text:
As Natural and Generative
at All Levels of Reality
by Connie Barlow & Michael Dowd
revised June 2005
PALEONTOLOGY - Not until 1796 did scientists begin to entertain the idea that species and whole types of life have gone extinct in Earth history. In 1796 the French anatomist Georges Cuvier shocked the world by pronouncing that huge teeth (now known to be mammoths and mastodons) were distinct from those of living elephants and that these creatures were no longer to be found alive on Earth. In the United States, our president, Thomas Jefferson (a well-respected naturalist) protested, and launched the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804, in part, to prove Cuvier wrong: to scout for living mammoths in the unexplored West. A decade earlier, Jefferson had included "mammoth" in his list of American mammals. He wrote,"It may be asked why I insert the Mammoth [into a list of American mammals] as it it still existed? I ask in return, why I should omit it, as if it did not exist? Such is the economy of nature, that no instance can be produced of her having permitted any one race of her animals to become extinct, of her having formed any link in her great work so weak as to be broken."
As the decades rolled on and more fossils were discovered and compared with living forms, extinction became an accepted scientific fact. In 1841 the anatomist Richard Owen published a paper declaring that the strange fossil bones of giant creatures (which he called "dinosaurs") were all that remained of huge land animals with a combination of bird and reptile characteristics that had gone extinct. In 1858 the former existence of these huge animals became indisputable, when an almost entire skeleton of an adult duckbilled dinosaur (Hadrosaurus) was unearthed in New Jersey USA.
That same year Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin announced to the world a plausible process by which evolutionary shifts in lineages of life could have occurred naturally. The following year, Darwin published his landmark On the Origin of Species (1859). There Darwin wrote wrote,"No one I think can have marvelled more at the extinction of species, than I have done. When I found in La Plata the tooth of a horse embedded with the remains of Mastodon, Megatherium, Toxodon, and other extinct monsters, which all co-existed with still living shells at a very late geological period, I was filled with astonishment; for seeing that the horse, since its introduction by the Spaniards into South America, has run wild over the whole country and has increased in numbers at an unparalleled rate, I asked myself what could so recently have exterminated the former horse under conditions of life apparently so favourable. But how utterly groundless was my astonishment! Professor Owen soon perceived that the tooth, though so like that of the existing horse, belonged to an extinct species."
Darwin continued,"In the oldest tertiary beds a few living shells may still be found in the midst of a multitude of extinct forms. Falconer has given a striking instance of a similar fact, in an existing crocodile associated with many strange and lost mammals and reptiles in the sub-Himalayan deposits. The Silurian Lingula differs but little from the living species of this genus; whereas most of the other Silurian Molluscs and all the Crustaceans have changed greatly."
Nonetheless, Darwin (wrongly) resisted the idea that the stark demarcations in the fossil record (for example, that which had inspired earlier geologists to delineate Cenozoic rocks from earlier Mesozoic rocks, the "K/T boundary") represented equally stark die-backs in the actual living world. Rather, he considered such geological boundaries as artifacts of Earth's cycles of erosion and deposition:"On the theory of natural selection the extinction of old forms and the production of new and improved forms are intimately connected together. The old notion of all the inhabitants of the earth having been swept away at successive periods by catastrophes [as in Noah's Flood], is very generally given up, even by those geologists, as Elie de Beaumont, Murchison, Barrande, &c., whose general views would naturally lead them to this conclusion. On the contrary, we have every reason to believe, from the study of the tertiary formations, that species and groups of species gradually disappear, one after another, first from one spot, then from another, and finally from the world. Both single species and whole groups of species last for very unequal periods; some groups, as we have seen, having endured from the earliest known dawn of life to the present day; some having disappeared before the close of the palaeozoic period. No fixed law seems to determine the length of time during which any single species or any single genus endures. There is reason to believe that the complete extinction of the species of a group is generally a slower process than their production."
Thus, the idea of mass extinction was strongly resisted by Darwin and by most evolutionary scientists that would follow him, even into the 1930s. Gradually, over the course of decades in the mid 20th century, mass extinction was accepted as fact. Then, in the late 1970s, Norman Myers shocked the world by proclaiming that humans are now causing the Sixth Major Mass Extinction. And beginning in the 1960s, but becoming the dominant thought in the 1990s, Pleistocene ecologist Paul Martin led the way in demonstrating, place by place, episode by episode, that humans armed with projectiles and fire effected "overkill" of megafauna on continents and flightless birds and large reptiles on islands whenever our species moved into a new landscape of creatures that did not co-evolve slowly with our technology, thus implicating even pre-agricultural humans, beginning 40,000 years ago in Australia, in this mass extinction of our own making.
Species and entire forms of life have gone extinct. There have been five major mass extinctions, and humans are causing the sixth. Even pre-industrial humans are implicated in the Sixth Major Mass Extinction.
EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY - As Loren Eiseley has written (1962, "The Firmament of Time") in order for evolution to be discovered, first scientists would have to discover that species death was natural and pervasive in Earth history. Thus, Charles Darwin in 1859 was able to launch the idea of biological evolution in his "On the Origin of Species." But Darwin did not then know of mass extinction, which would gradually come to be accepted only in the mid 20th century. Here is a quote from Loren Eisleley's essay, "How Death Became Natural":"It is necessary in surveying the human quest for certainty to consider death before life. I have not done this out of perversity. Rather I have done it because, in the sequence of ideas we have been studying, it is necessary to understand certain aspects of death before we can comprehend the nature of life and its changes. Man, even primitive man, has tended to take life for granted. Death was the unnatural thing, the result of malice or mistake, the after-thought of the gods, or, in the Christian world, the result of the Fall from the Garden. In the development of a scientific approach to life on this planet, therefore, the recognition of death - species death, phylogenetic death - had to precede the rise of serious evolutionary thought. For without the knowledge of extinction in the past, it is impossible to entertain ideas of drastic organic change going on in the present or future."
Evolution of complex life depends on differential death; for life to be seen as natural, death must first be naturalized. Death is natural and generative for the richness of life.
"Death, it brings good things to life." Tom Atlee, 1990
EMBRYOLOGY - [dates and names need to be inserted]. As the plant or animal embryo develops, death is crucial in order for the differentiation of tissues and organs and to produce the overall form and shape of the organism. Without the death of fetal cells, there could be no hand or foot, no fin or wing, no root or branch. Without the death of fetal cells, life would be spherical.Results: Without the death of fetal cells, all life would be spherical. Death is natural and generative for diverse shapes of life.
CELL BIOLOGY - In 1972 Andrew Wyllie discovered and named the phenomenon of programmed cell death whereby cells are made to terminate their life and growth within even the adult organism, not just the growing fetus. When cells fail to terminate, cancer may be the result. In 2005 three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery in 1980 of "the kiss of death molecule". They called this protein molecule "ubiquitin"; when a worn-out protein molecule needs to be recyled for its materials, from which new proteins can be formed, the cell attaches ubiquitin to it, which is then a signal for that protein to be moved to the proteasome, the recylcing center of the cell. Finally, around the turn of the 21st century, various scientists learned that the death of neurons inside the brain, beginning within the fetus and continuing into adulthood results in more than half of the original neurons dying off, such that abundance of neurons is replaced by increases in the number of synaptic connections, which is crucial for making sense of the world.Results: When cells rebel against death, the result is cancer. Cellular death is a partner in maintaining bodily health and mental development.
"A cancerous tumor is born when one batch of cells no longer cooperates with others. By dividing endlessly, or by failing to die properly, these cells can destroy the necessary balance that makes a living, individual person. Cancers break the rules that allow cells to cooperate with one another. Like bullies who break down highly cooperative societies, cancers behave in their own best interest, until they kill their larger community: the human body." Neil Shubin, Your Inner Fish, 2008
BOTANY - Botanists have long understood that the living cells of trees are found above ground mostly in the leaves, and in just a very thin layer that separtes bark from inner wood. As the cells within that thin layer die and are replaced by fresh cells, the dead cells are filled with lignin, and the outer ones become bark, the inner become wood.Results: Without the death and retention of plant cells, there would be no structural support for trees.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS - In 1572 and again in 1604, supernova stars (an absence of parallax demonstrated they were far into the heavens, not closer than the moon) shocked Europeans into realizing that the heavens are not immutable, thus supporting the work of Copernicus and (later) Galileo. In 1938, Hans Bethe discerned the life cycles of stars and concluded that our own star, the sun, likewise will turn into a Red Giant (incinerating Earth at that time) and, later, die when its stores of primordial hydrogen have all been consumed. In 1957, Fred Hoyle and 3 colleagues published a landmark paper revealing the processes by which stars create all the chemical elements (other than hydrogen). This process is called stellar nucleosynthesis, the knowledge of which gave birth to the insight that "We are recycled stardust!". Since then, scientists have learned that many galaxies have been consumed by larger galaxies or merged, that our own Milky Way will interact dramatically with the approaching Andromeda Galaxy in about 2 billion years, and that massive black holes not only consume matter but perhaps may birth new universes in the process.Results: Without the death of stars there could be no planets or life. Our sun will die; galaxies merge; black holes are mysterious agents of massive death and possible rebirth. Death is natural and generative throughout the cosmos.
GEOLOGY - In 1787 James Hutton published "The Theory of Earth," which presented the new science of geology, and which characterized the surface of Earth as undergoing great changes; henceforth, even mountains were not immortal. From 1830 to 1833, Charles Lyell (Scottish) published his 3-volume "The Principles of Geology," which furthered the paradigm shift initiated by Hutton. In 1840, Louis Agassiz (French) published "Studies on Glaciers," which demonstrated that much of Europe (and Canada/US) had once been covered by glacial ice, the soil swept away. The melting ice sheets deposited new rocks, from the size of boulders to glacial silt, on which life would nurture new soils. We now know, too, that the abundance of lakes in the north owes to the workings of glaciers, and that lakes are not immortal (these too will vanish, unless renewed by glaciers). Finally, in the 1960s various scientists ushered in the new plate tectonics paradigm (whose radical precursor was the much-maligned "theory of continental drift" proposed by Alfred Wegener in the 1930s). Now we learned that even continents (Pangaea) and seas (the Tethys Sea) vanish, and that new configurations of land (North America) and seas (the Atlantic Ocean) are born. [For a science perspective on the life-promoting aspects of deadly earthquakes, such as the one that caused the huge tsunami in the Indian Ocean in December 2004, click Deadly and Yet Necessary, Quakes Renew the Planet, by William J. Broad, published in The New York Times (1/11/05)].Results: Mountains erode away; glaciers raze and then refresh the landscape; continents are torn asunder; seaways ebb and grow. Death is natural and generative for land and sea.
GEOGRAPHY & MATH - In 1522 the remaining crew of the voyage begun by Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese) circumnavigated the planet by sailship, proving Earth to be finite. In 1798 Thomas Malthus alerted the western world to the problem of unchecked human population growth in a finite world.
Earth and its resources are finite. Death of elders is necessary in order for Earth to have children. If humans were earthly immortals, very soon the birth of children would have to cease.
Click here to access PROGRAMS, RESPONSIVE READINGS, AND SONGS that celebrate a deep-time understanding of death.


text:
Introduction to Mathematical Statistics
Macmillan, 1965 - Mathematical statistics - 383 pages
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text:
The Open Boat
Jim Flood
Skill Level to Build:
Very low
This is a design for a basic hull made from one piece of closed cell foam 1m x 4m x 50mm thick. The trade name is Plastazote and there is a distributor in the USA.
The hull can be used to develop a rowing skiff, canoe, kayak or sailing...


text:
This chapter considers how aircraft technologies influence emissions at altitude today and how that may change in the future. This introductory section sets the scene by briefly sketching the development and size of today's industry, outlines the approach the authors have adopted to their task, and describes the structure and content of the rest of the chapter.
Major advances in aircraft technology have been achieved in the past 40-50 years. Over that period, principal methods of propulsion have changed: Propeller aircraft were succeeded by jet-powered aircraft of the 1950s; these jets, in turn, were superseded by today's turbofan-powered aircraft from 1970 onwards. The fleet has expanded rapidly. So too has the capacity of jet aircraft-rising from typical 150-seat versions of the late 1950s to the largest 525-seat variant of the 747-400 aircraft in service today. The performance and capability of aircraft has also changed greatly. Cruise speeds of propeller aircraft have trebled from the 100 knots typical of the 1940s. At the start of the commercial jet age, speeds rose to 450 knots. Today's turbofans cruise at average speeds of around 500 knots, and the Concorde reaches 1350 knots. The search for efficient cruise performance with greater range, particularly for long-haul aircraft, has also resulted in higher flying aircraft-a key factor in determining where most aircraft emissions occur and their resulting impact (as discussed in Chapters 2 to 6). Average cruise altitudes for propeller aircraft rose from about 3 to 7.5 km; today's jets cruise primarily between 10.5 and 11.5 km, with some operating at up to 13 km.
Considering the breadth and complexity of the technology base supporting today's aircraft, this chapter cannot hope to provide more than an overview of the subject. Emphasis has therefore been placed on the following key questions:
The structure and balance of the chapter have been developed to reflect the fact that advances in technology that influence the impact of aircraft on the environment fall broadly into two categories:
Broadly, advances that reduce the weight and drag of the aircraft fall into the first of these two categories. These advances are covered in Sections 7.2 and 7.3, which provide background material and a review of current development themes most relevant to the fuel efficiency of modern aircraft.
Engine technology is more complex. Fuel efficiency is closely linked to engine type (e.g., high bypass ratio) and choice of thermodynamic cycles (e.g., pressure and temperature ratios), but changes in the design of the engine's combustion system can also have a significant effect on the composition of the exhaust plume. These two aspects of engine design are dealt with in Sections 7.4 and 7.5.
Section 7.4 introduces the principal performance and design constraints that designers of new engines face and comments on future trends. Section 7.5 takes account of engine cycle trends on the design requirements of new low-emissions combustors. This section is a key part of the chapter because it deals with the component-the combustor-that has the greatest potential for design changes that may reduce the concentrations of some emissions that are of concern. In particular, this section addresses some of the issues raised in Chapter 2. The challenges are complex, and additional background material is included to describe the many fundamental conflicting characteristics of combustion processes that must be reconciled in emissions reduction technology programs.
Trace species in engine emissions are also considered. Potentially important physical and chemical changes to these species occur in the engine as the gas travels rapidly downstream from the combustor and through the turbine stages, where they undergo sudden changes in pressure and temperature. Section 7.6 discusses the present state of knowledge in this field.
Section 7.7 provides background information about work to date in developing the international engine emissions database. It also reports on progress in using data gathered from ground-based tests to predict corresponding cruise altitude emissions levels. These methods are used in the development of predicted inventories for future scenarios in Chapter 9.
Aircraft fuel continues to be a subject of considerable interest. Kerosene-type fuels are in widespread use today and are likely to remain so in the foreseeable future. This factor inhibits the prospect of further reducing CO2 by changing fuels. The use of kerosene is addressed in some detail in Section 7.8, as is the question of fuel effects on emissions. Looking further ahead, Section 7.8 also considers briefly the use of alternative fuels in the longer term-beyond 2050.
The later sections of the chapter concentrate on the smaller numbers of special category aircraft in the global fleet. The first of these categories is "small aircraft" as used in the regional sector of air transport. Generally, these aircraft fly at lower altitudes than their larger counterparts and therefore have a much lower potential impact on the climate. However, growth in this sector is expected to continue; for completeness, therefore, Section 7.9 reports on the particular problems and differences of these aircraft now and in the future. Section 7.10 is concerned with the significant technical and operational issues that differentiate supersonic aircraft from the subsonic fleet. These aircraft are small in numbers now and are likely to remain so until 2015 or later. Beyond that time frame, a significant rise in the numbers of such aircraft could present a more challenging environmental problem because of the altitude at which they fly-a matter discussed in Chapter 2. This prospect has spawned research programs addressing the particular problems arising from high-speed, high-altitude operations.
Section 7.11 discusses the effects of military priorities that influence trends in the technology applied to aircraft. Although operational effectiveness in combat will continue to be the key consideration in engine design, Section 7.11 also points out why military operators' interest in the composition of exhaust is similar to that for civil engines. This section has links with Chapter 9, which shows how, in relative terms, the impact of military fleets will fall partly because of the anticipated slight reduction in their numbers but mainly because of the predicted steep rise of global civil fleets over the next 50 years.
Other reports in this collection


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MONTPELIER, Vt. - While Carmen Tarleton lay in a hospital bed, burned, beaten and disfigured by her estranged husband with injuries that doctors called "the most horrific injury a human being could suffer," she had vivid dreams.
In one of the most memorable, dozens of doors stretched around her. "Life is a choice," a voice said. And then the words appeared one at a time in white across a dark movie screen: LIFE IS A CHOICE.
Tarleton carried that lesson with her through her ongoing, daunting and remarkable recovery after her ex broke into her Theftord home five years ago, beat her with a baseball bat and poured industrial-strength lye on her, burning most of her body.
Tarleton, who at age 44 continues to undergo surgeries and awaits a possible face transplant, has written a book that will be published in March called "Overcome: Burned, Blinded and Blessed." She hopes it will speak to abuse victims and others.
"I think I can help a whole bunch of people, not just domestic violence people," she said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "I think I can help a whole bunch of people wherever you are in your life."
Despite her suffering, she says she's in a better place than she was before the attack.
"I'm so much more blessed than I was then," she said.
The book starts with Tarleton's decision at 28 to move across the country from her native Vermont to Los Angeles, with her two children in tow, to work as a nurse at a UCLA hospital. There she met Herb Rodgers, whom she eventually married. The family moved back to Thetford, where her marriage started to unravel — in part over Rodgers' dishonesty, Tarleton said.
Tarleton recalls what she now says was a premonition. One evening when she was about to leave for her night shift at the hospital, her 12-year-old daughter was sobbing in bedroom. When she asked what was wrong, her daughter said, "Something really, really bad is going to happen to you."
Eight months later, it did. Rodgers is serving a minimum of 30 years in prison for the June 2007 attack.
When she set out to write the book three years later with only limited vision in one eye, she stalled when it came time to explain what Rodgers had done to her that night. She had to coach herself through it.
"Alone at my magnifying machine, I felt physically ill with what I was doing," she wrote. "The experience of reliving that night, trying to capture every detail as vividly as I remembered it, was sickening. Halfway through, I let my pen drop and rushed to my bedroom, the edges of my limited vision blackening."
It took her two days to write it. It was scary, but it was what she wanted to do, she said.
She talked out the rest of the book and recorded it. She hired Writers of the Round Table Press to write it all down, including dialogue she had recalled.
"I was paying attention, because some of it I couldn't forget if I wanted to," she said.
She writes about facing Rodgers in court, how she dealt with being blind and disfigured, her pain, the help she has received from her community, family and friends, and how she came to forgive the man who maimed her so she could get on with her own life.
"That's where I feel people get stuck because we don't have a segment of our society that says just because this terrible thing happened to you it doesn't have to ruin the rest of your life," she said. "And I want to be the example of that because it doesn't."
Publishing the book was a no-brainer for Writers of the Round Table Press, which helped Tarleton write it, said vice-president David Cohen.
"Taking that kind of experience and turning that energy into something positive and wanting to go out there and effect change with as much as she had to overcome, to me was just striking," Cohen said.
As she awaits approval for a procedure that could help her get a face transplant, she looks forward to feeling well enough to speak publicly again about her ordeal to help others. She has had several recent surgeries to install a catheter in her chest and was sick last winter with hyperthyroidism.
She has plans to write other books. She has also started a blog on the book's website. She says she's trying to develop ways to verbalize her positive attitude.
If she had a choice to go back to a year before the attack and to take her life in a different direction, she would not.
"When life gives you a big negative situation like I'd been through, if you can get through that, you can really find all of the blessings and all of the positive things that can come out of that," she said. "And I found so much that I would not go back."
Online: http://www.overcomebook.com


text:
If you think the church can't solve the world's problems, think again. We were made to bring the good news—and Jesus modeled exactly how we can.
The greatest need in the world today is to release the latent energy bottled up in believers who are doing nothing for the kingdom of God. It's time for the church to rise up and be the church. The church is the body of Christ, but it seems like our hands and feet have been amputated, and most of the time we're just a big mouth. It's time for the church to stop being known for what we're against and start being known for what we stand for: grace, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, salvation and new life in Jesus Christ.
That's why we began rethinking our mission strategy at Saddleback. Jesus tells us to "go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone" (Mark 16:15, NCV). Go is a key word for believers. You can't spell gospel without "go." You can't spell good news without "go." You can't spell God without "go."
Jesus commands us to go, meaning missions is not about sending out professional missionaries, organization leaders or aid workers to do the work for us; although we need them and the valuable work they do.
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Jesus said, "You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8, NKJV, emphasis added).
What is a witness? Simple. A witness is somebody who tells his or her story. A witness just says: "This is what I saw. This is what I heard. This is what happened to me." Nobody else can tell your story. You don't need any special training to do it. Just tell people what Jesus has done in your life.
When Jesus said His disciples would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth, how did He mean for that to apply to us? The answer is, He was laying out a plan of ever-increasing influence.
When He said to go to Jerusalem, He was saying: "Start with your family, your friends, your co-workers." It means start in your own city and neighborhood.
Then He said to go to Judea and Samaria. Your Judea is the region where you live. For me, that's Southern California. What state, district, province or prefecture do you live in? That's your Judea.
Then Jesus said go to Samaria. This means people who live in your area but who are culturally different from you. Do you know anybody like that? Sure you do. They might even live next door to you. Jesus was saying, "Just go to people who are different from you."
And then He said, "Go to the ends of the earth." That means go to everybody else. Love demands that we move beyond our comfort zone. Love demands that we go to people of different backgrounds, languages and cultures. Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19, NIV).
What are we supposed to do when we go for Jesus? We're supposed to do what Jesus did. He gave us the model. What did He do? Jesus didn't just preach. He also cared for the oppressed, the poor, the sick, the aged, the blind and the lepers. He cared about the mentally ill, the orphans, the widows, the imprisoned and the homeless. Jesus cares about the people the world wants to forget.
The biggest problems the world faced in Jesus' day are still the biggest problems today: spiritual emptiness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease and illiteracy. I call these the five global giants. They affect billions of people.
And how did Jesus take on these giants? He did five things: He planted the church to reconcile people to God and to one another. He equipped servant leaders by training His disciples to serve rather than be served. He assisted the poor. He cared for the sick. And He educated the next generation.
I believe these are the five things Jesus wants us to do today as His followers. He wants us to go into all the world and:
Plant faith communities
Equip servant leaders
Assist the poor
Care for the sick
Educate the next generation
These five things make up what I call the PEACE Plan.
The PEACE Plan
The PEACE Plan is a grassroots, church-to-church strategy. It's a lay movement designed to mobilize ordinary church members in small groups, empowered by God, to do normal tasks that can make a difference in the world.
The PEACE Plan is about all believers in every church doing all the things Jesus told us to do. It's about churches partnering with churches to take on the global giants in their communities. It's about turning an audience into an army, turning consumers into contributors and turning spectators into participators.
P stands for Plant faith communities.If we're going to share the love of God with billions of people, we must help congregations in their ministries to the disaffected and overlooked. We must also help start new faith communities around the world.
Romans 10:14 says: "Before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them" (NCV).
E stands for Equip leaders.All around the world there are leaders who abuse their power. Amazingly, many of these leaders refuse to use their power for the good of their own people—using it instead only for themselves. This has created chaos in the world.
Zechariah 10:2 says: "People wander around like lost sheep. They are in trouble because they have no leader" (TEV). Proverbs 11:14 says, "Without wise leadership, a nation falls" (NLT). We must teach leaders at all levels that sound leadership requires "a moral foundation" (see Prov. 16:12, The Message).
A stands for Assist the poor. More than half the world—that's 3 billion people—live on less than $2 a day. One-sixth of the world's population lives in slums. Research by the Christian relief organization World Vision suggests that about 600 million people worldwide could get out of poverty quickly if someone would simply give them a small loan—not a gift, but a loan—so they could start a small business and begin to pull themselves out of poverty.
For instance, I have a friend in South Africa who teaches people how to plant gardens. From those vegetable gardens people are able to feed their own families, the AIDS orphans and other poor people in their churches, and still have a little left over to sell for income.
Another friend in Guinea helps prostitutes get off the street by teaching them how to style hair or sew, and then gives them a sewing machine. They're usually able to pay back the cost of the sewing machine over 16 weeks, and none of these women have gone back into prostitution.
Proverbs 29:7 says, "The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern" (NIV).
C stands for Care for the sick. Tragically, hundreds of millions of people around the world are dying from preventable illnesses. Even though we found a cure for these diseases in the 19th and 20th centuries, people in the 21st century are still dying from them.
Think about this: 11 million children die every year from preventable illnesses. That's 27,000 every single day. The No. 1 reason children die from these diseases is unclean water. We know how to clean up water, yet millions of children die every year from diseases they get from drinking contaminated water.
My prayer is that we can mobilize health care professionals in faith communities across our country. These professionals have knowledge, expertise and experience that can make life better for millions of people around our world.
My wife is a breast cancer survivor. When she was diagnosed with the disease, we were able to get her the best treatment available anywhere. She had great doctors and received the needed medications.
But so many in our world have no hope as they face disease and death. It grieves me greatly, knowing other husbands must watch their wives suffer, and die, because they cannot get the medical help they need.
E is for Educate the next generation.I once visited a school outside Johannesburg, South Africa, of about 1,500 kids who all had to sit on the ground. They had no building; there was no water, no electricity, and no books. Yet there is a waiting list of children who want to get into this school so they can sit in the dirt and learn, where they can be safe and off the street.
I also visited a little school in a church where they'd adopted 25 AIDS orphans. I asked the headmaster: "What is the greatest need for your school? Is it a building? Is it more students? Is it curriculum? What is it?"
"Books," he said. "We have no books."
How can you teach—and how can a country be strong—when its children are not educated? How can a country grow and be economically strong when its citizens can't read or write and don't know the fundamentals of math and science we take for granted? More than half the world is still illiterate. It's no wonder these countries aren't strong.
Only the church, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can take on these global giants. No government can do it. If they could, they would have by now. No organization can do it. Only the church can do it.
Only the church has the manpower—nearly 2 billion volunteers in churches all over the globe waiting to be mobilized. Only the church has the willpower to rise up in the name of Jesus and for the glory of God. And most important, only the church has the Holy Spirit's power to enable us to do what is otherwise impossible.
Jesus has called us to do it, He has commanded us to do it and He has commissioned us to do it. The question is, will you do it? Will you do what Jesus said? His command to go is not just for clergy or missionaries or professional ministers. It is for every one of His followers.
The rallying cry of the PEACE Plan is based on Psalm 67:2—that God would send us around the world with the news of His saving power and His eternal plan for all mankind.
The critical question of this hour is this: Will we, the church of God around the world, retreat in the face of these global giants or face them in faith, claiming the promises of God and the power of his Spirit, and defeat them for the glory of God?
The Power of Ordinary People of Faith Working Together
These problems are gigantic, but ordinary people of faith working together can chip away the chaos and bring hope back to the hopeless. We've trained thousands of Saddleback members how to go on missions trips around the world.
They often take with them what we call "Clinics in a Box." We take a box and fill it with common medicine—everyday things we take for granted that are like gold in many places where there's no health care. Small groups of our members deliver these boxes. They also plant faith communities, train leaders, help the poor, care for the sick and educate the next generation.
Our mission has eternal consequences. Heaven and hell are in the balance. God wants to use the people in my congregation and yours to reach the world for Jesus. We need to show our people that the greatest thrill and adventure in life is to be used by God.
Jesus put it this way: "Only those who throw their lives away for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live" (Mark 8:35, TLB).
Rick Warren is a global strategist, philanthropist, pastor and author. His most recent book, The Purpose Driven Life (Zondervan), has sold more than 30 million copies in English and is published in more than 50 languages. In 1980 Warren founded Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Today it may be America's most influential congregation, with more than 100,000 names on the church roll, a 120-acre campus and more than 300 ministries.
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Help Charisma stay strong for years to come as we report on life in the Spirit. Become an integral part of Charisma's work by joining Charisma Media Partners. Click here to keep us strong!
Dr. Mark Rutland's
National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)
The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!
FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.Do you feel stuck? Do you feel like you're not growing? Do you need help from an expert in leadership? There is no other leadership training like the NICL. Gain the leadership skills and confidence you need to lead your church, business or ministry. Get ready to accomplish all of your God-given dreams. CLICK HERE for NICL training dates and details.
The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.


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|Front cover of new book about the filming of Help! for the upcoming anniversary.
The photo agency Rex Features has access to Help! director Richard Lester's private collection, and the book will also contain various sets of images taken by people on the film set. All in all the book will have 250+ photographic pages, featuring fully restored colour and black and white photographs.
The project and the book is being curated by Simon Wells, who previously wrote the "Beatles 365 Days" book, and the Rolling Stones "Great Drugs Bust", among others.
The crowdfunding venture has 100 days to go. Those who order the 965 first edition copies will go into a draw to win a Höfner bass guitar too.
|A set of seven restored and remastered art prints (10x16 inches) will be available in a very limited number.
Details and film at PledgeMusic.


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Supersize: Modern Goliath in Ireland
DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK
Q. Who was the "Irish Giant" Charles Byrne, and how does his story cast modern light on the defeat of huge Goliath by diminutive David? –Y. Ming
A. Born in 1761 of normal parents, he "grew like a cornstalk" in youth, which village gossipers attributed to his being born atop a high haystack, says Jan Bondeson in A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities. He grew to roughly 7 feet, 10 inches, a "modern Living Colossus." Tall men walk considerably under his arm, it was written, but he stoops, is not well shaped, and his appearance is far from wholesome. When he died, his body fell into the hands of a museum schemer, and the skeleton was put on display.
The question of the etiology of the Irish Giant's growth was not resolved until 1909, when radiographic examination of the skeleton confirmed a pituitary adenoma producing the growth hormone. Typical of this condition, he was weak and sickly in spite of his great stature. "Some have speculated that Goliath also was a sufferer and that the weakness associated with the disease accounts for his ignominious defeat at the hands of David," the authors write.
Had Byrne lived today, says Bondeson, surgery could have been performed at an early age. "He might never have been a celebrity or gained immortality in a museum. Instead, he might have led a longer and happier life."
Q. Are you afflicted with "aibohphobia"? Then better stop reading this and skip to the next question. –Mom and Dad
A. Since you're still reading, you obviously aren't afraid of palindromes, words that are spelled the same backwards as forwards, like aibohphobia, meaning "fear of palindromes." This phobic word is an artificially constructed one since "aiboh" is not an existing or meaningful root, says the online encyclopedia "Wikipedia." Some genuine word palindromes: noon, madam, radar, deified, racecar.
The longest palindrome in the Oxford English Dictionary is the 12-letter "tattarrattat," a nonce word by James Joyce in Ulysses. Guinness World Records lists the longest known palindrome in any language as the Finnish 19- letter word "saippuakivikauppias," meaning "a dealer in lye" (or a seller of soapstone). That one's enough to throw a little aibohphobia into just about anybody.
Q. Bring a TV to a football game or other televised sports event and how much delay will you notice between real-time and TV-time? –C. Madden
A. Satellite transmission delays are about 0.25 second for each up and down link, plus time for video compression, says Mark Fischetti in Scientific American. For a football game, add in another 0.1 second processing for "the yellow line" that marks off for viewers where the offensive team must advance to gain a first down, and TV-time will lag by about 1.5 seconds.
This popular golden apparition, appearing out of nowhere on the screen, is a techno tour-de-force by Sportvision of Chicago. The line seems painted on the field, widening or narrowing as the camera pans in or out, and disappearing in the proper spots as players run over it. None of this of course is visible to fans at the stadium.
Before each game, the gridiron must be digitally mapped, and the three main game cameras calibrated at the 25, 50 and 25 yard lines. A half-rack of computers and a single operator working out of the network's regular broadcast truck suffice. The line is keyed to the physical first-down marker that officials stake at the sideline.
This system, say the authors, also makes possible the outlined baseball strike zone and the transient corporate logos appearing on walls and fields.
Q. Try this brain-stumper from Clifford Stoll's The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage: What's the next number in the series 1, 11, 21, 1211, 111221... Hint: No math calculations are necessary. –M. VosSavant
A. This one's tough. After the 1, the second number states that there is one 1 (11) in the previous number. The third number states that there are two 1's (21) in the number before; then one 2 and one 1 (1211); then one 1 and one 2 and two 1's (111221). So the stumper answer is 312211, since the number before had three 1's and two 2's and one 1. Get it?
Send Strange questions to brothers Bill and Rich at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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First timers and new learners, this forum is for you. Please use the search function to see if your question has already been answered.
May 30th, 2014, 02:57
This forum focuses on analyzing malware and any aspects of dealing with packer protections.
May 23rd, 2014, 22:51
Interesting low-level stuff, operating system related issues, packer/vx acrobatics, drivers and non-newbie programming in general, including win32 assembly and whatever else.
April 26th, 2014, 09:51
April 14th, 2014, 06:36
Questions concerning tools (other than OllyDbg) - IDA Pro, SoftIce, member contributions, etc.
NOTE: You must always make sure you cannot find what you are looking for in our Collaborative RCE Tool Library before asking for any tools that can do this or that though!
[ New Tool ] IDA Plugin for...
May 16th, 2014, 12:00
Support forums for OllyDbg 32-bit Assembler-Level Debugger. Developed by Oleh Yuschuk (http://www.ollydbg.de)
Olydbg and thousands events...
April 5th, 2014, 16:37
A classroom run by newbies for newbies. Gain valuable reversing experience & skills as we explain the in's and out's of RCE.
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March 28th, 2013, 06:10
All the collected blog posts from the members of our community, and some others
(i.e. both from local and external blogs, please let us know about any good external ones to import!). Feel free to discuss/comment any blog post in here.
Hardcoded dll export address:...
May 14th, 2014, 17:26


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KiwiSaver options being passed up
New Zealanders are saving millions of dollars into KiwiSaver retirement schemes - but most appear to have no idea how their money is doing.
And experts say that means people are putting more comfortable retirements at risk by not maximising their interest-earning potential.
A Herald on Sunday survey of more than 100 people has revealed just 22 per cent of investors knew with any certainty how their scheme was performing. More worryingly, 16 per cent had no idea which company their retirement savings were with.
KiwiSaver has just passed the five-year mark. Some 1.9 million New Zealanders have signed up and investments top $12.8 billion.
Of the 105 people we surveyed in Auckland this week, just 12 out of the 55 people who said they belonged to KiwiSaver knew the interest rate their savings were earning.
The remaining 33 people - or 78 per cent - said the money disappeared from their pay packet but they had no idea if it was creating a big enough retirement nest egg. Worse, 9 of the 55 didn't know which company they were with.
According to the head of ANZ Wealth, John Body, a small difference in return over decades can have a big impact on savings.
Herald on Sunday Money columnist Bernard Hickey agreed. He said it was vital people knew where their KiwiSaver money was and how it was performing. A recent independent KiwiSaver report highlighted a wide disparity in performances of more than 40 schemes over the past five years, ranging from an 11.6 per cent loss to an 8.3 per cent gain.
Hickey, who now features a KiwiSaver fees and performance section on his website, said a grim 20-year outlook of low returns meant people needed to get interested in KiwiSaver performance and fees as it would determine the eventual size of their retirement savings.
New Zealand Herald columnist and best-selling KiwiSaver author Mary Holm said she was less concerned with the low level of knowledge of performance highlighted in the street survey.
"What's relevant is how they (funds) are likely to do over the longer period."
She said most people would be in KiwiSaver from between 10 and more than 60 years and if too much attention was given to short-term numbers, investors could end up making ill-advised decisions.
When they join KiwiSaver, people are put in a default scheme unless they nominate their own. Many of these take conservative investment options and experts believe younger people will make more if they change to moderate or high-risk schemes.
- additional reporting by Mahvash Ali
Couple use scheme to buy first home
Ryan Page (picture), 29, shifted into his first house on Auckland's North Shore this year thanks to his KiwiSaver scheme.
The Auckland business analyst and partner Rachael Wilson ended the uncertainty of renting after combining their personal KiwiSaver contributions with those of their employer to buy a property.
KiwiSaver is primarily a retirement plan but people can dip into their savings to buy their first home.
Page joined KiwiSaver within six months of it starting just under five years ago on his father's advice.
"It really helped us," he said. "It meant we got into the house a year earlier than if we hadn't had KiwiSaver."
Page had the financial savvy to know what his money could earn him. He said his KiwiSaver contributions were split between medium and high-risk funds over the past five years and had averaged around 6 per cent return each year.
This had grown to a level where the couple had saved half the deposit needed to buy the property and the rest was met through personal savings.
Page and his partner had resumed KiwiSaver contributions at a lesser rate but were now saving with retirement in mind.


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Dispute halts Auburn road work
Residents upset work not complete
Road construction on South Main Street in Auburn is at a standstill and residents said they've had enough.
Since April, there have been several projects along an area of the road, which has been left unpaved for months.
Mary Story said she hasn't been able to sit on her outside deck all summer. She, like many others on South Main Street, is wondering when the city will wrap up a major construction project that's been kicking up dust for months.
"Somewhere down there, somebody's made a mistake," Story said.
The private contractor working on the project wasn't on site Tuesday. In fact, the construction has now stalled after a spot check by the Maine Department of Transportation found some issues.
"There is a discussion that is ongoing between the city, state and federal highway about the reclaim, which is the top level or 3 inches of material that was used, whether or not that meets specifications," said Dan Goyette, the city engineer.
Goyette said the project is backed by city, state and federal funds, and each has different guidelines. That's where the mix-up began, he said.
"The contractors were working under a different set of assumptions based on those specifications, so now we're basically in discussion of what's acceptable and what's not," Goyette said.
"We have given the city an opportunity to provide test results and documentation showing how the materials might meet the specifications. We hope to resolve this matter in a timely way as discussions continue," the Maine Department of Transportation said in a statement.
Story said for those who live and drive on the street, time and patience are running out.
"It's a little frustrating when we've been waiting years and years on this road to have it paved and then they tell us in a letter two years ago that it's going to get paved and then it didn't get paved, and then here we sit," Story said.
If the Federal Highway Administration decides the materials don't meet the specifications, it could decide not to pay for what's already been done or ask the city to start over, the state transportation department said.


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|Online MIPT programming contest
|<PREV Problem:
Time limit = 4 second(s)John is a Chief Executive Officer at a privately owned medium size company. The owner of the company has decided to make his son Scott a manager in the company. John fears that the owner will ultimately give CEO position to Scott if he does well on his new manager position, so he decided to make Scott's life as hard as possible by carefully selecting the team he is going to manage in the company. John knows which pairs of his people work poorly in the same team. John introduced a hardness factor of a team ≈ it is a number of pairs of people from this team who work poorly in the same team divided by the total number of people in the team. The larger is the hardness factor, the harder is this team to manage. John wants to find a group of people in the company that are harderst to manage and make it Scott's team. Please, help him.
In the example on the picture the hardest team consists of people 1, 2, 4, and 5. Among 4 of them 5 pairs work poorly in the same team, thus hardness factor is equal to 5/4. If we add person number 3 tothe team then hardness factor decreases to 6/5.
Input The first line of the input file contains two integer numbers n and m (1 ≤ n ≤ 100, 0 ≤ m ≤ 1000). Here n is a total number of people in the company (people are numbered from 1 to n), and m is the number of pairs of people who work poorly in the same team. Next m lines describe those pairs with two integer numbers ai and bi (1 ≤ ai, bi ≤ n, ai ≠ bi) on a line. The order of people in a pair is arbitrary and no pair is listed twice.
Output Write to the output file an integer number k (1 ≤ k ≤ n) the number of people in the hardest team, followed by k lines listing people from this team in ascending order. If there are multiple teams with the same hardness factor then write any one.
5 6 1 5 5 4 4 2 2 5 1 2 3 1
4 1 2 4 5
4 0
1 1
© acm.mipt DevGroup
The page was generated in 210ms


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The Double-Edged Sword
There are two sides to estate planning—how to make it and how to keep it.
Historically, this column has taken the "you ain't dead yet" approach to estate planning. My point is that you need two plans because even a perfect, traditional estate plan only takes care of your affairs after you get hit by the final bus. Simply put, it's a "death plan."
What about the rest of your life, though? Whether you live 5 or 40 more years, doesn't common sense tell you that your lifetime plan (tax and economic) for those years should be put into place now, at the same time as your estate plan?
Since the economy started to head south, my readers have been hit in two ways: Their Wall Street portfolios show an average loss of 30 percent, and their businesses are down from previous years. Suddenly, they want to talk about "how to make it" (lifetime planning) and "how to keep it" (estate planning).
This column traditionally targets legally beating up on the IRS and saving taxes, primarily estate taxes. However, in keeping with these tough economic times, we will now add a new area of interest to this column: "How to make it." Most of the time this will have a tax-saving twist.
One wealth-building strategy uses life insurance to avoid estate taxes. This strategy helps solve two continuing problems: huge Wall Street losses and the enormous tax costs on gains once the good times roll. Simply put, we want to cut the losses to really make a profit and cut taxes.
This is an investment strategy that takes advantage of a tax-free opportunity in the Internal Revenue Code. It's called "Private Placement" life insurance (PPLI), and it's a legal way for wealthy investors to make their investment gains tax-free. Gains are shielded from income taxes during your life and even at death. The death benefit from the policy not only is income tax free, but also can be set up to escape estate taxes.
PPLI is not a fancy concept—it's just investments held in a life insurance wrapper. The types of investments you could make are wide-ranging, including hedge funds, derivatives, real estate investment trusts and others.
If you think you might need some cash down the road, a PPLI can be set up so you can take tax-free loans from the policy. If you are uninsurable, a neat wealth-building strategy is to use PPLI on a younger member of your family. Compounding earnings—tax-free—is a real wealth-builder.
And finally, I want to remind my readers that nobody knows it all. This column authoritatively covers a wide array of subjects with the help of a large, national network of experienced and knowledgeable experts. We are constantly exchanging ideas to help each other solve client/column reader problems.
So, come on readers: Join our How-to-Make-It, How-to-Keep It Club. Show this article to everyone you know. We want their ideas. Of course, we'll give them credit and pass on (only the good stuff) the winning ideas to you, through this column. Together, we'll prosper even before the economy picks back up.


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Two Alabama legends to receive national human and civil rights award
WASHINGTON - June 24, 2009 -
Dr. Paul R. Hubbert and Dr. Joe L. Reed, longtime leaders of the Alabama Education Association, will each receive the H. Councill Trenholm Memorial Award at the National Education Association's annual Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner in San Diego, Calif., on July 2, 2009.
The Trenholm awards are given annually to recipients, one White and the other African-American, who have expanded educational opportunities for minority students and educators, and improved intergroup relations in public schools.
Trenholm was an Alabama native known well by both Hubbert and Reed. It was Trenholm, as executive secretary of the American Teachers Association, who represented teachers in segregated schools, and who helped negotiate a merger with the National Education Association in 1966. The national merger of ATA and NEA lead to a merger of all previously segregated state associations in the South.
It was the merger of the Alabama Education Association and the Alabama State Teachers Association that led to the Hubbert and Reed partnership that has become legendary in Alabama. While most NEA state affiliates lost members when the African-American and White Associations merged, AEA actually increased it membership.
The Hubbert and Reed partnership also has increased the Alabama Education Association's membership from 21,000 in 1969 to over 104,000 today. Their success has been based in large part on their commitment to use the political process and legal system to protect Alabama school employees and advance the cause of public education in the state.
Reed spearheaded AEA's legal efforts to ensure every voter in the state, regardless of race or residency, had the right to vote and that political districts weren't rigged against African-American representation in the state Legislature.
Hubbert has led the fight to protect Alabama's school funding program against all comers, including some of the state's most powerful politicians, most notably Gov. George Wallace.
Reed's political network within the African-American community transformed the state's Democratic Party, providing an opportunity for minority politicians to make up some 25 percent of the state Legislature.
Hubbert, as chair of the Alabama Teachers Retirement System, has helped shape one of the most secure and well-funded retirement systems in the nation, including a statewide health care program that is overseen, not by the Legislature and politicians, but by the retirement system board comprised of a majority of active and retired school employees.
Working together they have won legislative victories to create statewide kindergarten, reduced pupil-teacher ratios, and provide equitable state funding for all the state's public schools.
AEA was also one of the first states in the nation, and the first in the South, to provide membership opportunities to education support professionals.
"Thanks to Paul Hubbert and Joe Reed, every student in Alabama has access to a great public education and every educator has a voice in creating that education," said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. "Their bravery, in standing together and standing up for public school employees and the students they teach, speaks volumes about two men whose legacy will be that of fairness, equity and access for all. They epitomize the spirit of the H. Councill Trenholm Award."
H. Councill Trenholm (1900–1963) served for 21 years as executive secretary of the predominantly Black American Teachers Association. One of the country's most outstanding Black educators and President of Alabama State University, Trenholm helped build ATA's membership and strength and worked for the eventual merger of ATA and NEA.
# # #
The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional organization, representing
3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals,
school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.
CONTACT: Stacey Grissom
(202) 822-7823, email@example.com


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Ummmm, cosy!
I feel a tad miffed that my ta-dah moment has been hijcked so the pictures here are the best I can do. I am very pleased with the flannel, it's so super soft and cosy and I've made it quite a big quilt so there's plenty to get snuggling in, good job as there's generally a fair few bodies in there vying to claim the flannel!
I've been having problems with both my camera and photo software such that the photos are in disarray so apologies that I have spent time searching for the "before" photos in vain. The paint for the walls was colour-matched by the paint shop to the background of the wallpaper, a trick of which I am fond. I think it looks like a pool of melted vanilla ice cream and is a good foil for everything else that's going on in this room. I painted the fireplace which formerly was very black and masculine. It's not original to the house, although it is an authentic period piece, and wouldn't have been our choice, but we decided not to replace it. I used (many coats of) "All White" by Farrow and Ball (with a metal primer underneath).
I did indeed find the lamp base and shade. I have become quite obsessed with lamps recently but that's another post! The vintage glass lamp base was £5 and cleaned up a treat. I stockpile old lampshades from charity shops for a few pounds and like this one, I cover them with vintage fabric. You may have seen this sort of style in Cath K, they're pretty easy to make for yourself. I dislike overhead lighting (practical though it is for certain purposes) and am a big fan of lots of task and table lamps. We already owned all the vintage pictures, radio and so on.
We also came up trumps with the blanket box at the vintage market. I've yet to recover the lid as I can't decide on fabric (the original is pretty but damaged) but this has been a great find as I have been able to store all the bedding in here and free up space in my utility room. It is also, of course, an extra kitty seat!
The vintage knobs we had stock-piled from the architectural salvage stall on the Bridport street market. This wall of wardrobes with doors has probably effected the most change to the room, now it generally looks pretty tidy.


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Baz Luhrmann and his Gatsby cast were in Sydney tonight at the gala premiere. Tobey Maguire was there, and Joel Edgerton, and of course Carey Mulligan dutifully promoted their film. Leo, as you know, stayed back in Cannes. As previously mentioned, Leo bailed because of a "scheduling change". He was out last night and the night before surrounded by models in Cannes. Click here for a refresher.
Luhrmann defended his star though, explaining that Leo had "personal reasons" for not coming to Sydney with everyone else:
"And I know he made the right decision. He shouldn't be here. There are things in your own personal life where you've got to draw a line and we talked about it. He did exactly the right thing in my opinion."
Baz sounds like an awesome boss.
So here they all are, Leo-less, on what appears to be a rainy carpet. Carey wore a light pink bustier over trousers with her hair in soft waves.
And if you're wondering about Isla Fisher, she was in New York for her other film Now You See Me.


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Known around the world as the company that put the "stomp" in "stompbox," BOSS is the division of Roland Corporation most easily recognized for its legendary line of colorful guitar and bass effects pedals. But beyond these killer pedals, BOSS has pushed the envelope for over 35 years with innovative multi-effects, loopers, rhythm machines, personal digital studios, and other easy-to-use products for musicians of all types. Simply put, BOSS gives you the creative tools you need to spend less time tweaking and more time playing.
Our product catalog varies by country due to manufacturer restrictions. If you change the Ship-To country, some or all of the items in your cart may not ship to the new destination.


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This page provides links to policies established by Idaho Sewing For Sports:
Padding for all sorts of sports and other applications
This page provides links to policies established by Idaho Sewing For Sports:
With Knowledge Comes Understanding, And With Understanding Comes Wisdom. Idaho Sewing for Sports has been in operation as a padding business for over 30 years and operating in Idaho for over 20 years. We've grown up right along side of the ski area industry. We understand what works and what doesn't. We understand how to address the cold crack, UVR's, abrasion and the severe conditions which the ski industry has to contend with. From weather and people to the ongoing seasonal budget issues and fuel prices, Idaho Sewing for Sports embraces the challenges our ski resort industry has to … [ Continue Reading ]


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The power is back on!
I remember as a child in the 1970's we had a series of power cuts during times of industrial action. Those hours spent by candlelight, eating sausages and beans cooked on a camping stove are lovely memories- and I still remember the disappointment I felt when the lights came back on. The time of dancing shadows was over, and the florescent uniformity was back again.
I felt a little flicker of this disappointment today. But these days, the lack of power is no benign thing- particularly in Argyll.
The storms today cut off Cowal entirely- the Rest and Be Thankful pass was blocked, and the ferries all stopped running. Trees are down everywhere and caravans and high sided vehicles tipped over.
In fact, I called in to the Police Station earlier and was told that an articulated lorry had been blown on its side, only later to be blown back onto it's wheels! I confess to feeling skeptical, but the story was told to me in all seriousness.
More seriously there have been a spate of accidents- a policeman is said to be amongst those injured.
And when the power is out, the frailer members of our society are very vulnerable.
We have not escaped damage to property either- William's shed took a battering, a fence is wobbling and water is coming in to our house through the skylight.
But for a while, we sat in the lounge before a raging fire and played games by the light of candles. Everyone was happy, somehow buoyed by the drama and comraderie of it all.
And then the lights came on again.
And we went our separate ways- to our individual screens and electronic cocoons.
A small band of survivors no longer.


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Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Hit Me Baby One More Time
What is your favorite quotable line from a movie?
Yeeeeaaah, I'm gonna have to go ahead and quote from Office Space [didja GET the memo?]. The entire movie is one long quote, but how about:
"You've been missing a lot of work lately..."
"Well, I wouldn't say I've been missing it...."
Who is the most famous person you have spoken to?
In my dreams, I've spoken to almost everyone - so I'm really quite ubiquitous. But, in the early 90s when I was involved in the music scene, I probably met about 50 famous and/or cultish musicians. I tried typing some names and just can't bring myself to do it - it feels too weird.
How many bags of chips are consumed at your place in a month?
We are strictly a white-corn tortilla chip household, now that I consider the subject at length. I'd say we buy about 4 bags a month. Little piglets we are. [I feel like I structured that last sentence while channeling Yoda from Star Wars, what happened there?]
Who is your favorite all time cartoon character?
Probably Pepe Le Pew; he was so charming with that accent and all - such a ladies man. Or, there was a little, blue dog that used to eat dog treats, and afterward - he'd rub his belly while saying "yum, yum, yum" and float to the ceiling - I LOVED him as a kid. Who was he? Did I imagine him?
What foreign food dish do you prepare from scratch and serve?
Besides a slew of desserts? I make some pretty good coconut-curry steamed mussels.
What is your favorite section of the supermarket?
I love the accoutrement section - gazing at all the kitchen tools...tool porn. And the bakery, but of course! More food porn for Mama!
What was your high school's team mascot and what were the school's colors?
Yeah, let's just bring up the worst years of everyone's life, shall we? The years where we tell kids "these are the BEST years of your life!" - and afterward you go "if those were the best years of my life, no wonder all those people drank the Kool-aid in Jonestown for chrissakes"! But I digress - it was the eagle; purple and white. In other words, a fashion disaster that knew no bounds. Good times. DON'T drink the Kool-aid! Those are not the best years of your life!
So, that's all I got. And don't worry, I won't tag any of you - so stop hiding in the corner back there. If you do feel like using the tag - cool, I'd love to see your answers - so let me know if you use it on your blog. Otherwise, feel free to share a little secret of your own right here. You KNOW how I eat it up.
And, now for some gratitude. The extremely and eternally lovely Jennifer from Thursday Drive has given me the Arte Y Pico award! A huge thank you to Jennifer! If you have not visited her blog, it really is a must - it is a daily visit for me and you'll quickly see why. I know I am supposed to pass this on to 5 more people, but feel unprepared at the moment - plus, there are so many blogs I read, I just can't imagine whittling it down to five (I never was able to the last time someone gave me this award either, I'm hopeless). For now though, I want to pass along my gratitude.
18 comments:
- NV said...
Love me some Office Space, girl! but the line from that I love is: "Excuse me. I believe you have taken my stapler."
I dig Pepe but for me it's a tie between Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian when it comes to cartoons. WB definitely had the market cornered.
- August 12, 2008 at 3:12 PM
How about "...two chicks at the same time". lol! Just kidding! I swear I didn't say that!
Don't stop the memes! Please! Too much fun.
- August 12, 2008 at 3:27 PM
Porky Pig, definitely. And the entire cast of Anemaniacs (sp?).
- August 12, 2008 at 3:34 PM
- Clumbsy Cookie said...
You in the music scene? You should tell more about it! I'm in to tools porn too. Why does that sounds so strange? Oh well you said it first!
- August 12, 2008 at 4:01 PM
- MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...
I am partial TO any quote from Office Space. You may just be my new best friend, red stapler and all!
- August 12, 2008 at 6:48 PM
- MonkeyGirl said...
Talk about fashion disasters - NV and I shared the same school colors of purple and gold. And as some sick catholic school punishment, our gym suits were orange and white pinstriped polyester! Somebody was smoking something when they came up with that winning combination!
- August 12, 2008 at 7:22 PM
- Ann said...
NV: I almost quoted about the stapler! Pepe rules. I forgot about that ultra cool Martian.
Kspinning: Love it! Good one.
Cheap Chick: Aw, Porky - he was a classic, wasn't he? Adorable.
Clumbsy Cookie: Ooo, do I sense we may share some juicy stories? Ooo la la!
MamaGeek: LOVE Office Space! I used to talk like Lumbergh ALL the time, to the annoyance of ALL.
Monkeygirl: Why DO they make school colors so hideous? Like we're not self conscious ENOUGH as TEENS? Why no, let's pour acid in the wound TOO. Yes.
- August 12, 2008 at 8:41 PM
- Gigi said...
Loved this! Ok, school mascot ...trojans! (So, many childish high school jokes.) And the colors were blue and white (yawn). The secret? Loved watching the boys at the private military school next door march up and down the field. Even now, I am still a sucker for man in a military uniform!
- August 12, 2008 at 11:27 PM
You make memes fun. Of course, I remain too horribly boring to participate.
You're terribly interesting, could you write mine?
- August 13, 2008 at 2:37 AM
- grace said...
first, that's absolutely my favorite office space quote.
second, i suspect that you did, in fact, imagine that blue dog.
third, fun to speak like yoda it is.
finally, congrats on your awards and a superfun post. :)
- August 13, 2008 at 4:43 AM
- YD, sometimes with ♥June and ♥Angel Samantha said...
You are one funny gal!
Plese keep up the meme. It's fun and it's good that we get to know more about you.
- August 13, 2008 at 6:59 AM
You are so nice to me and my blog(s).
Moving on...I'm fairly certain you made up the blue dog. And I would answer one, but you already read all of my answers, so I'll give you a piece of unsolicited information:
I've been married for 8 years.
And I'm 25.
- August 13, 2008 at 12:37 PM
- dharmamama said...
I could have sworn you were talking about Truffle Hound... but I googled that... and I must have made THAT up. If it's not on the internet, did it ever exist?
I remember when he'd find a truffle, he'd hug himself...
Did we share a dream, or something?
- August 13, 2008 at 12:58 PM
- hungryandfrozen said...
Hey, I enjoy your tags as much as i love reading your Twitters. My high school had neither a mascot or colours. Not nearly as fascinating as an American one, huh? And now after reading all these comments I really want to rent office space :)
- August 14, 2008 at 2:51 AM
- YD, sometimes with ♥June and ♥Angel Samantha said...
Thanks Ann, for the info about Cooks Illustrated. I am going to submit that tip.
- August 14, 2008 at 7:27 AM
Isn't anyone going to say who the blue dog is? Because I remember him and I, too, loved him, especially when he floated in the air and rubbed his tummy...and yum, yum, yum! You did not imagine that! Someone has to remember his name, please, someone...?!
- August 14, 2008 at 5:48 PM
- Manager Mom said...
My high school colors were green and gold. Not recommended unless you are a descendent of Monaco royalty.
I wonder if the inventor of that Arte y Pico graphic gets a royalty whenever it's used?
Yep, J of T-Drive rocks.
- August 15, 2008 at 12:41 PM
- Jenn @ Juggling Life said...
Congrats on the award!
Going to William-Sonoma with my mother used to be almost embarrassing, what with all the moaning!
- August 23, 2008 at 8:59 PM


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Oakland, Berkeley, And East Bay News, Events, Restaurants, Music, & Arts
Frylock, Meatwad, and Master Shake the Three Stooges inhabiting Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters will survive should you choose to avoid their movie. Truth be told, you've probably never heard of them anyway, unless you're a regular viewer of the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block or vaguely recall hearing the name of the film when it surfaced during a Boston terror scare earlier this year, when authorities mistook illuminated viral marketing signs for terrorists' explosive devices. For the stunt, you may recall, Turner Broadcasting agreed to fork over close to $2 million, which has to be more than it cost to make Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Thing looks like it was made on your mom's TRS-80. In 1996.
Truth be told, the studios got their money's worth for all the publicity they received. Or perhaps that was the real plan to get mistaken for terrorists and spread all over the 24-hour news cycle, where the name of the film was repeatedly uttered for days on end. Who would put it past Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis, the parents of Frylock, Meatwad, and Master Shake, who have spent the past seven years getting paid to create late-night stoner programming for parents too tired to switch off the Cartoon Network after the kiddies finish Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends? (To be fair, I have friends and colleagues who dig ATHF and aren't parents or stoners. Yeah, seems weird to me too.) The whole thing's felt like a prolonged prank, so why stop now?
The pair, former Space Ghost Coast to Coast writers, have filled years of programming and sold millions of DVD boxed sets with 11-minute segments of chaos, nonsense, and noise signifying nothing but the sound of burbling bongs and ka-chinging cash registers. Maiellaro and Willis are the Tarantino and Rodriguez of low-budget animation, the Parker and Stone of stoners (South Park's for wine-drinkers, please) horror-movie buffs and sci-fi fanatics who gorge on pop culture's high-fat diet and regurgitate that shit into something approaching ... uh ... art? Close enough.
Where most of the other Adult Swim shows are nothing but snarked-up jalopies salvaged from the Hanna-Barbera junkyard, ATHF exists in its own little world a messy, broken-down place populated by mad scientists, horny robots, pissed-off videogame characters, 'roided-up neighbors, and an alien melon. Which is to say nothing of the talking fast-food items living as roomies: Frylock (voiced by Carey Means), the blaxploitation box of fries who serves as the trio's de facto leader; Master Shake (Dana Snyder), who is indeed no smarter than your average dairy product; and Meatwad (Willis), who, with his squeaky voice and ability to take the shape of myriad meat products, might reasonably be described as "cute" were he not also covered in stray hairs.
The three really are little more than standard sitcom characters men, or whatever, behaving badly. They might as well be Jerry, Elaine, and George yadda-yadda-yadda-ing about nada. Only difference is, here you have a Terminator-like exercise machine sent from the future (or past, it's so hard to tell) to destroy the planet; an origin story involving the Sphinx, Abraham Lincoln, and the FBI; and the revelation that one of the main characters is another one's father and/or mother.
But that's all so beside the point. Narrative is a sketchy proposition in a movie that proudly bills itself in trailers as "an animated epic featuring three all-new backgrounds," and then proceeds to really offer nothing more than that. The movie's there for 87 minutes, it makes you giggle every now and again, and then it vanishes like everything else on TV.
Truth be told, the funniest moment comes before the film officially starts, during a pre-opening-credits intro that parodies those old drive-in theater concession stand promos. It's standard stuff by now any 3-year-old can probably sing along to "Let's all go to the lobby ..." but Maiellaro and Willis up the volume. The retro hot dog, soda, and popcorn square off against their heavy-metal counterparts who, in short, threaten the audience against talking during the movie and bootlegging it afterward, lest they and Time Warner rip your fucking head off, more or less. The thing goes on forever, but how else do you expect 11 minutes' worth of ideas to fill 87 minutes' worth of screen time? By. Stretching. Everything. Out.
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News - September 25, 12:22 PM
News - September 25, 4:00 AM


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Super Bowl Snacks: Cajun Caramel Corn Recipe
Super Bowl Disclaimer: When it comes to sports, Serious Eats is a non-partisan site but we can't stop our contributors from getting a little rah-rah for their favorite football teams this time of year.
What is the perfect snack for Super Bowl Sunday? Something salty? (Check.) Spicy? (Yes.) Sweet? (Uh, sure.) Something served in a bowl that must be eaten by the handful? Absolutely!
Since I am rooting for the Saints—two years in New Orleans did a number on me—I have created recipe that will definitely please you and your Saints fans. Colts supporters: you can take a few handfuls too.
This is super easy to make especially if you use microwave popcorn, and it's truly addicting. But don't be fooled—the caramel corn may not seem too spicy at first, but it will certainly sneak up on you. Just like the Saints will in the fourth quarter.
- Yield:approximately 4 cups
- Rated:
- For the Old-School Popped Corn:
- 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Or substitute with 1 bag plain microwave popcorn
- For the Cajun Caramel Topping:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Before you begin the popcorn, preheat oven to 350°F.
Over high heat, warm the oil and one kernel of corn. As soon as the kernel pops, add the remaining kernels and cover.
Reduce heat to medium and listen. Once you can count to "1-2-3 Louisiana" without hearing a pop, remove the pot from the heat and pour popcorn into a large bowl.
Once cool, toss popcorn so any unpopped kernels fall to the bottom of the bowl. Transfer the nice popped corn into another bowl and discard unpopped kernels.
In a small pot, over medium heat, cook the butter, brown sugar, cayenne, sea salt and corn syrup until it just begins to bubble on the sides.
Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the baking soda. Slowly pour the warm caramel over the popcorn while stirring gently. Continue to stir the popcorn until well-coated.
Spread the caramel corn onto a large baking sheet. Bake for approximately 8 to 12 minutes or until the caramel just begins to darken. Be sure to stir around the caramel corn once, after the first six minutes or so of baking.
Let cool to just about room temperature. Break up any clusters and enjoy!
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Happy New Year!
All you need are two 1 x 4s and one 1 x 2 boards. Ours were 10 feet long but you could do any length. Sand them down a bit to smooth out ends. We painted ours first, but you could wait until they are assembled, too. We didn't paint the back or bottom.
Nail the two 1 x 4s together at a 90 degree angle. (The bottom board of the shelf should butt up against the back, giving you the most width.) Then attach the 1 x 2, having the bottom board butt up against that.
Find some stuffies for quality control. Is it me, or is that cat smiling extra wide?
Side view: you can see how their bottoms nestle in to the ledge and don't slip out.
We took the entire shelf and screwed it right into the studs of the wall (a stud finder, drill and husband are all very handy at this point!).
Dig out all your stuffies from drawers, closets, underneath blankets, etc. and line them up. Don't they look happy?


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Bill would raise I-295 speed limit to 75 mph
Transportation committe reviewed proposal Friday
A Maine legislative committee is considering a bill that would allow the Transportation Department to raise the speed limit on sections of Interstate 295 from Scarborough to West Gardiner to 75 miles per hour. The speed limit for much of that southern Maine stretch is now 65 mph.
Democratic Rep. Justin Chenette of Saco is sponsor of the bill, which was reviewed Friday morning by the Transportation Committee.
Chenette said his bill does not raise the speed limit directly. Its goal is to give the state authority to increase the speed limit if it's warranted, following engineering and safety reviews.
In 2011, the Legislature passed a law allowing the speed limit to go up to 75 mph on Interstate 95 from Old Town to Houlton in northern Maine.


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Item Description
Letter, Eli Thayer to Mr. [Charles] Robinson
Author: Thayer, Eli , 1819-1899
Date: August 5, 1856
From Worcester, Mass., on August 5, 1856, the founder of the Emigrant Aid Company wrote Charles Robinson's "brother" about "certain efforts to injure the reputation of your brother" whom Thayer called "heroic." He mentions the Buffalo convention and the shipment of weapons to KT, but the main objective was to reassure the governor via his "brother" that he had not been forgotten and that Thayer would remain his champion in the East.
Location of Original: KSHS Call Number: Charles & Sara Robinson Collection, # 488, Box 1, Folder 4
Item Number: 101124 Number of images: 3
Keywords: Free state activities; Free state government; Guns; New England Emigrant Aid Company; Robinson, Charles, 1818-1894; Thayer, Eli, 1819-1899; Weapons (see also Guns); Worcester, Massachusetts
pg. 1
pg. 2
pg. 3


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I am simply trying to print a random integer to a text file. However when I open up the text it just shows= square shapes and not the numbers. I attached the .txt file
public void writefile(int amountLines, File filename) throws IOException { BufferedWriter writer = new BufferedWriter(new FileWriter(filename)); Random generator = new Random(); for (int i = 0; i < amountLines; i++) { writer.write( generator.nextInt(amountLines -1) + 1); writer.newLine(); } if (writer != null) { writer.flush(); writer.close(); } }


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(Lainey: clearly Duana has found her people, because some of you are just as name nerdy/snobby as she is.)
"Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence Thurman-Busson, better known to family and friends as Luna". That's from the publicist, whom I assume was cringing as she wrote this.
I think it is prudent, in this situation, to list the meanings of the given names, as many as we can:
Rosalind – Spanish, means Red Dragon
Arusha – Sanskrit, means Red
Arkadina – no meaning found on Nameberry, my name-bible , but the name shows up in Chekov's The Seagull
Altalune – no meaning found on Nameberry
Florence - Flourishing, Prosperous. (It's worth it to look at the graph of when Florence was popular. You want a below-the-radar name? Try this one.)
Um. Red Red Chekhov "Luna" Prosperous Thurman-Busson. I guess that's a theme? Sort of?
Well, let's first talk about cohesiveness, shall we? Uma's own name is Sanskrit, and her baby's father, Arpad, has two children named Arpad Flynn Alexander and Aurelius Cy Andrea, so if you were wondering whether or not his dick grows bigger when he gives children names starting with his initial, well, now you don't have to wonder anymore. (For what it's worth, People says these children are called Flynn and Cy.) There's also Uma's two children, Maya Ray and Levon.
I mean of course it's utterly ridiculous. There is no goddamn need to hoard five first names and sixteen syllables when you're going to call the child Luna. Is there a shortage? Does she think, like that letter-writer who hit up Sasha last week, that nobody else will use the names now that she's claimed so many of them?
But she's Uma Thurman. In addition to being a bit of a cipher in her own life and letting Ethan Hawke go (sorry, but 15 year old me can't deal with that, still), she is the daughter of a family who had the Dalai Lama drop by casually when she was growing up; her siblings' names are also unusual and I believe many are also of Sanskrit extraction.
So here's the question, one that is a little taboo and a lot annoying to the people who think the answer is No…
Are you more entitled to name "weirdly" if you have a weird name yourself?
There are millions of subsections here. I remember an outcry when Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie named their baby Luca – neither of them presents as particularly Italian, so how dare they take that name? Suri has Hebrew and Sanskrit roots, but because she's an All-American darling, it somehow seems okay and "normalized" for a girl whose parents are Tom and Katie? We have millions of interfaith, intercultural couples having children – does the name have to reflect each, or either? If you're sixteenth-generation Canadian, does that mean you have to avoid a name like Aziza, even if you think it's gorgeous?
Can we justify Uma and Arpad naming their baby something so outlandish because they have to top their own unusual names? I'll be honest, as someone whose name doesn't come up every year, let alone every day, it does give you a certain freedom to make it your own. But when little R.A.A.A.F.T-B, "Luna" to her friends, is wearing the same overpriced designer sweatshirt as everyone else in fourteen years, you really think it's going to make a difference to her self-image? Do the three As do anything except prove that her parents wanted to amuse themselves?
On the flip side, there are still people who complain about why we can't have children named "normal" names (I actually saw a woman on a mainstream site the other day use the term "Christian names" which...seriously? In 2012? Romney?) and by those they mean commonly used English names used within the last 50 years. Guaranteed if she had just named the girl Rosalind Florence there would have been some complaints over that, how "dried up and boring" it is. There is a world in which people can't win unless they choose Sophia (don't choose Sophia!).
In conclusion: while I'm utterly disgusted with the number of names and the famewhorey release of them, I find some kind of lovely. Especially "Arusha". But overall, I kind of hope the child chooses a life of obscurity because if she goes for anything involving press, the name will always precede the person.


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Average retail gasoline prices in New Hampshire rosee 3.5 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.38 per gallon Sunday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 875 gas outlets in New Hampshire.
In Maine, retail gasoline prices rose 2.8 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.51 per gallon Sunday.according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 1,228 gas outlets in Maine.
This compares with the national average that has increased 3 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.27 per gallon, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.
Including the change in gas prices in New Hampshire during the past week, prices Sunday were 15.1 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 7.5 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. In Maine during the past week, prices Sunday were 17.0 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 5.1 cents per gallon lower than a month ago.
The national average has decreased 13.2 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 1.7 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago.
"2012 was a year that focused the spotlight on our nation's oil refineries; it showed us the vulnerability of our infrastructure and what can happen to prices at the pump when infrastructure is compromised. We began the year with a BP refinery fire in Cherry Point, WA that caused massive spikes on the west coast. The spring delivered challenges for Great Lakes refineries and pushed Chicago gas prices to a record high. Similarly, the California summer saw major refinery outages there and new record high prices," said Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst.
"Hurricane Sandy delivered a punishing blow to the East Coast causing refinery shutdowns, flooding and power outages. The resulting fuel shortage triggered mile-long lines for gas. NY gasoline spiked to a price level exceeding Honolulu and Anchorage as the highest in the U.S. GasBuddy is proud to have been called in by NY officials to provide counsel and data identifying the most current retail gasoline price updates and trends throughout the NY metro area," said Gregg Laskoski, GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst.
With elevated prices across much of the country for prolonged periods, 2012 brought the highest average price ever for U.S. consumers: $3.60 per gallon. For a closer look at the GasBuddy Year in Review, please visit http://www.scribd.com/GasBuddy or view the document directly: http://www.scribd.com/doc/117521912/GasBuddyYIR


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About Seu Jorge
This gruff-voiced carioca (resident of Rio de Janeiro) first made international waves in 2002's City Of God, playing the vaguely terrifying gangster Knockout Ned. But he'd seduced Brazilians in an earlier role: as part of pop group Farofa Carioca who had a giant hit in 1998 with "Moro no Brasil" ("I Live in Brazil"). Born Jorge Mario da Silva on June 8th, 1970, Seu Jorge captured audiences' imagination with his life story as well his talent. He grew up in rough Rio favelas, singing and playing in local bars as a teenager and trying -- and not always succeeding -- to stay out of trouble. But his dreams were cut short when his brother Vitorio was shot, and his family was made homeless. Jorge lived on the streets for three years before he lucked into a singing gig and later into theatrical work that led to the formation of Farofa Carioca. After his role in City Of God, Jorge landed a role in Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic, singing amazing covers of David Bowie classics in Portuguese. His first stateside release, Cru, came out in late 2005.
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