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Saturday, April 07, 2012
White Mountains 100
The question lingered.. Bike or Ski? I knew I did not want to have repeats of knee inflammation and the doubts of failure that come with "knowing" an old injury will flare up. So I put the idea of biking out the door all together and started training in December for the longest skate ski of my nordic existence. It took some getting used to. I know what it feels like to bike for 12+ hours, but I'm usually pretty well thrashed after 2 or 3hrs nordic skiing, so knew I needed a way more solid base for the skate specific muscles. Then came all the other stuff that not comes with it, basically figuring out backcountry enduro skate skiing. I did a bunch of (cold) 4+ hr skis in December leading to the 50 mile sufferfest Frosty Bottom in January. Did not get many other long skis other than the usual daily exercise under my belt until a few weeks before the race where I did some 5 hr jaunts with a pack to beat my self up. Raced the 50k classic in the Oosik to get super sore the weekend before the Whites (not the best idea but great fun) and my training was complete.
Along the way I confirmed that traveling light was key and that I really needed to stay on top of the calories for these long skis. Unlike biking where if my blood sugar dives I can still plug along spaced out but moving... skate skiing does not offer that luxury (for me at least), things get ugly really quick when you don't take care of yourself due to the coordination involved.
Anyway, off we go. 6 hr drive north to Fairbanks, jolly group of skiers Abby, Chris Wood and Drew Harrington. Pre-race meeting, crashed at Jeff Oatley's place. Awake at 5:00 brewing coffee and eating manfest with Brain Hartman and Tim B who ended up going on to win it. Temps around 7 degrees on the rolling drive north to the start. Off we go.
The setup, .5L nalgene on the shoulder strap (carried 1L more in pack) and 2 modified mtn feedbags on the waist belt, all worked fantastic.
The fast skiers, Rob on the right was gunning it with the lead bikers till mile 60-70 until the trail got bomber for riding.
Surprisingly enough I had zero jitters at the start, I was really relaxed. When someone yelled "GO" I looked over and saw Drew in a last minute panic with a binding problem, so I helped him for a minute while mostly everyone save the walkers cleared out, then started almost dead last in a nice and relaxed pace trying trying to get around people on the initial climb. The sunlight increased dramatically showing through diffuse snow laden clouds. It would snow on and off through the whole race, moments of bluebird, moments of blizzard.
At some point I caught up to Chris Wood, which was fun since we used to work together and we were both equally psyched about the race. Chris is a strong dude and has been skiing way longer than me, so I was happy to pace and swap leads with him for this whole first leg. Right away though the trail was FUN, really fun, lots of climbing and really fast micro-air-catching downhills which on nordic gear is pretty exciting.
Climbing and more climbing. Tips catching, bikers everywhere, such was the story all the way to CP1 which ended with a mile long climb just barely wide enough to hack away skating up. The bikers were all walking so I passed quite a few. CP1 was a few wall tents and some trail side snacks. Chris pulled in right behind me. I pounded some warm water, fritos and cookies and took off. I'm not one for checkpoints really and I did not want to cool down much from the big up hill. The trail from there followed a broad ridge line that continued to climb and descend through an old burn. This was my least favorite part of the race. The trail was the worst, soft and narrow on the climbs with bits of veg that liked catching ski tips causing face plants. I started leap frogging with a crew of bikers including Michael Braun, which was great, some of the other guys were a bit too serious for my tastes never saying much of anything. Misery loves company so might as well laugh about it, ok fine I'll just laugh to myself.
photo by M. Braun. notice the impeccable technique.
The burn did provide a sense of getting deeper and deeper out there, which I love. Big views off into big wilderness. A place you could just disappear into were it not for a ribbon of trail snaking around a 100 mile loop...
Finally the big descent down to Beaver creek. It was basically a 2 step descent, the first being a long straight shot screamer laden with craters and trenches left by bikers, then a flat, then a really steep drop down to the creek itself with a 90 deg right at the bottom. Ho LE SHIT, this descent was nuts. I started going really fast on the first part sketching out and floating over bike craters before I said BRAKES! and sat down for a half controlled half crash butt slide. ok that worked, nothing broken.. Thinking I was good I put my mitts back into the ski straps (bad idea) and skied the flats and started bombing drop #2, snow plow, oh fuck, too fast, I'm gonna eat it, edge edge turn runn it out yyyeaaaaahhh made it to the creek unscathed and all fired up and proceeded to stomp out the rolling 6 miles to Cache mtn cabin under blue skies. Doing it, feeling good 40 miles in.
I pulled into Cache mtn and found Bill Pearson and his sister Kate getting ready to head out. I was psyched to see them since it meant I was actually keeping a decent pace going. They good skiers and have both done the race in the past. But for now it was time to chow. Cache mtn was to be a fuel up spot for me. Gloves over the stove, sit down, lean against the wall and shovel in baked potato covered with moose chili & cheese, chased down with coke, cookies and pringles. Does not get any better for checkpoint fuel. Chris pulled in pretty soon after me and started the same routine. His back was bugging him so he stayed a while and unfortunately this was the last I'd see him for the race. Right after Cris was Russ Devries who was skiing on Classic gear. I could not freaking believe it and was really impressed he was going so fast. Russ ended up finishing about an hour after me. Maybe I need to come back and Classic ski it next time and see what I'm missing...
Hard to leave CP2 with the sun shining and abundant food but there's a pass to climb out there. The trail basically is flat then starts to gradually climb and climb and climb to Cache mountain Divide, the high point on the course. It was hot. mid-20's with sun. I was roasting in the effort and finally threw in the towl and took off the thin tights I had under my pants. This was a bit of a trail side chore that took a few minutes and I second guessed myself several times knowing that I was heading up high into snow and wind. oh well. I was hot. At the start of the climb the trail was infuriatingly narrow. I walked a few of the short steep ones and started to get down... then.... the bulb went off and I dug out the secret weapons. nano-skins armed I started stomping away, climbs be dammed I was moving. Not much glide but I was basically running and putting out far less energy than trying to marathon skate or walk it. Head down, stomp, stomp. If I keep it up and don't stop it's going to work. Higher. Passing bikers, more bikers, ski boot foot prints.. 2 sets of ski boots prints! - Bill and Kate. I'm gonna get them damn it. stomp stomp. post hole tracks, another biker. stomp stomp. fewer trees...getting colder, snowing more.. why did I take off my tights?... these gloves suck.. wait.. is that Bill?? with a defeated look he yells,"DO YOU HAVE A SKIN?" "I have TWO!" I catch Bill really close to the pass, I feel bad for him, but not enough to linger, he's going to out ski me anyway so I might as well get some ground. Almost white out conditions at the pass but basically a party going on of snowmachiners. This was the one dichotomy of this event - it's in a remote wilderness area, but you're never more than 12 miles from a cabin and there is a small army of safety and support staff out there. But this was fun as I feeling great having made such good time up the climb. Skin's ripped, hoodini armed, puff mitts on - Down.
Photo by Josh Spice
Totally flat light, can't see shit. just 4" wide tire trenches and craters from crashing bikers, passed 2 guys hip-deep wallowing off the trail. a bit of skating and I hit the famed Ice lakes meeting up with Michael Braun and Bill again. The ice lakes are a section of massive overflow ice sloping downhill with usually anywhere from toe to knee deep water on the surface. We had reports of moderate overflow still so I stopped to put garbage bags over my boots/overboots and cliped in, better than nothing. Gingerly double poling onto the ice I almost right away eat it and both my feet go shin deep in ice water. crap. keep moving.
Getting through the lakes went pretty quick and was not too bad. Bill and I skiied out together swooping and gliding down tight trail with some great views of the limestone craigs through the blowing snow. Really a sweet section of the course to travel in any mode. A few short up's and I started roasting and had to drop the wind jacket and swap to my wet thinner lobster gloves. A bit more overflow right before Windy Gap Cabin for the third checkpoint.
Bill near the cool craig's.
On the menu was meatballs and soupy rice, even though I was feeling strong overall, the was starting to catching up to me. My lower back was pretty thrashed and my right elbow tendonitis was cooking a medium burn, this was making me compensate more poling with my left side which and I was slowly getting pretty jacked up from the modified technique. The bummer about Windy Gap was Kate was there feeling like crap and ended up scratching. I was pretty stoked about everything and it was probably not the energy she wanted to hear. So I cleared out of there fairly quick assuming that Bill was going to catch me at some point.
This next leg was wild, from here on out I felt more or less by myself till the finish. The trail was fun, rolling, generally downhill for a bit across ice and swooping through big evergreen forests, a little erie and wild for sure. Michael on his bike started leap frogging until he disappeared ahead of me on a gradual climb.
After about 10 miles the trail hung a left and had a steep climb that I walked up to gain a side valley that the course traversed to get to the Borealis cabin. Light was fading and with the light out went my distractions. I was either totally zoned out completely forgetting miles, or totally focused on some ache, pain or slowly failing muscle group. Of all the checkpoints so far this one I was REALLY ready to get to. Everything was starting to hurt and I did not want to stop to get my light out, temps were dropping and my legs were just barely comfortable without any under layers. But soon enough pulled into the Borealis cabin and wallked up the hill complete with battery run christmas lights. nice touch.
"We love Skiers!" was the reception I got. awesome. I had the place to myself with 2 happy volunteers who immediately offered me everything in their stock, including ramen and homemade bread. yum. I took the opportunity to strip down and dry out my super fleece over the stove and hoped my crappy gloves would dry just a touch. Sufficiently fed and layered up I cleared out when the place started filling up with bikers.
Alright 20 miles with tons more climbing, headlamp on here we go. Almost right off the trail climbs forever. I bailed pretty quick and re-activated my secret weapons. Slow but low energy output, passed the 2 pushing bikers with ease even though they flew by me on the flats shortly after. Off camber ice, more overflow, rolling terrain. Headlamps dancing in space ahead of me, flashing red lights taunting me. Were they 2 miles ahead or 200 feet? I could not tell. Reached the 90 mile trail shelter feeling pretty thrashed but stopped in to say hi to Robin and Dean. Robin snapped me out of my funk by putting boiling water in my bottle which I proceeded to chug and we all know how that goes. tasted nothing for about a day. whatever, I have the wall to climb so let's get it over with.
When the hell am I going to get to this thing? The famed Wickersham wall climbs about 1,000' to gain the ridge were were to get back to the start. But just getting to it felt like forever. I had the thought that 80 or even 90 mile ski races might be better idea than 100's. At some point the skies cleared and the temps started to drop. I could not really tell though if I it was an actual temp drop of if my body was just not putting out any extra heat, either way it was getting chilly, gone were the pangs of heat and sweat when battling up short climbs. There was one bad overflow section right at the base of the wall, I went ankle deep in water and immediately had to hike up the bank on the other side. Instant binding ice down. I spent about 15 or more minutes here trying to get clipped back into my bindings and had to resort to digging out the little can of lock de-icer I bought just for the occasion. To the wall - skins back on and stomped away. Kept a steady pace and got to the top without much trouble, switching to striding was a nice change as my skate muscles were toast.
I stole this photo from Josh Spice's blog. This is the view from the top of the wall, except imagine it in total darkness with a 50' headlamp beam. I need to come back here and go faster to see it the daylight.
Backtracking for 6 miles the way we came out from the start to finish. I was wasted and could barely skate at this point. The colder temps, fresh snow and wax job with 95 miles in it made it all feel really, really slow. Working hard for the glide. More climbing, walking the steep ones. Snowmachine moguls, are you kidding me? am I bonking so close to the finish? can't be... did we really descend so f-ing much in the beginning of the race? endless climbing. one mile to finish sign and a fun fast rolling downhill to end it.
Somehow it was almost 3:00am when I finished, but in the darkness I had lost all sense of time. It was so good to be done, so much had happened. The White's had delivered. Walking away from it the race was everything that was expected and more. Beautiful, hard and above all, really fun with the best organization you could imagine. Thank you Ed and Ann for the hard work and to all the many volunteers that make this event so awesome.
The aftermath.. Abby finished about an hour after me totally rocking it being the first woman skier, we tried driving back to Fairbanks and had a nap car bivy en-route. Slept about 5 hrs in Fairbanks then drove 6 back to Anchorage. Happily I felt pretty much recovered with no injuries within a few days but have generally been lazy since. Breakup is upon us and I'm looking foreword to biking again after such a ski focused winter.
4 comments:
- spruceboy said...
You did a wonderful job capturing the feel of the whites 100, thanks for posting it. There is great ski and bike touring in the whites if you have the interest to come up for a more mellow outing.
- Alex said...
Great report! Thanks for that Eric!
How do you clip into he bindings with the trash bags on? Seems to me the bindings would puncture the bags.
- Jill Homer said...
Great write-up! I'm surprised to hear you still have issues with your knee when riding that don't crop up when skiing. I still have lingering pangs from my 2007 injury, but the flare-ups diminish more every year. Taking up trail running has actually seemed to help me a lot, go figure.
The WM100 really is my favorite race, because of the stellar organization and scenery. Wish it didn't require luck a lottery, but the popularity makes sense.
- Dr. Cookie said...
I still feel really bad about the hot water . . . . we started asking specifically "drink now hot or drink later hot?" after I burned you, so you saved someone else.


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Estonian Chemistry DaysActivity by Mihkel Koel | added on Sep 29, 2010 | Estonia
Sponsor(s): Estonian Chemical Society, Estonian Association of Chemical Industry
National event for academy, industry and high school teachers to increase wider understanding about what is going on in Chemistry in Estonia, and encouraging the interest of young people in chemistry. It is scheduled to take place on 18-19 April 2011 in Tartu.
National event for academy, industry and high school teachers in the form of two-days conference with oral and poster presentations from academia, industry and Union of High School Chemistry teachers. Estonian Chemistry Days will take place in Tartu, at 18-19 Aprill 2011 and local organizers will be from Tartu University. Event will be advertised in national media and will be open to general public also.
|conferences, chemistry education, science fair
|professional chemists, students, educators, industrial chemists
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subset: commoncrawl


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Shopelectronicdeals needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 29 designs submitted by 11 freelance designers.
Shop Electronic Deals
Shop Electronic Deals (SED) is a new online retailer specializing in electronics and audio equipment. From the car, to the house, to especially the stage we will provide the finest brands at most competitive prices. Some of the categories of products we will offer include DJ mixing boards, turn tables, PA systems, speakers, automotive and home audio/visual equipment. The full gamut of electronic hardware. A banner contest and possibly others will follow.
SED will be geared toward DJs, stage performers and audio enthusiasts. The hobbyist as well as the professional. Anybody interested in making music or just making the music they are listening to sound better.
This logo should stand out and be memorable. The company name is long when spelled out so we are looking for it to be more compact. The SED abbreviation is alright to use but we would like to see the name spelled out as well. Sleek and almost futuristic but professional. We are open to anything so please be creative.
background-color: #777
Secondary blue color: #3589D5;
Logo should match well with: http://cheapaudiosupply.com
Original source file should be high res, at least 300 dpi.
The logo will be sitting on top of web color #777 but should have a transparent background for other purposes..
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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OAKLAND — Garrett Richards' historic run of pitching away from home ended with a giant thud.
Richards is among just three pitchers over the last 100 years to have sub-1.40 ERA and .140 batting-average-against through his first six road starts, joining Pedro Martinez (1997 Montreal Expos) and Reb Russell (1916 Chicago White Sox) as the only others.
But on Friday, Richards went from a 21st Century Cy Young to a Bad News Bears highlight reel.
The highly-regarded lefthander failed to make it out of the first inning in a 9-5 loss to the first-place Oakland A's in front of 23,384 at O.Co Coliseum.
"It's embarrassing," Richards said.
Richards (4-2) allowed five runs on five hits and three walks in 2/3 of an inning that the Angels couldn't overcome despite a spirited comeback.
"I didn't show up for us tonight," Richards said. "I didn't give us a chance to win. I put us in a hole early, but obviously you guys saw how we kept fighting until the end and that says a lot about this team and our attitude this year."
Richards had pitched at least five innings all of his previous 10 starts and six or more innings in all but one of those. Six of his previous seven outings were quality starts.
Richards' ERA ballooned from 3.00 to start the night to 3.65.
But what in all likelihood was a hiccup came at most inopportune of times for the torrid Angels, who'd won 16 of their previous 20 games and went into Oakland with a chance to move into first place with a three-game series sweep. That won't happen now, as the Angels fell to 2 1/2 games out.
Richards loaded the bases twice; he'd already been tagged for a grand slam by the time he struck out Yoenis Cespedes for his first out. Eight of the first nine batters he faced reached safely on five singles, a home run and two walks.
"That inning just steamrolled," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It just wasn't there for him."
Mercifully, Scioscia lifted Richards after issuing a two-out bases-loaded walk to Coco Crisp on his 37th pitch.
"Occasionally Garrett's going to be a little bit out of sync but tonight it was all out of whack," Scioscia said. "He couldn't make the adjustment to get back in there and make some pitches."
Crisp, the 10th batter Richards faced, had singled to start the inning. Crisp went to third when John Jaso followed with a single. Richards then walked Josh Donaldson before surrendering the grand slam to Brandon Moss.
"I couldn't find a feel on the two-seam (fastball)," Richards said. "I was cutting the four-seam out of the zone and the two-seam was sinking out of the zone.
"I tried to work through it and tried to make some adjustments but I wasn't able to it tonight."
The Angels trailed 7-0 in the fourth when Howie Kendrick's two-run homer (his third) highlighted a three-run inning. Mike Trout homered leading off the inning – his 11th.
The A's extended their lead to 9-3 in the fifth on Josh Donaldson's two-run homer off Wade LeBlanc. Donaldson's homer was his 14th and second on the night – his solo shot in the third made it 7-0.
LeBlanc did decent if not stellar work in mop-up duty; he struck out four batters and allowed four runs on six hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings.
"Wade threw a helluva game after I came out and kept us in the game," Richards said.
Los Angeles trailed 9-3 in the sixth inning when C.J. Cron lined a double to left that grazed Cespedes' glove.
The Angels threatened in the seventh inning when they had a first-and-second one-out situation set up for Albert Pujols.
But A's reliever Dan Otero got Pujols to ground into a fielder's choice and Luke Gregerson, who came in for Otero, struck out David Freese to end the threat.
Pomeranz (5-3) allowed five runs on four hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.
"You're going to have 33 starts throughout the year and you're not going to on your A-game for all of them," Richards said.
"I feel like this happens to pitchers in general throughout the year; some guys are better at getting through it and some guys struggle out of the get-go. It's just like anything else in this game, it's a learning experience and I'm going to stay positive. I've had a helluva year so far.
"I can't let one outing ruin my progress."


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Real Estate News: Election Likely to Leave Housing Unmoved
Here is a look at real-estate news in Tuesday's WSJ:
Ahead of the Tape: Election Likely to Leave Housing Unmoved: Don't fix what isn't broken. Whatever the outcome of Tuesday's elections, that is likely to be one view of the housing market, especially given its nascent rebound.
Start-Ups Move Fast to Revive Operations: With power returning to lower Manhattan, New York City's technology start-ups are booting back up.
House of the Day: Ditching the lumber for a contemporary twist, an architect built this ski home with an emphasis on durable design.


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Dad said that he used to despatch chicken to Yut Kee from his employer's stall in the old Central Market. He would get a free meal every time he's there. People were more sincerely generous in the old days, weren't they? According to dad, the pork chop and egg roll were really good. All these years, he had never mentioned about Yut Kee (and I never asked why), until I suggested that we have lunch there a month ago. I took the family to Yut Kee a week after my first visit with a couple of friends. Having learnt that the best time to avoid is around the lunch hours, we took a slow ride to reach at 2 pm. Surprisingly, the famous pork belly roll was still available. What luck!
It's a very typical coffee shop but while many would see a more slowed and relaxed tea time, Yut Kee was still very much a high speed production line, churning out dish after dish. Despite the overflowing crowd waiting at the shop's front, I thought they operated efficiently; from allocation of seats to taking orders to the payment process. This system (which seems intuitive but nonetheless requires sufficient manpower and good coordination to work) that they've adopted shortens the waiting time significantly and puts the customers at ease. It's a major plus, really. I can't remember how many times I'd sworn that I'd be damned if I had to revisit some badly managed but prideful eateries in town.
As we sat down, Dad began observing the surrounding, obviously looking for familiar faces but couldn't recognize anyone. He said the workforce had been replaced by, perhaps the next generation. There were four of us at the table, with eight dishes to share; including the westernized roast pork belly, which I thought was very good. It's all in bite - the crispy crackling, the aroma of lard melt bursting in the mouth and a nutty taste of the filling. The apple sauce gave an interesting sweetness to the salty meat. Of course, when one's at Yut Kee for the first time, one has to try the perennial favourites such as roti babi, Hailam mee and belacan fried rice. I didn't think much of the roti babi filling (which could do with more filling and seasoning) but the soft, encapsulating bread coated with a thin layer of egg was nice. I thought the roti was skillfully prepared. The taste is to be enhanced with a dip of the Worcestershire sauce.
On this second visit, I'd decided to try other less popular dishes on the board. Less because they were not seen on every table, unlike the roti babi and pork chop. I'd ordered the beef noodles served with a generous amount of meat and tripe, soft radish and a clear stock, and the Cantonese-style fried noodles with enough wok hei to keep me intoxicated and happy.
Let's talk a bit about the all-time favourite pork chop. The first bite unravelled a well-marinated piece of tenderized pork. The construction was traditional. From my (limited) pork chop experiences, the brown sauce is usually mild, bordering tasteless, even. That's not the case at Yut Kee though. The caramelized gravy was rich and flavourful, and went really well with the otherwise bland potato wedges and assorted boiled vegetables. Oh, not to forget a sprinkling of the appetizing Worcestershire sauce too. However, Dad did mention that the pork used to be crispier, but perhaps due to higher demand, were pre-cooked, hence the softness.
Growing up, I was privileged enough to have eaten quite a fair amount of Hainanese noodles cooked by an aunt of mine. It's quiet different from my usual Cantonese and Hokkien mee with the noodles simmered over a longer duration and served soupy but less starchy than loh mee. Yut Kee's Hailam mee was different. The soup was reduced to an almost stir-fried consistency. Still, it was a tasty treat, especially when eaten with the topping of some fragrant, crunchy fried shallots.
The extensive menu at Yut Kee is posted on a larger than life whiteboard hung on the sidewall. So far, I've only tried a small fraction of it. For me, every visit is to try something new, and to discover something old but gold as well. Here, especially when dining alone or in a small group, chances are that one would be sharing a table with older loyal customers that are happy to share their tales of Yut Kee or recommend some dishes. Tourists also flock this coffee shop, which I think is a good choice. It's definitely a more identifiable Malaysian experience. Truly Asia what?
I didn't ask Dad what he thought of today's Yut Kee. He seemed pleased though, whopping one dish after another. Perhaps for him, there was a taste of nostalgia in the food too.
Take away the hype, the rustic interior (which is one of the attractions of this coffee shop) and endless free publicity, I will still be back at Yut Kee, simply because the food is good and affordable (especially in this part of the city). Not many good old coffee shops like this survive the test of time so I really hope that they'll stay for long time. And I'm confident of that, unless of course, there's a forced, unwise plan to demolish this row of shophouses in the name of development.
Yut Kee
35, Jalan Dang Wangi
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


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Hey there readers (if any of you are still out there--don't know if they removed you too). I'm not sure what is going on here, but as you can see The Mindset is not at the glory it was when we all went to bed last night. I can honestly say I have NO idea what happened. I haven't received a single email telling me I violated copyright laws or anything, nor have I been warned about it before. I'm not sure if this was by Disney's hand or what, but I do know that all of the Sesame Workshop and Jim Henson Company owned images and likenesses have been completely removed as well.
I'm honestly at a loss for words... All I can tell you is that you can rest assured that I'm contacting my sources as we speak to try and get to the bottom of this. I'll keep you posted if I find out anything... but for now, enjoy The REMOVED Mindset while you still can.
The REMOVED Mindset by Ryan Dosier
Apr 1, 2010
4 comments:
Wow. Is it possible it's some kind of April Fools' joke?ReplyDelete
No no no! How did this happen! I will miss you if it is gone! Can you just get another blog and call it something else Mindset? I will like to read that instead.ReplyDelete
- miss piggy leeeThursday, April 1, 2010 at 11:04:00 AM CDT
i think its an april fools joke i HOPE(!!!!!!!) its a jokeReplyDelete
AAAAAAAAAAPRIL FOOOOOOOOOOL'S... duh!ReplyDelete
Just click on "Older Posts" and there ya go!
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Gary Fouse, fousesquawk:
Hat tip to Joe
Maher Hathout of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) is a figure celebrated as a moderate man who is engaged in bridge-building:. He speaks at many inter-faith meetings, where he wins the hearts of gullible Christians and Jews. I have spoken with him on a couple of occasions and asked him specific questions, such as why he will not sign the Freedom Pledge letter from Former Muslims United asking 200 of the top Muslim leaders in America to sign a simple statement that apostates in America should not be harmed. On July 13, 2012, I personally gave him his copy of the letter, which he stated he had never received.
On December 15, 2012, Hathout was featured at the MPAC annual convention held at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, where I had a chance to speak to him as did a local KTLA reporter. The below video, which has been provided to me by the producer, shows Hathout being interviewed by KTLA about his past associations with the Muslim Brotherhood as a young man in Egypt. Hathout denies any recent association since he left Egypt many decades ago. On this day, he also explained to me why he has not signed the Freedom Letter.
The below video then switches to October 28, 2000, when an event was held in Washington DC called "Al Quds" Day-an anti-Israel day of speeches by various Muslim figures. Hathout also spoke that day-as did Abdur Rahman Alamoudi, now in prison on terror charges, who led the crowd in chants of "I support Hamas-I support Hezbollah".(Hat tip Discover the Networks) In addition, Muzammil Siddiqi, another celebrated "bridge-builder" in Southern California, spoke that day and warned the US not to incur the wrath of God by continuing to support Israel. (Hat tip Investigative Project on Terrorism) In subsequent explanation, Siddiqi says that by the time Alamoudi spoke, he (Siddiqi) was on a plane back to Los Angeles. Yet, the notorious radical, Abdul Alim Musa (see below), can be clearly seen standing behind Siddiqi as he (Siddiqi) spoke.
In the below video, CAIR CEO Nihad Awad can be seen on the stage behind Hathout as he speaks. Most troubling, however, is the presence on stage of Abdul Alim Musa, one of the vilest, most anti-American, antisemitic, pro-Iranian figures in the country. That day, he spoke of how the "martyrs" go to Paradise when they die, while the Zionists just die (Hat tip Investigative Project on Terrorism).
Here is the problem: So many leaders like Hathout present themselves as moderates. Yet, when you look at their associations, it is alarming. I will submit that a moderate Muslim has no business sharing a stage with people like Abdul Alim Musa-anywhere, anytime.
Tags: Maher Hathout, Muslim Public Affairs Council,MPAC To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the Patriot's Corner. Thanks!
Maher Hathout in 2012 and 2000
Posted by Gary Fouse at 4:13 PM
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Saint Alphonsa of India
- Alphonsa Muttathupadathu
- Alphonsa of Bharananganam
- Anna Muttathupadathu
- Annakutty
Born in a rural area to Joseph and Mary Muttathupadathu. Baptized on 27 August 1910. Her mother died when Anna was very young, and she was raised by her maternal aunt, and educated by her great-uncle Father Joseph Muttathupadathu. At age 3 she contracted an infected eczema from which she suffered for over a year. Made her first Communion on 27 November 1917. Badly burned on her feet when she accidentally fell into a pit of burning chaff, leaving her permanently partially disabled. Joined the Poor Clare convent at Bharananganam on 2 August 1928, taking the name Alphonsa, and making her vows on 12 August 1936.
She lost her aunt/foster-mother in 1930. Worked as a primary school taught, and the children loved her for her gentleness and cheery way, but health problems often kept her from the classroom. In December 1936 she was miraculously cured from her ailments through the intervention of Saint Therese of Lisieux and Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara. However, in June 1939 she was struck by a severe attack of pneumonia, weakening her overall. On 18 October 1940 a thief stumbled into her room in the middle of the night; the shock of the event caused Alphonsa to suffer a loss of memory, and further weakened her. Her condition continued deteriorated for months, and she was given last rites on 29 September 1941; the next day, she regained her memory, though not complete health. She enjoyed some improvement over the next few years, but in July 1945 she developed a stomach problem that eventually led to her death.
She was noted for her suffering, and suffering in silence. Incidents of her intervention began almost immediately upon her death, and often involved the children in the convent school. Hundreds of miraculous cures are claimed for her intervention, many of involving straightening of clubbed-feet, possibly because of her having lived with deformed feet herself; two of these were submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints as proof of her miraculous intervention. The continuing cures are chronicled in the magazine PassionFlower. Thousands converge on the small town of Bharananganam when they celebrate the feast of Saint Alphonsa from 19 to 28 July each year.
- 28 July 1946 at Bharananganam, India, of natural causes
- buried in the chapel connected with the cemetery of Saint Mary's church, Bharananganam, India, which has become an important place of pilgrimage
- declared Servant of God, and her Cause began on 2 December 1953
- declared Venerable on 9 July 1985 by Pope John Paul II
- Sunday 12 October 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI
- noble ready; battle ready
Grains of wheat, when ground in the mill, turn in to flour. With this flour we make the wafer of the holy Eucharist. Grapes, when crushed in the wine press, yield their juice. This juice turns into wine. Similarly, suffering so crushes us that we turn into better human beings. –Saint Alphonsa to novices
She did not want her sufferings to be reduced in the least by human attention and sympathy, nor did she want others of know of her suffering. This is a strange expression of humility, which seeks that others should never think of you. –Cardinal Gracias
- "Saint Alphonsa of India". CatholicSaints.Info. 2 February 2019. Web. 18 March 2019. <>


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The 3 Cs at Cisco Live London 2012
Cisco Live London 2012 is underway this week. I'm sure that technical learning and having fun are high on your to-do list. Perhaps you're also anxious to know what new products and technologies Cisco will announce.
I talked to several customers during the last several weeks. They all wanted to know what Cisco is doing further to help them deal with the wave of cloud computing, video, and mobility. In my previous post From San Jose to London I summarized these questions:
1. How can we execute better today and tomorrow with enhanced network performance?
2. How do we prepare for cloud deployments and other new technologies?
3. How can we bring down the total cost of owning your networks, while greatly improving business efficiency?
To answer these questions, Cisco will announce a rich portfolio of campus and data center networking products and technologies tomorrow (Wednesday Feb. 1). The new capabilities will help you address these critical areas:
1. Capacity: Have the right network performance to scale for new business opportunities.
2. Complexity: Simplify network deployments for virtualization, cloud and other new technologies.
3. Cost: Be operational efficient to lower the total cost of ownership (TCO).
The 3 Cs. Take care of them and you're taking good care of your business. Hear more about them later.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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OC Companies on Ultra High-Def TV Trend
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Orange County-based companies are helping fuel the hype for ultra high-definition TVs—one of the hot trends at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas.
Orange-based Westinghouse Digital LLC showcased a 65-inch 4K TV and a 50-inch set that converts 1080p HD pictures into ultra-HD, which has four times higher resolution than the current standard.
The company used a Sony Blu-Ray player with traditional HD to demonstrate the picture upgrade.
The Westinghouse ultra-HD sets are expected to be available in the coming months, along with a 55-inch version. Retail prices will range from about $2,500 to $4,000, according to the company.
Westinghouse's showstopper was its 110-inch model, which won't be available at traditional retailers.
"This is a custom order at this point," spokesman Brett Hunt said.
An ultra-HD TV from Toshiba's Digital Products Division, a unit of Irvine-based Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., also drew a crowd on the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The Toshiba unit is targeting a March release date for its new line, dubbed Toshiba L9300 Series UltraHD LED TVs. The sets are powered by Toshiba's 4K core processor, and provide clearer resolution, rich color and crisp surface images.
The L9300 Series will be available in 58-, 65- and 84-inch sizes.
Irvine-based Broadcom Corp. earlier this week presented the first ultra-HD TV home gateway chip at CES. The chip is expected to improve CPU processing and enable home networking, supporting video-on-demand, gaming, social media and other applications.


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Every year, Sega holds a cattle call to select a handful of women to appear in its latest Yakuza game. This year, there's a porn star in the running—not a Sega first. The women typically play hostesses players can chat up in night clubs. But, Sega, why not pick the number one hostess for your next game? The number one hostess in all of Japan.
The "KyabaRaku Award" event was held earlier this month in Tokyo and selected the "number one" hostess in Japan. The winner, 23 year-old Rin Aoi, was selected from 300 hostesses who applied from across Japan. Aoi was selected based on her inner and outer beauty. Her prize earned her a trophy and a check for over US$10,000.
So, Sega, what do you say? Here's the number one hostess in all of Japan, wearing blue, and she's not in your game!
究極の"胸盛りテク"を伝授、全国300名超から選ばれたNo.1キャバ嬢 モデルプレスインタビュー [Model Press]


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Tuesday, June 3, 2008
The Bohemian Strikes Gold & It's Green!
Two summers ago I built my very own composter. I have used a spinner one, plastic tower and a nice 3 bin wood unit at Higher Ground, the co-housing community in Oregon where I used to live. They were all nice, but I was after the lowest maintenance composter that I could build with my bare hands. No tools and no money down. I found a model on line that used pallets and bailing wire. Pallets are never a problem to rustle up and I got some wire from my friend Penny. I had seen a really neat bin while out walking the alleys (a Midwest event for exercise, but primarily to check out peoples gardens!) that had encased the inside with black liner material. That seemed like a neat idea to keep things hot inside so I lined mine with used garbage bags. The back pallet was higher than the others so it looks like a throne. One of the goals was that a person didn't have to turn it much, you could just pick it up and move it over after a while. Well, try telling that to the backyard BBQ gang. They could not get there was no bottom to the bin! I couldn't do it myself, but finally with a couple of extra hands, move it over we did! Was it ever the Midas touch: that throne served me well, Black Gold! Which is of course true and honest 'green'. Sustainable practices having always been used at The Bohemian. This first batch of composting will go in the shade garden as I transplant the hostas and native grasses away from the house in anticipating of painting!
Labels: composting, gardening, green hospitality
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