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YLD's Big Event to feature an evening with stand-up comedian Sarah Silverman Nov. 6
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Okay, you've got to be a bit curious to hear what shocking things—and you know they'll be shocking—will come out of comedian Sarah Silverman's mouth at JUF's Young Leadership Division's (YLD) third annual Big Event Nov. 6.
Silverman, usually clad in her trademark hoodie/sweat pants combo, is no stranger to controversy. A stand-up comedian, writer, and film and TV star, Silverman wears her identity as a Jewish woman on her sleeve. Her social commentary-brand of humor never shies away from mocking her fellow members of the tribe and hitting taboo subjects like religion (her own and others too), bigotry, racism, sexism, and other touchy "isms" in her act.
YLD's third annual Big Event, on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 8pm, will feature an evening of stand-up comedy with Silverman. The event, to be held at the Sheraton Chicago, will include dessert reception, open bar, after party, and late night snacks.
Last year, YLD's Big Event, which featured "Saturday Night Live" star Andy Samberg, drew more than 1,000 people, making it the single largest YLD event in history. This time around, YLD hopes to draw an even larger crowd—both to entertain and to spread the word about the important work of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.
"We're excited to spend an evening with so many of our YLD supporters," said Justin Brown, YLD's 2011 Campaign vice president. "We hope to break last year's attendance and we're excited to introduce new people to YLD as well. People are really excited about Silverman's unique brand of stand-up comedy. We're getting really good buzz about it."
Among Silverman's credits are the 2005 feature film of her one woman show "Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic" and the Comedy Central show "The Sarah Silverman Program."
The show, which ran from 2007-2010, chronicled the adventures of a fictionalized version of Silverman, her sister Laura (played by her real sister), and their friends. Silverman also appeared on such shows as "Saturday Night Live," "Seinfeld," and "The Larry Sanders Show."
Silverman's comedy got political during the 2008 presidential campaign. The comedian teamed up on a hilarious grassroots project called "The Great Schlep," to urge Jewish grandchildren to travel to Florida to convince their grandparents to vote for Barack Obama.
This spring, Silverman released her autobiography "The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee" (HarperCollins Publishers), which offers a mix of the usual Silverman humor with more sobering subjects, including her lifelong battle with clinical depression and the accidental death of her baby brother. As the title of the book hints, she writes a lot about her struggle with bedwetting from the time she was a little girl well into her teens.
The comedian, the youngest of four daughters, was raised in New Hampshire in a non-observant Jewish household. She pokes fun in her act at her loving parents who divorced (her mother was George McGovern's personal campaign photographer and her father, a social worker by training, ran the discount clothing store "Crazy Sophie's Outlet.") One of Silverman's sisters is a rabbi living on a kibbutz in Israel, married with five children.
"I don't remember if I mentioned this to you before, but I am Jewish," Silverman writes 20 pages from the end of her book, a joke because she's so famously branded as a Jewish comedian. She says "she accepts the responsibilities, limitations, and consequences" that come with being Jewish. But, at the same time, she jokes "she has no background of participation in Jewish traditions other than nausea."
Silverman covers taboo topics in her cool, somewhat detached, little-girl-voice persona. But really, she figures, her humor allows her to tackle the "ugliest, most terrifying things in the world," she writes in her book.
"Adopting a persona at once ignorant and arrogant allowed me to say what I didn't mean, even preach the opposite of what I believed," she writes. "For me, it was a funny way to be sincere. And like the jokes in a roast, the hope is that the genuine sentiment—maybe even a goodness underneath the joke (however brutal) transcends."
Register online . Tickets to YLD's Big Event cost $80 per person (not tax-deductible) and require a gift to the 2011 JUF Annual Campaign. The minimum requirement is a match or increase to your previous JUF gift. If you have not given to JUF in the past, you are required to make a gift. Attendance to the event signifies your consent. For more information, contact the YLD office at (312) 357-4880 or firstname.lastname@example.com .
This event is for ages 21 and over only—Please keep in mind that this event is R-rated and JUF has no control over the content of Sarah Silverman's program.


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Q. First question to all of you. How do you think the cars will handle around here? How are they going to handle the kerbs as well?
Rubens BARRICHELLO: I am very optimistic about our chances here. It is a new area for everyone like every year. It used to be here and Hockenheim where there is a package just for this race with the low downforce. We have some of the tunnel experience which was good and hopefully it will translate well to the track. The temperatures seem to be okay which for us with the tyres is very important. Low downforce creates a situation where you put more effort onto the tyres as well. The kerbs are quite good although when we walked the circuit this morning some of them seem to be a little bit too high to be used but I expect my car to be competitive.
Q. Robert, you have got new front and rear wings here?
Robert KUBICA: Well, yes I mean we have a new front and rear wing because of the lower downforce configuration car. As Rubens mentioned, this is the only track with low downforce and looking at Spa where we were already using low downforce our car was performing much better than standard ones, so I am looking forward. Always Monza has been a very good track for our team. Even in 2006 where we were struggling to fight for the points I was able to finish on the podium here, so I hope the car will react in the same positive way for this track.
Q. Jarno?
Jarno TRULLI: Well, after the experience of the last races, unpredictable for us, I would say. We have a new aero package and I am always optimistic but as we don't have any experience on this kind of track we will just have to wait and see.
Q. Giancarlo, you had a god look at the Ferrari in low downforce configuration while you were driving the Force India.
Giancarlo FISICHELLA: Yeah, obviously I cannot say a lot about the car apart from the colour which is red. It is amazing for me to be here in Monza with my home grand prix with a new team and in a Ferrari car which was my dream since when I was young. It is just great. I am sure it is going to be good for Ferrari performance this circuit with the KERS and the aerodynamic package. Obviously, I need to get comfortable and confident with the car. I will spend first of all the morning to learn everything but I am sure the second free practice will be much more comfortable and I can already be confident to be competitive.
Q. Do you think Force India are going to be a force to be reckoned with here?
GF: Yes, I think Fore India are going to be quick here because Force India has been quick on the main straight in every circuit and the speed here is a very high speed circuit. They have a strong engine and very low drag, so it is a good opportunity for them.
Q. Vitantonio, you have done a lot of the straight line testing for Force India. I believe at the beginning of August you did 270km in one day of straight line testing which must have been thrilling.
Vitantonio LIUZZI: Yes, and I think last week a little more. The team is pushing a lot for development and I think the results show how much the team is pushing and for sure straight line is not like making a corner here in Monza but it gives a good idea why we made such progress and why we are always so fast and so strong in really high speed straight lines.
Q. So the team has really concentrated on straight line running?
TL: No, we concentrated to put the maximum downforce with the least drag possible. I think we showed great development in this case and I think we have got a good compromise between low downforce and drag, so I think we can be in a good position here in Monza. For sure without the KERS it won't be easy, especially here in Monza but we are really optimistic for the race weekend.
Q. And what about your own personal feelings? Are you race ready? You have done a couple of A1 races and you did some speedcar.
TL: That is what I could do to keep myself as fit as possible. Physically you can just do your best by working out in the gym and do the maximum you can to keep yourself fit. We won't know until I jump back in the car tomorrow but I feel pretty ready to be back and physically I feel fit and strong. Maybe here in Monza it will be a much softer start. If it had been Singapore it would have been much tougher, but fortunately it is here in my home race and it is a good way to start.
Q. Giancarlo, it has been a momentous time. What have you been doing at the factory since the announcement was made? How much have you had to unlearn one car and learn a new way of doing everything even though you've been in Formula One for so long?
GF: Yes, I spent most of the time in Maranello doing the seat fitting and lots of meetings with engineers and talking about the programme, the work they do in Ferrari. But I did the simulator. Usually the simulator is (becomes inaudible) but this one was the starting one, so it was comfortable or me. I did every day about two or three hours a day. It is good to learn especially the different steering wheel and how to manage the KERS, the adjustable front flaps which we didn't use in Force India. It was good to be ready for tomorrow on this programme.
Q. Is there a huge amount to learn or do you feel pretty much on top of it now?
GF: I feel on top of it. But obviously when you are going to drive the car for sure it is going to be different behaviour to Force India and I will need extra laps to get comfortable.
Q. Jarno, how encouraged were you by Spa? And this is your home races as well.
JT: Well, Spa was an interesting weekend until the Sunday start. We were coming from a difficult race like in Valencia and Spa with a new lay-out, new configuration, new downforce level and our car seemed very strong. It was just by very bad luck that both drivers didn't score any points. I think at the moment the team is not having a lot of luck. It was a shame to lose everything at the start of the first corner. It looks like for me it is not bringing me a lot of luck as every time I start from the first row the first corner is always a problem. But we come here to Monza and it is unpredictable. We just hope that we can be quick again and try again to score points and it would be nice to fight again for pole position and the victory.
Q. Monza hasn't always been very kind to you. You haven't had a fantastic time here.
JT: Well, to be honest I have always done very well. Obviously, in Monza you need to have good speed and you need to have a very good straight line speed. That is one of the most important things. But in general I have always scored good points and done a good performance.
Q. Not according to my records.
JT: Well, you always have to look at the team-mate.
Q. Rubens, you have had a fantastic record here. A couple of wins, a pole position. You have finished all the races since 2001. Your feelings about this must be very encouraging?
RB: It is. At the end of the day it is a race track that I like very much. The podium in 2004 was fantastic. I think it was the first time where the big podium was introduced, so I feel good. I think it is going to be hot, maybe a bit of a cloudy situation, maybe even wet. But if is dry I think the track is going to be good for us. I am looking forward. It is something that I have got to play catch-up until the end of the year, so I am looking forward to that.
Q. In comparison to your team-mate are you feeling very positive when you look at his championship lead?
RB: I have got to see my situation more than try to look at him or any other person. I have got to do the best I can and have a weekend where I am happy with my situation and sort out the car for myself. If you take Spa, for instance, I had plenty of chances to get to the podium and maybe really do well if it wasn't for the problem at the start. But having the problem I was still very positive at the end of the race that the two points were better than zero. You have got to take every chance not just from now but from a long time ago. I think Silverstone was a bit of a turning point and I hope to keep on going. It is positive, so I am looking forward.
Q. Robert, is this pretty much your home race? You have made Italy your home for many years.
RK: Well, yes and no. As a driver I grew up a lot in Italy. I have been racing for many years, first in karting and then in Italian teams in single seaters, Formula Renault and Formula Three, always with Italian teams. Italy gave me a lot as a driver but still I am Polish. Hungary is the closest race from my town, so I would say Hungary is my home race.
Q. BMW are pulling out at the end of the year. What is the situation regarding your future? What can you do?
RK: Well, as I said, BMW is pulling away, so it put me in a completely different position compared to the last three or four years where I was linked to BMW. I have to search some new seat for my future. I hope to be in a competitive car next year on the grid and then we will see.
Q. What can you do? Is your management talking to other teams all the time?
RK: I don't know if all the time but we are trying to do our best.
Q. (Ed Gorman – The Times) Giancarlo, could you tell us how your family and friends have reacted to this amazing opportunity and incredible development in your career?
GF: As I mentioned, it's my life's dream, but it was especially also my father's dream and all my family. All my friends are really proud of what has happened to me. I've had a lot of texts and phone calls from a lot of friends and that has been amazing. Even the press has been fantastic with me, so for a few days it's been like living in a dream for me. Actually, it's fact, so I'm looking forward to being really comfortable in the team. When I went to Ferrari, I felt the fantastic atmosphere. The mechanics are so nice. It's great, just great.
Q. (Ed Gorman – The Times) Have you got a goal for the five races? Have you set yourself a target in your mind that you want to achieve over these five races with Ferrari?
GF: Well, the target is obviously to finish third in the Constructors' Championship for Ferrari, so we need to score a lot of points with Kimi (Räikkönen). My target is to score points in every race if possible and it would obviously be nice to get on the podium but we will see.
Q. (Will Buxton – Australasian Motor Sport News) To everyone, apart from Rubens, but it kind of includes Rubens. There are five races left: who do you think is going to wind up as champion?
JT: It's so difficult to predict.
RB: I think it will be Rubens.
RK: It's difficult to say. I think a lot will depend on car performance, so we will see.
VL: Pretty similar to Robert; with a lot of development of each of the teams from now until the end of the year I think that will count a lot in the final result. As they said, it's pretty difficult to predict.
GF: Well, when they asked after six races the answer was just one driver: Jenson, because he was so strong, with a big gap ahead compared to Rubens and the other guys. Now everything has changed; Jenson has lost a lot of points compared to the others like Rubens and the Red Bull drivers, so I think everything is open between those four guys.
Q. (Jacobo Vega – La Sexta) Giancarlo, you said that you were using the simulator and you were using the KERS but do you think it's going to be difficult to use it in the car?
GF: Hopefully not. Obviously it's going to be different in the car; when you drive you are very concentrated not to brake late and to do the best you can. But it's not so difficult; you know you just need to switch a button and go flat out from the exit of the corner. It's going to be difficult to manage it at the beginning, for sure but once I have done 30 or 40 laps it will be much better, I'm sure.
Q. Robert, there is a lot of speculation whether you might have been in Fisico's position today. What do you think about that, could you have been in red instead of white?
RK: Well, I think I'm in white, so there's no more speculation. Yeah, there was some contact and I was in the interest of Ferrari but I don't think it's so easy to change teams during the year and anyway, I think we will have a competitive car here with BMW, so I'm happy to be where I am.
Q. (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Gentlemen, I'm sure you're all aware of the ongoing Renault situation at the moment. Could I just get a general perspective from all five of you? Are you surprised that something like that could happen in this sport, or does nothing surprise you in F1 anymore?
RB: Well, it's quite difficult to think that somebody would crash a car because he was told to. Very realistically speaking, I think it's easier to crash a Formula One car than drive a Formula One car, that's a fair point, because of the amount of power and everything. It's very easy to crash the car. But to get to that point, I was put into a situation in Austria which was the limit of the limit. There were eight laps of conversation, the conversation going on and things were said to me that I had to give up, but I had to give up in front of everyone, everyone knew what was going on there. It's very, very sad. If that's true, it's very, very sad. The only thing I can see is that somebody wants Briatore's head, that's all I can see now, because it sounds very strange.
RK: I would prefer not to comment.
RB: I've said everything anyway.
VL: There's definitely a very fine line; it's very difficult to believe, as Rubens said, that somebody would crash on purpose. It's a difficult thing to believe that something would have been started like that but for sure, it's a really soft thing to touch. It's not a good thing for the sport if it's true, and hopefully it will never happen again.
GF: I don't have a lot to say, because now they are investigating and until that happens, I don't want to say anything.
JT: There's very little to say. There is an investigation and we will find out what happened later. Honestly, we can only read a little but no more.
Q. (Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) Rubens, what was it like to drive a Ferrari in Monza?
RB: It was great. It's a special feeling, obviously. You can see everyone dressed in red, I can quite clearly see what Fisico is going through. Good for him, very, very well done. I think it's a dream that everybody has, not just the Italians. But for it to happen to an Italian right here in Monza, in front of the tifosi, is just great, a really, really good feeling, and he has to use the energy to be very powerful and do his job, because at Ferrari it's very easy to forget that you do that for the love of racing, and the pressure rises; he's going to see the pressure for himself. But it's fantastic if he uses the pressure in a positive way, it's just a fantastic feeling.
Q. (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Rubens, you have had problems at the start of three races out of twelve starts. Can you tell us what exactly has happened? Is it a car problem? RB: Well, I'm the first one to say if I've made a mistake, but quite honestly, I've been doing the same strategy at all the races, all the time. Like I said, we've had fantastic starts and bad starts. We haven't had an average start. Once, in Turkey, we had problems with a clutch that was very contaminated by oil but the other two were a wrong call in terms of positioning the clutch for the start, how much grip you would have. It's very unfortunate, especially when you think about the amount of points that I could have had in those situations, but I'm just looking forward. I still got two points from the last race and the team will be doing its best not to have any more of those… we cannot afford any more, anyway.
Q. (Paulo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Rubens, do you think there's going to be a point when the team might make a decision if the Red Bull guys are getting too close and favour Jenson or have you been assured that this will not happen?
RB: I won't accept it anyway. There's a real point there. Until there are mathematical chances… I think it's in the best interests of the team to push forward because Red Bull can be quite strong in the last races, so it would be worse for the team. I'm a team player who wants to win the championship and I'm fighting for it but if I can see that there is no mathematical way then for sure, but until then… I hope there won't be, anyway.
Q. (Joris Fioriti – AFP) Giancarlo, you replace Luca Badoer who had very poor performances in the Ferrari; do you think that this makes your life easier for the rest of the season, because you can only be better than him?
GF: No, I just want to do a proper job, to try and score points in every race and do my best, be much closer to Kimi and that's all I have to do.
Q. (Byron Young – The Daily Mirror) Giancarlo, I can understand why you're playing this down but you're a winning driver in a winning car, so surely the only ambition this weekend is to win, isn't it?
GF: Yeah, but for Ferrari this doesn't meet this ambition because, as I told you, the car in the last race was good, with Kimi's good performance. It's been quite strong. In my case, it's my dream to win straightaway on Sunday, but it's not easy to jump from a Force India car to a Ferrari car and be comfortable straight away. I'm sure I can do it, I can be quick, so I'm positive, but step-by-step.
Q. (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Giancarlo, what did you think this morning driving from Maranello to here and when you arrived here in front of the main gate?
GF: Well, every day since last Thursday has been a fantastic experience, since the announcement, when I got into the factory, doing the seat fitting. Going around now I'm much more popular after 14 years of Formula One, so Ferrari is amazing. Even this morning, I was so excited, so nervous, coming here. Actually I enjoyed driving up the motorway with Robert, because I met him in my car – we weren't on the limit, obviously. But it's just great, so I need to thank Mr Vijay Mallya, because he gave me the possibility to move to Ferrari; the president Montezemolo, I have been his personal choice; Stefano Domenicali; even my manager Enrico Zanarini did a fantastic job, so it's a dream coming true, it's fantastic for me.
Q. (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Rubens, what advice would you give to Giancarlo for these five Grands Prix with Ferrari?
RB: Well, I don't have a lot to suggest. I think that for me, even not being an Italian when I first drove for Ferrari, it was a dream as well. But quite soon, you just have to put yourself off the dream and just drive the car. Every time you get reminded when you see that it's red, and this is a good feeling. But as we've said before, Giancarlo is a winner and it's not the first time he's going out in a competitive car to win a race. He has experience. There's not much to say, I think he's going to do very well.
Q. ( Sarah Holt – BBC) A question for Giancarlo. Stefano Domenicali said that he would be happy for you to race for another team next year as well as your duties as Ferrari test driver. Are you interested in finding a race team for 2010?
GF: Well, first of all, I've got a contract for next year to be the third driver at Ferrari, and if there is a good option to find another seat in a different team it would be good, but obviously it's a season to be together with Ferrari, with Stefano and the team.
Q. (Ottavio Daviddi – Tuttosport) Jarno, you organised an auction for the earthquake victims in Abruzzo. I would like to know if you have yet reached the target you set?
JT: We have organised several events. We had a football match yesterday when we raised €70,000, so it was a fantastic event. Unfortunately, we didn't have Giancarlo and Michael (Schumacher) because obviously they were busy. And there will be a big auction on Saturday when we are going to sell some items from the drivers, from the GPDA, like overalls, helmets. Giancarlo was kind enough to donate his helmet and…
GF: … a Ferrari one
JT: Yeah? Fantastic. So I think we are doing very well. Obviously, we are going to have some more events and auctions between now and the end of the season and at the end of the season we will see what we can do for L'Aquila and I will be glad even if my Italian colleagues like Tonio and Giancarlo can come with me to Abruzzo and eventually go there and see the people and decide what to do with this money, because obviously they have been part of it.
Q. (Boaz Korpel – The Sports Channel, Israel) Rubens, everybody is wondering about the symbol on the top of your helmet which looks like the Star of David. You have a big community of fans in Israel, so can you solve this question for us about this symbol on the top of your helmet?
RB: The star first started with someone telling me that I should have something on the top. That happened in 1995, someone came to me and said 'someone in the sky is looking at you' and for me, I felt something good about it, and I put a star there, which you could call anything, but it's just a star. It was a five pointed star. After that, I made some changes because my energy comes from a six pointed star, not a five pointed star, and people aren't just associating that to the Jewish community. It is the Star of David but if you study everything worldwide it doesn't link straight to the Jewish community. I'm Catholic but it doesn't mean anything, it's just the fact that I'm a spiritualist and I believe in any points of goodwill. I basically had one thing for the start of my career in '93, '94, '95 and now it's just the energy from the six pointed star.
Q. (Boaz Korpel – The Sports Channel, Israel) Tonio, you drove for Toro Rosso which was not so competitive when you drove for it, and now Force India seems a very strong car, so what is your aim: finishing in the points or the top ten?
VL:: Yeah, my period at Toro Rosso has been a great experience which made me grow up a lot into Formula One. In that period, for sure, we were in a difficult position because the car wasn't competitive but it taught me a lot, growing up into Formula One with Toro Rosso at the beginning. But now I'm in a different position, I grew up a lot, I learned a lot even in these one and a half years as test driver and now that the car is getting much more competitive for Force India, I get the chance to start again in a competitive car. Fortunately, I have to thank my boss Vijay Mallya who has given me this chance in my home race, to race in front of my home crowd, and that's a special feeling for me. But now I'm a more mature driver, I'm a different person from two years ago when I was at Toro Rosso, so I think I can maximise my opportunities much better and I really hope that I can help and make the team happy as we were in Spa.


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By Eileen Ogintz
Tribune Media Services
Never mind the moray eel. I'm focused on rubbing the "lucky" porthole of a ship that sunk here in a hurricane nearly 150 years ago.
Did I mention that I'm 60 feet underwater, diving mask on my face, breathing oxygen from a tank strapped to my back? That sunken ship — the RMS Rhone — is the top dive site here in the British Virgin Islands (www.bvitourism.com) and the morning we're here, there are plenty of other divers in the water as we explore the wreck with Sail Caribbean Divers (www.sailcaribbeandivers.com).
While the Wreck of the Rhone, just off Salt Island, is a must-dive site, Mike Rowe, who oversees Sail Caribbean Divers, tells us that there are many wonderful dive sites here — canyons, tunnels, caverns grottos teeming with underwater life like Blond Rock, The Chimney, The Wreck of the Chikuzen and The Indians. The BVI boasts more than 50 islands and islets, after all.
I'm just thankful to share this spectacular adventure in paradise with my husband and kids. It's terrific — and rare — when you can find something you all enjoy, especially as the kids grow older (kids as young as 10 can become certified divers) on vacation. Learning to dive is easier and less expensive — typically $300 — than you might think, thanks to the option of completing online coursework first from PADI, which reports that a million people become certified divers every year.
My husband, Andy, and son, Matt, had gotten certified some 15 years ago in the BVI — a father-tween bonding exercise; I did some years later on a trip to Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas. My daughter Mel learned to dive last year on a mom-daughter trip to Grand Turk Island and then was able to use her certification in Bali when she was studying in Asia. (Read what I wrote about our Grand Turk trip.)
Now it is time for my daughter Regina Yemma and her boyfriend Dan Foldes to join our club. When we planned a sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands with The Moorings we knew we wanted there to be a diving component. Sail Caribbean Divers, a PADI 5-Star Instructional Development Dive Resort, the only one in the BVI with these highest ratings and with four locations, made it easy: Reg and Dan came to the BVI ahead of us to complete the first of their required three days of water instruction with Victoria "Vicky" Zgardzinski. First, they had learning sessions at the beach on Cooper Island, going over the fundamentals of the gear. (Certainly a lot more pleasant than when I did it in a chilly YMCA pool.) By the time we arrived, they were ready for their required open-water dives and we were able to rendezvous with our boat at Norman Island.
Reg and Dan reported they were stunned by the sea life — fluorescent-colored fish, countless coral and sponge species, spotted eels, and prickly urchins — on dives that were exhilarating and a little scary, as they learned to breath underwater and manage all the necessary equipment.
Their final dive before "graduation" — through the canyons of an underwater reef — "was over before we wanted it to be," they reported. "Soon we were on the surface trading high-fives and fist bumps, reveling in our accomplishment," Foldes added.
(In case any of you have water-loving teens, the same crew from Sail Caribbean Divers has been running summer learn-to-dive and sail programs here in the British Virgin Islands for more than 30 years — www.sailcaribbean.com.)
Our dive on The Rhone was memorable not only because it was our first together as certified divers but because the site is a constant source of fascination for divers and snorkelers — part of the ship can be snorkeled. We were actually able to swim through part of the wreck — it took us less than two minutes. (There is still a spoon with the captain's initials on it.) The massive size of the ship's superstructure is amazing — as is the sea life that now calls it home — Queen Angel fish, fire coral, sponges that cover the wheel. Wow!
It was simply fate that The Rhone was here at all that fall day, Oct. 29, 1867 to be precise, explained our dive master Melisande Rowe. The state-of-the-art ship was actually supposed to go to the much busier port of St. Thomas, but because of an outbreak of Yellow Fever there, the passengers and cargo came to Tortola to take on coal and provisions.
When the hurricane blew in, Captain Robert Wooley was the first casualty — washed overboard as he tried to assess the weather. The crew tried frantically to get the 300-pound anchor up and get the ship out to sea, but the anchor and chains were stuck. It was all over in a matter of seconds. The ship exploded. To this day, no one knows exactly why; the red-hot boiler furnaces blew the ship in half.
Some 200 perished on The Rhone and 75 other vessels were either lost or seriously damaged in the hurricane. Amazingly, there were some survivors — one washing up on the island of St. John 17 miles away. Because the people on Salt Island (so named because they harvested salt) worked so hard to save the survivors and bury the dead, Queen Victoria gave them the island — a wonderful gift for the poor islanders.
We saw the gear box house and rudder, crow's nest and mast, the hatch — all covered with coral and sponges. The Rhone is now a national park but, according to Rowe, that hasn't stopped people from trying to steal the lucky porthole.
I'm glad they weren't successful. I rubbed the porthole — number 26 — three times as instructed and we had great luck the rest of the trip. Everyone was happy (for the most part). Meltdowns were few. Memories were made.
I need a lucky porthole every time I take the kids.
(For more on Eileen's adventure in the BVI, please read her travel diaries)


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Updated at 3:16 p.m. ET
Facebook's oversight board on Thursday directed the company to restore several posts that the social network had removed for breaking its rules on hate speech, harmful misinformation and other matters.
The decisions are the first rulings for the board, which Facebook created last year as a kind of supreme court, casting the final votes on the hardest calls the company makes about what it does and does not allow users to post.
The rulings announced on Thursday do not include the most high-profile and high-stakes case on the board's docket: Facebook's suspension of former President Donald Trump from both its namesake platform and Instagram, which the company owns. Facebook banned Trump earlier this month, after a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
The Trump case, which the board has 90 days to consider since receiving it last week, is seen as a crucial test of the panel's legitimacy. The board will begin taking public comment on it on Friday.
Still, Thursday's decisions are an important first glimpse into how the board sees its governance role and indicated skepticism among members with how Facebook has communicated and enforced several key policies.
"We believe the board has the ability to provide a critical independent check on how Facebook moderates content and to begin reshaping the company's policies over the long term," Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a former prime minister of Denmark who is one of the board's four co-chairs, told reporters on a press call on Thursday.
In its first batch of decisions, the board overturned Facebook's post removals in four of five cases:
"I think this is a really good example of how the mere prospect of a board review has already begun to alter how Facebook acts," McConnell said.
The board also sounded the alarm that the Instagram post was initially removed by automated systems. "The incorrect removal of this post indicates the lack of proper human oversight which raises human rights concerns," it said in its decision. It recommended that Facebook tell users when their posts have been taken down by automated systems and that they can appeal those decisions to a person.
The final two cases dealt with hate speech. In the first, the board overruled the removal of a post from a Facebook user in Myanmar that Facebook said violated its rules against hate speech for disparaging Muslims as psychologically inferior. While the board found the post "pejorative," taking into account the full context, it did not "advocate hatred or intentionally incite any form of imminent harm," the board said in its decision.
The board acknowledged the case was fraught because Facebook has been criticized for its role in the genocide of the country's Muslim minority.
Muslim Advocates, a civil rights group, slammed the ruling. "Facebook's Oversight Board bent over backwards to excuse hate in Myanmar — a country where Facebook has been complicit in a genocide against Muslims," said Eric Naing, a spokesperson for the group. "Instead of taking meaningful action to curb dangerous hate speech on the platform, Facebook punted responsibility to a third party board that used laughable technicalities to protect anti-Muslim hate content that contributes to genocide."
Facebook has said it will abide by the board's decisions and has already reinstated the posts the board said shouldn't have come down.
The board also issued recommendations that Facebook be more transparent, including explaining to users whose posts are removed which rules they had violated and giving more clarity and definitions for issues including health misinformation and dangerous individuals. Facebook has 30 days to respond to the board.
"We believe that the board included some important suggestions that we will take to heart. Their recommendations will have a lasting impact on how we structure our policies," Monika Bickert, Facebook's vice president of content policy, said in a blog post.
Evelyn Douek, a Harvard Law School lecturer who studies online content moderation, said the board's inaugural rulings "are a true shot across the bow" because they take aim not just at Facebook's handling of individual posts but at its broader policies and enforcement.
"Now the question is, how seriously will Facebook take those recommendations and how openly will it engage with what the board said?" Douek said.
The board is funded by Facebook through an independent trust, and made up of 20 experts around the world. They include specialists in law and human rights, a Nobel Peace laureate from Yemen, the vice president of the libertarian Cato Institute and several former journalists.
Each case was reviewed by a group of five randomly selected members, with the final decision approved by the full board.
Editor's note: Facebook is among NPR's financial supporters.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Brian currently holds a position in Electronic Resources at the Simon Schwob Memorial Library of Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. He presents at the state, regional, and national level on a myriad of topics ranging from accessible services to innovative technologies. All the while enthusiastically continuing to explore and learn new technologies in hopes to promote and excite others with a contagious dedication for clear and inspiring library service.
His professional interest include equal access to information, intellectual freedom, digital and technology based services, 21st century literacies, and making libraries a key component in the ever changing climate of information and communication. Outside of libraryland he is a triathlete, cycling enthusiast, Pilates instructor, and coffee shop frequenter.


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Rappers at the 2022 Met Gala
The stars are out and dressed to the nines at the 2022 Met Gala including rappers like Nicki Minaj, Future, Jack Harlow, Anderson .Paak, Swizz Beatz, Megan Thee Stallion, Roots drummer Questlove and more.
The event took place on Monday (May 2) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The annual fundraising event, which always features the celebrities in attendance wearing their most prestigious threads, is back to being held for consecutive years after it was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus. This year's theme is In America: An Anthology of Fashion, with the dress code being gilded glamour, white-tie. This is a sequel to last year's theme of In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.
The Met Gala has been the spot for some memorable hip-hop-related moments in years past, for better or worse. In 2013, Kanye West performed his then-unreleased "I Am a God" track, which would later appear on his Yeezus album that dropped that summer.
The 2018 event was the site of Cardi B and Nicki Minaj deading their beef after seemingly being at odds for some time. They would infamously go on to get into an altercation at New York City's Plaza Hotel during Harper's Bazaar Icons party for 2018 New York Fashion Week later that year. At the same event in 2018, Cardi and Offset's security was accused of allegedly assaulting a man who reportedly heckled Bardi after she refused to give him an autograph. In 2019, the Bronx, N.Y. rapper stole the show with her dress. Cardi B showed up to the event in a stunning blood-red dress that featured ruby nipples that reportedly cost $500,000.
See photos of the rappers who attended the 2022 Met Gala below.


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20 Times Robert Plant Shot Down a Led Zeppelin Reunion
Robert Plant is making the interview rounds to promote his new Carry Fire LP, and you know what that means: another barrage of questions about if or when he'd ever consider getting back together with the surviving members of Led Zeppelin. It's the kind of thing an interviewer almost can't help but ask about when speaking with someone like Plant, even if everyone already knows the answer; in fact, he's been telling anyone who'll listen the same thing for more than 30 years. In honor of this latest chapter in Plant's endless ordeal, here's an exhaustive — yet far from comprehensive — look back at the many times he's rejected the idea of a Zeppelin reunion.
1) 1982: "Impossible" Without Bonham
In a conversation billed as his first solo interview, Plant was confronted with a question about starting up Zeppelin again — and issued among the earliest of what would be many rejections. Asked to state "just for the record" that the band was "dead and buried," he firmly obliged.
"After we lost John, we issued a statement to that effect, but everybody read it as being ambiguous. I can't even remember the wording of it now. But no, there's absolutely no point. No point at all," he insisted. There's certain people you don't do without in life, you don't keep things going for the sake of it. There's no functional purpose for keeping things going. For whose convenience? Nobody's, really. ... For all the s--- that hit the fan those many times … we all sort of rose out of it together going, 'We don't care – take this!' And you don't start carrying on with people who weren't a part of that. Impossible."
2) 1985: "A Distortion of Reality"
Okay, so maybe he asked for this one. Plant did, after all, deign to reunite with John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page for a Live Aid set. But that was for a great cause and didn't involve new music — and as he took pains to point out to the Los Angeles Times, there's a big difference between taking the stage with your old bandmates for an afternoon and honestly attempting a full-scale reunion. And anyway, at this point, Plant professed to have grown fond of being a solo artist — not least because of the smaller scale and lowered expectations.
"Being in Zeppelin was like living in a goldfish bowl," Plant insisted. "Things were done on such a grand scale. The band was a perpetual-motion machine that didn't allow me to stop and consider the values of the whole thing. My values were kind of in chaos for a while. That experience was a distortion of reality. My perspective on reality and hard work was out of line."
3) 1988: "I Don't Need the Money"
Of course, what people say in public isn't always what they mean. After brushing off the idea of a Zeppelin reunion during the hubbub surrounding their Live Aid gig, Plant actually did get back together with Jones and Page in early 1986, with the trio enlisting drummer Tony Thompson for a brief stab at figuring out what they might have to offer one another nearly a decade after the band's dissolution. As it turned out, the answer turned out to be "not much."
"The whole thing dematerialized," he told Rolling Stone. "Jimmy had to change the battery on his wah-wah pedal every one and a half songs. And I said, 'I'm going home.' Jonesy said, 'Why?' 'Because I can't put up with this.' 'But you lived with it before.' I said, 'Look, man, I don't need the money. I'm off.' For it to succeed I would have had to have been far more patient than I have been for years."
4-11) Robert Plant Says 'No' To Zeppelin Reunion Over and Over
12) 1990: "I Don't Know the Guy Who Sang in Led Zeppelin"
Plant's late-'80s output begged the question of a Zeppelin reunion. With 1988's Now and Zen and 1990's Manic Nirvana, he reclaimed elements of the band's sound while forging ahead by putting a more modern spin on it — even recruiting Page to play guitar on a couple of Zen cuts. But even if he was no longer interested in running from his past, that didn't mean Plant was necessarily eager to return to it. As he insisted in a 1990 interview, he no longer felt a connection with the artist he'd been in Led Zeppelin, and couldn't get back to that person even if he wanted to.
"I couldn't go on and reinvent the spirit of the huge monster that was, because I couldn't feel comfortable," said Plant. "I don't know the guy who sang in Led Zeppelin. I see some very funny pictures of him, then I see rock's vile offspring trotting behind in Lurex pants and leather gloves with the fingers cut off."
13) 1993: "What is Valuable in Life?"
By the early '90s, it seems safe to assume the Zeppelin survivors had been offered outrageous sums of money more than once to reunite. But with a steady stream of royalties still pouring in from their catalog, money wasn't really a concern — and as Plant told The Guardian while promoting his Fate of Nations LP, no amount of dough would be enough to cover up for the fact that, in his eyes, their creative chemistry had run its course.
"We were great when we were great. I was part of something magnificent which broke the Guinness Book of Records, but in the end, what are you going to get out of it? Who are you doing it for? You have to ask these questions," Plant pointed out. "Who pays the piper, and what is valuable in this life? I don't want to scream 'Immigrant Song' every night for the rest of my life, and I'm not sure I could."
14) 2002: "Surely Now We're Way Too Old for This?"
It's undeniable that Plant has spent years patiently rejecting fans' cries for new music from a latter-day Led Zeppelin lineup, but it's also obvious that he's flirted with that idea often enough to further stoke those hopes. For instance, there are the two albums he recorded with Jimmy Page in the '90s — a project that ended up driving a wedge between Plant and Jones when Plant quipped that Jones was "parking the car" while he and Page staged their big reunion.
"That was it. No cards, no hellos," Plant admitted. "I apologized and went to one meeting and got on one knee as he was walking out, to tie my shoelace as well, and said, 'John, surely now we're way too old for this?' But he just sidestepped me and walked out. But I love him and want you to know, John, that if you have me back, we can go back to the one card a year."
15) 2011: How Explosive Passion Can End Up as Cabaret
Any true partnership requires compromise — and it's the tension between creative visions that makes the best bands more than the sum of their parts. It's very difficult for a group of artists to stay together while continuing to evolve over the long haul, however, as Plant acknowledged in 2011 when he contrasted the wanderlust he's enjoyed over his solo career against the constraints he inevitably would have felt if Zeppelin had stayed together.
"Most people have told me to do the obvious thing as far as my career goes. Which would have sent me tottering into the abyss," said Plant. "I mean, some people get into a groove and they stay with it indefinitely. And what starts off as a great moment of explosive passion can end up as cabaret 25, 30 years later. It just depends on whether you go and find the right habitat to extend yourself."
At that point, that habitat most definitely didn't include Led Zeppelin. After rejecting the idea of a highly lucrative tour following their one-off performance at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert in 2007, he shrugged off a number of follow-up offers, including one to perform at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
16) 2012: "Schmuck!"
17) 2012: "Moving Forward"
At this point, any Zep vet who releases anything new knows he'll have to face the question of a reunion — and that goes at least double for the release of any new Zeppelin product, as was definitely the case in 2012, when Jones, Page and Plant did press to promote Celebration Day, the package commemorating their 2007 reunion set. After spending years politely demurring and trying to explain his reasons for needing to move on, Plant took a blunter approach during the Celebration press tour, expressing disdain for the idea of a greatest-hits tour — and for the press that kept nagging at the question.
"You have to be creative and imaginative and move on. And I think the great essence of Led Zeppelin is the creativity and imagination that developed with each project. And a project is a project, it's not just going back and revisiting the past, it's moving forward," Plant argued in a joint interview with Jones and Page. "I don't see us being a stadium act … going round and round making everyone feel great playing the hits."
Confronted with the reunion question at the Celebration Day press conference, Plant pointed out that if anything ever did happen, it would only be because all three surviving members wanted it to. "If we're capable of doing something, in our own time, that will be what will happen," he told reporters. "So any inane questions from people who are from syndicated outlets, you should just really think about what it takes to answer a question like that in one second. We know what we've got, you know."
18) 2014: "You've Just Got To Pick Up and Move On"
19) 2014: "I'm Not Part of a Jukebox!"
Plant returned in 2014 with his lullaby ... and the Ceaseless Roar solo outing, once again making the rounds to promote a new release — and once again facing the same old questions about a Led Zeppelin reunion. Rolling Stone wondered why all the chatter of a tour after the Ertegun tribute didn't come to anything, and Plant had a strongly worded response that amounted to a more emphatic version of what he'd been saying for years: He was interested in making art that moved him, not cashing in.
"A tour would have been an absolute menagerie of vested interests and the very essence of everything that's s---ty about about big-time stadium rock," Plant retorted. "We were surrounded by a circus of people that would have had our souls on the fire. I'm not part of a jukebox!"
At the time, it was fairly evident that Page and Jones would have been happy to give it a shot, and Page in particular had intimated as much in the press — putting a burden of rejection on Plant that seemed to leave the singer a little grumpy. Revealing that he'd offered to get together over "anything acoustic" Page might have in his stockpile, Plant mused that the "weight of expectation" was simply too heavy to allow for any new music between the former bandmates. "I feel for the guy. He knows he's got the headlines if he wants them. But I don't know what he's trying to do," he added. "So I feel slightly disappointed and baffled."
As if that weren't clear enough, Plant offered a brutally succinct answer when asked the same year to weigh in on the chances of another Zeppelin concert: "zero."
20) 2017: "You Can't Ever Really Go Back"
Rightly proud of his efforts on Carry Fire, Plant has done his best to steer the conversation toward the present while sitting for interviews about the new LP — but once again, questions about a Led Zeppelin reunion are impossible to avoid, as a recent conversation with the Daily Telegraph proved yet again. In case anyone was wondering whether his attitude toward putting together some sort of project with Jones and Page has softened over the last few years, surprise — it hasn't.
"You can't ever really go back. It's tough enough repeating yourself with something that's a year old, never mind 49 years old," said Plant. "I've got to keep moving."
Led Zeppelin Albums Ranked Worst to Best


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John Wesley
28 June 1703 - 2 March 1791 / Epworth, England
Hymn Iii: All That Pass By, To Jesus Draw Near
All that pass by, To Jesus draw near,
He utters a cry, Ye sinners, give ear!
From hell to retrieve you He spreads out his hands;
Now, now to receive you, He graciously stands.
If any man thirst, And happy would be,
The vilest and worst May come unto me,
May drink of my Spirit, Excepted is none,
Lay claim to my merit, And take for his own.
Whoever receives The life-giving word,
In Jesus believes, His God and his Lord,
In him a pure river Of life shall arise,
Shall in the believer Spring up to the skies.
My God and my Lord! Thy call I obey,
My soul on thy word Of promise I stay,
Thy kind invitation I gladly embrace,
Athirst for salvation, Salvation by grace.
O hasten the hour! Send down from above
The Spirit of power, Of health, and of love,
Of filial fear, Of knowledge and grace,
Of wisdom and prayer, Of joy and of praise;
The Spirit of faith, Of faith in thy blood,
Which saves us from wrath, And brings us to God,
Removes the huge mountain Of indwelling sin,
And opens a fountain That washes us clean.
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2011 , Vol 6 , Num 4
Intra Ocular Lens Power Calculation and Optic Biometry
1Malatya Devlet Hastanesi, Göz Hastalıkları Kliniği, Malatya, Uz. Dr.2İnönü Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Göz Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı, Malatya, Prof. Dr. A-scan ultrasonography is still widely used for IOL power calculation but it may lead to unexpected postoperative refraction errors due to various reasons. Calculation of IOL power more precisely by an operator independent device is needed in accordance with recent developments in refractive surgery and postoperative visual expectations of the patients.
In this review, we tried to evaluate the ultrasonic biometry, error sources in biometry, IOL power calculation formulas, optical biometry and advantages of optical biometry. Keywords : Optic biometry, intraocular lens power, A-mode ultrasonography


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"The coldest winter I ever spent, was a summer in San Francisco." This famous quote has been attributed to Mark Twain. On this classic, cold and foggy August summer day, Aperture Academy instructors Ellie Stone and Alicia Telfer, met up with 13 excited students. The quote was on everyone's mind, as they gathered at the meeting place, San Francisco's Baker Beach. A favorite of locals and tourists alike, Baker Beach is the perfect place to start this amazing day of iconic photography locations.
After some quick introductions, where Alicia and Ellie got to know more about their student's skills and expectations, the group kicked off the workshop, and headed down the sands. In just a short walk down the beach, you've got one of the most stunning views of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Ellie and Alicia helped all the students with their camera settings to ensure proper exposure, as well as composition basics. As the fog danced around the Golden Gate, it provided the perfect backdrop for classic and fantastic images. Now the students were feeling comfortable and ready to hit the next location, Fort Point.
Fort Point is just a short drive from Baker Beach and was built just before the American Civil war to defend San Francisco against hostile war ships and is now a protected National Historic site. Run by the National Park service, the fort is not only an interesting historical site, but a photographer's playground. Alicia and Ellie lead the students to a few of their favorite spots within the fort to photograph. The architecture and symmetry provides a great lesson in composition and point of view. Thinking "outside the box" can be a challenge that all photographers face at one point. Thus having an instructor help you, can be invaluable in pushing one's creative standards, and leads to some fantastic images.
After the instructors got the students warmed up, they turned them loose for the remainder of the time, to explore and capture. Climbing the spiral staircases, the students braved the blustery summer winds and were treated with an out of the ordinary view of the Golden Gate. From the roof of Fort Point, whey stood underneath the bridge, with Sausalito as an incredible backdrop. The view is indeed breathtaking and inspiring. Hours had passed, that seemed more like minutes, and therefore it was time for a quick break.
The quaint little town of Sausalito was the destination and after swapping stories and filling bellies, the students and instructors alike were eager to get back out onto the final two iconic destinations. Next stop? Rodeo Beach.
Nestled down within the Marin Headlands, Rodeo Beach has some amazing rock or sea stack formations, just off the sandy shore. The challenge was that classic and ever so heavy San Francisco summer fog. Some would have just skipped this location; however Ellie and Alicia were able to show the students how to deal with these less than ideal conditions. Practicing long exposure techniques and shooting in monochrome would be the main two focal points at this beautiful location. When Mother Nature throws you a curve ball, learning to have patience and persistence is key. Also a positive attitude is a must and will keep you shooting, when others will be sitting in the warm coffee shop.
To finalize the epic day of shooting, the group finished at the Palace of Fine Arts. The Palace of Fine Arts located in the Marina District of San Francisco, is an impressive structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art presented there. One of only a few surviving structures from the Exposition, it is the only one still situated on its original site. It was rebuilt in 1965, and with and outstanding reflection pool and meandering walkways. Ellie and Alicia arrived with their students just in time for the blue hour. While many photographers have heard of the Golden hour (the short time just after sunrise and just before sunset), many have not heard of the blue hour. That time just before sunrise and shortly after sunset, when the sky is filled with beautiful shades of purple and blue. The golden lights that illuminate the palace provide the perfect contrast against the foggy blue sky. Longer exposures would bring out much more of the intense blue sky that was even visible to the naked eye. All the students were thrilled to see the results pop up on their cameras LCD screen. The day flew by very quickly, as night official set in; it was time to wrap up this excitement filled day of photography.
Until next time...Ellie, Alicia and the rest of the Aperture Academy team!
P.S. If you'd like to join us at one of our workshops, you can find the schedule/sign up here.
Other Cool Stuff→ Past Workshop Photos → 72dpi.com → How-To Articles → Photographer of the Month |
Contact Us→ Contact Us → About Us → Site Map |


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📅 March 26th at 6:30pm
907 Vinton Ave, Glencoe, MN 55336
This course will prepare you to recognize and care for a variety of first aid, breathing, and cardiac emergencies involving adults, children and infants and meets OSHA/workplace requirements. This is a blended learning course including an online portion and an instructor-led classroom skill session. The online portion must be completed prior to attending the in-class portion and must be taken on a PC or tablet with a high speed Internet connection. Allow approximately 2 hours 30 minutes to complete the online portion. Upon successful completion of this course you will receive a digital certificate for Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED valid for two years.


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Hardware-enabled collaboration provider Airtame has boosted its partnership with unified communications software developer Rise Vision to expand K–12 schools' ability to display emergency alerts and school messaging across Airtame-connected devices, according to a news release.
Eight out of 10 K–12 school districts surveyed for Sophos' 2023 State of Ransomware Report said they were hit by ransomware last year — a 43% increase from the previous year's results — making the K–12 education sector the most-popular ransomware target in the world in 2022.
The new Digital Equity module, an extension to Lightspeed's Digital Insight network and ed tech analytics platform, provides real-time connectivity and device health data on students' school-issued devices, enabling school leaders to know when students experience connectivity outages at home — allowing for interventions or assistance before learning outcomes are impacted, the company said.
Recent leadership and advisory roles announced by education and ed tech organizations include a new CEO at Pearson, a new CMO at D2L, a new COO at Centegix, a new board member at United Educators, a new CEO at National Math and Science Initiative, a new CEO at Mentor, and new special education advisory leaders at BlazerWorks.
Cybersecurity nonprofit K12 Security Information Exchange is inviting K–12 IT and network security practitioners to submit their input and feedback for the upcoming 2023–24 edition of the K12 SIX Essential Cybersecurity Protections Series of guides for public schools' risk management efforts.
Incident response software provider Centegix has introduced a digital mapping solution called Safety Blueprint that provides a "dynamic, multi-layered map of all campus facilities and spaces, including the precise location of all safety assets," to help district leaders plan better incident management and emergency response, according to a news release.
CoSN's 10th annual State of Ed Tech Leadership report released this week shows some things remain the same — K–12 technology leaders need more resources to keep up with technological innovations in schools — while priorities since the survey began have shifted remarkably.
Facilitative leadership can help academic communities support success and promote holistic outcomes. The timing for this type of approach is especially important as schools look to re-energize staff, restore trust, and find new ways to support the changing needs of students in today's post-pandemic learning environment.
LINQ has launched LINQ Connect, a new SaaS offering that provides payment processing and other services to allow parents to pay for services like school lunches and field trips.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center have published a new guide to help K–12 schools strengthen their school safety reporting programs with actionable advice for encouraging students and school stakeholders to report potentially unsafe situations.
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Information technology teams in educational institutions face a growing number of distractions and a centralized, intelligent IT documentation tool can help teams overcome some of their most pressing challenges. Download to learn how! Read more...
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Website Accessibility
At Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, we believe in making the Blue365 website easy to use and accessible for all people of all abilities.
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The Blue365 website is designed to provide an accessible experience for users of all abilities. If you have questions or concerns about the accessibility of our website, please email us at: firstname.lastname@example.com. Please provide specific details about the accessibility issue you have encountered, including the webpage URL address where the issue occurred.
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Individuals who need a reasonable accommodation to access Blue365 can submit your request by sending an email to: firstname.lastname@example.com. Be sure to include contact information such as an email address or telephone number where you can be reached.
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The Blue365 website contains links to websites hosted by third parties. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association does not make claims regarding the accessibility of third-party websites and is not able to make accommodations on such websites.
We are always working to ensure that Blue365 is accessible to users of all abilities. If you have a suggestion or question about the accessibility of Blue365, please email us at: firstname.lastname@example.com.
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The Blue365 website is regularly tested and updated to maintain WCAG 2.0 A & AA conformance.


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The Dark Eye – Demonicon is a thrilling action-RPG set in the extraordinarily popular universe of "The Dark Eye", a richly crafted fantasy world beloved by fantasy gamers across the globe.The Dark Eye – Demonicon tells the tragic story of a brother and sister who become pawns of sinister forces in a world of cruelty and depravity. In this bleak yet magical world, their affection is both a blessing and a curse. Both are constantly threatened by mortal danger and demonic temptation, and must find a way through their tortured lives by facing serious moral decisions. Their common destiny will determine that of the entire continent, and will be decided by the choices they make. Hordes of fiends block their way to freedom and peace, and only through battle and magic they will truly become free of the darkness. A third-person action-RPG featuring brutal melee attack combos and dazzling magic spells Powerful storytelling with an elaborate narrative rich with twists, as well as believable conflicts and ethical decision-making opportunities Action-packed battles, where pin-point timing and clever tactics play important roles Unique magic system: a dark talent grants the player devastating mystical powers and changes his physical appearance Comprehensive crafting system allows for creation of potions, poisoned blades and enchanted armor State-of-the-art 3D visuals using the powerful Havok Vision engine A richly detailed game world embedded in the extensive fantasy world of The Dark Eye
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I Am Legend (1954)The great fantastical fiction writer Richard Matheson has happily gotten a second wind late in his career, mostly from the recent movie versions of his novels Stir of Echoes and What Dreams May Come, but an early generation of us recall him for his classics of scifi paranoia. These included: novels like The Incredible Shrinking Man and Legend of Hell House; film scripts like those for the series of Poe films that Roger Corman made starring Vincent Price; Twilight Zone episodes (including the great "Nightmare at 20, 000 Feet"); the TV series Kolchak: The Nightstalker; the terrifying TV movie Duel. This ouvure inspired everyone from horror writers Stephen King, Anne Rice and Dean Koontz to directors like Steven Spielberg (who directed Duel) and Tim Burton to Cris Carter who has acknowledged the debt of the X-Files to Kolchak and who even named a recurring character Richard Matheson. Personally--and one imagines the same holds true for many of us children of the 70s--I became an unwitting admirer because of the cult status of The Omega Man, the rather bad film that was made from his fine novel, I am Legend. Like many a cheesy movie, Omega Man ended up in the regular rotation of chillers that WWOR-TV in New York used to show and it became a favorite mostly by virtue of its familiarity after repeated viewings. But I'd honestly not thought of it in quite some time. Its drama after all--of a lone survivor of a devastating plague, holding off thousands of vampire zombies--owes much to the Cold War and our fear of takeover by Communists. It's very much of a piece with the far superior Invasion of the Body Snatchers., an interesting curio, particularly revealing for the popularity of its anti-communist subtext, but otherwise forgettable. But then, just recently, humorist James Lileks began a column with a reference to the scenario of the film and in what's little more than a throwaway line, breathed new life into the story: Who's more miserable - the far right or the far left? The former is likely to wash its hands of the modern world, lament how things have gone to hell since the Brits stopped shoving civilization down the ululating maws of Wogland, and announce that youíre all welcome to your polyglot mishmash - Iíll be over here getting smashed on port and reading Patrick O'Brien novels. But at least they seem dedicated to enjoying life on their own terms; if they're cultural conservatives, they retire to their version of Heston's apartment in "The Omega Man," surrounded by the remnants of Western glory, keeping to themselves, and venting their spleen now and then by burping off a few rounds at the moaning zombies outside in the darkened park. The key to a great allegory is that it not be totally dependent on a time and place and this one appears to have some legs. Forget the Commie-zombies; it's about embattled conservatives! Well, that was enough to get me to track down the book--a search for the film proving fruitless--and it does not disappoint. Robert Neville is the last living man on earth. He roams the streets of LA by day, driving stakes into the hearts of the slumbering undead and searching libraries for the secret of how to cure the disease that afflicts everyone else. At dusk, he hunkers down in his house, drinking, listening to classical music, and longing for his dead wife. In a very real sense he is the last defender of civilization. The nights outside belong to those like his former friend Ben Cortman who have been transformed into vampires. As near as Neville has been able to determine, they are all the victims of a wind-born bacteria which he, for some reason, has a resistance to. Over the course of the rather brief novel he befriends the last disease-free dog on Earth and then a woman who seems to still be human too. Neville dreams of finding others ho have remained human or of curing those who are diseased, of re-establishing humankind and saving the world from the monsters who now dominate it, after dark anyway. But in the end he realizes that it is he who has become the freak: Robert Neville looked out over the new people of the earth. He knew he did not belong to them; he knew that, like the vampires, he was anathema and black terror to be destroyed. And, abruptly, the concept came, amusing him even in his pain. [...] Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. From Albert Jay Nock's concept of the Remnant and his reference to himself as a "Superfluous Man" to Allan Bloom's assertion that we've witnessed "The Closing of the American Mind" to Robert Bork's felicitous image of an America that is "Slouching Toward Gomorrah", there's a consistent strain of thought in conservatism, one often lamented by neocons and the like, that holds that the masses have already become zombie-like and that the men of the Right are the last holdouts, the final defenders of Western Culture. Since I pretty much believe that myself, Mr. Lileks' comparison struck me as especially apt and proves once again that a great allegorical tale often has many lives because it captures something true and timeless about us. None of this turns Mr. Matheson's book into a great work--it's somewhat overwrought--but it does make it awfully fun to return to it from a fresh perspective. Even Omega Man will be more fun to watch, particularly since star Charlton Heston is so closely identified now with conservative causes. (Reviewed:) Grade: (B) Tweet Websites:WIKIPEDIA: Richard Matheson -OBIT: Richard Matheson, Writer of Haunted Science Fiction and Horror, Dies at 87 (Bruce Weber, 6/28/13, NY Times) -OBIT: Author Richard Matheson, 'I Am Legend' Writer, Dies At 87 (BILL CHAPPELL, June 24, 2013, NPR) -OBIT: Richard Matheson dies at 87; writer blended normal, inexplicable: Matheson was a master of science fiction, fantasy and horror. He wrote numerous episodes of TV's 'The Twilight Zone.' (Elaine Woo, 6/25/13, Los Angeles Times) -TRIBUTE: He Is Legend : There will never be another Richard Matheson (DANIEL J. FLYNN, 6.28.13, American Spectator) -PODCAST: interview with Chris Matheson (Episode 520 of Geek's Guide to the Galaxy, 7/15/22, Wired) - -ESSAY: 8 Fascinating Facts About Richard Matheson (Lorna Wallace, Apr 5, 2022, Mental Floss) -PODCAST: 'I Am Legend' With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan: The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Van Lathan are survivors living in New York City, and they will be at the South Street Seaport everyday at midday to rewatch the 2007 postapocalyptic action thriller 'I Am Legend' (Bill Simmons and Van Lathan Dec 20, 2022, The Ringer) Book-related and General Links: -Richard Matheson (Tor Books) -INTERVIEW: Richard Matheson and William Stout collaborate on a children's fantasy (Lisa DuMond, Science Fiction Weekly) -CHAT TRANSCRIPT : Richard Matheson (SciFi.com, 6/20/02) -Richard Matheson (Wikipedia) -Matheson ( Bill Shepard) -Richard Matheson (Sci-Fi Station - Sci-Fi Masters Series) -Richard Matheson (Alpha Ralpha Boulevard) -Richard Matheson (CyberSpace Spinner) -FILMOGRAPHY : Richard Matheson (IMDB.com) -PROFILE: Richard Matheson: Father and Son (David Carroll, Tabula Rasa#5, 1995) -PROFILE: The House of Matheson: Richard Matheson's Masterful Portraits of Fantasy and Terror (Bill Krohn, March. '99, Written By) -ARCHIVES: "richard matheson" (Find Articles) -REVIEW : of I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (Lisa DuMond, SF Site) -REVIEW: of I am Legend (Alan David Price, Iinfinity plus) -REVIEW : of Richard Matheson's The Twilight Zone Scripts: Volume One edited by Stanley Wiater (Lisa DuMond, SF Site) -REVIEW : of Richard Matheson's The Twilight Zone Scripts, Volume II Edited by Stanley Waiter (John C. Snider, SciFi Dimensions) FILMS:
Copyright 1998-2015 Orrin Judd


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How Pink Floyd Mounted the Unlikeliest Reunion of All at Live 8
Roger Waters' relationship with David Gilmour was so distant in the period before Pink Floyd's celebrated reunion at Live 8 that Waters had to ask organizer Bob Geldof for his former bandmate's phone number.
While Geldof had been persistent in trying to broker peace between the pair, he'd hit an initial roadblock with Gilmour – who once referred to a possible detente as something akin to "sleeping with your ex-wife." Waters then interceded. Ultimately, the event's mission – Live 8 was meant to raise awareness of poverty, debt and the AIDS crisis in developing nations – led to one of music's most improbable remarriages, though only for a single evening.
"The moment was bigger than those bad feelings," David Gilmour told the Associated Press in the days leading up to Pink Floyd's July 2, 2005, appearance. "Any squabbles Roger and the band have had in the past are so petty in this context, and if reforming for this concert will help focus attention, then it's going to be worthwhile."
And so Pink Floyd's classic-era lineup – Gilmour, Nick Mason, Waters and Richard Wright – took the stage for the first time since a 1981 concert at Earl's Court in London and, alas, for the last time ever.
"It's great to be asked to help Bob raise public awareness on the issues of third-world debt and poverty," Waters enthused as the day drew near. "The cynics will scoff. Screw 'em! Also, to be given the opportunity to put the band back together, even if it's only for a few numbers, is a big bonus."
To no one's surprise, Pink Floyd's reunion eclipsed a star-packed lineup at the London Hyde Park show, which also included Paul McCartney, the Who, Elton John, Madonna, R.E.M., U2, Coldplay and Robbie Williams.
Live 8, scheduled to sync up with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid, also featured six other events through July 6. Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, Dave Matthews, Jay-Z and others performed at Philadelphia. Brian Wilson, and Crosby Stills and Nash appeared in Berlin. Duran Duran and Tim McGraw were among the headliners in Rome. Annie Lennox performed at Edinburg as the G8 summit - a gathering of international leaders where debt cancellation and aid would be discussed – kicked off.
For Pink Floyd, however, the most immediate concern was far more small scale: getting the songs right. "It's sort of assumed that we'll all remember how they go," Mason impishly admitted.
By all accounts, everyone was on their best behavior as three days of pre-show rehearsals unfolded. "There were times when Roger was struggling to not get bossy, and I was struggling to keep being bossy," Gilmour said at the time. "I saw how arguments could have happened, but we aren't at each other's throats anymore. Getting rid of that acrimony has got to be a good thing. Who wants to have that fester in your mind the rest of your life?"
Watch Pink Floyd Perform 'Comfortably Numb' at Live 8
Still, there was the matter of a set list. And it was there where the former bandmates – two decades after an ugly legal battle over the rights to the Pink Floyd name – once again clashed.
Gilmour steadfastly refused to play Pink Floyd's most recognizable radio hit, "Another Brick in the Wall," deeming its anti-education message inappropriate for the moment. "Anyway, I don't like it much. It's all right but not part of the great emotional oeuvre," Gilmour said, in a 2006 interview. "The songs that Roger wanted were not the ones I thought we should do. The arrangements of the songs were not the way Roger wanted to do them. But I kind of insisted."
In the end, Pink Floyd were restricted, like all of the other artists performing at Live 8, to a short, 20-minute set. Even a reunion 24 years in the making was only a mere portion of the larger production. So the band settled on four songs: "Breathe" and "Money" from 1973's The Dark Side of the Moon, "Wish You Were Here" from the 1975 album of the same name and "Comfortably Numb" from 1979's The Wall, Pink Floyd's penultimate recording with Waters. They left aside music from the two Gilmour-led Pink Floyd albums that followed the acrimonious split.
Waters made reference to the band's original leader, the late Syd Barrett, even as he framed the larger reasons Pink Floyd had decided to reunite. "It's actually quite emotional to be standing up here with these three guys again, after all these years – standing to be counted with the rest of you," Waters said amid the opening strains of "Wish You Were Here." "Anyway, we're doing this for the people who're not here – and particularly, of course, for Syd."
They finished with a somewhat awkward bow, but only after reaffirming Pink Floyd's former power and grace (the stinging critique of greed found within "Money" held a new relevance in this modern context). After Pink Floyd's catalog saw a stunning 1,300 percent sales increase after Live 8, Gilmour announced that he would donate the proceeds to charity.
Beyond that, Gilmour said Live 8 gave his younger children an opportunity to see their semi-retired old man in a whole new light. "They now understand that I'm not just this bum who lazes around the house, cooks them supper and takes them to school," Gilmour told Newsweek.
He also had to deal with renewed questions about a larger-scale reunion with Waters. Pink Floyd's core four were reportedly offered as much as $150 million for a U.S. tour. "It's completely mad," Gilmour said back then, "and we won't do it. The idea for Live 8 was a one-off."
Waters appeared amenable, but ultimately turned his attention to what would become a blockbuster multi-year solo presentation of The Wall. "David is completely uninterested," Waters told the Associated Press. "After Live 8, I could have probably gone for doing some more stuff, but he's not interested."
Wright's death on Sept. 15, 2008, seemed to put an end to any talk of such matters. Pink Floyd released a final album, 2014's Endless River, built around older tracks featuring Wright, while Waters continued work on solo projects. "I think Live 8 was probably it," Waters told the BBC. "And Live 8 was so beautiful, and Rick obviously was still with us then. If that's the way we draw a line under Pink Floyd, so be it. I won't be unhappy about that."
Top 50 Progressive Rock Albums
Why Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Roger Waters Are Still Fighting


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Afghan Biographies
Dehsabz – Barikab City Development Authority (DCDA)
Name | Dehsabz – Barikab City Development Authority (DCDA) | |||||||||
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Date of birth | ||||||||||
Function/Grade | Background | |||||||||
History and Biodata | Dehsabz – Barikab City Development Authority (DCDA)
CEO of Dehsabz - Barikab City Development Authority (DCDA):
Independent Board of Kabul New City Development (KNC) Founding Members of The Independent Board for Kabul New City Development
Development Background After 2002, the new geo-political dynamics and its subsequent business opportunities, rapid urban population growth and emergence of high unemployment, triggered the planning of urban extension towards the immediate north of Kabul, in the form of a new city. The Government of Afghanistan established the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) for the coming five years as part of its efforts to secure continued understanding and support from the International society for sustainable development. The ANDS is supported by three main pillars of Security, governance and socio-economic development with eight pillars:
1. Infrastructure and natural resources All the above objectives of the ANDS has been addressed through the planning of the Kabul New City as a viable and sustainable concept to enable growth and economic prosperity on the local, national and regional basis.
Urban development is an important issue in the strategy for infrastructure and natural resources together with transport, water resources and sustainable and quality energy resources and supply for the residents and businesses. Development background at a Glance: The Master Plan - Strategic Plan Location
Last Modified | 2014-12-25 | |||||||||
Established | 2014-12-25 |


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COCOA, May 11, 2011 – Florida students have creative ideas for solving some of the world's greatest energy challenges, and their solutions were demonstrated Saturday at the ninth-annual EnergyWhiz Olympics.
More than 900 students throughout Florida converged Saturday, May 7 at the University of Central Florida's Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in Cocoa to compete in the day-long competition showcasing student projects in alternative fuel technologies.
Events included the Bright House Solar Energy Cookoff, a solar cooker design and cooking contest; the Junior Solar Sprint, model-size solar car races; the High School Hydrogen Sprint and Hands-On-Hydrogen, model-size hydrogen-powered car races; and Energy Innovations, a full-scale solar electric design challenge. Read more


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Weekly Poll: 3DS Special Digital Deliveries
April 30, 2012
It always surprises me when one group with an awful lot of money attempts to team up with another group with an awful lot of money in an effort to make even more money and yet, in the end, nothing comes of it. With all of the hypothetical money on the line, you'd think that Microsoft and Hollywood could have worked through their dealbreaking differences into order to make the Halo movie happen, and most of you out there lay the blame on the project's collapse on both sides of the productions. I tend to side with Hollywood on this one. I don't think that Hollywood is totally blameless, mind you, but Microsoft seems to have strutted into negotiations believing that it held all of the power thanks to the tremendous moneymaking potential that is the Halo franchise, and Hollywood just doesn't work that way. It's bad form to walk into someone's house as a guest and start making excessive demands. Hopefully someday the two can patch things up and try again. While the Halo games do not interest me, I'd see a Halo movie if it were properly produced.
Moving on, Nintendo has announced that it will soon begin offering full retail games for the 3DS as a eShop downloads that are saved to internal memory in addition to the usual boxed retail package experience. Which method would you prefer to use when you buy a 3DS title? Are you aching to leave the days of plastic cases and tiny cartridges behind? Or do you insist on physical media? Let's hear your thoughts.


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122XL Copper Cutting and Prep Machine
This pipe cutter is designed to cut, clean, ream and deburr copper and stainless steel tubing and fittings quickly and professionally. Weighing only 72 lbs. (32.7 kg) and possessing a conveniently located carrying handle, the Model 122XL is ideal for transport directly to the job site. Rugged cast aluminum housing and powerful 1/3 HP induction motor assures a long life.
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By Alison@Creekside
An RCMP "joint intelligence group" — comprised of federal, provincial and municipal police — infiltrated activist groups prior to the G20 and Vancouver Olympics in what they call "one of the largest domestic intelligence operations in Canadian history."
Constable Bindo Showan of the Ontario Provincial Police, one of the two principal undercover Ontario spies, is a stunning example of their intelligence at work.
Earlier this fall, Showan told the court about how he attended a meeting prior to the Toronto summit. There, a protest-planning group that included several of the 17 main G20 defendants was discussing whether to lend their support to a First Nations rally.
Adam Lewis, one of the 17 accused conspirators in the G20 case, interjected, "Kill whitey!" The group chuckled. Lewis, like all but one of his co-accused, is white.
When a Crown lawyer asked the officer what he thought Lewis meant, Showan said in complete seriousness, to "kill white people."
Apparently we do not have the right not to be spied and reported on by morons or covert operatives pretending to be morons.
This 2009 RCMP "joint intelligence group" statement defines their mission:
"The 2010 G8 summit in Huntsville … will likely be subject to actions taken by criminal extremists motivated by a variety of radical ideologies. These ideologies may include variants of anarchism, anarcho-syndicalism, nihilism, socialism and/or communism. These ideologies may also include notions of racial supremacy and white power …
"The important commonality is that these ideologies … place these individuals and/or organizations at odds with the status quo and the current distribution of power in society.
In addition to these generally held tenets, a variety of grievances exist: These grievances are based upon notions/expectations regarding the environment, animal rights, First nations' resource-based grievances, gender/racial equality, and distribution of wealth etc."
And it is apparently still in operation :
RCMP records suggest that the reconnaissance continues. Report logs indicate at least 29 incidents of police surveillance between the end of the G20 summit and April 2011 — more than nine months after world leaders departed Toronto.
The same document indicates that the RCMP-led intelligence team made a series of presentations to private-sector corporations, including one to "energy sector stakeholders" in November 2011.
Good to know.
After millions of dollars and 70,000 pages of Crown evidence, conspiracy charges have been dropped against the 17 activists held in jail or under house arrest for the last 18 months, but 6 of them will serve jail time for counselling mischief, with an additional charge of counselling to obstruct police leveraged against Alex Hundert and Mandy Hiscocks
Toronto Star: Behind the G20 plea deal
Below is a message from the So-Called "G-20 Main Conspiracy Group," below. And their written statement regarding the charges can be read here.