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On the Road Again
This story appears in the November 2006 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
Online exclusive: Are the recent changes in airline restrictions going to affect your business travel? Even though most lines still permit electronics, such as cell phones, laptops and BlackBerrys, it's important to know what the new restrictions entail. For up-to-date information, go to www.entrepreneur.com/features/travelwarnings.
Kevin Gilbert has invested in so many mobile devices, he has trouble deciding which ones to take on a trip.
"My biggest dilemma sometimes when I get on an airplane is what I take. It all depends on what I'm doing, of course. Can't someone just come up with one killer device that does everything?" jokes the 47-year-old founder and CEO of Blue Pixel, a $2 million photography services agency in Annapolis, Maryland, and JustShowMeHowTo.com, a Blue Pixel division.
Simultaneously weighing Gilbert down in transit and making his existence more location-independent are his Palm Treo 650, an Apple Powerbook G4 17-inch notebook equipped with an EV-DO card, a Sony VAIO laptop, a Dell Precision 17-inch system and, of course, his photography equipment. Recently, Gilbert purchased the Apple MacBook Pro, which has taken over a majority of the duties of his other notebooks.
Battery giant Energizer recently took steps to address the on-the-road power dilemma many entrepreneurs face with two battery-driven chargers called Energi To Go, including a $19.99 edition that works with most cell phones from Nokia, Motorola, Sprint and Samsung, and two versions of a $29.99 device that juices up your Apple iPod or gaming gadgets such as the Sony PSP or Nintendo DS.
Gilbert's business partner, 34-year-old Alex Stevens, is equally laden, carrying both a Motorola Q mobile phone on the Verizon network and a Motorola Razr serviced by Cingular, as well as a MacBook that has a 12-inch screen and can run both the Macintosh and Windows operating systems. Stevens rigged his notebook so the Q phone can operate as a wireless modem when he's out of Wi-Fi range (though this application isn't exactly a sanctioned use of the technology). Says Stevens, "We need to be facile on everything that is out there."
Freedom to Roam
These two entrepreneurs have a particularly mobile profession, and it seems they've got plenty of company in the airport lounge--and the chiropractor's office. Business owners continue to rewrite the definition of office, abetted by the advent of reliable high-speed wireless connections across the United States.
A survey of mobile professionals conducted in June by the American Small Business Travelers Alliance, which canvassed more than 1,400 entrepreneurs, found 80 percent rely on wireless devices as a lifeline to their businesses. Of those surveyed, 55 percent use a wirelessly enabled notebook for e-mailing. Not surprisingly, 65 percent of the respondents said they prefer laptop computers to desktop models. Approximately 35 percent said they believe this technology--in addition to mobile phones, smartphones and PDAs--helps them gain an edge on larger businesses.
"I can manage everything from anywhere, even on vacation," says Monique Hamaty-Simmonds, 35-year-old founder of Tortuga Imports in Miami. She began using a BlackBerry and a wireless notebook extensively when her first daughter was born five years ago. Hamaty-Simmonds travels often between Miami and the Cayman Islands, where the rum cakes and gourmet products her $4.1 million business sells are made. But she's equally concerned with being connected across shorter distances. "I have access from the nursery [or the] kitchen," she says. "I might be on the playground."
Those who have invested in mobile technology both personally and for their employees embrace device choice. "In our office, we don't really have any sensitivity to price because it's all about function," says Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, founder of Platinum Studios, an entertainment company in Beverly Hills, California. "If [my employees] are willing to work outside the office, I want to fully enable them."
Platinum buys a 15,000-minute cellular package to accommodate its 25-person team every month. Rosenberg, 37, personally spends about 20 hours per week in his car commuting. He hired a driver so he can work during those hours and carries a mobile phone and two BlackBerrys, one on Verizon and one on Cingular, because you can never really tell which network will work best in different parts of Los Angeles. Plus, he often wants to talk on one while scanning e-mails on the other. Platinum is considering the Motorola Q phone to replace the BlackBerrys. Given the nature of Rosenberg's work, his Apple Video iPod actually counts as a business expense. And when we spoke with him back in June, Rosenberg was using a Dell notebook but had plans to upgrade to a Sony VAIO within a few months.
Freedom of Choice
The good news is there are plenty of products with which entrepreneurs can arm themselves and their employees. Gartner predicts worldwide shipments of mobile PCs will grow 31.4 percent this year. Mobile phone sales have continued to explode, and the research firm expects total worldwide shipments of 960 million units. There were about 15 million handhelds and PDAs shipped in 2005, and the category continues to grow by about 6 percent, with average selling prices of about $395. Sales of smartphones, such as the BlackBerry 7100 series and the Palm Treo 650 and Treo 700 lines (running on Windows or Palm software), continue to grow more quickly than those of their data-only kin.
Samir Bhavnani, director of research for Current Analysis in San Diego, says average selling prices for notebooks slipped to $950 in the second quarter. He says by December, for that price, you'll be able to get a model with a 14- to 15-inch screen, an Intel Core Duo processor, up to 2GB RAM, a DVD burner and a 100GB hard drive. Personalization in the form of different colors or engraving will become possible, and widescreens will continue to gain ground. Sony and Toshiba are both making strides on this front. Because of continued delays for Windows Vista, Microsoft's next major operating system update, many vendors will opt for Media Center PC software, which enables various multimedia capabilities. Wi-Fi wireless support has become virtually ubiquitous, Bhavnani says, but for a premium of $200 to $300, you can invest in a model that links to a broadband wireless service. "The speeds are what I term 'good enough,'" he says. "It's much easier to connect to a cellular network than it is to Wi-Fi."
Ori Eisen, founder and CEO of The 41st Parameter, a Scottsdale, Arizona, business that generates seven-figure annual sales by specializing in thwarting online fraud, is a relative luddite when it comes to the notebook he carries. Though he recently purchased an IBM ThinkPad T43p, he still uses his 3-year-old ThinkPad. And he couldn't live without his Verizon Air Card. With it, Eisen, 36, often links to WebEx for spontaneous product demonstrations when visiting a potential client. "In some cases they don't have internet access at all, or they don't have internet for visitors," says Eisen. The Air Card makes it possible.
All the market leaders--including Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Sony--offer some broadband option, but at press time, Bhavnani said Dell was the only one to offer a notebook that could be switched on with more than one carrier. Verizon and Cingular lead the pack as far as service packages, which run between $59 and $70 per month, he says. That monthly price tag, according to Bhavnani, will need to drop to $20 for broadband to become widely accepted by more than just early adopters. But by this time next year, this is entirely feasible, he adds.
"It's quickly becoming a desired feature among the road warrior set," Bhavnani says. "This is what you really need if you want to see adoption take off and be mainstream."
Transit Tools
Yes, we know trying to run a business while driving amounts to a dangerous distraction, but who doesn't use their car as a mobile office?
The Telematics Research Group predicts hands-free interface kits with Bluetooth and radio integration will be included in 11.3 percent of the cars sold in 2007, growing to 34.9 percent of car sales by 2010. TRG estimates that dedicated iPod interfaces will be included in 13.9 percent of cars sold in 2007, climbing to 40.4 percent by 2010.
"Both will be an overwhelming trend," says Egil Juliussen, principal analyst for TRG in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Typically, you can expect to pay an extra $250 to $300 for this hands-free technology, which should keep you on the right side of the law in states like New Jersey and New York, where holding a cell phone while driving is illegal.
Do you rent cars frequently? You could opt for something like the MV900 wireless portable speakerphone from Mvox, which works with mobile phones like the Treo 650 and the Treo 700w and includes a notebook adapter so you can use it with voice services such as Skype or Google Talk. The unit is controlled with voice commands and includes patented echo cancellation and noise suppression technology. At roughly $130 (street), the device measures 3.4 inches by 2.2 inches by 0.8 inches and weighs about 2.5 ounces. The manufacturer claims a talk time of four hours with 200 hours of standby.
Once you've got your hands freed up, you can make more out of your drive time with a service like Electronic Virtual Assistant from Virtual Management. EVA, which costs $69 per month, lets you call a toll-free number and dictate action items, schedule changes and meeting notes. The recorded information is converted, and the data can later be accessed through an internet browser.
Now Showing
Dying to watch your local sports team while you're out of town? Craving the new episode of Lost you saved to your DVR while traveling to your latest meeting?
Blue Pixel president Alex Stevens, 34, who created and manages the company's JustShowMeHowTo.com website, doesn't let distance--or screen size--stop him. He frequently uses his Motorola Q mobile phone to retrieve video from his home or listen to satellite radio. To call up video files, Stevens uses Verizon broadband wireless services to connect to his Slingbox, a $200 (street) gadget from Sling Media Inc. that hooks up to your TV or DVR with the help of an internet router. "One of the nice things about the Q is the ability to consume media," he says, pointing to both its sharp screen and broadband connectivity options. You can also watch Slingbox-streamed video on Windows notebooks. A Macintosh edition is due out before year-end.
Orb Networks offers a similar product in the form of software that lets you access your home music collection, video stored on your DVR, podcasts and photos. You download free software to a computer stationed at home and can pretty much use any mobile device for retrieval. Because Orb doesn't connect to your TV, you have to install a video tuner card for your home PC that costs roughly $100 to stream the video to your mobile device, and you'll need to leave the base station PC on all the time.
Also check out the TiVoToGo service that transfers DVR content to a notebook or Windows mobile device. Third-party software can be used to transfer TiVo programs to Video iPods or Sony PSPs. Sony's LocationFree gadgets can also stream video to PSPs.
Check 1-2-3
Recent security restrictions at airports are having an effect on mobile entrepreneurs. Liquids and gels such as bottled water, toothpaste, lotion and some cosmetics have been banned from carry-on luggage. There are exceptions for some medications. Laptops and other electronics are allowed onboard after screenings. "Business travelers are still affected by the ban on certain items in carry-on luggage," says Roger Dow, president and CEO of the Travel Industry Association. "This will result in business travelers readjusting their schedules to allow for extra time at baggage check. It will make day trips and quick overnight trips slightly more time-consuming."
There are several things entrepreneurs can do to better prepare. "Business travelers who don't want to check their baggage should make sure their carry-on luggage does not contain any prohibited items, such as liquids, gels or aerosols," Dow says. "Many hotels are expanding what I call their 'Did you forget' services to include many of the currently banned items." He also suggests wearing slip-on footwear to make the mandatory X-ray shoe check easier. This information was current as of press time. --Amanda C. Kooser
Notebook Lockdown
Feeling vulnerable? Some entrepreneurs, like Monique Hamaty-Simmonds, founder of Miami food and gourmet products business Tortuga Imports, refuses to save certain company information on notebooks. Instead, the 35-year-old entrepreneur prefers to save and retrieve specific files from her office using GoToMyPC.com, an online service that acts like a secure virtual private network. The service starts at $19.95 per month for one PC.
Is she being paranoid? According to the 2005 "Corporate Exposure Survey" conducted by security company Credant Technologies, more than 81 percent of lost or stolen notebooks are never recovered. Almost 90 percent of those computers contained some confidential information, and close to three-quarters failed to comply with regulatory requirements for data encryption. In Montana, for example, companies that fail to disclose the loss of consumer information can be fined up to $10,000 per violation. Cars and airports/airplanes were among the top three places where laptops go missing, though the survey found they were most vulnerable in the office. Here are some tools to help protect your valuable information.
Heather Clancy, editor of technology newsweekly CRN, has been covering the industry for 14 years.


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Natural Skincare DIY Workshop
Kaki Bukit MRT Station
Its time to embrace NATURAL BEAUTY It gets frustrating when you browse through the ingredients list of many Beauty Products to see that they contain chemicals, artificial fragrances and synthetic preservatives such as parabens. Fret not, making Natural Beauty Products can be really simple once you get the hang of it - you only need a few natural ingredients and therapeutic essential oils and they cost much lesser than the ones you see in the malls. Make your own Skincare Set Join our DIY Workshop to get a hands-on experience in making your very own Natural Skincare Set that is mild and gentle to your skin: Floral Dreams Facial Foam Refreshing Face Mist Rejuvenating Face Serum In addition to the above, you will gain access to some of our most popular skincare recipes that you can try out for yourselves in the comfort of your own homes :) ----------------------------------------- Detailed Event Flow: 8.00 - 8.10 pm: Common toxins found in everyday Skincare / Beauty Products 8.10 - 8.30 pm: Introduction to Essential Oils & how they help support healthy skin & body 8.30 - 8.50 pm: Hands-On Experience in making your own Skincare Set 8.50 - 9.10 pm: Debriefing & a chance to win freebies! ** BONUS: Each attendee will be able to bring home a Skincare Set that is customised to their skin needs** Please note that this is a PAID EVENT. About The Speaker The speaker struggled with adult acne for over 3.5 years until she discovered natural remedies and therapeutic essential oils which cleared her skin within 2 short months. With this newly acquired knowledge, she is dedicated to sharing her experiences and expertise in making DIY products with everyone. HURRY & GRAB YOUR TICKETS, there are only FIVE (5) spots for each session! ---------------------------------- DIY Skincare Set Workshop Dates: Multiple Venue: Near Kaki Bukit MRT (exact location will be released via Whatsapp nearer to event date) Time: 8.00 - 9.30pm


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This is some news I have been wanting to share with my friends and the community for quite a while, starting on the 15th of June I will be working for Red Hat.
I will be filling Christian's position before he got promoted to lead the entire desktop group, that means I will be managing the engineers working on Evolution, Firefox and LibreOffice. This means that I will be closer to the tree upstreams I have cared the most for my entire career: GNOME, Mozilla and LibreOffice (and OO.o before them) and I get to do it in one of the greatest companies of the open source ecosystem.
I will be moving to Brno, Czech Republic, to work along side 600 redhatters in the European engineering HQs, also, this means I don't have to figure out flights and accommodation for GUADEC this year 😉
I can't express how thrilled I am for being given this chance. This has been, however, one of the hardest decisions I had to make in my entire life.
Moving to Dublin when I was 22 to work for Sun was certainly easy, I was fed up with college at that point, I never left home before and I was young enough so that my decisions did not necessarily affect how the next 10 years would look like. It turned out quite well, I loved working for Sun and learned a lot, my English improved quite a lot and spent probably one of the best years of my life (2008).
Moving to Manchester from Dublin to work for Codethink in 2009 was also somewhat easy, most of my friends left or where about to leave Dublin and things at Sun were starting to get a bit stiff because of the acquisition process from Oracle. It was a good move after all and I fell in love with the UK and Manchester as a place to live. I also learned a great deal alongside Rob and the rest of the Codethink bunch.
However this time is different, I am 29 (yeah I know, not an old fart yet, but still…) I came back to Gran Canaria and started working for Canonical a year and a half ago after 5 years abroad, I rebuilt my social circles, I am closer to my family, I've just lost 15kg recently and I am going through a very happy stage of my life now, not to mention that moving to a country whose language I'm far from barely speaking is certainly frightening.
It's the first time this kind of move feels like a sacrifice to me, but my gut feeling keeps telling me that it will be worth it, and it has never failed me before for these kind of matters.
Exciting and challenging times ahead!


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For any one new to this idea the Information Universe is a theory of everything in which the universe is fundamentally information designed to produce a reality for conscience being such as ourselves to experience. As a result our universe is a form virtual reality that that is programmed and calculated to perform as it dose. While I am not the only one to propose such a thing, to best of my knowledge I have taken it further than any one else. I am mostly likely the first examine the idea from a creationist perspective. My approach to the concept that I call the Information Universe or Info-verse for short is base on Robert Herrmann's General Intelligent Design and it is a specific interpretation of GID.
Science Declares Our Universe IS Intelligently Designed
I first started thinking developing the Info-verse after realizing that the best way to explain certain aspects of reality is if it is a calculate information system. I have since found as a result of studying the double-slit experiment in Quantum Mechanics that it is really the only way of explaining all of the observations. Info-verse has also produced a novel version of quantum gravity in that it does not involve a graviton, but instead space and time are actually quantized with the fundamental units of plank length and plunk time. This model is consistent with Biblical creation particularly since it is easy to show how God could have created the universe from nothing but his own thoughts just a few thousand years ago.
The resent reported initial conformation of the existence of the Higgs particle started a study of the Higgs field and its implications for the Info-verse model. It turns out that Higgs field concept actually solves a problem I have been having in dealing with sunlight motion in quantized space-time. Since the speed of light is 1 plank length / plunk time. This explains why speed of light has to be the upper speed limit of the universe since it is the fastest an object can go through space in a continuous manner, that us not skipping over parts of space. However traveling slower than light requires staying is the same plank length for more than one plunk time, the problem was that I had no mechanism to regulate this process, however the Higgs field concept provides that mechanism.
In the Higgs field concept all particles naturally travel at the speed of light and would have 0 rest mass. However particles that have rest mass interact with this field such that they bounce back and forth with in the field slowing them down. Apply this to the Info-verse model the 1 plank length / plunk time speed would be the natural speed of a particle moving from one plank length to the next but the Higgs interaction causes particle with rest mass to bounce between two plank length until it moves on to the next according to its velocity.
This shows how good the Info-verse model is in that it fits existing concepts in physics so naturally.
------ Charles Creager Jr.
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Commodity subsidies in Richland County, North Dakota totaled $399 million from 1995-2019‡.
Counties in Richland County, North Dakota Receiving Commodity Payments, 1995-2019‡
Source: Environmental Working Group. Compiled from USDA data.
‡ Data for 2019 is incomplete and only includes Market Facilitation Program payments made between January 1, 2019 and October 31, 2019.


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How have the mighty fallen. For some time now it has been a common belief that, in a great many ways, the United States is a dysfunctional country. But in one area — in its attitude toward guns and gun culture — a large part of America can only be described as deranged.
In the wake of the horrifying Newtown massacre, and in addition to genuine grief and mourning, there has been great deal of hopeful rhetoric and the beginnings of action. But only time will tell whether the rhetoric will lead to serious action and direct confrontation with the National Rifle Association and its hordes of supporters.
As evidence of the extent to which those hordes are deranged, one need only consider some of the arguments used against any real attempt to control guns:
"Guns don't kill people; people kill people." In the most banal sense, that is accurate. More fundamentally, it is specious rubbish. People do use means other than guns to kill. But only guns — and more specifically semi-automatic weapons — can kill and wound dozens of people within minutes.
"No series of laws will keep guns out of the hands of criminals." Once again the statement is largely true; but it is also irrelevant. The recent series of massacres in the United States, although crimes, have not been carried out by criminals in any ordinary sense of that word. In any event, most murders by career criminals are gang-related, although they may create innocent victims as well.
"No laws will prevent killings." This is a classic example of the perfect-solution fallacy. Essentially what is being argued (without being admitted) is that, since no solution is perfect, we should do nothing.
"Americans need to bear arms to protect themselves against the government." This argument, which has only recently shown up in the mainstream media, is the summum of absurdity. While there are many reasons to be dissatisfied with the government of the United States, it can hardly be taken seriously that Americans need AK-47s or AR-15s to defend themselves against their elected officials. (Though it must be noted that, in the debates more than two centuries ago surrounding the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, and for many decades thereafter, this was a concern of supporters of "states' rights," who feared an over-powerful central government.)
Any rational person would have expected, following the recent massacres culminating in the horror of the Newtown shootings, that there would have been a pause in gun purchases in the U.S. What has happened? Following both the Aurora, Colo., theatre shooting and the Newtown massacre, sales of semi-automatic weapons such as the AR-15 spiked instantly. Can this be called anything other than deranged? It is like hoarding against the apocalypse!
Following the Aurora massacre there were suggestions that, if only everyone in the theatre had been armed, the result would have been different. Quite so: there would have been a great many more deaths. Now, following Newtown, the suggestion is being made that teachers be armed. Are they mad? If the idea were not so absurd, and the circumstances not so tragic, one might think this was the basis of a Saturday Night Live skit.
"The United States has a long history of violence and an embedded gun culture." The conclusion, although left unsaid, is that nothing can (or should) be done to change things. It is nothing more than a pathetic justification for inaction.
It is true that the country was created through armed revolution; that it was settled, in large part, by a series of Indian Wars; that it fought a horrific civil war; and that it has always tended to glamorize its gangsters. Does this mean that gun culture is immutable and uncontrollable? Slavery was, for generations, part of America's culture; that changed. Segregation persisted until well into the last century, but that has changed too. Women were denied the vote and other rights until they fought for them — not with guns but with the power of ideas. Change is possible.
Let's look at the much-cited Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The Second Amendment must be seen in the context of its ratification as part of the U.S. Bill of Rights. The supporters of states' rights were concerned by the possibility of excessive power being put into the hands of a standing army controlled by the federal government. There was legitimate concern that the British would not accept the result of the War of Independence and, furthermore, that there might be insurrections led by Loyalists or others. For well over a hundred years, the Second Amendment was not only uncontroversial, but led to very few judicial challenges. It was generally accepted that, at least in some sense, there was a link between "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms" and a "well-regulated Militia."
In 2008, the Second Amendment was, for the first time (in a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, District of Columbia v. Heller), held to protect an individual's right to own a weapon unconnected to service in a militia. It was a 5-to-4 decision, with strong dissenting opinions. And it is clear from a reading of the Heller decision that the Supreme Court was not endorsing the unlimited right to own weapons of any kind for any purpose. Quite properly, the court decided only the specific case before it. One can fairly conclude from a reading of Heller, together with the history of the Second Amendment, that even the current conservative U.S. Supreme Court would not be an obstacle to reasonable gun-control legislation.
The real problem lies with cowardly politicians.
Given the existence of the Second Amendment, banning private ownership of all guns — as has largely been done in Britain, Japan and many European countries — would be, however desirable, impossible. What, then, can be done?
First, at every opportunity, the absurdities written and spoken by the NRA and its "no-gun-control" acolytes and supporters must be challenged and exposed as fatuous claptrap.
The example of the Tea Party must be adopted to (borrowing from Lady Macbeth) screw to the sticking-place the courage of those politicians who favour reasonable gun control but fear the gun lobby. It should be made clear to them, and to every politician who opposes gun control, that they will be challenged at every turn, including at party primaries. Franklin Roosevelt's ringing words, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself," must be used against the gun lobby.
Laws should be adopted banning the manufacture and sale of all automatic and semi-automatic assault weapons and multiple-bullet magazines to all but the military and law-enforcement agencies.
It should be made illegal for any unauthorized person to acquire or own any such weapons or ammunition. This should apply even to items acquired before the passage of these laws. An amnesty should be provided for those who turn in their weapons within a period of perhaps a year, with reasonable and even attractive compensation. Subsequently, anyone continuing to possess such weapons or ammunition should be subject to severe penalties.
There should be far more wide-ranging background checks and registration requirements for all purchases of weapons and ammunition of any kind, including sales in secondary markets.
Three caveats are necessary. First, as always, the devil is in the details; however, it would be tragic if the impetus for legislation were to get mired in a procedural or nitpicking swamp. Second, it would be folly to suggest or expect that such laws, even if adopted, would fully solve the problem of guns in America. Third, it must be made absolutely clear that no attack is intended against the legitimate use of weapons for hunting, target shooting or appropriate self-defence; none of the weapons that should be banned fit into these categories.
It is probably true that none of this will happen unless much of the initiative comes from women. It is primarily women who have kept alive the memory of the École Polytechnique massacre of 1989. Consider also the example of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Polling, especially since the Newtown tragedy, indicates that women, African Americans and Hispanics overwhelmingly support gun-control laws. It would appear they are far wiser than white American men.
It's interesting to speculate on what the reaction of the men who created the United States and framed its constitution would be to the status of guns in their country today. I have absolutely no doubt that it would be this: "Are you out of your minds?"


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text: The Global Mobile Awards uniquely offer organisations the opportunity to showcase the latest mobile products, services and initiatives to the world. The Awards are open to all eligible mobile companies and supporters of the mobile eco-system – GSMA Members, Associate Members and Non-members. Awards are presented during Mobile World Congress, the world's largest and leading mobile industry event, held annually in Barcelona.


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Walk-In Health Resources
Last Updated on Thursday, 19 February 2015 17:18
Walk-In Health Services
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Water Aerobics
March 28, 6:00pm - March 14, 6:00pm
All classes are FREE (no additional charge) for members. Members can drop-in with no sign up necessary.
Water Aerobics consists of various exercises for a total body workout at the shallow end of the pool. Participation is at your own pace and intensity. Taught by Tammy Sos, Exercise Specialist.


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Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, better known as the founders of BioWare, will be the 14th and 15th members inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame in February.
AIAS enshrinement is widely considered the lifetime achievement award of video game development. Muzyka and Zeschuk were chosen for BioWare's "emotionally engaging and detailed cinematic games," such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age and Neverwinter Nights. The pair will speak at AIAS' 2011 Interactive Achievement Awards at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas.
The two attended medical school together. Collaborating on educational projects brought the two together and cultivated their interest in video games development. They founded BioWare in 1995.
"We're truly honored to represent our teams of passionate, hard-working, creative staff across the BioWare Group within Electronic Arts, and they all share this award with us," Muzyka said in a statement.
"We'd also like to thank our wives and the families of our employees for their continuous support over the years, which together with the hard work of our great teams continually enables BioWare's success," Zeschuk added.
BioWare Doctors to Become AIAS Hall of Famers [Gamasutra]


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Star Trek Online Celebrates Three-year Anniversary
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 31, 2013 -- Perfect World Entertainment Inc. is pleased to announce that celebrations for the Three-year Anniversary of Star Trek Online have officially begun. Starting today, Captains are invited to experience "Temporal Ambassador," a special Anniversary Episode starring Denise Crosby who will be reprising her role as Lieutenant Tasha Yar from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Players can also look forward to a wealth of rewards by participating in Star Trek Online's Three-year Anniversary in-game event hosted by everyone's favorite omnipotent being, the notorious Q.
"We've come a long way since Star Trek Online first launched in February 2010," said Daniel Stahl, Executive Producer at Cryptic Studios. "Since then, I've had the pleasure to serve alongside one of the most talented development teams in the industry. Moving forward, the mission will remain the same: Star Trek Online is a game built by Star Trek fans, for Star Trek fans -- and we will continue to bring the universe we love so much to life."
Since the February 2010 launch of Star Trek Online, developer Cryptic Studios has launched a total of seven, expansive Season updates and has worked closely with numerous Star Trek celebrities of note including Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto, Chase Masterson, and Denise Crosby. With millions of Captains and regular updates expanding the already massive size of the game, there's never been a better time for Star Trek fans to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations in Star Trek Online.
To download and play Star Trek Online today for free, head to http://startrekonline.com/
Find out what critics and fans alike are talking about and take charge of your own starship and crew today!
Star Trek Online is licensed by CBS Consumer Products.
® & © 2013 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Perfect World Entertainment is a leading North American online games publisher specializing in immersive free-to-play MMORPGs. Founded in 2008, Perfect World Entertainment has published 10 popular titles, including Blacklight Retribution, Forsaken World, Perfect World International and Star Trek Online. The company works closely with its American development teams and partners such as Cryptic Studios, developer of the highly anticipated MMORPG Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter, and Runic Games, developer of the hit Torchlight series, to provide unparalleled quality of service and game experiences to its players. A subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), Perfect World Entertainment is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. For more information, please visit: http://www.perfectworld.com


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Chilly weather allows spring snow skiing
Easter egg hunt planned Sunday
A ski area in Kewaskum isn't ready to say goodbye to the snow yet.
The Sunburst Ski Area set a new season record.
Amy Diliberti took her two children, Sam and Sophia, tubing at Sunburst for the first time in 2013.
"We had to get out here while we could. We were glad to hear they were open one more weekend at least because we didn't make it yet," Amy Diliberti said.
It's not the only first on the hill. For the first time in Sunburst's 51-year history, it made it to March 23. The original record was set on March 21, 1996.
"We feel like customers have really responded to this weather," Sunburst Ski Area owner Jennifer Friedl said.
Friedl and her husband, Rob Friedl, took over ownership in January. They said a ski season usually lasts about 100 days. They're getting a bonus now.
"We're already 30 days ahead of the game in our first year," Jennifer Friedl said.
But coming off unseasonably warm weather a year ago, they took a chance.
"My prior business was I was involved in commodity trading for 25 years, so I already know what variability is like, and to be quite honest, this is nothing like trading the markets," Rob Friedl said.
As long as the snow sticks, the Friedls said they'll stay open. They said the conditions are some of the best they've had.
Snowboarder Nathan Williams agreed.
"It's a beautiful day, nice and sunny. It's good conditions," Williams said.
Sunburst will have an Easter egg hunt Sunday at 2 p.m., and they'll be open on March 29 and 30.


text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - THE INVITATION FROM POLAND TO GERMANS, AMERICANS, ETC. Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in THE INVITATION FROM POLAND TO GERMANS, AMERICANS, ETC. Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> English Schools View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message magdulkaJoined: 27 Jun 2003Posts: 30Location: Poland Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2005 10:03 am Post subject: THE INVITATION FROM POLAND TO GERMANS, AMERICANS, ETC. Hello everyone! My name is Magda and I'm from Poland. I'm 16 years old. You guys should know how important are foreign languages for me. In my opinion the best way of learning a language is talking with native speakers. That's the reson why I want to invite a person from other country to my home. I learn ENGLISH and GERMAN, so anyone native speaker between 15-20 is invited by me! Girls are preferec, because I am interested in learning your language, not in having a boyfriend. I hope you understand me. Now something about my offer We've got here one very nice room only for you. You don't have to pay us for nothing! Just pay for your ticket to Poland. I live in the south part of Poland near Katowice, so you can go by plain to Katowice. We will also take you on a couple of trips in other cities in Poland. If you are German or English native speaker you oughn't lose your chance to have free vacations. You can come here in July and August If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I am able to send some pictures of my house and my family. They are very friendly and really would like to have a guest from abroad. My e-mail [email protected] and my MSN address is the same [email protected] Thanks Magda_________________e-mail [email protected] msn [email protected] skype IP cool_magda Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> English Schools All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave Copyright © 2018 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map Teachers College, Columbia University: Train to Teach English Here or Abroad Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group


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Don't Mess With The Johan
The only theory that ever held any water was that the Mets had played all of their home games in parks with three of the largest fair-territory square footage totals. Far-away fences might mean fewer home runs, but they increase the chances of hits in distant outfield corners, or even catchable balls that were just out of range of fielders who had just that much more ground to cover, and that's why the Mets had never thrown a no-hit game!
The problems with this explanation still obtained as the New York team took the field for what we all presumed was the 8,020th game in their no-hit-free history tonight. Even such a simply understood theory of simple math did not account for the facts a) that they have played roughly half of their games in other stadiums with less hit-friendly terrains, b) that visiting teams threw no-hitters in the Polo Grounds and Shea Stadium (hell, Bob Moose no-hit them at Shea Stadium when they were three weeks from becoming the Miracle Mets of 1969), and c) that the New York Giants, the previous occupants of the Polo Grounds, threw plenty of no-hitters there, even when the dimensions in straightaway center reached as much as 505 feet as recently as 1949.
However, with Johan Santana ending the Mets' 50+ years of no-no-hitters tonight, the Square Footage Theory gained some new credence and respectability. Obviously, the Mets moved in the fences at virtually all points of the outfield at CitiField over the winter to increase home run production, and have gotten about a dozen dingers for their trouble. But it is unmistakable that just 28 games into the new, smaller fair footage field dimensions, the team got its first no-hitter. Fair territory is only 98 percent as large as it was last year in Flushing, and in those areas more than 300 feet from home plate, it's only 95 percent as large.
Suddenly the theory has a lot more life to it, but I still feel like we're in the dark ages of research here. As evidence of…something…eight ex-Mets went on to throw no-hitters for other teams (Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, David Cone, Dwight Gooden, Mike Scott, Hideo Nomo, Phil Humber and Jim Bibby, who was on the regular season Mets' roster and in uniform in 1969 but never got into a League game). Finally, Santana has put a period at the end of all the data.
Of course, he really didn't. Just as Armando Galarraga actually threw a perfect game for Detroit in 2010 but first base umpire Jim Joyce took it away from him by as mind-bogglingly lunkheaded a False-Safe call as any of us has ever seen, ex-Met Carlos Beltran actually broke up Santana's bid leading the top of the 6th. Beltran sent a screamer over the bag at third that clearly caused the puff of tell-tale chalk as it landed fair behind the bag for what should have been a single or a double. Umpire Adrian Johnson flat out blew it – an undeniable fact that will always taint Santana's effort tonight no matter how heroic, nor how extraordinary the saving catch by Flushing native and life-long Met fan Mike Baxter as he went shoulder-first into the left field wall to rob Yadier Molina in the 7th.
Incidentally, that fence would've been about thirteen feet further away last year. Baxter might've missed the ball, or not hurt himself, or been playing Molina differently, or who knows what.
If you want a more whimsical theory of why Santana finally did what Seaver et al did not do as Mets, there is this. I had personally witnessed only part of one no-hitter – Dave Righetti's at Yankee Stadium in 1983. I had to leave that one to get to a sportscast I was doing for CNN. I thereafter instituted a rule that I would never leave a game before each pitcher's no-hitter had been broken. Tonight was my first game back at a park in the two weeks since I underwent minor surgery. I underestimated the wear and tear of being up on my feet again, and also how quickly the post-op pain would kick in. So – yep – after two innings, with the discomfort literally making me feel faint – I went home.
Congrats to Johan Santana. I'm happy to take all the credit. Or you can rack it up to the Fair Territory Factor. Whatever: the Mets' inexplicable streak is finally at rest.
Unless you want to make a dealio about that blown call.
36 Comments
Thanks for acknowledging the blown call. As a Cardinals fan it certainly hurts to be no hit, and the blown call makes it even worse. But, the no hitter still counts and no question that Santana pitched a hell of a game. Hat off to him.
That the blown call was on Beltran only makes it sweeter ( especially with him in a Cardinals uniform after he blew 2006 and never seemed to care )! For all of us born with Mets blood in our veins and raised to be loyal through it all, tonight goes down in infamy – and to watch it happen with three generations was the icing!
A) As a Mets fan, please let go of the Beltran 2006 thing. It's dumb to keep bringing it up, and to say that he 'never seemed to care' is absurd.
B) If you are indeed a Mets fan, please look up 'infamy'. It is a bad thing. Tonight does not go down in infamy.
Um, Keith? I thought Philip Humber was an ex-Met as well?
Oh my, I was so wanting to say something about this game but there is no way I'm going to Twitter (and then there's the last fellow who innocently started tweeting as "SL Cabbie"–perhaps a colleague in St. Louis; he changed it a week after I drove over to FOK News on the cyber highway after eight years of working the Planet Utah recovery circuit, helping teach critical thinking skills to formerly brain-numbed, religiously indoctrinated sorts).
So thank you, Keith, and best wishes for a speedy recovery. BTW, I watched a perfect game on the tube one–don't remember if it was rerun–and it was actually pretty boring. Now here's my question:
Are they going to put an asterisk on this one?
Shoot, I was watching the Yankees/Tigers, and of course they kept cutting to the Mets game which was fine, and the announcers (Costas and Smoltz, I think) made sure they put a big one on Bonds' home run numbers.
Speaking strictly metaphorically, of course…
Aside from the questionable call, I believe Johan Santana pitched an exceptional game.. But then again I am not an authority such as yourself. He did rack up 5 walks so he was not that hot. In any case, cut him some slack and let the fans relish the moment. They are so few and far between.
By the way I hope you did not cause yourself any further damage by being on your feet too soon after your procedure. Please take care of yourself. Hope you heal quickly so that you can actually see a no-hit game at least once. LyK
There are wrong calls, blown calls and no calls on every game. Yet every outcome is still 100% legit. So is this one.
Two huge droughts killed with Jose's batting championship and Johan's No-No, and both are overshadowed by a bunt and a blown call. Typical for the Mets. Tonight though? I don't care. I finally saw something I didn't think I'd ever see. Cheers to all Mets fans tonight!
Re the moving of the fences, it was always a silly excuse. Fences out mean balls in play over fielders' heads. Fences in, however, mean balls _out_ of play over fielders heads; i.e. home runs. Moving the fences out doesn't make hitters hit the ball over fielders heads any more often. But people will believe what they will believe, whether lacking any evidence of the difference or being in possession of single data points satisfying their presumption. With or without evidence or faults, it's a good streak to have broken. But I can still imagine the argument that would have ensued had the last pitch of Santana's evening sailed a mere inch over the wall in the much-foreshortened corner.
Well, then please leave the park when there's a no hit bid going!
(And post more often, yours is the best baseball blog)
Wow? Met's Johan Santana throws franchise's first No-Hitter?
The franchise that reaped so much from Bernie Maddoff's corrupt accounting system for the longest time (and that this week settled a suit involving their having to pay $162 million dollars to those that Bernie ripped off) seemingly used that system to declare a no-hitter having been tossed at Citi-Field last night.
Video evidence clearly shows that a hit was made down the 3rd baseline – even disturbing the foul line chalk – but the Mets will have none of that kind of talk. While there was some amazing defensive plays on the Mets' behalf, this 1 hit – No hit wonder will be forever in question.
Sorry Met fans – so-close – the umps got this wrong and should be called on the carpet for it.
Speedy recovery Keith. Love you and miss you still from the MSNBC days–never got the Current channel. Hope you find a suitable venue for your amazing talent and truly wonderful persona–and that I will have access to it! Take care.
MLB needs to do something about the officiating during games…Gallaraga at least had Joyce,who was willing to man up and say he made a mistake. I respect his admission, and his remorse at taking away the no-hitter from Gallaraga. Haven't heard anything from Adrian Johnson, or MLB, that he may have made a mistake. A man with a conscious is hard to find.
I don't want to take away anything from Santana, but something's gotta change. The NBA, NFL both have instant replay……and baseball only for potential HR'S? Having watching plenty of high school and professional baseball, umpires are fallible and big leagues are not exempt.
If MLB is worried that instant replay will add too much time to games, maybe take a look at time limits for pitchers and hitters who have to go through their 'routines'. Jose Valverde, Detroit's closer, is a total time-wasting goofball and some of my beloved Red Sox hitters are guilty as well.
"Blown call" is a rather subjective term one might define as what we all might reasonably immediately recognize as an "easy" call that was completely and unoquivocally muffed–such as the way Galarraga was robbed, or the Andujar call of 1985, or any number of others. A "screamer" down the line like Beltran's, called foul instead of fair, is a call that seems to have a higher level of "honsety" or maybe a lower level of "incompetence"–sure, the replay confirms the rising of chalk dust, but in the moment it probably really looked foul. (Try comparing the reactions to the Galarraga call and the Beltran call.) So if we can grant "degrees" of umpiring mistakes, I can't see this as being anywhere near what I'd call a "blown call" despite what the replays confirmed. Congratulations, Johan.
Seeing the moron who was personally critical of Mr. Olbermann, let me say this. I am on Keith's side of the political aisle and often have found him maddening on the issues. But I am not here to discuss politics, etc. I'm here as a baseball fan, as Keith is. If he did political commentary here, it would make sense to discuss it in this forum. Those who do come here for those purposes–other than saying you agree with him, or you disagree with him but want to talk baseball–really should stop and consider that they are the ones who have neither class nor intelligence.
Here's hoping you feel better soon!
The Mets seem to be involved in all my baseball regrets and heartbreaks. In 1986 I became a baseball fan at age 12, though my family hated baseball. I saw Roger Clemens on TV and read an article about him in Sports Illustrated and, because of him, became a fan of the Red Sox (if Babe Ruth could switch to the Yankees, so could I– besides I used to be a Republican too!). And one of the few games I watched as a kid (my family didn't own a TV) was Game 6 of the 1986 World Series! I cried all night. Fast forward to 2005 and 2006– subscribing to MLB Extra Innings, I became a Mets fan (in addition to the Yankees, breaking all baseball rules) on account of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling in the SNY booth. I always said I better not miss the Mets' first no-hitter, even if Gary said it would never happen. And it was just last Wednesday I lost my MLB Extra Innings channels on my TV. So Friday night I turn to the local news in Oregon and saw Santana and the other Mets celebrating– I knew that could mean just one thing and I cannot express my dread. I literally broke down and cried knowing I had missed that game (breaking another rule about "no crying in …"). There's only one first no-hitter and it will never happen again. And to think it was Johan Santana– a pitcher I like, coming back from a serious injury so not expected to pitch even a complete game (though he did that against San Diego earlier). One of the top three regrets of my life. I'll never get over this. And– to complete the picture: I missed the perfect game of Cone (ex-Met), the no-hitter of Gooden (ex-Met) and, to top it off, my childhood hero who threw a bat at Piazza and whose Yankees beat the Mets in the 2000 World Series, the guy who got me into baseball in the first place, Roger Clemens, turned out to be a steroids user. In other words, I should have stuck to opera. Maria Callas never let me down like MLB has.
I watch most games via DVR because I get home from work around 10PM. Came home, ate dinner switched on the DVR not knowing about the no-no and next thing I know it is 6AM. Figured I finish my sleep in my bed and watch the recording. That would have been fine as I was still in ignorant bliss. Went to the bathroom to do what one does there and put on the oldies station they rarely give scores. DJ said "Mets fans doing the happy dance" and mentioned you know what. Well there was one Mets fan defiantly not doing a happy dance. Did not cry but said every curse possible. My first thoughts, no point in watching my DVR recording, I blew it and the Mets will never throw another no hitter again or at least not in my lifetime. But I figured I better watch it so I am not totally clueless. I am glad I did, remember I did not know about the blown call, almost collisions, great catches etc. So finding out about these plays knowing they will eventually lead to a no-hitter was something and in some ways better then those that saw it live and who figured these plays would in the end be footnotes because the Santana would lose the no hit bid. Post game great also. It was the best thing to do for a bad situation as close to the real experience as you can get. But as the days go by the more I realize it was still was a bad situation and NOT THE REAL THING. Still glad I did it but still do not feel that I have watched the Mets pitch a no hitter. So that leaves us playing the hand we got and that probably is Mets no hitter number 2. We know Santana is capable but Collins won't risk injury and leave him in in his is flirting with a no hitter and has a high pitch count because he and the organization have done it damm. Dickey a knukleballer definite possibility. Niese maybe when he is on he is really on. I'm am usually an Eddie downer but I feel in my gut I feel I will see get to see a non spoiled Mets no hitter be it number 2 or number 5 (knowing my luck I might miss 2 ,3 etc) but what will it feel like? Won't happen tomorrow and the gushing reminders of Santana's no hitter during slow times during the will be sickening. And we know invariably several Met pitchers will take a no hitter into the late innings and lose it. The urge to put one's foot through the TV will be stronger then ever in light of what we missed. As you said there is only one first time so when number 2 occurs the media interest and fan emotions might be 5% of what it was Friday. Generally there will be no crying in baseball that night. So we should give it up now, it's not worth it right, wrong. Think through what you wrote "There is only one first time" right it will be our first time. The fact that it won't be the Mets or practically anybody else first time else won't matter just as the blown call did not matter for the Mets or there fans it still was the first time. Could be on the road late in the season with 8,000 people in the stands won't matter it still will be our first time. If the emotional reaction from Mets fans was caused by endless waiting and bizarre things getting in the way. We will have been waiting longer and have more bizarre thing get in our way then they did.
When you watched it on DVR did Gary Cohen jinx it like he always does around the sixth inning? "So and so has allowed no hits through five." Anyway, I called my mom and was telling her I missed the Mets' first no-hitter, acting like it was the end of the world, and she later told me she lost her job. So that gives me some perspective. Getting back to baseball– I hope SNY releases a DVD of the entire game, including postgame interviews (for once I might enjoy Kevin Burkhardt!).
When the Mets got their first hit Cohen mentioned it was the first hit of the game by either team. But they really got into the no hitter mode about the 7th discussing how players react to the situation and stay away from the pitcher. The words no hitter were used a lot. the last few innings. Then him getting close and then over the pitch count should they take Santana out. Darling got very emotional saying for the first time ever he wanted the Mets to go out quickly 1,2,3 and he wanted to put on the stirrups and go out and. As for SNY video keep on checking their Website and call or email them requesting a video. As you can imagine they have been replying it like crazy. And while the frequency will probably drop off it will be replayed occasionally(again check website or call to ask for next broadcast and explain why) so get somebody in NY to record it and and mail it. Do what you like but I would make sure you really want to do this. Understand unfortunately you can never unmiss, unspoil the event or come close to really recreating it. It might be painful for you. My own opinion is if you do not know many details go for it there are many twists and turns that will have great meaning knowing the final result. . Good luck
miss you KO. but thank you for discovering rachel.
Did he discover her? I hope Keith is listening to some Santana and relaxing. You know?
oh, and met fan since 64. the game fri nite made me cry. i know there is no crying in baseball, but this is different. game on.
Keith, I hope you enjoy more games on WFAN retreating early from the stadium.
You say the old New York Giants threw "plenty of no-hitters" at the Polo Grounds. In fact, Giants' pitchers threw only four ho-hitters between 1911, the year the Polo Grounds was rebuilt after a fire destroyed it, and 1957, when the team moved to San Francisco. And the last of those was pitched in 1929 by Carl Hubbell. I'm not sure if all four were at the Polo Grounds, but even if they they were it's hardly a bunch.
Speaking of missing the game how can I forget to mention that Josh Lewin a lifer who does the Mets radio broadcasts missed the no-no to attend his daughters graduation.
Here's to that guy! And every guy and gal in the world who knows what really matters in life. I love it. Thanks for sharing that with us. 🙂
Seinfeld also missed it from New York Post
"As Johan Santana was no-hitting the Cardinals on Friday night, the long-time Mets fan was on a plane back from South Bend, Indiana. Seinfeld said his driver told him the news before he even got in his car.
"And I just dropped my bags right there at the curb and went, 'No!'," Seinfeld or "Jerry from Queens" said in an interview with WFAN on Monday night.
Though he missed it live, Seinfeld had seen parts of it and had planned on watching the full replay on SNY later that night.
"The great thing about this world is that I have experienced it so many times by now," he said.
Seinfeld marveled at the historic evening, which was the first no-hitter in the Mets' 50-year history.
"This is the Yankee curse," said, whose friend and fellow comedian Bill Maher recently bought a stake of the Mets.
"When you're a Yankee fan, you can't have a thrill like this. It takes 50 years to make a thrill like this. If the Mets had three no-hitters, just think of what we would me missing, what we would have missed out on. That's what we call 'Mets Magic.' They have this thing where they can thrill you in the most unexpected ways, and I really do think there's something special about this organization. It's why I love 'em."
Hat off to Santa Ana. I don't care what anyone else says. It will go down as what it was. Nothing else. Congrats.
Nobody is reading this now but the Dickey comment was almost prophetic. Getting two one hitters and a no hitter that should have been made me both optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. Now that Dickey is back to being human I do have a sick creepy feeling that it will never happen again or I will always find a way to miss it if it does. Come to think of it olympics seems like a good time for the second scenario. Weird thing is before June 1 I just thought of it as an anomaly and a lot of times never knew a met had a no hitter going until the announcer mentioned it. Since then every time a Met pitcher gives up his first hit I say to myself "not tonight" even if it is the first inning which is usually the case. Oh the waiting
Up above I said Dickey was the next Met likely to throw a no no. Now that it looks like he is going to be traded. If they get the right people back this is the correct move but still I feel in every bone in my body that Dickey will throw a no hitter on Opening Day for his new team and I will have just missed it yet again and my wait will go on and on.
That it just the way it rolls for me. I not a big hoops fan but when I was little I was a fan of the Nets on Long Island with Dr. J, Red white and blue basketballs etc. When they moved to Jersey I changed to the Knicks. With the move to Brooklyn I am back. It is hard not to noitice the brand of basketball the Knicks are playing is quite diferent then most of the time when I was a fan of them. Yeah people say they are to old to keep this up but i know better.


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There's an old saying that all good things must come to end, but that's not always the case in the world of technology. A year after webOS was officially shut down, HP opened it up in hopes that third-party developers would continue development. And sure enough, the Open webOS project, established by HP to help further develop the operating system, is thriving—despite the prospect of having no new hardware.
In March 2012, a month after HP announced it was opening up webOS for development, a group of outside developers quietly began investigating the idea of porting webOS to other mobile devices. Many of these developers had been active participants in the webOS Internals group, a homebrew developer organization that formed in June 2009 (shortly after the "Konami code" was discovered, opening up the developer mode in Palm's webOS). So when HP decided webOS was no longer commercially viable, the team immediately wondered if webOS would eventually be set free for developers. "It did not appear that [HP was] going to be creating any new devices," Tom King, project leader of the webOS Ports group, told Ars. "I think we all liked webOS, what it was, and what it potentially could be in its open source life. We realized that it was a minority OS and, at the time, there really wasn't any other good open source option available to us. Tizen and Meego were having its share of problems finding foothold anywhere."
The webOS Internals team began working with HP to help release the Community Edition of webOS for the TouchPad. The objective of the Community Edition was to get the "community" code out in the wild, giving developers a chance to familiarize themselves with how the TouchPad hardware worked in conjunction with the webOS software. The idea was the practice time they had with this version would enable them to do more with Open webOS once it was officially released. But this also gave King and the team an opportunity to play with the open source version of the code before it was released to other developers.
In June 2012, the Community Edition finally went live with the help of the webOS Internals group, and soon after King and his team formally introduced themselves as the webOS Ports team. Next they banded together with folks from OpenEmbedded, a project that provides coding assistance and helps other teams build frameworks for packaging up Linux distributions for embedded systems. They began looking at Android devices as potential targets for the ports.
The fusion team focused on choosing devices that were easy to develop for, featured unlocked bootloaders and redistributable drivers, or could be modified with essential system software available under open source licenses. King and the team wanted to find a device that already featured code for what they couldn't recreate themselves. "There was a large process where we were examining [Android] devices and looking at code that was provided for them," said King. "Android is a Linux kernel, so there was a lot of work already done in that respect ahead of time. We didn't have to reinvent the wheel."
In September, after the 1.0 release of Open webOS—a separate release from the Community Edition—the team finally showed off a pre-release Alpha of the software running on a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. "[It was a] reasonable phone, performance and cost wise, so we made the decision to pursue that particular device," explained King. After that release went live to the public, the team went back to work getting other variables of the operating system working with the device (like Wi-Fi). There were "a lot of people doing a lot of work to make this happen," King added.
Today: webOS in its infancy
In the last two months, the webOS Ports project has hit quite a few milestones, including working builds for two additional devices: the Samsung Series 7 Slate and the Asus Nexus 7. The Ports project even has 16 people currently working on it globally. For now, the webOS Port runs alongside Android, but future releases will allow tablets to run webOS instead of Android. There's still a lot of work to be done, however.
One of the biggest challenges for the team is 3D acceleration: when an application is launched and acceleration is engaged, the application fails to get a framebuffer. This in turn causes it to crash. "[Android] uses a single frame buffer, and webOS originally used two frame buffers," explained King. There are other minor architectural differences between webOS and Android, so the webOS Ports team has a lot of work ahead of it.
On the plus side, HP is providing some support for projects like webOS Ports. Though not sponsored by HP, the company has donated servers for webOS Ports and officially approves any changes the team makes to Open webOS. Also, the project has a "No ETA" philosophy—no one is allowed to announce an estimated time of arrival for anything they're working on, nor will they comment on any projects they are working on until they actually work. That's why webOS Ports did not make its official debut until four months after its formation.
Although one of the bigger goals for the webOS Ports project is to get a fully-functional beta into the hands of users, King also wants to show the usefulness of frameworks like OpenEmbedded. He believes it's proof that a hefty number of resources isn't always needed get projects like his out the door. "We're an open source group, we're not that many people," he said. "If we can make an effort in X number of months and be able to get things even further along with even fewer people than a full time porting project can do, that's a good thing." He added the cost of moving back and forth between platforms in development has usually been very high, but the webOS Ports project proved it doesn't have to be so.
The end goal, however, is to get more users interested in webOS and usher in the new generation of Web developers. "There's a generation of people that know Javascript and Web scripting and are developing apps based on that because they already know it," said King. "The consequence is that we need to have a platform that those things run well on, and that they're designed for."
To King, this is precisely what webOS was initially designed for. And he still feels it's among the roles webOS fills best.
Listing image by webOS Ports


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How Fossils Overturned Evolution:
Millions of Proofs that Refute Darwinism
Were We exhausted by the first creation? Yet they are dubious about
the new creation.
We created man and We know what his own self whispers
to him. We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.
fossil is the remains or traces of a plant or animal that have been
preserved in the Earth's crust down to the present day. Fossils collected
from all over the world are our most important source of information
about the species that have existed on Earth since life began.
To its right: a tropical stingless bee in 24-million-year-old
Dominican amber.
At top right: termites trapped in an amber, 25 million years
The skeletons
of living things whose contact with the air was suddenly interrupted
have come down, often perfectly preserved, to the present day. Research
into these fossils permits us to learn increasingly detailed information
about extinct animals or plants. Most basically, this information also
tells us about which living things existed during which period.
For evolutionists,
fossil specimens, often hundreds of millions of years old, are all tools
they can use in line with their own theories. Evolutionists take a fossil,
link it arbitrarily to some present-day species, and then claim that
the fossil is the ancestor of the living organism in question. Upon this
premise, they then construct dramatic and detailed scenarios. If the
fossil in question is a fish, for example, they claim on the basis of
a few bones that it possesses primitive features, newly developing organs
and limbs in the process of undergoing a transition to a "higher" life
form. They write books about the creature, hold conferences, and exhibit
it as the intermediate form or "missing link" they
have been seeking for so long.
That is, until they find themselves looking at
a living specimen of this supposedly extinct creature!
When a living thing
emerges in the same form it was known to have existed in millions of
years ago, it of course demolishes all the evolutionist fables told about
it. Its simple presence demonstrates that a living organism that—according
to Darwinists' claims—should have undergone considerable evolution after
the course of millions of years, somehow remained immune to the process. Moreover,
it proves that at a time when, again according to evolution, only primitive forms
of life were in existence, fully developed life forms with complex features and
their own unique structures were already thriving. The creature that evolutionists
imagine to be "primitive" is in fact nothing of the sort. In other
words, the deceptive nature of invalid claims regarding "transition from
a single-celled organism," "an intermediate form" and "a
primitive life-form" is soon realized. Eventually, important evidence proves
that the "process of gradual evolution" is nothing but a myth.
All these
specimens manifest one single truth: Living things did not come into
being through the fictitious processes of the theory of evolution, but
were created in a single moment. Today's living things, with all their
perfect features as manifestations of God's superior artistry, possess
exactly the same splendor and perfection as their counterparts that existed
millions of years ago. Once all evolutionist speculation and claims are
eliminated, the fact of creation is revealed for all to see—albeit in a manner totally unexpected by evolutionists.
"Living fossils" are proofs that all the living things on Earth, past
and present, were created from nothing; and that each one, possessing complex
and superior attributes, is a miracle of God. This means that in fact, the supposed
developmental process that evolutionists claim took place over millions of years
never happened at all. Fictitious intermediate forms disappear along with fictitious
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Come join our river family and experience the adventure and fun of white water rafting and kayaking in Northern California.
We run trips on the Klamath, Upper Sacramento, and Trinity Rivers which offer rafting and kayaking runs from the mellow and relaxing to the truly adventurous. Whether you are planning a family trip with small children, a school field trip, a corporate retreat, or a grand adventure, we will work with you to give you a vacation to remember. Come experience life on the river and take home a memory of a lifetime.
Call to Learn More: 530-925-0237
Or Visit Our Website: www.riverdancers.com


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Ohio's 4th casino opens to cheers in Cincinnati
CINCINNATI (AP) — The last of four voter-approved Ohio casinos announced its opening with a bang on Monday, as fireworks exploded over downtown Cincinnati, club music boomed through the streets and thousands of die-hard gamblers and curious first-timers poured inside.
After more than two years of construction — and about four years after Ohio voters approved of putting casinos in the state to boost jobs and the economy — the $400 million Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati opened to the public with workers cheering on arriving patrons.
The crowd began lining up in frigid temperatures and drizzle more than two hours before the casino opened on what used to be a run-down parking lot. Now it's a two-story, brightly lit casino with a giant glass entrance, three outward facing restaurants and a grand plaza that will be the site of outdoor concerts and other events designed to draw people in.
"Are you excited, Cincinnati!" shouted Mayor Mark Mallory just before the fireworks show and the casino opened.
Mallory said he had wanted Cincinnati's casino to be the first to open in the state. "But we saved the best for last!" he told the crowd.
Many were clearly excited to be the casino's first guests, with some people dancing suggestively and cheering when cameras showed them on a giant screen set up in front of the casino. Others complained about the long wait, the cold, limited parking and other logistics.
"Already it's been a hassle," said Geraldine Parker, a 57-year-old retired Cincinnati resident who said that while the casino is "gorgeous," she was upset that all the parking on the property for opening night was reserved for VIPs.
Parker, who parked across the street for $10, said she frequents the Hollywood Casino about 25 miles west in Lawrenceburg, Ind., and spends thousands of dollars there. It will take a lot for Cincinnati's casino to win her over, she said.
"They've got to treat me right because I'm spending a lot of money," she said.
Fatima Shakoor, a retired nurse wearing a jean jacket decorated with sequined dice and poker chips, said she would be gambling for the first time in her life at the casino, simply because none have ever been close enough for her to try her luck until now.
"I'll start off with $50," said Shakoor, 63, who lives just up the street. "It's something to do. I know I shall not be disappointed."
Mallory has previously said that the casino will be a home run for the city, although projected revenues are far lower now than when Ohio voters approved casinos in 2009.
"This casino will have the ability to draw people from all around the country," Mallory said.
Though no hotels are attached, and nothing quite compares to the energy or spectacle of the Vegas strip, Mallory said the Cincinnati casino is big time. The casino boasts a VIP players' lounge with limits as high as $50,000, a World Series of Poker room. Its restaurants include Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville and a burger joint from celebrity chef Bobby Flay. Both Buffett and Flay also have outposts in Las Vegas.
Flay, who was in town for the opening of the 14th Bobby's Burger Place, said the casino felt just like Vegas.
"I think it's incredible," Flay said inside the casino. "It's a Vegas casino. I've seen some other regional casinos and they're not even close to this."
Cincinnati's casino is projected to draw about $227 million in gross revenue in its first year. That would bring in about $75 million in taxes.
Casinos in Cleveland, Toledo and Columbus all opened over the past year and have brought in nearly $404 million combined. From that, about $133.2 million has gone to Ohio schools, counties and cities.
Ohio's casinos were originally forecast to bring in nearly $2 billion annually. Now, their yearly revenues are expected to be just under $1 billion.
Industry experts say the lower revenues are a result of the economic climate and competition from storefront gambling-style operations in the state known as Internet cafes.
Another visitor to Cincinnati's casino on Monday was Sam Cox, 45, who drove from about 25 miles away in Foster, Ky., to try out the slots and some table games.
"We want to see what it looks like," said Cox, who said that he thought the casino would be good for the community by generating more tax dollars, even if they were going to Ohio coffers.
Kentucky law does not allow for casino gambling, although that state's governor has been trying to get the issue passed since he took office in 2007.
Ebony Box, a 37-year-old Cincinnati resident who had wanted to get a glimpse inside the casino, left shortly after arriving because of a long line.
She said she was excited about the casino but felt that money spent on building it would have been better if put toward affordable housing for the city's poorer residents. She also expressed concerns about the casino's proximity to a government-assistance office, saying that some people are bound to gamble much-needed money away in an effort to make more.
Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAP
News from The Associated Press, and a taste of the great journalism produced by AP members and customers. Managed 24/7 by these editors: apne.ws/APSocial Read more ›


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Palo Alto University Stats, Info and Facts
|Institution Type:
|Private not-for-profit
|Campus Setting:
|Far West Rural area, on fringe of an urban area
|Highest Degree Offered:
|Doctor's degree - research/scholarship
|Level of Institution:
|Four or more years
I love going to PAU, it is very interactive, resourceful, and inspiring for people interested in Business, Psychology, and beyond.…
They are a school to advocate change. They want their students to come out ready for the working career field. Their curriculum is an intensive course. …
So far I am impressed with the campus, the program, and the fact that it's a small school. …
When it comes to transportation, the campus isn't easy to get to. When it comes to faculty, they have some of the best instructors. When it comes to the campus…
Looks like there are no "Am I Enjoying Being Here" reviews for Palo Alto University.
Have you been to this college? Take a moment to create an account with Cappex and tell us your thoughts. Rating this school will make you eligible to win the Cappex Reviews Scholarship!


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Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist who was not well appreciated until after his death. Gauguin was later recognized for his experimental use of color and synthetist style that were distinguishably different from Impressionism . His work was influential to the French avant-garde and many modern artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse . Gauguin's art became popular after his death and many of his paintings were in the possession of Russian collector Sergei Shchukin . [1] He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer. His bold experimentation with coloring led directly to the Synthetist style of modern art , while his expression of the inherent meaning of the subjects in his paintings, under the influence of the cloisonnist style , paved the way to Primitivism and the return to the pastoral . He was also an influential proponent of wood engraving and woodcuts as art forms.
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Check BulbaNewsNOW for up-to-date Pokémon news and discuss it on the forums or in the Bulbagarden Discord server.
Eviolite (Noble Victories 91)
Eviolite (Japanese: しんかのきせき Evolution Stone) is a Pokémon Tool card. It is part of the Noble Victories expansion.
Card text
Release information
This card was first printed in the Noble Victories expansion in English and the Red Collection in Japanese. It was reprinted as a holographic BW-P Promotional card in a twelve card random pack released during the September 2011 Gym Challenge. It was later reprinted as a holographic card with new artwork by 5ban Graphics in the Keldeo Battle Strength Deck. This artwork was printed in the English Plasma Storm expansion. The original print was later reprinted in Japan as part of the Master Deck Build Box EX, released on September 14, 2012. As part of the Pokémon League Player Rewards for the 2011-2012 season, a special Crosshatch Holofoil of this card was distributed to players who earned enough Play! Points to qualify for Tier 2 rewards.
The Eviolite is a hold item introduced in Pokémon Black and White. It boosts the Defense and Special Defense of any Pokémon that is still capable of evolving.
|This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.


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Who we are -
Mount Vernon Songbird Sanctuary is a non - profit charitable organization, founded and run by Jayne Neville with the help of of volunteers. We are based in Central Connecticut on 4 1/2 acres of beautiful songbird habitat. The Sanctuary has a rehabilitation area with a small building and three flight cages, a pavilion with attached chimney that provide a nesting site for the declining chimney swifts and barn swallows, along with extensive gardens, natural areas with native plants,a pond, feeding station with waterfall, and wooded, open and early successional habitat.
What we do -
Our expertise is primarily on insectivores with greatest conservation needs, including warblers, flycatchers, chimney swifts and swallow species. Jayne also has extensive knowledge and experience with woodpeckers, hummingbirds, waxwings, grosbeaks, orioles, tanagers, kingfishers, woodcock, snipe and killdeer.
At this time we only handle limited numbers of adult birds for rehabilitation.We are unable to handle most orphaned young dealing only with adult birds. If you have found a small migratory songbird or any of the birds mentioned above that need immediate assistance, please call at (860)-681-1190, email cannot always be checked.
For more information on whether a bird needs assistance, please see our page I found a songbird
We do not any mammals or larger birds such as doves, blue jays, grackles, crows, hawks, owls and waterfowl, or non - migratory birds such as house sparrows, starlings and pigeons.
For a list of Connecticut rehabilitators, grouped town and by the species handled, go to the CT DEP link http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2723&q=326228&depNav_GID=1655For help on other wildlife problems, or assistance go to www.wildlifehotline.org
American Crow*American Goldfinch**American Robin*American WoodcockBaltimore OrioleBank SwallowBarn SwallowBelted KingfisherBlack and White WarblerBlack-billed CuckooBlack-capped ChickadeeBlackpoll WarblerBlack-throated Blue WarblerBlack-throated Green WarblerBlue-gray GnatcatcherBlue Jay*Blue-winged WarblerBobolinkBrown-headed Cowbird*Brown ThrasherCanada Goose*Carolina WrenCedar WaxwingChimney SwiftChipping SparrowCliff SwallowCommon Grackle*Common Merganser*Common NighthawkCommon Tern*Common YellowthroatConnecticut WarblerDark-eyed JuncoDowny Woodpecker
Eastern BluebirdEastern KingbirdEastern PhoebeEuropean Starling*Field SparrowGolden-crowned KingletGray CatbirdGreat Crested FlycatcherHairy WoodpeckerHermit ThrushHorned Grebe*Horned LarkHouse Finch**House Sparrow*House WrenKilldeerLeast Tern*Magnolia WarblerMallard*Mourning Dove**Nashville WarblerNorthern Cardinal*Northern FlickerNorthern Mockingbird*Northern ParulaNorthern Rough-winged SwallowNorthern WaterthrushOvenbirdPileated WoodpeckerPine Siskin**Pine WarblerPurple Finch**
Red-eyed VireoRed-winged BlackbirdRing-billed Gull*Ring-necked Pheasant*Rock Pigeon*Rose-breasted GrosbeakRuby-crowned KingletRuby-throated HummingbirdRufous HummingbirdScarlet TanagerSong SparrowSpotted SandpiperSummer TanagerSwainson's ThrushSwamp SparrowTraills' FlycatcherTree SwallowTufted TitmouseVirginia RailWhip-poor-willWhite-breasted NuthatchWhite-throated SparrowWhite-winged CrossbillWild Turkey*WilletWilson's SnipeWinter WrenWood Duck*Wood ThrushYellow-rumped WarblerYellow-bellied SapsuckerYellow-billed CuckooYellow-throated VireoYellow Warbler
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Travel to Wales
Deep valleys, ragged coastlines and ancient castles
Perched on the rocky fringe of western Europe, Wales packs a lot of physical beauty into its small mass of land: its mountain ranges, lush valleys, ragged coastline, old-fashioned market towns and ancient castles all invite long and repeated visits. The culture, too, is compelling, whether in its Welsh- or English-language manifestations, its Celtic or its industrial traditions, its ancient cornerstones of belief or its contemporary chutzpah. Wales often gets short shrift in comparison to its Celtic cousins of Ireland and Scotland. Neither so internationally renowned nor so romantically perceived, the country is usually defined by its male voice choirs and tightly packed pit villages. But there's far more to the place than the hackneyed stereotypes and, at its best, Wales is the most beguiling part of the British Isles. Even its comparative anonymity serves it well: where the tourist pound has swept away some of the more gritty aspects of local life in parts of Ireland and Scotland, reducing ancient cultures to misty Celtic pastiche, Wales remains brittle and brutal enough to be real, and diverse enough to remain endlessly fascinating.
Recent years have seen a huge and dizzying upsurge in Welsh self-confidence, a commodity no longer so dependent upon comparison with its big and powerful neighbour of England. Popular culture – especially music and film – has contributed much to this revival, as has the arrival of a National Assembly in 1999, the first all-Wales tier of government for six hundred years. After centuries of enforced subjugation, the national spirit is undergoing a remarkable renaissance. The ancient symbol of the country, y ddraig goch or the red dragon, seen fluttering on flags everywhere in Wales, is waking up from what seems like a very long slumber.
As soon as you cross the border from England into Wales, the differences in appearance, attitude and culture between the two countries are immediately obvious. Wales shares many physical and emotional similarities with the other Celtic lands – Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall, Brittany, and even Asturias and Galicia in northwest Spain. A rocky and mountainous landscape, whose colours are predominantly grey and green, a thinly scattered, largely rural population, a culture rooted deeply in folklore and legend and the survival of a distinct, ancient language are all hallmarks of Wales and its sister countries. To visitors, it is the Welsh language, the strongest survivor of the Celtic tongues, that most obviously marks out the country with tongue-twisting village names and vast bilingual signposts. Everyone in Wales speaks English, but a quarter of the population also speaks Welsh: TV and radio stations broadcast in it, all children learn it at school, restaurant menus are increasingly bilingual and visitors too are encouraged to try speaking at least a fragment of the rich, earthy tones of one of Europe's oldest living languages.
After Wales' seven-hundred-year subjugation at the hands of its far larger and more powerful neighbour, many Welsh nationalists call for, if not outright divorce from England, at least a trial separation. The mutual antipathy is almost all good-natured, but often the greatest offence to Welsh people is when those very obvious differences are blatantly disregarded or patronized. Avoid referring to England when you really mean Britain or the United Kingdom, and don't say English when you mean Welsh: it is like calling a Kiwi an Aussie or a Canadian an American (probably worse).
Although it is the wealth of places to visit - prehistoric sites, crumbling castles and wild landscapes - that brings tourists here in the first place, they often leave championing contemporary Wales. The cities and university towns throughout the country are buzzing with an understated youthful confidence and sense of cultural optimism, while a generation or two of "New Age" migrants has brought a curious cosmopolitanism to the small market towns of mid-Wales and the west. Although conservative and traditional forces still sporadically clash with these more liberal and anarchic strands of thought, there's an unquestionable feeling that Wales is big enough, both physically and emotionally, to embrace such diverse influences. Perhaps most importantly of all, Welsh culture is underpinned by an iconoclastic democracy that contrasts starkly with the establishment-obsessed class divisions of England. The Welsh character is famously endowed with a musicality, lyricism, introspection and sentimentality that produces far better bards and singers than it does lords and masters. And Welsh culture is undeniably inclusive: anything from a sing-song in the pub to the grandiose theatricality of an eisteddfod involves everyone – including any visitor eager to learn and join in.
Planning your trip to Wales
Everything you need to plan where to go and what to do.
Book through Rough Guides' trusted travel partners
Explore Wales
Your comprehensive guide to Wales.
Everything you need to know before you set off.
The Rough Guide to Wales
An in-depth, easy-to-use guide filled with expert advice.
Wales features
The latest articles, galleries, quizzes and videos.
After Wales, where next?
Check out Bulgaria


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Hello Dear Scribe's followers,
I'm here today to talk about beauty! I'd imagine that most of our readers are women, but even if you're a guy, I'm here to remind you that you are a beautiful person. Each of us as individuals are unique, special, and multifaceted. We are not simply the sum of our parts, but a whole entity, imbued with gifts, talents, and a human spirit that makes us who we are…and that is awesome!
When I say that you are beautiful, I'm not talking about just the exterior "earth suit" we inhabit, but the intrinsic goodness that lives within each of us. I suppose one could argue that there are evil people in the world who are truly ugly because of who they are on the inside and the things they do to hurt others, but let's leave them out of today's discussion and save them for a "celebrate villains day" should we care to delve into the darker side of humanity. For today's topic, let's focus on what makes us beautiful. Why, you ask?
Until March 1st, I'm participating in the Beauty of a Woman blogfest, where writers from all over the globe share their views on beauty and take time to celebrate women! That's something I can totally wrap my head around! I even posted a "Dear Teen Me" letter to myself over on my blog if you care to stop by and check it out. Leave a comment there to be entered to win a copy of ON THIN ICE, and make sure to drop by the events page of the Blogfest to enter to win some great prizes! You'll also find links to some amazing and inspirational blog posts from some truly beautiful women.
So what is this thing we call beauty?
Can we all agree that it isn't about having long legs, symmetrical features, or a killer body? Although those are all things to admire, let's agree here and now that they are NOT what makes a person beautiful. I've met some beauties who, through their words and deeds, would not be considered a beautiful person in my book.
To me, beauty comes from the light that shines from the soul of a truly good person. Qualities such as compassion, kindness, generosity, and loyalty make someone beautiful to me. The old woman with deep laugh lines and crinkly eyes from years of sharing her love with others who smiles through crooked teeth…is beautiful. The child who touches the hearts of those around them while they themselves are suffering the ravages of cancer…is beautiful. Any person who would lay down his life for others…is beautiful. Even the teenager who struggles to find something to smile about when tears are just beneath the surface…is beautiful. I could go on and on about what makes someone beautiful to me, and it would have nothing to do with appearances.
So today, I'm going to go out on a limb and say, if you showed up here to support our little blog or share your thoughts with me, you are beautiful! Thank you so much for being part of this crazy writer's life.
If you had to sum up what makes a person beautiful in one word, what would it be?


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Chant d'Arômes
Eau de Toilette
A hymn to love
Spray 100 ML
Indisponible -
Created in 1965 by Jean-Paul Guerlain for his young fiancée, Chant d'Arômes signifies the language of flowers, each of which carries its own meaning of love.
Chant d'Arômes is a charming spring bouquet. Filled with innuendo, its trail hints at fire beneath the ice.
It is presented in a Bee Bottle covered in 69 iconic bees of the Empire.
Chypre Floral.
Refined, fresh, charming.
This song begins with notes of citrus, set to rhythm by airy notes of honeysuckle. The melody is resumed in a chorus with a floral accord of gardenia, jasmine and ylang-ylang.
Then the music softens with notes of underbrush, sandalwood and vanilla.
Chant d'Arômes is a fragrance that brings spring and autumn to mind.
In the 1960s, Chant d'Arômes, a gift ideal for blossoming love, was given to all young women at the Debutantes' Ball.