text:
Ed: Steelers Blew it on Both Sanders, Harrison
Good morning,
Well, the Steelers blew it. No, not necessarily by matching the $2.5 million contract Emmanuel Sanders signed as a restricted free agent wit the New England Patriots although my opinion against matching was written here last week but by not tendering him a larger one-year contract in the first place.
Had the Steelers tendered Sanders a $2 million offer as an RFA, a team would have had to give up a second-round draft pick to get him, and that was much less likely to happen. By tendering him a $1.3 million deal, the Steelers not only let everyone know thats what they thought Sanders was worth, but also that they would be willing to take a third-round pick for him.
In the end, they got neither.
Now that theyve matched, lets look where they stand:
--- Their wide receiving group is not decimated and they actually could go into the 2013 season with what they have Sanders, Antonio Brown, Jerricho Cotchery and Plaxico Burress. They also have a few youngsters, headed by David Gilreath.
Offensive coordinator Todd Haley does not use many four-wide formations, so that could be enough. Nevertheless, they still no doubt will draft someone.
--- They have to draft someone because Burress is old and he, Cotchery and Sanders all will have their contracts expire at the end of the 2013 season.
--- The Steelers are left with roughly $800,000 in salary cap room. Thats not enough to sign someone like Ahmad Bradshaw. If they want to do that, theyll have to create more room by pushing yet more cap accounting into the future, such as reworking the deal of Troy Polamalu, who turns 32 on Friday.
--- Now, the Steelers can try to protect their investment in Emmanuel Sanders, which cost them the 91st pick in this draft, by keeping him longer than the one season in which he is now under contract. They can negotiate now, and sign the deal after June, when they get the $5.5 million cap space from Willie Colons contract. They signed Antonio Brown last August to a six-year, $43 million contact with an $8.5 million signing bonus after Mike Wallace turned them down. Must they offer Sanders that much in order for him not to enter free agency in 2014? Probably. Brown was two years from becoming a UFA when he signed, Sanders is only one year away. Plus, he saw how it worked out for Wallace and he could be just as willing to roll the dice.
--- Sanders comes out of this the big winner. There was little gamble for him by signing with the Patriots. He nearly doubled his salary for 2013 and would either catch passes from Ben Roethlisberger or Tom Brady.
--- In the end, the Steelers matched Sanders contract because had they not it would have again appeared they were giving up on the 2013 season, an opinion that already is popular among their fans. This at least temporarily stops the talent drain that has been going on since the beginning of March.
Onto some stuff:
--- By many reports, it appears James Harrison will sign a contract this week with the Cincinnati Bengals. Thats a lose/lose for both the Steelers and Harrison. The linebacker turned down the demand by the Steelers that he take a paycut from his $6.57 million salary. Their highest offer, according to one source, was $3.7 million for 2013 in a straight salary. He might get half that from the Bengals.
--- The Bengals want to put Harrison on the strong or left side of their 4-3 defense. The outside linebackers in a 4-3, drop into coverage more than they rush the passer, which is the primary job of the ends in that defensive set. Harrison can cover and he can stop the run, but his forte is rushing the passer and he did it in a 3-4 defense from the right side the predominantly weak side. That sounds like putting a fish out of water.
--- The Steelers had two other restricted free agents whom I thought were vulnerable to being signed projected starting nose tackle Steve McLendon and halfback Isaac Redman. Neither would have required compensation with the Steelers only maintaining their right to match any signed offer sheet. How much is a starting nose tackle worth?
--- Onto your questions:
--- YOU: I'm worried that Sanders has a bit of a breakout year (a la Keenan Lewis) and the Steelers wind up losing him anyway. Do you think the Steelers try to sign him to - say - a 4-year deal to guard against this? Also, how much longer until we find out about Bradshaw's foot?
ME: Im sure they will try to sign him before the 2013 season to a longer term. Ahmad Bradshaw reportedly will visit the Steelers a second time before the draft.
--- YOU: How much if any impact do you think B.R. had in the Steelers decision to keep Sanders.
ME: Im sure they took Ben Roethlisbergers opinion into account, but his coaches may have had the most influence on keeping him. Ben was probably preaching to the choir if he made his pitch to Mike Tomlin. It was the front office they needed to convince to match.
--- YOU: Ed, now that they have signed Sanders to the offer sheet, does this indicate he may have a long term deal coming before the season and if so, does that help or hurt them on the salary cap? Last question....does this pretty much squash a WR in the first round?
ME: I wrote the pros and cons to getting a long-term deal done above, but no it does not squash the idea they could still draft a receiver in the first round.
--- YOU: What do the Steelers management see that most of us die hard fans don't? Even if he turns out to be worth the money THIS year, how could he ever be worth the money he will command next year whether he is with the Steelers or not? Is this not mortgaging the future for the futile present? This one is hard to swallow, I have not been this disappointed since the decision to hire Tomlin over Grimm.
ME: Many questions, no firm answers.
--- YOU: Okay, let's turn this around on you--YOU are Kevin Colbert. Would you take a mid-round chance on Marcus Lattimore? Kid has incredible character and drive. He'd be a risk, and a long-term investment...but what a potential upside. If so, what round?
ME: It depends on what I draft in the first couple of rounds. I would take him in the fourth.
--- YOU: i was imagining sitting tight with their pick in the first round and then maybe trying to trade back into the end of the first round and maybe grab lacey. it would seem that the cost of trying to trade up is far far less than in years past. i think they need all the playmakers they can get on offense. if they could come away with eifert, patterson, and/or lacey on the first day, i think us steeler fans would hold off on the talk of the armageddon.
ME: It will be hard for teams to trade back in the first round this year, not that it cannot be done. Theres really no reason for them to trade higher in the round.
--- One YOU are Kevin Colbert today:
--- Round 1 Given the drop off after the first 5-10 picks, I would pick for need as anybody is technically a reach given the parity between picks 10-40 or so. We need a player to start so I would go with offense and pick a RB or WR (especially with Sanders imminent departure) or perhaps a TE given the evolution at that position
Round 2 If no WR in first round, find the best WR with speed. If not, find a LB, S, or RB.
Round 3 Best available players with our 2 picks to fill the RB, LB, S, NT voids


text:
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Life can be complicated sometimes. Who knows who'll need a lift. Worry not MultiChargerYou to the rescue!
If you need to return or exchange an item, please login select the order you wish to return and process a return request. It couldn't be easier. We will process your exchange/refund as soon as we receive and open your return.
Items must be returned to the store you bought it from or your nearest store if purchased online.
If you have any queries regarding a the return of a faulty / unsuitable item please call your purchasing contact, your nearest store or email email@example.com
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Items must be returned in their original condition complete with all packaging, manuals, labels etc.
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With Pre-Launch, the date when we expect to receive the product ourselves is still a little too hazy to be confident in accepting Pre-Orders.
So, instead, you can submit your email address against the item you are interested in and we will email you as soon as stock arrives on the system.
Estimated Delivery Dates are given on Pre-Order and Pre-Launch products. They are for indication purposes only and can change at any time without notice.
The dates we provide are based on indications given by our suppliers. Whenever we get updated information from our suppliers we will endeavour to update the Estimated Delivery Dates provided on product pages.
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text:
Super Precision Spindle Bearings B71919C.T.P4S.UL B71919E.2RSD.T.P4S.UL
Machine tools and other precision applications require superior bearing performance. Extended speed capability, a high degree of running accuracy, high system rigidity, low heat generation, as well as low noise and vibration levels are just some of the challenges.
spindle bearings are high precision,single row,angular contact ball
bearings. Their special design features —including contact geometry, surface design and other properties — resultin a bearing design that offers high precision, excellent speed ability, high rigidity and low vibration characteristics.These bearings are readily available in a wide range of standard sizes,making them suitable replacementsfor virtually any type of machine tool application.
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HSS719 Seriess, HSS70 Series, HCS Series
Structural features:
1. With small ball design and modified internal structure, this HSS HCS Series bearing features ultra-long life and ultra-high speed.
2. This ultra-long-life ball bearing is mainly designed for the works that require high rotational speed and high load.
3. The material of outer ring is made of X-life Cronidur30 high nitrogen stainless steel with special heat and cold treatment processes.
4. Rolling elements are high-performance hot isostatically pressed ceramic balls, so the service life of these bearings are increased by 10 times compared to which of standard bearings in the case of mixed friction.
5. With a contact angle of 18°, this bearing can carry axial load and radial load either alone or in combination.
6. Ball bearing cages (or retainers) adopt outer ring guided fabric reinforced phenolic resin cages, outer ring guided PEEK cages, and inner ring guided silver-plated steel cages.
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8. Under the ultra-high speed and special work conditions, you may select PEEK cage for a stable long-term work under 220°С.
9. Using inner ring guided silver-plated steel cage or without cage, is suitable for a stable long-term work under 450°С.
Speed factor:
Grease lubrication DmN≤2100000, limiting rotational speed N≤2100000/Dm, Dm= bearing mean diameter
Oil lubrication (with a minimum amount) DmN≤3200000
HCS HSSSeries ceramic angular contact ball bearing is mainly used in working conditions require long-life, high rotational speed and high precision bearings, such as imported CNC machining center spindle, ultra-high speed spindle for grinding, ultra-high speed ultracentrifuge, turbojet engine shaft, turbocharger and so on.
Sealed bearings with pre-packed grease are also available.
Different name of bearing number
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Germany B71919C.T.P4.DBL
Sweden 71919 CDTNHP4ABB
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text:
65th Annual Grand National Roadster Show Saturday Coverage
The Fun Continues!
It's day 2 here at the 65th Annual Grand National Roadster show in Pomona, California and it's shaping up to be a great show. Unlike yesterday, today has a lot more to see. Cars and trucks are lined up and parked outside all of the buildings with their owners proudly standing next to them. The sun is out shining bright and people are checking out all of the sights and sounds.
Building 4 has a ton of stuff going on today. If you're a Duck Dynasty fan, Mountain Man will be here from 1pm-4pm and then he'll be back from 6pm-8pm. DJ Vic Slick will be keeping the tunes going and the Pinstriper's Charity Auction will be happening from 3pm-4pm and again from 7pm-8pm. That's not all though, Suede Palace has it's fair share of fun going on with The Mighty Mojo Prophets, Electric Grease, and The Eliminators playing some great music and the winner of the Trophy Queen Contest will be announced at the end of the show.
With so much going on, it's unlikely that you'll catch a case of boredom. We're really excited to be out here and we'll have more in-depth coverage to come from the 65th Annual Grand National Roadster Show.


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Governments must curb misleading TB tests
Commercial antibody blood tests for TB have been declared ineffective by the WHO, but it is up to governments to halt their use, writes epidemiologist and TB researcher Madhukar Pai
Last month, the WHO called for the end of commercial blood (serological) antibody-detection tests for diagnosing active tuberculosis (TB) — the first time the global health agency has issued a policy criticising a practice for this disease.
While serological tests work well for several other infectious diseases, antibody tests for TB are increasingly recognised to be inaccurate, inconsistent and of no clinical value.
But although most regulatory and guidance bodies have mechanisms in place to withdraw or ban ineffective or dangerous drugs and vaccines, there is little awareness of the consequences of poor diagnostic tests, and few safeguards in place to stop their use.
Yet misdiagnosis of TB can be harmful both to patients and to public health. For patients, it may include financial loss, unnecessary therapy (after false-positive results), or morbidity and mortality after false-negative tests fail to pick up the disease. From a public health perspective, every missed TB diagnosis may result in additional transmission.
But the WHO can only make recommendations. It is now up to governments to act.
Commercial antibody testing is widespread
Until recently, the TB community was not aware of the magnitude of the use — and therefore the potential misuse — of serological tests. Now the picture is becoming clearer, in India at least.
Research by my team at McGill University has estimated that at least 1.5 million TB serological tests are done in the country every year, at a cost conservatively estimated at US$15 million.
The problem is not confined to India. Commercial serological tests are available in at least 17 of 22 countries with the highest burden of TB, including China, South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Russian Federation and the Philippines.
Regulation of diagnostics is weak in these countries, with the result that poorly performing tests can easily enter the market. Once there, the money to be made by stakeholders — doctors, laboratories, diagnostic companies and distributors — ensures that they are widely used, even without any policy or scientific evidence supporting such use.
A substandard test
Last year, the WHO finally decided to tackle this problem and convened an expert group to review the evidence and formulate a policy.
An updated meta-analysis, commissioned by TDR (Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases) and WHO, and published in PLoS Medicine this month (9 August), has brought together evidence from 92 studies[1].
It concludes that commercial serological tests continue to produce inconsistent and imprecise estimates of sensitivity and specificity, and that the quality of evidence supporting their effectiveness remains very low.
The expert group also considered evidence from a study of the cost-effectiveness of the use of serological tests in India[2].
This study found that, as an initial test for active TB among adults in the country, serology results in more human suffering, secondary infections and false-positive diagnoses than the more conventional sputum-smear microscopy tests, while also increasing costs per patient to the Indian TB control sector.
Last month's statement issued by WHO, which is based on these two studies and additional advice from experts, concludes that "the quality of evidence for commercial serodiagnostic tests was very low, with harms/risks far outweighing any potential benefits ".
It therefore recommends that these tests "should not be used in individuals suspected of active pulmonary or extra-pulmonary TB, irrespective of their HIV status", although the WHO policy does not discourage research to develop improved or novel serological tests for TB.
Influencing the private sector
But while the WHO statement criticising serological TB testing [292kB] provides much needed guidance at the global level on what needs to be done, the agency does not have the power to implement policy that would put its conclusions into effect.
It is now up to high-burden countries to implement the policy by tightening their regulations, and by educating doctors, laboratories and consumers on the need to prevent the continued misuse of such diagnostics.
The big challenge is to reach and influence the private sector, which is largely unregulated in most developing countries. In India, for example, the private sector manages nearly half of all TB cases, and irrational medical practices — such as those involved in TB drug use — are rampant.
India has already taken a lead. Immediately following the WHO policy announcement, India's Revised National TB Control Program (RNTCP) issued an advisory against TB serological tests, but this may not directly influence practices in the private sector.
Political will is needed
Other countries with a high burden of TB, such as South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Kenya and Nigeria, need to follow India's example. Each also has a strong private sector, but must find ways to incentivise it to substitute serological tests with validated products endorsed by WHO.
If diagnostic companies, distributors, laboratories and doctors can earn money from suboptimal tests, then their use will continue to flourish, however dubious the results. A solution must account for these market-based ground realities, and address the financial incentives of all stakeholders that currently perpetuate bad medicine.
There is plenty of scope for creative public-private partnerships that can realign irrational medical practices with evidence-based guidelines, yet still be economically viable for private providers and companies.
What is needed is the political will to ensure that such solutions are put into place – and to overcome the entrenched resistance they will inevitably face.
Madhukar Pai is an associate professor of epidemiology at McGill University, Montreal and McGill University Health Centre. He co-chairs the Stop TB Partnership's New Diagnostics Working Group, and consults for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those held by the agencies he works with.
You might also like
[1] Steingart K. et al. Commercial serological tests for the diagnosis of active pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Medicine (2011) (in press)
[2] Dowdy D. et al. Serological testing versus other strategies for diagnosis of active tuberculosis in India: a cost-effectiveness analysis. PLoS Medicine (2011) (in press)


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Compass "Introduction to University" Day
7 May 2012
On Wednesday 2 May 2012, seven students from the SCM Music Education Unit participated in the "Introducation to University" Day for Year 3 students oragnised by the COMPASS school program. From 10am-2pm there were 600 school students at the Camperdown Campus particpating in a range of faculty activites so that they couldexperiencesomething of being at university. The Sydney Conservatorium of Music's Music Education students ran musical activities for the Year 3 students - with percussion kits, guitars and iPads with amps! All had a great time and enjoyed the musical activities.
Contact: Jennifer Rowley
Phone: 02 9351 1328
Email: 52573c5f012a0e5d560b260f274e21703a1e2d25362a7f3436384d1747


text:
1. Of or pertaining to the Teutons, especially. The ancient Teutons; germanic.
2. Of or pertaining to any of the Teutonic languages, or the peoples who speak these languages. Teutonic languages, a group of languages forming a division of the Indo-European, or aryan, family, and embracing the high german, low German, Gothic, and Scandinavian dialects and languages. Teutonic order, a military religious order of knights, established toward the close of the twelfth century, in imitation of the Templars and Hospitalers, and composed chiefly of Teutons, or Germans. The order rapidly increased in numbers and strength till it became master of all Prussia, Livonia, and Pomerania. In its decay it was abolished by Napoleon; but it has been revived as an honorary order.
Origin: L. Teutonicus, from Teutoni, or Teutones. See Teuton.


text:
Item# WLPROJ-3892
Click To Mark Complete
In advance, make candy coral pieces for cake top. Pour a layer of nonpareils in pie pan. Melt white candy in parchment bag; cut bag and pipe outlines in coral shapes on top of nonpareils. Immediately pour additional nonpareils over coral, covering completely. Let set in freezer until firm. Attach coral to lollipop sticks with melted candy; let set. Repeat for each color.
For fish, prepare marshmallow mixture for cereal treats; divide mixture in thirds and tint yellow, green and orange. Prepare mini ball pan with non-stick spray; press each mixture into 2 cavities and unmold onto waxed paper. Attach ball halves together with melted candy to form bodies; press "ball" down to flatten bottom. For fins and tail, cut jelly fruit candy in half; attach to body with melted candy. For lips, cut jelly fruit candy in a V shape; attach. Attach hollow-center candies for eyes; pipe tip 3 black icing dot pupils.
Bake and cool your favorite 2-layer 9 x 13 in. cake. Position cake on foil-covered cake board. Prepare for fondant by lightly icing with buttercream.
Marbleize fondant by rolling white fondant into a ball, kneading until it is soft and pliable. Using a toothpick, add dots of blue icing color in several spots. Knead fondant slightly until color begins to blend in, creating marbleized streaks. Roll out fondant 1/8 in. thick and cover cake; smooth.
With tinted buttercream icing, pipe alternating tip 352 leaf coral and tip 16 pull-out plants on cake sides. Pipe tip 12 puff bottom border; sprinkle with jumbo nonpareils. Position fish on cake top. Insert cake top coral, trimming sticks as needed.


text:
If you've ever been crammed in a Toyota Scion with four soccer coaches after a long August day of camp you know what boot stink is.
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Tag(s): Home


text:
Monday, July 20, 2009
Random wrongness
12 comments:
love it! Good laugh. Now I can go off to work.
I have fallen many times in high heels. So I know what she's trying to do.
- July 20, 2009 at 11:30 AM
- radrean said...
Who says modeling isn't difficult? Trying to walk correctly is not something everyone can do - couple that with high heels and look what happens! I laughed too, I hope she can.
- July 20, 2009 at 11:55 AM
Why isn't America being told/taught/warned about the hate that is coming out of Farrahkan and his followers? Why isn't this on say the SPLC list that has artricles after article written by their editors about I think pretty much everything under the sun. But try to find soem updated or even serious information about Farrahkan and all the many splinter hate groups/cults such as the Nubians, the new black panthers, The black Isrealites and so many more... Why isn't there a teaching tolerance article on them is there is where is it?
- July 20, 2009 at 1:37 PM
- Kellybelle said...
it's the wobbling ankles that getcha.
What's up with anonymous crazy?
- July 20, 2009 at 1:40 PM
- Undercover Black Man said...
What's up with anonymous crazy?
Maybe that's the chick who face-planted on the runway.
- July 20, 2009 at 1:56 PM
- quirkychick said...
No kidding Kellybelle, that ankle action is kind of amazing they just keep wobbling and wobbling. It's like they're vibrating or something!
I think anonymous has a wobbly brain.
- July 20, 2009 at 2:05 PM
- quirkychick said...
Meaning anonymous wobbled over into the wrong post.
- July 20, 2009 at 2:06 PM
ditto at lawegohard.
- July 20, 2009 at 4:14 PM
- bklyn6 said...
Newcasters are usually pretty good at restraint. You hardly ever hear them sneeze.
Naomi Campbell fell on her ass on the catwalk while wearing high heels and laughed it off. I guess that's why I didn't feel embarrassed for her.
I feel a little embarrassed for this woman. I hope she didn't sprain her ankles.
- July 20, 2009 at 5:01 PM
That was funny! When he said, "Wait hol' on!" I almost fell off my chair.
Kellybelle nailed it: The ankles were the punch line.
- July 20, 2009 at 5:14 PM
@MLM, onetime in college I was super drunk and fell down a flight of stairs in some cheap wood heels. I somehow landed on my feet. The energy that this chick is putting in to staying up on her feet is about fighting a universal law. Heel - Balance = Shame.
- July 25, 2009 at 9:06 AM
- Superbizzee said...
Jim Vance, Susan Kidd & George Michael...I practically grew up on them. And yes...that was hella funny. Worse than when Naomi Campbell was all over the news for doing the same thing in her purple platform shoes.
- August 5, 2009 at 8:21 PM


text:
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text:
|Welcome to the Monastery
Spoiler tag table view is partially broken because embedded code tags are not hiddenby Argel (Prior)
|on Feb 15, 2008 at 01:10 UTC ( #668073=monkdiscuss: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
The recent Evil Interview Questions thread contained heavy use of spoiler tags and revealed what I think is a bug with the spoiler tag and/or the code tag (or at least an undesired feature).
I use the "Perl-Blue Theme" theme container and have spoiler tags set to "table". So normally spoiler text is in black on a black background and the way to view is to highlight/select the text.
Apparently the spoiler tag does not override the color used for text contained within code tags. And that means that using the table view for spoiler tags is partially broken since any code contained within spoiler tags will be visible (just on a black ground instead of the grey background common to the "Perl-Blue Theme").
Anyway, I thought I would mention it.
Back to Perl Monks Discussion


text:
The Clockwerk Run is located within Gnomeregan, and lies just beyond the Train Depot. It is crawling with irradiated troggs, and has partially collapsed onto itself.
This is where the Gnomeregan instance portal is located, and it is here one must go to to complete Kernobee's quest, [35] A Fine Mess. The Clockwerk Run leads to the upper section of the Hall of Gears.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


text:
Fayette school staff members are helping the district through tough financial times by taking pay freezes.
At the May meeting, board of education members approved a motion to freeze the salaries of staff members not covered by bargaining unit agreements.
Support staff that are part of a union agreed to roll over their contracts for the next school year with wages frozen at the current levels.
The district's teachers agreed earlier through negotiations to no increase in the base teacher salary.
"The staff understands that the current economic conditions have been very difficult for the taxpayers," superintendent Russ Griggs said. "The school district has to operate as conservatively as possible while maintaining the highest quality educational programs possible."


text:
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Judges are postponing a preliminary hearing and a separate trial for former Penn State administrators accused of covering up the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal.
Court orders issued Wednesday mean a preliminary hearing won't be held as planned next week for the school's former president, vice president and athletic director. A January trial for two of them is also on hold.
A district judge in the Harrisburg suburbs decided to put off the preliminary hearing for Graham Spanier, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz. A county judge in Harrisburg made a similar decision not to start the trial of Curley and Schultz on some of the charges on Jan. 7.
New dates weren't announced.
The three deny the allegations, which include perjury, obstruction, conspiracy and failure to properly report suspected abuse.


text:
Federer's 21st Masters 1000 title equals Rafa Nadal's record in the elite series and his win against the Serbian world number two showed he is in optimum form heading into the U.S. Open later this month.
The 31-year-old Swiss held his serve throughout the tournament and did not even face a break point against the world number two.
Federer barely broke sweat in a first set which took just 20 minutes but it was a tighter affair in the second which the elegant Federer eventually won 9-7 in the tiebreak.
The tone was set by the first game of the match when Djokovic, who won at Toronto last week, double faulted to give Federer two break points which he gratefully accepted.
That was the first of four double-faults from the Serb in the first set and Federer took full advantage of them all to record his first 6-0 set against Djokovic in 28 meetings between the top two ranked players in the world.
"I was hoping for a good start, but (I didn't expect) that. I'll take it," said Federer.
"I tried to stretch the lead. Obviously, Novak had a hard time finding his range on the serve from the baseline but the combination just made it all work out for me today in that first set," he added.
It was not all down to the Serb's mistakes however, Federer producing some glorious groundstrokes along with a thundering serve as he kept Djokovic firmly on the back foot.
"He started off really well and I made a lot of double faults and errors," said Djokovic, who has now lost in all four of his Cincinnati finals.
"I had my chances in the second set and I missed them and he deserved the win," added the Serb.
There were no service breaks in the second set as Djokovic finally found his touch but Federer's outstanding backhand defence made for some entertaining rallies.
The Swiss missed out on match point in the tiebreak but made no mistake at the second attempt, a superb forehand winner putting an end to the contest.
"I thought as the match went on it was going to get more difficult and it was important for me to get out of that second set, even though I wouldn't have been worried about the third," said Federer.
"But it would have given Novak that much more time to get into the match and maybe try out a few more things and get comfortable.
"He did a good job to come back in the breaker, and he did definitely start to play some of those amazing shots we know he can do towards the end of the second set," he said.
It is the fifth time Federer has won the Cincinnati event, a tournament record, and the third time in four years.
"It's obviously incredible because I remember the first few here I struggled. Now looking back it's just unbelievable," he said.
"Plus this was probably the best week ever here in Cincinnati for me – never dropping my serve and all that stuff and beating Novak in the final. This was very sweet, no doubt about it". DM
Photo: Roger Federer of Switzerland (R) shakes hands with Novak Djokovic of Serbia (L) after defeating him in the championship match at the men's Cincinnati Open tennis tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio August 19, 2012. REUTERS/John Sommers II
Game of Thrones author George RR Martin uses WordStar 4.0a word processor from the days of DOS to write all of his books.


text: 5 Things to Do in Minneapolis Published by ThisMissCooks Hey all! I'm a healthy food & fitness blogger with a strong meal prep game and a love of science-backed wellness tips. By day I work in a lab and at night I moonlight as a kitchen dabbler. View all posts by ThisMissCooks


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Friday, April 8, 2011
leaving on a jet plane...
25 comments:
- Diana said...
i wish i lived closer!!! or you travelled to Canada!!!
i am still waiting for my first ever Wendy Vecchi book!! YAHOO!! can't wait
- April 8, 2011 at 6:00 AM
- Helen said...
I need no excuses to shop - am going to, tomorrow.... then hope to Make ART on Sunday! Have a good, safe trip & come back soon to show us what we can make with what you make us buy, lol.
- April 8, 2011 at 6:11 AM
- Helen said...
Oh, I forgot to say - this is drop dead gorgeous!!
- April 8, 2011 at 6:11 AM
- Dorothy said...
Excellent art!!!
have a fun trip. be safe!
- April 8, 2011 at 6:13 AM
- lois Skiathitis said...
Love the project. have a safe and wonderful trip. What ever I'm working on at the moment is my favorite. LOL!!! Thanks for my daily smile. TFS!!! :-D
- April 8, 2011 at 7:05 AM
- Cim Allen said...
Have a safe trip Wendy, love the project ! I have a long list of enablers and you are right up there with Tim on that list !! Have an ink-tastic weekend.
- April 8, 2011 at 7:45 AM
- sue said...
Have a save trip. Love the pocket watch. I need to retire so I can create art all day.
- April 8, 2011 at 7:57 AM
- TheLastOfNine said...
Good luck on your flight! Love all your inky creations, keep them coming!
- April 8, 2011 at 8:25 AM
- slbt17 said...
Love this, thanks for your insight!
Sandra ltb
- April 8, 2011 at 9:36 AM
- SusanK said...
Safe travels and I hope to see you in Moline! Yup, love this art piece!
- April 8, 2011 at 9:55 AM
- Marijane said...
Yeaaaaaah! I just signed up for your class in Moline and I am so excited that it's a "Technique" class! Your project today is darling and the pocket watch looks perfect with the gold paint/distressed look. I finally found distress stains in my local scrapbooking store and can't wait to start using them. Have a wonderful trip and I can't wait to see you in Moline! (P.S. Illinois bloggers, the class is filling fast!)
- April 8, 2011 at 10:49 AM
- Tona said...
Yet another great project!
Safe travels!
- April 8, 2011 at 12:35 PM
- Vic said...
Love the gold paint texture! Have a safe trip.
- April 8, 2011 at 12:40 PM
- Hels Sheridan said...
ooohlalalaaaaa.. this is loverly indeedily... that ickle C... genius :O)) Now, did someone mention pizza... cos I will swim oceans and traverse continents to have pizza... either that or I could just try and extend my visit... mmm, not sure that Mr Visa would be too happy though.. have a grrrreat weekend x
- April 8, 2011 at 12:48 PM
- rhonda said...
Be safe on your trip and another beautiful project that I love!
- April 8, 2011 at 12:50 PM
- Jenny and Jimbob said...
Haha, literally laughed out loud at the red "yikes"! Good luck packing! :)
- April 8, 2011 at 1:33 PM
- Art By Wanda said...
Have fun - Stay Safe!!!! Love the project!!! I think all the Cs should be stuck so we can save it and use it!!!
- April 8, 2011 at 1:40 PM
Really beautiful project, and I do so understand your red "yikes." Air travel can be stressful enough without having to think about cracks in the fusilage!
Anyway, safe trip and have a great class.
Wish I lived closer.....
- April 9, 2011 at 4:12 AM
- Debby said...
Be safe! Thanks for sharing your art!
- April 9, 2011 at 11:57 AM
- Lori said...
Love all the art part layers on this piece, Wendy! Very cool!
- April 9, 2011 at 8:28 PM
- Shannon said...
Please, please, please come do a class in Arizona? Just think you could see Tim H. while you're here. Things have been a bit tight so I haven't purchased any of your Art Parts yet. But please believe me when I say it has nothing to do with not wanting them ALL. I have a million ideas of what I will do when I get them. Thanks you so much for all the sharing and never ending inspiring. You rock Wendy!!!
- April 9, 2011 at 9:10 PM
- ReNae Allen said...
I absolutely LOVED your Ranger class today! I learned so much and you are such a fabulous tutor! Your easy style and calming personality made all of us feel like we too could "make art".
I can't wait for tomorrow's class, I just know it will be fantastic! Thanks thanks thanks!
ReNae (with a capital N) in Kansas City
- April 10, 2011 at 1:00 AM
- jan metcalf said...
Just love everything you do, I mean all your ART!!
- April 10, 2011 at 9:18 AM
- Larissa Heskett said...
WOW!! Wendy so sad that I missed you in KC, but I am still holding out hope that I will see you in the future!! I'd LOVE nothing more than to take a class form you!! THANKS for the share and I can't wait for the tutorial as you always have awesome ones!!
- April 11, 2011 at 9:23 AM
- Micki said...
Hey Wendy,
THANK YOU again for a wonderful day. I learned and had fun and it was so great to see you again! Many hugs!
- April 11, 2011 at 11:55 AM


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Welcome to Day 3 of E3 2012, the biggest tradeshow dedicated to the art and business of video games. In yesterday's Day 2 report we showcased ten of the most anticipated video games of 2012 being shown this week at the L.A. Convention Center. Today let's look at the console side of things—particularly newly announced features for two game platforms: Nintendo's Wii U and Microsoft's Xbox.
For Nintendo, this year's E3 show was all about the Wii U.
Wii U: Still Connecting the Dots
For Nintendo, this E3 has been all about the Wii U, the game giant's next-generation handheld game console. The device is built around a touchscreen controller (as with the Nintendo DS) and it supports the same motion-sensitive gaming that Nintendo's Wii remote used to transform family dens everywhere into arm-waving, foot-pounding game salons. In addition, Wii U will enable streaming media from content providers like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and Amazon Video. And in a nod to the social-media revolution, Nintendo has pledged that Wii U will deliver features that enhance the experience of connected gaming.
There have been changes to the Wii U controller GamePad that was shown at last year's E3, although most of the alterations involve tweaks to make the unit more ergonomic and functional (a pro gamer controller—which looks more like an Xbox controller that was also announced). The big selling point for Wii U is the console's second screen, which can be used to activate different game controls, trigger alternate camera views and switch perspectives. For example, during certain games, players will be able to hold the controller pad up to their television screen and scan for enemies. Similarly, a new karaoke game will utilize the second screen as a teleprompter for displaying song lyrics.
The Wii U will ship with "NintendoLand," a mini-game sampler with a theme-park feel.
Despite not delivering more information about the Wii U (such as its price point and its exact release date, although Nintendo assured attendees that the device will be released in time for holiday shopping), Nintendo was able to point to an initial batch of Wii U games—nearly two dozen of them—that will be ready to instantly support the new machine. Nintendo also unveiled a mini-game sampler called "NintendoLand," which will ship with the Wii U.
Xbox: Ruling the Roost
E3 attendees hoping to get an early look at Microsoft's much-rumored Xbox 720 (which sources say will arrive sometime during 2013) were disappointed by this year's show, but Microsoft had plenty of news to keep gamers satisfied. Besides, Microsoft's Xbox 360 is still currently winning the "console wars." And that's for a couple of reasons—one is the games, the other is Xbox Live being a superior online service. To that extent, a large majority of Microsoft's announcements were focused around updates to the Xbox Live services:
Microsoft brought famed 49ers quarterback Joe Montana out of retirement. He was on hand to promote "Madden 13″ —while R&B star Usher opened the Microsoft press event showing off "Dance Central 3."
- Microsoft announced that the Xbox's streaming media capabilities will be enhanced by the addition of new broadcast networks, such as ESPN and all of the major pro sports leagues in the U.S. Likewise, new media apps from entertainment providers (like Paramount Movies, Nickelodeon and Univision) will find a home on the console.
- Featuring a reported 30 million tracks, Microsoft's retooled music service will simply be called "Music" (as opposed to "Zune," its former title). In addition to Windows 8, Music will be brought to the Xbox.
- Possibly in response to the intense popularity of rival Nintendo's "Wii Fit" exercise program, Microsoft announced a partnership with Nike to bring the sports company's Nike+ training platform to Xbox Kinect. With it, users will be put through their exercise paces by a virtual trainer and will be able to receive helpful fitness reminders directly on their smartphones.
- Microsoft also unveiled its plans for Xbox SmartGlass, a new application that will let users bridge their different electronic devices (e.g., Xbox, smartphone, tablets and TVs) and enjoy the same content across all of them. For example, via SmartGlass a user could start out watching a movie on their tablet computer, then pick up where they left off by resuming watching on their phone or Xbox.
Microsoft wowed the crowds with the eagerly awaited "Halo 4."
See Ya Next Time!
E3 2012 will be wrapping up soon, but the news coming out of the show will be rocking gamers for months (and years) to come. Whether you're a gamer or someone interested in learning how to design video games, check back here for more video games news.
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|Think about Loose Coupling
Re: Multidimensional Arraysby Anonymous Monk
|on May 28, 2003 at 07:47 UTC ( #261247=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
Beautiful description. I too have tried over and over to learn this. I ended up creating a moc multi-dimentional array with a hash:
$qa{"Q1.A3"} ="Question 1, Answer 3"; # dbl Quotes required!
I can iterate through the array answers for Q1 like this:
for $i (1..5) print $qa{"Q1.A$i"} . '\n';
As an added benefit, I can also create other "properties":
$qa{"Q1.type"} = "radio";
So, that makes it sort of like a virtual object, which I need to learn someday. This was great. Thanks again. -sleve
In Section Tutorials


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A feast for faith
'This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.' Isaiah 28:29
Suggested Further Reading: Exodus 35:30–36:2
We are to ascribe the thoughtful, inventive mind, and the dexterous, clever hand, to him who is the great Instructor of man. We trace directly to God the marvellous philosophy of Newton, and the skill of Watt and Stephenson, because the very slightest consideration shows us that there was originally a peculiarity in the constitution and formation of such minds as theirs. The most of us could have done nothing of the kind if we had tried all our days. There may be men of inventive genius here, but I suppose that nine out of ten of us can make no pretence to the possession of anything of the sort, and therefore we are led to ask, where did the faculty come from? Surely the fertile brain of invention must be the Creator's gift. An after providence has also a hand in the business, for many men whose minds would naturally have gone in the direction of invention, are turned into quite another course by the force of circumstances. It was surely God's providence which in other cases found a channel for the natural passion, and allowed the soul to flow as it willed. And how often, too, some of the greatest inventions have been due to the simplest accidents! The puffing of steam from a kettle, or the falling of an apple from a tree have led thoughtful minds to discover great and important truths, and who shall attribute these circumstances to any but to 'him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will,' and who gives wisdom to the wisest of the sons of men? Let us adore the mighty God, not only as we read our Bibles, but as we traverse the halls of art and science, and visit the exhibitions which in these days of ours are being reared on every side. Let us make man's skill speak to us of God's glory.
For meditation: 1 Corinthians 4:7. Our 'natural' abilities are God-given, whether they are practical (Exodus 36:1–2) or academic (Daniel 1:17). It is our responsibility to use our gifts for their proper purpose and we are the only ones to blame if they are misused.
Sermon no. 711
16 September (1866)365 Days with C.H. Spurgeon, Vol. 2: A Unique Collection of 365 Daily Readings from Sermons Preached by Charles Haddon Spurgeon from His Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (365 Days With Series); edited by Terence Peter Crosby; (c) Day One Publications, 2002.


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thanks I'll fix that. (though its actually harmless, all it'll do is set the flag to use it twice, overwriting the position at which to use it with the second occurrence. It only actually gets used once. )Corran wrote: I notice that harddup is present in the command line twice.
This probably isn't a harddup issue, since it happens when using the builtin muxer, and mplayer itself doesn;t play the file right. the problem is It's starting the audio as soon as the vid starts instead of after the opening title. Not sure why, maybe theres some kinda mpeg flag that tells it to delay the audio that mplayer isn't reading or something, but I'll try and find out if theres a way around it. in the meantime I can add an option in the audio panel to delay the audio manually.... which is probably a good option to have available in there anyway.Corran wrote:I'm guessing that isn't the complete command line but that is all that is displaying. Here is a file that you can test the harddup switch with: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... hp?v=12511mencoder.exe "F:\Video\AMVs\02. Good AMVs\Grave of the Fireflies-MJ-FinalMemory.mpeg" -vf scale=480:-2,harddup -of rawvideo -nosound -vf-add harddup -subfont-autoscale 1 -subfont-text-scale 7 -slang en -ovc x264 -x264encopts threads=auto:bitrate=362:bframes=0:ref=5:subme=6:trellis=1:analyse=p8x8,b8x8,i4x4,p4x4:no-ssim:level=3:no-fast-pskip:no-
I still need to test the .wmv framerate problem, so If i find out anything with that, I'll post my findings later ;p


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Subj: Re: 138 ("Race For Glory") 3rd Draft
Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2006 9:57:20 PM
From: Peter Laird
To: Lloyd Goldfine
Here are my comments (not many) on the Ep. 138 third draft.
1.) Re: the following:
Sorry to disappoint you, Raph, but there won't be any "between heats". The machine in this race will make around the entire Tri-State track in just a few hours."
Minor point, but I think that should be "machines", not "machine".
2.) Re: the following:
Don, Raph and Falcon peer out at a TUNNEL ENTRANCE up ahead. It's way too small for the Hovershell to fit through.
We ain't gonna fit!
Then we'll just have to MAKE it fit!
The Hovershell sheds its "shell", which gets <SCORCHED> by the flame burst as the "TANK" half narrowly slips into the tunnel. "
As I said in my last notes:
"I think this bit needs to be thought out a little more. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Tank part of the HoverShell isn't "way" smaller/narrower than the "shell" part. I also think they should do something a little more sophisticated than just "peer" at the tunnel to ascertain that it is too narrow for the Hovershell to fit through it. Maybe there could be a gizmo on board the Hovershell which views the road ahead and analyzes obstacles of this nature, displaying results on a screen, which could SHOW that the Hovershell is wider than the tunnel."
This could be accomplished by something as simple as using one of the holo-displays on the Hovershell to display an image of the upcoming tunnel with an overlay of an outline of the Hovershell (as seen from end-on).
3.) Re: the following:
Sh'yeah, as dead weight!"
"Sh'yeah"? How about just "Yeah"?
-- Pete
Subj: Re: 143 ("Zixxth Sense") Outline
Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2006 9:32:12 PM
From: Peter Laird
To: Lloyd Goldfine
Here are my comments on the Ep. 143 outline.
1.) Re: the following:
"The golf bag FLICKERS and fades away, and we see that it was merely a holographic cover for the smuggled ALTAIRIAN BLASTERS. Grinning, Zixx tosses them to the aliens. But his grin fades when the Ugly Alien levels the blaster at him."
I wonder if it might be a bit funnier and be a better visual if instead of the bag being a "holographic cover", the CLUBS are actually the blasters -- they look like golf clubs (however golf clubs look in the future), but when manipulated in a certain way, they TRANSFORM into lethal looking blasters.
2.) Re: the following:
"Raph suggests blowing the meteor up with a thermonuclear bomb. But Zixx explains that wouldn't work because black matter is harder than a trillium diamond. "A bomb would just polish the surface," he says. Still, the Turtles refuse to believe that there is nothing they can do to stop Earth's destruction. Zixx hesitates."
Hmmm... because it seems logical (to me, anyway) that in the future there would be weapons or engines of destruction far in advance of a mere thermonuclear bomb (i.e. blasters, megalasers, proton beams, phasers, neutron disruptors, terraforming molecular masers, etc.), it might be good here to mention a few of them, and then have Zixx admit "Yeah, there is enough technology available to reduce the dark matter meteor to space dust... but I ran a computer simulation, and it would take a little too much time" "How much time?" demands Raph. "Oh, about a year and a half!" replies Zixx.
But Don should STILL be suspicious.
3.) Re: the following:
"But he knows where there is another ship that will get them there. He leads them to BISHOP'S PRESIDENTIAL SHUTTLE. "Good old Bish won't mind if we borrow this," insists Zixx. "He and I are old pals."
The Turtles aren't too keen on this plan, but Zixx barges ahead before they can stop him. He ambushes two of the shuttle's guards and sets off blaring alarms. When the other guards open fire, the Turtles have no choice but to defend themselves. As they take out the remaining guards, Zixx fires up the engines and commandeers the Presidential Shuttle. The Turtles hop on board and hope for the best."
I'm wondering if -- because the Turtles' involvement in the theft of Bishop's shuttle would lead to problems (that they don't need) with Bishop -- Zixx and the Turtles should steal someone else's shuttle. They could still be chased, maybe even by Biggles' crew.
4.) Re: the following:
"The Turtles wake up in a cold, barren cell. They are furious with Zixx for betraying them.
DONNY: What did you expect? You can't spell Zixx without a double cross!"
That's clever... but a pun like that is more a Mike thing.
-- Pete
Subj: Re: TMNT Show 141 ("The Cosmic Completist") First Draft
Date: Saturday, January 7, 2006 2:18:01 PM
From: Peter Laird
To: Lloyd Goldfine
Here are my comments on the Ep. 141 first draft.
1.) Re: the following:
I think it's cool.
No you don't.
Yes I do."
The "No you don't"/"Yes I do" exchange seems silly to me, and extraneous. I would take out those two lines.
2.) Re: the following:
"A RED-HOT ESCAPE POD crashes through the roof to smash the action figure.
BLINDING SMOKE. <Coughing.> The smoke clears. The roof is gone. DUST and RUBBLE everywhere.
Mikey is heartbroken as the mint-on-card figure, now a torn and dirty lump, drops in front of him."
I suspect "the roof is gone" is a slight exaggeration -- obviously, if the force of the escape pod would result in the whole roof being blown away, it's unlikely anyone in the penthouse would survive the impact. More likely is that there is now a sizable HOLE in the roof.
Also, it''s a little confusing to me how the escape pod could smash through the roof onto the action figure... and then that same action figure "drops in front of" Mikey. Wouldn't it be crushed under the escape pod?
3.) Re: the following:
I can handle myself. I have the Turtle X Armor! I want to come too!
Can't do, Cody. Anything that was able to take down all the Gunjins is going to be mega-dangerous. Besides, it wasn't easy for the Gunjin Leader to swallow his pride and come to us for help. The Gunjin code of honor definitely wouldn't let him take help from a kid, even one with battle armor.
I'm not a kid! You don't think I am, do you, Leo?
Little ninja, you're one of us. Family. So I'd like you to do me a favor and stay here where it's safe."
Leo's "Can't do" sounds odd to me... maybe a bit too slangy for Leo. I'd prefer it if he just said "No" instead.
And Cody's "I'm not a kid!" rant sounds a little off. I mean -- he IS a kid. Not JUST any kid, of course -- Leo has already seen him in action and knows what he can do, especially when he is teamed with the Turtle X armor. I think it would be good if Leo's reply to Cody here reflected that, while at the same time making clear to him that this is a job for the experienced fighters.
4.) Re: the following:
Gotcha, Leo."
Don MIGHT say "Gotcha" in a certain context, but this is not it.
5.) Re: the following:
Yeah, yeah…38…37…we know the rest! Let's kick it!
Donatello kicks a big LEVER on the dashboard -- the ship shakes as the engines roar to life."
This is DUMB. When did Don turn into Raph? And... KICKING a lever? WTF? This is NOT Don.
6.) Re: the following:
--"massive gravity field?"
Yeah. How'd you know?"
Don doesn't say "Yeah". And how DID Leo know, apparently BEFORE Don did?
7.) Re: the following:
I'm reading thousands of lifeforms on that ship. But all dormant, like in hibernation. Only one is awake, the DNA is strange…I don't know what it is."
Minor point -- but maybe Don's scan of Aramzedo is being "blurred" or distorted by the armor that Aramzedo resides within, and Don can mention something to that effect, i.e. "Something is interfering with my scan of this lifeform..."
8.) Re: the following:
"TIGHT ON Leo as he jumps in front of the bot and takes command.
Donny take its right. Raph the left. It can't take us on all at once. It's NINJA TIME!"
Gag! Please delete "It's NINJA TIME!" Actually, I wouldn't mind deleting all of this stuff, as it is kind of extraneous AND awkwardly worded... not to mention the fact that it's kind of a lame and presumptuous plan from Leo (how DOES he know that it can't take them on all at once?).
9.) Re: the following:
I'm coming, bro!"
Don doesn't say "Bro".
10.) Re: the following:
"Donatello WINCES.
Okay, that even grossed me out…"
That sounds like more of a Mikey line.
11.) Re: the following:
Lame?! We're grade-A Turtle, bucko! Nothing of greater value!
Can it, Raph. You're not helping!"
I think Raph should say "Can it, Mikey", not "Can it, Raph".
12.) Re: the following:
<Gasp!> Donny, shift over, man. Your feet reek!"
That's some sensitive nose Mikey has... to smell Don's feet THROUGH A SPACE SUIT! Not to mention that Mikey's head is inside his SPACE HELMET!
13.) Re: the following:
"Michelangelo stands on the other side of the open doorway to the Hall of Humanoids, twiddling his fingers at the 'bot.
Like before, the Pack-bot zooms super-fast across the room and between Mikey's legs. But, this time, when he stops behind him, he looks up to find the other Turtles balancing above on Donatello's extended bo staff, and the Leader Gunjin hovering above them. "
The staging of this action is confusing to me. WHERE are all the Turtles "balancing" on Don's bo staff? HOW is it that the Pack-Bot can't SEE them until he has slid between Mikey's legs? WHY is this balancing bit a good strategy against the Pack-Bot? Something about this doesn't make sense.
14.) Re: the following:
"Raph pulls out his sais, and the others pull out their weapons. Pack-bots from the nearby seats POLYMER SPRAY the weapons out of the Turtles' hands onto the dirt. The Turtles can't pull the weapons loose."
I'm trying to envision how one would "POLYMER SPRAY the weapons out of the Turtles' hands onto the dirt". Doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense.
15.) Re: the following:
"Donatello grabs one by the arm and judo flips it. The Dokepal lands on its back and bounces back onto its feet, unharmed.
Doke doke!
It's no use! We can't stop them. Nothing can."
When did Don get so defeatist? Seems like it's a bit too soon to be saying "Nothing can" stop the Dokepals. Silly.
16.) Re: the following:
Chicken?! Aramzedo is no flightless bird! But you are beneath my notice! I do not need to trouble myself with insects such as you! Pack-bots, collect them!"
Minor point -- are chickens really "flightless birds"?
17.) Re: the following:
I'm gonna pluck this buzzard one feather at a time until you come out!
Yes. He means it. Oh. Help. Help.
Michelangelo gets a little too eager in his yanking. The Gunjin Leader <growls> at him.
ENOUGH! Pack-bots, withdraw!
The Pack-bots withdraw to their seats in the stadium.
Aramzedo will fight you. If I win, you will join my collection with no further damage to my possessions.
Agreed. And if we win, you will release all your collection!
Fine. Aramzedo does not lose!
The day we can't take on some pipsqueak geek is the day I hang up my sais for good!"
This is... not very good. Given the super-duper powers of the Pack-Bots (as Don points out a few lines earlier "We had our hands full with one Pack-bot. How do we take on an army?"), it makes NO sense to me that Aramzedo would not just have multiple Pack-Bots rush the Turtles and immobilize them with their polymer goo. So what if Mikey is able to pull a few feathers off the Gunjin in the intervening seconds? I think some other way of getting Aramzedo to fight with them "in person" needs to be found. Maybe Mikey can INSULT Aramzedo somehow, maybe dissing him as a collector for some reason... maybe Mikey can even claim to be a BETTER collector than Aramzedo.
And Raph's "pipsqeak geek" line is a bit off, given that they have yet to SEE Aramzedo -- how does Raph know he's a "pipsqueak geek"? Maybe Raph could more logically insult Aramzedo as "a geeky collector doofus" or something like that.
18.) Re: the following:
"A GLOWING SURGE OF ELECTRICITY flows all over Aramzedo's body up to Donatello and SHOCKS him.
The impact zaps him off to land woozy on the ground.
I smell popcorn…where's the butter…?"
That's much more of a Mikey line.
19.) Re: the following:
There's thousands of aliens! How will you handle all of it?
We have someone very organized to help us…
TRUE ARAMZEDO, the tiny alien, carrying a CLIPBOARD, runs after one of the Pack-bots.
No! Take him to Hanger 11! First we will alphabetize all the aliens! Then we will arrange them according to size! Alphabetize – so commands ARAMZEDO!!
Everybody laughs as we…"
This is clever and funny... but not, as it stands, very logical. For it to make sense, there should be some reason that Aramzedo has agreed to do this -- I mean, hasn't this guy spent years collecting all these aliens? Why then would he help to repatriate them? Perhaps this could be tweaked as follows:
There's thousands of aliens! How will you handle all of it?
In exchange for his OWN freedom, we have persuaded someone very organized to help us…
TRUE ARAMZEDO, the tiny alien, carrying a CLIPBOARD, runs after one of the Pack-bots.
No! Take him to Hanger 11! First we will alphabetize all the aliens! Then we will arrange them according to size! Alphabetize – so commands ARAMZEDO!!
Everybody laughs as we…"
-- Pete


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Department of international relations and cooperation spokesperson Nelson Kgwete confirmed eight South Africans died in Afghanistan on Tuesday but said few details were known.
"The men worked for a private aviation company. They died this morning in an explosion in Kabul. The department is working with the authorities through its mission based in Islamabad in Pakistan to establish more details about this," he said.
South Africa does not have an embassy in Afghanistan, so consular work in the area is handled by the mission in Pakistan.
Kgewte said the department had just received the names of the deceased and was working on establishing contact with the next of kin.
"We wish to express sincere condolences to the families. The necessary assistance will be rendered to the family and friends," he said.
The militants said the attack was in retaliation against a film mocking the Prophet Muhammad, made with private funds in the US and posted on the internet. It has ignited days of demonstrations in the Arab world, Africa, Asia and in some Western countries.
In a torrent of violence blamed on the film last week, the US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed in an attack in Benghazi and US and other foreign embassies were stormed in cities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East by furious Muslims. At least nine other people were killed.
On Tuesday, a suicide bomber blew up a minivan near the airport in the Afghan capital and a spokesperson for the Hezb-e-Islami insurgent group claimed responsibility.
"A woman wearing a suicide vest blew herself up in response to the anti-Islam video," said militant spokesperson Zubair Sediqqi.
The claim will raise fears that anger over the film will feed into deteriorating security as the US and other Western countries try to protect their forces from a rash of so-called insider attacks by Afghan colleagues.
Worst outbreak of violence
Thousands of protesters clashed with police in Kabul the previous day, burning cars and hurling rocks at security forces in the worst outbreak of violence since February rioting over the inadvertent burning of Korans by US soldiers.
The protesters in Kabul and several other Asian cities have vented their fury over the film at the US, blaming it for what they see as an attack on Islam.
The outcry saddles US President Barack Obama with an unexpected foreign policy headache as he campaigns for re-election in November, even though his administration has condemned the film as reprehensible and disgusting.
In response to the violence in Benghazi and elsewhere last week, the US has sent ships, extra troops and special forces to protect US interests and citizens in the Middle East, while a number of its embassies have evacuated staff and are on high alert for trouble.
Despite Obama's efforts early in his tenure to improve relations with the Arab and Muslim world, the violence adds to a host of problems including the continued US military involvement in Afghanistan, Iran's nuclear programme, the Syrian civil war and the fall-out from the Arab Spring revolts.
The renewed protests on Monday dashed any hopes that the furore over the film might fade despite an appeal over the weekend from the senior cleric in Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest shrines, for calm.
Afghan police said among the 12 dead in the Kabul bomb attack were Russians and South Africans working for a foreign company.
Bloody weekend
It followed a bloody weekend during which six members of Afghanistan's Nato-led alliance, including four Americans, were killed in suspected insider attacks carried out by Afghans turning on their allies.
Protesters also took to the streets in Pakistan and Indonesia on Monday and thousands also marched in Beirut, where a Hezbollah leader accused US spy agencies of being behind events that have unleashed a wave of anti-Western sentiment in the Muslim and Arab world.
Authorities in Bangladesh have blocked the YouTube website indefinitely to stop people seeing the video. Pakistan and Afghanistan have also blocked the site.
Iran has condemned the film as offensive and vowed to pursue those responsible for making it. Iranian officials have demanded the US apologise to Muslims, saying the film is only the latest in a series of Western insults aimed at Islam's holy figures.
The identity of those directly responsible for the film remains unclear. Clips posted online since July have been attributed to a man named Sam Bacile, which two people connected with the film have said was probably an alias.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula (55) a Coptic Christian widely linked to the film in media reports, was questioned in California on Saturday by US authorities investigating possible violations of his probation for a bank fraud conviction. – Additional reporting by Reuters


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Gruesome photos from tragedies test newsrooms
Human carnage is inevitable in wars and plane crashes. But just how eager are we to observe it up close?
The age-old dilemma for photojournalists and editors resurfaced this week with all its layered issues in reactions to gruesome photos from the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 wreckage in Ukraine and a bombing at a Gaza city beach.
Not-for-the-squeamish photos from the scene by major news agencies, including The Associated Press, Reuters and the Agence France-Presse, were widely circulated to their customers and readily available online. The tough decision was which ones to display.
Every news organization "has a standard. But it's more of a cultural norm rather than straight journalistic protocol," says Nina Berman, a photography professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. "You don't want pictures to be a horror movie. You want it to be storytelling. It should provide some evidentiary purpose."
Editorial decisions made in newsrooms to document an important event, vs. gratuitous displays aimed at generating online clicks, can seem like a fine line. The two tragedies this week — and how some news organizations chose to cover them — are a reminder of this delicate dance.
The New York Times ran a photo by staffer Tyler Hicks of a Palestinian man carrying the dead body of a boy while another dead boy lay on the beach on the front page Thursday, but chose not to run images of mangled bodies and human limbs from the wreckage in Ukraine.
Other news organizations ran similar photos from Gaza but similarly refrained from showcasing gruesome photos from the plane crash site. Several news organizations, including TheHuffington Post and Business Insider, ran photos showing corpses strewn in the flight wreckage.
"The question is, does showing a dead body serve a purpose in the journalistic mission?" says Sean Elliot, chair of the ethics committee of the National Press Photographers Association. "An airplane comes out the sky at 30,000 feet in the air, and there's going to be a lot of dead bodies. You may not need a confirmation. In a military attack in Gaza, it's not certain that there would be a dead body. (The photo) is a reporting of fact."
In a statement, Whitney Snyder, executive news editor of TheHuffington Post, said the photos were posted with a warning statement about the graphic nature and after considering respect for the victims and "the public's right to understand what has happened."
"Our job is to deliver the news. And in the case of an international tragedy, we have a responsibility not to shy away from the real human toll," Snyder said. "We respect (readers') decision whether or not to look."
Photographers in war zones and crash sites are hardly a shy lot, and some of their finest and bravest works have won Pulitzer Prizes and swayed public policy.
While American readers — particularly of small newspapers — can be sensitive to graphic photos, news organizations must carry on their responsibility to avoid "sugar-coating," Berman says. "Is that (photo) really important in adding value to the story? With each story, you have to ask, 'Does this story really advance in a deeper way by the photo?' "
"The Falling Man" photo from the 9/11 attacks (by AP photographer Richard Drew of a man falling from the North Tower of the World Trade Center), however horrific, "spoke to the people up in the towers and the loneliness of death," she says.
Eddie Adams won a Pulitzer for the AP with a photo showing a South Vietnamese police chief executing a handcuffed Vietcong prisoner. His photo — along with another Pulitzer-winning picture by AP photographer Nick Ut that depicted a naked girl fleeing from a napalm attack — helped fan public opinion against the Vietnam War.
Editorial decisions are also moved by geography, says Ken Light, a photographer who teaches photojournalism at the University of California, Berkeley. One of the unspoken modes of U.S. news photo desks is that graphic photos of destruction abroad are more tolerated than domestic tragedies, Light says. "If it was an event in the U.S., editors tend to be more sensitive to that. We can look at (photos from abroad) and say 'It's not our world.' It's disconnected. They're the other."
Social media throws a complex variable to the mix. It's so much easier to share photos on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr, often without a proper editorial context or attribution. Hicks' photo displayed above the accompanying story in the Times is unmistakable. Unsourced photos in social media can all too easily become fodder for voyeurism.
Facebook users can report objectionable photos by clicking on the upper right corner of the post. All reported photos are reviewed by Facebook employees, not by software, the company says.
Facebook is generally reluctant to remove posts, but its community standards policy says "graphic images shared for sadistic effect or to celebrate or glorify violence have no place on our site."
"The general increase in the number of images and instantaneous transmission raises the bar for photojournalists to make (pictures) evocative, poetic and informative," Berman says. "There's so much garbage anywhere."


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September 2, 2013, 6:59 p.m. ET
Welcome Back, My Ungrammatical Students
Unlike your friends, who will excuse your errors, your college professor may or may not like you.
The fall is mere weeks away, another college semester either under way or soon to be. If you're one of thousands of freshmen nationwide, you've just discovered you've been placed in a remedial English class.
"How can this be?" you're asking yourself. "I got straight As in high school! I love writing stories and poems! I'm good in English!"
The culprit is your grammar—and, just to be clear, I'm using the word "grammar" in a general way to refer to the overall mechanics of your writing, including punctuation, syntax and usage. Students in remedial English classes are almost always smart enough to write college-level prose, but they don't know how to put sentences together in ways that clarify, rather than cloud, what they're trying to say. The form of their expression gets in the way of the content of their expression, which is not helpful for a college student.
Sure, grammar might not seem like a big deal if you're composing a text message, or updating your Facebook status, or tweeting about what you've just had for lunch. Your reader, in such cases, is someone who wants to know what's on your mind, who has an emotional stake in the information . . . who likes you. Your college professors may or may not like you.
They'll smile at you, but they'll also be weeping on the inside over the stacks of papers they have to grade. The last thing they want, the last thing any reader who's not your "BFF" wants, is to wade through a bog of your ungrammatical writing.
Suppose, for example, you don't know that a semicolon is properly used to join two closely related independent clauses. Based on three decades of teaching English prep courses, I can assure you this is a safe supposition since no more than one in a hundred remedial students can define the term "clause." You're therefore liable to write something like this: "Oedipus attempts to avoid his fate by running away from home, it's a decision he will come to regret."
That's wrong. You're using a comma where you should be using a semicolon. But does it really matter? After all, the reader can still figure out what you're trying to say.
Yes, it does matter. It really matters. As the reader's eyes scan down the lines of your page, deciphering your meaning, he's going to come to that comma—and it's going to look wrong. He's going to think, "That looks wrong," or maybe even "Hey, shouldn't that be a semicolon?"
But at the moment he's thinking one of those things, guess what he's no longer thinking about? He's no longer thinking about what you're trying to say.
Though there are many genres of writing, and many variations within each genre, the one characteristic that unites all good writing is that it communicates effectively what the writer wishes to say. Whatever gets in the way of that process, whatever gums up the works, is a problem.
While there is definitely such a thing as good writing, there's no such thing as good grammar. The belief that there is betrays a basic misunderstanding of grammar's purpose—which is to illuminate, not to sparkle. You never come to the end of a newspaper article and think, "Wow, the grammar in that story was fierce." The best thing you can say about a writer's grammar is that it's competent; it doesn't get in the way. Competent grammar is grammar you don't notice.
Do you detect a trace of elitism in what I've just said? Well, I'm a freaking college professor! L'élite, c'est moi. But in case you haven't noticed, that's the door you're knocking on. If you tough out the next four years to your bachelor's degree, that's your parting gift—you'll join the elite of the college-educated. It won't make you a nicer person, but it will give you lots to think about.
You're going to come away with many opinions—and a desire to write down those opinions and to have them taken seriously. But they'll never be taken seriously if your reader keeps getting sidetracked by your faulty pronoun antecedents. That's why it's absurd to claim that teaching students standard grammatical rules and expecting students to abide by them is a form of oppression. There are "other" grammars, or so the argument goes: grammars of the victimized, the ostracized, the marginalized.
Please. Nothing prolongs the socioeconomic struggles of historically victimized people more than an inability to communicate effectively with the broader culture. They have a desperate incentive to make themselves heard—not in ways that grammatically underscore generations of hardship but on the precise linguistic terms of that broader culture.
Frederick Douglass understood this point; his writings are a testament to it. So did Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois and Martin Luther King Jr.
So take your medicine. It won't be fun, but you need it. Learn what a clause is, what a gerund is, what a misplaced modifier is—because your father did not shoot an elephant in his pajamas. If you're going to stew over your workload, fine. But cast the blame where it belongs. You should have learned this stuff a long time ago, maybe instead of writing a few of those ungrammatical stories or poems.
Now get out of here. Class is about to start.
Mr. Goldblatt teaches at Fashion Institute of Technology of the State University of New York. He is the author, most recently, of the novel "Twerp" (Random House, 2013).
A version of this article appeared September 3, 2013, on page A13 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Welcome Back, My Ungrammatical Students.
The Wall Street Journal
September 9, 2013, 2:59 p.m. ET
Regarding Mark Goldblatt's "Welcome Back, My Ungrammatical Students" (op-ed, Sept. 3): It is gratifying to read that, in this day of text messaging, there are some of us who believe that correct grammar is important. However, are the students for whom the article was intended going to read it?
Barbara A. Kelley
Milford, Conn.
Good grammar is more than a vehicle to clarity; it raises the merely mechanical and utilitarian to the aesthetic and elegant. The meaning of "Me go store" is sufficiently clear, but it is not English and it is certainly not elegant.
Unfortunately, the students whom Mr. Goldblatt derides merely mirror the "democratization" of grammar, in which "proper" and "correct" are defined only by the preponderant usage of the "linguistic elite." These professional writers and speakers, through their own carelessness, both reflect and exacerbate the deterioration of our language.
Stanley Spatz
Hollywood, Fla.
Grammar should be "competent" because when it is not, the meaning it conveys to the reader is that the writer isn't competent; that he or she doesn't care enough to "write the right thing." Why does this matter? Because in my own case, I wouldn't hire people who don't demonstrate competence or care in grammar. You wouldn't get a job, or even an interview, from me.
Ed Shoop
Essex Junction, Vt.
Maybe more students would learn good grammar if they were fortunate to have an English teacher like one I had in the 1950s in Detroit. This wonderful teacher told us a story about a court decision that was decided over a single comma, and for the winner the verdict meant an award of $1 million. As the teacher explained, the court pointed out to the losers, "This is what you said." As teenagers we didn't much care about commas, but the million dollars convinced us that maybe grammar was indeed important.
Dennis W. Gordon
Waunakee, Wis.
College freshmen in my writing class often don't believe me when I teach the correct use of objective case pronouns. Some are shocked to discover that the book corroborates this crazy notion. "It just doesn't sound right," they tell me. Their ears have been trained to be comfortable with "Him and Shirley are going to the movies with he and I." How I hope someone reading this sees the problem with that sentence.
Jenny N. Sullivan
Arlington, Va.
A version of this article appeared September 10, 2013, on page A16 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Proper Grammar Reflects Clear and Precise Thinking.
Please also see:
Rachel Jeantel and Orwell's "Politics and the English Language." (28 June 2013)
Orwell's "Politics and the English Language." (28 June 2013)


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Free Space Optics
Free Space Optics (FSO) technology, which is also referred to as open-air photonics or optical wireless or infrared broadband, transmits data from point-to-point and multipoint using low powered infrared lasers. FSO uses laser technology to send optical signals through the air, using lenses and mirrors to focus and redirect the beams and send data from one chip to another. This is Unlike traditional copper wires or fiber-optic technology, which transmits data by light across glass. FSO technology does not require a spectrum license.


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Year-End Moves to Avoid the Medicare High-Income Surcharge
Take these steps to lower your income so you won't have to pay higher Part B and D premiums than other beneficiaries.
It looks like my income may be higher than usual this year. Is there anything I can do to avoid a high-income surcharge on my Medicare premiums in the future?
Maybe. Your 2011 income will determine whether you pay a surcharge on Medicare premiums in 2013. Medicare charges a high-income surcharge for Part B, which covers doctor visits and outpatient services, and Part D, which covers prescription drug costs, when your adjusted gross income (plus tax-exempt interest) is more than $85,000 if you are single or $170,000 if your are married filing jointly.
There are some year-end moves you can make to reduce your adjusted gross income for 2011. Whether those actions will be sufficient to hold your income below the high-income threshold depends on your gross income and how aggressively you attempt to reduce it. Here are a few situations that could lift your income above the threshold when the Medicare surcharge kicks in and some possible remedies to offset them.
Be careful with IRA conversions. Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth increases your adjusted gross income in the year of the conversion, and that temporary increase could subject you to the high-income surcharge for a year, even if your income is normally much lower. Before converting, do some quick calculations to see if you'll end up near the threshold. If you do, you may want to spread your conversion over more than one year.
Consider donating part of your mandatory IRA distribution to charity. Withdrawals from traditional IRAs boost your adjusted gross income, which could push you over the threshold for the high-income surcharge. But taxpayers who are 70½ or older can transfer up to $100,000 of their required minimum distributions from their IRAs or other retirement plans to a charity in 2011. The donated amount will be excluded from your income (but note that you can't double dip on tax deductions by also claiming a deduction for your charitable contribution). See Donating IRA Distributions to Charity for more information.
Boost your pretax retirement contributions. If you or your spouse is still working, you may be able to lower your adjusted gross income by contributing to a 401(k) or other retirement plan at work. People who are 50 or older can take advantage of catch-up contributions, too, boosting their maximum contribution to $22,000 in 2011.
Make tax-deductible IRA contributions. If you don't participate in a workplace retirement savings plan and you are younger than 70½, you can deduct your full IRA contribution, regardless of income, which could lower your adjusted gross income by $6,000 for 2011 (the $5,000 limit plus $1,000 in catch-up contributions for people age 50 and older). In order to contribute to an IRA, you or your spouse must have earned income.
Sell losing stocks or mutual funds. Capital losses from sales of money-losing stocks or mutual funds first offset any capital gains, and then up to $3,000 of net loss can be deducted against your ordinary income, such as your salary or IRA distributions. Don't forget to add reinvested dividends to your basis when calculating your loss or gain. You've already been taxed on these dividends in the year when they were first paid out, and you don't have to pay taxes on them twice.
Trim home-sale profits. Most people don't have to pay taxes on home-sale profits. If you've lived in the house for at least two of the past five years, you can exclude $250,000 in home-sale profits from income taxes if you're single, or $500,000 if married filing jointly. But if you have bigger profits than that -- or if you haven't lived in the house long enough to qualify for the full exclusion -- then it can pay to tally up the cost of home-improvement expenses over the years to increase your basis, lowering any taxable gain on the sale of your home. See IRS Publication 523 Selling Your Home for more information.
Reduce business profits. If you're self-employed or have some freelance income on the side, consider buying equipment or stocking up on office supplies in December, which can offset some of your income for this year. You can also delay sending your December invoices until January. Making tax-deductible contributions to a self-employed retirement account, such as a SEP IRA, Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) or solo 401(k) plan can substantially reduce your self-employment income. As long as you set the plans up in time for the current year, you have until October 15, 2012, to fund them if you file for an automatic extension of your tax return. See Best Retirement Plans for the Self-Employed for more information. Also see Tax Toolkit for the Self-Employed for more information about tax-deductible expenses.


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PEARL – Gov. Phil Bryant and MEMA Director Robert Latham are closely monitoring the developing weather situation in the tropics, and want to remind everyone now is a good time to review your family emergency plan and disaster supply kit, as we move into the height of hurricane season.
"Even though this storm has not formed into a tropical cyclone or depression yet, the forecast shows that it could move toward Mississippi this weekend, and bring a lot of rain to the coast," Latham said. "We want people to start planning ahead now to make sure that everyone is ready for what it could bring."
South Mississippi has seen a significant amount of rain during the spring and the summer, so this system could bring the potential for flooding to the already saturated area.
Planning ahead includes an evacuation plan and disaster supply kit. A disaster supply kit should include items such as:
- Flashlight and battery-powered radio with extra batteries.
- Canned and non-perishable food.
- Bottled water.
- Toiletry items.
- Pet food and pet supplies.
- Medicine and prescription medication.
- Copies of important family papers and documents.
For more information on important items to include in your disaster supply kit go to, https://www.msema.org/be-prepared/disaster-kits/.
Residents should stay tuned to local media stations for the latest storm predictions. Even though no evacuations are issued, residents living in non-stable housing such as travel trailers or mobile homes should seek more sturdy shelter. Also, if residents live in low-lying areas prone to flooding during heavy rainfall should take precautions.
MEMA will continue to release updated information about the potential for tropical weather preparations.
For more information, visit MEMA's Web site at www.msema.org.
The public is encouraged to follow MEMA on Twitter and Facebook for updates.


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Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute
February 11, 2009
President Barack Obama has proclaimed his administration will be more open than the previous administration. However, his counterparts in the House and the Senate aren't following suit.
|Chairman Tom Price discusses the stimulus deal struck between Congressional Democrats and the White House without Republican input or public oversight.
The Washington Post has reported that negotiations between House and Senate Democrats have resulted in a stimulus bill with a price tag of "about $789.5 billion." This agreement raised the ire of Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., and he went outside of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office to express it.
"My name's Tom Price and I represent the Sixth District of Georgia and [am] the privileged chair of the Republican Study Committee," Price said. "It's now noon on Wednesday. I'm standing outside the office of the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. The door is closed. We just heard news break there's been an agreement between the House and the Senate on the non-stimulus bill."
Negotiators were slated to meet later in the day. However, since news of a deal was leaked to the media, Price questioned if there were "shady deals" going on.
"It's curious because Republicans were invited to a meeting they said at 3 o'clock this afternoon," Price continued. "What this means is there are more shady deals going on behind closed doors — without the public, without Republicans in attendance."
The Georgia congressman had also called on congressional leaders to televise the House-Senate negotiations. However, as much as the press has helped the Obama administration trumpet a new era of transparency, there has been little call from the television media for these negotiations to be televised publicly.
"As the House and Senate move to negotiate the final text of the so-called stimulus bill, I have called on Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make good on that promise and allow any and all House and Senate negotiations to take place in an open and public forum," Price wrote in a Feb. 11 blog post for Red State. "By allowing television cameras in the room as negotiations take place, we can provide the transparency American taxpayers expect."
Price also urged people to visit the Republican Study Committee's Web site.
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Astronomers have announced the discovery of a potential new ice volcano on Saturn's moon Titan.
Named Sotra, the volcano is more than 3,000 feet (1 kilometer) tall and has a 1-mile-deep (1.2-kilometer) pit alongside it. Surrounded by giant sand dunes, it is thought to be the largest in a string of several volcanoes that once spewed molten ice from deep beneath the moon's surface.
"We think we have found the strongest case yet for an ice volcano on Titan," said Randy Kirk, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Ariz. "What we see is not just a flow like we see in other places, it's like a volcanic field would be on Earth."
Space news from NBCNews.com
Teen's space mission fueled by social media
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: "Astronaut Abby" is at the controls of a social-media machine that is launching the 15-year-old from Minnesota to Kazakhstan this month for the liftoff of the International Space Station's next crew.
- Buzz Aldrin's vision for journey to Mars
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- Watch a 'ring of fire' solar eclipse online
- Teen's space mission fueled by social media
Titan is about the size of the planet Mercury but has an atmosphere thicker than Earth's. This makes it incredibly difficult for astronomers to know what's happening on the surface. Planetary scientists, including Kirk, are using NASA's Cassini spacecraft to map the moon, but so far only about half of Titan has been imaged.
Kirk and his team created a three-dimensional mapping technique that patches together multiple images of the same area, so they were lucky that Sotra was in one of the rare places imaged twice.
"The classical volcano everybody thinks of when you say the word is a mountain with a crater on it and lava flows coming out of it," said Kirk. "That's what we've found on Titan."
The team can't be certain if the chain is active, but described the find as the best evidence found so far for a cryovolcano — the scientific term for an ice volcano. Previously, bright spots seen in low-resolution satellite images have been interpreted as volcanic flows and craters. However, once those areas were mapped in 3-D, it became obvious they weren't volcanoes.
"We had noted Sotra Facula as a candidate cryovolcano before," said Rosaly Lopes, a senior research scientist from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "But it was only when Randy [Kirk] got the topography done that we realized, wow, this is it."
Spewing slush and gas
Earth's interior is divided into distinct layers of rock and liquid magma. When this molten rock erupts through the planet's crust, it's known as volcanism. Titan's volcanism is more complicated because beneath the moon's surface lies a layer of ice. Even a small amount of internal heat could create molten ices. Because the liquid would be less dense, it would force its way to the surface. The result would be a massive eruption of slushy liquid and gases similar to what scientists have seen on other icy moons.
"Ice at outer solar system temperatures is very rigid," Kirk said. "Ice at close to its melting point is soft. What would be a glacier on Earth would be a volcano on a body that's made of that same material. It's the difference between the cake and the frosting."
Some have theorized that volcanoes on Titan are the best way to explain the strange abundance of methane gas in its atmosphere. This gas is constantly being stripped from Titan's upper atmosphere by the sun, shining a billion miles away. Without a source to replenish it, all of the methane would disappear in a few million years.
However, if an ice volcano like Sotra were to erupt, it would release volatiles such as methane and ethane from inside Titan. Kirk's team calculates that it would take a Sotra-sized volcanic eruption every 1,000 years to maintain the current level of methane in Titan's atmosphere.
Alternate hypotheses
Others are skeptical about ice volcano claims and have proposed alternative theories to explain the methane abundance.
Most popular
"There's been this whole list of volcanoes (on Titan) that have been published and then subsequently shot down," said planetary scientist Jeffrey Moore, with the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "This new feature doesn't make me change my tune that no one has unambiguously found a volcano on Titan."
Moore believes that unlike Earth's well-defined and separate layers, beneath Titan's surface is a huge layer of mixed rock and ice, or what's called a partially differentiated interior. If this is the case it would be much more difficult to heat ice enough to cause an eruption onto the surface.
Moore and others believe that Titan was once an enormous ice cube. According to their theory, as the sun aged and warmed, it heated Titan's surface. This process could have put methane into the atmosphere and subsequently fueled a rain-cycle that erased all impact craters. Moore said this would also have given Titan the young appearance that many have attributed to volcanism.
"If you press forward in time, all the methane will be erased and (Titan) will have a blue sky and a nitrogen atmosphere with sand dunes of hydrocarbons," Moore said.
This report was originally published as "Giant Ice Volcano Candidate Found on Saturn Moon" with an accompanying video on the InsideScience.org website.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.