text:
Product DesignOut of the box, the Asus U30Jc is an attractive notebook that will look good in just about any setting. The cover is made of aluminum and has a subtle purple hue that makes it unique amoung most portable computers on the market these days (i.e. it's not glossy black). It has a slim profile dressed in flowing curves and a silver coloured straight edge trim that accentuates the overall design.
Opening up the U30Jc, you will find the metallic motif continuing with an aluminum wrist rest, and metal looking trackpad and bezel surrounding the keyboard. The whole appearance is very tight and well thought out.
The keys themselves are soft to press with a very timid click when depressed. The feeling is very similar to recent model MacBook Pros.
The trackpad looks like its made from aluminum as well, and the resulting movement is very smooth and feels a lot nicer than your typical surface. The buttons only require a small amount of force to depress which makes dragging actions easy to do.
On the right, you will find that the cabling can get a bit cramped when the power adapter is plugged in. Ejecting the DVD tray would often snag a cable on its way out.
Right side: DVD ROM drive, USB port, Gigabit LAN, and power port.
Left side: Audio ports, 2x USB 2.0, HDMI 1.3a output, VGA output, exhaust vent, and lock port.
The left side is also fairly crammed – making space for the VGA connector and the exhaust vent.
The front edge hides a WiFi on-off switch, and a SD card reader. The bezel looks like it is perforated for ventilation, but the holes are actually for the Altec Lansing speakers.
Flipping over the U30 to take a look at its underside, we find two panels for two RAM DIMMs and the SATA hard drive. It's worth noting that there isn't a mini PCI-express slot that the user can access for upgrades.
Overall the design is visually appealing and good attention was given to the touch surfaces. However, you may find the connections a bit cramped.


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|Article Index
|UNRIC Library Newsletter - July-August 2013
|New information material
|New titles
|All Pages
High-level meeting of the General Assembly on Disability and Development (23 September 2013): The way forward: a disability inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond
English: http://www.un.org/en/ga/68/meetings/disability.shtml
French: http://www.un.org/fr/ga/68/meetings/disability.shtml
Spanish: http://www.un.org/es/ga/68/meetings/disability.shtml
While the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) represent a concerted effort to address global poverty, there is a striking gap in the current MDGs and their inclusion of persons with disabilities. The estimated 1 billion people worldwide who live with disabilities are still excluded from equitable access to resources (education, healthcare, etc.) and as a result persons with disabilities experience disproportionately high rates of poverty. In spite of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006, disability remains largely invisible in most mainstream development processes.
For educational outreach on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNICEF published a booklet explaining the Convention to children, "It's about Ability". It is available in [English] [French] [Italian] [Portuguese] [Spanish], and a Companion Learning Guide for teachers is available in [English] [French] [Spanish].
High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament (26 September 2013)
English: http://www.un.org/en/ga/68/meetings/nucleardisarmament/index.shtml
French: http://www.un.org/fr/ga/68/meetings/nucleardisarmament/index.shtml
Spanish: http://www.un.org/es/ga/68/meetings/nucleardisarmament/index.shtml
On Thursday, 26 September 2013, all Member States are invited to participate at the highest political level in the High-Level meeting of the General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament. At its 67th session, the General Assembly decided (resolution A/RES/67/39) to convene a High-Level meeting on nuclear disarmament during the High-Level segment of the 68th session of the General Assembly.
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2013
Report and Progress Chart in English, French & Spanish: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Default.aspx
Report in German: http://www.un.org/Depts/german/millennium/MDG%20Report%202013_german.pdf
Progress Chart in German: http://www.un.org/Depts/german/millennium/MDG%20Report%202013%20Progress%20Chart_german.pdf
Report in Portuguese: http://issuu.com/unric/docs/miolo_af
Based on comprehensive official statistics, The Report shows that the combined actions of national governments, the international community, civil society and the private sector are making the achievement of the MDGs a reality. According to the report, big gains have been made in health. Between 2000 and 2010, mortality rates from malaria fell by more than 25 per cent globally. The report notes that while new HIV infections are declining, an estimated 34 million people were living with HIV in 2011. The target of halving the percentage of people suffering from hunger by 2015 is within reach. The proportion of undernourished people worldwide decreased from 23 per cent in 1990-1992 to 15 per cent in 2010-2012.
Statistics and indicators for the post-2015 development agenda
The final report of the working group on monitoring and indicators assesses options for statistics and indicators in a post-2015 setting. By doing so, it provides an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the MDG indicators and outlines data innovations in new critical areas such as inequalities, governance, sustainability and population. The report also considers national capacities for statistics and makes some key recommendations on how to further foster these when developing a monitoring framework for the post-2015 agenda.
Security Council Concept Paper: Security Council open debate "Protection of civilians in armed conflict: protection of journalists" (17 July 2013)
English, French & Spanish: http://undocs.org/S/2013/393
The Security Council held an open debate entitled "Protection of civilians in armed conflict: protection of journalists" on 17 July 2013. In order to help steer the discussion on the subject, the United States has prepared this concept note.
Security Council Concept Paper: Security Council open debate "Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security" (6 August 2013)
English, French & Spanish: http://undocs.org/S/2013/446
The Security Council held an open debate entitled "Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security" on 6 August 2013. In order to help steer the discussion on the subject, Argentina has prepared this concept note.
Syrian Crisis - United Nations Response; A Weekly Update from the UN Department of Public Information
DPI has developed a new product to share information on and highlight what the UN is doing to respond to the Syria crisis. The bulletin, which will be issued on a weekly basis, aims at providing a snapshot of the latest UN activities to address the crisis, gathered from open source material.
United Nations Action to Counter Terrorism – redesigned website
English: http://www.un.org/en/terrorism/
French: http://www.un.org/fr/terrorism/
Spanish: http://www.un.org/es/terrorism/
United Nations Disarmament Yearbook
The United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) has digitized back issues of the United Nations Disarmament Yearbook through 1976. The yearbooks compile texts of resolutions, decisions, conference documents, etc. on disarmament issues from UN organs and committees, and are a valuable resource on the state and progress of the world in the last five decades.
United Nations Peacekeeping Operations – Fact Sheet: 30 June 2013 (DPI/1634/Rev.145, June 2013)
English: http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/documents/bnote0513.pdf
French: http://www.un.org/fr/peacekeeping/resources/statistics/factsheet.shtml
Spanish: http://www.un.org/es/peacekeeping/resources/statistics/factsheet.shtml
German: http://archive.unric.org/html/german/dpi1634dt.pdf
United Nations Political and Peacebuilding Missions – Fact Sheet: 30 June 2013 (DPI/2166/Rev.120, July 2013)
English: http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/documents/ppbm.pdf
French: http://www.un.org/fr/peacekeeping/documents/ppff.pdf
German: http://archive.unric.org/html/german/dpi2166dt.pdf
PGA Parliamentary Handbook: Promoting Signature, Ratification, and Implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty
English: http://unoda-web.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/EnglishParlATTHandbook.pdf
French: http://www.pgaction.org/pdf/FrenchParlATTHandbook.pdf
Spanish: http://www.pgaction.org/pdf/RussianParlATTHandbook.pdf
"Parliamentarians for Global Action" have issued this handbook that highlights parliamentarian leaders' roles in forwarding the goals of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).
2013 Progress Update on the 2012 Sanitation and Water For All High Level Meeting Commitments
Report: http://www.sanitationandwaterforall.org/files/2013%20Progress%20Update%20on%20the%202012%20SWA%20HLM%20Commitments.pdf
Executive Summary: http://www.sanitationandwaterforall.org/files/2013%20Progress%20Update%20on%20the%202012%20SWA%20HLM%20Commitments%20-%20Executive%20Summary.pdf
The 2013 Progress Update on the 2012 SWA High Level Meeting Commitments shows encouraging steps have been taken since the 2012 SWA High Level Meeting, but additional effort is needed to fulfill commitments by 2014. The report, launched on 14th August 2013, tracks achievements made against the commitments so far.
2013 World Drug Report (UNODC)
Report in English, Summary in English, French & Spanish: http://www.unodc.org/wdr/
The report shows that, while the use of traditional drugs such as heroin and cocaine seems to be declining in some parts of the world, prescription drug abuse and new psychoactive substance abuse is growing.
Children still battling to go to school - Policy Paper 10, Education for All Global Monitoring Report (UNESCO / Save the Children)
Half of the 57 million children out of school live in conflict-affected countries. The paper is being released to mark the 16th birthday of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl and education rights activist shot by the Taliban in October 2012.
G20 Task Force on Employment: Addressing employment, labour market and social protection challenges in G20 countries: Key measures since 2010 (ILO / OECD)
The report provides an overview of policies and measures applied, or significantly modified, by G20 countries from 2010 up to early 2013 in seven areas: job creation, labour market policies, social protection, skills development, quality employment, youth employment and women's economic participation.
The Global Climate 2001-2010: A Decade of Climate Extremes (WMO)
Report in English: http://library.wmo.int/pmb_ged/wmo_1103_en.pdf
Summary in English, French & Spanish: http://library.wmo.int/opac/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=15110
The world experienced "unprecedented high-impact climate extremes" between 2001 and 2010 and more national temperature records were broken during that period than in any other decade, according to a United Nations report launched today. The report, published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), says the first decade of the 21st century was the warmest for both hemispheres and for both land and ocean temperatures since measurements began in 1850. High temperatures were accompanied by a rapid decline in Arctic sea ice, and an accelerating loss of the ice sheets of the world's glaciers.
Land, Natural Resources and Conflict: From Curse to Opportunity; An EU-UN Partnership in action
UN agencies together tackling land, natural resources management and conflict. The challenges associated with preventing, managing and resolving natural resource-induced conflicts may well come to define global peace and security in the 21st century. A new EU-UN Partnership enables all UN staff to access guidance and online training on land, natural resources and conflict, provides access to online interactive modules and guidance notes.
Treatment 2015 (UNAIDS)
UNAIDS has launched a new framework to accelerate action in reaching 15 million people with antiretroviral treatment by 2015 that will not only enable people living with HIV to live longer and healthier lives, they will also help prevent new HIV infections.
Voluntary Commitments & Partnerships for Sustainable Development - Special Report of the SD in Action Newsletter, Issue 1 - July 2013: Sustainable Development in Action (DESA)
The report synthesizes information on the 1,382 voluntary commitments, partnerships, initiatives and networks for sustainable development that have been registered to date with the Secretariat of the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative (SE4All), UN Global Compact, Every Woman Every Child, the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative, the Sustainable Transport Action Network, and other similar initiatives.
World Economic and Social Survey 2013: Sustainable Development Challenges (DESA)
Report in English, Overview in English, French & Spanish: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wess/index.shtml
The Report focus on three important cross-sectoral issues: sustainable cities, food security and energy transformation. More than 1 billion people are still living in extreme poverty. 6.25 billion people will be living in cities by 2050. Damage to the global environment is reaching critical levels and threatens to lead to irreversible changes in global ecosystems. The Survey emphasizes that economic and financial incentives for creating and adopting new technologies will require policy reforms including taxes and subsidies, as well as regulatory reforms, in order to achieve core targets relating to technology adaptation, the reduction of food waste and enhanced energy efficiency.
World Investment Report 2013: Global Value Chains: Investment and Trade for Development (UNCTAD)
Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to the world's poorest countries grew by 20 per cent last year to a record $26 billion, led by strong gains in Cambodia as well as five African countries, according to this new United Nations report, produced by the Geneva-based UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It adds that the majority of 'Greenfield' investment in the least developed countries (LDCs) – new investment or expansion of existing investment in recipient nations, as opposed to investment through mergers and acquisitions – originated in other developing economies, led by India.
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A statistical overview and exploration of the dynamics of change (UNICEF)
Report in English: http://www.unicef.org/media/files/FGCM_Lo_res.pdf
English Summary: http://www.unicef.org/media/files/FGCM_Brochure_Lo_res.pdf
French Summary: http://www.unicef.org/french/media/files/FGM_Report_Summary_French__16July2013.pdf
Spanish Summary: http://www.unicef.org/spanish/media/files/FGM_Report_Summary_Spanish__17July2013.pdf
The report finds that, while much progress has been made in abandoning female genital mutilation/cutting, millions of girls are still at risk – and sets out key steps needed to eliminate the practice for once, and for all.
Free & Equal: Global Public Education Campaign for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Equality
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Friday launched on 26 July 2013 "Free & Equal, an unprecedented global public education campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. The campaign website contains a host of materials -- including a new set of factsheets, videos and infographics -- all designed for easy sharing via social media. Over the course of the coming twelve months, the campaign will be generating a stream of new content -- all of which will be available through the website.
How to Manage Refugee Helplines (UNHCR)
A few simple and inexpensive measures suffice to create a call centre. With an efficient helpline in place, organisations can reduce the number of people coming to their premises and save themselves and the refugees time and money.
United Nations Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience
The Plan of Action outlines the purpose, a set of core commitments and actions, a shared approach to measure impact and progress, and steps for implementation. The Plan of Action also embraces the international momentum to use "resilience" as a common outcome that integrates poverty reduction, disaster risk reduction, sustainable livelihoods and climate change adaptation, as integral to sustainable development.
ICTY Documentary "Crimes before the ICTY: Prijedor"
Link to webpage: http://www.icty.org/sid/11341
Link to YouTube Video: http://youtu.be/OrRgPy7ShgI
On 6th of August 1992, British journalists from ITN and Guardian unveiled to the world the existence of camps for non-Serb civilians in the area of Prijedor in north-western Bosnia and Herzegovina. Shocking images of emaciated inmates in just a few days circled the planet and shook the conscience of humanity. Barely two months later, a process was set in motion which would change the face of international criminal justice forever. Through interviews with protagonists and courtroom footage, Crimes before the ICTY: Prijedor depicts the discovery of the camps and the subsequent process that led to establishment of the first international criminal Tribunal since WWII, as well as the judicial outcome of the crimes committed in this municipality.
The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.
United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC Brussels)
Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 155, Block C2,7th and 8th floor, Brussels 1040, Belgium
Tel.: +32 2 788 8484 / Fax: 32 2 788 8485

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The ORIGIN Trial (Outcome Reduction With Initial Glargine Intervention) (ORIGIN)
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00069784
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : October 6, 2003
Results First Posted : January 25, 2013
Last Update Posted : January 31, 2013
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Tracking Information
|First Submitted Date ICMJE
|October 1, 2003
|First Posted Date ICMJE
|October 6, 2003
|Results First Submitted Date ICMJE
|December 18, 2012
|Results First Posted Date ICMJE
|January 25, 2013
|Last Update Posted Date
|January 31, 2013
|Study Start Date ICMJE
|August 2003
|Actual Primary Completion Date
|December 2011 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Current Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Original Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Change History
|Current Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Original Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Current Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures
|Original Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures
|Not Provided
|Descriptive Information
|Brief Title ICMJE
|The ORIGIN Trial (Outcome Reduction With Initial Glargine Intervention)
|Official Title ICMJE
|A Multicenter, International Randomized, 2x2 Factorial Design Study to Evaluate the Effects of Lantus (Insulin Glargine) Versus Standard Care, and of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Versus Placebo, in Reducing Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality in High Risk People With Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG), Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) or Early Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The ORIGIN Trial (Outcome Reduction With Initial Glargine Intervention)
|Brief Summary
The primary objectives of the ORIGIN study were:
The secondary objectives of the insulin glargine study were to determine if insulin glargine-mediated normoglycemia can reduce:
|Detailed Description
The ORIGIN study was conducted by the Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton, Ontario (Canada), working in conjunction with the sponsor, and an independent Steering Committee.
Routine visits were to occur at 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks following randomization, then every four months for the rest of the study, for all participants
The duration of the study was based on the number of events observed (event-driven study) and was originally planned to be 5 years. In 2008-2009 ORIGIN's follow-up was extended by approximately 2 years, because of published literature of completed studies suggesting that a longer period of effective glycemic contrast between treatments might be needed to see an effect on cardiovascular events.
|Study Type ICMJE
|Study Phase ICMJE
|Phase 3
|Study Design ICMJE
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Condition ICMJE
|Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent
|Intervention ICMJE
|Study Arms ICMJE
|Publications *
* Includes publications given by the data provider as well as publications identified by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number) in Medline.
|Recruitment Information
|Recruitment Status ICMJE
|Actual Enrollment ICMJE
|Original Enrollment ICMJE
|Actual Study Completion Date ICMJE
|December 2011
|Actual Primary Completion Date
|December 2011 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Eligibility Criteria ICMJE
Inclusion criteria:
I1. Individuals with IFG and/or IGT, or early diabetes, as defined below.
Glucose tolerance status was determined by a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) that was performed fasting (ie, no consumption of food or beverage other than water for at least 8 hours) at the time of screening for all candidates who were not known to have diabetes. The qualifying OGTT could be obtained up to 4 weeks prior to screening provided that anti-diabetic therapy (if any) remained unchanged between the qualifying OGTT and the screening visit. Two plasma glucose values were drawn during the OGTT - a fasting value (FPG) and a value drawn two hours after the 75 g oral glucose load was administered (postprandial plasma glucose [PPG]).
- Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), defined as a PPG value ≥140 and <200 mg/dL (ie, ≥7.8 and <11.1 mmol/L), with a FPG <126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L).
- Impaired fasting glucose (IFG), defined as an FPG ≥110 and <126 mg/dL (≥6.1 and <7 mmol/L), without diabetes mellitus (PPG must be <200 mg/dL [11.1 mmol/L]).
- Early type 2 diabetes, defined as a FPG ≥126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or a PPG of ≥200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L), or a previous diagnosis of diabetes, and either:
I2. Men or women aged 50 years and older
I3. At least one of the following CV risk factors:
I4. Provision of signed and dated informed consent prior to any study procedures.
I5. Ability and willingness to complete study diaries and questionnaires.
I6. Demonstrated ability to use the self-glucose-monitoring device, and to self-inject insulin prior to randomization.
I7. A negative pregnancy test for all women of childbearing potential (ie, ovulating, pre- menopausal, and not surgically sterile) and the agreement of these women to use a reliable method of birth control to prevent pregnancy during the duration of the study .
I8. Willingness to discontinue prior omega-3 PUFA supplements for the duration of the study.
Exclusion criteria
E1. Type 1 diabetes.
E2. Requiring ambulatory insulin treatment or uncontrolled or symptomatic hyperglycemia that is likely to require the addition of ambulatory insulin therapy or a new antidiabetic agent either before or within 2 weeks after randomization.
E3. Known anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (anti-GAD Ab) positivity in the past.
E4. Screening glycated hemoglobin ≥150% of the ULN for the laboratory (eg, ≥9% if the ULN is 6%).
E5. Unwillingness to inject insulin or perform self-monitoring of blood glucose.
E6. Nonadherence to the run-in requirement to inject placebo insulin and do capillary glucose monitoring for at least 4 days prior to randomization.
E7. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) either planned at the time of screening, or CABG within the 4 years prior to screening - however, participants with angina, MI, or stroke since a previous CABG will be eligible for randomization, even if the last CABG was within 4 years.
E8. Serum creatinine >2.0 mg/dL (176 μmol/L) at screening.
E9. Active liver disease, or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) >2.5 times ULN at screening.
E10. Chronic or recurrent treatment with systemic corticosteroids, or niacin treatment for hyperlipidemia.
E11. Heart failure of New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Class III or IV.
E12. Expected survival of <3 years for non-CV causes such as cancer.
E13. Any other factor likely to limit protocol compliance or reporting of adverse events (AEs).
E14. Unwilling or unable to discontinue TZDs.
E15. Simultaneous participation in any other clinical trial of an active pharmacologic agent.
E16. Unwillingness to permit sites to contact their primary physicians to communicate information about the study and the participant's data and treatment assignment.
E17. History of hypersensitivity to the investigational products.
E18. Previous randomization in this study.
E19. A prior heart transplant, or awaiting a heart transplant.
E20. Known infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
|Sex/Gender ICMJE
|Ages ICMJE
|50 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers ICMJE
|Contacts ICMJE
|Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
|Listed Location Countries ICMJE
|Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Republic of, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela
|Removed Location Countries
|Administrative Information
|NCT Number ICMJE
|Other Study ID Numbers ICMJE
HOE901/4032 ( Other Identifier: previous Aventis study number )
|Has Data Monitoring Committee
|U.S. FDA-regulated Product
|Not Provided
|IPD Sharing Statement ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Responsible Party
|Study Sponsor ICMJE
|Collaborators ICMJE
|Population Health Research Institute
|Investigators ICMJE
|PRS Account
|Verification Date
|January 2013
ICMJE Data element required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Health Organization ICTRP


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Jewelry Design Challenge - Book Review
A simply ingenious concept to invite thirty artists to use the same tools and materials to create one piece of jewelry. - with a little twist - you can add one additional wild card. This is a throw back to college design challenges and I am sure many that participated felt that way during their process. Were they limited by the challenge or inspired? You can see for yourself in Jewelry Design Challenge presented by Lark Books. As a reader, you benefit by stepping through the process as they create as well as hearing their comments, feelings and opinions on the process. What a great look into the creative process, I hope they continue this as a book series.
Jewelry Design Challenge: 10 Materials * 30 Artists * 30 Spectacular Projects (Lark Jewelry Books)


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The House Judiciary Committee late Thursday gave narrow approval to a bill to grant eminent domain authority to petroleum pipeline companies when they seek rights-of-way for building pipelines. But the 6-5 vote was much closer than the numbers would indicate; three of the "yes" votes came from members who said they would support the bill "for now," meaning the bill will be in for changes when it comes to the House floor for debate.
Senate Bill 14-093 and its 2013 predecessors have gone through three different committees in the House and/or Senate in the past two sessions: Agriculture, Local Government and on Thursday, Judiciary. Each committee has looked at the bill from different perspectives.
The Judiciary committee looked at SB 93 on the eminent domain issue, but members also raised concerns that most Colorado counties appear to lack any kind of process for approving pipeline locations, or siting.
Changes to SB 93 will likely touch on the local control issue. During committee testimony, member Rep. Mike McLachlan (D-Durango) noted that his home county, LaPlata, has an extensive review process for pipeline siting. Adams County Commissioner Charles "Chaz" Tedesco, whose board does not support SB 93, testified that his county also has a review process for pipeline siting.
But the state's number one county for oil and gas production, Weld County, has no approval process, and that's partly what led to the lawsuit and the 2012 Colorado Supreme Court decision that decided that petroleum pipeline companies did not have eminent domain rights.
Supporters of SB 93 continue to maintain that the bill would not grant new condemnation authority; that for more than 100 years petroleum pipeline companies have had the right to condemn and take land when they can't come to an agreement with landowners over pipeline rights-of-way.
May told the committee that SB 93 is a "technical fix," necessary because the Colorado Supreme Court "eliminated more than 100 years of established law." Under SB 93, petroleum pipeline companies must comply with all laws and regulations, although later witnesses pointed out that there are no laws or regulations, either state or federal, regarding the siting of petroleum pipelines.
"If we do not pass SB 93, pipeline companies will not be able to efficiently move oil and gas to market," leaving that transport to trucking or railway, which May said is a far more dangerous way to move those products.
"Today you will likely hear a lot of anger about oil and gas, specific disputes and concerns about pipeline safety. These may be valid issues and concerns, but existing law provides for these issues and concerns," May said.
May wasn't wrong about the anger. The sometimes-emotional hearing drew in witnesses, mostly from Northern and Northeastern Colorado, who are fighting the oil and gas companies over rights-of-way. Several noted they would meet with Tallgrass Energy the following day over that company's pipeline expansion in Logan County. They pleaded with the committee to reject the bill, arguing that granting eminent domain rights would take away any bargaining power they had with Tallgrass. Other witnesses told stories of oil pipeline company employees trespassing on their property, tearing up trees and damaging crops. Gene Kammerzell, owner of Arborland Nursery in Milliken, told the committee that Suncor had damaged his property and when he reminded them that the easement contract had provisions for arbitration over damages, their alleged response was "take us to court."
"This is not a technical fix," said attorney Ben Cohen, who represented Donna and Ivar Larson at the Colorado Supreme Court in Larson v. Sinclair Transportation. Cohen provided the committee with a history lesson on statutory interpretation in the 1900s.
The statute at issue in Larson was written in 1907. Cohen said that for decades, the pipeline companies have assumed the statute was a "general" pipeline statute, and that any company that wanted to lay a pipeline could do so with eminent domain rights. But in the 1900s, whenever the General Assembly passed a pipeline statute for condemnation, they always specified the purpose of the pipeline, he explained. The 1907 statute that SB 93 attempts to amend only dealt with electrical transmission. That also was noted by the Court in its 4-3 majority opinion. The Court did not accept this case lightly, Cohen added. They "knew it would upset decades of settled practice" regarding pipelines.
"It was a different statute. If the committee decides to enact this statute, you are working on a blank slate."
Logan County Commissioner Dave Donaldson raised another problem that may surface if SB 93 passes: criminal mischief. He explained that within the condemnation process, a company can go to court and while that is ongoing, can come back on someone's land and work on the project. Should they lose in court, they could be subject to criminal charges, and Donaldson noted that it takes only $500 in damage for criminal mischief to become a felony charge. The Tallgrass project is causing "anguish" in Logan County, he noted.
Brothers John and Larry Frasco of Logan County are both dealing with Tallgrass over rights-of-way issues. Larry Frasco, an organic farmer, said Tallgrass wants to put a 20-inch pipeline on his property. He raises wheat and millet, and told Tallgrass representatives that he could have no rocks on the property larger than 3 inches; anything larger would damage his combine. They refused, he claims, telling him the best they could do was 5 inches. "I have to pick up their mess. I didn't ask them to come in. There's no protection for us…They don't care about us out there. A private company should not have the right to take our land, put in pipelines and then walk away…How do you negotiate with someone [with eminent domain rights]? You want our land? Rent it from us per month or per year until the pipeline is taken out."
Committee member Rep. Joe Salazar (D-Thornton) spoke in sympathy with the witnesses who battle the oil companies. He also raised the possibility that SB 93 might be unconstitutional.
Attorney Tom Dougherty has worked both sides of the eminent domain issue. Speaking in favor of SB 93, he told the committee the bill would not create new authority for the petroleum pipeline companies. It would only confirm in statute the legal and practical application of Colorado law for the past 100 years. "This understanding was not challenged until the Sinclair case," he said.
Should the issue be left only to negotiation, there will always be someone who says "absolutely not" and added that landowners are never happy with their compensation. Dougherty also noted that lots of private entities have authority for condemnation with no public benefit, such as mining companies and cemeteries.
Salazar questioned Dougherty on how the pipeline companies will respond to landowners if the bill doesn't pass. The landowners "want bargaining power. If we pass the bill, [the companies] don't have any incentive to bargain." Dougherty disagreed, saying the companies have incentives to negotiate in good faith for a "whole variety of reasons" that he did not enumerate. Doughtery also admitted that under the terms of an easement, the pipeline companies would have the authority to say that a pipeline has to go where they want, not necessarily where the landowner wants it.
For Rep. Mark Waller (R-Colorado Springs), the issue is one of equity, stating that the power of condemnation creates an inequity in the negotiating process. Dougherty responded that "inequity is the reality at the end of the day…Inequity is inherent in any exercise of eminent domain." But he also explained that the most effective bargaining chip a landowner has is to take the condemning authority to court, which may delay a project for years and cost millions of dollars.
If that's the best bargaining chip, it's not a very good one, Salazar said later, noting that few farmers and ranchers can afford such costs. The Larsons had previously testified that they took out a $2 million loan against their property to fight Sinclair all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court.
Dougherty agreed with Salazar that pursuing legal remedies are costly for both sides, but "it's relative on who can afford it. The delays to a project can well exceed the legal cost," he explained.
SB 93 is supported by the Hickenlooper administration, the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry and the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, all who had testified previously in support of SB 93 when it was in the Senate. Carly West of CACI asked the committee to support the oil and gas industry, which she said brings 30,000 jobs to Colorado.
Nearing the hearing's end, Rep. Lois Court (D-Denver) said she was frustrated that counties don't do what's necessary to protect its citizens. She said she would vote for the bill but that the sponsor should commit amendments to strengthen safety issues and other "guardrails" on local control.
Kagan noted that the bill imposes the same framework that existed prior to the Larson decision. "It's rife with problems, not the least of which is that counties are not exercising their authority to make sure their citizens are protected. To simply restore the status quo is not the way we should do this. I'm not saying that pipeline companies should never have eminent domain" but this is not the right answer.
SB 93 now heads to the full House for further action.


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In June of 1845, The Grand Jury of Lowndes County, Georgia convened at Troupville, GA. The reader will bear in mind that in 1845, Lowndes encompassed all of present day Berrien, Cook, Brooks, Lanier, and parts of Tift, Colquitt, and Echols counties, as well. So the citizens on this 1845 grand jury were the friends and neighbors of the Knights, Giddens, Sirmans, and others who settled around present day Ray City, GA.
It had been 20 years since Judge Holt had convened the first Lowndes Superior court in 1825 at the home of Sion Hall on the Coffee Road. In the intervening years, not one, but three Courthouses had been built. The first courthouse was at Franklinville, but after a few years the county seat was moved to Lowndesville, and then to Troupville, in the fork of the Withlacoochee and Little rivers. The 1845 Court may have been conducted with a bit decorum, than the original. Then again, it may not have been. Troupville was said to be a wicked place, with horse racing & other gambling, drinking, games and amusements.
Judge Carlton B. Cole presided at the 1845 court session, and Duncan Smith served as clerk of the Court.
The jurors were Samuel E. Swilley, John W. Spain, John Carter, Sr., Enoch Hall, Matthew M. Deas, James Wade, Jesse Hunter, Mathew Young, James McMullen, John McMullen, James Sowell, A. S. Smith, William H. Devane, Sampson G. Williams, William Folsom, Thomas B. Griffin, David Matthis, Ezekiel W. Parrish, Dennis Wetherington, Joshua Limeberger, and Henry Strickland, with Robert Micklejohn serving as foreman of the Jury.
Robert Micklejohn (1799-1865)
Robert Micklejohn was born July 2, 1799 in Louisville, GA, which was named in honor of King Louis XVI and was then serving as the State Capitol of Georgia. At the age of five, he moved with his parents, George Micklejohn and Elizabeth Tanner,to Milledgeville, GA which became the state capitol in 1806. He married Mary Jane Sowell on September 3, 1823 in Milledgeville, GA. In 1830-31, he served as Tax Collector of Baldwin County. He came to Lowndes County about 1845 where he entered into a partnership with Richard Allen, Robert Prine, and his brother-in-law James Sowell. Invoices in probate records indicate Robert Micklejohn also worked for Captain Samuel E. Swilley as a tutor and clerk. By 1850 he returned to Milledgeville, where he served as clerk of the City Council and as a Justice of the Peace. Robert Micklejohn died on his 66th birthday, July 2, 1865. His grave is at Memorial Hill Cemetery, Milledgeville, GA.
Captain Samuel E. Swilley (1793-1846)
Captain Samuel E. Swilley was a military leader in the late 1830s conflicts with Native Americans. His company of men fought in the Battle of Brushy Creek, actions at the Little River and at Grand Bay, August, 1836, and led the Skirmish at Troublesome Ford. Samuel Swilley came from Appling County to Lowndes in 1827, bringing his wife and children to settle about 23 miles south of the Lowndes county seat at Franklinville. He established a large plantation on Hammock Lake near present day Lake Park, GA, where he constructed a substantial log house on the edge of the woods and log cabins for his slaves in the midst of his corn fields. He built a water-powered mill with a grist mill, cotton gin and sawmill. In all, his land holdings in Lowndes county consisted of more than 5000 acres. He was a member of the Democratic Republican Party of Lowndes County. Just a year after serving on the Grand Jury, in the fall and winter of 1846, a deadly fever struck the Swilley household taking the lives of Mr. Swilley, his wife and most of their children. For years thereafter, it was referred to as the Swilley Fever.
David Mathis (1802-1875)
David Mathis was a Whig and a strong supporter of state's rights. He was among the Pioneers of Old Lowndes Toast[ing] State Rights and American Independence at the Fourth of July 1835 Jubilee at Troupville, GA. In 1836, he served in Captain Levi J. Knight's Company in the Last Indian Fight in Berrien County. "David Mathis, oldest son of John Mathis, was born in North Carolina in 1802, and was brought as an infant by his parents to Bulloch County, Georgia. He was married in 1822 to Miss Sarah Monk, born 1801 in Bulloch County a daughter of William and Jerushia Monk. David Mathis brought his family to what was then Lowndes County in the winter of 1825-1826, and settled on lot 102, 9th district. This is one mile east of the present village of Cecil, Cook County. In January 1826, he built his log home, a sturdy and comfortable home that he occupied until his death about fifty years later. This home was on the Coffee Road, main thoroughfare of travel in those days from middle Georgia into southwest Georgia and Florida. It was a stagecoach stop where the horses were rested. Many people in those pioneer days enjoyed the hospitality of the Mathis home. Mr. Mathis was ensign of the militia in the 658th district, 1828-1840, and Justice of Peace, same district, 1829-1834. In the Indian Wars of 1836, he provided forage for the Volunteers of Hamilton W. Sharpe's Company. He served as Justice of Berrien Inferior Court, 1861-1862. Mr. Mathis was a member of Pleasant Primitive Baptist Church into which he was baptized about 1840, but later transferred his membership to Salem Church which is now in the City of Adel. His wife was a member also. He died about 1875 and his wife died soon after. They were buried at Pleasant Church."
John Carter, Sr. (1794-1880)
According to descendants "John Carter was born in Colleton District, South Carolina in 1794. John usually signed his name as John Carter, Sr., to distinguish himself from his first cousin John Carter. He was a son of Elijah Carter. He was married in Colleton about 1825 and his wife Lavinia, born 1799 in South Carolina. Her maiden name is unknown. Mr. Carter removed from his old home in South Carolina, near Little Salkehatchie River to Lowndes County, GA, in 1830. Mr. Carter was a First Lieutenant in the militia in the 661st district of Lowndes County, 1832-33 and served again in the same company between 1835-39. He served an enlistment as a private under Capt. Samuel E. Swilley in the 2nd Regiment, 2nd Brigade of the Florida Mounted Volunteers, June 16th to Dececember 16th, 1837, in the 2nd Florida Indian War. It was noted he entered into this enlistment with 1 black horse. He was Honorably Discharged from Ft Gilleland on December 18. He enrolled at Ft Palmetto in [Levy County, Florida]. John Carter, Sr., was baptized into the membership of Union Primitive Baptist Church; August 9, 1840; and the next year, on June 9, 1841, was dismissed by letter with others, to join in the constituting of Antioch Church which was nearer his home. He became a charter member of Antioch and continued as a member there for some years, as did his wife. Their home was cut out of Lowndes into Echols County in 1858."
Matthew M. Deas (1794-1873)
"Matthew M. Dees, an early prominent citizen of Lowndes County, was born in South Carolina, in 1794, and was a son of John Dees, R. S., and his wife, Mary. The parents moved with their children to Tattnall County, Ga., at an early date, and it was there that the subject grew to manhood and married. His first wife by whom his children were born, was Jane Strickland, born 1795 in N. C. daughter, of Lewis and Martha Grantham Strickland, a pioneer Tattnall County family. In 1829, Matthew M. Dees removed from Tattnall County to Madison County, FL, and settled near the Georgia line, thence he moved to Lowndes County about the time the Indian War began, and he acquired lands in the present Clyattville district of Lowndes County. He served as Major of the 138th Battalion, Lowndes County militia, 1838-1841. About 1845 he moved to the Bellville section of Hamilton County, Fla., only a few miles from his former Georgia home, and lived there until his death about 1872. He served as County Commissioner of Hamilton County, 1849-1851, and as a Justice of Peace there, 1863-65. The first wife died in 1851, in Hamilton County, and Mr. Dees was married to Rebecca Downing, Jan, 9, 1853, in Hamilton County. She was born 1802 in South Carolina. She survived her husband several years. He is listed in the 1850 Census for Hamilton County, FL (56 years old) Maj. Dees died intestate in Hamilton Co. Fla., November, 1873"
Matthew Young
Matthew Young was among the prosperous planters living near Troupville, GA and making that town their trading headquarters. The 1850 agricultural census of Lowndes County shows Matthew Young owned 3040 acres of land, 300 acres of which were improved. He had $440 worth of farm equipment and machinery, five horses, a mule, 30 milk cows, two oxen, 70 other cattle, 75 sheep and 100 hogs. His crib was stocked with 800 bushels of Indian corn, 400 bushels of sweet potatoes, and 25 lbs of butter. He had 28 bales of ginned cotton at 400 lbs each, and 150 lbs of wool.
A.S. Smith
A.S. Smith was a Storekeeper at Troupville, GA.
Sampson G. Williams (1808-1896)
Sampson G. Williams lived in McCraney's District, Lowndes County. was one of the fortunate drawers in the 1832 Cherokee Land lottery. He was born January 31, 1809, a son of James Williams, Revolutionary Soldier, and Elizabeth Holleway. Sampson Griffin Williams married Elizabeth McCranie, daughter of Daniel "Big Thumb" McCranie, on March 10, 1831 in Lowndes, later Berrien, and now Cook County. His place was 490 acres on Land lot 323, 9th District. S. G. Williams served in Hamilton W. Sharpe's company in the Indian Wars of 1836, and later was elected Senator in the Georgia Assembly.
Thomas B. Griffin (1816-1877)
Thomas Butler Griffin was born 1816 in Montgomery Co, GA, and lived in Old Troupville in Lowndes County, GA. He was a wealthy merchant and planter, a member of the Lowndes County Democratic Party. He, along with Andrew J. Clyatt, Duncan Smith, and John W. Spain, represented Lowndes County at the May 3, 1841 Convention of Democratic Young Men of Georgia, in Milledgeville, GA. In a meeting at Swain's Inn at Troupville, Thomas B. Griffin, was selected delegates to the Convention in Milledgeville to nominate a Governor of the Democratic party. In 1843, He married Jane Moore, daughter of Jesse Moore and Rebecca Studstill. She was born 1827 in Bullock Coounty, GA, and died April 13, 1892 in Lowndes County. Thomas B. Griffin, was the Sheriff of Lowndes county 1846-1848. In 1860 Thomas B. Griffin was enumerated as the owner of 12 slaves. He moved from Troupville to the new town of Valdosta when it was formed, and according to the Valdosta Historic Downtown Visitor's Guide, owned the first store in Valdosta, located at Patterson and Hill Avenue. Thomas B. Griffin was elected State Senator for the period of 1861-1863. In 1868, his son, Iverson Lamar Griffin, was allegedly involved in the bombing of a gathering of Freedmen attending a political speech. In 1873, he was one of the incorporators on the Valdosta and Fort Valley Railroad. Thomas B. Griffin died January 20, 1877 in Lowndes Co, GA.
Ezekiel W. Parrish (1818-1887)
Ezekiel W. Parrish, born February 16, 1818, in Bulloch county, Georgia, son of Henry Parrish and father of Ansel A. Parrish, was very young when his parents removed to southern Georgia and after his father's death he remained with his mother until his marriage, when he bought land one mile from where is now located the town of Cecil and there engaged in farming and stock-raising. In 1864 he sold his farm and received its value in Confederate money, which he still held when the war closed, but fortunately he had retained about seventeen hundred acres east of Hahira in Lowndes county. He settled on the latter estate, erected the necessary buildings and made it his home until his death on September 1, 1887. Martha C. (Wootten) Parrish, his wife, born in Taliaferro county, Georgia, had preceded him in death, her demise having occurred in June, 1871. She was a daughter of Redden Wootten and wife, the latter of whom was a Miss Bird before her marriage.
Joshua Lymburger (1809-1848)
Joshua Lymburger or Limeberger came from Effingham to Lowndes county,GA some time before 1834 and settled with his wife in Captain Dees' district. He was a son of Israel Christian Limeberger and Mary Catherine Schneider. Joshua Limeberger married Salome Schrimp on January 10, 1830 in Effingham County, GA. In 1834, he owned 490 acres in Irwin county and was the agent of record for 2027 acres in Houston county under his father's name. By 1848 he owned two lots of land [980 acres MOL] in Lowndes County. Joshua Limeberger died May 13, 1848 in Lowndes County, GA. His grave is at Forest Grove Cemetery, Clyattville, GA.
John W. Spain (1818-1870)
John William Spain, born December 4, 1818, a son of Levi Spain and Rachel Inman Spain. His father died while John was a minor. According to an article by Nancy Young Schmoe, John William Spain and widowed mother Rachel Inman Spain, came about 1826 to the section of Lowndes County now known as Kinderlou. "They came from the Carolinas and were of Welsh descent. John William then bought twenty five thousand acres of land on both sides of the Withlacoochee River, and soon moved with his family across the river and built a home known as Forest Hill," on a bluff overlooking the Withlacoochee about six miles southeast of present day Quitman, GA. "The road running beside the house was an old stage coach road that came out of Lowndes County into Brooks, crossing the Withlacoochee at a place known as 'Spain's Crossing,' where a ferry boat plied the river for many years." His mother married on March 26, 1826 to Major Frances Jones, a wealthy planter who built one of the earliest plantation mansions of Lowndes county, known today as Eudora Plantation (in present day Brooks County). As an orphan, John William Spain, received a draw in the Cherokee Land Lottery of 1832, drawing Lot 127, 11th Dist., 2nd Sect., Gilmer County. John William Spain married Elizabeth Young (1822-1885). John W. Spain was a member of the Democratic Republican Party. He was elected as the Lowndes county representative to the state legislature for the 1841-1843 term. John W. Spain, along with Andrew J. Clyatt, Duncan Smith, and Thomas B. Griffin, represented Lowndes County at the May 3, 1841 Convention of Democratic Young Men of Georgia, in Milledgeville, GA. In 1844, the Georgia Legislature passed an act "to establish John W. Spain's bridge across the Withlacoochee river, on his own land, in the 12th district of Lowndes county, and rate the ferriage for the same." In the 1850s he served as postmaster of the post office at Piscola, Lowndes, County, GA. Among his properties, Spain owned Lot #10 of the 15th district, in Brooks County. In 1859, he served as a Brooks County Road Commissioner. At the onset of the Civil War, he provided $2000 to equip the Brooks Rifles militia company with rifles. Applied for and received a presidential pardon from President Andrew Johnson for acts of Rebellion, August 28, 1865. Died November 7, 1870; grave at West End Cemetery, Quitman, GA.
Enoch Hall (1804-1886)
Enoch Hall, a Lowndes county pioneer and son of Sion Hall and Mrs. Bridget "Beady" Hall, was an overseer in the laying out of the Coffee Road, and settled with his father near present day Morven, GA, about 1823 shortly after the opening of the road. Justice of the Lowndes County Inferior Court, 1832-37. Served as Lt. Colonel, Lowndes County, 81st Regiment, Georgia Militia, under Colonel Henry Blair. Enoch Hall led, as a Major, a company of men in Actions at the Little River and at Grand Bay, August, 1836 Together with his father, Sion Hall, the Halls held 2,680 acres of pine lands in the 12th Land District of Lowndes County, 1220 acres in Cherokee County, 2027 acres in Lee County, 2027 acres in Carroll County and 4054 acres in Randolph County, GA. Died September 2, 1886; grave at Hall Cemetery, Morven, GA.
James Wade
James Wade, Soldier, McCraney's, Lowndes County, GA was one of the lucky drawers in the 1832 Cherokee Land Lottery. He served on the May 1933 term of the Lowndes County Grand Jury. He was one of the Commissioners appointed by the Georgia legislature in 1834 "to contract for and cause to be built in the county of Lowndes a suitable Court-house and Jail."
Jesse Hunter (1811-1871)
Jesse W. Hunter was born about 1811 in Georgia, a son of Abraham Hunter and Ann Rushing. According to the History of Brooks County, he came to Lowndes County about 1823, shortly after the opening of the Coffee Road, with his mother and father, who settled in the fork of the Okapilco and Mule Creeks. The 1844 Lowndes County Tax Digest shows Jesse W. Hunter owned 301 acres of pine lands in Lowndes County and 360 acres of hardwood in Cherokee County. His Lowndes county home was cut into Brooks county when it was formed in 1858. During the Civil War, he was drafted into Company F, 5th Georgia Regiment, but petitioned Governor Brown for a discharge on account of age and infirmity. Jesse W. Hunter died August 16, 1871. The grave of Jesse W. Hunter, and the grave of his wife Elizabeth are at Union Church Cemetery (aka Burnt Church), near Lakeland, GA.
James Sowell
James Sowell was a brother-in-law of Robert Micklejohn, who served as foreman of the 1845 Grand Jury of Lowndes County. He was born 1801 in Bertie North Carolina, a son of Ezekiel Sowell and Ann Layton. He came with his family to Georgia some time before 1823, and on December 8, 1826 James Sowell married Milly Rape in Henry County, GA. James Sowell, Hood's District, Henry County was a lucky drawer in the 1832 Cherokee Land Lottery, drawing lot number 159 in the Tenth District,Third Section of the Cherokee Country. Tax digests show that James Sowell had arrived in Lowndes County, GA by 1844, settling in Captain Samuel E. Swilley's District. The 1850 census shows James and Milly in Lowndes County with their nine children. Some time before 1860, James Sowell moved his family to Florida where they were enumerated in Hamilton County.
James McMullen (1806-1865)
According to A History of Savannah and South Georgia, Vol 2, "James McMullen was born and reared in Georgia. His father was one of the earlier settlers of Georgia, having located in Thomas county while that section of the country was in its pristine wilderness. He was of thrifty Scotch ancestry and a man of sterling integrity. James McMullen was trained to habits of industry and early showed natural ability as a mechanic. Although he never learned a trade, he became an expert with tools, and could do general blacksmithing, or make either a barrel or a wagon. After his marriage he lived for a while in Thomas county, from there removing to that part of Lowndes county that is now a part of Brooks county. Purchasing land in the Hickory Head district, he was there a resident until his death at the age of sixty years. He married Harriet Rountree, who was born in Lowndes county, where her father, a pioneer settler, was murdered by negroes while taking the produce of his farm to one of the marketing points in Florida, either Tallahassee or Newport. She too died at the age of three score years…In his political affiliation James McMullen was a Whig, and long before there were any railroads in Georgia he served as a representative to the state legislature." His daughter, Martha McMullen, married Edward Marion Henderson, who died of wounds after the 1836 Battle of Brushy Creek. In 1859, James McMullen served as a Brooks County Road Commissioner. Died December 6, 1865; grave at James McMullen Cemetery, Brooks County, GA.
John McMullen (1808-1868)
According to the 1913 text Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends, "John and James McMullen, brothers, were among the earliest pioneers to enter the pine solitudes of this section [present day Brooks County] of Georgia…" John married Nancy Rountree and James married Harriet Rountree, daughters of Francis Rountree, of Lowndes County, GA. In 1859, John McMullen served as foreman of the first Grand Jury in Brooks County.
William H. Devane (1817-1869)
William H. Devane was a farmer in the 53rd Division of Lowndes County, GA. He came with his parents to Lowndes County as a boy around 1828. His father, Benjamin Devane, was a veteran of the War of 1812, and served in the Indian Wars in Florida and Georgia; In 1838, Benjamin Devane served as a private in Captain Levi J. Knight's Company. William H. Devane married his first cousin, Margaret A.Rogers, about 1841. In 1859, he served as a Brooks County Road Commissioner. At the onset of the Civil War, William H. Devane sought to raise a company of Brooks County volunteers, but ended up enlisted in Company E, Georgia 1st Infantry Regiment.
David McCall (1802-1881)
David McCall, Jr, was born in 1802, a son of David McCall and Frances "Fannie" Fletcher. He married Eleanor Johnson on July 20, 1825 in Tatnall County, GA; she was born in 1810. In 1835 they made their home in Appling County, GA. Some time before 1844, they relocated to Lowndes County, Georgia. He was later a hotel keeper in Valdosta, GA.
William Folsom
William Folsom was the uncle of Penneywell Folsom, who fell at Brushy Creek in the Indian Wars of 1836. The Folsom place was located near the Coffee Road, and about a mile and a half further west is where the road crossed the Little River. "The Folsom bridge, a noted crossing place, spans the [Little] river here." The Folsoms had built a small fort against Indian attacks, and it was from this fort that the Lowndes county pioneers marched to the encounter at Brushy Creek. In 1837, William Folsom served on the commission appointed to select a new site for the Lowndes county seat of government; a location at the junction of the Withlacoochee and Little Rivers was chosen, and Troupville became the county site.
Dennis Wetherington (1807-1885)
Dennis Wetherington, an early settler of Lowndes County, was born in South Carolina, October 1, 1807, a son of Peter Wetherington. He moved to Lowndes County with his parents between 1825 and 1830. In 1831, he first married Sarah Carter, a daughter of Captain Jesse Carter and Mary "Molsy" Touchton. The couple settled on a farm in the present day Naylor District. Dennis Wetherington was baptized into the membership of Union Church, February 11, 1832, and was dismissed by letter to join in constituting Unity Church nearer his home, about 1842. Molsy Carter Wetherington died about 1850. After her death, Mr. Wetherington married 2) Rebecca Roberts, daughter of John C. Roberts, who lived on Cow Creek. Upon Rebecca's death, he married her sister, Elizabeth Roberts. This according to Folks Huxford.
Henry Strickland (1794-1866)
Henry Strickland was born in 1794 in Georgia. He married Sarah Lanier November 6, 1820 in Effingham County, GA. He moved his family to Lowndes County about 1831 and settled in Captain Caswell's District. The 1834 Lowndes County tax digest shows he owned 930 acres in Lowndes County, 400 acres in Effingham County, 490 acres in Appling, 490 acres in Thomas County, 250 acres in Baker county, 2027 acres in Lee County, and 2027 acres in Meriwether County. Henry Strickland was Justice of Lowndes Inferior Court from 1833 to 1837 and again from 1857 to 1859; December 23, 1835 appointed commissioner to select the site of the Lowndes County courthouse and jail; Major of the 138th Battalion, Georgia Militia, 1836 to 1838 – participated in actions at the Little River; December 22, 1837, appointed to the board of trustees for the proposed Lowndes County Academy at Troupville; Primitive Baptist; affiliated with Friendship Church along with wife, Sarah, soon after moving to Lowndes County; membership received by letter in March, 1846 at Old Antioch Church, now in Echols county, elected church clerk; died 1866.


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Sold Out
Phantom Knife by Richard Osterlind
A miracle from the past is now a reputation-maker that you can always have with you!
The Phantom Knife is Richard Osterlind's updated version of one of the most staggering effects in magic - Harrison's Knife Through Coat!
Richard has taken the basic secret and applied it to today's modern working conditions. He's also changed the apparatus itself, from an unusual, thin pocket knife to a modern Swiss-style knife that is commonly carried today. The apparatus is machined by hand to exacting tolerances and looks and works perfectly!
Basically, you borrow a shirt from someone who is wearing a loose fitting one over a bottom tee. (You can also use your own shirt or handkerchief.) The shirt is stretched out and held by two volunteers. You take out a dollar bill along with a small pocket knife. The bill is placed in the center of the shirt and the knife is lowered under it. Please note that you really do place the knife under the shirt!
The knife is now seen to penetrate the shirt and the bill. The blade is withdrawn...and there is no hole in the shirt! This is repeated a second time and the bill is actually lifted to show the blade penetrating the shirt! Again the knife is removed and there is no hole!
Finally, the knife blade is passed through the shirt once more but this time, the entire knife is passed through the shirt, again with absolutely no damage!
This is one of the most mind-boggling effects in all of magic...and you will be amazed at the incredible secret!
If you were blown away by Richard's performance of this effect on his best-selling DVD set, Live...Without a Net!, you can now add this amazing effect to your own repertoire! Simply drop the knife in your pocket (or attach it to your keychain) and you will be ready for an anytime, anyplace miracle that will make your reputation!
You'll get the specially-machined knife plus a photo-illustrated manual detailing every nuance of Richard's routine.


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Guest Blogging - Enough is EnoughBlog Post: August 27, 2012
"Let's talk about the blogs that ask you to come back again and again. As I'm sure you're aware, domain diversity matters. If you repeatedly blog on the same blog for the sake of getting anchor text links, that quickly becomes less and less helpful. Diminishing returns."
- Unless you are small time, I assume you have numerous clients that need links. On a general health blog I can easily get 4-5 clients links on the same site.
"But what about the readers of the sites you post to? If your site is terrible and people see your link and then leave, you're missing out on gaining new repeat visitors and shares. If your site is awesome, then your guest posts serve you well - but even that has its limit, as your awareness saturates that site/blog's audience. As I said, use all the channels you can - including blogs - to raise interest and awareness. That only works if you begin with something interesting."
- The blogs you post on have to be relevant in some way ... that's the only thing you need to worry about in the industries we attack. We just need the perfect anchor text links to subpages to drive huge amounts of traffic. Rather than go after "High-End" blogs to drive "referral traffic" which is small thinking. However, it again depends what industry your in. A Lawyer site is much different then selling palm trees.
"You then need more blogs to post on if you want to increase your awareness at the same rate, but there are only so many blogs out there with actual readers. As you begin to drift away from the ideal guest blog locations, your returns necessarily diminish as you spend more time looking for sites, their relevance declines, and/or the readership of the blogs you find is lower."
- Again depends what industry your in.
Guest Posting Doesn't Work Huh -
Well lets take the facts - if you know what you're doing it works well....VERY well. If you are in an industry like you reference that doesn't have enough relevant blogs to contact and write great content for - you are most likely not going to find a good website to get a link on either. Your point of diminishing returns only makes sense if there is not enough fruit in the forest, and I bet most of the times that's because you can't find it.
Blogs will love you and ask you to come back again and again if you write real content. End of story.
Also, why promote guest blogging all year when you're just going to have someone say - enough is enough?
Please let me know if I'm the only one that feels this way.


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This Is War!
This story appears in the February 2000 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
Looking for a business role model? Look no further than Genghis Khan, says James Dunnigan, co-author of The Way of the Warrior: Business Tactics and Techniques from History's Twelve Greatest Generals (St. Martins Press), written with Daniel Masterson. The brutalizing Mongol of the twelfth century has something to tell you about running your business? That's right. And there's more where that came from.
Dunnigan points out that most of what a military leader does is executed off the battlefield, preparing for war or while immersed in the details of peacetime administration. But when leaders do go into battle, their ability to think clearly under the ultimate stress can change history. Generalship, in short, requires a broad range of skills not unique to war.
Directing large enterprises over vast areas in centuries past required extraordinary management skills, especially given the historic limitations of communications, logistics and infrastructure. Many of the abilities, habits and traits of those Dunnigan calls the "great captains" would have made them top business leaders today, he argues. With a little extrapolation to contemporary challenges, emulating those leaders could make you a captain of industry.
Dunnigan has written 18 books on military matters and lectures on war and history to various institutions, from the National Defense University in Washington, DC, to the CIA. He also knows about taking lessons from the battlefield and applying them to business. When he's not doing financial modeling for Wall Street, Dunnigan is working hard on his Web site (www.jimdunnigan. com) which serves to promote his war games and books.
Scott S. Smith: Most people aren't history buffs, so the initial reaction to your book must be, "What could Alexander the Great, who died in 323 B.C., possibly teach us about modern business?"
James Dunnigan: Well, what you find is that every great leader had a wide range of characteristics that made him successful. Many of these traits and behaviors were common among them, but each leader had his own style. Alexander's greatest strength was that he pursued systematic solutions to problems while always keeping the strategic vision in mind--paying attention to details to a degree rarely seen before or since. He knew that if he wanted to achieve his goal of displacing the Persians as masters of the world, he first needed to offset their advantage in having a massive fleet. He did this by taking over the ports so that the Persian fleet couldn't dock for supplies. The lesson: With a little bit of cleverness, even a dominant power can be blindsided.
Smith: Alexander inspired fierce loyalty among his soldiers. How?
Dunnigan: He mixed with the common soldiers and led them from the front into key battles. They knew he was courageous, not reckless. His risks were carefully calculated because he relied on thorough preparation through intelligence-gathering and making sure supplies were available. Perhaps his greatest skill was what is called "situational awareness," or the Ace Factor, the ability to size up situations promptly. These are valuable traits all business leaders could use.
Smith: OK, I can see Alexander, but Genghis Khan? Our image of the Mongols is of uncivilized nomads who were the human equivalent of the bubonic plague.
Dunnigan: Yes, they were ruthless, but it was a carrot-and-stick approach. They made it clear that it was either surren-der or extermination. A good manager knows when to be tough, even if it means attracting unwelcome attention from the Federal Trade Commission or the Justice Department.
But the Mongols didn't conquer most of the known world just by being savage; they were very well-organized and used remarkably efficient political and logistical techniques. Any one of these, updated to current circumstances, would make a company stronger.
For example, Genghis Khan mixed warriors from different tribes to weaken tribal loyalty and create warriors loyal to him. He organized the army so staff leaders could move easily from one unit to another. Speed was his most remarkable asset, the key to his victories. And he was flexible, whether in battle tactics or in adapting to new cultures.
Smith: You mention that Caesar's greatest strength was that he was a master communicator before mass media came along. Why was he effective?
Dunnigan: Caesar studied rhetoric at the best school of the time. He considered just the right words to use, and if he felt something might not be understood by his audience, he left it out. Instead of letting someone else tell his story, he wrote it himself. Plus he sponsored terrific games for the Roman people--you could call him the first user of a multimedia campaign.
Communication is the key to getting anything done. Ambiguity in what you say allows your enemies to speculate, as does saying nothing for fear of making a misstep. You need to keep your people informed, and when you send a message to an ally, always assume an enemy will see it, since alliances change.
Smith: What was Charlemagne's most outstanding characteristic from which today's managers can learn?
Dunnigan: Charlemagne had a knack for selecting smart people in areas he was weak in, like a successful founder of a company who manages to grow the firm to a huge size by fostering an atmosphere that attracts the wide variety of skills needed. He also created a government and legal bureaucracy that were responsive and adapted to local cultures.
Smith: Let's look briefly at some of the other warriors. Gustavus Adolphus was a tactical and technological innovator. Everyone wants to be, of course, but how?
Dunnigan: He and Douglas MacArthur were able to figure out what new ideas would work and what wouldn't. All the great captains observed how others used new technology before they tried it. It isn't innovative to be the first to use a new technology; it's innovative to be the first to make the technology do something really useful.
Smith: You mention that Frederick the Great paid twice what other countries paid to get the best soldiers. It's a great idea, but small companies usually can't pay as much as large companies. What are other ways great leaders attracted and kept top people?
Dunnigan: Military leaders usually offered their soldiers a piece of the conquered territory, and today many small companies compensate with equity. Once you have the best people, you keep them by handing out medals and promoting them as fast as possible. If you treat people well and offer them unique opportunities to grow and develop, one star employee can outperform several workers combined.
Smith: Like a small business, Frederick's Prussia was surrounded by many large and hostile countries, but it thrived. What was his secret?
Dunnigan: He was better organized and moved faster than his foes. He also learned from his mistakes. Likewise, there is an opening for small companies if they examine themselves more honestly than corporations, which tend to get arrogant. Frederick was also persistent, and you can overcome a competitive advantage by that simple principle.
Smith: You say the three things that set Ulysses S. Grant apart from other generals were his optimism, daring and his calmness when facing stress and risk.
Dunnigan: Grant wouldn't dwell on the negatives of a situation; he was solution-oriented. Too many other generals would prepare and prepare but were too afraid of the risks to do anything. Grant knew when the time for planning was done, and he took daring risks when he thought they were the best choices, such as the attack on Vicksburg and sending Sherman on the march into the South even though that cut him off from his supply lines.
Once, when Grant was writing an order, an artillery shell exploded overhead. He barely looked up; his calmness allowed him to remain in control of situations when other generals would have panicked.
Smith: Moving into this century, you cite Douglas MacArthur as one of the first to effectively use mass media because he was a military press liaison, yet he also got lots of negative ink. What are the lessons here?
Dunnigan: He knew what kind of story the media were looking for, and he gave them what they wanted. Unfortunately, some felt manipulated and this backfired.
Norman Schwarzkopf showed us how to do it right by giving briefings that were direct, simple, truthful and humorous. If you try to be clever and fool the press or the public, you'll get caught. Knowing the pitfalls and opportunities in the psychology of the press can make a big difference in how investors and customers perceive you and how successful you are in your public relations efforts.
Smith: You say George Patton's strength lay in his desire to know all he could about leading an army.
Dunnigan: There has probably never been a military leader who spent as much time studying his craft. Patton had a huge library of books on warfare, which he carefully studied. He also spent time talking to Allied officers about tactics. He visited tank factories to understand everything about tanks and got his private pilot's license when he realized aircraft were going to play an important role after World War I. Patton attributed part of his success to his knowledge of the French road system. Entrepreneurs should realize that if they do their homework, they'll leverage their assets.
Smith: What's the common lesson to be learned from all the great captains?
Dunnigan: They all had the ability to recognize their skills and then had the energy and persistence to use them. Many potential great captains held back out of fear or uncertainty, and thus never achieved greatness.
Scott S. Smith writes about business issues for a variety of publications, including Investor's Business Daily.
History 101
Are your world history classes a faded memory? Here's a brief rundown of the "great captains" and their places in history from The Way of the Warrior (St. Martins Press) by James Dunnigan and Daniel Masterson:
Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) conquered a Persian empire five times the size of his Greek coalition and ruled the world from India to Egypt.
Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) became a warrior late in life. His dictatorship ended the 500-year-old Roman Republic.
Charlemagne (742-814 A.D.) founded the Holy Roman Empire, which governed most of Europe during the Dark Ages.
Genghis Khan (1162-1227) turned 800,000 feuding nomads into the rulers of a world that stretched from China to Russia and down to the Middle East.
Edward III (1312-1377) united England and conquered much of France.
Gustavus Adolphus (1594-1632) led Sweden to victories during the Thirty Years' War and was a tactical and technological innovator known as "the father of modern warfare."
Frederick the Great (1712-1786) kept Prussia safe from the much larger hostile powers that constantly attacked it.
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was not only a military genius but a brilliant civilian leader whose reforms remain in place today.
Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) won the Civil War for the North, then became president of the United States.
Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) fought in both World Wars, directing the Philippine resistance to Imperial Japan in World War II. Then, at age 70, he commanded United Nations troops repelling North Korea's invasion of South Korea. He died "the century's most respected American military hero," says Dunnigan.
George Patton (1885-1945) was the first American general assigned to the U.S. tank corps with which he stopped the Germans at the Battle of the Bulge to become "the greatest battlefield commander America . . . will ever produce," according to Dunnigan.
Norman Schwarzkopf (1934- ) won the Gulf War with an astonishingly low number of casualties in one of the most decisive victories in history.


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4 dead, 2 critical after Indianapolis house fire
A fire swept through a small home in Indianapolis on Saturday morning, killing a couple and two of their children and leaving two surviving siblings in "very critical" condition, a fire official said.
The home is adjacent to a busy Interstate 70 overpass, and a motorist on that highway reported the fire about 9:10 a.m., Capt. Rita Reith said. Subsequent 911 calls led crews to the home's exact location in an east side neighborhood.
Firefighters found the parents and their four children - ages 14, 11, 8 and 6 - unconscious inside the small bungalow-style home and brought them outside, starting efforts to resuscitate them on the lawn, Reith said.
"They knew they had victims inside the house, but they were not expecting six," she said.
Authorities said Lionel "Leo" Guerra, 47, and his 33-year-old wife, Brandy Mae Guerra, were pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Eskenazi Hospital.
The couple's 11-year-old son, Esteban Guerra, and 8-year-old daughter, Blanquita Guerra, were pronounced dead at Riley Hospital for Children, where their two siblings - a 14-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy - remained in critical condition late Saturday afternoon.
"We have two children who are very, very critical condition," Reith said. "It's been a horrific morning for us."
Investigators do not suspect any foul play was involved in the fire, but Reith said its cause remains under investigation and there's no sign the home had working smoke detectors.
Reith said firefighters extinguished the fire in about 10 minutes.
One of the 911 callers reported that they had heard people yelling inside the home, which Reith described as about the size of a two-car garage, but investigators aren't sure what unfolded inside.
"They were awake if that's the case, but they still couldn't get out. Was the fire location and where they were located in the house not allowing them to get out? We don't know," she said.
The home sits in a lower-income neighborhood with a mix of small homes built next to an industrial corridor and a major interstate.
Hours after the fire, the tan single-story home's exterior showed few signs of fire damage, aside from soot blackening some windows. Reith said the interior suffered heavy fire damage.
The couple was married and the family had lived there for several years, she said.
Indianapolis has had eight fire deaths in 2014, including those killed in Saturday's fire, she said.


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Kelvin Beachum Honored as United Way Hometown Hero
Jets organization and veteran tackle were recognized for their efforts in the community at United Way of New York City's 25th Anniversary Gridiron Gala.
Jets Players, NYPD Host Holiday Shopping Spree for Students from Brooklyn
Jets players Josh Adams, Robby Anderson, Dan Brown, Tom Compton, Matthias Farley, Nate Hairston, Bennett Jackson, Bronson Kaufusi, Corbin Kaufusi, James Murray, Brent Qvale, and Demaryius Thomas and NYPD officers spent an evening at Dick's Sporting Goods in East Hanover, NJ to provide a shopping spree for children from Brooklyn.
Jets Serve Thanksgiving Feast to Kids at NYC Food Bank in Harlem
Kelvin Beachum, James Murray, along with Jets Legend Erik Coleman and Berkeley College students unloaded turkeys and trimmings before serving a pre-Thanksgiving dinner to kids at the Food Bank for NYC in Harlem. The team and school also made a $15,000 check presentation to the Food Bank For New York City.
Jamal Adams and United Rentals Donation to the East Harlem Pride Football Team
See the Top Images from Jamal Adams, the New York Jets and United Rentals presenting an $85,000 check to the Public Schools Athletic League. This support will cover costs to recondition all football helmets and supply helmets, and shoulders pads throughout New York City Public Schools.
Jets Players Help Unveil New Weight Room at Hanover Park High School
Jets players unveiled a remodeled, state-of-the-art weight room at Hanover Park High School on Tuesday as part of the 21st annual United Way Hometown Huddle day of service. The $70,000 makeover, including new equipment, flooring and wall graphics, was made possible through a collaboration between United Way, the Jets and NRG.


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Hi. I'm a member of the jMonkeyEngine team. We love Blender, and it's our go-to modeling tool. The problem is that Blender is becoming such a fast moving target that feature parity and compatibility with the format is a major challenge. We've even gone so far as to consider bundling blender with our SDK.
In an attempt to remedy some of these issues, for our own project as well as game developers at large, I have some suggestions for the Blender developers to consider:
#1 - Game Schema
We think Blender would benefit from a "game schema". Essentially this would be a simplified version of the .blend format, restricted to game-specific features, excluding everything in the format that cannot feasibly be rendered live.
#2 - Game Compliance Mode
To go along with the game schema could be a "game compliance mode". This would be a special editing mode you could enable in Blender, which would restrict the user to game-friendly features only.
I'd love to know more about any related discussions you might have had already, i.e. regarding Blender as a tool for game development.
Blender "game schema" and game compliance mode
Game Engine, Players & Web Plug-in, Virtual Reality, support for other engines
Moderators: jesterKing, stiv
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Libya: UN launches appeal to meet current and projected humanitarian needs
TitleLibya: UN launches appeal to meet current and projected humanitarian needs
The humanitarian community launched today a Regional Flash Appeal for the Libyan crisis.
The appeal requests $160,256,548 to meet the humanitarian needs of the migrants who leave Libya for Tunisia, Egypt and Niger; respond to the needs within opposition-controlled parts of Libya; access people in the government controlled areas; and prepare for a worst-case scenario of increased outflow of people from Libya and/or emergence of significant humanitarian needs within Libya.
ERC Amos travelled yesterday to the Tunisia-Libya border to review the ongoing relief effort for people fleeing Libya and to look at what humanitarian agencies can do further to support those who are stranded in the border areas. "The efforts of responders to scale up assistance have so far averted a humanitarian crisis in those areas that are accessible," she said, "But I remain very concerned about what is actually happening in western Libya. We urgently need access."
More>> Regional Flash Appeal - OCHA Press Release - ERC Statement


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Woman says gun went missing after car wash
Gun not located
A woman says a gun was stolen out of her car while it was going through a car wash.
"It makes me really nervous to think somebody would take it. It's fully loaded," said Annie Green.
Green said the gun was in the console before she got out of her vehicle to allow it to go through the car was at Full Service.
Police checked surveillance video at the car wash and didn't notice anything suspicious.
"There's no movement around that center console where she says the firearm was," said Sgt. Det. Sean Schmidt of the Brookfield Police Department.
Police also checked the three employees who were working at the time.
"They searched the interior of the business, their lockers, their personal items, did not locate the firearm anywhere," said Schmidt.
Full Service didn't want to go on camera but said they don't have a problem with theft and have cameras everywhere. Police didn't find evidence at the car wash but are listing the gun as stolen.
Green is nervous about where the gun might be.
"They could have put it anywhere," said Green.


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One thing I've noticed as we've rolled out the idea of the 21-Day Financial Fast to our readers is that we have a lot of our more seasoned sustainability champions responding (often offline) with something like, "Well, I live my life like that every day."
On the surface, it's a lovely pick-me-up to think about all of those committed Green Americans out there, taking action together for a robust green economy and world.
When it comes to the Financial Fast, though, is that the healthiest response? Or do all of us have an area of our lives where we could do better? And shouldn't we be acknowledging and encouraging those readers who aren't as far along on their journeys to sustainability, by letting them know they're not alone?
That's why I confessed my Bad Book Habit last week. I have a lot of good habits—you don't work at a place like Green America without constantly picking up new green steps nearly every week to bring into your life. But the Fast is a time to figure out where you might not be so perfectly green. Maybe the little we do buy has too much packaging. Maybe we're not saving enough for the future, if we have income coming in. Maybe we aren't generous enough with our money. Maybe our savings is still sitting in a mega-bank, where it's being used to fund endeavors that don't support our values. Maybe our investments aren't socially responsible.
If you've got your spending under control, make this the week to make a change to your finances for the better. Break up with your mega-bank. Increase your savings. Shift your investments to socially responsible vehicles. Find a socially responsible financial advisor. If you are struggling with spending habits or with having too little money coming in due to the economic downturn, make this the week to make a budget. I'll post some suggestions for creating one tomorrow.
No matter where you are on the journey to financial freedom, make this the week to focus on what you already have. As Michelle Singletary noted when we interviewed her about the fast, this exercise is about cultivating an attitude of gratitude. So that's what I tried to do this week. Every time I thought about buying something I didn't need, I focused on how blessed I am to have what I have: an incredible family, a home, a job I love, and, yes, plenty to read.
And you know what? It's making those few occasions where I'd like to buy something very easy to ignore. This week, I was tempted by an on-the-go bottle of organic tea and a set of movie tickets to take my two little girls to a children's film. The tea I got over quickly. The movie tickets required a little more creativity, but my daughters and I played board games, attended a free family event in our community, and made puppets out of some old coloring sheets. When the weekend was over, they had completely forgotten about the movie they'd wanted so badly to see.
What are you grateful for in your life? Do you think focusing on gratitude can help strengthen your resolve during the Financial Fast?
Tomorrow, in addition to the budgeting info, I'll post some new journal questions for the week.


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M.I.A. of L.I.F.E (Laps, Intervals, Fun, Endurance)
by, August 7th, 2009 at 11:36 AM (3399 Views)
I have been dealing with alot of distractions that keep me from staying true to my WOs. Traveling, celebrations, family accidents, business matters, etc.
I went to the Ed Gaw Amelia Island 5k swim at the tip of Fla. and it was awsome. It is so far away from this writing however, that I feel its memory slipping away. Ah yes, I just got a flash of being in the perfect temp. ocean water on a clear day and charging with a hop. skip and a jump toward the first bouy. It seemed like forever, but I kept my stroke long, relaxed and steady.
I kept invisioning things like my coach at the side of the pool with her arms stretch out like a monkey reminding me to climb the water long and tall.
I thought about my Dad if he were alive... on the side lines saying, "Com'on you can do it!
I had planned on pulling out my surfer racecar driver friend Peter for help when I just thought I couldn't go any farther and I did.
At one point I smelled cigarette smoke...it was a kayaker...drove me nuts.
"Where's that dam bouy!" I remember screaming out loud to nobody on several occasions.
Sometimes in the distance I saw two other bright green caps. I used them as competion I was determined to catch but never did.
I am very thankful to the kaykers for keeping us all coraled. I would have other wise been all over the place.
I used houses on the sidelines like people I was passing in a parade...my hands waving over and over again.
Finally, I saw the finish bouy! I rounded it and headed to shore. When I stood up I felt my whole body shift and not in a good way. My legs ached as I crossed the finish line with all my might.
I won my age group!!!! But most of all my time makes me very, very proud of the hard work I did leading up to that very moment of 1:35:24 for my first 5k.
Now time to get back to the drawing pool.
P.S. Good Luck to everyone at the Nationals!


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Saltburn Gill
A wildlife-rich woodland set in a lovely secluded valley leading to the coast at Saltburn. A dense canopy of oak and ash trees shelter a winding path which runs the entire length of the valley and provides good opportunities to see all the reserve has to offer.
Why not experience the changing seasons in Saltburn Gill for yourself! We have produced a diary style walk leaflet to guide you through the Gill and indicate some of the interesting things to see along the way. Down load and print them from here by clicking on the map below.
Saltburn Gill has largely remained undisturbed since the time of the great forests and shows a fine example of the type of woodland that would once have covered East Cleveland. A mix of oak, ash, hazel and holly clothe the steep sides of a valley carved by the fast-flowing waters of the Gill and its two tributaries; The Griff and Darn Bottle.
In spring, showy yellow flowers of lesser celandine are shortly followed by carpets of strong smelling wild garlic and bluebells. Other plants to look out for include dog's mercury, woodruff, bugle, moschatel and wood avens.
Thanks to its steep valley-sides, Saltburn Gill escapes the ravages of the winter wind, and in the summer when cooling breezes blow in off the North Sea, the reserve remains still and humid. With conditions like these, the woodland provides a refuge for primitive plants like fungi and ferns. Even after the summer flowers have died-back and the golden autumn leaves have fallen from the trees, Saltburn Gill is still worth visiting to spot fungi, or ferns with strange-sounding names like hart's tongue, hard-shield, broad-buckler and male fern.
The woodland supports resident birds such as robin, blackbird and wren which are joined by seasonal visitors such as chiffchaff and spotted flycatcher.
The Orange River
The river flowing through the reserve, which also goes by the name of Saltburn Gill, is at the time of writing, affected by a bright orange staining resulting from old ironstone workings which had formed a significant industry in the area until the 1950's.
Pollution began in 1999, when a new discharge from abandoned ironstone mine workings turned the beck a rust colour. The water is not toxic but contains high levels of dissolved iron; smothering it to such an extent that wildlife struggles to survive.
The Saltburn Gill Action Group (SGAG), was set up in 2005 to work towards a finding a solution for the problem which affects the coast at Saltburn as well as the waters flowing through the Gill. With support from Teesside University, the Environment Agency and the Coal Authority, a long term solution has been found involving pumping of ground waters away from the discharge point. The Wildlife Trust is looking forward to seeing Saltburn Gill transformed back into a top quality woodland stream.


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Picture peas in pods, or lilies of the valley, with white flowers hanging in symmetry from green stalks.
Now take a walk or drive along downtown Everett's Hoyt Avenue. There's a new look, inspired by the plant world. Soon, there will be more to see.
Eleven light sculptures were recently installed along Hoyt, from Wall Street to Everett Avenue. Created by Seattle artist Susan Zoccola, the light pods hang from green metal arches that canopy over the sidewalk.
Futuristic and eye-catching, the light sculptures are finishing touches on the city's $5.2 million Hoyt Avenue streetscape project, mostly completed in 2011. Along with lighting and infrastructure for art, the project included improved pedestrian features, trees and utilities.
The lights are unique to the three-block stretch of Hoyt considered the city's arts district.
"A lot of our key cultural institutions are already on Hoyt Avenue," said Carol Thomas, the city's cultural arts manager. The Everett Public Library, Imagine Children's Museum, Schack Art Center and Artspace Everett Lofts, along with the Library Place apartment complex, are near each other on Hoyt.
Thomas said the new lights visually unify the area. "It's fun because it's unique and defines a special area," she said Tuesday.
There's more to come when the installation is complete. Just above the light sculptures, which were attached to existing street light poles, are "gobo" projectors connected to the same poles. Those devices, not yet in operation, will project images onto the sidewalk below.
In her proposal for the sculptures, the artist Zoccola wrote: "I see the gobo projections as glowing colored circles of light drawing visitors down Hoyt Avenue."
Zoccola said projected images could be changed seasonally or for specific events. "The lit sculptures with their nighttime gobo companions would be beacons, clearly identifying the Hoyt Avenue arts district," she wrote.
The artist has created major public works around the region. Among them are a wave wall at the Seattle Aquarium, pieces replicating water drops at the Lynnwood Recreation Center, and the soaring "Grass Blades" sculpture at Seattle Center.
Kate Reardon, the city's spokeswoman, said that altogether the lighted sculptures cost $110,000. The $5.2 million price tag for the Hoyt renovations included design, utilities, streetscape work and inspection. All capital projects within the city include a 1 percent expenditure for the arts, Reardon said.
Thomas said the lights in Zoccola's sculptures use energy-efficient LED bulbs.
Allan Giffen, Everett's director of planning and community development, said the Hoyt project was born of a downtown plan approved by the City Council in 2006. In 2009, he said, the streetscape plan was adopted. "This is getting down to the costly but fun part, actually building some of these projects," Giffen said.
He added that a four-block renovation of Rucker Avenue downtown is also part of the plan. Reardon said the design of the Rucker project was completed along with the Hoyt design. "There's no money and no timeline, but we have the design," Reardon said. Rucker renovations will happen when funding is available, she added. The work on Rucker will have a more traditional look than artsy Hoyt, Reardon said, and will resemble Colby Avenue's streetscape.
Thomas said Hoyt is already becoming an Everett attraction. About 3,400 people came to the Everett Craft Beer Festival, a one-day event held last August along Hoyt between Hewitt and Pacific avenues. "We had 27 Washington state breweries, over 60 craft brews, and live music," she said. "From the feedback of restaurants downtown, they saw a lot of people."
That event will happen again on Aug. 17. "It brings a lot of first-time visitors to Everett, exposing what a jewel Everett is," Thomas said.
Hoyt is a street becoming a celebration.
"It's really our focal point for the arts," Reardon said. "With a hub for the artists we have here, we want to build upon that in years to come, and celebrate that."
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; firstname.lastname@example.com.
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