are troubling and could affect the accreditation of district high schools, which in turn could have a ripple effect on college bound aspirations of Wake County graduates.
Those, however, were Elgart's comments before the release of a police narrative documenting allegations of theft at the home of Republican School Board member Debra Goldman, who listed fellow Republican school board member Chris Malone as a suspect. The narrative also reveals claims of a romantic relationship between the two.
Speculation from former board chairman Ron Margiotta, also a Republican, suggests that the relationship between Goldman and Malone affected a critical vote in 2010 that would have divided the school district into 16 student assignment zones.
The vote was expected to be a 5-4 victory for the then Republican majority, but in a surprise twist, Goldman voted against the measure.
Already displeased with the school board's penchant for partisan voting, it will be very interesting to see what Elgart has to say about this new brand of partisan, or "anti-partisan," voting.
Goldman, by the way, is the Republican candidate for state auditor; Malone, R-Wake Forest, is running for a seat in the state House.


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Wrestling turns to MMA in Olympic fight
UFC chief executive Dana White helped turn mixed martial arts into a wildly lucrative industry by engaging fans and embracing show business.
Facing Olympic extinction, wrestling is now listening to its flashy cousin.
Bill Scherr, the chairman of the U.S.-based Committee to Preserve Olympic Wrestling, wrote an essay last week titled "A Shout Out to the UFC!" that signaled something of a seismic shift in the thinking among top wrestling officials.
Wrestling, with its roots in antiquity, trudged along for decades while mixed martial arts soared in popularity. But Scherr, a past world champion and successful businessman, argued that wrestling -- which the IOC recently recommended be axed from the Olympics starting in 2020 -- has a lot to learn from the path MMA promotion companies took to success.
"Some of the things that wrestling has been criticized (for) by the U.S. Olympic Committee are the very things that mixed martial arts, the UFC, Bellator (MMA) and others do very, very well," Scherr said. "They have vibrant television markets and audiences. They have great fan interest from a grass roots level. They have a very strong presence with all forms of digital media, including Facebook, web sites and Twitter."
It makes sense for wrestling to seek help from mixed martial arts. The two sports have been intertwined since the Octagon was conceived.
Former collegiate and international wrestlers such as Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones have provided mixed martial arts with combat-ready athletes who used their skills honed on the mats to blossom into stars.
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney called wrestling the "single most important feeder system" for mixed martial arts.
But while the UFC and Bellator are raking in revenue, wrestling has been forced to re-examine itself or face dire consequences.
"When we heard it was being yanked from the Olympics, I said 'It needs to be more fan friendly. It needs to be more exciting,' " White said.
Wrestling officials have reached out to White, Rebney and others to figure out how to get there.
Any plan for a concrete partnership has not progressed past the discussion phase, with White and top U.S. wrestling officials speaking as recently as a week ago. But it's clear that, at least in the U.S., wrestling has finally acknowledged its shortcomings in the context of the modern sports culture.
"I don't think wrestling needs to compromise the sport in order to do the things we need to do to improve ourselves. The sport is pure," Scherr said. "We don't need to change the essence of the sport. What we do need to accomplish is changing the way we present the sport and the way we connect with our audience and fans."
That could include significant changes both on the mat and in the arena.
Scherr and many other wrestling officials in the U.S. and beyond have long argued for rules changes that spur more action and increase scoring.
Scherr praised mixed martial arts for emphasizing "stand up" action that's easier to follow and usually more exciting to watch than two athletes rolling around on a mat.
But Henderson, a two-time U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman team member, expressed the views of many within wrestling, who fear that tweaking the old sport to appeal to a fickle modern audience could rob wrestling of much of its essence.
Finding a middle ground will likely be a major emphasis moving forward.
"Overall, I think sometimes when they've tweaked with the rules they've made it worse," Henderson said. "I'd imagine they can get guys a little more active and more scoring, get a little bit more excitement. But it's hard to compare anything to how exciting mixed martial arts is."
Wrestling officials are also exploring whether they could emulate the way UFC and Bellator put on a show.
While mixed martial arts ramps up the pre-fight ambience with lights, pyrotechnics and loud music, wrestling typically leans on little more than a public address announcer to generate excitement.
The theatrics were ramped up at the recent NCAA championships in Des Moines, Iowa, and the fans seemed to enjoy it. But Rebney, whose organization has flourished in part because of partnerships with MTV and Spike TV, believes wrestling needs to embrace and publicize its strengths rather than simply mimic of flashier aspects of mixed martial arts.
"You focus on the storytelling of the athletes, you focus on creating stars," Rebney said. "You've got to tell those stories. Wrestlers are some of the greatest athletes we've got in this country."
Generating such publicity has long been a problem for wrestling.
The sport's limited television appeal compared to others Olympic competitions is a major issue. But for many in wrestling, self-promotion -- hyping those personal stories that help make stars -- runs counter to everything a sport built on principles of toughness and humility stands for.
Former Missouri star Ben Askren, who competed for the U.S. in the 2008 Beijing Games before joining Bellator, said he was often chided in his wrestling days simply for speaking his mind.
But it's clear that, in the wake of the IOC's recommendation, the wrestling community is trying to connect with the public and shed its somewhat stand-offish reputation.
"It is a blue-collar work ethic, I need to be humble for my sport kind of deal ... it does not lend itself to be fan friendly in certain aspects," Askren said. "My wife, she was never into wrestling until we got married. But she made a great point the other day. She said that wrestling doesn't market itself for what it's worth."


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In America the majority draws a formidable circle around thought. Inside those limits, the writer is free; but unhappiness awaits him if he leaves them…
-Alexis de Tocqueville
One of the more remarkable moments in what has turned out to be a dismal
political cycle came early on, in the May 2007 Republican debate, when
Congressman Ron Paul challenged the common wisdom about the Islamic
militants who carried out the 9/11 attacks:
Have you ever read why they attacked us? They attacked us because we've been
over there; we've been bombing Iraq for ten years. They don't come here
to attack us because we are rich and free. They come here to attack us
because we are over there.
There was an audible gasp, like when the child in the fairy tale proclaims that the emperor is, in fact, naked.
Rudy Giuliani spoke up, and one sensed that he spoke for an outraged America:
That is an extraordinary statement…I would ask the congressman to withdraw that comment and tell us he really didn't mean it.
The congressman did not withdraw his comment, and the wagons circled. Dr. Paul was never taken seriously again by the media or the other candidates, who took to smirking when he spoke at later debates. His candidacy has long since been marginalized, and its promise has faded. And the Official Story stands again unchallenged: madmen attacked America because they hate our freedom and our way of life.
Curiously, though, one searches in vain in the writings of Osama bin Laden or
other Al Queda pronouncements for such a notion. Rather, they state that their struggle is a defensive jihad against the anti-Muslim aggression of the USA and its allies. And they cite American presence in the Arabian peninsula (the Islamic Holy Land), American support of oppressive police states in Muslim countries (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, etc), unconditional American support for Israel, American
invasions of Muslim countries and exploitation of Muslim oil resources, and American support for nations that oppress Muslims (China, Russia, and India). The Islamist makes a case that Muslims are under siege and are simply fighting back. While polls show only a minority of Muslims supports the tactics of Al Queda, the vast majority agrees that Islam is under attack by America and its European and Israeli allies.
So, who are you going to believe about the motives of the Salafi and Shia jihadists? Our professed enemies and those whose support they seek? Or our political leaders and pundits?
For starters, if you look to those making our foreign policy decisions, you will note an appalling lack of historical knowledge or analysis. Early in the Iraq war, an interviewer asked leading congressmen and senators, who had just voted for the invasion, to define the difference between a Shia and a Sunni Muslim.This drew blank looks and fumbled answers. Yet to anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of Islamic history the factional strife that the American invasion unleashed was no surprise.
Indeed, it is hard to see how the US could have intentionally designed a worse scenario for offending Muslim sensibilities than the one we pursued, even apart from Abu Ghraib and war's "collateral damage", ie, someone's dead friends and neighbors.
We are being ruled either by fools or villains, and it is no comfort knowing that it is probably the former.
And yet the myth persists, that we are hated because we are good, because we are free. This is blindly self-flattering. It is like the man with the black eye, punched by his neighbor. When asked why he was struck, he responds, "Well, he has always resented my good looks, you know."
When it is pointed out that the neighbor says he smacked him because he
had burgled his home, assaulted his wife and slashed his tires, the man
says, "Well, that is what he says, but the truth is he has always
resented my good looks."
Tocqueville, again:
…the power that dominates [the majority paradigm] does not intend to be made sport of… The slightest reproach wounds it, the least prickly truth alarms it; and one must praise it from the forms of its language to its most solid virtues. No writer, whatever his renown may be, can escape the obligation of singing the praises of his fellow citizens. The majority, therefore, lives in perpetual adoration of itself; only foreigners or experience can make certain truths reach the ears of Americans.
And sometimes, not even foreigners and experience.
—Daniel Nichols


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Badir's funeral was attended by thousands of people. Photo by Emily Mulder.
Israeli military forces shot 13-year-old Bahaa Samir Badir in the chest from close range Thursday night.
According to eyewitness, Ahmad (name changed for security reasons) the confrontation began after the Israeli army raided Beit Laqiya, a village on the outskirts of Ramallah. A group of boys tried block the road in an attempt to prevent the army jeeps from exiting the village.
In response to stones and Molotov cocktails thrown by the group, Israeli soldiers reportedly used sound bombs and tear gas, followed by live fire.
As Badir and a group of friends walked home from an after school game of football, they cut onto the main road where the clashes were occurring.
"He was going home…when he got on the main street, he was standing in the way of the soldiers who were going from the town," Ahmad explained. "They started to shoot bullets at the kids from inside the car. The bullet came in his heart, and through his body. He fell on the ground. The ambulance came and took him to the hospital but they couldn't fix his heart because he was bleeding too much."
According to the Lebanese news site Al Akhbar English, an Israeli military spokeswoman explained that Israeli forces "encountered an illegal riot," and that "while they were exiting the village, rioters hurled Molotov cocktails at the forces." As the Molotov cocktails presented a higher level of danger, she claimed that the 13-year-old boy thus posed a serious threat to the lives of the armed soldiers.
Badir's death brings the total number of child fatalities resulting from the Israeli military and settler presence in the West Bank to 13 since the start of 2014, according to DCI-Palestine, a non-governmental child's rights and advocacy organization.
A community being watched
Residents of Beit Laqiya believe the only reason the Israeli army comes into their village is to arrest and intimidate.
Beit Laqiya youth frequently clash with the Israeli army during these raids.
Ahmad explained that during clashes, "Boys throw stones, the soldiers use live fire, and there is always one Israeli up in a high point, on a building or in a tree, taking photos of the boys throwing stones."
Ahmad believes the Israeli army uses the photos to identify boys throwing stones in order to arrest them at a later time.
Ahmad's brother runs a shop in an area where clashes between the Israeli army and Beit Laqiya youth are common. After repeated nights of the Israeli troops storming his home, demanding video recorded on his security cameras, his brother began erasing the videos, out of fear they would be used to arrest specific individuals.
Ex-Israeli soldiers have described night raids such as these as a "demonstration of presence," aimed to instill fear in the Palestinian population. Night raids by the Israeli army are commonplace in towns across the West Bank, despite the fact that many of these towns are in Area A, under full jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.
Badir's mother watches her son's body carried away after saying goodbye. Badir was survived by his parents and 7 siblings, including a twin brother. Photo by Emily Mulder.
A culture of impunity
Bader's death is now under military investigation. According to Ma'an News Agency, his death is one of 42 Palestinian deaths resulting from Israeli military and settler presence in the West Bank. This number rose to 43 on Sunday after a 5-year-old girl was run over and killed by a settler's vehicle.
Violent treatment and fatalities of Palestinians usually disappear through the doors of Israeli military courts. From 2000-2012, only 117 of 2,207 investigations opened by the Military Police Criminal Investigations Division were indicted, about 5% of the total files opened, according to Israeli human rights group Yesh-Din.
As a result, Palestinian families do not receive justice through the only legal system available to them, while Israeli soldiers are almost never prosecuted. This low rate of accountability has built a culture of impunity among the Israeli military, leading to higher levels of avoidable deaths and injuries at the hands of Israeli soldiers.
In many military orders, such as Military Order 101, vague language is used that permits a wide range of interpretation on the part of a soldier, both allowing and legalizing excessive force by Israeli security forces and the army.
Ramzi Rabah, senior member of the DFLP, attended Badir's funeral on Friday. In his view, "The army could have responded in a different way, for example with only tear gas…the shooting was for the purpose of killing."
Ahmad, Badir's friend and classmate, expressed similar frustration over the senseless killing. "The press said yesterday he was throwing burning bottles at the jeeps, and that's the reason they killed him…He was holding his bag in his hand with his sports clothes, coming home from football… he wasn't throwing stones. I can say just that he was an innocent boy… they had no reason."
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Certified Scrum Master (CSM) training in Vancouver, BC
Oct. 30, 2019
A 2-day training course in Vancouver with Dave Sharrock The course will lead to a Scrum Alliance CSM certification.
Back to the full list of public trainings or the list of public trainings in Canada
|Type of Training
|Certified Scrum Master (CSM) training
|From Oct. 30, 2019 to Oct. 31, 2019 (2 day)
|Delta Hotels Vancouver Downtown Suites in Vancouver, BC
|Dave Sharrock
|Location Address
Delta Hotels Vancouver Downtown Suites
550 W Hastings St Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6
Vancouver, BC
|Please note that there is a cap to the Early Bird tickets. It will be sold on a first-come first-served basis.
The Certified Scrum Master (CSM) class is a two-day learning experience that provides students a full immersion into Agile principles as well as the concepts and practices that define the Scrum framework.
The class is presented in a highly interactive and collaborative format with elements of games, simulations, videos, and classroom discussion interwoven into the lecture.
Upon completion of the class, students will be eligible to take the Scrum Alliance online exam and become a Certified ScrumMaster®.
What to expect from the way we train:
Over the years, agile42 has delivered Scrum & Agile training to thousands of professionals worldwide. We consistently receive excellent ratings from our participants. In all of our trainings, we use techniques from Accelerated Learning and in particular principles and concepts from Training from the Back of the Room. Our participants stay engaged throughout the class, learn by doing, and have fun along the way. When learners talk and teach, they learn. -Sharon Bowman
Why choose agile42?
"I can honestly say this was hands down the best training class I have ever attended. You guys do an amazing job facilitating and keeping people interested. I am so excited to use the new tools in my toolbox for my sprint planning on Monday, and easily passed the CSM test with the knowledge I obtained in your class." -- Stephanie C., Project Manager
"Eleven months later, what has stuck with me the most is that the training provided an expansive tool belt of techniques and concepts. I feel I can draw on the tool belt any time I need." -- Mitchell F., Program Management Consultant
"The training reinforced for me the paradigm shift from the waterfall approach in a monolithic organization to Agile's concept of servant leadership. Yes, I'm leading the team, but I'm here to enable your success." -- Michael M., Senior Project Manager
Training Topics
Participants may claim 14 Project Management Institute (PMI) Professional Development Units (PDUs) which can be applied to Project Management Professional (PMP) and PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) certifications.
Scrum Alliance CSP (Certified Scrum Professional) Credits:
This course also allows students to claim 16 Scrum Education Units (SEUs) toward the Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) designation.
Back to the full list of public trainings or the list of public trainings in Canada.


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Six athletic teams from Valparaiso University have received the NCAA Public Recognition Award for outstanding academic performance.
The NCAA announced that the softball, women's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, and women's indoor and outdoor track teams each received the honor. All six squads were repeat award recipients, while the softball program earned the Public Recognition Award for a fifth straight season.
"We are excited that our student-athletes once again have demonstrated an outstanding commitment not just to their efforts on the playing fields, but also in the classroom," Valparaiso University Director of Athletics Mark LaBarbera stated. "We are very proud that year in and year out that they are succeeding as both students and athletes."
The award is presented to teams that have an NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate in the top 10 percent of all teams in their respective sport. The calculation of APR tracks the academic progress of each student-athlete and includes eligibility, retention, and graduation.
With six teams honored, Valpo leads all current Horizon League member institutions.
The awards continue to highlight the success that Valpo student-athletes achieve in the classroom. In April, 121 student-athletes received Presidential Academic Honors in recognition of earning a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher after at least three semesters at Valpo. Last November, an NCAA report showed that 80 percent of Valpo's student-athletes graduated within six years of enrollment and that they had a Graduation Success Rate of 94 percent, ranking highest among Horizon League members in both metrics.


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The comedy web site Funny or Die not only churns out consistently funny short videos, it also has an uncanny ability to secure A-list talent to come in and play. Of course, when the target of the spoof just happens to be former President Bill Clinton, it's probably not too hard to convince high-profile people to get involved.
On the heels of this weekend's celebration of Bill Clinton's 65th birthday and the 10th anniversary of the Clinton Foundation (which saw Lady Gaga serenade the former president), Ben Stiller, Matt Damon, Sean Penn, Kristen Wiig, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, and Jack Black came together as the mock "celebrity division" of the Foundation.
The brainstorming session includes such choice world-saving ideas as not breathing for a minute a day (that'd be courtesy of Wiig) and a morale-boosting softball team (from Damon).
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
Be sure to stick around for the punchline...
Funny or Die was created by Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay in 2007.


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$1.8 million gift supports Exelon's charitable giving commitment in Maryland
BALTIMORE - Exelon and Constellation today announced a combined $1.8 million donation to the Maryland Science Center for the creation of a new, state-of-the-art exhibit that will educate visitors about how energy is produced and consumed.
"Exelon and Constellation are making a significant commitment to the Science Center, one of the jewels of our city, to create this exciting new energy exhibit," said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. "Public-private partnerships like this exhibit, which will draw hundreds of thousands of children from across Maryland, promise to help improve educational opportunities for students of the Baltimore City Schools."
Expected to open in late 2013, the exhibit will educate visitors about the full scope and complexity of how humans generate and use energy, from the power plants that produce electricity to the power lines that deliver it to customers' homes. In addition, the exhibit is expected to show visitors how they can use energy more efficiently to reduce their utility bills and how cleaner, alternative sources of energy can help reduce our impact on the environment.
"Exelon and Constellation believe deeply in the importance of science and math education to prepare young people to be the scientists and engineers of tomorrow," said Calvin G. Butler, Jr., senior vice president of corporate affairs at Exelon. "This new energy exhibit will help inspire Maryland schoolchildren to become the builders and operators of the nation's 21st century energy infrastructure. The Maryland Science Center is a world-class museum and the perfect home for the exhibit."
As part of its merger with Constellation in March 2012, Exelon committed to maintain charitable giving of at least $7 million each year in Maryland and Baltimore combined for the next 10 years. Exelon's gift to the Maryland Science Center fulfills part of this commitment.
In keeping with the museum's hands-on approach to learning, the new exhibit will feature interactive, multimedia displays, and the Science Center's own energy consumption and building - including its solar arrays and green roof - will be included in the exhibit.
"We commend Exelon and Constellation for their generous support in developing this innovative new energy exhibit," said Van R. Reiner, president and CEO of the Maryland Science Center. "With their partnership, the Science Center will be able to give our visitors an engaging and educational experience that will shed light on where the energy they use comes from and how they can do their parts to help conserve energy."


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The Genesis 5.0 R-Spec is sort of the Bud Light Lime of Korean performance luxury sedans; an improvement, if only a slight one. Most significantly it's still RWD so you can light up the tires, as Matt Farah of the soon-to-debut The Car Show does above.
Sure beats sitting behind an ugly desk all day.


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Cooks & Cocinas: Nourishing & nurturing
Cooking feeds the soul as much as food nourishes the body. Sharing homemade food is one way Mary Jane Schreiber makes and maintains important connections with family and friends.
Cooking feeds the soul as much as food nourishes the body. Sharing homemade food is one way Mary Jane Schreiber makes and maintains important connections with family and friends.
Who's cooking: Mary Jane Schreiber. A psychotherapist in private practice, she describes herself as cooking with the speed of Rachael Ray, the flair of Emeril Lagasse and the convenience of Sandra Lee without having to dress to match the tablecloth.
In this kitchen: Schreiber and her husband, Ray, bought their house in Shavano Ridge 10 years ago, and the kitchen has been evolving project by project since to make it more convenient.
How she cooks: Efficiently and often. Each morning before work, Mary Jane cooks a meal for her and Ray and his caregiver. Recently, she put together a sirloin steak dish in the time it took to brew a pot of coffee.
She also enjoys parties for big crowds. For Christmas, she expects about 40.
The space: 22 by 14 feet, including the breakfast room.
On the surfaces: Laminate floors and counters. Granite might be nice, says Mary Jane, but it "won't make me cook any better or any faster." Because the laminate floor tiles don't require grout, they are ideal for Ray's wheelchair. They're also a cinch to clean, she says.
Why it works: Everything is accessible. Spices are in arm's reach of the island cooktop, and pull-out shelves in lower cabinets mean no more crawling on the floor to pull things from the back. In the pantry, Mary Jane had a carpenter cut down deep shelves that swallowed smaller items, turning the reach-in pantry into a walk-in where everything is visible.
Indispensable: Good appliances. Her microwave - a Whirlpool Gold Velos - cooks with preset times, has a rack for doubling up and has steam, speed and convection-cooking features. A warming drawer has proven invaluable in preparing meals for large groups, especially breakfasts.
Both appliances were chosen by default, dictated by less-than-ideal configurations in the existing kitchen. Mary Jane would have preferred double ovens, and she would have chosen a less expensive microwave.
Next up: A new refrigerator with French doors to accommodate the large trays Mary Jane uses when entertaining.
What guests say: "What smells so good?" Everybody goes in the kitchen. "My kitchen is the hub of the house," says Mary Jane.
Payback: Small investments pay off big. The pantry change cost about $200, and roll-out shelves about $300 per wide cabinet, Mary Jane says. The investments are minimal compared with convenience.
Know of a good cook with a great kitchen? E-mail suggestions to Home & Garden editor Tracy Hobson Lehmann, firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Two Shepherd's Bush stockings for two sweet little boys... and ready in time for Christmas! Stitched on 18 ct natural linen, using DMC perle cotton, and charm packs. I changed the charts slightly to make them the same, but different, as are these two little guys :-D
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Shepherd's Bush Christmas Stockings
Posted by Wendy at 8:37 am 6 comments
Labels: Christmas stitching, Grandbabies
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
My Granny Shower
Last Sunday I got together with my stitching friends for one of our fun get-togethers, what I thought was a normal get-together ~ an awesome potluck lunch and afternoon spent showing and sharing all our crafting finishes and WIP's, lots of fun and laughs. But to my great surprise, this past Sunday's get-together was actually a Granny Shower....for me!
It seems like the 7 of them have been planning this for months, since shortly after I announced my 2 girls' pregnancies. They busily started scheming and planning to make handmade baby gifts for all of my new grandbabies, and then were as surprised as everyone else to find out that Carrie was having twins which meant....another baby gift! And they managed to do it (although Clare has given me an IOU LOL) and presented me with some absolutely spectacular baby gifts - all made, decorated and embellished by their incredibly gifted and nimble fingers!
I was incredibly surprised by the shower and the wonderful gifts made by these amazingly talented and warm-hearted friends.
Here are some pics~
Ann (of Knowledge & Needles)
Marsha and Clare (on the mantle of the fireplace, you can see Anita's newly finished and framed Mother's Bliss)
Nancy, Anita and Marg
Three beautiful sweaters for the babies knitted by Nancy.
Two wonderfully cozy hooded towels made by Marg.
A sweet, supersoft sweater knitted by Clare. Sweater #2 is on her needles and she showed us the gorgeous pink yarn for sweater #3!
Two knitted faceclothes by Marj, 3 sweet cross stitched bibs by Anita, 2 Baby is Sleeping cross stiched hangers by Marj and another lovely Baby Sleeping pillow by Ann. Ann took back her 3 baby bibs to wait until the births so she can stitch the babies' names on them.
Three sweet 'onesies' embellished with a zebra, lion and elephant, stitched by Marsha.
And me in the Granny Rocking Chair! I wish I was wearing my Granny Shawl that Marg knitted for me....in my favourite colour ~ purple!
Posted by Wendy at 4:52 pm 9 comments
Labels: Friends
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Happy 1st Day of Summer!
I don't have any progress pics for anything to show :-( Hubby is away with the camera for the week. But I do have a somewhat older finish to show off:
This is Mirabilia's Christmas Elegance, finished on the recommended fabric, with DMC, a little treasure braid and about 4396 beads LOL! I don't even remember when I started this one...but I finished it. It is hanging on the wall of my sewing room, unframed, because if I stick it in the drawer to join its forgotten companions, it won't see the light of day for a loooong time.
And I have been reading:All I can say is WOW! Great book and if you haven't read it yet, run out and buy it. Can't wait to start the next one in the series.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my last blog post. I was shocked and surprised that anyone would bother to read this sadly neglected blog. Your comments are much appreciated!!!
Posted by Wendy at 11:51 am 9 comments
Labels: Mirabilia
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Long time, no see!
Helllloooooooo~~~~~ there is definitely a big echo here.
Its been a long time since I have posted anything here. Not because I haven't had anything to show or talk about....just life seemed to get in the way. I have missed the Blogworld terribly and I have been pining for months to get back to it.
What have I been up to??? Sadly stitching has taken a back seat in recent months, and baby stuff making has been in the works. Because there are 3 little grandbabies cooking away and getting ready to make their entrance into the world in a few short months. And when I think of how much time I have left to get everything ready, my crafting mojo goes into overdrive.
And up first some pics of the baby quilts~
This is a twisted log cabin design done in beautiful bright colours. I love this quilt, it makes me happy just to look at it. Here you can see a pic of the fabric used for the backing. I used a jelly roll to make this quilt, so just used pieces of the leftovers joined together to use for the binding. I like the scrapiness of binding strips like this and it fits in with the scrappy log cabins. This quilt is for my future grand~daughter!
And next up ~
This is from a pattern in the book called Schnibbles x2. I used a layer cake called Lily & Will by Bunnyhill (love their patterns!). I had this layer cake in my stash for a few months, anticipating the need to make a baby quilt.
And then I learned, I needed to make another one when my daughter found out she was expecting twins! Luckily, Bunnyhill made this fabric line in a couple of different colourways :-D
So another layer cake was on the way~
....and a blue one this time, once I found out the twins were going to be boys!
So as you can see I have been spending a lot of my free time here:
But eventually I hope to get back to this lovely sampler~
Heaven Doth Ask, by Brenda Keyes
Stitched with DMC on 40 ct Lt. Sand linen
Remember the sweet baby puppy I showed in my very last post? She grew .... a lot! (and needs a day at the doggy spa)And Bella says hi too
Okay, enough already, I get the hint....
Posted by Wendy at 5:15 pm 9 comments
Labels: Quilting


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There are many ways to get involved in our mathematics and statistics community and gain more experience in math outside the traditional classroom setting. From attending weekly Colloquium lectures and Problem Solving Club meetings to competing in mathematics competitions and engaging in research with faculty mentors, you can deepen your study in the mathematics program at Calvin.
Community life in the mathematics and statistics department
Other opportunities
The Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium provides a weekly opportunity for you to hear presentations by students, faculty and visiting mathematicians from industry and academia. The Colloquium meets most weeks during the academic semesters on Thursday afternoons from 3:30-4:30 p.m. See News & Events for specific Colloquium topics.
Colloquium faculty for 2014-2015 are Professor Kapitula and Professor Turner.
Mathematical competitions
As a math student at Calvin, you can participate in several statewide and national mathematical competitions. Our students regularly take part in the Lower Michigan Mathematics Competition and have taken home the trophy many times. Recent graduates have also competed in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition and received high scores in this rigorous competition.
Problem of the Week
The department of mathematics and statistics has a long tradition of posing a problem of the week. You are invited to submit solutions to these problems. The current problem of the week coordinator is Professor Talsma. Look for problems on math-news and on the bulletin board outside the department office.
Problem-Solving Club
Calvin's Problem-Solving Club is an informal gathering of mathematics students who are interested in solving problems and presenting their solutions to one another. The club meets weekly, typically in the early evening. A schedule of meeting times and other information will be posted later in the semester.
If you are interested in joining the Problem Solving Club, contact Professor Professor Pruim.
First-Year Seminar (Math Students)
Each fall the department of mathematics and statistics offers a weekly seminar for first-year students who are interested in mathematics and want to learn more about it. The seminar introduces students to a wide variety of mathematical topics and applications and is open to all first-year students. You do not need to be a mathematics major or minor to attend.
This year's seminar (also listed as MATH 190 in the university catalog) meets on Wednesdays at 3:30pm. If you are interested in the seminar but have a schedule conflict, please contact Professor Venema or Professor Dekker. You may also choose to audit MATH 190.
More information about the first-year seminar is announced in mathematics courses and via math-news. (Subscribe to math-news)
Interim opportunities
Calvin's January interim term allows you to devote full-time study to a single mathematics course. In recent years, interim courses have covered such topics as graph theory, nonlinear dynamical systems and chaos, game theory, applications of linear algebra and mathematical modeling.
Student employment
Many students work for the department as graders, classroom assistants, lab monitors and tutors.
Summer research opportunities
As a mathematics and statistics student at Calvin, you may participate in research projects during the summer. In recent years, students have worked with Calvin faculty on projects in the statistical analysis of traffic patterns, mathematical modeling in biology, kinematic work spaces for robotic arms, polygonal chains and hyperbolic tessellations. Other Calvin students have participated in summer research projects at universities such as Northern Arizona, Oregon State and Brigham Young, and at the National Security Agency. Several students have participated in the Budapest Semester in Mathematics.
Student community
The Reading Room (NH-282) is a great place for students to gather for relaxation between classes or to work with classmates on problem sets or studying for exams.
The basement computer lab (NH-069) is another great workplace for mathematics majors and is home to several relatiely new iMac workstations equipped with various mathematical software programs.


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Masonic Lodges also known as Blue Lodges are where Freemasons meet for meetings. These Masonic Blue Lodges are in many towns and cities throughout the world. You can easily identify where Freemasons meet by the Square and Compass emblem displayed on the building, either mounted on a wall or sign. Local Blue Lodges are organized under a Grand Lodge. Each state has a Grand Lodge, which presides over the operation of all Blue Lodges within that state. Joining a Blue Lodge is usually done by meeting a Brother from the Lodge that you are interested in joining. This Brother will be your guide to help you navigate the membership and initiation process of his Lodge. No man may become a Freemason without first being recommended by two Brothers and then having been found to be of good report by the Lodge's Investigation Committee.
The next step after visiting a Blue Lodge is asking that Lodge for a petition to join. The petition is a form that is used by the Blue Lodge and sanctioned by that Lodges Grand Lodge. The petition is designed to ask all the questions the Lodge and the Grand Lodge needs to know about a potential member. The petition then becomes part of that Brother's Masonic record as he continues his journey to becoming a Freemason.
The purpose of the Lodge Investigation Committee is to allow members of the Blue Lodge to meet a petitioner and for the petitioner to meet several members of the Lodge. Each Lodge has a series of questions they like to ask each potential member. The committee will be assigned by the Worshipful Master of the Blue Lodge and is usually a three member team. The Committee may offer to meet the petitioner at his home, a public place or often they will invite the petitioner to the Lodge. The Lodge will also invite the petitioner's wife, as she is a very important part of this process. Once the Lodge Investigation Committee reports back to the Lodge at the next Stated Business meeting, the next step in the process is for the petition to be Balloted on.
The final step a petitioner has to take is called the Lodge Ballot. The petition has now been signed by two brothers and investigated by three other brothers who will submit a report. The petition now becomes a Lodge Ballot. The petition is read during a Lodge business meeting and is then Balloted on. All brothers who are eligible to vote will be given the opportunity to accept or reject the Ballot. When the Ballot is returned to the Lodge officers and the Worshipful Master as a clear Ballot - meaning a unanimous vote - the petitioner now becomes a candidate to receive the three degrees of Freemasonry.
The first degree conferred by a Blue Lodge is that of the Entered Apprentice Degree(EA). The EA degree is also called the Learner Degree as it is the start of receiving knowledge in Freemasonry. This degree prepares the candidate with the first understandings of Freemasonry.
Following this degree, a candidate will be assigned a Mentor, who will guide him and help with learning the work of the first degree and in preparing to show proficiency. Once a Candidate shows proficiency in the preceding degree, he is then given the next degree. See Fellowcraft Degree.
The second degree conferred for a Candidate in a Blue Lodge is that of the Fellowcraft Degree. The Fellowcraft Degree is an educational degree designed to teach the Candidate about the Freemasons' views on the sciences. Just as the Entered Apprentice Degree is the learner degree that symbolizes infancy or youth, the Fellowcraft degree emulates manhood. In manhood, we have the opportunity to take the lessons learned in youth and apply them and learn from them. In manhood we better understand these lessons and now readily apply them to daily life with understanding and confidence, in preparation for the Master Mason Degree.
The third and final degree in Blue Lodge Masonry is the Master Mason Degree. The Master Mason Degree is a full experience in the teachings of Freemasonry and is the greatest and grandest of all Masonic Degrees. Once conferred on a candidate, he is considered a Master Mason and then receives full Masonic privileges. See continue your Journey…
Master Masons are entitled to enter into other Masonic organizations, such as the York Rite, Scottish Rite and Shriners International.
Shriners International is a Masonic fraternity for Master Masons who want to engage in fun, fellowship and support our philanthropy Shiners Hospitals for Children®.
All Shriners are Master Masons in good standing with a Blue Lodge. You must first complete your Blue Lodge degree work and wait any time as directed by the Grand Lodge of your jurisdiction prior to becoming a Shriner.
Continue your Journey - take a look at the Roadmap to becoming a Shriner.


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International Study of Arctic Change Plans Arctic Observing Summit
The International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC) is an interdisciplinary program of research on arctic environmental change initiated in the wake of the 2003 Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) Open Science Meeting. A legacy of the International Polar Year (IPY), ISAC facilitates cooperation and collaboration in international arctic research and full integration of stakeholders into the research process. ISAC seeks to extend study of the Arctic from basic science to offer insight into options for solving real-world problems intrinsic to a changing planet.
ISAC takes an iterative, integrative, and pan-arctic approach to advancing the science needed to address arctic environmental change. ISAC seeks to drive forward observations and research activities that are significant for science and for society. In pursuit of these goals, ISAC activities lead to new ways to integrate stakeholders into research planning and execution.
A major ISAC undertaking for 2013 is the inaugural Arctic Observing Summit, scheduled for 30 April–2 May 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) will be a high-level biennial summit that aims to provide community-driven and science-based guidance for the design, implementation, coordination, and sustained long-term operation of an international arctic observing system over several decades. The AOS will provide a platform to address urgent and broadly recognized needs of arctic observing systems. It will foster international communication about and coordination of long-term observations aimed at improving understanding and responding to system-scale arctic change. The Summit will be a forum for optimizing resource allocation through coordination and exchange among researchers, funding agencies, and others involved or interested in long-term observing activities, while minimizing duplication and gaps. It will also identify observing network issues that require the attention of the Arctic Council's Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON).
The AOS is led by ISAC. It is a SAON task and part of the broader SAON implementation process, which is led by the Arctic Council jointly with the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the World Meteorological Association (WMO). Current organizing partners include the U.S. Interagency SEARCH Program, the ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence Canada (ArcticNet), the European Union's Arctic Climate Change Economy and Society project (ACCESS), and the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Participants and Target Audience
The AOS agenda will be based on input from a broad range of stakeholders, including academic and research communities, nongovernmental organizations, arctic residents, government agencies, and the private sector. The AOS will be an iterative event, during which previously prepared white papers and shorter statements will be refined at the Summit through discussions, working sessions, and panels. The AOS is scheduled to enable the organization of side events that help advance planning, coordination, and integration of activities. AOS products will be prepared for arctic communities, decision-makers in government, the research community, the private sector, and the general public.
Outcomes and Products
The key outcome of the AOS will be an assessment of the fit between stakeholder needs, science objectives, and observing networks. The tangible products produced will include, but will not be restricted to, the following:
- Succinct policy briefs for the optimization and coordination of existing systems.
- The definition and operationalization of one or more initiating projects to network two or more observing systems to achieve a common set of science/mission objectives.
- One or more collections of peer-reviewed articles related to the AOS themes in special journal edition(s), as well as the publication of summit proceedings.
- The establishment of long-term AOS goals (e.g., unify data access, distribution and archiving practices, improve international access to the Arctic).
ISAC will convene a town hall meeting on Monday, 3 December, during the 2012 American Geophysical Union fall meeting. The town hall meeting will be dedicated to discussion of AOS. For more information, contact organizing committee members (AOS [at] arcticchange.org).
For further information about the Arctic Observing Summit, go to http://www.arcticchange.org/.
For further information about ISAC, go to http://www.arcticchange.org or contact Maribeth Murray (murray [at] arcticchange.org).


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When Bill Moyers announced last November that he would be stepping down from Bill Moyers Journal, and PBS decided to cancel its other Friday night news show, Now, the network lost two hard-hitting independent programs from its lineup. To fill the hole, New York PBS station WNET--which had produced the two Friday shows--announced the launch of a new one-hour program, Need to Know, hosted by Newsweek editor Jon Meacham (who has since left the magazine) and former NPR, MSNBC and MTV host Alison Stewart. The show rolled out on more than 90 percent of PBS stations in May (Broadcasting & Cable, 3/22/10).
FAIR (3/9/10) issued a statement expressing concern that Meacham's hire "sends a clear and troubling message about PBS's priorities," given that the then-editor of Newsweek was a fixture on commercial TV pundit shows and a consummate purveyor of middle-of-the-road conventional wisdom with a conservative slant--not exactly a face or a perspective that needed yet another media platform, particularly not on public television.
Meacham's approach to journalism seemed to be antithetical to the hard-hitting approach of Moyers and Now; he had called on journalists to "cover other institutions as you would want to be covered," with "charity and dignity and respect" (Meet the Press, 1/1/06). This Golden Rule approach to news was illustrated when he intervened in a Newsweek online story about Joe Scarborough, a personal friend who often invites Meacham onto his cable show, to remove from the lead the fact that Scarborough had served as the defense attorney for the murderer of an abortion provider (FAIR Blog, 6/11/09).
WNET president and chief executive Neil Shapiro defended the choice of Meacham and Stewart. "They are both incredibly smart," he told Broadcasting & Cable (3/17/10). "And I think, given their intellect, neither are people you can pigeonhole left or right." By Shapiro's logic, of course, anyone who is actually on the left or right can't be very bright, an insult to PBS's progressive and conservative viewers.
Shapiro later told the New York Times (5/2/10) that while "there's no replacing Bill Moyers...the issues that Bill raises" would be among the show's topics. Stewart similarly told the L.A. Times blog Show Tracker (8/5/10): "Obviously, you can't replace Bill Moyers. That's just a ridiculous notion.... We're just doing what he set out to do: seek out the truth."
Of course, Moyers leaves big shoes to fill, but he actually was replaced once--by David Brancaccio and Maria Hinojosa, who took over Now when Moyers left to relaunch Bill Moyers Journal. Both shows featured subjects and voices often missing from corporate media. In recent years, for example, Moyers interviewed Jim Hightower and Howard Zinn on people's movements and struggles against powerful interests; single-payer advocates Dr. Marcia Angell and Wendell Potter; and Cornel West, Serene Jones and Gary Dorrien on faith and social justice.
Such subjects and sources admirably fulfilled PBS's purpose as set forth by the Carnegie Commission of 1967: to "provide a voice for groups in the community that may otherwise be unheard," to serve as "a forum for controversy and debate," and to broadcast programs that "help us see America whole, in all its diversity." Meacham actually expressed a similar understanding of PBS's role (Globe and Mail, 8/8/10), explaining that it's meant "to fill the spaces created by network and cable news." How well is Need to Know fulfilling that purpose?
To find out, Extra! studied Need to Know from the program's debut on May 7 through July 30, 2010, a total of 13 one-hour shows with 297 sources. Sources were coded by gender, nationality, ethnicity, occupation and, in the case of political professionals, partisan affiliation.
Need to Know's website describes the program as "not a television broadcast with a secondary online presence. Rather, the site and the TV program work together to complement each other." However, as of November 2009, the show's Web audience was only around 3 percent the size of its broadcast audience on New York's WNET(Current, 4/5/10)--which itself makes up only a fraction of the show's audience on PBS stations around the country. This more influential on-air content was the focus of Extra!'s research.
Need to Know's U.S. sources in the period studied were 78 percent white (196 of 250). With seven appearances, Latinos made up only 3 percent of all U.S. guests, though they account for 15 percent of the U.S. population. Only three Asian-Americans (1 percent) and no Native Americans or Americans of Mideastern descent were featured on Need to Know.
African-Americans made up 12 percent of U.S. sources (29 sources), on par with their representation in the population. Two segments during the study period focused on race, one interview with Root journalist Terence Samuel (7/23/10) and one with Harvard law professer Charles Ogletree (7/30/10). However, more than half of African-American sources appeared in segments on prisons and on drug abuse. Three of the seven Latino sources appeared on a segment about the U.S./Mexico drug war.
That one of the show's hosts is an African-American woman is certainly a step in the right direction, but women of color were particularly underrepresented as sources, at only nine total (4 percent). They were outnumbered by men of color more than 3 to 1.
Seventy percent of the show's sources were male. That male bias was more heavily skewed on stories about foreign affairs, at 80 percent, versus 65 percent male sources on domestic stories.
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Need to Know featured several segments on hot-button subjects like birth control, gun control and medical marijuana, but it couldn't break out of the narrow commercial media box with its guest lists. The marijuana segment (on the "runaway beast" of medical marijuana clinics in California) featured exclusively white men, seven of the eight gun control segment guests were white men and seven of the eight birth control segment guests were white women.
Need to Know's source list drew frequently from U.S. government officials (15 percent) and journalists (9 percent), though it also featured a number of "person on the street" interviews (10 percent), which were typically very brief and often anonymous opinion or reaction soundbites. Every U.S. journalist source but one (Terence Samuel) was white; aside from Barack Obama's four appearances in file footage, only two of the 40 other U.S. government sources were people of color.
Corporate representatives outnumbered public interest activists 20 to 12. Activists represented perspectives ranging from gun rights advocates and the anti-immigration group Federation for American Immigration Reform to advocates for the environment and reproductive rights. Only two think tank representatives appeared during the period studied--Charles Stimson of the conservative Heritage Foundation and Brett McGurk of the centrist Council on Foreign Relations.
Need to Know featured relatively few professional politicians, but of those who appeared, Democrats outnumbered Republicans 18 to 12. However, all but three of the Democratic sources were shorter taped clips, while six of the Republicans were live guests. Five of the Democratic sources were brief historical clips featuring former presidents and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Most of the Democrats were federal elected officials or judges, while half of the Republicans were local officials. One independent--New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg--was featured, and one guest, McGurk, served under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
Need to Know typically features one or two lengthier in-studio interviews, followed by produced segments with taped sources. The sources in these extended interviews were slightly more skewed toward white men than sources overall: Among the 31 people given the show's higher-profile platform, only eight (26 percent) were women, and of the 27 U.S. sources, only four (15 percent) were people of color-all African-American men. No women of color were featured. At 12 sources, journalists were the most represented group in these extended interviews, followed by government officials with four sources.
The most frequently discussed topics were Afghanistan and Iraq (12 segments, including four in-studio interviews) and the BP oil spill (seven segments, including seven in-studio interviews). The war segments featured 43 sources, nearly half of whom were associated with the military: 14 were current or former military and seven were family of military. Another nine were government sources, including those with military backgrounds like John McCain.
Unlike on most news programs, though, the majority of the military sources were not top brass but rather ordinary soldiers; one segment (6/25/10)--a followup to a segment originally reported by Now--looked at the relatively undercovered story of injured vets and the family members who care for them.
Thirty of the 43 war segment sources were white, five Afghan, four black and one Latino. (Three could not be identified by ethnicity.) Eight were women (22 percent), all of whom were white. No activists and only two academics (one of whom, Andrew Bacevich, was also military) were featured.
When Need to Know discussed the WikiLeaks document release (7/30/10), a trove of classified information showing, among other things, military doubts about the Afghanistan War, Stewart introduced the show: "Much ado about nothing or putting lives at risk? The effects of the WikiLeaks on the war in Afghanistan." The circumscribed choices--what about much ado about something?--made the choice of guests unsurprising: Joshua Foust, a blogger/writer who was a critic of WikiLeaks and was generally skeptical that there was much of value in the leaked reports.
The oil spill segments featured 50 sources. Five were people of color (10 percent), all but one of whom were male. Twelve of the oil spill sources were women (24 percent). Source occupations varied widely; the most-represented category was corporate sources (12), followed by environmental experts (7) and government officials, artists, journalists and people on the street (five each). Two were activists, one of whom was an unnamed community leader (7/2/10) saying only, "People are breaking down."
There were surprisingly few segments related to the economy, given the ongoing economic crisis during the period studied. Three segments looked at financial regulation (5/28/10, 7/16/10), one at drug money laundered through U.S. banks (5/28/10), and one at the "tiny house movement" among people looking to save money and help the environment (7/30/10). Every source in these segments was white. Men outnumbered women eight to five; of the three in-studio interviews on the economy, one (7/16/10) was with Elizabeth Warren, chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel.
"Journalism is the first rough draft of history," Meacham told the L.A. Times (8/6/10). "And some drafts are rougher than others."
There's time yet for Meacham, Stewart and Need to Know to smooth out their draft, but their record so far provides little encouragement that it will ever serve as an adequate replacement for Now and the Bill Moyers Journal.
Research by Michael Morel and Steve Rendall; research design by Steve Rendall.


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Virginia man dies after police taser him
Karreem A. Ali, 65, Montgomery County, Virginia
(The man had been in critical condition since police tasered him on Sunday)
In memory of our brother and son, Robert Bagnell, who died moments after being tasered by police in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 23, 2004. Bob was the 7th Canadian to die and the 110th in North America.
Karreem A. Ali, 65, Montgomery County, Virginia
(The man had been in critical condition since police tasered him on Sunday)
Posted by Reality Chick at 16:35
At the 2005 Arizona Press Club Awards, Mr. Anglen won first place in the Investigative reporting category. He was the recipient of the Don Bolles Award for his report entitled "Taser tied to 'independent' study that backs stun gun'. "As part of an extraordinarily thorough investigation of Taser International, Anglen uncovered 'smoking gun' documents that showed the manufacturer was heavily involved in the key study that purported the devices are safe. Anglen also uncovered conflicts of interest and documented wide-spread problems with Taser safety — a matter of national and international public interest."
In 2006, Mr. Anglen was a runner up for the Arizona Press Club's Virg Hill Journalist of the Year award. Peter Bhatia of The Oregonian wrote "Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter, pure and simple. Clearly, he is a reporter who, once he sinks his teeth into something, stays with it until the story is done. His ongoing work around the company that makes Tasers speaks to that."


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You might be used to seeing Brooke Burns
cast as, in her words, "the apple-pie, blond-haired, blue-eyed,
all-American girl." Her various roles on TV shows and movies like
"Baywatch," "Shallow Hal," "Miss Guided" and "Pepper Dennis" showcased
her sweetness; the more recent "Melrose Place" incarnation allowed her
to explore her dark side. Well, get ready for a whole lotta dark-side
exploration on Saturday, April 26 at 8 pm ET/PT, when Brooke's new
movie, "A Sister's Revenge," premieres on Lifetime. I caught up with
Brooke recently, and she told me all about her fierce new role as a
woman (named Suzanne Dell) seeking revenge on the man she feels is
responsible for her sister's suicide.
Daytime Dial: Since we are used to you as "the nice girl," it was a shock to see you in this kind of role. Was that a big reason you wanted to do this movie?
Brooke Burns: There were a couple of things. Obviously, the longer you're in this industry, certain roles start to recirculate through your life. And then certain ones are new and fresh, and it's always fun to kind of sink your teeth into something a little more diverse than what you're used to.
I love the thriller aspect of this movie, and at the same time, it's always fun, especially in a bad-guy role, to find justification for a character. And I loved the fact that she has this deep love for her sister; I found a lot of truth in feeling sort of like her champion and being able to justify her being in a very dark place in the film. With a bad-guy role, you have to be able to find empathy for the character as well. She's driven to madness because of the love that she has for her sister and feeling like somehow that her sister's death will be avenged if she can pull this off.
DD: Obviously you aren't a homicidal maniac, but in what ways can you relate to Suzanne?
BB: Her fierce loyalty to family. She lost her parents, and her sister is the only person that she has, that she feels connected to. My family is my most important thing, so I can't even imagine if that were the last family member and she were taken from me in that kind of way. How those feelings of anger and sadness would be very potent, and could probably drive a person to some level of insanity — if you allow yourself to go there.
DD: Tell me about the filming process: Where did you film, and how was the cast to work with?
BB: We shot in Ottawa, Canada, which has some of the most beautiful architecture I've ever seen. And the cast was fantastic. I worked mostly with Tim (Rozon) and Ashley (Jones), and we had a ball. Tim is such a gentleman, and he actually owns a couple of restaurants in Montreal. And Ashley and I have seen each other in passing through different stuff out here, but we had never actually worked together before. And we just had a great time.
DD: You've done dramas, comedies, hosting duties, etc. Is there a certain genre you prefer, or are you happy to dabble in lots of things to keep it interesting?
BB: I just like to work. I think from growing up as a ballerina, I have some incredible discipline and work ethic that was deeply ingrained in me, so whether it's acting or hosting, I'm happy. I enjoy acting because you get to dip your toe into the fantasy of a role like Suzanne in "A Sister's Revenge." And I enjoy the hosting because I love people, and that's a natural kind of medium for me that I enjoy as well. I don't really have a preference. It's never boring; it's not a nine-to-five job.
DD: Lately I've seen you in a lot of dramas, but I love you in comedies too, especially that comedy series "Miss Guided" from a few years back. Would you like to get back to comedy?
BB: Oh, yeah. Comedy's awesome. When you get to go to work and have fun and play and laugh, there's nothing better. It's some of the hardest work to do, but it's also the most rewarding. It really depends on the people you are with, and what your chemistry is with them. I would say that "Miss Guided" and "Pepper Dennis" were my two favorite comedic roles that I've gotten to do, for sure.
DD: What else do you have in the pipeline that you can talk about with me?
BB: I just shot a pilot for the Game Show Network. It's a dating show called "Where Have You Been All My Life?" It's kind of a 2013 version of "The Dating Game," which I was obsessed with. It is super fun, and they're using a lot of social media as research, and using it in an onscreen format. It's been a blast, and we're waiting to see if it gets picked up. I really hope it does, because it's just perfect. It fits my lifestyle because it's in LA. It's close to home. I get to be with my family. I like that stuff.
So that's pretty much what's going on right now, except for I'm planning my wedding. So that's exciting. It's a summertime wedding. And I'm trying to get my kids out of seventh grade with honors. I love little things in life.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Interview: Brooke Burns Exacts Her Revenge
You might be used to seeing Brooke Burns
cast as, in her words, "the apple-pie, blond-haired, blue-eyed,
all-American girl." Her various roles on TV shows and movies like
"Baywatch," "Shallow Hal," "Miss Guided" and "Pepper Dennis" showcased
her sweetness; the more recent "Melrose Place" incarnation allowed her
to explore her dark side. Well, get ready for a whole lotta dark-side
exploration on Saturday, April 26 at 8 pm ET/PT, when Brooke's new
movie, "A Sister's Revenge," premieres on Lifetime. I caught up with
Brooke recently, and she told me all about her fierce new role as a
woman (named Suzanne Dell) seeking revenge on the man she feels is
responsible for her sister's suicide.
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Interview: Linda Gray
The second season of TNT's reboot of "Dallas" (which airs Monday nights at 9/8c) has started with a bang. While the new season will be bittersweet — with the recent death of series star and legendary actor Larry Hagman — the cast is eager for fans to see what the Ewings are up to now. I recently spoke with longtime "Dallas" star Linda Gray, and she can't wait for viewers to experience the new season.
Daytime Dial: First and foremost, I must tell you how sorry I am about the passing of your dear friend and castmate Larry Hagman. What will you remember most about him, and about working with him?
Linda Gray: Thank you very much. From day one, he was magic to work with, and it never stopped being magic. He was a joy to watch, and looking into those baby-blue eyes and going, "You little rat, what are you doing now?" When Larry and I worked together, it was really like a Ping-Pong game. It wasn't a tennis game; it was faster, like Ping-Pong.
He was a great, generous actor. I remember in 1978, I was coming at him (in a scene between Sue Ellen and J.R.) and just yelling at him or something, and he gently took my shoulders and moved me; I didn't realize it, but I had gotten out of my light. Another actor would have thought: "Let her bury herself. She'll be in the dark; I'll be in the light. Perfect." But he wasn't like that. He was gentle like that. It was an unspoken chemistry that happens so rarely in life, and I was blessed to know him.
DD: When TNT first approached you about the resurrection of "Dallas," what did you think about coming back to the show, and to the character of Sue Ellen Ewing?
LG: That was just beyond fabulous. It was a big surprise for Patrick (Duffy, who plays Bobby Ewing), Larry and I. We called each other immediately, shouting: "Oh my God! We get to work together in the same characters that we love." And that wouldn't have happened before, because we are too recognizable. We never, ever get to work together in anything (other than "Dallas"), so this was a win-win situation. I am loving every second of it.
DD: How has Sue Ellen changed in the 20-year interim between the series?
LG: I really did some wonderful homework for this. That's the fun part of being an actor. She was born and raised in Texas. She was Miss Texas. She knew everybody in Texas. She knew all the oil deals that J.R. had done — good, bad or indifferent. She knew all those politicians; she knew all the oil men; she knew everything and everybody.
It's 20 years later, and she's now sober. Lots of things went on in her life prior to coming back. She's no longer the victim; she's a survivor. Life is different for her. I didn't want her to be the same. She couldn't have been the same. Bobby could still be the good guy, J.R. could still be the bad guy — but adored by fans with that cute little smile — but Sue Ellen had to be different.
DD: I am bummed that she lost the election to become Texas' new governor.
LG: This is a little tidbit that I like to tell people: The governor lives in Austin, so if she had won, she would have had to live in Austin. The show's called "Dallas," so we didn't need that. (Laughs.) We need her in Dallas. It's OK she lost. She can move on to what's next. This is the fun part, the absolute joy. You don't ever know where Sue Ellen is going. That's why I love this character.
DD: Can you give me any clues as to what the rest of the season has in store for us?
LG: Not a clue. You have to stay tuned. I can't tell you anything, and I won't, because I don't want to spoil the surprise for you. It's a surprise for us each week when we get our scripts, so for me to take away that surprise for you would be very bad for me to do.
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Interview: Greg Vaughan's New Role on Days
Eric Brady, Sami's twin brother, hasn't been on the Salem scene for more than a decade — until now, that is. Daytime veteran Greg Vaughan stepped into the role, and into a clerical collar, a few months ago, with a story line that was unexpected to Greg and his fans. I spoke with "Father" Greg a few weeks back about taking on this new role and how he's adjusting to the "Days of our Lives" set.
Daytime Dial: In order to prepare for the role of Eric Brady, did you read the backstory, watch some old episodes, etc., or did you decide to do none of this to come in with a fresh take on the character?
Greg Vaughan: I did want a fresh take, but I have history with the show from the outside looking in because I dated a young lady who was once on the show. And then I knew a lot of the cast, and one of them being Jensen (Ackles, who played Eric from 1997 to 2000). And so in portraying the role and the character itself, I was familiar with everything up and to that point. But it's been more than 10 years, and so much has changed, and I just felt like he had definitely come into his own as a man. I wanted to use my own pallet of colors on the character, if you will. I wanted to create my own vision, and what better way to do that — especially when I was informed that he was going to be a priest?
DD: I think a lot of us were surprised by that turn of events!
GV: For me, it was more of a deer-in-the-headlights kind of shock, like: "Wow! Now THAT is going to be a challenge!" I was thinking he'd be more of a Jason Bourne type of guy. But then when I heard he'd be a priest, I explored into that and my personal life journeys, and then I'm like, "You know, this could be kind of interesting." And it will be challenging, because I'll be out of my element. What better way as an actor to challenge yourself than getting out of your comfort zone?
DD: How much have you filmed? I know Christmastime always plays a big part in Salem.
GV: We film very far in advance, and that's very much out of my box. We're shooting like three months ahead of time, so half of the stuff I've already done I don't even recall. I think our Christmas scenes were filmed before Halloween. But as I recall, there's going to be a lot of good quality and a nice, really spiritual family time, and I think everybody is going to be taken by it.
DD: How were your first few days on the set? Were you excited, nervous?
GV: There was a lot of excitement, like Christmas Day or something, because I knew a lot of the cast previously. There was just an overall feeling of "this is going to be fun." Everybody has graciously welcomed me. I was a little bit overwhelmed because the pace is so fast. It was not something I was used to. Alison Sweeney and I were doing a movie a little while back, and she said: "Things have changed quite a bit. Not just with the genre, but each show."
DD: How has that changed you as an actor?
GV: It definitely made me step up my game. It's like, you're being given a great opportunity, so take the bull by the horns, do your work and come in here and perform. You get a lot of people who are used to the stage and a lot of people who are used to prime time, and they can't keep up with the pace. It's so fast — you have to digest it, regurgitate it, spit it out, and then start over and move on to the next scene. Out of the gate, I didn't eat for like the first two weeks. Not by choice; it was just I was being pulled in so many different directions because I was in so many different scenes. I was interacting with so many new faces, and I was trying to get some sense of rapport and history and education about where and who I was. But now I finally feel like it's a nice, steady flow. I've gotten into a good rhythm.
DD: Can you tell me anything about Eric's future in Salem?
GV: In Eric's journey, he's definitely had his own issues and battles to deal with. There are a lot of layers that are going to be revealed along the way, and we're going to communicate that. Where he's going, what his temptations are and reuniting with past relationships — whether it's with Nicole and the temptation of that, and the struggle against the family and his sister, and the butting of heads with the DiMeras.
Eric is coming from a whole new perspective that's nonjudgmental. And that's hard. Especially when you want to stand up and fight for somebody. It's definitely been an exciting journey so far, and I'm always looking forward to what kind of ride I'll be taken on. I'm just glad to be working with a great cast and to be a part of such a historically great show. From the younger cast members to the veterans, there's not one person I haven't been taken in by or drawn in by what they're doing.


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a curvy user has asked me to give some advice on modelling the head.(with reference to game characters)
For what it is worth here are a few of my thoughts on the subject:-
1. it has all been done before by very skilled people so if you can get permission to use, adapt, modify, re-clothe or paint somebody else' s model that may be the way to go, curvy3d can be very good at doing that sort of thing.
here is a head taken into curvy3d from the makehuman project http://www.makehuman.org
you can design a complete figure together with its rigging for free
here is a makehuman figure modified in curvy
2. many people set out to model the human figure accurately and end up very frustrated, it is a time consuming task and the results may be disappointing. If you do wish to model from scratch there are a few things worth considering.
a- have very good reference images with front, back, side views (at least)
b- block out first then refine
c- 3d detail requires extra polygons which later on will create extra work rigging and slow down games
d- look at simon's torso tutorial etc for useful tips
e- every human being is different (obvious but often forgotten)
f- characterizations rather than accurate modelling are much easier to do in curvy3d
this is a very quick sculpt and paint but of course if you are willing to spend the time
very good results can be obtained in curvy
g- the figure must be rigged for animation or you will be stuck with one pose
3. The human skull is basically a face structure hanging off a brain case (be observant )
here is a skull outline
here is a basic way to start getting that shape in curvy3d with two simple lines, one curve for the brain case another for the face.
4. consider using simple head shapes and using texture for the detail
could be simple painting
or other images
note:- single curve shape taken out of curvy to uvmapper uv mapped then brought back in
i hope these few notes have been useful and may save people a bit of time


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bronchial washing
(BRON-kee-ul WAH-shing)
A procedure in which cells are taken from the inside of the airways that lead to the lungs. A bronchoscope (a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing) is inserted through the nose or mouth into the lungs. A mild salt solution is washed over the surface of the airways to collect cells, which are then looked at under a microscope. Bronchial washing is used to find infections. It may also help find cancer or changes in cells that may lead to cancer.


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Jamie Foxx is under fire from deaf stars and activists Nyle DiMarco and Marlee Matlin for allegedly mocking sign language during his recent appearance on "The Tonight Show."
Foxx's rep had no immediate comment. In a clip from Thursday's show, shared online over Memorial Day Weekend, he is seen making hand gestures as host Jimmy Fallon tosses to a commercial break.
DiMarco posted the video on his Twitter page Friday. In a statement Saturday he said that Foxx's behavior on the show "should not be tolerated."
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
"We simply do not make fun at the expense of other cultures, especially those with a history of being marginalized. When we do this, progress takes a step backward," he said. "Sign Language is important to me because it's the bedrock of Deaf culture."
DiMarco said that Foxx's actions "made our struggle that much harder."
Matlin also took to Twitter to call Foxx out, writing that she'd happily give him sign language lessons so he "could be funnier."


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Jam (ugh): Bending the Rule a little
Rule of Thump
at Orbit
January 17
I'm a big believer in the philosophy of trying to learn something new every day, and sitting at a table last Saturday night at Orbit, I learned two things: 1) "Watch out for those fake id's" is not a great pick-up line for an attractive bouncer, as it will most likely be met with "I've heard that N+1 times tonight (where N= Number of Times Previous). You guys need a better line," and 2) Try as I might, I can't seem to really get into jam music.
Maybe it's because I lack a big beard, or dreds, or an earthy odor, but something in my deep-seated nature is utterly opposed to extended instrumental wanking. Though I try to keep an open mind about these things, I always feel I let those who love the genre down when I pan some group for playing what sometimes is a stellar recreation of the tried and true jam sound.
To deal with my sense of guilt, this week I've kept my one or two snide comments about the genre to myself in a way– they are contained in brackets, so feel free to ignore them if you are so inclined.
Composed of a part-time singer/guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, and a percussionist, something in the group's general appearance suggested jam music would be the flavor of the evening long before they had ever plugged in their instruments. In terms of what I've come to expect from a local jam band, Rule of Thump did not disappoint– all the members are accomplished musicians, especially the drummer, and the play pretty tightly together [Rule of Thump are probably the best jam-band I've seen in Charlottesville, but then consider my personal best-to-worst scale of musical worth– indie-pop -> rock -> classical -> folk –> bluegrass –> everything else including polka music –> jam].
A reggae song or two were thrown into the set to switch things up a bit from the mostly instrumental 4/4 time– a much-needed change, I felt, though still the reggae songs were noticeably more Dead than Marley. The group has a major habit of getting on a one-chord progression from the beginning of a song and riding it for all it's worth, sometimes ending with barely a change-up [which left me little to do but twiddle my toes, draw a picture of the band performing, and write down things like, "five-minute '70s porn song"].
Only two of the songs the group performed during the set I watched had vocals, and they were more interspersed throughout the piece, separated by long deserts of soloing [Jam is good for bar business– I know I drank more due to boredom than I would have, say, if Prince had been playing].
I think jam music is a kind of social backdrop, like keg stands at frat parties– it's nice to have going in the background as you go about your attempts at making the hook-up. Do people really go solo, like I often do, to jam shows, and do they just (soberly) get into the music? If the answer is no, maybe I just need more friends.
Rule of Thump


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West in New England
A blog about genealogy and thoughts about the various roots and branches of my family tree as well as the times in which my ancestors lived.Included are the West, White,and McFarland families.WARNING:DO NOT TAKE ALL OF MY FAMILY RECORDS AS GOSPEL. ALWAYS CONFIRM YOUR OWN RESEARCH!Up until now it was not very easy to generate anything that I could use, to match what he does.
One of the new features in FTM2014 is the ability to generate a number of "lists". So I went to the Publish Workspace and selected Calendar.I have used this feature before, but always had an issue when going beyond my immediate family that included more than the living family
I then clicked on Generate Report and this screen came up
As noted before, not everyone was there. But I thought this was fixed???
But then I remembered the Feature, Birthday LIST.
I clicked on the Collection Tab, at the top, and selected Person Reports, as there was a List of Individuals there. FTM2014 - Summary of Person Reports
- The List of Individuals Report offers five different report formats
- Index of Individuals - Lists all of the people in your tree
- Index of Individuals with ID's - Includes Person IDs and Relationship IDs
- Anniversary List - Shows the marriage date and anniversary for each married couple
- Birthday List - Shows the birth date and age for earch person
- Contact List - Shows the address, email, and phone number for each person
Generating the Report button on the right brought up a report. There is a pull down menu, called List Type which offers those options listed above. I had selected Anniversary List
There are many options on this screen, on the Right. Who do you want in the report, which works the same way as previous versions of Family Tree Maker (Immediate Family, Extended Family, All Individuals, Selected Individuals)
Only Living People were in the report, so I removed the check mark in the Include only living people.
So now, I can do as Bill does.
Copyright © 2013 by H R Worthington