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Nantahala Riverfront Cabin near Bryson City
Nantahala River Lodge, a unique riverfront, pet friendly cabin near Bryson City. Our 3 bedroom cabin by the river offers the best in Nantahala Lodging and is perfect for Families, Friends and Fishermen.
We custom designed and built our Nantahala River Lodge with reclaimed wood from our family's North Carolina cabins and barn. Native stone was used inside and out. We furnished our home with handcrafted furniture and transformed family heirlooms into art. Every detail was carefully considered as we blended our family history into the creation of the Nantahala River Lodge. The Lodge offers accommodations for up to 8 people. Every room offers a view of the river. We encourage you to open the windows to bring the soothing river sounds indoors.
Favorite Features
1400 feet of Nantahala River frontage, World class fishing just a few steps from the door, Luxury accommodations, Fully equipped kitchen to make cooking easy, Campfire area complete with stone benches around the fire pit, picnic table, grill and campfire wood, Easy access to area attractions, Privacy, Natural landscaping, Easy winter access off of state maintained road…
At the Lodge
Easy access to the Nantahala River for trout fishing or water fun, Relaxing in the riverside chairs or hammock, Listening to the soothing sounds of the river, Picnics by the river, Panning for gold, Dining on the deck, Gathering around the campfire to tell stories and roast marshmallows, Fireflies at night…
Walking Distance
Nantahala River Launch Site where Class II and III whitewater rafting begins, Bartram Trail, Paved path that winds along the river bank, Miles of trout fishing and river exploration…
Waterfalls, Nantahala Lake, Hiking and Biking trails, Outdoor Outfitters, Whitewater Rafting and Kayaking, Zip Lines, Tsali Recreation Area, Scenic Drives, Arts, Crafts, Music, Horseback Riding, Gem Mines, Restaurants, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Deep Creek Recreation Area, Cherokee, Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, Fontana Dam, Fontana Lake…
Browse our website, check our availability calendar and secure the most wonderful time you can imagine at the Nantahala River Lodge.
Mickey and Annette Youmans
800-470-4718 or 912-596-4360
Nantahala River Lodge was featured in the New York Times !
Escapes, Great Homes and Destinations section.


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Shortly after initially ruling Sunday that state officials must seize and preserve voting machines and data, a federal judge reportedly changed his mind to clear the way for machines to be reset or wiped.
The second order was issued by Senior Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division. It came in a civil suit asking Gov. Brian Kemp, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and others to decertify the election results, protect machines and verify ballot signatures.
Read the full story

subset: commoncrawl


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Generous Gobbler to Prevent Thanksgiving Poultry Problem
CAMBRIDGE, MA – In a twist of fate, Tom the Turkey will be handing out dozens of holiday birds to hotel workers at the Le Meridien hotel in Cambridge on Monday, November 19 from 4-5pm. Current owners, HEI Hotels & Resorts, abandoned this act of caring that had long been a holiday mainstay at the hotel. Boston's Local 26 stepped in to provide support.
"Le Meridien's owners have groused about this meaningful tradition, to the point that they have carved it out completely," said Tom. "They are using cut backs to make gravy and are stuffing their pockets. The new owners cannot continue to peck and scratch at the housekeepers, kitchen staff, and others – the workers who make a hotel run."
The Cambridge City Council supports a boycott of the Le Meridien because workers must endure crushing workloads due to 30% workforce cutbacks initiated by the new owner. The Le Meridien owners rejected calls for a fair process for workers to decide on unionization. At Monday's event, Tom the Turkey may even flip a bird to the owner.
WHO: Tom the Thanksgiving Turkey (person in turkey costume)
WHAT: Boston's Local 26 giving Thanksgiving turkeys to hotel workers – bellboys, housekeepers, kitchen staff, others
WHERE: Le Meridien Hotel
20 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA
WHEN: Monday, November 14, 4-5 pm
November 15, 2012 Media Advisory Contact: Steve Crawford 857-753-4132


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There are certain technical words in every academic discipline which soon become stereotypes and even clichés. Every academic discipline has its technical nomenclature. You who are in the field of psychology have given us a great word. It is the word maladjusted. This word is probably used more than any other word in psychology. It is a good word; certainly it is good that in dealing with what the word implies you are declaring that destructive maladjustment should be destroyed. You are saying that all must seek the well-adjusted life in order to avoid neurotic and schizophrenic personalities.
But on the other hand, I am sure that we will recognize that there are some things in our society, some things in our world, to which we should never be adjusted. There are some things concerning which we must always be maladjusted if we are to be people of good will. We must never adjust ourselves to racial discrimination and racial segregation. We must never adjust ourselves to religious bigotry. We must never adjust ourselves to economic conditions that take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. We must never adjust ourselves to the madness of militarism, and the self-defeating effects of physical violence.
Psychology as a discipline, "social psychologists" notwithstanding, has tended to focus on individuals and their varying levels of adjustment to mainstream norms. Pathology is basically understood as thoughts, behaviors, and patterns which do not conform to the norms, and also are significantly disruptive to the general functioning and well being of the individual displaying them. More often than not, there's an attendant sense that the pathology also is significantly disruptive in some manner or another to others, and society in general. A person with bipolar, for example, is considered difficult to work with, moody, inconsistent, and a whole variety of unsavory characteristics. Instead of being viewed as a whole person with the vastness of depth of anyone else, they're frequently reduced to a diagnosis and a certain subset of characteristics (which may or may not be enduring or consistent). It's as if in order to be viewed as "healthy" and "socially adjusted," there's a certain level of "going along" required. A certain necessity to give up, suppress, or refine behaviors and patterns that are disruptive to the norms of society. If I have the impulse or desire to run naked in the streets, it's probably a good idea for me to overcome that somehow. Lest I be viewed as "crazy" and "sexually perverse," and if caught by the authorities, subject to all sorts of social penalties (fines, jail, sex offender registration, etc.)
Religions have similar conduct codes built into them, linking the well adjusted person to some form or another of divinity. For Buddhists, the enlightened one or Bodhisattva should quickly come to mind. Of course, anyone who has been around Buddhist teachings and narratives for awhile knows that things are more complicated than that. Well adjusted really doesn't cut it when trying to describe the qualities of a Buddha. In fact, Buddhas sometimes act in ways that are completely in line with MLK's "maladjustment." They're called to disrupt, sometimes severely, patterns of suffering and oppression. That's their job in the world. And that's what we practitioners are vowing to do when we chant the bodhisattva vows, for example.
And yet, I think for many convert Buddhists, a lot of that intelligent, enlightened maladjustment has been erased or downplayed. The aspirations we claim to make frequently seem fraudulent in a certain sense. "I vow to liberate all beings, but only if it doesn't upset my neighbors, make anyone uncomfortable, or employ actions that aren't 'normal.'" The majority of convert Buddhists, in North America anyways, were born and bred middle class or higher up the economic ladder. And regardless of material status, with an allegience to middle class norms and values, including an inherent trust in the teachings and practices of psychology. It's just a given, for example, that it's wrong to steal and that anger is always a negative emotion, even if we feel justified in being angry about something.
When I consider many modern, convert interpretations of the Buddhist precepts, these middle class norms are all over the place. And they're reinforced by concepts and practices of Western Psychology, which up until fairly recently, held the behaviors and patterns of white, heterosexual, middle class males as the highest standard of adjustment. The pole by which all is measured and techniques are sourced from.
While it may appear like I'm rejecting psychology outright, that's absolutely not the case. I nearly double majored in psychology during my undergrad days, and have spent much of the decade or so I've been practicing Zen reflecting on various teachings from psychology and how they might apply to my life. And others. I have no interest in romanticizing psychological disorders, or advocating for some sort of loose, anything goes society. What I am interested in are the ways in which the meld of psychological understandings and Buddhist teachings reinforces white, middle class norms, and limits our understanding both of liberation and how that might unfold into action in the world.
We must never adjust ourselves to racial discrimination and racial segregation. We must never adjust ourselves to religious bigotry. We must never adjust ourselves to economic conditions that take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. We must never adjust ourselves to the madness of militarism, and the self-defeating effects of physical violence.
Let's consider the economic conditions statement. The majority of convert Buddhist sanghas have adjusted to the economic norms of global capitalism. They traffic in various forms of marketing and "selling" the dharma. They structure themselves in ways that diminish the concept of dana to monetary gifts. And they rarely, if ever, participate in opposing, advocate in favor of opposing, or even speak about opposing economic injustices, poverty, or the like. Taking any sort of deliberate stance on these issues is usually seen as "political," or not in the realm of practice. It's as if the Ox Herding pictures end at number 9, and returning to the marketplace is reduced to one's family, friends, co-workers and immediate sangha.
In my view, the very ways in which global capitalism structure society and our individual lives by default, reinforce all of these issues with convert sanghas and their practitioners. Keeping the doors open requires money, and it's easiest to just go along with what works for other non-profit, religious and spiritual organizations. Individual members need to work - usually full time - and are used to the dharma as product model of funding the organization. And speaking out or opposing economic injustice and poverty in deliberate, tangible ways can - and often does - cause a hell of lot of discomfort. It might disrupt the perceived harmony of the sangha. Furthermore, it can and sometimes does bring certain social penalities, including "negative" press and perhaps lost revenue from individuals or organizations tied to coporate interests. I think Buddhists in general throughout history have leaned towards being a more quiet presence in whatever society they're living in. And certainly, there is no end to the list of examples of ways in which Buddhist insitutions have aligned themselves with political and social power brokers who built their livelihood on the suffering and misery of others (and exploitation of the planet).
But that isn't the whole story. There are plenty of examples of sanghas and individual Buddhists - beginning with the Buddha himself on down to Thich Nhat Hanh's order during the Vietnam war era and continuing today all across the globe - of Buddhists standing in the face of injustice. Speaking out against warfare, economic injustic, and oppression. And also doing various forms of action, from intimate service to those in dire need of relief to calling out the social power brokers and the structures that support them. In other words, while our practice has a strong inward bent it by nature, active engagement in the world is not an alien concept, nor should it be.
Our head teacher at zen center likes to say that zazen is a radical practice. That sitting down and attending to what is right now instead of remaining busy and hooked by our everyday concerns runs against the grain of our society.
I agree with her. Even with the rise of secular mindfulness programs, the art of stillness and dance of not doing are still very foreign in mainstream. Underappreciated and totally devalued.
Yet, this is only one end of the radical pole in my opinion. The other end being the art and dance of engaging in social concerns fully imbued with the teachings and our practice. The active bodhisattva, as opposed to some unobtainable archetype. As I see it, one of the tasks of my generation of convert Buddhist practitioners and those that follow is to help bring alive both ends of the radical pole. To become exemplars of maladjustment in the spirit of MLK's teaching above. And part of the process will be to deeply and critically examine the ways in which white, middle class norms and particularly psychological norms have influenced our understanding of the Buddhist teachings in ways that compromise or limit them. And us.
*Hat tip to Nella Lou from Smiling Buddha Cabaret for the MLK speech.


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[nggallery id=276]
An exhibition of painting, drawing, collage, woodwork, and site specific and video installation produced by CalArts staff members opens today (Tuesday, Sept. 11) in D-301 and runs through Friday, Sept. 14. The exhibition was organized and coordinated by Admissions staffer Nicki Voss.
An evening program of musical performances by staff members will be presented on Wednesday (Sept. 12) in Roy O. Disney Hall (ROD). The program was organized and coordinated by The Herb Alpert School of Music staffer Alan Eder.
Receptions will follow the exhibition opening and performance, and both are open to all students, faculty and staff as well as to the public.
CalArts Staff Exhibition
CalArts D-301
Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012
Reception 5-7 pm
D301 (open daily through Sept. 14 from 9 am to 5 pm)
CalArts Staff Musical Performances
Roy O. Disney Hall
Wednesday, Sept. 12
8 pm
The gallery posted above includes a sampling of the works in the exhibition. Photos: Scott Groller, Institute Photographer


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First Published on: January 18, 2016
Rohith (right) carrying a poster of Ambedkar along with other belongings, after his suspension
Rohith Vemula will live on
Anguished and shocked at Rohith's death, expelled students vow to continue the protest with support of others
Nationwide protests will take place following the suicide by Vemula Rohith, a Dalit student at the university of Hyderabad (UoH) on the evening of Sunday, January 17. The first protest, spontaneous and angry, took place at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) late night, about 9.30 p.m. on Sunday January 17, 2016 itself. Vemula Rohith left a poignant suicide note before he took his life by hanging himself in the room of a colleague-friend in Hyderabad.
The next protest will take place outside the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) and its minister, Smriti Irani at 2 p.m. on Monday January 18. Irani had, according to protesting students and a letter written by a ruling party Member of Parliament (MP)—see https://www.sabrangindia.in/article/we-shall-not-be-silenced-protest-against-expulsion-dalit-research-scholars — obviously interfered in the matter of unlawful suspension of five PHD students and in protecting the student saffron wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
The students belonging to the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) of which Rohith Vemula was an active part, had been furthering a debate on issues related to social justice, including communalism, ensuring that they get effectively flagged on the campus. Irani's alleged interference can be traced to a letter written by none less than Bandaru Dattatreya , Secunderabad BJP MP and Minister of State for Labour and Employment, to the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) dubbing ASA "casteist, extremist and anti-national". The communication demanded that the "dynamic leadership" of Smriti Irani, Minister of Human Resources and Development, bring about a "change for the better" in the institution. The 'change for the better' in ideological terms (for the Sangh Parivar) meant overruling an earlier decision of former Vice Chancellor of the University RB Sharna who revoked an earlier suspension of the same students after the decision was found to be not in accordance with the decision taken by the Proctorial Board of the UoH (August-September 2015). Sharma soon retired after which the newly appointed and more politically compliant, Appa Rao 'fell in line' with Dattarayera's communication and Irani's interventions.
Anguished at the loss of life of one of their own, one of the five PHD students unlawfully suspended, students from the ASA and other students organizations including the Students Federation of India (SFI) told Sabrangindia that though deeply disturbed there is a steely determination among the students that the late night, sleep out protest will continue.
Vemula Rohith, was one of the five PHD students who had been expelled had been successfully protesting the high-handedness of the authorities, sleeping out in the open since the night of January 4, 2016, when the doors to their rooms were illegally locked though they had been quietly studying in their rooms following the suspension. Sabrangindia had carried a story on the protest on January 12. His colleagues were in a day-long meeting and it appears that Rohith Vemula hanged himself in another room of his friend-colleague on Sunday evening. The 28-year-old, hailing from Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, was a Ph.D second year student. His letter tells a poignant tale
"Good morning,
I would not be around when you read this letter. Don't get angry on me. I know some of you truly cared for me, loved me and treated me very well. I have no complaints on anyone. It was always with myself I had problems. I feel a growing gap between my soul and my body. And I have become a monster. I always wanted to be a writer. A writer of science, like Carl Sagan. At last, this is the only letter I am getting to write.
I loved Science, Stars, Nature, but then I loved people without knowing that people have long since divorced from nature. Our feelings are second handed. Our love is constructed. Our beliefs colored. Our originality valid through artificial art. It has become truly difficult to love without getting hurt.
The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind. As a glorious thing made up of star dust. In very field, in studies, in streets, in politics, and in dying and living.
I am writing this kind of letter for the first time. My first time of a final letter. Forgive me if I fail to make sense.
May be I was wrong, all the while, in understanding world. In understanding love, pain, life, death. There was no urgency. But I always was rushing. Desperate to start a life. All the while, some people, for them, life itself is curse. My birth is my fatal accident. I can never recover from my childhood loneliness. The unappreciated child from my past.
I am not hurt at this moment. I am not sad. I am just empty. Unconcerned about myself. That's pathetic. And that's why I am doing this.
People may dub me as a coward. And selfish, or stupid once I am gone. I am not bothered about what I am called. I don't believe in after-death stories, ghosts, or spirits. If there is anything at all I believe, I believe that I can travel to the stars. And know about the other worlds.
If you, who is reading this letter can do anything for me, I have to get 7 months of my fellowship, one lakh and seventy five thousand rupees. Please see to it that my family is paid that. I have to give some 40 thousand to Ramji. He never asked them back. But please pay that to him from that.
Let my funeral be silent and smooth. Behave like I just appeared and gone. Do not shed tears for me. Know that I am happy dead than being alive.
"From shadows to the stars."
Uma anna, sorry for using your room for this thing.
To ASA family, sorry for disappointing all of you. You loved me very much. I wish all the very best for the future.
For one last time, Jai Bheem
I forgot to write the formalities. No one is responsible for my this act of killing myself.
No one has instigated me, whether by their acts or by their words to this act.
This is my decision and I am the only one responsible for this.
Do not trouble my friends and enemies on this after I am gone. "
A Hindi translation of the note left by Rohith Vemula can be seen here
It is a battle for freedom of expression. The Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) decided to screen Muzaffarnagar Baqi Hai on campus last year (2015). The ABVP tried, unsuccessfully, to disrupt the screening. The saffron outfit began abusing students affiliated to the ASA on facebook and social media. Widespread protests by all students at this hate-mongering forced the student to submit a written apology. However, local BJP and RSS supporters joined with ABVP to force the VC to expel the ASA leaders on fabricated charges, although, a committee appointed by the VC had already given a favourable report finding no fault in the ASA or the students affiliated to it.
The persuasion in this communication appears to have worked. The Vice Chancellor buckled under pressure and without looking into the background of the case or even hearing the students, expelled them.
This expulsion from the hostel of five Dalit student leaders of the Ambedkar Students Association(ASA) at the Hyderabad Central University is illustrative of the manner in which politico-ideological considerations and governmental authority are being abused with impunity to suppress all points of view other than the self professed 'nationalism' of the Hindutva brigade. Another reason for the expulsion was the claim that they had opposed the death sentence to Yakub Memon!
Several students groups from the university have also launched a legal battle. They have challenged the University of Hyderabad (UoH)'s decision to expel five Dalit scholars for allegedly attacking a student and a member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Seeking justice, the suspended students, on December 18, filed a writ petition in the Hyderabad High Court. This development has come in the wake of university issuing orders, banning the Dalit scholars from hostels, barring their entry into common places in groups, administration building and disallowing their participation in students union elections as a punishment.
The unique sleep out research protest of the research scholars is backed by 10 student outfits on campus. Student supporters have been gathering singing slogans and participating in the seep out protests. All of us all over India most now organise protests and sleep out protests against the highhanded intolerance and authoritarianism of the present government. The death of Rohith Vemula must not go in vain.


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STA 010 Sports Baseball Mezuzah - Kids VI 3001
By Stained Glass Designs
Susan Fullenbaum creates handcrafted stained glass art emphasizing Judaic themes. Each piece commemorates joyous life cycle events, illustrates Jewish customs, or is used in ceremonial life. Stained glass adds dimensions of dynamic beauty, unparalleled in other art media, through the interplay of colored glass with ambient light. These mezuzot are the perfect gift for a birthday or any special occasion. Each stained glass figure is hand cut, wrapped in metal and soldered. Details are added to the props before the final assembly on the mezuzah case.The mezuzah case comes with nails and a printed scroll or klaf, ready to be placed on the doorpost of a Jewish home. Please select color from drop down menu.
Handmade- in the event that some colors are temporarily out of stock and on re-order, please allow approximately 1-2 weeks for delivery.
Scroll opening - 7mm Plexiglass case 1 x 6"
Accent i features many brand companies such as Beatriz Ball and Nachtmann in addition to many award winning artists whose works and products are displayed all over the world in stores and galleries. Gary Rosenthal, Roger Gandelman, Sara Beames, Tamara Baskin, Stephen Kitras, Patrick Meyer, Talila Abraham, Daniel Vargas, Joel and Candace Bless, Melanie Dankowicz, Marcela Rosemberg, Joy Stember - to name a few. Many pieces are collector items and are signed by the artist.
Although every possible effort is made to stock all items, short delays may occur as a result of high demand, slow production or transportation logistics. Unfortunately we can not control inventory accuracy levels from all our suppliers. Accent i will do their utmost to minimize any inconvenience this may cause so that you will receive your purchase in a timely and professional manner. Most items can be re-stocked within a few days. But due to the fact that many items are hand made, some deliveries could take approximately four to twelve weeks.
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Accent i fully guarantees the quality of every item purchased by you to be free from any flaws. Your merchandise purchased will be inspected for any manufacturing defects and then specially wrapped and packaged to help prevent any damage during the shipping process. Upon receipt, if there are any concerns, please email: firstname.lastname@example.com with a brief description of the problem. A representative from our customer service department will contact you.


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SA Orthopaedic Journal
On-line version ISSN 2309-8309
Print version ISSN 1681-150X
SA orthop. j. vol.7 n.2 Centurion Apr./Jun. 2008
JA Shipley
MMed(Orth); Department Orthopaedic Surgery, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein
Lumbar spinal stenosis is diagnosed by the clinical picture of radiculopathy and / or spinal claudication caused by narrowing of the spinal canal. Anatomical and radiological features correlate poorly with the clinical features, and are of little prognostic value. The natural history is very benign with fluctuating levels and types of symptoms. Indications for surgery must be individualized, but decompression is effective in the short and medium term. Fusion is only indicated in the case of instability.
"Full text available only in PDF format"
1. Verbiest H. A radicular syndrome from developmental narrowing of the lumbar vertebral canal. JBJS 1954;36B:230-7. [ Links ]
2. Arnoldi CC et al. Lumbar spinal stenosis and nerve root entrapment syndromes. Definition and classification. CORR 1976;115:4-5. [ Links ]
3. Lee CK et al. Lateral lumbar spinal canal stenosis; classification, pathological anatomy and surgical decompression. Spine 1988;13(3):313-20. [ Links ]
4. Johnsson KE et al. The natural course of lumbar spinal stenosis. CORR 1992;279:82-6. [ Links ]
5. Amundsen T et al. Lumbar spinal stenosis. Clinical and radiological features. Spine 2000;25;1424-35. [ Links ]
6. Sengupta DK, Herkowitz HN. Lumbar spinal stenosis. Treatment strategies and indications for surgery. OCNA 2003;34:281-95. [ Links ]
7. Haig et al. Predictors of pain and function in persons with spinal stenosis, low back pain and no back pain. Spine 2006;31(25):2950-7. [ Links ]
8. Lohman MC et al. Comparison of radiological signs and clinical symptoms of spinal stenosis. Spine 2006; 31(16):1834-40. [ Links ]
9. Amundsen T et al. Lumbar spinal stenosis; conservative or surgical management? A prospective 10 year study. Spine 2000;25:1424-35. [ Links ]
10. Katz JN et al. 7-10 year outcome of decompressive surgery for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis. Spine 1996;21:92-8. [ Links ]
11. Grob D et al. Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis. Decompression with and without arthrodesis. JBJS 1995;77A:1036-41. [ Links ]
12. Malmivaara A et al. Surgical or nonoperative treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis? Spine 2007;32(1):1-8. [ Links ]
13. Postacchini F et al. Bone regrowth after surgical decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis. JBJS 1992;74B(6):862-9. [ Links ]
14. Herkowitz HN et al. Degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis with spinal stenosis. A prospective study comparing decompression with decompression and intertransverse arthrodesis. JBJS 1991;73A:802-8. [ Links ]
15. Fischgrund JS et al. Degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis with spinal stenosis. A prospective study comparing decompressive laminectomy and arthrodesis with and without spinal instrumentation. Spine 1997;22(24):2807-12. [ Links ]
16. Kornblum, Fischgrund & Herkowitz. AAOS 2000. [ Links ]
17. Bassewitz & Herkowitz. Lumbar stenosis with spondylolisthesis. CORR 2001;384:54-60. [ Links ]
Prof JA Shipley MMed(Orth)
Department Orthopaedic Surgery
University of the Free State, Bloemfontein
Tel: (051) 405-2242; Fax: (051) 430-7101


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The "Warped" Brake Disc And Other Myths Of The Braking System
This article originally linked to an article on the StopTech website but the parent company of StopTech (Centric) has removed that site and we cannot find this article on their site anywhere. We found a PDF copy of the original article and since it's such useful information, we have recreated it.
All credit goes to StopTech (Centric.)
Myth # 1: Brake judder and vibration is caused by discs that have been warped from excessive heat
The term "warped brake disc" has been in common use in motor racing for decades. When a driver reports a vibration under hard braking, inexperienced crews, after checking for (and not finding) cracks often attribute the vibration to "warped discs". They then measure the disc thickness in various places, find significant variation and the diagnosis is cast in stone.
When disc brakes for high performance cars arrived on the scene we began to hear of "warped brake discs" on road going cars, with the same analyses and diagnoses. Typically, the discs are resurfaced to cure the problem and, equally typically, after a relatively short time the roughness or vibration comes back. Brake roughness has caused a significant number of cars to be bought back by their manufacturers under the "lemon laws". This has been going on for decades now - and, like most things that we have cast in stone, the diagnoses are wrong.
With one qualifier, presuming that the hub and wheel flange are flat and in good condition and that the wheel bolts or hat mounting hardware is in good condition, installed correctly and tightened uniformly and in the correct order to the recommended torque specification, in more than 40 years of professional racing, including the Shelby/Ford GT 40s – one of the most intense brake development program in history - I have never seen a warped brake disc. I have seen lots of cracked discs, (FIGURE 1) discs that had turned into shallow cones at operating temperature because they were mounted rigidly to their attachment bells or top hats, (FIGURE 2) a few where the friction surface had collapsed in the area between straight radial interior vanes, (FIGURE 3) and an untold number of discs with pad material unevenly deposited on the friction surfaces - sometimes visible and more often not. (FIGURE 4)
In fact every case of "warped brake disc" that I have investigated, whether on a racing car or a street car, has turned out to be friction pad material transferred unevenly to the surface of the disc. This uneven deposition results in thickness variation (TV) or run-out due to hot spotting that occurred at elevated temperatures.
In order to understand what is happening here, we will briefly investigate the nature of the stopping power of the disc brake system.
Friction is the mechanism that converts dynamic energy into heat. Just as there are two sorts of friction between the tire and the road surface (mechanical gripping of road surface irregularities by the elastic tire compound and transient molecular adhesion between the rubber and the road in which rubber is transferred to the road surface), so there are two very different sorts of braking friction - abrasive friction and adherent friction. Abrasive friction involves the breaking of the crystalline bonds of both the pad material and the cast iron of the disc. The breaking of these bonds generates the heat of friction. In abrasive friction, the bonds between crystals of the pad material (and, to a lesser extent, the disc material) are permanently broken. The harder material wears the softer away (hopefully the disc wears the pad). Pads that function primarily by abrasion have a high wear rate and tend to fade at high temperatures. When these pads reach their effective temperature limit, they will transfer pad material onto the disc face in a random and uneven pattern. It is this "pick up" on the disc face that both causes the thickness variation measured by the technicians and the roughness or vibration under the brakes reported by the drivers.
With adherent friction, some of the pad material diffuses across the interface between the pad and the disc and forms a very thin, uniform layer of pad material on the surface of the disc. As the friction surfaces of both disc and pad then comprise basically the same material, material can now cross the interface in both directions and the bonds break and reform. In fact, with adherent friction between pad and disc, the bonds between pad material and the deposits on the disc are transient in nature - they are continually being broken and some of them are continually reforming.
There is no such thing as pure abrasive or pure adherent friction in braking. With many contemporary pad formulas, the pad material must be abrasive enough to keep the disc surface smooth and clean. As the material can cross the interface, the layer on the disc is constantly renewed and kept uniform - again until the temperature limit of the pad has been exceeded or if the pad and the disc have not been bedded-in completely or properly. In the latter case, if a uniform layer of pad material transferred onto the disc face has not been established during bedding or break-in, spot or uncontrolled transfer of the material can occur when operating at high temperatures. The organic and semi-metallic pads of the past were more abrasive than adherent and were severely temperature limited. All of the current generation of "metallic carbon", racing pads utilize mainly adherent technology as do many of the high end street car pads and they are temperature stable over a much higher range. Unfortunately, there is no free lunch and the ultra high temperature racing pads are ineffective at the low temperatures typically experienced in street use.
Therefore - there is no such thing as an ideal "all around" brake pad. The friction material that is quiet and functions well at relatively low temperatures around town will not stop the car that is driven hard. If you attempt to drive many cars hard with the OEM pads, you will experience pad fade, friction material transfer and fluid boiling - end of discussion. The true racing pad, used under normal conditions will be noisy and will not work well at low temperatures around town.
Ideally, in order to avoid either putting up with squealing brakes that will not stop the car well around town or with pad fade on the track or coming down the mountain at speed, we should change pads before indulging in vigorous automotive exercise. No one does. The question remains, what pads should be used in high performance street cars - relatively low temperature street pads or high temperature race pads? Strangely enough, in my opinion, the answer is a high performance street pad with good low temperature characteristics. The reason is simple: If we are driving really hard and begin to run into trouble, either with pad fade or boiling fluid (or both), the condition(s) comes on gradually enough to allow us to simply modify our driving style to compensate. On the other hand, should an emergency occur when the brakes are cold, the high temperature pad is simply not going to stop the car. As an example, during the mid 1960s, those of us at Shelby American did not drive GT 350 or GT 500 Mustangs as company cars simply because they were equipped with Raybestos M-19 racing pads and none of our wives could push on the brake pedal hard enough to stop the car in normal driving.
Regardless of pad composition, if both disc and pad are not properly broken in, material transfer between the two materials can take place in a random fashion - resulting is uneven deposits and vibration under braking. Similarly, even if the brakes are properly broken, if, when they are very hot or following a single long stop from high speed, the brakes are kept applied after the vehicle comes to a complete stop it is possible to leave a telltale deposit behind that looks like the outline of a pad. This kind of deposit is called pad imprinting and looks like the pad was inked for printing like a stamp and then set on the disc face. It is possible to see the perfect outline of the pad on the disc. (FIGURE 5)
It gets worse. Cast iron is an alloy of iron and silicon in solution interspersed with particles of carbon. At elevated temperatures, inclusions of carbides begin to form in the matrix. In the case of the brake disk, any uneven deposits - standing proud of the disc surface - become hotter than the surrounding metal. Every time that the leading edge of one of the deposits rotates into contact with the pad, the local temperature increases. When this local temperature reaches around 1200 or 1300 degrees F. the cast iron under the deposit begins to transform into cementite (an iron carbide in which three atoms of iron combine with one atom of carbon). Cementite is very hard, very abrasive and is a poor heat sink. If severe use continues the system will enter a self-defeating spiral - the amount and depth of the cementite increases with increasing temperature and so does the brake roughness. Drat!
There is only one way to prevent this sort of thing - following proper break in procedures for both pad and disc and use the correct pad for your driving style and conditions. All high performance after market discs and pads should come with both installation and break in instructions. The procedures are very similar between manufacturers. With respect to the pads, the bonding resins must be burned off relatively slowly to avoid both fade and uneven deposits. The procedure is several stops of increasing severity with a brief cooling period between them. After the last stop, the system should be allowed to cool to ambient temperature. Typically, a series of ten increasingly hard stops from 60mph to 5 mph with normal acceleration in between should get the job done for a high performance street pad. During pad or disc break-in, do not come to a complete stop, so plan where and when you do this procedure with care and concern for yourself and the safety of others. If you come to a complete stop before the break-in process is completed there is the chance for non-uniform pad material transfer or pad imprinting to take place and the results will be what the whole process is trying to avoid. Game over.
In terms of stop severity, an ABS active stop would typically be around 0.9 G's and above, depending on the vehicle. What you want to do is stop at a rate around 0.7
to 0.9 G's. That is a deceleration rate near but below lock up or ABS intervention. You should begin to smell pads at the 5th to 7th stop and the smell should diminish before the last stop. A powdery gray area will become visible on the edge of the pad (actually the edge of the friction material in contact with the disc - not the backing plate) where the paint and resins of the pad are burning off. When the gray area on the edges of the pads are about 1/8" deep, the pad is bedded.
For a race pad, typically four 80mph to 5 and two 100mph to 5, depending on the pad, will also be necessary to raise the system temperatures during break-in to the range that the pad material was designed to operate at. Hence, the higher temperature material can establish its layer completely and uniformly on the disc surface.
Fortunately the procedure is also good for the discs and will relieve any residual thermal stresses left over from the casting process (all discs should be thermally stress relieved as one of the last manufacturing processes) and will transfer the smooth layer of pad material onto the disc. If possible, new discs should be bedded with used pads of the same compound that will be used going forward. Again, heat should be put into the system gradually - increasingly hard stops with cool off time in between. Part of the idea is to avoid prolonged contact between pad and disc. With abrasive pads (which should not be used on high performance cars) the disc can be considered bedded when the friction surfaces have attained an even blue color. With the carbon metallic type pads, bedding is complete when the friction surfaces of the disc are a consistent gray or black. In any case, the discoloration of a completely broken in disc will be complete and uniform.
Depending upon the friction compound, easy use of the brakes for an extended period may lead to the removal of the transfer layer on the discs by the abrasive action of the pads. When we are going to exercise a car that has seen easy brake use for a while, a partial re-bedding process will prevent uneven pick up.
The driver can feel a 0.0004" deposit or TV on the disc. 0.001" is annoying. More than that becomes a real pain. When deposit are present, by having isolated regions that are proud of the surface and running much hotter than their neighbors, cementite inevitably forms and the local wear characteristics change which results in ever increasing TV and roughness.
Other than proper break in, as mentioned above, never leave your foot on the brake pedal after you have used the brakes hard. This is not usually a problem on public roads simply because, under normal conditions, the brakes have time to cool before you bring the car to a stop (unless, like me, you live at the bottom of a long steep hill). In any kind of racing, including autocross and "driving days" it is crucial. Regardless of friction material, clamping the pads to a hot stationary disc will result in material transfer and discernible "brake roughness". What is worse, the pad will leave the telltale imprint or outline on the disc and your sin will be visible to all and sundry.
The obvious question now is "is there a "cure" for discs with uneven friction material deposits?" The answer is a conditional yes. If the vibration has just started, the chances are that the temperature has never reached the point where cementite begins to form. In this case, simply fitting a set of good "semi-metallic" pads and using them hard (after bedding) may well remove the deposits and restore the system to normal operation but with upgraded pads. If only a small amount of material has been transferred i.e. if the vibration is just starting, vigorous scrubbing with garnet paper may remove the deposit. As many deposits are not visible, scrub the entire friction surfaces thoroughly. Do not use regular sand paper or emery cloth as the aluminum oxide abrasive material will permeate the cast iron surface and make the condition worse. Do not bead blast or sand blast the discs for the same reason.
The only fix for extensive uneven deposits involves dismounting the discs and having them Blanchard ground - not expensive, but inconvenient at best. A newly ground disc will require the same sort of bedding in process as a new disc. The trouble with this procedure is that if the grinding does not remove all of the cementite inclusions, as the disc wears the hard cementite will stand proud of the relatively soft disc and the thermal spiral starts over again. Unfortunately, the cementite is invisible to the naked eye.
Taking time to properly bed your braking system pays big dividends but, as with most sins, a repeat of the behavior that caused the trouble will bring it right back.
Myth # 2: Racing brake discs are made from steel
To digress for a moment "steel discs" are a misnomer frequently used by people who should know better. This group includes TV commentators and drivers being interviewed.
Except for some motorcycles and karts, all ferrous discs are made from cast iron - an excellent material for the job. While steel has a higher tensile strength, cast iron is many times stronger than disc brake requirements. Its thermal transfer characteristics are significantly better than those of steel so that the heat generated at the interface between pad and disc is efficiently carried through the friction faces to the interior surface of the disc and into the vanes from where the heat is dissipated into the air stream.
Cast iron is more dimensionally stable at elevated temperature than steel and is a better heat sink - so let us hear no more talk of "steel" brake discs.
Myth # 3: A soft brake pedal is the result of pad fade
The all too familiar mushy brake pedal is caused by overheated brake fluid, not overheated pads. Repeated heavy use of the brakes may lead to "brake fade".
There are two distinct varieties of brake fade:
- When the temperature at the interface between the pad and the rotor exceeds the thermal capacity of the pad, the pad loses friction capability due largely to out gassing of the binding agents in the pad compound. The brake pedal remains firm and solid but the car will not stop. The first indication is a distinctive and unpleasant smell which should serve as a warning to back off,
- When the fluid boils in the calipers air bubbles are formed. Since air is compressible, the brake pedal becomes soft and "mushy" and pedal travel increases. You can probably still stop the car by pumping the pedal but efficient modulation is gone. This is a gradual process with lots of warning.
Myth # 4: Boiled brake fluid will be serviceable after it cools
Once the brake fluid inside the caliper has boiled, it has lost a significant percentage of its original boiling point and should be replaced.
It is not necessary to remove all of the fluid in the system, just bleed until clear fluid appears.
Myth # 5: Because they are non-hygroscopic, silicon based brake fluids are suitable for use in high
DOT 3 AND DOT 4 brake fluids are ether based and are hygroscopic in nature - i.e. they absorb water vapor. As the braking system in not quite airtight, a significant amount of water can be absorbed from the atmosphere in the course of a year. A 3% water content in brake fluid drops the boiling point as much as 170 degrees F. Brake fluid should be completely replaced annually.
DOT 5 fluids are silicon based and are non-hygroscopic, which is good. They are also subject to frothing from high frequency vibration, which gives a soft pedal. Soft brake pedals may be OK in non-high performance cars (in fact, most drivers accept mushy brake pedals as normal) but they are not acceptable in any situation where the driver intends to modulate braking at high force values.
Myth # 6: The brake fluid reservoir should be topped up during routine service
In most modern passenger cars, the brake fluid reservoir is designed with a specific volume and is equipped with an internal float. The volume corresponds to the amount of fluid that will be displaced when the pads have worn to the point of replacement plus a generous reserve. When the replacement point is reached, the descending float completes an electrical circuit and a light appears on the dash warning the driver that the pads should be replaced.
If the brake fluid is topped up the first warning of warn out pads will be the screech of steel backing plate against iron disc. This will be both annoying and expensive.


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M234 Analog Chorus
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Please select all options.
The Analog Chorus uses bucket-brigade circuitry to create classically lush, liquid textures that you just can't get with digital circuitry. Rate, Level, and Depth controls, as well as knobs for cutting High and Low frequencies allow ultimate tone control. Like all MXR pedals, the Analog Chorus comes in a heavy-duty housing with durable jacks and switches for a lifetime on the road.


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We all want to do our part to protect the environment, but without a large paycheck, that can be seem difficult, if not impossible. But doing your part doesn't have to be hard. Small steps add up to a big difference, you just have to know which ones to take.
1. Use less water.
Saving water is all about small steps, here are a few that will help save big.
- Shut off the water while you brush your teeth
- Take showers that are a minute or two shorter
- Only flush the toilet when you need to
- Only run full loads of laundry and dishes
- Buy from sustainable producers. These are farmers, ranchers, and other producers that use techniques that pollute less and use less water. You can do some research online or ask at your local organic market to find these products.
2. Use less energy.
If you donít have the money to buy a hybrid car or convert your house to solar power, you can make a big difference with small changes.
- Buy energy efficient appliances. They may be more expensive, but make up for the increased cost in lower energy bills.
- Unplug chargers when you're not using them. Cell phone and other chargers use up powers even if there is nothing attached to them.
- Put devices with remotes, like T.V.s, VCRs, and stereos, on a power strip and turn it off when youíre not using them. These devices use a lot of power to run the remote receiver even when the device is off.
- Walk or ride your bike for short trips.
- Buy local products. It takes energy to transport food and other products across the country. Buying local not only supports your local economy, it helps them use less energy.
When it comes to saving energy and water, itís a great idea to get the kids involved. You can even make it a game. Have them track how much water and electricity everyone is using. You can compete to see who uses the least water. You can often count on your kids to help keep you on track when given the task.
3. Reuse.
Most of us know the three R's: reduce, reuse, recycle, but when we work on conserving, we often leave reuse out of the picture. While you can often find tips on how to reuse common products from other people, what you need most is creativity. With a little thought there are many items around your home that can be reused:
- Toilet paper holders can be used to sow seeds for the vegetable patch.
- An old yogurt containers can be cut into strip to make plant labels.
- Old food jars can be refilled with homemade foods or can make great impromptu vases.
4. Use environmentally friendly products.
When you go to the grocery store, you probably see more and more natural or eco-friendly products every time.
There are generally two big problems with these products:
- Just because theyíre more natural than regular products, doesn't mean they're entirely natural.
- They're often expensive.
If you want inexpensive, natural, safe products, why not just make them yourself. Vinegar is a great way to clean and disinfect glass and other surfaces. Need to remove stubborn stains? Just add some baking soda to your vinegar cleaner. Some quick searching online will lead you to hundreds of other natural safe home-made cleaning products.
We all knowing that going green means better for the environment, but itís also better for you.
Conserving resources also helps save you money, which is something most of us are happy to live with.


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UPDATE on Thursday at 1:44 p.m. ET: Instagram For Video Arrives
As expected, Facebook announced Thursday that its photo-sharing service, Instagram, will be adding a video feature. It's called Video on Instagram, and will let users create 15-second videos and choose from 13 filters for their creations. Instagram video is available for download on iOS and Android devices now.
This move pits Facebook against Twitter, which owns the six-second video-sharing service, Vine. This morning, in advance of Facebook's press conference, Vine announced several new features.
Our Original Post:
Facebook is expected to announce Thursday that its photo-sharing app, Instagram, will soon allow short video uploads. The new feature comes as Twitter's six-second video-sharing app, Vine, enjoys a user base of 13 million (and growing).
In many ways, allowing moving images to a service that's used for sharing stills is a natural evolution. But it also brings a significant change to the Instagram experience.
Ahead of the announcement, we recruited the help and expertise of two NPR user experience designers, Alyson Hurt and Danny DeBelius, to get a sense of what's working for Instagram as it is now, and why users might be wary about what's coming. The Insta-video fears seem to fall into a few buckets:
1. The Noise And Clutter Fear
The fear here is that video destroys the silent, simple core experience of Instagram — scrolling down a stream of images. "For the core functions — posting photos and browsing the latest photos from your friends — it's a pretty focused experience," Hurt says. As they are now, Instagram feeds don't require much attention from users. Those who like that utilitarian function of Instagram worry about the noise and/or the uneven quality of video gunking up their feeds and disturbing what they perceive as a peaceful cyber-meadow. It's likely that Instagram designers anticipated this fear and will offer a way to opt out of videos in your stream.
2. The Not-Enough-Bandwidth Fear
Sometimes Instagram (or the 3G/4G connections available) can't even handle uploading a single image. Now, users are supposed to upload videos, which take more time to load? "This has been one of my major sticking points with Vine," DeBelius says. "I can't tell you how many times I've had uploads fail because of the bad data connection problem on mobile."
3. The Fear Of Change
Living a modern life means constantly adapting to new technologies, features and updates. But even if the Instagram user base isn't inherently change-averse, "There's certainly the 'if-it-ain't-broke,-don't-fix-it' inertia," Hurt says. "Instagram needs to make a case for why video deserves a place alongside its photos." (The revenue case is strong. The tech trades are all playing up the notion that Facebook had to compete against Vine in this fast-growing mobile video space.)
4. The Cheesiness Fear
The folks in this camp say video just isn't as elegant. Imagine a filtered video. Do we really want to look at the Hefe filter on a video? That could just be cheesy.
Looking Ahead
To be fair, depending on the implementation (and the experience), video could get widely adopted by Instagram users and find success that beats Vine. But the Houston Chronicle's Dwight Silverman reminds us of one cautionary tale with eerie parallels:
"Back when it was at the top of the photo-sharing heap, Flickr began allowing its users to upload video. It seemed like a natural extension to the site's mission at the time, but many of its users weren't happy.
"They complained that the videos — though limited to 90 seconds in length — caused the site to run slower, and ruined the Flickr experience. There was even a Flickr group devoted to protesting the new feature."
Today, Flickr still allows for video uploads, but not from mobile apps. And rarely do you find videos in user streams. Following the expected video addition to Instagram, we'll be eager to check back with our UX experts — and you — to see how you're using the new feature — or not using it.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Submitted by: DeniseC
1 medium tomato
1/2 medium onion
6 oz. mushrooms (about 4 medium)
1 small bell pepper
1 medium carrot
fresh basil
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar
Chop the veggies into the size you prefer (I usually slice the onions pretty thinly) and mix them together in a bowl. Add the spices (to taste) and the vinegar. Mix it all really well and refrigerate. This is yummy right off but it gets better with age! Try it with all sorts of other veggies like asparagus, broccoli, etc.


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Prints of our original, unique artwork are custom designed and printed on high quality heavyweight paper with archival fade-resistant ink. Guaranteed to last lifetimes! Perfect for being framed or tacked to the wall.
All prints are digital reproductions of original illustrations.
Two Sizes Available:
8"x10" Print
16"x20" Print
All sizes fit standard frames you can find in any store that carry frames
Also available as Postcard 5 x 7


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Whoopi Goldberg Will Star in the 'Sister Act' Musical
Sister Act is clearly a hard habit to break.
(I'm very sorry.)
Next summer, Whoopi Goldberg is returning to one of her most famous roles, as lounge singer turned nun Deloris in Sister Act. This time, though, she'll be doing it on stage, as part of a revised version of the Sister Act musical that played in London and on Broadway through the late 2000s and early 2010s. Today on The View, Goldberg said that she's been trying to make a Sister Act 3 for a long time, but has met "with a lot of resistance" from executives saying nobody wants to see it. In the meantime, the producers of the musical offered to tweak their show for Goldberg to star in it, and she agreed.
There's also this behind-the-scenes video of Goldberg preparing for the role, which she will play opposite Absolutely Fabulous' Jennifer Saunders as Mother Superior.
The Sister Act musical originally ran on the West End from mid-2009 to late 2010. Goldberg actually appeared in that show — as Mother Superior instead of Deloris — for a few weeks near the end of its run. The show then transitioned to Broadway, where it played from spring 2011 to summer 2012. The music is by Disney and Little Shop of Horrors composer Alan Menken. This new version of Sister Act will take the stage at the Eventim Apollo in London on July 29, 2020 and run there through the end of August.
Gallery — Sequels That Promised To Be The Last One (But Weren't):