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New Tween Actions Beta!
The trailer is seriously awesome! great job!
but i have to say LoL that master fsm..
yes, I found out too. copy pasting everything 4x is a hell though. especially when dealing with hundreds of variables that ALL change when tweaking game balance over and over again. may be you should use version control instead.a shared XML file would be the proper way I guess - but terribly old school that I am, I did all this with pencil and paper instead :-)
if you want have some installs get it here https://www.fiverr.com/kieronhawke
That trailer is seriously great.Any chance you could post a higher res FSM screenshot? Or any other info from your FSMs? I love to see how other people do theirs.Cheers!


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Iran's position looks a bit stronger once the war in Gaza shifted everyone's gaze. But let's use the breather to understand the bombast about Iran which will surely return.
Public bombast is not an effective or accurate way to get so-called messages to the other side. What goes on in private is vastly different. Diplomacy is private until public deals are reached and announced. Read the rest of this entry »

subset: commoncrawl


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Karachi Whites 459 for 3 dec (Latif 155, Mohtashim Ali 103, Saeed Nasir 80*) beat Abbottabad 146 (Maqbool 6-60) and 168 (Maqbool 7-59) by an innings and 145 runs
With Atif Maqbool's 13-wicket haul, Karachi Whites handed Abbottabad a crushing defeat by an innings and 145 runs in Karachi. Trailing by 313 in the first innings, Abbottabad lost all their wickets for 168 in the second innings, out of which seven were scalped by Maqbool.
When Whites started the third day, they already led by 218 runs and Saeed Bin Nasir and Fawad Alam scored another 95 runs together before declaring the innings. Abbottabad openers put on 41 together, but once the opening partnership was broken, they lost their last eight wickets for 98 runs as Khalid Usman was reported absent hurt.
Karachi Whites picked up nine points from the win which takes them to top of the table in Group II.


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Matagorda County is located on the Texas Gulf Coast mid-way between Galveston and Corpus Christi and only 65 miles from the Houston metro area. The county spreads out over 1,114 square miles of coastal prairie and boasts more than 65 miles of coastline.
Formerly Alco Department Store. Large ample parking lot with nearly 100 spaces. Approximately 5,000 cars pass by daily. Less than 3 miles from Palacios Municipal Airport. Halfway between Corpus Ch…
Matagorda County's total population is 36,702 and the total labor force population is 18,267. The county seat of Bay City has a population of 17,614. The average household income is $40,860 and the percent of population in poverty is 19.7%.
Matagorda County has skilled laborers accustomed to working shift work 24/7. We offer employers affordable labor with opportunities for funded workforce training. There are 20 higher education institutions within 100 miles of Matagorda County that offer certification and degree programs.
Matagorda County is building on its power generation, chemical, tourism and agricultural bases. We are growing an energy cluster. Opportunities abound as the county seeks retail, residential and apartment developers to meet our coming construction and new permanent worker demands. We also want new tourism businesses for our under-served beach, bay and waterfront areas.
Matagorda County offers incentives for businesses that establish themselves and create jobs for our citizens.
"I invite you to Matagorda County. Whether you are looking to relocate, expand or build new business, Matagorda County has all of the inputs you will need to site, permit, build and successfully operate your business. We have one of the lowest tax rates in Texas, which, coincidentally, collects no personal income tax. We can receive your raw materials and ship your finished products via truck, rail or water and have a hard working populace. The pool of workers can be built into your customized workforce at the Bay City campus of Wharton County Junior College.
Again, I hope you will take a look at Matagorda County for your next investment and I look forward to meeting and working with you to that end." ~ Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald


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There's a moment in Douglas Adams' Life, the Universe and Everything, where he following takes place:
Ford continued, picking up his early fierce momentum as best he could.
"The point is," he said, "that people like you and me, Slartibartfast, and Arthur — particularly and especially Arthur — are just dilletantes, eccentrics, layabouts, fartarounds if you like."
Slartibartfast frowned, partly in puzzlement and partly in umbrage. He started to speak.
"— …" is as far as he got.
"We're not obsessed by anything, you see," insisted Ford.
"And that's the deciding factor. We can't win against obsession. They care, we don't. They win."
"I care about lots of things," said Slartibartfast, his voice trembling partly with annoyance, but partly also with uncertainty.
"Such as?"
"Well," said the old man, "life, the Universe. Everything, really. Fjords."
"Would you die for them?"
"Fjords?" blinked Slartibartfast in surprise. "No."
"Well then."
"Wouldn't see the point, to be honest."
And that is how the bstds we're fighting are getting away with it – they're boring us to death. It is a typical Common Purpose tactic to:
1. Offer something everyone would want up front;
2. Produce a glossy brochure on it [who pays for it?]
3. Puts the real detail somewhere hidden in the other text;
4. Ensure that text is way too long and has a bureauspeak number or name.
Douglas Adams used this as his opening plot device in the Hitchhiker's Guide where Arthur, whose house is just about to be demolished, is told by the council jobsworth that the plans have been available for some time for the public to see – can't remember, was in some basement in the council offices?
While it's underhanded, it's not technically illegal as they write the by-laws. It is however, illegitimate.
In this glossy brochure from Shropshire Council:
[H/T Ian]
… there's a further technique:
5. Hide what you're doing in plain sight.
If you go through the brochure, it's all about the vibrant new initiatives Shropshire is getting up to and it goes on for pages and pages. What is not mentioned is that council tax payers' money is sued for these things for a start. Then look at the nature of the rhetoric.
Hang on – what's this "voluntary organizations"? A volunteer is someone who sees a place, e.g. a charity shop and volunteers. It requires no bureaucratically administered, on high salary, organization to "co-ordinate". This is precisely what Common Purpose tried with the Scottish Arts Council – to set up a committee voluntarily and democratically under the auspices of Common Purpose to "coordinate" artists.
"Set up" is a word meaning CTPayers' money to pay for salaries again. Multiply this by the number of initiatives in the pamphlet and you'll get an idea of how many salaries of CP approved appointees are to be paid on the taxpayer.
Whoa! Volunteering England? National Council coordinating volunteering "organizations"? Calculate the admin salaries on that.
Consortium of Providers. Astounding. If you are a provider organization, you can apply to the Consortium for membership and note carefully the pre-acceptance questions and answers to see that you're the "right type".
So what they do is match anyone who's signed up for the Volunteer Army with anyone from businesses they've squeezed in the area who want unpaid workers and Bob's your uncle. All under the auspices of these new bodies and in this case, jauntily called Dragon's Den.
In plain sight. And who would pick up on that? Only a beleagured Christian and/or scholar. And the average person? You have to be joking, right?
This is how it is being done. Can you fight it? How do fight an assumption? Somewhere in England, they got the concept of Volunteering England up and going. Their brethren in Shropshire simply adopt what is already in existence and there you are. Shropshire and how many other councils up and down the UK?
And there is the command and control in place, under the influence of a small group of people in the approving and overseeing body. Themselves working for a … common purpose.
And what is that common purpose?


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U.S. EPA Honors 2019 ENERGY STAR® Partners of the Year in Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada
Release Date:04/09/2019
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How beautiful is this place? Very beautiful. I love those Franco Albini stools
and the windows lined with bookshelves, not to mention all the books as well.
More here and here.
Other Stories
9 comments:
gorgeous beyond wordsReplyDelete
Just saw this home at Selby's the other day....it is so beautiful.ReplyDelete
So lovely :) I especially loved the round 'puffs' - are those the Franco Albini stools you mention in the text?ReplyDelete
i loved the house aswell. i mean, everyone with style and money can have such a gorgeous house... but still. it was a nice break from the usual messy places on the selby.ReplyDelete
and her haircut is cute :-)
I love it so much my heart hurts!ReplyDelete
I know, the stools - it's all about those stools. a friend of mine found one in a thrift store once for $40. i hope one day to be so lucky!ReplyDelete
I'm speechless. Every photo got dreamier.ReplyDelete
I Love the windows streaming bright light,
while still being surrounded by an enchanting
forest of trees....what I wouldn't give!
love this home, the living & dining area are so perfect.ReplyDelete
What a nice house. But for me the carpet would be enough. The couch is nice too, but with this carpet I wouldnt need anything else. Where can I get it?!ReplyDelete
Thank you for your comments, I love hearing from you!
Questions, comments or sponsorship inquires, please contact me via the 'contact' link.


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Teriyaki Pork Kabobs
Use the direct grilling method to cook these colorful kabobs for fast, flavorful results. The versatile marinade also adds terrific taste to beef, chicken or turkey can be stirred up days ahead and kept in the fridge.
Total TimePrep: 20 min. + marinating Grill: 10 min.
Makes4 servings (1 cup marinade)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-1/4-inch cubes
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 large sweet red pepper, cut into 1-1/2-in. pieces
- In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Pour half into a large resealable plastic bag or shallow glass container. Refrigerate the remaining marinade for basting. Add pork to bag or container and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
- Drain and discard marinade. On four metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternate pork, zucchini and red pepper. Grill, uncovered, over medium-hot heat for 3 minutes on each side. Baste with reserved marinade. Continue basting and turning kabobs for 4-6 minutes or until meat juices run clear.
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Apr 9, 2015
I followed the recipe exactly and I was so disappointed. We thought it was very bland. I won't make it again.
Jul 15, 2013
Amazing!! I used the pineapple juice from the canned pineapple instead of water to add a little more sweetness and they were a huge hit!!
Mar 8, 2012
I have to say I that this is a great recipe. Everyone in my house loved it. Even the zucchin...and I am normally the only one who will eat that. But this is made at least once a month at my house. This is a must try for everyone. :)
Jul 18, 2009
No comment left
May 25, 2008
No comment left


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For many people, by ditching the turkey a vegetarian Thanksgiving already is messing with tradition. So there's no reason not to push things a little more and lose the pumpkin pie, too.
To complement the lighter foods associated with vegetarian Thanksgivings, we decided to come up with a dessert that also leaned to the lighter side of the culinary spectrum. From top to bottom, this lemon pecan mousse cake is airy, with a refreshingly delicate sweetness.
Start to finish: 3 hours (1 hour active)
Servings: 12
For the pecan sponge cake:
5 ounces (1 1/4 cups) pecans, toasted and cooled, plus a few more for garnish
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
3/4 cup sugar, divided
4 eggs, separated
Pinch of salt
For the lemon mousse:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup lemon juice
Zest of 2 lemons
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
Heat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray.
In a food processor, combine the pecans, cake flour and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Process until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the egg yolks and another 1/4 cup sugar until thick and pale. Set aside.
In another very clean bowl with a clean whisk, beat together the egg whites, salt and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until thick and glossy stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg yolks and half of the egg whites into the pecan flour. Fold the remaining egg whites in to the mixture until thoroughly but gently combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the centre comes out clean. Set aside, in the pan, to cool completely.
While the cake is baking, begin the mousse. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch and sugar, then add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest, then set over medium heat. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil; cook until it thickens. If there are any lumps, strain the mixture. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Once the cake and mousse base are both cool, in a large bowl use an electric mixer to whip the heavy cream to medium peaks. Fold half the cream into the mousse base. When thoroughly combined, fold in the remaining whipped cream. Spoon or pipe the mixture onto the cake. Garnish with toasted pecans and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
When ready to serve, run a paring knife around the edge of the pan and loosen the sides. Remove the sides of the springform pan and serve.
Nutrition information per serving: 390 calories; 270 calories from fat (69 per cent of total calories); 30 g fat (13 g saturated; 0.5 g trans fats); 190 mg cholesterol; 27 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 19 g sugar; 7 g protein; 80 mg sodium.


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Testing for FIV and FeLV
All cats should be tested-and retested as necessary-for the presence of these viruses. Here's why.
Among all causes of lethal feline disease, none should be taken more seriously by cat owners than those caused by two specific submicroscopic organisms: feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Although these viruses are somewhat different in appearance and in the manner in which they exact their toll on feline health, infection with either one of them, if undetected, is capable of causing a cat's premature death. To make matters worse, FeLV and FIV infections are by no means rare. Recent estimates indicate that two percent to four percent of the 83 million or so cats in the U.S. harbor one or both of these two viruses.
At present, several vaccines to prevent FeLV infection are available, says Fred Scott, DVM, PhD, professor emeritus of virology at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine and the founding director of the Cornell Feline Health Center. With rare exceptions, all cats should be vaccinated against FeLV as kittens, then revaccinated one year later. However, notes Dr. Scott, "Some veterinarians feel that, after these initial vaccinations, the benefits of annual vaccinations are outweighed by the risk of the cat's developing cancer-sarcoma-at the vaccination site." As for FIV, a vaccine has been developed, but its efficacy against all strains of the virus is yet to be determined. The key to combating the spread of these infections, therefore, is to identify infected cats and to prevent their coming into contact with uninfected animals.
Diagnostic Tests
Diagnosis of FeLV infection, says Dr. Scott, is based on a cat's medical history and clinical signs and the results of tests to determine whether the virus is present in the blood. A positive test will identify the presence of FeLV or its antigens. Two types of tests commonly used for this purpose are an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), which can be performed in a veterinary clinic and is routinely carried out as the initial FeLV screening test; and an IFA (immunoflourescent assay), a confirmatory test that, because of the technology required, must be done at a commercial laboratory.
For diagnosis of FIV infection in unvaccinated cats, the ELISA is used to detect specific antiviral antibodies circulating in the blood. These anti-FIV antibodies are produced during the normal immune response to the viral infection. The IFA is not used to confirm FIV infection, says Dr. Scott. Instead, the suspected presence of FIV-associated antibodies can be substantiated by means of a so-called Western blot, in which specific antibodies to FIV can be identified. This procedure, like the IFA, must be carried out at a laboratory that is specially equipped for the test; results will typically be available within a week.
Once cats have been vaccinated against FIV, the antibody assay for the virus is no longer useful, since the test cannot distinguish between antibodies produced as a result of infection and those produced following vaccination. Unfortunately, there is no test available at present to diagnose FIV in FIV-vaccinated cats. [Note: After publication of this article in Cat Watch, a new test called a "discriminant ELISA" was reported by Dr. Levy and co-workers from the University of Florida. This test, not yet available commercially, can differentiate between antibodies produced after FIV vaccination and antibodies produced after FIV infection.]
For a number of years, an innovative kind of assay called the IDEXX Combo test has been routinely used by veterinarians. The assay can be performed in a local clinic and completed in a matter of minutes. Basically, Dr. Scott explains, the assay kit consists of a small piece of filter paper impregnated with various dots of test material: FeLV- and FIV-positive controls, a negative control, an FeLV sample test spot and an FIV sample test spot. When a few drops of a cat's blood, serum, or plasma are put on the paper, either a change in the color of the various dots-or no change at all-will indicate whether or not the animal is harboring one or both of the viruses. Various other commercial kit tests are available to diagnosis FeLV and FIV.
A Fateful Cycle
FeLV is usually spread when an uninfected cat comes in contact with the saliva or urine of an infected cat-while they groom each other, for example, or when they share food bowls or litter boxes. FIV, on the other hand, is most often spread when an infected cat bites an uninfected cat. A human cannot become infected through contact with an infected cat.
Virologists classify these organisms as retroviruses-a category of viruses that transport their genetic blueprint (single-stranded ribonucleic acid or RNA) from one animal or cell to another in the form of an infectious viral particle. During replication of the virus within an infected cell, the RNA is converted to double-stranded DNA within the nucleus of the newly infected cell by a process called "reverse transcription" - hence the name "retrovirus."
Viral replication in a newly infected cat usually occurs initially in the mouth or pharynx. Subsequently, newly formed virus particles travel to the cat's lymph nodes or bone marrow, where they infect and replicate within various cells, especially T-lymphocytes and other white blood cells. Particularly vulnerable are the T-lymphocytes known as CD4 cells, which play a key role in the animal's immune system.
If the immune response within the infected host is inadequate, this cycle continues as the virus circulates throughout the body, invades additional lymph nodes, and destroys more disease-fighting CD4 cells. Eventually, evidence of the animal's compromised immune system will start emerging as bacteria, viruses, and fungi that would normally be relatively harmless begin to cause illness.
Fearful Consequences
Among the most frequently diagnosed FeLV-caused conditions are lymphoma (cancer or solid tumors of the lymphatic tissues); leukemia (cancer of various bone marrow and circulating white blood cells); and anemia (a deficiency of red blood cells). Immune deficiency resulting from FeLV infection can also diminish a cat's ability to ward off infection with countless bacteria, protozoa, fungi and other viruses. "An FeLV-carrying cat may present with one or more of these diseases," says Dr. Scott, "but the underlying cause will be FeLV. It may take many months or years for these other diseases to become evident, although in younger cats it could happen within just a few months."
The most commonly observed clinical signs of FIV infection include inflammation of the mucous tissue of the mouth, inflammation of the middle layer of the eye (uveitis) and various cancers. Other frequent consequences include chronic skin infections, gastrointestinal upset and persistent diarrhea, urinary system problems, respiratory tract infections, neurologic disorders, and, in females, reproductive failures such as spontaneous abortion. Some infected cats experience recurrent illness interspersed with periods of relative good health. In most cats, however, susceptibility to opportunistic diseases increases progressively as the animal's immune system is repeatedly challenged by successive episodes of illness.
If your cat has tested positive for one of these viruses, says Dr. Scott, "You don't have to consider it a death sentence. First of all, you'd do well to have the animal retested after about three months, since the original test may have yielded a false positive. Secondly, some FeLV-infected cats develop an effective immune response, which controls the viral infection and results in a transient viremia instead of a persistent viremia. In these cats, subsequent FeLV tests will show that the cat no longer has virus in its blood. Finally, while there is no complete cure for FeLV or FIV infection, newer treatments and supportive care can often result in several years of relatively good health."


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I hardly had to reach for anything. My "Bucket of Maybes" held a bunch of dried acrylic pieces that I had peeled off the spouts of paint tubes. I had little scraps of hand-painted paper in there, and assorted other bits and pieces.
I am really pleased with how this turned out, and will stop thinking twice about saving little bits and pieces. The element of surprise was the best part of making this collage, and I will definitely give myself the freedom to do more of these. Here's the whole finished collage:
Thanks for having a look.


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Thursday, August 5, 2010
Treasure Chest Thursday - 5 August 2010 - Mema's watch
Among my grandmother's things was this "travel watch." The watch can be worn on a fob or chain, but also fits nicely in this little case, that then can be closed for easily transport. I haven't taken the time or money to get it running again, but plan to do that one of these days. Meanwhile, it sits on display in my home, a reminder of my grandmother, Pauline Elizabeth Miller Wilcox - we called her "Mema" - and her insistence that things happen in proper order and on time (I dusted her house every Saturday for a quarter, and I dared not be late!).
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When it comes to summer, things tend to fade quickly — from our too-short vacation days to our once-glowing tans. And, because we never want the fun to end, we found the carryalls that'll keep the party going both on the beach and off. Whether you prefer to keep things light or need a jumbo-sized tote to cart your life to the shore, we've got you covered with the 17 most versatile bags under the sun. Click ahead to get carried away.
Hype Machine
These Are The Top-Rated Indoor Footwear Styles On The Internet


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The release of iOS 6 Maps caused hoopla for Apple and since then, the company has been trying to improve its maps app as quickly as possible. Today, TechCrunch reports that Apple may be interested in acquiring Waze, the popular social turn-by-turn navigation company. The application is available on iOS for free and is marketed by the company as a "fun, community-based traffic & navigation app." It claims that more than 30 million people are using the service.
Because Waze maps are built on the location of moving cars, it's far more accurate than check-in apps. Outside of Google's project to map cities with Streetview cars – something which has taken years to complete – and the real-world mapping undertaken by volunteers on the Open Streetmaps open source project, there has been little to match Waze's approach. Waze turned mapping into not only a game, but also a way for drivers to be social, reporting road obstacles, traffic and police traps. It is properly useful.
It would also cost Apple northwards of $500M+ to buy Foursquare (which has raised $71 million is known to be raising another round), and gain, what? The location of restaurants, bars and airports? Given Waze has raised $67 million, Apple could acquire far better mapping data and a real driving app.
Waze also allows users to share real-time information on traffic congestion, gas prices, accidents, speed traps and checkpoints, and more. Some data is automatically reported by simply having the iPhone application open while driving.
Both companies declined to comment on the rumor. I believe, if Apple acquires Waze, it will be significant gain for the company because of the mapping data Waze has to offer.


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Common Performs At White House Poetry Night
The Accurate Source To Find Quotes To Common Performs At White House Poetry Night."
[Common Performs At White House Poetry Night]
[Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (March 13, 1972)] Source: LYBIO.net
I woke up with the sunshine
A sunshine I had never seen
There was light at the end of it
Reminded me to forever dream
I was dreaming I walked into the White House
With love on my sleeve
And love for each and every one of you
Reminding you to believe
These are the words of a believer, achiever
Leader of the globe
feed the souls of those in need
I bleed the blood of the struggle
Walking over troubled puddles
The hustle is in my chest
No hustle no progress
Extremities of life in this process
The birth of a son
The death of another
With love I caress both mothers
And told 'em whose in control is the one that's above is
I walk where money talks and love stutters
The body language of a nation
Going though changes
The young become dangerous
Spent into anger
Anger gets sent through the chamber
It's tough when your own look like strangers
We are the sons of gangsters and stone rangers
If he could how would Ernie Barnes paint us?
Look at the picture
It's hard not to blame us
But time forgives in the Chi where the young die often
Do they end up in a coffin because we haven't taught them?
Is it what we talkin', we really ain't walking
Dudes, hustlers, paid
How much did it cost them?
I find myself on the same corner that we lost them
Real talkin' in their ear like a walkman
My thoughts been around the corner to the world
So when I see them I see my baby girl
The Lord lives among us
The youngest hunger, recover
Means to get it by anyways necessary under pressure
Children feeling lesser with the spill upon the dresser
Killer, willer aggressors
Destiny's children, survivors, soldiers
In front of buildings their eyes look older
It's hard to see blessings in a violent culture
Face against rappings
Sirens holsters — that 'aint the way that Langston Hughes wrote us
So controllers on the shoulders of Moses
And Noah
We go from being Precious to Oprah
Cultivated to overcome
Ever since we came over
Seize the day in the way that you can see the determined
The soul that keeps burning. Shorty's know to keep learning
Lessons in my life are like stripes that we earning
I took Grant's advice that Christ is returning
Like a thief in the night
I write for beacons of light
For those of us in dark alleys and park valleys
Street hits spark valleys of the conscience
Conquerors of a contest
Even the unseen know that God watches
For one King's dream he was able to Barack us
One King's dream he was able to Barack us
One King's dream he was able to Barack us
One King's dream he was able to Barack us
I have a dream.
Thank you and god bless. I appreciate being here.
One day.
One day.
One day.
One day.
Source: LYBIO.net
Common Performs At White House Poetry Night. Thank you and god bless. I appreciate being here. Complete Full Transcript, Dialogue, Remarks, Saying, Quotes, Words And Text.


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We've been at an undisclosed remote location for the past few days. Very fun, theraputic and out of the ordinary. And it included good seafood. But more on that later.
I returned to blogland to find that the lovely filler-post I'd pre-set to go live Friday morning had a photo-malfunction. That has been remedied.
I also discovered photos of a familiar quilt were on another blog. I was shocked. As a result I've had a few questions about the good old I-spy quilt.
I am going to continue to carry the I-spy precut charm sets in my shop indefinitely. I no longer have the kits for the original quilt [because I am out of the border and back fabrics], but plan to have a new quilt/kit sometime after the dust settles from our move. Also, because of the move, I can not take any more custom orders at the present time.
Thank you SO much Gabby and friends for your kind comments and encouragement. They were much needed today.


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How To Be Famous Blogger with Nuffnang
By now I'm sure everyone knows about Nuffnang, the blog advertising community. It's well-known as a place where people can earn some side income while blogging.
Now I've been a registered Nuffnang user for almost 2 years but I've never participate much in Nuffnang activities. I only have their ad units on my blog, earn some small money and that's all. I'm not an active Nuffnang user, more of a sleeping one.
However, I soon realize the potential of gaining a certain fame with Nuffnang. I bet many do too.
Nowadays, even celebrities in Malaysia who know shit about blogging quality become a "famous blogger" just because they blog. All thanks to Nuffnang as well.
In case you don't know, she is Ninie Ahmad – recently featured on Nuffnang's Project Alpha Season 2. She's a famous celebrity yoga practitioner but is she a top blogger? Apparently, Nuffnang says yes.
Anyway, after a tiny research – I'm coming up with 10 ways to be a famous blogger with Nuffnang. This is definitely useful for bloggers who want fame, forget about getting famous Kenny Sia style or even not-so-famous Ken Wooi style.
THIS is the ULTIMATE guide to be a famous blogger in Malaysia.
1) Open a blog, register with Nuffnang and just blog whatever you want.
Just write whatever you feel like writing. Not much effort and creativity are needed. You'll know why as you read on.
2) Once you're associated with Nuffnang, blog everything related them.
This is kenwooi.com's traffic from Nuffnang website. So little only hor?
The thing is, blog about your experience with Nuffnang, about Glitterati (Nuffnang's Exclusive Program), about your traffic statistics from Nuffnang and anything under the sun about Nuffnang.
3) Use Innit to promote your blog entries. It's a first step to gain some promotion before aiming for big time.
Don't forget to ask for "Nang"s because it'll get your submitted entries to Top 10 and more exposure and visitors can be obtained.
4) Join events and parties organized by Nuffnang.
In a way you're supporting Nuffnang and you'll definitely be supported back as well. Seize the chance to attend all the events, because you'll be known better.
5) Join contests organized by Nuffnang.
Whenever there's a blogging contest, take the opportunity to participate as well. If you win, you can get free movie screenings, attend in the hottest events and win stuffs!
Don't forget to blog about it alright?
6) Get to know Nuffnang personnel.
When you're at events, I'm sure the staffs from Nuffnang will be there as well. So don't miss the chance to mingle and gosok kasut with them. They're are the one in-charge of Nuffnang – so the closer you are to them, the higher the chance of them acknowledging you.
7) Know more bloggers.
Besides knowing the Nuffnang people, getting to know other bloggers who are associated with Nuffnang will be beneficial too. You don't have to know famous bloggers after all. The most important factor is to know more bloggers. The more the better. It's all about networking.
Blog about them, they blog about you. Win-win situation.
8) Try to be Nuffnang Blogger of the Month.
Pretty self-explanatory. And if Nuffnang selects you, you're probably just one step away from fame. Everyone will be visiting your blog to figure out what's so special about it but usually some will be quite disappointing.
Nuffnang will probably select you if they know you well, so don't forget the previous points.
9) Keep on supporting Nuffnang. Tell them how much you love them.
Once you're related to Nuffnang, just tell the whole world how much you love them – and the earnings as well. The more you confess your love to them, the more they love you too.
10) Finally be famous – all thanks to Nuffnang, and keep blogging whatever you like.
You're considered famous when Nuffnang invites you for certain events or even make you guest bloggers for Project Alpha and sharing sessions.
Even when your blog entries suck, people will still read! Readers will love you no matter what! Keep it up!
So that's probably all. Anyone wanna add more?
Anyway, why with Nuffnang you might ask? It's because they are the one controlling the blogosphere now. The only way to be a real famous blogger in Malaysia is to go through Nuffnang. It's quite impossible to rely on your own effort – something which I'm currently doing.
This is a summary flow chart of the research.
So if you wanna be a famous blogger with your own effort and without gosok kaki Nuffnang, you have the blog quality – good, all the best. But still, you'll reach a certain level and go no where further because…
Yeah, Nuffnang RULEZ! Eat that!


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Madonna Badger's search for answers
The fire marshal was there to do his job.
He had to ask Madonna Badger if she knew what started the fire that had just consumed her home in Shippan Point, a coveted neighborhood bordering Long Island Sound. He knew Badger's three daughters and parents were probably dead. But when he got to Stamford Hospital last Christmas morning, Badger was crying, "Where are my children? Where is my family?"
No one had told her. Soon, everyone would know her family had been killed as the sun rose on Christmas, in the deadliest house fire Stamford had seen in nearly 25 years.
Still, Assistant Fire Marshal Charles Spaulding had to ask his question.
Badger gave him an answer.
"It must have been the ashes," she told him.
One year later, she wishes she could take back that answer.
"I was blaming myself," Badger said. "That's what you do."
Her last thought before she went to bed after putting the presents under the tree was whether she should take the fireplace ashes from the mudroom and put them outside.
She didn't do it. She remembered how her then-boyfriend, Michael Borcina, the contractor renovating her century-old Victorian which had water views, had placed the ashes in a bag and run his hand through them to ensure there were no live embers. She remembered that a small amount of ashes had been swept away from the hearth of the fireplace, not into it.
So she left the bag in the plastic bin in the mudroom where Borcina placed it, and went to bed. About an hour later she awoke to smoke.
That was what she thought about when Spaulding asked his question.
Now she is the one with the questions. She wonders whether fire marshals would have looked more closely into other possible causes had she not told Spaulding about the ashes. Why didn't anyone look more closely at her electrical meter, which hung on the outside mudroom wall near where Borcina placed the ashes?
Badger is coming up short in her search for answers. The reason is that, within 24 hours after the fire at 2267 Shippan Ave. was extinguished, the city -- without telling Badger -- had her house demolished. The debris was hauled away quickly and irretrievably dumped.
Without evidence, Badger's list of questions has grown.
"Even if it was the ashes that caused it, I'm still allowed to know why they were allowed to go through my belongings and cart everything away," Badger said. She feels "violated and outraged by the taking of my home and all of the physical evidence that had to do with the fire that killed my family."
A woman who earned a solid reputation in the cutthroat world of New York advertising by the time she was 40, Badger and her team of lawyers and investigators have spent the last year researching fire investigation procedures, building codes and electrical meters. She has read years of news clippings about Stamford. She read about embezzlements by city employees, and about the scrap metal probe in which no city workers were held accountable, even though afterward revenue from the sale of metals doubled.
It's disturbing "that these people can keep their jobs," Badger said. "I am outraged to find out that in Stamford, Connecticut, you can destroy . . . a protected boatyard and nothing happens." Among city officials, "there seems to be a disregard for . . . what the law says, for what the protocol is."
If government does not follow protocols, it "doesn't just mean higher taxes," Badger said. It can mean that, after a fire such as the one that took her family, "your house has been torn down and all of its contents have been taken and put into a dump, never to be seen again."
She has filed a notice of intent to sue city officials.
"I would love to not have to take legal action against the city. But every time I go to ask them . . . or any of the people they've contracted . . . every time I ask a question I am met with, `Go get a subpoena,'" Badger said. ". . . No one will step forward with the truth unless compelled by a lawsuit.
"This is not about anything that has to do with the brave men who showed up to fight the fire and try to save my family. For me, it's the aftermath -- what protocols were not followed after the fire," she said. "There are too many missing pieces."
Most of them have to do with why her house was torn down and carted away so quickly.
Stamford Legal Affairs Director Joseph Capalbo said the city had the house demolished "because it was in the best interests of the community and the safety of those around it. There were a lot of curiosity seekers, houses nearby, neighbors. There was nothing holding that house up."
Capalbo said he cannot comment much beyond that because legal actions against the city, including one by Badger's former husband, Matthew Badger, are pending.
A hasty demolition?
During a news conference shortly before noon Dec. 25, with Badger's house smoldering in the background, then-interim Fire Chief Antonio Conte said the investigation would take time because the roof was collapsing and walls were wobbling.
"With the condition of the building, it will remain (under investigation) for a number of days until the fire marshal can get in," Conte said. "I would say it's a number of days before we actually find out how this occurred and what happened."
But trucks from AMEC Carting, a Norwalk demolition company hired by the city, rolled in early the next day. The house was gone by noon Dec. 26.
City cell phone records show that, about three hours after Conte made his statement to reporters, Chief Building Official Robert DeMarco called AMEC. DeMarco had to ask whether the company could do the job the day after Christmas, which last year fell on a Sunday, making that Monday a national holiday.
DeMarco did not consult Badger even though he called AMEC about 2 p.m., while Badger was at Stamford Hospital.
Badger, who built and runs a high-end New York advertising agency, said she wonders how the fire marshal could consult her about the cause of the fire but DeMarco could not consult her about the demolition.
DeMarco said he issued the order after checking with the fire marshal to make sure the investigation was complete.
"This is a dangerous situation," DeMarco said three days after the fire. "You go in there and you don't even know where you're stepping; you could go right through. If I feel it's unsafe I can deem it to come down."
City ordinances and state statutes do not empower DeMarco to order a demolition without notifying the owner. The city Charter stipulates that the building official provide written notice to owners and wait five days before demolishing unsafe buildings.
The state building code requires notification of the owner, even in emergencies. It gives municipal building officials the authority to demolish "when imminent danger or an unsafe condition requiring immediate action exists" and the owner can't be found or can't make the building safe.
In February, DeMarco wrote a memo to his boss, Director of Operations Ernie Orgera, saying he decided to demolish Badger's house because "the owner of the property was incapacitated."
But up until about 7 p.m., Badger was conscious and making medical decisions for herself at Stamford Hospital.
DeMarco told police in January that the $1.7-million, 3,350-square-foot house, which stood on a third of an acre, was too badly damaged to board up. Erecting a fence would not provide safety from the house or from the debris, DeMarco said. The open foundation was dangerous as well, but the fence could provide safety from that, he said.
City officials did not supervise the demolition or debris removal, DeMarco told police. When police asked AMEC what happened to the debris, they were only told that it was "gone."
Badger returned to 2267 Shippan Ave. on Jan. 2, but there was nothing left for her insurance company or a private fire investigator to inspect.
Photographs of the charred house show heavy damage to the right side, the roof caved in. The lower left side appears intact. A white rocking chair is undamaged on the front porch, and Christmas lights are wrapped around the wooden rail.
Photographs show little fire damage to Badger's bedroom, leading to questions about the fate of her jewelry and other personal items.
Asked whether AMEC would have preserved such items -- and what the company would have done with Badger's newly installed steel support beams, granite and marble counters and other material likely to have survived the fire -- spokeswoman Michelle Marmarinos said, "Unfortunately the only comment we can give you is that it's a tragedy and we want to respect the privacy of the parents and family members. Unfortunately there is not any information we can give you. We are not going to talk about it."
City officials directed questions about the fire to Capalbo, who said they feared the house would damage neighboring properties.
"That house was about to fall," he said. "There was nothing holding that house up."
Despite the safety risk, DeMarco and Assistant Fire Marshal Robert Sollitto inspected the basement electrical panels the morning after the fire. A photograph shows two men entering the basement, one without a hard hat.
A thorough investigation?
After examining the panels, DeMarco, whose background is in electrical, determined that it was not the origin of the fire.
Badger said it is disturbing that the department that inspected and issued building permits for her home had a role in determining the fire's cause, and final say in its demolition.
"The same people that signed the work permits for the construction of my house, the same people that are supposed to be doing the inspections of my house and making sure that it's safe, are the same people who signed the order that my house should be torn down and taken away," she said. "How can that same person have all that power?"
Sollitto wrote in an inspection report that he examined all visible electrical wiring and found no evidence of malfunction. Based on that and Badger's statements, he re-examined the mudroom and confirmed it as the site of origin.
Stamford fire officials turned down an offer from the state fire marshal to assist with the investigation, state Sgt. Chris Guari said in February. Municipalities don't always ask the state to help investigate fatal fires, Guari said.
Stamford Fire & Rescue has not requested state help once in the last three years, according to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.
Ron Graner, who was Stamford fire chief from 1993 to 1998 and now works as a fire consultant, said he doesn't think that is unusual.
"Stamford Fire & Rescue and fire investigators are all state-certified," Graner said. "In fact the state calls them to go to other areas when they're needed. They're very thorough at what they do."
Badger is not convinced. She pointed to National Fire Protection Association standards, which call for evidence to be preserved for "further testing and evaluation or courtroom presentation."
Unclear protocol?
A review of city records reveals unclear procedures for emergency demolitions. DeMarco did not sign a permit for AMEC's $22,100 demolition job until Jan. 10. The company's demolition application lists Dec. 28 as the project's start date, and AMEC Operations Director John Buzzeo signed an affidavit Dec. 27 saying the work was "authorized by the owner."
It's unclear which city officials approved the demolition or even knew about it ahead of time. DeMarco told police he sought Orgera's permission before issuing the order.
"Mr. DeMarco summed up his involvement as making recommendations to Mr. Orgera," the January police report said. "He stated that Mr. Orgera agreed with his recommendations and told him to do what he thought was necessary."
Mayor Michael Pavia, who spent Christmas Day at the fire scene, said he was not asked about the demolition.
"I didn't really know what the process or the procedure was like at this point in time," Pavia said. "This was something that was unprecedented. But I did feel that the structural integrity of the building was compromised."
Capalbo said he cannot comment on specifics but, "It's safe to say that the investigation they conducted was thorough and complete and we have all the confidence in the world in their results."
Last December DeMarco said Badger's house wasn't the first he condemned within 24 hours. In October 2011 a Long Ridge Road home was destroyed in a blaze that killed the family dog.
"I ordered that immediately to come down," DeMarco said. "There was nothing left of the house."
But the Long Ridge Road house remained standing for weeks. City records show AMEC did not apply for a demolition permit until Dec. 21.
A October 2011 fire at a home on Newfield Avenue was so extensive that firefighters brought in a backhoe and ripped out the middle to ensure flames were extinguished. A Stamford fire marshal and an insurance adjustor arrived days later to inspect it, said the homeowner, Phyllis Altamura.
"The city didn't really want to make the call as far as demolishing it," she said. "They would have rather had the insurance make the call. (The fire marshal) left it really up to me."
Missing pieces
In his June 8 statement on the fire, in which he explains why he did not pursue prosecutions, State's Attorney David Cohen said his office and police should be consulted before such demolitions.
"Most likely it was caused by the disposal of fireplace ash at that location (mudroom.) Other theories have been proposed such as an electrical fault where the electric lines enter the house or defective electric or gas meters," Cohen wrote. "Regrettably, the structure was demolished before the state fire marshal's office or any other expert could make an independent examination and determination. Thus, other theories, however unlikely, cannot be definitively rebutted."
Badger points to a photo of her house after the fire that shows a Christmas wreath on the outside mudroom wall, near where the ashes were placed. The wreath was only singed.
The entire adjacent wall that held the electrical meter, however, was badly burned, Badger said.
She questions the meter because when she woke up choking last Christmas morning, the house had no power. When she went out her bedroom window and ran on the porch roof toward her daughters' bedrooms, saw the meter throwing off big white sparks and making "an incredible sound." White sparks went "pop, pop, pop" up Shippan Avenue along the power lines, she said.
CL&P will not discuss the fire. Tricia Modifica, media relations manager for Northeast Utilities, parent company of CL&P, said, "It is our understanding that there are current legal proceedings and investigations relating to this tragic incident, and while they don't involve CL&P, we do not discuss ongoing proceedings."
Badger said CL&P gave her conflicting information last summer about her meter number, the date it was installed and what happened to it. Her research showed that utilities are installing "smart" meters -- high-tech devices that use radio waves to take hourly readings of electrical use.
Some smart meters have been linked to house fires.
Badger said that when her attorney asked a Northeast Utilities attorney whether her house had a smart meter, he was told to "get a subpoena." He persisted, and learned that the house did have one.
State records of a smart-meter test CL&P conducted in Stamford in 2009 show that the utility uses an earlier version of the device that has not been cited in fires. Badger's house was not part of the 2009 test and all the smart meters installed for the test were removed, Modifica said.
It's unclear, though, what type of meter Badger had. No one seems to know what happened to it.
Silent alarms
The renovation of Badger's home was substantially complete last Christmas, but when investigators checked her state-of-the-art, hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide alarm system after the fire, they found that it was not connected to a power source.
No one seems to know why.
"I believed the hard-wired detectors, smoke and carbon monoxide, were operating on Christmas Day," Badger said. "That's what I was told."
Police interviews show that contractors working on Badger's house provided conflicting information about whether it had battery-operated smoke detectors, and whether the contractor, Borcina, ordered some taken down so painting or other work could be completed.
At Stamford Hospital on the day of the fire, Spaulding, the marshal, interviewed Borcina, who escaped the burning house through his bedroom window. Borcina's brother, Mitch Borcina, was in the hospital room.
Spaulding reported that Michael Borcina said "there were smoke detectors all over the house." When Spaulding asked whether it was possible that the alarms were not powered, Mitch Borcina had him leave the room.
Ten minutes later Mitch Borcina told Spaulding his brother "was not feeling up to continuing the interview."
Michael Borcina later told police he never told anyone to remove detectors, but painters might have. It is unknown whether any battery-operated smoke detectors were retrieved from the fire.
A Hearst Connecticut Newspapers investigation earlier this year revealed Borcina's troubled work history. His Connecticut contractor registration expired in 2000 and he could not renew it because he had a trail of lawsuits and $100,000 in legal judgments against him for failing to complete projects.
To work on Badger's home, he listed a friend as the general contractor, then renewed the friend's Connecticut registration without telling him, police found.
"I was misled," Badger said.
Borcina could not be reached for comment.
Badger and her former husband knew Borcina for about five years. She began a romantic relationship with Borcina a month before the fire, she said. It has ended.
Seeking the truth
Early last Christmas morning a doctor went into Badger's hospital room to tell her that Lily, 9, and twins Sarah and Grace, 7, and her parents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson, had not survived.
"I remember curling up into a little ball and looking at the nurse," Badger said. "I wanted to crawl out of my body. Fire Marshal Spaulding came in and walked me around the nurses' station. I held onto him."
Experts say cold ashes can insulate embers, keeping them hot. If so, Borcina would have known there was a live ember in the bag only if his hand brushed against it.
"If it was the ashes, it was the ashes," Badger said. "I want to know that truth, too."


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Take I-75 to Exit 224. Go East towards Eagles Landing Parkway. Turn left onto Rock Quarry Road. Turn left onto Railroad Street. Turn left onto 2nd Street. Turn left onto Cemetery Street. Note, previous name of the street was Cemetery Street. Now the street is named Jennings Way.
Map to Memorial Park
Please be advised that the reservation fee for any pavilion or the gazebo is non-refundable.


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By Karin Calloway
Related Menus
Vietnamese Catfish, Shrimp and Cellophane Noodle Soup
Almost every culture finds a way to turn fish and seafood into a delicious soup, and the Vietnamese are no different. This Vietnamese Catfish, Shrimp and Cellophane Noodle Soup combines U.S. farm-raised catfish and shrimp in a very flavorful broth. The soup is actually quite quick and easy to prepare. Serve it as part of a Vietnamese Soup and Sandwich supper (see other recipes on this site), or as the centerpiece to a quick weeknight family meal.
Makes 6-8 servings.


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I'm afraid there might be a disruption with your being able to access Bit & Pieces. The place where I store all the photos I post has notified me that I can't have a website on Blogger and host pictures on their host (GoDaddy.com). They say it's against the "legal agreement". They say the entire website must be on their server or they'll shut me down by 1 AM Monday (January 21st) They have "disabled logging for the site" (whatever that means) because it was "causing an excessive load to the server and the statistics processing server".
I won't have time to work on this right away, so B&P might cease to exist for a while. I guess the blog itself will still be there, but the graphics will disappear. I have a lot of real-life stuff going on this week, so my posting was going to be a little lighter anyway. This didn't help my frazzled existence.
The solution is to host the entire website there or go somewhere else for picture hosting. I'm not as tech savy as some may think so I'm really not sure just how to go about changing all that.
I wonder how all the other great bloggers do it…….
Stay tuned.
Update: Well, they suspended the account as threatened. None of the graphics stored there are visible now. They gave me 24 hours to remove them. As of now they'll let me remove them by FTP until the 24th. After that they'll delete them. I don't know if I want to spend the time or effort to remove them and post them somewhere else, or just start over somewhere else. Or I could host a new site with them and stop using Blogger. Decisions, decisions. I just wish I had more time to make an informed decision.
I have a busy week ahead this week. Things lighten up a little for me next week, so I'm not sure what I'll do in the mean time. Thanks for all the comments to this post. Keep 'em coming. I'm open for ideas.


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BTO Sports is your number one source for all of your motocross parts, gear, accessories and apparel. BTOSports.com is a motocross company who is truly dedicated to the sport and to the customer. Proud sponsor of your Racer X Podcasts and the BTO Sports race team.
Daytona has come and gone and so that means the BTOSports.com Racer X Podcast presented by Thor MX is here to go over the good, the bad and the ugly about Daytona. Join Jason Thomas, Jason Weignadt and myself as we go over the weekend that was at the Speedway.
Click HERE to listen to the show or go to iTunes and get it from the steve matthes show. If you have a smartphone, you can get it from Stitcher or the Pulpmx App


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Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Yeah, vote for Britney!! If you don't want to vote for Britney, vote for Ragan!But don't vote for Enzo
Voting Brenden. Britney and Ragan were the worst players, nastiest, and whiny brats. Bratney is a loser.
You even watch the live feeds?
You even watch the live feeds?
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Future-Proof Honorees Petra Cortright + Paul Chan
Last night in the New Museum's Sky Room, Rhizome hosted Future-Proof, a sold-out benefit for Rhizome honoring Petra Cortright and Paul Chan & Badlands Unlimited. Mixing with the elements of Laurel Schwulst's lead design, cellist Isabel Castellvi opened the evening with a performance during cocktails. After, guests mingled and dined, and Rhizome Executive Director Heather Corcoran, Board Chair Greg Pass, and New Museum Director Lisa Phillips welcomed all and launched special editions by Lynn Hershman Leeson and Joel Holmberg.


text: What is up with my head? I left work early on Wednesday because my head hurt. Thursday I had a stuffy head/headache as well. Friday I pretty much slept all day and had to take some pills for my head when I got up. Yesterday, Saturday, I had to take two doses of pills for my headache. Today I have the same stuffy head headache. I've just popped some pills. Much as I'd like to sleep, I'm afraid the sleep will just make the problem worse. It's as if Texas can't have beautiful weather without bringing with it stuff in the air to make you sick. The previous run of beautiful weather had everybody sneezing like crazy.


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Medtronic Inc. said Thursday that 14 patients have died from complications associated with its SynchroMed implantable pump, which was formally recalled by the FDA on Wednesday. But with few alternatives available, doctors and patients said they will continue to use the device and tout its benefits.
"Most of my patients, if I told them I wanted to take their pump out because of potential problems, they would say 'Leave it in until you know for sure,' " said Dr. Diane Chappuis of the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Minneapolis. "That is not to say that some patients don't have a problem or two with their pump. But most of our patients don't have a problem."
The SynchroMed pump is used to deliver drugs directly to the cerebral spinal fluid in patients with intractable pain or who have severe spasticity and for whom oral medication is ineffective.
On Wednesday, the Fridley-based company announced that it had issued special instructions and warnings to doctors earlier in June about potential problems with the pump — problems that the FDA then classified as a Class I recall, meaning "there is a reasonable probability that the use of [these products] will cause serious adverse health consequences or death."
Of the 14 deaths associated with the device, Medtronic said Thursday that one was from Minnesota.
Still, doctors such Chappuis said physicians and patients are fully aware of the issues associated with the device — and will keep using it. Without the pump, the medicine would have to be taken orally or by injection, which can cause fatigue in patients because the medicine has to go through the entire body.
Medtronic also says it remains confident in the pump's ability to deliver safe and effective therapy. More than 200,000 pumps have been implanted in patients worldwide and, according to the company's data, more than 98 percent of pumps implanted three years ago still are working well. For pumps implanted six years ago, more than 94 percent are working "within specifications."
"We also continuously monitor and share information with physicians when appropriate to ensure they have information to make clinical decisions about choice of therapy for their patients," said Donna Marquard, a Medtronic spokeswoman.
For patients like Matthew Taylor, the benefits of the pumps far exceed the risks.
A year ago, when his pump stopped delivering the drug that loosened his muscles and allowed him to run, the Florida teen took it as a "bump in the road," his mother, Kim, said Thursday. The positive impact on his life had been so great, that once the device's problems were fixed, the Taylors haven't bothered to worry.
"So far, so good," Kim Taylor said. "Everything seems great."
Still, there have been issues. In 2011, the FDA classified a battery problem with the pump as a recall. In August 2012, the FDA issued a warning letter to Medtronic, alleging that the medical technology giant had failed to address safety issues. The FDA said it had received complaints about corrosion.
Current recall
Medtronic's Marquard said the company is no longer distributing a previously designed catheter with the pump. But there are no limitations on the continued sale and use of the device, she said.
Since the product was approved decades ago, she added, Medtronic has worked with the FDA to share information about the approved uses of the device — and the risks. The company publishes a product performance report, which has been available on its website since 2008.
Medtronic issued instructions to doctors addressing the most recent list of problems earlier this month. The FDA on Wednesday classified that communication as a recall.
The first problem is something called the "priming bolus function," which is used to quickly move medication from the pump reservoir to the tip of the catheter. Medtronic found that anytime the function is used with the pump, the drug mixes with the sterile water or spinal fluid already in the catheter, which can result in an overdose — or an underdose — of the drug. Medtronic said no patient deaths have been attributed to this problem.
The second problem is a potential electrical short circuit causing the motor to stall, leading to a loss of therapy — leading to one patient death, Medtronic said.
The third issue involves the pump's catheter, and a risk of the catheter becoming blocked if not aligned correctly with where it connects to the pump. Medtronic said two patient deaths have been associated with that.
Finally, Medtronic on Wednesday announced a safety update to the pump's refill procedure, which continues a 2011 recall. Medtronic said 11 patient deaths are associated with that. The update is intended to help health care professionals reduce the risk of accidentally injecting drugs into the area under a patient's skin where the pump is implanted, instead of into the pump itself.
Corrective steps
For all these potential troubles, it's not unusual that a "recall" by the FDA doesn't remove a product from the market. In fact, most FDA recalls are voluntary, requiring medical device companies to develop corrective action plans that outline steps to fix the problem. Those steps could include new labeling instructions for doctors, patient education efforts or tweaks to the design of the device.
Jeff Windau, an analyst with Edward Jones, said the drug pump business is not a huge share of Medtronic's neuromodulation business, although the company is a market leader. As such, he said, he doesn't expect the recall to have much impact on Medtronic's bottom line. It would only become an issue if "doctors get concerned," he said.
Chappuis seemed unfazed Thursday. Her program, part of Allina, works with about 200 patients in the Twin Cities. They have MS, spinal cord injuries or cerebral palsy, or have suffered strokes. They range in age from 18 to 80 and have found little relief from other therapies, she said. The pump, she said, is not perfect.
"It's a medical device like any other medical device; it can fail," she said. But over the years, problems have decreased and she has seen fewer complications.
"The patients are well-informed that these problems can happen and we tell them about its potential Achilles' heels," she said.


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A winner-take-all mentality that undermines sportsmanship principles and alienates many young athletes. Parents questioning coaching decisions and harassing game officials. Poorly maintained athletic facilities and equipment shortages.
Add to this list mounting concerns about head injuries and potential abuse in the post-Jerry Sandusky era, and the landscape for youth sports can look pretty bleak. Yet these programs, staffed mainly by well-meaning volunteers, remain vital parts of every community's social fabric in ways that go far beyond win-loss records and trophies.
Michael Daniliuk, a youth basketball coach and Cambridge police officer, has experienced many of these problems and believes the solution begins with volunteer leaders like him.
"I've seen things done the wrong way," says Daniliuk. "I've seen the win-at-all-costs approach. I've seen coaches bring older kids to play in tournaments who shouldn't be playing. I've seen them single out the other team's best player and try to intimidate him."
Last year, Daniliuk took a pair of training courses underwritten by CHAMPS Boston, a youth-development program launched by the Boston Foundation in 2009. CHAMPS, which stands for Coaches Helping Athletes Through Mentoring and Positive Sports, has helped refurbish playing spaces in the city and encourages youth physical fitness through a collaboration with Celtics captain Paul Pierce's The Truth on Health initiative. But at its heart, the program involves making coaches aware of the role they play in young lives and the values they impart.
"I know all the names of my youth sports coaches, but not my college professors," says Robert Lewis Jr., a Boston Foundation vice president. "That's the kind of impact they've had on me."
With a four-year, $2 million funding commitment by the foundation in hand, CHAMPS has trained more than 3,500 coaches working with 75,000 young athletes in Massachusetts. The sessions are designed and run by Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a program developed at Stanford University in 1998.
In Cambridge and East Boston, CHAMPS training, which is provided free of charge, has become mandatory for all youth-sports coaches and administrators. Paticipating programs receive vouchers worth up to $1,500, redeemable for team sports equipment. For 2013, the program hopes to train an additional 1,500 coaches in sports that include football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, swimming, tennis, ice hockey, and track and field.
The classes — an initial training session plus one follow-up a month later — are built around workshops that follow a 70-page PCA guidebook laying out goals, methods, and values such as "hard work, fair play, teamwork, resilience [and] delayed gratification." The program also encourages coaches to "honor the game" by modeling civility and courtesy at all times.
In video commentaries, Doc Rivers, Phil Jackson, and other coaching luminaries discuss their own approaches to instructing athletes at a variety of ages and ability levels. They focus on setting "effort goals" rather than "outcome goals," the aim being to encourage young athletes to view improvement as an ongoing process.
Attending coaches then "pair and share," splitting off into smaller groups to swap war stories and discuss strategies for handling challenging situations. The dialogue might be as basic as: What do I tell a frustrated parent whose kid barely got to play last game? Or it may address thornier problems, like losing a game on a blown call by an official and facing a tense situation with angry parents. (One recommended tactic: Have an assistant coach take the team off to a safe place, while the head coach deals more directly with the game's aftermath.)
This year the program has broadened its focus to other issues affecting young athletes, among them sports-related concussions and childhood obesity. Park facilities in many inner-city neighborhoods have also been upgraded by CHAMPS money; in return, concession stands at these facilities are offering fruits, vegetables, and water along with less healthy snacks.
But the program's core mission remains improving how young athletes are mentored, no matter their talent level.
"The first question they ask is, why are you coaching? They want you to think about what you're in this for," says Daniliuk.
Teaching kids to be competitive on the court, field, or ice is not discouraged, he notes; the program's philosophy isn't "every child deserves a trophy." However, winning games is viewed as secondary to helping kids see the larger life lessons and guiding them through positive reinforcement. The general rule: five encouraging messages for every negative one.
These issues matter, program officials say, because the dropout rate in Boston youth sports after age 13 is 75 percent, even higher than the national average of 70 percent. As kids drop out, fitness levels decline, too, and many communities see a troubling increase in youth violence.
"That's really why CHAMPS is around," says program director Brianna Forde, 30, a former all-scholastic basketball player and Bentley College graduate. "Poor coaching, poor facilities, kids who feel left out."
Forde, who has coached hoops at Curry College and University of Massachusetts-Boston, and is now coaching at Hyde Park's New Mission High School, says youth sports basically saved her life, paving her way to college and out of a neighborhood, Dorchester's Fields Corner, that was plagued by poverty, drugs, and gang activity.
Forde was tapped to run the CHAMPS program by the Boston Foundation's Lewis, who cofounded the South End Baseball league in 1987 and coaches the Boston Astros, an elite AAU baseball team whose alumni include former Red Sox pitcher Manny Delcarmen.
When Lewis helped launch the foundation's StreetSafe Boston anti-crime initiative and began attending basketball games in neighborhoods like Roxbury and Mattapan, what he saw disturbed him: a heavy police presence, "almost like they're waiting for something to happen," he recalls.
Back at the foundation, which supports training programs for city teachers and youth workers, talk turned to youth coaching. A foundation survey found that more than 60 percent of Boston's volunteer coaches had never received any organized instruction. Yet they were functioning as out-of-school teachers and, in some cases, surrogate parents as well.
"I realized the big influence that volunteer coaches have — not the Xs and Os but having the tools to deal with angry parents and frustrated kids," says Lewis. "I knew we could have a direct impact on these kids' lives."
In 2009, CHAMPS ran a pilot program in East Boston, modifying the curriculum to make it more urban-oriented than the existing PCA model. Three years later, it's been embraced by Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, Pop Warner football leagues, the Jamaica Plain Regan Youth League (softball and baseball), and the Boston Neighborhood Basketball League, among others.
According to Lewis and others, the program's impact is just beginning to be measured. In Cambridge, says Pop Warner president Diane Pinto, the dropout rate for young athletes has fallen from 7 percent to 1 percent. And hundreds of youth football coaches throughout Greater Boston have taken a mandatory online test on identifying head injuries.
"I look at coaches teaching kids to tackle with their helmets, and I cringe, because these are volunteers," says Lewis. He and Forde have brought in athletic trainer Brian FitzGerald, an expert in pediatric concussions affiliated with Boston Children's Hospital, as a training resource.
Courtney Leonard coaches girls playing for the Boston Showstoppers, a multiteam AAU basketball program. The program's 14 volunteer coaches serve 85 girls ages 6-17 from low-income families in Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury.
Many coaches have played basketball at the high school level, says Leonard, but that experience has its drawbacks, too.
"You're a human being, and if you've played sports you want to win," Leonard says. After undergoing the training, "You still want to win, but you're taught a better way."
Eric Eisendrath, a former youth lacrosse and soccer coach who's been with the Positive Coaching Alliance for six years, runs the sessions. PCA has designed workshops that serve a variety of constituencies: coaches, program administrators, and parents.
"Parents come with different goals, and so do coaches," says Eisendrath, who's personally conducted over 100 workshops. "You get a lot of coaches who just don't have any training. They fall into the win-at-all-costs mentality, because that's what they assume everybody wants."
CHAMPS has picked up powerful allies along the way, including the Celtics' Pierce. Last summer it held a "Cheers for CHAMPS" in Fenway Park that drew 2,000 young athletes and their coaches, along with members of the Red Sox, Celtics, New England Revolution, Boston College Eagles, Boston Breakers, and Boston Cannons. Celtics coach Rivers is also on the PCA national advisory board.
Ray Vega of Dorchester recently completed his fifth year of coaching Pop Warner. Vega, who works for Verizon, also volunteers with a Roxbury summer basketball league. In August, he took the CHAMPS training, bothered by other coaches' interactions with young athletes.
"I always wanted to get away from adults screaming at me," says Vega, who played football at Boston English. "And a lot of these kids don't need to be yelled at. They may not have a dad around, either. Being a positive role model goes a long way."
Perhaps a small handful, one in a million, will become pro athletes, he adds. "But you can always coach them up. And what we're teaching them about isn't just sports. It's their future."
Joseph P. Kahn can be reached at email@example.com.


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Perfect Pairs
This story appears in the November 1998 issue of . Subscribe »
Every morning, millions of couples get up together, have their morning coffee together??? and go to work together. Could you and your spouse do it, too, or would you drive each other nuts?
While entrepreneurial couples' motives are as individual as their relationships, one thing all successful couples need is a firm foundation. Not every couple can work together, cautions Azriela Jaffe, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, business coach, speaker and author of Honey, I Want to Start My Own Business: a Planning Guide for Couples (HarperBusiness, $13, 800-236-7323). "A lot of people can't imagine working with their spouse all day long and still being in love at the end of the day," says Jaffe. "You have to love spending time together. Some couples thrive on being in each other's company."
Above and beyond that, Jaffe continues, "[Successful entrepreneurial] couples know how to resolve conflicts around power and decision-making. They've worked out these issues in their marriages [before they've begun businesses]."
For Susan and Jerry Hatchett, success as business partners followed naturally from success in marriage. Although Susan, 36, had assisted her husband ever since he bought his first pawn shop in 1981, she didn't join him as a full-time partner until he opened his most recent store, Jerry's Trading Post and Pawn Shop, in 1995. The Hatchetts also operate a homebased business through which they market Jerry's invention, the EasyBraid French braid maker.
"To get along well in business, you have to get along well personally first," says Jerry, 38. "Bumps exist in every marriage, but they need to be worked out at home, not in the business."
Got A Plan?
To help smooth the road to entrepreneurship, couples should write a business plan, says Patricia Frishkoff, founder and director of the Austin Family Business Program at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. In addition to traditional components like a marketing plan and financial forecasts, the plan should also outline your expectations in terms of your relationship. "With every decision," urges Frishkoff, "you need to look at the impact on both the [marriage] and the business."
Putting plans and goals in writing worked for Ann and John Christensen, founders of Christensen Designs in Manteca, California. The two were married in 1988; in 1989, they launched their first product, a windless wind chime John invented. Ann's invention--a message-in-a-bottle kit and launching service for those who don't live near the ocean--followed.
Last year, John, 52, a former engineer for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, developed a line of remote-control video probe devices now used by wildlife researchers to study endangered species in a variety of habitats.
"It was a sensationally successful first year," says Ann, 43. "We sold more than 25 Tree Top Peeper II units to the Forest Service in 1997 at about $4,000 each."
Planning had a lot to do with that success. "We spent a lot of time talking about how we wanted to run the business and what things we find enjoyable," says John. "We also listed our talents: What can I do? What can she do? How can we put these together?"
Perfect Harmony
Even couples with strong marriages need autonomy for a business to succeed--but not too much autonomy. "It's easy for a husband and wife to get into competition with each other," John Christensen says. "For us, Ann's word is law when it comes to sales and marketing, although I can put in my two cents' worth. When it comes to [designing and manufacturing the product], she gives her input, but, essentially, I decide how that's going to work. However, neither one of us operates so autonomously that we don't listen to each other."
The Hatchetts' system for defining duties came about naturally. "We complement one another," explains Susan. "The tasks he doesn't care for happen to be the things I like to do."
Many couples find a division of labor arises naturally. But even if this isn't the case for you, it's important to agree on which tasks each of you will handle and how far your authority extends.
Balancing Act
As their businesses grow, many entrepreneurial couples find it difficult to separate home and work. "Most people can't shut off business when they go home and, particularly if you have children, you're not going to shut family off when you go to work," Frishkoff says. "Instead, the objective should be to appropriately juggle the two focuses in your life and integrate them in a way that allows you to have good relationships in both arenas."
While some spillover may be healthy, experts caution against letting the business take over your lives. "Work is an important part of your life, but it's only one part," says Scott Gregory, author with his wife, Shirley, of The Home Team: How Couples Can Make a Life and a Living by Working at Home (Panda Publishing, $22.95, 888-447-2632). "It takes a lot of time and energy to become a successful entrepreneur. But you have to remember to take time away from work and spend time with your family."
Although they face special challenges, entrepreneurial couples have one big advantage on their side: a common goal. "Jerry and I are working together toward the same goal--to do well for our family," says Susan Hatchett.
Couples who've discovered how to work together successfully while maintaining a loving relationship share the best of both worlds. Susan Hatchett sums up what most such entrepreneurs feel: "I can't imagine him going back to a job where we aren't together all the time."
The following books, newsletters and Web sites can help your partnership blossom:
- Let's Go Into Business Together: Eight Secrets to Successful Business Partnering, by Azriela Jaffe (Avon Books, $12.50, 800-236-7323)
- How to Raise a Family and a Career Under One Roof: A Parent's Guide to Home Business, by Lisa Roberts (Bookhaven Press, $15.95, 800-782-7424)
- Scott and Shirley Gregory's Bookhome Publishing publishes books on relationships and business, as well as The Home Team Report, a bimonthly newsletter for people who work at home. Subscriptions cost $29 per year. Call (877)?32-2438 or visit http://www.bookhome.com
- Entrepreneurial Couples Success Letter is a free online newsletter accessible at Azriela Jaffe's Web site, Anchored Dreams (http://www.isquare.com/crlink.htm).
Patricia L. Fry is a freelance writer in Ojai, California.
Contact Sources
Austin Family Business Program, (800) 859-7609, http://www.familybusiness.orst.edu
Christensen Designs, (800) 928-9111, http://www.peeperpeople.com
Jerry and Susan Hatchett, c/o Jerry's Trading Post and Pawn Shop, (601) 841-9398, firstname.lastname@example.com


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My laptop has somewhat less than 1/2 the grunt of my desktop at home, but I prefer to work on it as I can go sit in the sun etc, very hard to do that with a mini tower case 🙂
However, running everything through ssh to another machine makes editing and iterating more clumsy; I need to do agent forwarding etc – not terribly hard, but not free either, particularly when I travel, I need to remember to sync my source trees back to my laptop. So I prefer to live on my laptop and use my desktop for compute power.
I had a couple of Juju charms I wanted to investigate, but I needed enough compute power to make my laptop really quite warm – so I thought, its time to update my local cloud provider from Eucalyptus to Openstack. This was easy enough, until I came to run Juju. Turns out that Juju's commands really want to talk to the public DNS name of the instance (in order to SSH tunnel a connection to Zookeeper).
But! Openstack returns DNS names like 'Server-3', and if you think about a home network, its fairly rare to have a local DNS server *anyway*, so putting a suffix on names like that won't help at all: you either need to use a DNS naming provider (openstack ships with an LDAP provider, which adds even more complexity), and configure your clients to know how to find it, or you need to use the public IP addresses (which default to the FlatNetwork, which is routable within a home LAN by simply adding a route to 10.0.0.0/8 to your wifi interface). Adding to confusion, some wifi routers fail to forward avahi messages, which is a) terrible and b) breaks the only obvious way of doing no-config local DNS :(.
So, I did some yak shaving this morning. Turns out other folk have already run into this and filed a Juju bug and a supporting txaws bug. The txaws bug was fixed, but just missed the release of Precise. Clint Byrum is going to SRU it this week though, so we'll have it soon. I've put a patch up to address the Juju side, which is now pending review. Running the two together works very happily for me. \o/


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Latest Innovations. Subspecialty Care. Strength in Patient Follow-Up
Ulcers are sore-like inflammations or irritations that have a created partial hole or break on the lining (mucous membrane) of the stomach or sometimes other areas of the GI tract, such as the esophagus or small intestine near the stomach. Typically, these are caused by Helicobacter pylori (or H. pylori), a spiral-shaped bacterium found in the stomach, which (along with acid secretion) can damage stomach and duodenal tissue in some circumstances, causing inflammation and peptic ulcers. Peptic ulcers - collectively referring to stomach (gastric) and duodenal ulcers - are so common that tens of millions of Americans suffer from them.
The relationship of H. pylori to the health and function of the stomach is a complex one that is not fully understood. But, the bacteria, which are found in the vast majority of patients with ulcers (as well as many without them), can sometimes penetrate the stomach's protective mucous lining. This makes the stomach cells more susceptible to the damaging effects of acid and pepsin (digestive juices in the stomach). The bacteria can also attach to stomach cells, further weakening the stomach's defensive mechanisms and producing local inflammation. H. pylori have a complicated role in sometimes stimulating the stomach to release more acid but also producing substances that neutralize the acid.
Causes/risk factors
Stress and diet are traditionally associated with this common condition; however, the precise connection of these two factors to ulcer disease remains in debate. It is established that too much acid can damage the lining of the stomach or duodenum and cause an ulcer. Thus, stress and diet may be more properly considered to aggravate symptoms of ulcers, or perhaps dispose someone to ulcers, as opposed to causing them directly.
Why certain people develop H. pylori-related symptoms or ulcers, and others do not, remains largely unknown. H. pylori can survive in the stomach and be passed from one person to another, usually by oral-to-oral contact.
It is known, however, that individuals who regularly use nosteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as aspirin, and those who smoke cigarettes, are at greater risk of the peptic ulcers. Smoking also slows the healing process of existing ulcers and increases the likelihood that ulcers will recur.
Signs & symptoms
Some people who have ulcers experience little or no symptoms from them. For others, who are symptomatic the discomfort can range from a dull, gnawing discomfort to a sharp, burning pain in the upper abdomen (between the stomach and the center of the rib cage) or mid-abdomen. This pain may:
- occur two to three hours after a meal;
- come and go for several days or weeks;
- occur in the middle of the night or early hours of the morning when the stomach is empty, sometimes waking the individual as a result of the pain;
- be relieved by eating or by taking antacids.
Other effects of peptic ulcers include:
- weight loss;
- loss of appetite;
- bloating;
- burping;
- nausea;
- indigestion;
- vomiting (sometimes with the presence of blood).
Complications from ulcers can include:
- bleeding from the ulcer itself, sometimes resulting in regurgitated blood;
- perforation of obstruction, when the ulcer eats through the wall of the digestive tract;
- and narrowing or obstruction of the GI tract.
In addition to taking a medical history and performing a physical examination, physicians may request the following diagnostic procedures in order to diagnose ulcers:
- barium, upper-GI x-ray;
- upper endoscopy;
- blood tests to identify antibodies that indicate the presence of the bacteria;
- a stool culture to reveal the presence of abnormal bacteria in the digestive tract that may cause diarrhea and other problems;
- or blood, breath or stomach-tissue tests to detect the bacteria.
Understanding of peptic ulcers has improved significantly in recent years. Antibiotics have proven effective in killing the H. pylori bacteria.
In addition, physicians can prescribe any of a number of drugs available for suppressing acid production that are safe for long-term use. These include H2-blockers (to reduce the amount of acid in the stomach by blocking histamine, a powerful stimulant of acid secretion) and proton-pump inhibitors (to more completely block stomach acid by stopping secretion by the stomach's acid pump, the final step of acid production).
Changes in lifestyle habits can also help in addressing peptic ulcers. Patients should stop smoking; should be aware that caffeine seems to stimulate acid secretion in the stomach; may want to moderate alcohol consumption; should avoid NSAIDs; and may want to seek was of reducing stress.
For cases that have resisted all noninvasive treatment, surgery is sometimes the best option. In a vagotomy, the surgeon cuts part of the vagus nerve to reduce messages to the stomach to secrete acid. In a antrectomy, the surgeon removes part of the stomach related to secretion of digestive juices.
Patients with complications of ulcers may need surgical or other urgent care. In addition to repairing the ulcerated portion of the stomach, operations may also address inflammation of the abdominal cavity (peritonitis) due to leakage of bacteria and partially digested food from ulcerative perforations or may address swelling and scarring that prevents food from moving into the small intestine. Surgeons in Aria's Division of General Surgery are experts in providing surgery for the stomach, surgery for the small intestine, and surgery for the peritoneum, as treatment for complications of ulcers and for other conditions.


text: Greyhound racing needs a consistent approach, or trainers will move to jurisdictions where rules are more lax. Kay Nietfeld/EPA July 11, 2016 Greyhound ban shows need for joined-up thinking across all animal industries Elizabeth Ellis, University of Wollongong New South Wales' ban on greyhound racing is a response to the high rate of animal deaths in the industry. But what about other states, and other animal industries, where the problem is prevalent too?


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Bicycle Habitat, NYC's premiere bicycle shop is teaming up with amazing non-profit Recycle-a-bicycle, for a trade-in event at BH's newest Brooklyn location in Park Slope.
Here are more details from BH's Blog (bicyclehabitat.wordpress.com)
"Clean out your bike room, for a good cause.
This Sunday, we're hosting a bike trade-in from 11am-3pm at […]


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