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Methinks we should start seperating the "best" and the "worst" cartoons from now on.
Quote from: PastorDave on November 16, 2012, 02:55:21 pmRepent and accept Jesus.I'M SORRY, PASTOR DAVE. I'M AFRAID I CAN'T DO THAT.
Repent and accept Jesus.
There are very few problems that cannot be solved with a good taint punching.
What the bloody fuck?


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The Daddy I Remember
The visions of my father, Isaac Curley Sr., come and go with each passing month and season. My father was born on March 25, 1922 and raised on the Navajo reservation. His home was a hogan, the family subsisted upon livestock, no modern conveniences and news was gathered only by word of mouth. Like the trading posts, that simple way of life is now almost a bygone era. Yet, the memories of "Daddy" remain as vivid as if it were only yesterday. Daddy left us much too soon as a result of dreadful diabetes.
Daddy worked in the copper mines of southern Arizona for more than twenty years. I recall riding many times in his turquoise-colored Dodge pickup from the early 1960's that he bought brand new. One summer my brothers and I helped him construct a camper shell out of lumber, plywood, screws and nails. We even managed to find turquoise colored paint to make it look uniform--at least we thought so. I can still see him sweating as he was using a hand saw to round the cross members for the roof, so when it was finished the rain would naturally run off.
When it came time for his annual vacation from work, Daddy chose to return with the family to his original home for it was a time to become reacquainted with family, friends, and rejuvenate cultural ties. We all knew our day long journey was nearing his home when we would pull off to the side of the road and Daddy would get out and walk over to the sagebrush, break off a bunch, briskly rub between both hands, cup them over his nostrils and inhale as if breathing in new life. We would also do the same and then that long drive seemed like the opening of a whole new world. We were at a place that stood still for a few moments and like a beautiful painting, our eyes would see hued color of sands that brought forth pinion, juniper and ponderosa trees, hogans with chimneys reaching skyward from cast iron stoves and corrals that contained bleating sounds of sheep and goats, and blue skies from horizon to horizon that stretched endlessly with beauty. Daddy opened this world to us and he was there to teach us how nature was always in charge and we had to learn to bend with her so that she would kindly give back to us.
That pickup took us to Navajoland on several occasions where it came in handy. It was used to haul water in a 55-gallon drum for my father's sister and her family. We had to drive a few miles on the rugged dirt road to reach the nearest hand pumping station that sunk deeply into the ground to reach the sweet tasting water. It took several minutes to fill that huge barrel and when it came time to drive back, the rear end sat low, but the big task would be unloading it. My aunt and uncle only had a wagon and team of horses to do hauling. If you sat in the back, you quickly learned that it was not a joyful ride when hitting ruts and jutting sandstones.
As many of my brothers and sisters could attest to, our Daddy had one of the most beautiful voices when it came to singing traditional Navajo songs. The songs he chanted were both social and ceremonial that included horse riding songs and Yei-bi-Cheii. The interior of a vehicle, whether it was a pickup or car, had ideal acoustics to listen to his extraordinary voice that you could also feel as he reached deep inside to bring out majestic yet tranquil songs. I believe that those songs brought harmony to him when he longed for familiar surroundings of his homeland or whenever he recalled his younger days or as he referred to it "in my days."
Closer to home, we took many trips to the Apache reservation to the community my mother grew up in, known as Cibecue. We loaded that trusty Dodge with food, beverages, light weight mattresses, blankets and tools. The drive on the winding highway took what seemed like two hours. Once we reached the exit from the main highway, it was all dirt road for a drive that was more than 10 miles. If you were unfortunate enough to sit in the pick up bed, you tasted powdery dirt and your eyes tried to blink away the gritty sand particles. Our family, for several years, was invited by close relatives to use their spacious field to plant corn and beans. The summer days could become long when working in the field, hoeing weeds and mending fences. It was in the late 1960's when I recall one particular night after a long day of work. I remember my mother was with us as we drove in the late evening to the cool pines to find a place to park and sleep. The bedding lined the back of the pickup which is where we would sleep under the magnificent starry sky. My father, being the man who could handle a handgun and rifle of any caliber, decided that he needed to scare away any nearby bears. He was after all, a WWII veteran or as they are also known, of the "Greatest Generation." So after we got settled in our makeshift beds, he proceeded to go to the cab and behind the seat he pulled out the single barrel shotgun, loaded it, and fired it into the air. Boom! I can still see the flame coming from the barrel and catching a whiff of burnt gun powder which I always like to smell. Oh how he made us feel so safe and secure from any harm. He was truly the Daddy I looked up to and adored tremendously.
My father was a man of strength, wisdom, loyalty, and although he was not one to openly say I love you, you knew he did deeply whenever he took to his side and told you how he always wished the best for you with great meaning and sincerity. And for all the many cherished memories that I carry each and every day of Daddy, I thank God for my dear father. I love you Daddy.
Isaac Curley Jr. is Apache/Navajo. He attended Diné Community College and Northern Arizona University as a history major. Professional background is in development work for museums and special event planner with emphasis in Native American art and culture.

subset: commoncrawl


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Abilene Twins Born in Different Years Make National News — Mother Plans on Giving Them Their Own Birthday Parties
According to ABC News, three sets of New Year's twins were born in different years -- one twin born at the tail end of 2013 and the other at the beginning of 2014. What's even more special about this rarity is that one set of those twins was born right here in Abilene. To top it all off, the Abilene twins and mother made national news, including ABC and NBC.
The mother, Veronica Reed, gave birth to Hannah Grace at 11:59 p.m. on New Year's Eve, then gave birth to the second twin, Danielle Lyn, a minute after midnight on New Year's Day.
What I thought was really cool was that the mother didn't give the babies similar names. I know many sets of twins and they all have similar names. I think giving them completely different names adds to their unique identity.
Unlike many twins, these two won't have to celebrate their birthday on the same day, either. according to a beaming Reed:
"They won't have to celebrate birthdays together. They endured enough just to get here, and have been through enough complications already that they deserve to have their own parties"
What complications have they been through? Well, back in mid-August, doctors discovered that they had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. Basically, that's where one twin takes life-sustaining nutrients from the other. Reed was able to carry the twins full term, following an in utero procedure to correct the issue.
To say their birth is a blessing is an understatement, as all parents can attest. On top of that, giving birth to twins in different years is even more incredible.
While twins share a bond that most can never relate to, I'm sure these two little girls will definitely appreciate their mom giving them their own birthday parties in honor of their uniqueness.
So, with all that, I decided to compile a list of unique birthday party ideas and tips for twins and I hope you can help by adding some ideas and tips in the comment section below.
- Allow the twins (at an older age) to plan each other's birthday party, but as a surprise, of course.
- Let them each plan their own birthday party. Having input on their own party will insure a more unique, fun experience
- Have one twin dress like and take the place of the other at the other twin's party to see how long it takes the partygoers to figure it out, then have a grand entrance for the real birthday kid
- Limit the guest list because they'll probably share friends until they're much older. That means those friends will be going to both parties. Don't wanna wear out the wallets of all those parents too soon.
Congrats to Veronica and babies Hannah Grace and Danielle Lyn.


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Recipe for 8 pieces
- 50 g butter
- 3 egg whites
- 40g sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 20g flour
- 20g cornflour
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar powder
- 3 sheets of red gelatine
- 300g raspberries
- 50g sugar powder, sieved
- 1 tablespoon of raspberry brandy
- 125g cream • Sugar powder
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Melt the butter at medium heat. Beat the egg whites into a stiff mass, constantly adding a little sugar. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until foamy and fold in a third of the beaten egg whites. Sieve the fl our and cornfl our onto the egg yolk mass and mix it in. Then fold in the remaining beaten egg whites with the liquid butter. lace the sponge mass on a baking tray laid out with a silicone baking mat from Birkmann, smoothen it and bake it in the middle position of the oven with upper and lower heat for approx. 10 minutes.
- Dust a clean cloth with sugar powder. Drop the sponge onto it, carefully pull off the baking mat and let the sponge cool off.
- In the mean time, let the gelatine soak in cold water for approx. 10 minutes. Puree 2/3 of the raspberries and spread the mass through a fi ne sieve. Press out the gelatine, dissolve it in warm raspberry brandy and mix it into the raspberry pulp. Beat the cream until it is stiff and fold it into the raspberry pulp together with the remaining raspberries.
- Spread the raspberry cream onto the sponge base, carefully roll it together with the help of the cloth and leave it covered in a cool place for approx. 1 hour. Dust the Swiss roll with sugar powder and cut it into slices.


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text: The 30th Annual Palm Beach International Boat Show, March 26 – 29, 2015, is one of the top five boat shows in the country – featuring more than $1.2 billion worth of boats, yachts and accessories from the world's leading marine manufacturers. It is truly an International Show. The event includes hundreds of Boats from 8 foot inflatables, power boats, fishing boats, center consoles, bow riders, personal watercraft to superyachts over 150'. Show entrances will be located at Evernia St./Flagler Dr. (waterfront) and North Clematis St./Flagler Dr. (waterfront).


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Ohio Foreclosure Law
Ohio Foreclosure Law Summary
Stop Ohio Foreclosure
Quick Facts
– Judicial Foreclosure Available: Yes
– Non-Judicial Foreclosure Available: No
– Primary Security Instrument: Mortgage
– Timeline: Typically 150 days
– Right of Redemption: Yes
– Deficiency Judgments Allowed: Yes
In Ohio, lenders may foreclose on a mortgage in default by using the judicial foreclosure process.
Judicial Foreclosure
Generally, in judicial foreclosure, a court decrees the amount of the borrowers debt and gives him or her a short time to pay. If the borrower fails to pay within that time, the clerk of the court then advertises the property for sale.
At some point prior to the scheduled date of foreclosure, an appraisal of the property must be made by three disinterested freeholders of the county. A copy of the appraised value must be filed with the court clerk and the property must be offered for sale at a price of not less than two-thirds of said value.
The sale may not take place until the notice of sale has been published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a
newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the property is located. The sheriff will conduct the sale at the courthouse and the property will be sold to the highest bidder.
Lender's may obtain a deficiency judgment and the borrower may redeem the property at any time before the court confirms the foreclosure sale by paying the amount of the judgment, plus costs and interest.


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This is a step by step guide for executing and debugging native code on Android with Eclipse.
1. Prerequisites
The SDK version used for this guide is Froyo with the NDK r4b ( crystax release ).
Also Eclipse CDT plugin it's very useful for our purposes, so install it.
Last plugin to install it's the Sequoyah plugin for Eclipse.
2. Project setup
At this point let's create a new Android project, name it "Example" and use the "com.darkwavegames.com" package name, add also an Activity name of your choice.
Select Android 2.2 as base SDK version and complete the project wizard.
Now you need to add the native support for the newly created project. Just right click on the project root element in the package explorer and select "add native support".
In the next dialog write the path of your NDK folder and give also name for your library.
After this operation a new folder "jni" will be created with a .cpp file, header filer and an Android makefile, Android.mk, which can be edited to modify all the includes, linker and compiler options. In the Android.mk file you also need to specify all the source file you want to use within the LOCAL_SRC_FILE directive.
3. Debug
In order to enable debug of native code in Android you have to face different problems, based also on the device and the firmware version, and if the native code is multi thread or single thread.
First of all you need to mofify the AndroidManifest.xml file adding the attribute "debuggable" to true ( remember also to enable the "Debug USB" option under the Application device menu ).
At this point you can debug all the java code within your eclipse debugger, for for the native C debug you need more steps.


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UNWTO has launched the second edition of its global flagship competition under the name of "Awake Tourism Challenge". The competition will identify innovators who are advancing solutions to 6 different challenges, as well contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For the 2022 challenge, UNWTO will focus on specific areas that can help the recovery of the tourism sector in a disruptive way, and which deserve extra attention right now, namely:
Community involvement: 80% of people living in 'extreme poverty' live in rural communities while domestic, rural and eco-tourism have emerged as the most popular travel choices.
Green and blue economies: Tourism can be a source of economic opportunities and at the same time protect natural ecosystems.
Ecological and Sustainable Capital Creation: Sustainable capital has the potential to optimize resource usage, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide a competitive advantage for businesses.
Tourism Tech for Good: Advancements in technology have revolutionized the sector, especially since the start of the pandemic. Artificial Intelligence, crypto, block chain, metaverse, NFTs are welcome in this category.
Tourism Education: Despite representing 10% of the world's jobs, there is a need for updated data, and new tools for education and skills development.
Women Empowerment: Women tend to be concentrated in the lowest paid and lowest status jobs in tourism. Startups with a gender focus can be an important contributor to equality.
The return of tourism is a chance to awaken its potential to transform lives
Organized in collaboration with Wakalua, the first global innovation hub for tourism, powered by Ávoris, the competition also counts on the support of a number of major partners, including; SPARK, the Innovation Hub of Les Roches from the Sommet Education group, and Ankh Impact Ventures(AIV), an impact-driven venture capital investment platform with a gender and racial equity lens.
It also counts on strong public and private sector backing, with Qatar Airways and Qatar Tourism, Singapore Tourism Board, KPMG, MasterCard, Amadeus, IE University, Telefonica, Wayra, ClarkeModet, The FarCo, BBVA, MentorDay, Finnova, Google for Startups, The Valley Digital Business School, Nest, the Future Food Institute and the Inter-American Development Bank all on board.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashviki said: "The return of tourism is a chance to awaken its potential to transform lives. UNWTO is calling on startups everywhere to put forward their ideas for meeting the biggest challenges our sector is facing and for making tourism a champion of the Sustainable Development Goals."
Startups are invited to participate provided that they:
Apply to 1 of the 6 challenges
Include 1 or more SDGs
Are innovative in nature and provide value-added solutions
Are sustainability-driven
Are scalable, with potential for international growth and potential to be applied in corporations and destinations (countries, regions)
Are an Early Stage or Series A startups
Have a tested pilot and business plan
Have been accelerated before
Have a full-time team already in place
The 12 most disruptive startups (2 for each of the Challenges) will be given support to scale-up. UNWTO will present the best ideas to its Member States, Affiliate Members and investors, providing them with a unique networking opportunity. Additional benefits include the chance to pitch at a special UNWTO Demo Day and access to technological support and to the UNWTO Innovation network, as well as a curated mentorship programme with both one-on-one and group training sessions on key topics such as Intellectual Property, sustainability in business and leadership, possible seed funding for female Startup founders from Ankh Impact Ventures, and incubation for 3 months at the SPARK Innovation Lab.
Applications are now open and will close 31 June 2022. The winning startups will be announced in October. To find out more and to apply, visit the webpage of the UNWTO Awake Tourism Challenge.
UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition 2020 Edition: The 2020 edition was supported by more than 25 partners from across the global innovation ecosystem and attracted over 10,000 participants from 150 countries. The winners had the opportunity to meet Ministers, corporations, investors at the Final Event in Madrid and they have been connected to funding opportunities and pilot projects. Since 2018, top startups have raised over US$214 million in funding through the UNWTO Innovation Network.


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Cut Ups Lawn Service Inc's Irrigation Installation
Cut Ups Lawn Service Inc provides an installation service for a wide variety of specialized irrigation systems. These irrigation systems ensure that your green investments get precisely the right level of water they need to thrive in the great outdoors. A well-maintained lawn or garden can increase curb appeal and even increase the market value of your property. To see what we can do for you and your plants, call us at (813) 361-8871 today!
Lawn Irrigation System Services
Irrigation systems can help bring your lawn to life. With the ability to carefully calibrate your water output to match the exact needs of your lawn, you can be sure to have a beautiful property no matter what the weather or climate throws at you. A lawn irrigation system can help deliver water directly to the roots of plants. This specialized method of watering means that the amount of water that evaporates into the air is reduced. This can help save money, as well as help prevent over-using water, which is also good for the environment!
Root irrigation can also help prevent the spread of disease or pests who are attracted to the environment of a wet lawn. Protect your property, call today to set up a consultation!
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A garden has very different needs than a lawn. When a regular sprinkler isn't enough, it's time to install a garden irrigation system! Garden irrigation is a great idea for those of us who have spent simply too much time and money on a beautiful garden to provide it with anything less than the perfect level of hydration. An irrigation system is for those discerning gardeners who want to make sure that each of their plants get the exact attention they need and deserve—without necessarily having to be out there, watering the plants multiple times a day.
If you're serious about your garden, and serious about efficiency and using your time wisely, then an irrigation system might be the right fit for you. We know that every garden is unique, which is why Cut Ups Lawn Service Inc offers a wide variety of different systems to suit different budgets, plant types, and property types.
We factor in every important detail, and the extensive knowledge and experience of our irrigation professionals means we know what we're looking for. You can rest assured that no necessary detail will be missed, and your garden will be well cared for and protected no matter the season.
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If you're convinced that now is the time for you to stop worrying about your plants and to start the process of making sure that your plants are well cared for and hydrated, give Cut Ups Lawn Service Inc a call to set up an appointment. We can assess your land for accurate estimates and can price your whole project and get a feel for what your plants need.
We believe that all plants deserve respect and care. There has never been a better time to start working towards a greener future! Call today.


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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
breaking the news
i was a community service doctor in qwa-qwa. i was working in casualties when they came in. two young children had been playing on the side of the street with a spinning top when a drunk driver came careening off the tar and ran them down. apparently in his drunken state he couldn't negotiate the turn.
the patients were cousins. we shuffled them both into the resus room and closed the door. one was about four and the other was six. the bigger one was dead. the smaller one had only minor abrasions. we covered the body of the big boy and cleaned and bandaged the wounds of the little boy. then we waited for the family.
a side story here was that the drunk driver who realised he was in trouble asked me to only draw the blood for alcohol levels the next day and lie about it. he even offered me money. he didn't specify how much. i was amazed at the inherent selfishness of people. there was a dead child in the resus room and this man was only concerned about the consequences as they pertained to him and him alone.
finally two family members arrived. the old woman was the grandmother of both children. her daughter who was with her was the mother of one child and the aunt of the other child. we moved them into a closed room where i was to speak to them. there was not going to be an easy way to do this, but i remember thinking that i really hoped the mother was the mother of the living child. it would make my job easier and their job when they got home more difficult.
i started by explaining the nature of the accident. i went on to explain that these types off accidents can cause severe injury. i then as gently as possible said that one child was already dead when he arrived and we couldn't help him, but the other child was ok. the mother immediately looked at me directly, something she had not done up to that point and asked with desperation both in her voice and etched into the lines on her face;
"which one? which one is dead?" the grandmother did not react outwardly, but a tear rolled down her one cheek.
i remember clenching my jaws, hoping that the woman before me was the mother of the living child and not the dead one. the news would still be bad, but at least for her personally there would be a good slant on it.
"the older child is dead."
it looked like someone shot her. her entire body contorted and she dropped to the floor. she started screaming. the grandmother didn't move, but the tears flowed more freely down both her cheeks. between the screams of the mother of the big boy, for that is what she was, the grandmother simply said;
"this is a terrible and difficult thing"
i was shaken. i didn't want to let the casualty staff see me cry so i swallowed hard, wiped my eyes and went back to work. besides casualties was full and i didn't have the privilege of taking time off to get over my trauma. anyway it didn't compare to the woman lying crumpled up on the floor of the office sobbing .
9 comments:
- Anony Mouse said...
You docs have really tough jobs. I'm glad I'll probably never have to tell a mother her child is dead.
- December 31, 2008 12:55 pm
- Jabulani said...
Selfishness and waste - 2 things that as I get older I understand less and less. Mankind leaves such a big footprint when they forget where they are treading.
I can't help but ponder if the driver also got to lie "crumpled on the floor ... sobbing", and if so, why!
Another good post Bongi. Thank you. - December 31, 2008 1:12 pm
- rlbates said...
They do leave an impression on us don't they? Such needless sorrow.
- December 31, 2008 2:54 pm
- Megan said...
This would be so heartbreaking.
- December 31, 2008 10:29 pm
- anne said...
That's absolutely terrible. For what it's worth, I don't know anyone in medicine (man or woman) who doesn't cry from time to time. It just means that you are healthy. I am still studying (though almost finished) so I haven't had to deliver bad news yet, but I have been present before when equally catastrophic news has been delivered and received. Delivering the news is not a part of my future job that I look forward to. What I think must be the hardest, is to go on treating the drunk driver in a proper and professional manner while he's on your ward. I personally have the hardest time keeping my cool when I don't like a patient. I deal with the stress of the encounters by telling 'you'll-never-believe-what-that-crazy-person-said' stories about it later--probably same as you. So I think that telling and hearing and reading these stories is a good part of the stress management process. For everybody. Anyway, happy new year Bongi. please keep writing.
- December 31, 2008 10:47 pm
- Greg P said...
One of the things I have forced myself to do is to stay longer than I want to after giving bad news, longer than I feel comfortable with. I've seen doctors who unload horrendous news then are obviously in a rush to get out, leaving others to mop up the emotions for them.
I want to stay (I was going to say "like to stay" but that's not accurate) until in some way or another the family gives me leave to go. After the wave of emotions there are frequently some kinds of questions that come up, some medical, some maybe only administrative (like what do we do now?), but I want to get a sense of what's going through their head as they try to cope.
It's not that I'm a masochist, but only that I see the family as part of what I am evaluating and treating as a physician. My job's not done just because the patient died. It's also a form of respect for the human whose life was just lost, that perhaps at this moment at the end of their life someone gives their family a measure of the comfort they need. - January 01, 2009 5:21 pm
- Bongi said...
greg, great comment. i try to stay until i feel the pain. otherwise it's just not real and i'm lying to myself about what i'm doing.
- January 01, 2009 6:17 pm
- Eish said...
Bongi, excellent writing. You always transport me straight to the there & then and move me with your posts. I even got goosebumps, just as I have had before when breaking the news myself. Isn't it dreadful!
- January 16, 2009 5:25 pm
- Saint-Petersburg Hotels said...
Fantastic Delivering the news is not a part of my future job that I look forward to. What I think must be the hardest, is to go on treating the drunk driver in a proper and professional manner while he's on your ward. I personally have the hardest time keeping my cool when I don't like a patient. I deal with the stress of the encounters by telling 'you'll-never-believe-what-that-crazy-person-said' stories about it later--probably same as you.
- May 05, 2011 6:52 pm


text: Building Muscle in Senior Years Could Prolong LifeNew UCLA research suggests that the more muscle mass older Americans have, the less likely they are to die prematurely. The findings add to the growing evidence that overall body composition—and not the widely used body mass index (BMI)—is a better predictor of all-cause mortality. The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, is the culmination of previous UCLA research led by Preethi Srikanthan, MD, an assistant clinical professor in the endocrinology division at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, that found building muscle mass is important in decreasing metabolic risk. "As there is no gold-standard measure of body composition, several studies have addressed this question using different measurement techniques and have obtained different results," Srikanthan says. "So many studies on the mortality impact of obesity focus on BMI. Our study indicates that clinicians need to be focusing on ways to improve body composition, rather than on BMI alone, when counseling older adults on preventative health behaviors." The researchers analyzed data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III, conducted between 1988 and 1994. They focused on a group of 3,659 individuals that included men who were 55 or older and women who were 65 or older at the time of the survey. The authors then determined how many of those individuals had died from natural causes based on a follow-up survey done in 2004. The body composition of the study subjects was measured using bioelectrical impedance, which involves running an electrical current through the body. Muscle allows the current to pass more easily than fat does, due to muscle's water content. In this way, the researchers could determine a muscle mass index similar to a body mass index. They looked at how this muscle mass index was related to the risk of death. They found that all-cause mortality was significantly lower in the fourth quartile of muscle mass index compared with the first quartile. "In other words, the greater your muscle mass, the lower your risk of death," says Arun Karlamangla, MD, an associate professor in the geriatrics division at the Geffen School and the study's coauthor. "Thus, rather than worrying about weight or body mass index, we should be trying to maximize and maintain muscle mass." This study does have some limitations. For instance, one cannot definitively establish a cause-and-effect relationship between muscle mass and survival using a cohort study such as NHANES III. "But we can say that muscle mass seems to be an important predictor of risk of death," Srikanthan says. In addition, bioelectrical impedance is not the most advanced measurement technique, though the NHANES III measurements were conducted in a very rigorous fashion "and practically, this is the best situation possible in a study of this size," she notes. "Despite these limitations, this study establishes the independent survival prediction ability of muscle mass as measured by bioelectrical impedance in older adults, using data from a large, nationally representative cohort," Srikanthan and Karlamangla wrote, adding that BMI's association with mortality in older adults has proven inconsistent. "We conclude that measurement of muscle mass relative to body height should be added to the toolbox of clinicians caring for older adults. Future research should determine the type and duration of exercise interventions that improve muscle mass and potentially increase survival in (healthy), older adults." Source: UCLA Health Sciences |


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Some info about Malawi
Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA, the country held multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution that came into full effect the following year. Bakili MULUZI became the first freely elected president of Malawi when he won the presidency in 1994; he won re-election in 1999. President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, struggled to assert hisauthority against his predecessor and subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party in 2005. MUTHARIKA was reelected to a second term in 2009. He oversaw some economic improvement in his first term, but was accused of economic mismanagement and poor governance in his second term. He died abruptly in 2012 and was succeeded by vice president, Joyce BANDA, who had earlier started her own party, the People's Party. MUTHARIKA's brother, Peter MUTHARIKA, defeated BANDA in the 2014 election. Population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi.


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[QUOTE=AmiMizuno;4840781]Diana is literal a call away. So they are really only using it for plot reasons. They really don't want to cut this storyline short. When Ric ends. Will we even get a good Nightwing story. Before Ric did he have good stories?[/QUOTE]
Better Than Batman and Nightwing: Year One are his only [i]good[/i] ones. Freefall and The Great Leap are enjoyable. That's about it.


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I was going to do a "top 11 of 2011" post, but now that we're a couple of days into January 2012, I'm thinking you've probably read your fill of those and are ready to move on. I was also thinking about sharing some of my goals for 2012, but I fear you'd find them yawn-worthy.
So I've got some soup instead.
I made this silky Butternut Squash and Parsnip Soup for our Thanksgiving dinner, and it garnered rave reviews from everyone at the table. The accolades that meant the most came from my 9 year old daughter- she said it was "one of her most favorite soups ever"- so I knew I'd be making it again. And I did…a few times this winter so far.
This soup is adapted from the Brilliant Butternut Bisque in From the Cook's Garden: Recipes for Cooks Who Like to Garden, Gardeners Who Like to Cook, and Everyone Who Wishes They Had a Garden. The book is a favorite of mine, and it did not disappoint here. The bones of my recipe are similar to those in the book, but I did make a couple of changes like using parsnips in place of carrots. I also lightened it quite a bit by replacing most of the half-and-half with homemade stock, then added back in a smaller amount of cream.
It occurs to me as I write this that some folks might balk at the fact that this soup contains heavy cream. Cream? On a healthy recipes blog? Isn't that too decadent? Especially for early January, when our meals are "supposed to be" austere?
Please don't be put off by adding the organic cream or coconut milk. Besides adding richness to certain dishes, these good quality sources of fat are essential for helping your body absorb the fat-soluble nutrients in vegetables like winter squash, carrots, and parsnips.
So this soup is not just comforting and delicious, it's nutrient-dense. And it's always been my goal to bring you recipes that are all of those things in just about every post, early January or not 🙂
May you be nourished and satisfied today…and all year long.
[cft format=0]
End of 2011/Beginning of 2012 posts from other blogs that I love:
Pumpkin Lasagna from Cake Duchess
I Want to Matter from Salty Seattle
Going Quiet from Gluten-Free Girl
Wellness Goals for 2012 from Daily Bites Blog
New Year from Nicole Franzen
Looking Back, Looking Forward from Merry Gourmet
Food For Thought from Sass and Veracity
My Resolutions for 2012 from Spain in Iowa
Recipe for Maple Butternut Squash and Parsnip Soup
Choosing organic ingredients ensures your soup will be the healthiest it can be.
Prevent your screen from going dark
- *2 tablespoons butter
- *2 tablespoons olive oil
- *2 leeks bottom parts only, cleaned well and coarsely chopped
- *2 fat garlic cloves peeled and minced
- *about 6 cups peeled and seeded butternut squash cut into 1-2 inch cubes
- *2 large parsnips peeled and coarsely chopped (or use carrots)
- *1 cup dry white wine ex. Chardonnay
- *6-8 cups chicken or turkey stock preferably homemade (or use vegetable stock or water or a combination of stock and water)
- *1/2 cup cream or whole not "lite" coconut milk
- *1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- *Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Heat butter and oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, for a few minutes.
2. Add squash and parsnips and cook for another few minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Cook until it has all but evaporated, 8-10 minutes.
3. Add the stock and/or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30- 40 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft. Remove from heat.
4. Purée the soup using an immersion blender or, if you do not have an immersion blender, allow soup to cool a bit before transferring it in batches to process in a blender or food processor. Return puréed soup to the pot and add cream or coconut milk and maple syrup. Heat over low heat until warmed through, adding more cream or stock, if necessary, to achieve the desired consistency.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.
Source link


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(PHP 4 >= 4.0.1, PECL yaz >= 0.9.0)
yaz_connect — Prepares for a connection to a Z39.50 server
This function returns a connection resource on success, zero on failure.
yaz_connect() prepares for a connection to a Z39.50 server. This function is non-blocking and does not attempt to establish a connection - it merely prepares a connect to be performed later when yaz_wait() is called.
The » YAZ proxy is a freely available Z39.50 proxy.
A string that takes the form host[:port][/database]
If port is omitted, port 210 is used. If database is omitted
is used.
If given as a string, it is treated as the Z39.50 V2 authentication string (OpenAuth).
If given as an array, the contents of the array serves as options.
Username for authentication.
Group for authentication.
Password for authentication.
Cookie for session (YAZ proxy).
Proxy for connection (YAZ proxy).
A boolean. If true
the connection is persistent; If false
connection is not persistent. By default connections are persistent.
If you open a persistent connection, you won't be able to close it later with yaz_close().
A boolean. If true
piggyback is enabled for searches; If false
piggyback is disabled. By default piggyback is enabled.
Enabling piggyback is more efficient and usually saves a network-round-trip for first time fetches of records. However, a few Z39.50 servers do not support piggyback or they ignore element set names. For those, piggyback should be disabled.
A string that specifies character set to be used in Z39.50
language and character set negotiation. Use strings such as:
Most Z39.50 servers do not support this feature (and thus, this is ignored). Many servers use the ISO-8859-1 encoding for queries and messages. MARC21/USMARC records are not affected by this setting.
An integer that specifies the maximum byte size of all records to be returned by a target during retrieval. See the » Z39.50 standard for more information.
This option is supported in PECL YAZ 1.0.5 or later.
An integer that specifies the maximum byte size of a single record to be returned by a target during retrieval. This entity is referred to as Exceptional-record-size in the » Z39.50 standard.
This option is supported in PECL YAZ 1.0.5 or later.
A connection resource on success, false
on error.
版本 | 说明 |
4.1.0 |
The parameter options was added.


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Getting locked out of your home, your computer or anywhere else you want to be can suck. The same goes for those times when your gadgets prevent you from doing what you want to do with them, but it doesn't have to be that way. Here are the top 10 ways you can break into virtually anything with a literal or figurative lock.
Title image remixed from originals by Odin M. Eidskrem and Lisa Fischer (Shutterstock)
9. Open A Garage From The Outside
This is pretty easy to do, sadly, but fortunately easy to prevent as well. To unlock a garage from the outside, all you need to do is thread a piece of wire or a coat hanger through the top of the door to open the emergency latch. To prevent it, all you really need is a plastic zip tie.
8. Unlock Your Computer Wirelessly
Whether you're using your Android to unlock with Wi-Fi or practically any Bluetooth device to unlock your Mac (or Ubuntu), you can avoid unnecessary typing by just being in the vicinity. So long as you don't put your phone or other gadget in the wrong hands you'll have both safety and convenience.
7. Break Into An Aeroplane Toilet
You know, for emergency purposes. All you need to do is flip up the sign push the lever into the unlocked position. We verified this on a recent flight and the tip comes from our trustworthy friends over at Hipmunk, so watch your back next time you're peeing on a plane. Or, of course, get that door open if someone is having an emergency and stuck inside the bathroom.
6. Eliminate PDF Passwords
It's pretty annoying when you find a PDF or get one in your mailbox and it's locked down by a password. If you want to get rid of that password, Amit Agarwal has a guide to opening PDFs regardless of their protection. You can also check out Free PDF Unlocker (Windows-only) if you only need to enable copy and paste functionality. Just be sure to only use these options if you lose a password or you have a good reason to break in.
5. Unlock Your Camera's True Capabilities
If you've got a Canon point-and-shoot, you can install custom firmware CHDK to unlock a load of features Canon didn't offer with your model. If you've got a Canon or Panasonic DSLR or micro-4/3rds camera, Magic Lantern can do the same (although it's video-orientated). If you wish your camera was a little bit better or you can't afford an upgrade right now, these hacks are great and providing you with features you probably should've had in the first place.
4. Access Locked Websites And Services Using A Proxy
When you're on the web, you're bound to run into blocked sites now and again. This sucks, but fortunately there are plenty of ways to get around those restrictions. Whether you want to access Pandora, Hulu, the BBC iPlayer, or anything else, you're not out of luck. If there's not a specific hack, you'll generally be able to get through the blockage with a proxy.
3. Pick Locks And Crack Safes
Learning to pick locks (regular ones or on your car) and crack safes may seem like a thief's trade, but knowing how to do it can provide you with a few legal benefits. First of all, you'll have a better understanding of how locks work so you can survey your own and protect yourself against their vulnerabilities. Additionally, should you lock yourself out, you'll know how to get back in.
2. Crack Passwords
Whether you're cracking a Wi-Fi password or learning how to break into a computer, cracking passwords can be useful. As with anything that falls more on the dark side, knowing these unsavory tactics can help you protect yourself. But when it comes to Wi-Fi, sometimes you just need to borrow a network temporarily and that's really not harmful to anyone. Also, you might forget your own password and need to break back into your computer. Whatever the case may be, use these skills for good!
1. Jailbreaking/Rooting Your Smartphone
Jailbreaking your iPhone and rooting your Android are just about the most necessary feature-unlocking hacks for one of the most relevant pieces of technology available today. If you need some incentives, here's why jailbreaking is awesome and the 10 best apps that requite rooting your Android. Both are generally pretty easy to do and very worthwhile, so get to it!


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But one thing is for certain: The jumbo-sized images in The Photography of Modernist Cuisine are truly awesome.
In one, a ham and cheese sandwich levitates in midair. Then, a Weber grill gets sliced in half lengthwise to expose a pink burger cooking on another page. And blueberries and peas balloon to the size of dinner plates and melons.
The latest creation from ex-Microsoft executive Nathan Myhrvold and his team, called The Cooking Lab, is the ultimate coffee table book. It has a wingspan of more than 2 feet, weighs 12 pounds and costs $120.
"There are 600 to 700 big coffee table books on dogs and about 1,500 with naked women," Myhrvold tells The Salt. "But there weren't any with big pictures of food — and no recipes."
And while the images themselves are jaw-dropping, perhaps the best part of the book is that the team shares all the secrets about how the photos are made. Myhrvold's loyal following of mad scientist DIYers are sure to appreciate that.
Myhrvold and his motley crew of chefs, chemists and editors helped build that following when they published a widely celebrated cookbook called Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking a few years ago.
The cookbook offered an inside look at how the world's most avant garde chefs are using technologies and techniques from the lab to change how people eat and enjoy food. Think French fries made extra crispy by blasting them with sound waves or caramelized carrot soup made with a centrifuge to separate out the juice.
The new book features photos from the cookbook — and 278 new ones — in a larger-than-life format. At the back are details about how each photograph was made, from lighting and lenses to editing and stitching images together.
For instance, to get leeks and watermelons to "glow," the team placed thin slices of the produce on clear Plexiglass and then lit them from below. They photographed rice and beans under a microscope to capture the super close-up macros. And to catch a kernel of corn popping, the team filmed more than 5 pounds of popcorn, Myhrovold says. (Who knew that popcorn could rival the grace of a Tchaikovsky ballet?)
But it's the "cutaway" photos that really steal the show. From tomatoes pureeing in a blender to a pork shoulder adsorbing heat in a pressure cooker, Myrhvold and his team offer a glimpse of radical transformations during 14 cooking techniques.
So how did they make the cutaways? Two words: band saw.
That's right, the Cooking Lab has its own machine shop, and a guy with spiky, red hair literally slices microwave ovens, pots and blenders in half. Then the teams uses toothpicks or sewing needles to hold the cut food into place. A piece of Plexiglass keeps boiling liquids inside the pans.
"We made a hell of mess especially when food was flying through the air," Myrhvold says. The team even started a fire while trying to catch a stir-fry in action. "But the food only had to look good for 1/1000th of the second."
And sometimes they didn't put the food in the air at all but just faked it. For instance, that tossed salad isn't tossed all. Instead pieces of lettuces and dressing are pinned to a black velvet.
All the photos are heavily edited. And many of the images are actually several — even dozens — of photos combined together in Photoshop. For instance, Myrhvold and the team cropped and combined 30 separate photos to capture the burger cooking on the sliced-in-half grill.
That time and effort are worth it, Myhrvold says, because the photographs lure readers into thinking about how cooking works.
"I think a picture may be worth even more than a thousand words," he says. "Nobody is going to read the thousand words anyway."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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August 1, 2010 (Vol. 30, No. 14)
Recent Lawsuits Raise a Host of Questions About the Subsequent Use of Stored Genetic Material
Controversies concerning the meaning of informed consent in connection with the use of genetic materials from human subjects are not new. Recent legal disputes are, however, bringing the matter to the forefront once again and raising important questions about whether researchers should be allowed to use genetic material collected for one purpose for a subsequent unrelated purpose and, if so, under what parameters.
Two controversies, while seemingly very different—one involving the routine collection of dried blood spot samples from newborns (NBS) and one involving genetic research on a large group of Native Americans—raise similar issues and questions.
Earlier this year, a dispute between members of the Havasupai tribe and Arizona State University (ASU) made headlines when the university and the tribe agreed to settle a dispute over the university's use of genetic materials collected from a number of tribe members. The dispute arose after many Havasupai agreed to provide researchers from ASU with blood samples so that the researchers might be able to better understand the tribe's devastatingly high rate of diabetes.
Subsequently, it was discovered that the researchers had used the samples for unrelated research, including research into rates of schizophrenia (a disorder the tribe reportedly considers to be stigmatizing) and research that tracked the tribe's genetic origins to Asia, a finding that contradicts their traditional stories and heritage. Not too surprisingly, this news was upsetting to the tribe, which subsequently issued a "banishment" order to prevent ASU employees from setting foot on their land and also filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the university.
At issue in this matter was whether the participants gave effective informed consent to the subsequent research. While they reportedly signed a consent stating that their blood could be used to study "the causes of behavioral/medical disorder," there were questions about the ability of the participants to understand the consent and many participants claimed that it was their belief that their samples would be used solely for diabetes research. Litigated for over six years, the dispute was recently settled in exchange for a payment of $700,000, an agreement to return the blood samples to the participants, and the provision of certain assistance to the Havasupai people.
Newborn Samples
On a different front, the practice of NBS sample banking is raising questions about the necessity of informed consent for subsequent genetic research and, like the Havasupai matter, is also giving rise to lawsuits. For many years, nearly all newborns in the United States have had their heels pricked so that health professionals would be able to collect a small sample of blood. Typically, the collected samples are sent to the state's health department for health screenings, particularly for genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, as well as for metabolic disorders. Proponents of the practice contend that the screening programs have the "ability to detect newborns who are at high risk for developing diseases with high morbidity and mortality."
The NBS samples are retained for varying lengths of time. As genetic research capabilities have advanced, the samples have become increasingly attractive to state health department researchers and their associated research partners. In some cases, the NBS samples are being used for research that goes beyond the initial health screening.
In most states, parents are not informed of the retention or subsequent use of their infant's sample nor are they asked to provide their informed consent for subsequent research uses of the samples. This has lead to concern among some parents and has also prompted lawsuits.
Last year, two separate lawsuits were filed related to the NBS sampling. First, in March 2009, the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a complaint on behalf of five parents in response to Texas' practices of NBS sampling. In response, the Texas legislature rapidly passed a new law governing the collection of NBS samples, which provides that the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) may retain genetic material collected through the NBS programs to conduct screenings on newborns and also gives parents the opportunity to opt out by requiring the state to destroy their child's NBS sample.
The defendants claimed that the new law made the case moot, but the court did not agree, maintaining that the new law did not address issues related to the NBS samples already collected by DSHS. Eventually, the parties reached a settlement whereby the state agreed to destroy more than five million NBS samples collected from infants in the state over the past seven years.
A similar case arose in Minnesota later in 2009 when parents filed a complaint against the Minnesota Department of Health alleging a series of claims all related to the retention and use of their children's NBS samples. Here, the plaintiffs were not successful—in November, 2009, the judge issued an order granting the defendants' motion to dismiss the case. It appears that this order will be appealed so continued vigilance on the developments in Minnesota are in order.
As these cases demonstrate, researchers often find new uses for materials previously collected for other purposes. So how then should informed consent agreements be drafted? Some suggest that participants may not be willing to enter into studies that give researchers carte blanche to use their genetic information for unlimited purposes.
Additionally, there are real questions about whether a blanket consent that would allow researchers to use collected materials for any subsequent purpose, without limitation, would truly be informed consent. On the other hand, a more narrowly targeted consent form will tie researchers' hands, rendering them unable to carry out additional research until informed consent to the new purpose can be obtained. One thing is clear—improved communications between researchers and data subjects is required.
In two out of three cases discussed herein, the plaintiffs were able to negotiate successful settlements. Does this signal a new trend? Possibly—only time will tell as additional cases are raised and considered.
Does it suggest that researchers should examine their studies and the consent forms that are used with participants with a more critical eye? Certainly. Looking beyond the legal and ethical issues at play, there is a real practical reason for this as a review of these cases suggests that disputes may be more likely to arise when participants feel that they were not adequately informed, were tricked, or were mislead.
As the cases demonstrate, researchers who fail to obtain informed consent from study participants (including by using genetic materials in a manner that exceeds the scope of the consent form executed by the participants) can leave researchers vulnerable to lawsuits and costly financial settlements and the loss of the ability to use collected material.
Genetic research depends upon the voluntary participation of large numbers of human subjects. If researchers are not able to make a sufficient number of qualified subjects comfortable about participating, the ability to conduct effective research will be compromised.
Ultimately, a broader solution will be needed, but unfortunately this might not be accomplished easily or quickly. This reality is evident in the fact that there is still no consensus, either internationally or at the national level in the U.S., about the precise nature of the consent that will be required for researchers to collect and maintain genetic materials and study such materials for various unrelated purposes.
Increasingly, there have been proposals for international standardization of consents and, given the interconnectedness of our world, this approach may hold the most promise, even though, admittedly, the actual achievement of international consensus is likely to be a long way off.
Jacqueline Klosek ([email protected]) is senior counsel at Goodwin Procter.


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Today at the Connect(); Event, Scott Guthrie and Soma Somasegar made a number of important announcements for the cloud-first, mobile-first developer. The first, Visual Studio Community 2013, is a free, full-featured development environment designed for students, open source contributors, small companies, startups and individual developers. The community edition includes all the capabilities needed to create compelling non-enterprise applications across desktop, devices, cloud, web and services including coding productivity features, cross-platform mobile development tools for Windows, iOS and Android, and full extensibility with access to thousands of extensions. Download Visual Studio Community 2013 for free and start creating apps today.
In addition, Scott announced the release of Visual Studio Ultimate 2015 Preview and the .NET 2015 Preview. These previews provide enterprise application developers a first glimpse of Microsoft's investment in an innovative set of tools and technologies to help developers efficiently build powerful, versatile, applications across the spectrum of user platforms – from Windows to web to iOS and Android. Highlights of Visual Studio 2015 Preview include the ability to create ASP.NET 5 websites that can run on multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux and MacOS, integrated support for building cross platform apps that run across multiple devices, multiple IDE features to be more productive in everyday tasks, connected services experience enabling easier integration of services into apps including Office 365, Salesforce & Azure Platform Services, and many more. You can download and try out the next versions of Visual Studio 2015 and .NET 2015 today.
Finally, two other announcements are of particular interest to cloud developers. First, a preview of ASP.NET 2015 was unveiled, a streamlined framework and runtime optimized for cloud and server workloads, with side by side execution, open source and cross-platform. Additonally, Connected Services in Visual Studio 2015 makes it easier to connect applications to line-of-business (LOB) API services such as the Office 365 API, SalesForce API, among others. You can hear Scott and Soma's keynote, along with the rest of the Connect(); on-demand content here. You can find more details on the day's announcements on Soma's weblog.


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Why Choose Princeton
This community is managed by Princeton Properties of Lowell, MA,
a provider of quality apartment residences in Massachusetts, New
Hampshire and Maine since 1973.
As a company with roots in Lowell, Princeton has strong ties to the
community and believes in creating and managing properties that
generate pride for residents and communities alike. We're
passionate New Englanders who take pleasure in sharing the cities
and towns we call home. We hope you love the area and the community
just as much as we do.


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Virtual Memories Show 208: Barbara Epler
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More
"We try to find things that move the walls in our brain about what fiction and poetry can do."
New Directions publisher Barbara Epler joins the show to talk about her accidental career, the pros and cons of New Directions' size, the Moneyball aspect of publishing works in translation, surviving a Nobel crush, the importance of secondary rights, the language she most wishes she could read, the novel she promises never to write, the book whose success surprised her the most, where WG Sebald's work might have gone, and more! This is part of our Festival Neue Literatur series; Barbara is the 2017 recipient of the FNL's Friedrich Ulfers Prize! Give it a listen!
"We have to make money, but we don't do anything that overtly looks like it makes money."
"James Laughlin believed that one of the most important streams of income for New Directions was to get the best poets of the generation who were working in an experimental mode, because of the secondary rights."
Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!
Lots of ways to follow The Virtual Memories Show! iTunes, Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, Facebook, Tumblr, and RSS!
About our Guest
Barbara Epler started working at New Directions after graduating from Harvard in 1984, and is now the publisher. The writers Epler has published include such international luminaries as W.G. Sebald, Roberto Bolaño, László Krasznahorkai, Robert Walser, Clarice Lispector, Yoko Tawada, César Aira, Inger Christensen, Franz Kafka, Yoel Hoffmann, Bei Dao, Tomas Tranströmer, Jenny Erpenback, Veza Canetti, Fleur Jaeggy, Raduan Nassar, Joseph Roth, Takashi Hiraide, Alexander Kluge, and Antonio Tabucchi. She has worked with some of the world's most gifted translators and has served as a judge for the PEN/Heim Translation Fund Awards. In 2015, Poets & Writers awarded Epler their Editor's Prize and in 2016 Words Without Borders gave her the Ottaway Award for the Promotion of International Literature.
Credits: This episode's music is Nothing's Gonna Bring Me Down by David Baerwald, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded at the New Directions offices on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 Microphones feeding into a Zoom H5 digital recorder. I recorded the intro and outro on a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Cloudlifter CL-1 and a Mackie Onyx Blackjack 2×2 USB Recording Interface. All processing and editing done in Adobe Audition CC. Photo of Ms. Epler by me. It's on my instagram.


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The Dr. Nancy Hall Public Policy Leadership Award is awarded annually to honour the spirit of the late Dr. Nancy Hall, who acted as a key advisor, consultant, and friend to CMHA BC for more than 15 years and passed away in 2011 after a battle with cancer. This award recognizes an individual or group in BC that has influenced mental health policy and contributed to positive mental health. A $500 gift is designated for the recipient's charity of choice.
Nominations for the 2016 Nancy Hall Public Policy Leadership Award are now open. Download the nomination form.
- 2015 Winners:
- Leadership Award—Dr. Ron Remick
- Award of Merit—Project Link
- 2014 Winner:
- Moms Like Us
- 2013 Winners:
- Award of Distinction—BC Aboriginal Network on Disabilty Society
- Award of Merit—From Grief to Action
- 2012 Winners:
- Award of Distinction—Paola Ardiles, Project Manager in Education and Population Health with BC Mental Health and Addictions Services
- Awards of Merit—Stephen Smith, the first-ever Director, Mental Health Promotion & Mental Illness Prevention at the Ministry of Health; and The British Columbia Medical Association
- 2011 Winner:
- Michael Schratter
Learn how you can make a difference by contributing to the Dr. Nancy Hall Speaking Up Speaking Out Fund.


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Millions of people around the world suffer from back pain. Their first resort is often medication to numb the pain. What they do not realize is that medication only masks the symptoms. It doesn't cure the problem.
While there are people with serious back problems that can only be solved with surgery and professional medical treatment, the majority of people are suffering from back pain due to postural problems, a lack of mobility and insufficient flexibility.
Even sitting down for too long can cause back problems. So can a mattress with insufficient support. All these back issues can be remedied holistically… and that's exactly what My Back Pain Coach strives to do.
This program is an online bestseller with thousands of copies sold. It's proven to work and is still as popular today as when it first came out.
What can you find in the Back Pain Relief program?
In Ian Hart's My Back Pain Coach, the principal element consist of a 28 minute online video, Back Pain Relief 4 Life, that explains the unique 8 movements method (tested and proven to work).
He really shows you how it's done and how it can heal your back. If you buy this program, you can expect to be guided by pros that will help you through the procedure of getting rid of your back pain and doing the best exercises for lower back pain.
The 8 exercises in Detail:
Here are the unique 8 movements method from "My Back Pain Coach". These movements are entirely safe.
- Starts the activation of imbalanced muscles and prepares them for release.
- Dormant hip muscles are awakened, proceeding the activation of imbalanced muscles.
- Your pains begins to release at this stage because your body is preparing for the next exercise.
- Lower back keeps being flooded with newer blood, oxygen and nutrients (highly energizing).
- Decompression of the lower back.
- Full body alignment. Restores muscle balance, not just in the spine but your lower back.
- Stabilization of your back, spine and hips into their natural position is complete.
- The spine is gently compressed to get old blood from your discs then pulls in newer blood for better healing.
They are other elements included in My Back Pain Coach (Bonuses):
- 10 Targeted Coaching Video Sessions For Back Pain Relief
- Free One on One Coaching
- The "Begin Your Day" Video Program
- Quick Follow Along Videos With Music
- Instant Access To The Videos Online
The Good Stuff:
The author, Ian Hart, is a trained and certified strength and conditioning specialist with impressive credentials.
He has been featured in magazines like Men's Health and others. He truly knows what he's talking about when it comes to back health.
The Facebook page for My Back Pain Coach is replete with unsolicited testimonials from satisfied customers.
This is undeniable social proof that the product works wonders. It's very reassuring to know that this program is not untested theory.
The program itself has 4 Life Core videos to guide you. These are easy to follow exercises that are demonstrated clearly. You'll have no doubts about what to do here. Just follow along.
If you're wondering… this program will barely take up any time. You're only required to do the exercises for about 16 minutes a day. That's it. Anybody can do this no matter how busy they are.
The program will help to increase your mobility, improve your body's structural alignment and prevent problems that arise from sitting down for too long.
Even people who don't have back pain would do well to get this guide and use it. Most of us work desk jobs that require us to be hunched over a computer for hours.
In fact, 'sitting disease' is a very real problem. Doing the exercises in this program will prevent you from getting back pains in future.
The program is a holistic method that requires no medication or surgery. It's all natural and teaches you to work with your own body to correct imbalances within.
There is a 60-day money back guarantee. Your purchase is safe and you can always ask for a refund if you're not satisfied.
Besides the main program, there are 3 bonuses that makes this product definitely value for money. The bonuses are:
- 10 Targeted Coaching Video Sessions For Back Pain Relief
- Free One on One Coaching
- The "Begin Your Day" Video Program
The Bad Stuff:
It's not a miracle cure. Not all types of back pain can be cured with this method. If you have spinal problems such as compression fractures or degenerative spondylolisthesis, you'll require professional medical treatment or surgery. That's one of the limitations of this program.
The more sophisticated moves might first need a doctor's approval just-in-case; they might be too hard on you.
You'll need to be consistent. The program doesn't require much time, but it does require you to spend the 16 minutes a day doing the exercises… daily. So, you'll have to remember to make it a daily habit.
Should You Get It?
A more important question is, "Do you want to get rid of your back pain?" If you truly want to get rid of your back pain, you'd already be clicking on the link below. We all know how horrible chronic back pain can be.
Getting rid of it is a no-brainer. You want the pain gone and you want it gone yesterday! Taking a chance on My Back Pain Coach might be one of the best things you do.
It does require a leap of faith on your part to test it out, and you'll will need to pay for the program… BUT it comes with a money-back guarantee. So, your money is safe and you have nothing to lose here.
Adopt the protocol given in My Back Pain Coach and stick to it for a month. You'll see and feel the difference… and never look "back". Pun fully intended.


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By Charles Kurzman
Last month, a few hours after a bomb exploded in downtown Oslo, I got a call from a journalist seeking comment. Why did Al Qaeda attack Norway? Why not a European country with a larger Muslim community, or a significant military presence in Muslim societies? I said I didn't know.
A second media inquiry soon followed: Given NATO's involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the number of disaffected Muslims in Europe, why don't we see more attacks like the one in Norway? This question was more up my alley. I recently published a book asking why Islamic terrorism has been rarer than many of us feared after 9/11. Before answering, I checked the news. Norwegian officials were reporting that the attacker was not Muslim. I was no longer an authority on the incident.
A third reporter called the next morning: Has the focus on Islamic terrorism distracted us from the threat of non-Islamic extremism?
I felt a creepy sensation that I have experienced often since 9/11. In the fields of Middle East and Islamic studies, bad news is good for business. The more that non-Muslims fear Islam, the more security threats are hyped, the more attention my colleagues and I get. Journalists want insights from "Islam experts" and "Middle East specialists," regardless of how remote our area of research is from the day's news. Universities are hiring—there were more than 40 tenure-track jobs last year in Middle East and Islamic studies. Federal research grants are plentiful, especially from the military and the Department of Homeland Security.
It all points to an inescapable conclusion: Martin Kramer was right. A decade ago, just after 9/11, he accused scholars of profiting from the Islamist violence that their political correctness prevented them from taking seriously: "How many resources within the university could they command if their phones stopped ringing and their deans did not see and hear them quoted in the national newspapers and on public radio? And how would enrollments hold up if Muslim movements failed to hit the headlines?"
Scholars are not the only ones to benefit from these headlines. Kramer, a former professor who now holds positions at two think tanks, the Shalem Center in Jerusalem and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, benefits, too. Just like university deans, think-tank administrators and donors allocate resources based in part on presence in the news media. Kramer exemplifies this arrangement. Every time he sounds an alarm about Islamic radicalism, he helps raise public vigilance, and increase financial support for his institutions.
By contrast, I am in the awkward position of undermining the importance of my own field. My research finds that Islamic terrorism has not posed as large a threat as reporters and the public think—certainly not as large a threat as Al Qaeda and its affiliates intended. They routinely complain about the failure of Muslims to join their movement.
Of the 56 million people who die each year around the world, around two million die from HIV/AIDS. Nearly one million die from malaria. Almost three quarters of a million die from violence. According to the National Counterterrorism Center, terrorism peaked in 2007 with 23,000 fatalities, half of them in Iraq—a terrible toll, but not a leading cause of death.
In the United States, 15,000 people are murdered each year. Islamic terrorism, including the Beltway sniper attacks, has accounted for almost three dozen deaths in America since 9/11—a small fraction of the violence that the country experiences every year. The toll would have been higher if the perpetrators had been more competent; for example, if Faisal Shahzad had used higher-quality materials in his Times Square car bomb. Even so, the number of perpetrators has been relatively low. Fewer than 200 Muslim-Americans have engaged in terrorist plots over the past decade—that's out of a population of approximately two million. This constitutes a serious problem, but not nearly as grave as public concern would suggest.
When scholars in Middle East and Islamic studies point that out, we are accused of being apologists for terrorism. Some of my colleagues have been the focus of smear campaigns. I've been fortunate not to experience anything of that sort, though Rep. Peter King, Republican of New York and chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, called my work "biased" and "slanted." As it turned out, King's criticism was great publicity. I issued a press release rebutting each of his points, which wasn't difficult, because it was clear that he hadn't actually read my work.
The media attention was both exhilarating and troubling. It reinforced my sense that the field benefits not just from Muslim violence but also from the ignorance and paranoia of non-Muslims. As a result, my colleagues and I spend much of our time in the limelight trying to dispel the anxieties that helped bring us into the limelight.
We are not very good at this task. Our books rarely sell as well as the more scaremongering titles. Our television appearances look stiff next to the media-savvy hotheads from the think tanks. Surveys report that American attitudes have not budged over the past decade—evenly split in their view of Islam and favorable toward Muslims, by a 2-to-1 margin.
A decade after 9/11, many Americans still believe that we are experiencing a clash of civilizations between Islam and the West. It's the default, easy explanation for violent incidents like the terrorist attack in Norway. When this narrative fades, replaced by some other panic, my colleagues and I will lose the public's eye. We'll return to academic obscurity. That's our goal—that, and promoting our field as energetically as we can in the meantime.
Charles Kurzman is a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author, most recently, of The Missing Martyrs: Why There Are So Few Muslim Terrorists.
This article appears with permission from the Chronicle Review.
View more about this book on the


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Microsoft has filed a patent application for awarding console-like achievements to TV viewers.
"Television viewing tends to be a passive experience for a viewer, without many opportunities for the viewer to engage or have interactive experiences with the presented content," the patent filing reads. "To increase interactive viewing and encourage a user to watch one or more particular items of video content, awards and achievements may be tied to those items of video content."
The filing doesn't try to disguise the fact that this TV Achievements system is designed specifically to increase ad revenue by psychologically tricking people to watch shows they wouldn't normally view. "By tying the awards and achievements to particular items of video or advertising content, viewers may be encouraged to increase their viewership of the content," the patent explains clearly. "Thus increasing advertising opportunities."
According to the patent filing, TV Achievements can be awarded for watching single events such as the Super Bowl or a specific number of shows or even an entire series. Achievements can also be earned by performing specific Kinect actions while watching specific content. Additionally, TV Achievements can be linked to rewards ranging from new avatar items, in-game items or even physical prizes.
Microsoft's next-gen Xbox One console comes with a Kinect 2 sensor that is designed to be always on and always connected to its owner's TV.


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Note: Bags not intended for use by children 12 and under. Includes a California Prop 65 and social responsibility hangtag.


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Not bad to start.
We use a region-wide approach to initiatives necessary for success, including workforce development, transportation enhancement, entrepreneurialism, and overall quality of life. At Wells County, free time is filled by the many great parks, rivers, festivals, and amenities found in our amazing 370 square miles. Yet because of our location, residents enjoy a professional baseball game or national entertainment acts a few minutes to our north, boating around any one of 101 lakes in a neighboring county, or a Division 1 college football game on a crisp, fall Saturday just a short distance south!
Still interested?
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