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Read: In Quest of the Jewish Mary
By Mary Christine Athans (Orbis, 2013)
This scholarly study is a valuable contribution to the body of works aimed at finding Miriam of Nazareth—"Mary" to us, and "Mother" to Jesus—beneath the titles and embellishments which, over time, have rendered her more goddess than human. Author Mary Christine Athans pictures a fully Jewish woman and mother before her "extreme makeover" into Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, renaissance Madonna, et al. Only in her native identity can we know anything at all about Mary's spirituality and the religious practices she must have faithfully observed.
Athans travels historically forward through church teachings, devotional practices, and art—all of which were influenced by the succession of mostly European cultural developments. She then reels the narrative back to the first-century Mary of Nazareth, mother of Jesus. Situated in the same environment wherein has been located the "Jesus of history," Athans portrays Mary in her authentic ethnicity and first-century Hebrew community. She accomplishes this by hewing to the gospel narratives and reflecting on what they reveal about Jesus. Readers will find some surprises in her conclusions.
The text is saturated with Jewish scriptures, themes, culture, midrash, and liturgies. The author is in comfortable territory when she writes about the religious practices which would surely have been part of Jesus and Mary's life. Happily for readers, she provides some of the common prayers in both Jewish phonetics and English translations. They are beautiful and fully appropriate for any Christian's use today.
With academic expertise, Athans has deftly organized and condensed theological, historical, and cultural materials into this simple, user-friendly study. It contains a mother lode of resource materials—with "tastings" from many of them smoothly blended into the text. Readers should find it educational, inspirational, and ecumenical.
This article appeared in the July 2013 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 78, No. 7, page 43).


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In 2018, officials in the U.S. city of Philadelphia city proposed opening a "safe haven" in an effort to combat the city's heroin epidemic. In 2016 64,070 people died in the U.S. from drug overdoses - a 21% increase from 2015. 3/4 of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. are caused by the opioid class of drugs which includes prescription painkillers, heroin and fentanyl. To combat the epidemic cities including Vancouver, BC and Sydney, AUS opened safe havens where addicts can inject drugs under the supervision of medical professionals. The safe havens reduce the overdose death rate by insuring the addicted patients are given drugs that are not contaminated or poisoned. Since 2001 5,900 people have overdosed at a safe haven in Sydney, Australia but no one has died. Proponents argue that the safe havens are the only proven solution to lower the overdose fatality rate and prevent the spread of diseases like HIV-AIDS. Opponents argue that safe havens may encourage illegal drug use and re-direct funding from traditional treatment centers. See recent Safe Haven news

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It's the sort of news that would spoil an oil executive's breakfast. Last night the Guardian reported that a cache of WikiLeaks cables from American diplomats in Saudi Arabia indicated that the Mideast country's oil reserves could be overstated by as much as 40%. If true, that would have major implications for oil prices because the Saudis are not only considered the world's second biggest oil producer, with one-fifth of the world's proven oil reserves, they have also long claimed to have spare production capacity that could be essentially "switched on" when oil prices rise too high. Here's the news from the Guardian:
Sadad al-Husseini, a geologist and former head of exploration at the Saudi oil monopoly Aramco, met the US consul general in Riyadh in November 2007 and told the US diplomat that Aramco's 12.5m barrel-a-day capacity needed to keep a lid on prices could not be reached.According to the cables, which date between 2007-09, Husseini said Saudi Arabia might reach an output of 12m barrels a day in 10 years but before then – possibly as early as 2012 – global oil production would have hit its highest point. This crunch point is known as "peak oil".
A cable from December 2007 tells the story. U.S. diplomats in the Saudi capital of Riyadh met with al-Husseini. The American representatives had been told earlier by current Aramco executives that the company had 716 billion barrels of total oil reserves, of which just over half were considered recoverable. ("Recoverable" oil means that petroleum that is economically worth the cost of getting it out of the ground.) Current Aramco executives believed that in 20 years the company would have over 900 billion barrels in reserves, and that advances in technology would mean that 70% of it would be recoverable—good news for those who want to keep oil prices from rising in the future.
But al-Husseini, the former Aramco exec, told the U.S. diplomats that his successors were far too optimistic. He said that Aramco was overstating its reserves by as much as 300 billion barrels. He believes that Saudi Arabia has approximately 360 billion barrels of proven reserves—meaning oil that has already been produced or which can be exploited with current technology. Al-Husseni said that once 50% of those reserves had been produced, the country would reach an inflection point, resulting in a slow and steady decline in output. He also believes that inflection point would be reached in 14 years at current rates of production (12 million barrels a day), and that it would be followed by a plateau in output and then a decline. Al-Husseini also told American diplomats that Saudi Arabia lacked the engineers and other resources to push production to the max.
Other cables released by WikiLeaks confirmed that American concern on the ground in Riyadh over Saudi Arabia's ability to continue meeting world oil demand, while noting that as Saudi Arabia kept growing, using more oil for electricity, it would have less to sell to the rest of the world:
Our mission now questions how much the Saudis can now substantively influence the crude markets over the long term. Clearly they can drive prices up, but we question whether they any longer have the power to drive prices down for a prolonged period.
For Kevin Drum of Mother Jones, the cables were proof that peak oil may be coming soon:
Production capacity just isn't going up.There's always Iraq, of course, which certainly has more production capacity if it can develop it, but Saudi Arabia increasingly looks like it's peaked already. And if that's true, it probably means that the global peak in production, which was delayed a few years by the 2008 recession, is most likely not too far away. Our future is going to be increasingly oil free whether we like it or not.
He was seconded by the Oil Drum, a popular blog for energy experts that has frequently raises worries over the possibility of peak oil:
It is almost certain that the Saudis are overstating their capabilities. The reserves for Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East are not audited, nor are their supposed "spare production capacities." They may have some spare capacity, but not the amount stated. When oil prices spiked to $147 barrel in July 2008, Saudi Arabia and others in the Middle East increased their production a bit, did not really come through with a huge surge in production, the way one would expect from their suppose spare capacity.
World oil supply has been roughly flat since 2005. Many are concerned that oil production will actually begin to fall in the next year or two – what is referred to as "peak oil" in the Wikileaks cable.
But here's the thing: if the WikiLeaks cables were really the bombshell some commentators are making it out to be, global oil prices almost surely would have responded. Yet they've barely moved over the past day, sitting at about $86 dollar a barrel at midday Wednesday. The Wall Street Journal thinks it knows why:
Mr. al-Husseini says he has no problem with either Saudi Aramco's official figures on current proven reserves or Mr. al-Saif's estimate, but was simply making the point that to describe "oil in place" as reserves was to inflate the kingdom's figures by several hundred billion barrels.
By that reckoning, the world of energy looks pretty much how it looked yesterday, with Saudi Arabia set to remain the world's biggest producer for some time yet.
The Financial Times also notes that al-Husseini has always been more bearish than his colleagues on oil reserves and global petroleum production. He also might have a beef with his former company Aramco, as one cable noted:
Al-Husseini retired in the midst of an executive dispute, supposedly caused when he unsuccessfully attempted to engineer his ascension to the position of CEO. Although he continues to live at Aramco's main camp and has close interpersonal relationships with key Aramco executives, many of al-Husseini's views on Aramco are shaped by the perception that the company would be better off if he were running it.
So is the world really on the brink of peak oil? The truth is we still don't know—though Saudi Arabia's opacity about its reserves doesn't help us at all. Oil prices have been rising in recent months, in part driven by muscular demand from the developing world—especially China—which has been recovering from the recession much more quickly than the U.S. Predicting the future of fossil fuels is hard—new production techniques, like ultradeepwater drilling or hydrofracking natural gas, can suddenly extend seemingly depleted reserves, though at an environmental cost. Oil won't be going away any time soon—but it's not likely to be getting any cheaper either.


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Here's a late entry for our 2010 Gift Guide Obscene Nicety and Sublime Naughtiness: an electric guitar made out of an NES. It's $150, though currently its maker only has one in stock.
You can get it through GetLoFi.com's web shop, according to the caption on the YouTube video. "The signal is routed through the LoFi Fuzz into a portable amp. The Power button on the NES body is connected to a tone capacitor ( cuts the high end ), the low-end signal is processed more distorted/fuzz like. The Blinking Red led is superfluous. Volume knob, strap buttons, etc."
The guitar costs $150. "Features a standard neck with a hard-tail bridge. Single coil pickup with volume control and an output jack. (Note: Each guitar will be slightly different with constant improvements to the design)." They'll make more to suit demand, or until they run out of NES cases, I suppose.
Guitar Made Out Of An NES Sounds Like It's Made Out Of An NES [Joystiq]


text: The 1972 Boston State College Men's Lacrosse team became the first lax unit from the school to advance to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association National Tournament. The Warriors' only loss heading into the tournament was a tough 9-8 defeat to Springfield College, but the tournament bid was historic for the school. "This has to be the greatest thrill of my life," said 26-year old second-year Head Coach Gordie Webb at the time. "It's a great reward for the kids, who have worked so hard for a chance like this." Boston State would fall to Adelphi University in the first round of the tournament in Long Island, NY. The Warriors finished with an 11-2 mark, including a nine-game winning streak, with wins over such programs as Boston College, Holy Cross and Tufts University. The team's defense was suffocating, allowing four or fewer goals in all but three contests, while allowing just 4.2 scores per game. Senior attackman Frank Morgan and fellow co-captain junior midfielder Bill Rafuse were both named All-New England as well as Colonial League All-Stars, while Colonial League All-Star freshman goalie John Yeager anchored the defense with a .790 save percentage. Senior defender Frank Kelly also earned All-New England status for a team, whose margin of victory was just under seven goals per game. Members of the team included Webb, assistant coach Pat Greatorex, Charlie Ahern, Pete Banis, Mike Bottiglio, Mike Browne, Jim Caffelle, Jim Collins, Bob Connors, Joe Curley, Leo Dawson, John DeYeso, Bill Fleming, Pat Fullerton, Glenn Harrington, Steve Harris, Frank Kelly, Tom Kelly, Jim Kent, Steve Koenig, John MacLean, Jack Manning, Frank McCabe, Joe McCarthy, Gerry McClellan, Jim McLean, Bill McCormack, John Miles, Morgan, Rafuse, Jim Russell, Charlie Smith, Jay Sullivan, Jim Tighe, Mike Venezia, Lou Verocchi, Yeager and Richie Young.


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Celebrating International Women's Day 2017
By Irene Marr on March 7, 2017
As we celebrate more than 100 years since the inaugural International Women's Day, we are once again reminded that despite the great strides women and girls from all walks of life have made, endemic challenges -- often mired in cultural, social, and political norms -- still keep half the population worldwide from realizing its full potential. As a result, societies and countries also fail to live up to their own capabilities. Fortunately, a groundswell of support is building to turn the tide. It's fitting that the theme of International Women's Day 2017 is #BeBoldforChange. In an ever-growing interconnected world, we all have a responsibility to stand up for gender equality as it will support people everywhere.
It is, however, often easy to be discouraged. As the recent roll out of the annual State Department's Human Rights Report reveals, no country is immune from gender based violence (GBV), despite strong laws in many countries criminalizing such abuse, including in the United States.
In fact, one out of every three women globally is affected by violence during her lifetime, and the situation is even more dire in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 38 percent of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner. Other studies estimate that more than 200 million girls and women living today have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting. Such harmful practices carried out in the name of tradition, including so-called "honor killings," have no place in the 21st century. The list goes on. Passing laws is just one step; there is much more that needs to be done to address the problem, including providing services for survivors to recover and to thrive, holding perpetrators to account, and preventing such violence from happening in the first place through education and raising awareness.
"Being Bold for Change" calls upon us to take action to address the persistent gender inequalities around the globe. When women and girls are free to participate in the political, economic, cultural, and social lives of their countries, all members of society will be better off.
Being bold for change can run the gamut from girls overcoming gender stereotypes to exploring career opportunities in the STEM fields, to women entrepreneurs mentoring other women trying to start or expand their own businesses.
The Department of State supports the empowerment of women with the tools, knowledge, and access to be that change. For example, through the Women Entrepreneurs of the Americas (WEAmericas) program, entrepreneur and CEO of Afro-Colombiana de Belleza, Maribel Angulo of Cali, Colombia, participated in a WEAmericas TechCamp. When she became housebound due to injuries, she was able to apply the skills she learned in the TechCamp to shift her sales toward ecommerce. As a result, now 80 percent of her sales are online and her business is flourishing.
The State Department is also advancing the rights of women and girls through strategically-crafted public diplomacy programs, including female-focused mentorship exchanges in business, technology, and sports. According to studies by the United Nations and others, women's and girls' participation in sports is an important tool in advancing their status and building leadership skills—from the field to the classroom to the boardroom. The State Department's public-private partnership with espnW, the Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP), supports women like Olga Dolinina of Ukraine in her advocacy of peace through sports. After her experience on the Global Sports Mentoring Program in 2014, Olga has used ice hockey to strengthen the communities most affected by the recent conflict in Ukraine. One of few women employed by the prestigious Donbass Hockey Club in Donestsk, Olga reached 15,000 young people by combining ice hockey and table hockey activities with therapeutic and health sessions that served as follow-on GSMP activities. She continues to work with other Ukrainian women and leaders to overturn stereotypes and raise a unified voice calling for positive change.
This month, the State Department will present its International Women of Courage award to 12 women from around the world who have demonstrated tremendous courage in the face of extreme challenge and hardship. They represent women around the world who are risking their lives to promote social justice and human rights in their countries, like the nearly 100 women worldwide to whom the State Department has presented this award since its inception in 2007. Such women have emerged as leaders who have gone on to inspire others to work for societal change. Women like Tanzanian journalist Vicky Alice Ntetema who went undercover to investigate the persecution of people with albinism and the role of witch doctors in her country, embody what it means to be bold for change. And unnamed others who have received death threats for their work documenting cases of violence against women and other human rights abuses, or for documenting and reporting on violent extremism or corruption that has infected their countries, have stood up, spoken out, and refused to be silenced in the face of injustice.
So as we set aside March 8 as International Women's Day, we can take heart that women everywhere are overcoming obstacles, proving their resilience, and in the process challenging us all to step up to make a positive difference in our communities, societies, and countries. Ensuring that women and girls enjoy the same rights as men and boys is not just a moral imperative, rather it's essential to making the world more stable, prosperous, and secure for everyone.
About the Author: Irene Marr serves in the Secretary's Office for Global Women's Issues at the U.S. Department of State.
Editor's Note: This entry is also published on Medium.com/StateDept.
For more information:
- Learn more about how the international community is celebrating International Women's Day.
- Follow @GenderatState on Twitter for #InternationalWomensDay information and updates and join the #BoldforChange campaign to help progress the gender agenda.


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Disney Driven Week In Review 12-13-15
Maria H. (ndm#130) 0 Comments 1999, 2015, 20th anniversary, 7, a christmas carol, a new hope, ABC, abc family, adam gidwitz, adult, adults, adventure, alex, alexandra bracken, All Star Sports, alternate ending, amigos, an animator's gallery: eric goldberg, ani, animated, Animation, animatronics, Annie Potts, art, art collector, art deco, attack of the clones, attraction, Aulani, aye caramba, bangles, bass, becca klein, becsketch, bedtime story, before ever after: the lost lectures of wlat disney's animation studio, bells of fraggle rock, Bert, beware the power of the dark side, bfg, big friendly giant, boat cruise, bonus, book, books, boys, bracelets, Brazil, bryan burk, C-3PO, C3PO, cast members, cd, cecil castellucci, central florida, character, Character Breakfast, charlie and the chocolate factory, chef, chim chim cheree, Christmas, christmas in july, christmas vacation, clash of the skywalkers, claudia gray, clone wars, coalition for the homeless of central florida, coffee table, collectible, comedy, comedy warehouse, Comic Con, community, dads, daisy ridley, dark side, Darth Vader, DCL, Death Star, december 18, dept 56, DHS, dick van dyke, Disney, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Junior, disney press, disney publishing, disney sole, Disney Springs, Disneyland, diva and flea, doc, don graham, Donald Duck, doodle, Downtown Disney, dr. seuss, drawing, dream country, Duffy, DVD, ed catmull, edwardian, elf, elsa, emmet otter's jug band christmas, empire, empire strikes back, EPCOT, episode VII, eric goldberg draws the disney characters, escape from the jedi temple, Esmeralda, Events, ewok, exclusive, family, farm boy, featurette, first christmas, fl, Florida, florida. california, food, force, force awakens, frank lloyd wright, fred claus, Friends, friendship, frosty, frozen, fun, galactic empire, game, game night, George Lucas, giant country, gift giving, gift giving guide, gobo, gram, Gran Fiesta Tour, greet, greg rucka, guide, HAN SOLO, hanukkah, hardcover, harrison ford, henson, heroes, hobby, Holiday, holiday gift, holiday special, holidays, Hollywood Studios, holocrons, home alone, homeless, how the grinch stole christmas, hyperion, improv, inspired, interviews, items, jack frost, jane, jason fry, jedi, jedi master, jek-14, Jim Shore, jj abrams, john boyega, John Lasseter, John Ratzenberger, Johnny Depp, Jose Carioca, josh gad, Joss Whedon, journey to star wars, Julie Andrews, kathleen kennedy, kenobi, Kids, kwanzaa, la cava del tequilla, laila, Lego, leia, leia organa, let's go fly a kite, libby, libby and the class election, lightsaber, little drummer boy, live action, london, long eared donkey, lost stars, Lucasfilm, luke, Luke Skywalker, marathon, mark hamill, Mary Poppins, master yoda, meet, memories, merchandise, michael, Mickey, milestone, millenium falcon, mo willems, mother bruce, Movie, movie night, movies, moving target, Muppets, national lampoon's, ndk review, nestor, network, new years, night before christmas, norway, nostalgia, novels, obi-wan, olaf, padawan, palpatine, Panchito, paperback, Paris, passion, performance, performers, phantom menace, phil noto, pictopia, picture, pinocchio's christmas, pins, Pixar, plaza shops, Polar Express, practically perfect, prancer, precious moments, premiere theater, preschool, present, princess, R. Lee Ermey, R2-D2, R2D2, race for the holocrons, raid on coruscant, randy newman, rankin, read along, reading, rebellion, rebels, red, reindeers are better than people, Resort, return of the jedi, revenge of the sith, Review, rey, ride, roald dahl, ron strickland, ruby barnhill, Rudolph, rudy fernandez, sage, sage and the journey to wishworld, San Angel Inn, santa claus is comin' to town, Santa Clause, scar, school age, scoundrel, secret santa, series, shellie may, shoes, Show, shows, skill, smuggler's run, Snow White, snowman, so you want to be a jedi, sofia the first, special, star darlings, Star Wars, starling academy, steven spielberg, studio, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Target, tbt, teen, teens, Television, Thanksgiving, The Force, Three Caballeros, throwback thursday, Tim Allen, to infinity and beyond, toddler, tokyo, tom angleberger, Tom Hanks, Toy Story, toy story that time forgot, TV, twas the night before christmas, tween, Tweens, twice upon a christmas, Vacation, vacations, voluntear, Walt Disney World, WDW, weapon of a jedi, winter wonderland, wonder forge, wonderful world of disney, wonderground gallery, Wordless Wednesday, year without a santa clause, Yoda, yoda chronicles, young child, youth, yuletide cheer
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The Sun's editorial, "The canceled policies" (Oct. 31), completely ignores the real reason for the Republicans' "outrage, indignation and venom." It is not about the Affordable Care Act's written policy as the editorial opines, it is about President Barack Obama and his administration's repetitive public lying to the Congress (who admit they did not read the law) and to the American people by promising they could keep their current health care coverage. This lie was said to gain the necessary support to pass the legislation. And this the lie continued through the 2012 election cycle for President Obama's reelection purposes.
Some news commentators such as Fox News' Bill O'Reilly are withholding calling the comments lying since there is no proof that President Obama knew what he said was not true. Well, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then one does not have to do an autopsy to prove it is a duck. President Obama's comments clearly were lies.
The American people should be outraged that Mr. Obama openly lied to them not once but many, many times touting that they could keep their insurance. Contrary to what the Sun's editorial writes, this is not about politics, it is about honesty, integrity, and the high moral beliefs that Americans demand from anyone in the presidency. Like President Richard Nixon and President Bill Clinton, President Obama's actions have brought shame to the position and our country. President Obama probably will skate the impeachment process because, unlike President Nixon, he is smart enough not to have any recordings of his intentions.
Ron Wirsing, Havre de Grace


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94 N. Main Street, Jasper, GA - (706) 253-2457
By Dan Pool, editor
Last week I had the opportunity to be one of them – a tourist, a visitor, one of those people visiting North Georgia; those whose thoughts and feelings are endlessly speculated upon by business owners and event planners.
It provided a unique perspective to roll into Pickens County on two wheels as part of the 33rd BRAG ride along with 1,100 other cyclists plus their families. It was also interesting to keep my ears open without immediately divulging my hometown and to hear what others thought of our area.
Here are some thoughts and observations.
First, no one had anything bad to say about Pickens County other than one woman who went on a rant in front of another Jasper rider about how "you locals must think it's funny to watch people from the flatlands try to ride up our hills." Truth be told, it is funny, but the locals don't plan the routes, BRAG personnel do.
Aside from topography, there were no negative comments on Jasper that I heard. Even the infamous Blue Building in downtown that creates such acrimony here apparently didn't merit any mention among those passing through that day. Maybe we're a little over-sensitive to it here, as we see it every day.
Trying to be unbiased, I would rate Jasper as having the most picturesque downtown of the other stops on the ride, which included Dalton, Fort Oglethorpe, Winder, Roswell and Mt. Airy.
The City of Jasper should be commended for its efforts along Main Street. No other town had anything to match the streetscape, marble monument and trees on our Main Street. Even the rock garden water park, another downtown landmark that frequently draws criticism, makes an interesting point that provides some character to our town.
However, it must also be noted Jasper ranked last in terms of street life, as in hustle and bustle, dining and shopping. Obviously Roswell and Dalton boast considerably bigger populations. But even at Mt. Airy, there were more restaurants, shops and stores to visit in the nearby downtowns of Cornelia and Clarkesville.
And get this: several restaurants in Dalton said they had opened up especially for BRAG as it hit town on a Sunday night, and they normally would not have been open.
Around Winder, it was striking to see the number of (apparently) new and large industrial/commercial areas. Whatever they are doing there, our economic development people should maybe pay attention.
Conversely, along the ride on most days, there were large empty subdivisions with locked gates at the front and no houses on the curb-guttered and landscaped streets beyond. Pickens is certainly not alone in having seen large scale residential plans utterly flop.
From my undercover experience as a tourist here, I can say that this community can be proud of the image Jasper/Pickens presents to those passing through. There is always a fear that people may not like your hometown, especially when it is a smaller one. But have no worries. We stack up well.
That said, it is also clear Pickens remains near the back of the pack in terms of downtown commerce. The idea the recession alone is the cause for commercial lethargy along Main is maybe not the whole answer. Clearly we lack something. Finding what we lack is something community leaders might address by looking first at why surrounding areas manage to attract a larger share of the limited commerce and growth still occurring.


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Animals-Eating Friday: Dog Eating with Hands
Watching a dog eat is not the most exciting experience in the world, but when you replace paws with human hands, the event becomes much more captivating.** Please enjoy this week's installment of Animals-Eating Friday. The video, after the jump.
** But while we're on the topic of dogs-doing-something-food-related-with-human-hands, the video of William Wegman's Weimaraner dogs baking bread is pretty much the classic.
Dog Eating with Human Hands
Animals-Eating Friday: Otter Feeding on Clams
Animals-Eating Friday: 'Nolan's Cheddar' Mighty Mouse 'Commercial'
Animals-Eating Friday: Koala Eating a Leaf
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My home, the Great Valley of California, is not usually a place for seeing spectacular sunsets; most of the summer, the sky is clear of clouds, but full of dust and smog. In winter, fog often obscures the evening sky, and if storms pass through, the stratus clouds stretch beyond the horizon and all is gray. But sometimes, there are days like today: clear, with a sky full of scattered clouds, and lots of color.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Sky on Fire...
Posted by Garry Hayes at 11:36 PM
Labels: Great Valley, sunset
3 comments:
- Brian Romans said...
the last week or so has been really good for sunsets for some reason
- December 2, 2010 at 8:29 AM
- Gaelyn said...
That truly is an lucious sunset.
- December 2, 2010 at 3:11 PM
- trav4adventures said...
Beautiful sky! I remember the last time I saw a sunset like that...it was September 11, 2009. Hubby and I were up in Anza, at the ranch where I board my horses. We both took LOTS and LOTS of photos!
- December 26, 2010 at 6:06 AM
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Tom Campbell Texas
Classic MemoriesHt. 5-11 Wt. 183 Class: Junior/Senior Position: Linebacker/Defensive Halfback Hometown: Austin, Texas 1969 Classic: Texas 36, Tennessee 13 1970 Classic: Texas 21, Notre Dame 17
Statistics1969 Defensive Statistics: 2 tackles, 1 unassisted, 2 interceptions, 4 PBU 1970 Defensive Statistics: 6 tackles, 4 unassisted, 1 interception
Texas defensive ace Tom Campbell erased all doubt that in pressure-packed situations lightning can strike twice. After batting down four passes and picking off two others against Tennessee in the 1969 Classic, Campbell stepped onto an even bigger stage as a senior. In a month's time, the Longhorn defender came up with a pair of last-second interceptions that are firmly entrenched in Texas football lore. In the "Big Shootout" he picked off an Arkansas pass that preserved a 15-14 victory and sent the top-ranked Horns packing for Dallas to face Notre Dame. With under a minute to play and Texas holding a 21-17 lead, Mr. Clutch stepped up to do it all over again. Campbell intercepted Notre Dame's final pass to ice the game and the national title for Texas.
Coach Lou Holtz Notre Dame
Classic MemoriesHometown: East Liverpool, Ohio Classic Coaching Record: 2-1-0 1988 Classic: Texas A&M 35, Notre Dame 10 1993 Classic: Notre Dame 28, Texas A&M 3 1994 Classic: Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 21
He's known for being a quick wit, his motivational speeches, a stern taskmaster, best-selling author and television analyst. Above all else, Lou Holtz was a highly-successful football coach. Holtz led Notre Dame to three Cotton Bowl appearances, winning twice. In 1993, the Irish manhandled Texas A&M, 28-3, although it didn't start out that way. A defensive stalemate ensued until Holtz pulled the middle screen out of his bag of tricks with 45 seconds before the half. The pass went to receiver Lake Dawson who sailed 40 yards for the Irish's first score. It was a brilliant decision by Holtz and cracked the game wide open. A master of preparation, Holtz taught his players never to leave anything to chance. Come ready to play and prepare to win.
Shay Muirbrook Brigham Young University
Classic MemoriesHt. 6-0 Wt. 240 Class: Senior Position: Middle Linebacker Hometown: Norco, California 1997 Classic: BYU 19, Kansas State 15
StatisticsDefensive Statistics: 12 tackles, 11 unassisted Tackles For Loss: 6 QB sacks for -38 yards
Eluding the grasp of BYU middle linebacker Shay Muirbrook was virtually impossible. No one got by Muirbrook, a four-year starter and the heart of a stingy defensive unit. More often than not, he stopped opponents in their tracks for lost yardage. Kansas State found that out the hard way in the 1997 Classic. Muirbrook registered a Cotton Bowl record six sacks for 38 yards in losses. His first sack of the day set the tone for the BYU defense. Taking advantage of a punt that pinned K-State on its two-yard line late in the first quarter, Muirbrook nailed the quarterback for a safety and the first points of the game. It was the start of an incredible performance of 11 solo tackles that led to a 19-15 victory for BYU.
Kevin Murray Texas A&M
Classic MemoriesHt. 6-2 Wt. 198 Class: Sophomore/Junior Position: Quarterback Hometown: Dallas, Texas 1986 Classic: Texas A&M 36, Auburn 16 1987 Classic: Ohio State 28, Texas A&M 12
StatisticsStatistics: 1986 Rushing: 4 attempts, -9 yards 1986 Passing: 16-26-1, 292 yards, 1 TD 1987 Rushing: 5 attempts, 12 yards 1987 Passing: 12-31-5, 143 yards
Texas A&M quarterback Kevin Murray used the glow of the Classic's 50th anniversary game to outshine Bo Jackson, Auburn's Heisman Trophy winner. Murray enjoyed a phenomenal game against the Tigers, setting a Cotton Bowl record with 292 yards through the air. Holding a tenuous 21-16 lead, the sophomore quarterback took charge late in the game and marched the Aggies 72 yards in nine plays for the game-clinching touchdown. Only 2:22 was left on the clock when Murray completed the drive on a nine-yard pass play and secured A&M's first Cotton Bowl victory in 18 years. The Classic has witnessed some incredible passing performances, but the aerial show Murray delivered against Auburn was one for the record books.
Jim Williams Arkansas
Classic MemoriesHt. 6-2 Wt. 205 Class: Junior/Senior Position: Defensive Tackle Hometown: Forrest City, Arkansas 1965 Classic: Arkansas 10, Nebraska 7 1966 Classic: LSU 14, Arkansas 7
StatisticsStatistics: 1965 Defensive Statistics: 11 tackles, 4 unassisted, 3 sacks for -34 yards, 1 tackle for -2 yards 1966 Defensive Statistics: 5 tackles, 2 unassisted CBAA Chairman: 1988-1990 (Coordinated first CBAA title sponsorship with the Mobil Corporation)
There were a lot of heroes on the field for Arkansas in the Hogs' 10-7 victory over Nebraska in the 1965 Classic, but in the end, it was junior defensive tackle Jim Williams that saved the day for the unbeaten Razorbacks. Nebraska appeared to have the game in hand with a 7-3 lead and the clock ticking past the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter. But, the Hogs came alive and drove 80-yards for what proved to be the winning score with 4:41 to play. That's when Williams proceeded to dash whatever hopes the Huskers had to regain the lead with three clutch tackles on the final drive, including two quarterback sacks. On the Huskers' last play he nailed the Nebraska quarterback for a 15-yard loss to help secure Arkansas' first national championship.


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William H. Ginsburg is an American lawyer, best known for representing former White House intern Monica Lewinsky in her controversy regarding sexual activities with then-President Bill Clinton in 1998.
Ginsburg, whose Los Angeles, California-based practice had previously concentrated on medical malpractice, was a friend of the Lewinsky family. Ginsburg represented Lewinsky for four months, before being replaced with Plato Cacheris and Jake Stein in June.
Ginsburg was also involved in the case of the death of college basketball star Hank Gathers, as well as the legal dispute over the remains of entertainer Liberace.


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Joy Bostic
Associate Professor
Tomlinson Hall 243E
Dr. Joy R. Bostic is an associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies, as well as the founding director of the new minor in African and African American Studies and a program faculty member of the Women's and Gender Studies and Ethnic Studies programs, at Case Western Reserve University. Her teaching and scholarship focus on such areas as African American religion and culture; religion, healing, and social justice; and womanist/feminist theory. She is the author of African American Female Mysticism: Nineteenth-Century Religious Activism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).
She received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Indiana University and went on to earn a Juris Doctor and Master of Arts in public policy and management from The Ohio State University. She attended Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary where she was awarded the Master of Divinity degree. After graduating from seminary, she was ordained a Christian minister at Second Baptist Church in Evanston, Illinois. While attending Garrett-Evangelical, she worked as a research assistant for the Religion in Urban America Project, an ethnographic study based at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
In 2006, Reverend Bostic received her Ph.D. in systematic theology from Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York. While living in New York City, she served as an associate minister at Second Canaan Baptist Church and taught courses in theology and religion as an adjunct professor at Fordham University at Lincoln Center. She also worked as the coordinator of the Barnard Columbia Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center and was the executive director of the African American Task Force on Violence against Women, a community-based organization in Central Harlem.
An artist at heart, Professor Bostic is a student of dance, photography, and the textile arts.


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Last month, Amazon and other digital retailers removed buttons from the iOS apps that gave users quick access to their e-book stores. As a result, if you've got the Kindle app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, you now must manually launch a Web browser if you want to buy books.
The reason: Apple demands a 30 percent cut of all goods sold through iOS apps, and requires that publishers use its own purchasing system. That was untenable to Amazon and its ilk.
But Amazon has a few tricks up its sleeve. The company has launched a Web-based app, the Amazon Cloud Reader, that works great on the iPad. It also restores the Kindle Store button, so buying books on the iPad is once again simple.
The app also works on traditional computers, but with a caveat. It's only available for users of the Chrome and Safari browsers, and requires an extension that's installed to allow offline reading. Amazon says support for other browsers is coming soon.
You can access the reader at www.amazon.com/cloudreader. You'll need an Amazon account to sign in, but you don't need to have a Kindle device in order to buy books that can be read in the app.
When you sign in with the right browser, you're instructed to allow the extension to be installed. On the iPad, you must give permission to allow 50 megabytes of storage to be used for downloaded books.
Once in, you're presented with the library of books you've purchased in the past. Tap or click on any of them to start reading. Or, right-click on a PC and tap-and-hold on an iPad to download to read later. Downloading happens very quickly on a traditional computer, but on my first-gen iPad it took about 30 seconds to download a book.
The reading experience doesn't quite match the Kindle app, but it's very good. For example, while you can set the page to use different colors – for example, sepia or white-on-black – you can't get the two-column layout on the Web app that's available to native app users.
Here's the Web app display:
And here's the native app display, with a gray background I prefer for reading.
The Web app also supports WhisperSync, which remembers where you are in a book across all Kindle apps and devices.
The Web app includes the familiar Kindle Store button, which now takes you to a version of Amazon's online bookstore that's laid out with the iPad in mind. And there's a button here that takes you quickly back to your reading library.
The Kindle Web app uses HTML5 and it looks very good. Over time, its capabilities should improve.
This was inevitable once Apple began enforcing its purchasing rules. Taking nearly a third of revenues for something as low-margin as books just doesn't work for Amazon, and the company's made a smart move using the technologies of the Web.
It also lays more groundwork for Amazon's bigger plans – to create a cloud-based infrastructure to work with the tablets it's expected to begin selling later this year.


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Jeremiahx needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 67 designs submitted by 28 freelance designers.
We need a new logo for a 7 year old product. A new version is coming out and we want a logo to reflect the Web 2.0 functions we have added. Go to http://www.echurchonline.com/ to see the current logo.
Desired Color Scheme:
existing green would be nice
Desired Style:
Web 2.0... 'nuff said
Accepted File Formats:
Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai)
We are not married to the green color in the existing color scheme so please feel free to explore. The brand name is eChurchOnline (note the caps).
We want a fresh new look that makes you think Ajax, Tags, Blogs and everything web 2.0
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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South Africa v Australia, Rugby Championship
Boks out to change recent run of defeats
ESPN Staff
September 24, 2012
South Africa look dejected after Ben Alexander goes over against them in their recent meeting © Getty Images
South Africa host Australia in Pretoria on Saturday and will hope to rectify their recent run of bad form against their southern hemisphere rivals.
The Boks lost to the Wallabies 26-19 back on September 8 and then fell to a defeat against the All Blacks in the next match. Heyneke Meyer will now be under pressure to turn the tables back on the Wallabies especially after it was Australia who dispatched them from the 2011 World Cup at the quarter-finals stage.
On that occasion, the Springboks lost out 11-9, although they have failed to beat the Wallabies in their last five meetings - falling 39-20 and 14-9 during last season's Tri-Nations.
However, South Africa hold the historical advantage over the Wallabies with 41 Test victories to their rivals' 33 since their first meeting in Sydney back in 1921 - in which the Springboks emerged victorious thanks to a 25-10 win.
And they also hold a solid record at Pretoria against the Wallabies having played there five times and won on each occasion. Their most recent encounter at Loftus Versveld came back in 2010 where the Boks prevailed 44-31
Australia v South Africa
All-time record: Played: 78, South Africa won 44, Australia won 33, drawn 1
Biggest winning margin: SA: 45 (53-8 Johannesburg 2008); Aus: 49 (49-0 Brisbane 2006)
Highest score: SA: 61 (61-22 Pretoria 1997); Aus: 49 (49-0 Brisbane 2006)
Most tries: SA: 8 (28-3 Johannesburg 1961, 61-22 Pretoria 1997 and 53-8 Johannesburg 2008); Aus: 6 (49-0 Brisbane 2006)
Most points (individual): SA: 140 Percy Montgomery; Aus: 159 Matt Giteau
Most tries (individual): SA: 7 Breyton Paulse; Aus: 9 Matt Giteau
South Africa v Australia:
Click here for South Africa's Test record courtesy of Statsguru
Click here for Australia's Test record courtesy of Statsguru
Click here for a record of all South Africa v Australia matches courtesy of Statsguru
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Communication error please reload the page.


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For nearly three years Republicans have accused Democrats of double counting the new Medicare tax. But it wasn't the accounting that was doubled so much as the tax obligation. What Democrats did was to effectively force Americans to pay the new Medicare tax twice: The wealthy pay it now and everyone will pay some portion of it later.
One of the many new taxes in President Obama's health care bill now draining paychecks is the Medicare tax. The current 2.9 percent Medicare payroll tax—split equally between employer and employee—is extracted from all wages. ObamaCare increases that money grab on the employee by adding another 0.9 percent, a total of 3.8 percent, for individuals with annual incomes above 200,000 and families with incomes above $250,000.
But the law also imposes for the first time ever a 3.8 percent Medicare tax on passive, or unearned, income, such as capital gains and dividends, for people in that same tax bracket.
Those new taxes will be funneled to the Medicare Trust Fund. That's why Democrats, who hold the entire responsibility for this turkey—no blaming George W. Bush this time—claimed that they were shoring up Medicare for years to come.
But the government will borrow those new deposits, leave an IOU in the Trust Fund and then promptly spend the money—just as it has with the Social Security Trust Fund—perhaps on some worthless green energy project that may eventually embarrass the Obama administration. That is, if it even can be embarrassed any more.
It's that borrowing of the money and spending it elsewhere—essentially claiming the same dollar is in two places at once—that had Republicans accusing Democrats of double counting the funds.
But economist and former Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund trustee Tom Saving points out that what Democrats did wasn't double counting so much as double taxation. Here's why.
Tax money deposited into the Trust Fund becomes an asset. When the government borrows the money from Medicare, that action creates a liability that the federal government—i.e., taxpayers—will have to meet at some point in the future. It's an accounting function. The asset and liability offset each other and the $16.4 trillion federal debt remains the same.
That is why Obama was wrong when he said at his last press conference about the debt limit, "If congressional Republicans refuse to pay America's bills on time, Social Security checks, and veterans benefits will be delayed."
Paying Social Security benefits does not affect the debt limit because the government will simply withdraw funds from the $2.7 trillion Social Security Trust Fund to pay the benefit. And it will have to issue general debt for the same amount to cover the withdrawal. The total debt remains the same.
When the president made the same assertion in the summer of 2011, as he and Congress faced the last federal debt-limit battle, Dr. Saving wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "government redemption of the bonds in that [Social Security] trust fund does not breach the debt ceiling." He further explained, "By law the Treasury is bound to redeem any bonds presented to it by the Social Security Administration. And when the Treasury does, total government debt subject to the debt limit falls by the amount of the redemption—thus freeing up the Treasury's ability to issue new bonds equal in amount to the redeemed Trust Fund bonds. Therefore, meeting Social Security obligations ... would add nothing to the gross government debt subject to the debt limit. Not, at least, until the $2.4 trillion Trust Fund is exhausted in 2038."
Returning to the Medicare tax, high-income workers will pay the new tax, which will be deposited into the Medicare Trust Fund. The government will borrow the money to spend on whatever it wants and issue Medicare an IOU, or "special bond."
However, that IOU is actually a claim on future taxes because the money has been spent. So while the wealthy paid the tax the first time, the American people will have to pay it again to cover the new obligation. Thus the Medicare tax may be 3.8 percent on the "wealthy" today, but the public in general—including lots of middle-income people—will eventually have to cover that 3.8 percent again.
If you think this all sounds complicated and confusing, you're right. But that may have been one of the goals. As long as the politicians can keep the public frustrated and confused, they can get away with almost anything. Just as they are getting away with the accounting shenanigans they put in ObamaCare.
Merrill Matthews is a resident scholar at the Institute for Policy Innovation in Dallas, Texas. Follow him on twitter: @MerrillMatthews


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Our Sustainability Doctrine
|Compost Crew at Telluride Bluegrass
For more than two decades, Planet Bluegrass has worked to present the finest musical experiences in some of the country's most magnificent natural environments while striving to reduce our environmental footprint at the same time.
Over the years, we've embraced some simple environmental solutions -- like providing free filtered water and waste reduction incentives and mandates at our festivals to cut down on plastic bottles and other trash. We've also embraced some complex ones -- like purchasing carbon credits to offset the greenhouse gas pollution produced by traveling to and from Telluride as well as renewable energy credits to offset our electricity consumption and support wind farms around the United States.
In the process, we've developed a reputation as a national leader in voluntary environmental action. One of our greatest hopes is that our voluntary efforts will inspire and encourage festivarians to take action in their own communities. All of us together can lay the groundwork for the private sector and our political leaders in this country and around the world as we transition to a clean energy economy.
Renewable Energy & Carbon Offsets
Planet Bluegrass depends on energy to power our annual music festivals. Our staff, artists and festivarians also depend on energy to travel to and from our events. Unfortunately, over 70% of the energy in the US is produced by burning fossil fuels which is increasingly harmful to our environment and our health. Since 2003, we have been committed to offsetting our carbon footprint and have invested in carbon offsets and renewable energy credits (REC's) to offset the carbon dioxide (CO2) created by our electricity, diesel and gas consumption.
Since 2007, we have been offsetting 100% of the emissions created by the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, including travel to and from Telluride. This is our most significant step to-date towards neutralizing the impacts of our events. Learn more...
Festival Waste Reduction
Since 2003, Planet Bluegrass has developed programs that encourage reuse, recycling, and composting at all of our events. The Planet Bluegrass waste station was created to divert garbage from ending up in the landfill. Each station is accompanied by a trained volunteer assisting festivarians with composting and recycling the majority of their waste. Learn more about our other methods of waste reduction over the past four years.
Sustainable Festivation in the Press
- "Sustainability takes center stage at Lyons festival" from Boulder Daily Camera
- "Bluegrass Plays a Greener Tune" from Living on Earth
- "The Greening of Bluegrass" from the GreenBase blog at Jambase.com (also see these)
- Governor's Proclamation of "Colorado Bluegrass Day" (PDF file)
- Steve Szymanski interviewed on American Public Media's Weekend America
- Listen to Steve Szymanski on Colorado Public Radio's Colorado Matters
- "Bluegrass fest turning ever greener" from Rocky Mountain News
- "Bluegrass Goes Carbon Neutral" from Telluride Daily Planet


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Roses are Red, Violets are Blue
August 9, 2010 by © Joan Miller - Luxegen Genealogy.
Filed under genealogy, Memorabilia
Autograph Books Memories of carefree school days in the one room school. Friendships. Games. The stories started flowing as Mom and I looked at the autograph books. Three books and over a hundred different poems. The students would collect an autograph from all of their friends, family and even the school teacher. Inscribed in front [...]


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Blackhawks look to strike back against Avalancheby Brian Hedger / Chicago Blackhawks
|Bill Smith / Chicago Blackhawks
CHICAGO -- Among all the record breakdowns, the only one that's close to marginal for the Chicago Blackhawks is against Central Division teams.
Chicago is 8-6-1 against teams in its division with a back-to-back set this weekend against the two closest teams to the Blackhawks in the Central, the third-place Colorado Avalanche and second-place St. Louis Blues.
The Blackhawks (26-7-6) will host the Avalanche (23-10-3) on Friday at United Center and then make the trip to play the Blues on Saturday at Scottrade Center.
"It's nice being at the top of the League in the standings, but you know these division games are [against] teams you face a lot," Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane said. "It'd be nice to get a little better record than that and improve. I guess we have some games ahead of us that we can do that in the next two."
Chicago, which also hosts the Los Angeles Kings on Monday, hasn't played the Avalanche since a 5-1 loss Nov. 19 at Pepsi Center. The Blackhawks haven't faced the Blues since losing 3-2 on Oct. 17 in a shootout at home. They also lost 3-2 in regulation against the Blues on the road in the third game of the season.
This weekend is an opportunity to strike back, starting with the Avalanche.
"We feel like we've had a couple games the last couple years, including last season, that we didn't do very well [against them]," Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. "So we've got to try and return the favor a little bit in our own building. It's not about trying to pile up the goals. It's just about playing well and being really tough to play against."
Colorado did not hold a morning skate. The Avalanche used that time to fly to Chicago, opting to stay off the ice until pre-game warm-ups.
The Blackhawks will start rookie Antti Raanta (8-1-2, 2.20 goals-against average) in goal for the 10th straight game while he subs for injured starter Corey Crawford (lower body). Raanta also is in contention to start Saturday against the Blues.
Crawford skated on his own Friday, before the team session, and is nearing a return to full practices. He might make the trip to St. Louis but won't be an option to play.
"[He showed] real good progress," Quenneville said. "He felt good [Friday] and had a much more intense workout than he's had the last times on the ice. Over the next [few] days we'll get him more with the guys as we go along here. We like the progress. He feels much better."
The same cannot be said of 40-year old veteran Nikolai Khabibulin, who was signed as a free agent in the summer to back up Crawford. He's missed 19 games with a lower-body injury and his return isn't any closer.
"Nothing to report," Quenneville said. "It's tough to say right now. We haven't heard much of the progress, where you get an indication [after] you get him on the ice. So that's where it's at."


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Overhead Power Lines
Survey the site, prior to construction performed, for overhead power lines.
On most construction sites, overhead power lines can be hazardous for workers to deal with. In some cases, workers are unable to tell the difference between phone and cable lines vs. power lines. This can increase the risk of workers accidently coming into contact with power lines on the job site resulting in electrocution and requiring hospitalization for injuries, permanent partial disability or in some cases death.
Employers can prevent this type of incidents from occurring on the job sites by:
- Providing training to employees on overhead power line safety
- Survey the site for overhead power lines.
- Consider all overhead lines as energized until the electric utility indicates otherwise, or an electrician verifies that the line is not energized and has been grounded. Work in conjunction with the local utility company on the issue of the overhead power lines.
- If the lines cannot by de-energized and grounded or have insulating barriers applied, a minimum safe distance of 10 feet must be established and maintained.
Employers must also address hazards through an effective Accident Prevention Program and ensure safe workplace practices are followed.
Related Topics
- Accident Prevention Program
- Agriculture
- Communication Tower Safety
- Construction Industry Safety & Health
- Crane Safety
- Electrical workers
- Job Hazard/Safety Analysis (JSA/JHA)
- Ladder Safety
- Logging
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Personnel Hoisting and Personnel Platforms
- Recordkeeping and Reporting of Worker Injuries (OSHA 300 Log)
- Residential Construction
- Window Cleaning
More help from L&I
For general information, call 1-800-423-7233.


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Monday, February 27, 2012
You Look Silly Standing Like That...
Posted by Fashion By He at 12:33 PM
Labels: Bad Bad Bad, NYC Streetstyle
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Even though Sony announced the PlayStation 4 last night, they didn't show us the console or give us a price for it (which frustrated some video game writers). They have to save something for E3 right?
Still, they revealed plenty of interesting things about the PlayStation 4, including their overarching plans for its online system and its technical capabilities. Here are 10 things that we think you should know.
1. Touch-sensitive DualShock 4 controller
Gone are the Start and Select buttons of the PS controllers of old. We now have Share and Options buttons. The Share button allows you to quickly share footage or screenshots of your gameplay through social networks like Facebook as well as live-streaming your actual gameplay (more on this below). The Options button is your new Start/Select. The DS4 will also have a touchpad similar to the PS Vita, which will be implemented into gameplay.


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"Come into my brain" – Public Guided Tour at DaliBerlin (engl.)
Delve into the surrealistic world of Salvador Dalí, one of the most ingenious and eccentric artists of the 20th. century. Dalí – The Exhibition at Potsdamer Platz allows visitors for the first time with more than 450 exhibits from private collections worldwide, the most extensive insight into Dalí's virtuosic and experimental mastery in almost all techniques of art directly in the pulsating center of Berlin. "COME INTO MY BRAIN", Salvador Dalí himself once invited his audience.
In order to assist visitors making their way through this fascinating world more easily, Dalí_Scouts are available every day to guide visitors in approximately 45 minutes tours through the exhibition. The guided tours take place five times a day at fixed hours and are provided in German and English. To avoid any inconvenience please enter the museum approx. 15 minutes before a guided tour starts.


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- Live Insects
- Frozen Foods
- Accessories
- Artificial Plants
- Reptile Livestock
Exo Terra Cricket Feeder
Product Code: EXTCKFDR
(Ex GST: $18.49)
Please note that all of our live insects can only be purchased in lots/quantities of 250 via our website - e.g. 250, 500, 750 and so on.
If you require a custom amount of any of our live insects, please contact us by phone on (07) 5533 8375 or by email at firstname.lastname@example.com to process your order any further.
Whilst we do freight reptile livestock around Australia (excluding Tasmania), it is subject to relative import/export wildlife permits for each state/territory. We will also need to confirm that the purchaser carries the appropriate license for the specie(s) they are attempting to purchase.
In saying that, once your order has been placed, you will receive a phone call from the Livefoods Unlimited staff in order to process your enquiry any further.
Note: Shipping costs will not be calculated, and no reptile livestock orders will be dispatched until after we have made contact.
If you have any further questions or are unsure about any of the above, please contact us prior to placing an order for live insects and/or live reptiles.
Exo Terra's Feeding Rock is an easy to use aid for feeding insects to your reptiles and amphibians. It reduces the amount of supplement needed as it retains excess powder that can then be reused. The feeder prevents vitamin residue on the substrate, which may be dangerous as it can harbour harmful bacteria, especially in humid terrarium conditions.
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BATON ROUGE — While it is too late to apply for individual financial assistance from the state and Federal Emergency Management Agency for Hurricane Isaac recovery, those already in the system are still receiving money.
BATON ROUGE — While it is too late to apply for individual financial assistance from the state and Federal Emergency Management Agency for Hurricane Isaac recovery, those already in the system are still receiving money.
Eligible residents from Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes have so far been awarded more than $7.5 million for housing assistance and other needs, said FEMA public information officer Gina Cortez.
Isaac washed ashore in late August of last year, and FEMA stopped accepting applications for individual assistance Nov. 29.
Statewide, nearly $130 million from FEMA's program has been distributed, in addition to $160 million in low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration and $214 million in reimbursements to state agencies and local governments.
"FEMA's top priority is clear: help Louisiana's survivors, their families, business owners and their communities get a good start on their way to recovering from Isaac," said FEMA coordinating officer Gerard M. Stolar. "This money has provided a crucial boost to Louisiana as residents and communities rebuild, recover and look ahead to the future."
For eligible Louisiana residents, the FEMA grants include nearly $107 million in housing assistance and $23 million in "other needs assistance."
Another $185,000 in disaster unemployment assistance has been directed statewide to workers who lost their jobs and to people who are self-employed and unable to provide services because of the hurricane.
The program allows affected residents to apply to FEMA for aid and report their uninsured or underinsured property damage or destruction from the storm.
The housing category provides cash payments for temporary housing, such as a hotel stays, home repairs and related construction.
The other needs category is broader and allows assistance for a variety of items ranging from medical and dental expenses to funeral and burial expenses.
It can also help with clothing; household items; furniture; tools required for a specific occupation; fuel; cleanup supplies, like a wet-dry vacuum; damage to a vehicle; moving; and storage expenses.
For Lafourche Parish, the individual assistance program has doled out more than $4 million, including $3.6 million for housing and $451,000 for other needs, Cortez said.
There have been 4,367 Lafourche residents register for assistance, including about 25 who signed up on the final day of registration in late November.
In Terrebonne Parish, the program has disbursed $3.5 million to local residents, including $3.1 million for housing and $371,000 in the other category.
Registration in Terrebonne reached 3,852 applicants after the cut-off date, with 43 registering on the last day.
Between that late November end date and the close of business Wednesday, about $400,000 has been distributed in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, bringing the combined overall local tally to $7.5 million since Isaac's August landfall.
While FEMA and the state are beginning to enter the final phases of the program for Isaac, Cortez said FEMA is still supervising rental assistance and mental health programs, among other initiatives.
"The lines of communication haven't really closed," she said.
Aside from Terrebonne and Lafourche, Louisiana's federally declared disaster areas included Allen, Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson, Livingston, Morehouse, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes.
In related action, Congress is considering legislation that would allow families and individuals affected by Isaac to deduct more of their unreimbursed losses
If the bill passes, they would also be able to withdraw up to $100,000 from retirement accounts — money that would be tax free and not subject to contribution limits if paid back within three years.
The Investment Saving Access After Catastrophe Act, or ISAAC Act, is co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, and Sen. David Vitter, a Metairie Republican.
Jeremy Alford can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Hulu CEO Jason Kilar doesn't have a contract, and talks to re-sign him haven't begun, we've learned from a source close to a Hulu parent company.
The hold-up is that Hulu parent companies Disney, Comcast, and News Corporation are in talks with its fourth part-owner, Providence Equity Partners, about buying out its stake.
The buyout is meant to recompense Providence for the exit it did not get last fall when it looked like Hulu would sell for ~$4 billion, but didn't when Disney, Comcast, and News Corporation decided their joint venture might actually be on its way to becoming something.
The reason the Providence buyout is slowing things down is that, when Providence gets its buyout, Hulu management, including Kilar, will get a good bit of liquidity too.
Cha-ching, as they say.
We're insistently told by some that Kilar would very much like to stick around (even though reports have him looking at jobs elsewhere, including Facebook).
We're also told that Hulu's parent companies are not certain that they want to keep him.
One view of Hulu is that it is a remarkable success - the first time old media companies have figure out a good product on the Web.
Another view of Hulu is that it is a middling success, considering it has exclusive access to extremely popular video content. The people with this view say that Kilar was born on third base, and hasn't figured out how to score a run yet.
Hulu and Kilar declined to comment on the record for this story.


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What is a PRTR?
A Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) is a catalogue or database of releases and transfers of potentially harmful chemicals including information on the nature and quantity of such releases and transfers. The data for PRTRs can be collected from point sources of pollution, such as factories, as well as from diffuse sources, such as agricultural operations or transportation activities. A typical PRTR covers releases to air, water and land as well as wastes transported to treatment and disposal sites.
Key features of a PRTR include: periodic collection of information to allow tracking of trends over time; the use of common identifiers for chemicals, facilities and locations to facilitate comparison and aggregation of the data; computerisation of the information for ease of analysis; and dissemination of the information to government policy makers and the general public. Some potential applications of PRTR information include mapping the data to discern the proximity of pollution sources to population centres or to ecologically sensitive areas, as a way of highlighting potential health or environmental impacts and effectively targeting management efforts. Trends in the data can reveal the progress being made by individual facilities or industrial sectors in reducing waste and minimising pollution, or for identifying opportunities for improvement.
To summarise, a PRTR is a means for obtaining regular, periodic information about releases and/or transfers of chemical substances of interest and for making this information accessible to those who may be interested and/or affected by it. As such, a PRTR is a tool for promoting efficient and effective policies for environmental protection and sustainable development.


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(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)
Every artist's journey into Nashville has to start somewhere, right? And for Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus, it started with his mom and dad. Hearing them play music together, he says on the Rascal Flatts: All Access and Uncovered DVD, was his earliest memory of music. "That's how they met, actually. My mom was a singer, and my dad had been playing in bands with my mom's brother," DeMarcus says. "My dad married my mom, and so I was sorta surrounded by music from the get-go. Born right into it." And bandmate Joe Don Rooney had that same kind of upbringing, watching his dad play in bands and always making time for music. He says he was about 11 or 12 when he fell in love with music. "Music was the thing I most wanted to do. I realized then that I'm gonna do this the rest of my life whether I go broke or if I can make it," Rooney says. And that segment of the video comes with a pretty thorough look through the band's childhood photos, so you can see DeMarcus playing a ukulele, Rooney looking cool in aviator shades and Gary LeVox in a soccer uniform, a football uniform and the quintessential white tuxedo tailcoat as a teenager.


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Editorial - Darfur: A Promise, Tested Again
"Never again." Sixty years ago a horrified international community, stunned by the realities of the Holocaust, invoked this statement to banish the specter of systematic killings. But with numbing frequency—after massacres in Cambodia, Iraq, Srebrenica, Rwanda, and elsewhere—it continues to be murmured in memory of those killed. Now, as we watch Africa's largest country hemorrhage human casualties, we are obliged to instead pose it as a question: "Never again?"
Darfur, a drought-weary section of Sudan, has been mired in violence since 2003, when rebels from several tribes began fighting the predominantly Arab national government for a greater share of national power and wealth. The Sudanese government has devastated rebel areas, empowering roaming militias to assist with the killings. Though an African Union peacekeeping force was dispatched to the region, it has lacked the mandate necessary to effectively intervene.
The result: in a region the size of France, with a total population less than that of New York City, as many as 450,000 people have died. Another 2 million Darfuris have been forced to flee their villages. Women are disproportionately affected, routinely attacked as they struggle to keep their families fed and hydrated.
But there is a backstory to this conflict. For decades, Arab nomads and African villagers alternately skirmished and supported each other as they raised livestock and tended fields, respectively, under resource-constrained conditions. At best, the two groups traded milk and meat for medicines and produce in local markets. At worst, when nomads allowed their camels to over-graze fields, or villagers denied nomads access to water, violence erupted. This delicate balance has been upset by drought, desertification, the increased presence of weapons, and national government pressures. Violence is now the norm.
While the debate over how to legally classify the conflict in Darfur—variously labeled "genocide," "ethnic cleansing," "crimes against humanity," or "war crimes"—is as complex as the history of the violence, the basic facts are undeniable. The international community has failed to prevent 450,000 deaths. Fighting continues. The World Food Programme recently cut food rations in half for lack of funding. For refugees concentrated in camps, who must walk up to six hours to search for fuelwood, the risk of militia attacks makes this the most dangerous part of their day.
We can advocate for changes of many kinds. With the recent conclusion of peace talks in Nigeria, for instance, the time is ripe for countries around the world to support the establishment of a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur.Meanwhile, simple fuel-efficient stoves could improve refugees' safety while greatly reducing the need for fuelwood. All solutions will be superficial, however, without a firm international commitment to improving both the political and resource-sharing situations for nomads and farmers in Darfur.
Zoë A. Chafe
Staff Researcher


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The design of physical things has evolved greatly over many generations. From early origins of design by craftsmen and artisans, to carefully considered design and engineering on drafting boards, we have progressed today to building realistic and predictive models to explore with sophisticated software tools. But WHAT we are designing has changed. Much of the innovation and differentiation that drives product development today occurs in the domain of software and content. And that must influence the development of the physical and electronic design. We need a new generation of tools that understand and support simultaneous symbiotic development of the physical, electronic, logical, and content aspects of our products: Tools that support co-evolution of design.
For the past 16 years, COFES has been that place on the calendar that we set aside to lift our heads from the daily grind and consider our work in a broader context. This year, COFES explores the nature of the tools we will need as we reimagine design in the context of the 21st century. We've created great tools for the design of physical products and electronics, and decent tools for the design of software. What we haven't done is even conceive of the tools we need for co-evolution of complex things. That's what we will explore at COFES 2016.
Our customers are those that create the world around us. They design the roads and bridges, the buildings we live and work in, the things we use and see around us.
The place to impact all of this is at the planning, design, and engineering stage. It's where the leverage is. Our customers have the leverage to change the world.
The COFES community provides the tools to these people who have that leverage.
We've been able to absorb much change in the past. But today, with increased population, increased infrastructure, and increased global interdependencies, we have lost much of our flexibility to absorb such change without hardship. The reasons for this are understandable and to be expected. With our larger population we have less room to maneuver and have significant investments in infrastructure – all a result of unconstrained growth without concern for long-term consequences.
What's worse, we may be having an impact that is resulting in such change coming more quickly – within a lifetime rather than over generations.
Change will come. And it's not just whether that we have to adjust to. Changes will be painful to many – deadly to some; others will reap unexpected windfalls. The balance will shift.
What can we do about it? We can choose not to ignore it. We can think about longer term implications of our decisions and have longer term horizons for our planning.
We provide the tools to the people who have the leverage to implement change. We can help them innovate better.
At COFES, we ask "What can we do to make our customers more effective innovators?"
It's not just about sharing best practices -- the bigger question is "How can we innovate in the development of better practices?"
Let's meet face-to-face and discuss these critical issues. We're all in this together.
A Cyon Research Event


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From the Highest Bough To the Highest Bidder
One day in 1879, a salesman showed up at Frank Woolworth's store in Lancaster, Pa., hawking Christmas-tree ornaments from Germany. At first, the future five-and-dime-store king shrugged the salesman off, saying that Americans wouldn't buy objects that didn't "do" anything. Then he bought in, seeing dollar signs reflected in the shiny baubles—and he went on to make a fortune on them.
Today, collectors sometimes pay thousands of dollars for antique handmade ornaments. Dresden ornaments, usually made of cardboard in the German city before World War I, are the most fragile and therefore the rarest. In November 2005, Bertoia Auctions of Vineland, N.J., sold a Dresden piece depicting a train coming out of a mountain tunnel for $11,150. It's believed to be the highest amount paid at auction for an ornament. "It's just a little Christmas ornament made out of cardboard, but...the condition was outstanding," says Jeanne Bertoia, auction-house owner.
Other highly sought-after ornaments are "kugels" (German for "spheres"). They were first created in 1820 in the German town of Lauscha. At the end of a workday, glassblowers in the town would use remnants of glass to blow colored balls to hang from their trees, says antique-ornament dealer Susanne Freericks. Later, the glassblowers created grape clusters, teardrops, eggs and artichokes.
Today, kugels can sell for between $75 and $5,000, depending on the rarity of the design and color, says Texas dealer Betty Bell. Prices for kugels have tripled in the past few years, New Jersey collector Craig McManus says.
The Christmas-ornament market includes about a dozen high-end dealers in the U.S. and a handful in Europe, says Ms. Bell. Ms. Bertoia, whose auction house is one of the very few that sells high-end ornaments, says her yearly ornament sale averages about $80,000.
Hundreds of members of the Golden Glow of Christmas Past convene to trade ornaments at their convention every summer, leading to odd scenes of fully trimmed trees in late July. Along with Americans, Germans and Swiss are big buyers in the market.
When German immigrants came to the U.S. in the 1800s, they brought the Christmas-tree tradition with them. (Unfortunately, there's scant evidence for the story that Martin Luther, inspired by stars twinkling through branches, created the first candlelit Christmas tree around 1500.)
For kugels, the rarest color is amethyst: It turned brown in the glow of candles, so very few were made. Amethyst grapes go for thousands of dollars, says Mr. McManus. He owns about 600 kugels and needs two 8-foot artificial trees to display them each Christmas. The boughs of natural trees can't handle the weight of the heavy glass ornaments very well—that's partly why mass-produced glass balls took their place. In November 2011, a rare silver orange kugel sold at Bertoia for $2,875.
Mr. McManus began collecting Christmas ornaments after being given two of his great-great-grandmother's kugels as a child.
Collectors also hunt for the so-called Sebnitz—figures of cardboard, wire, fabric flowers, tin foil and glass beads, usually made by homeworkers from 1890 to 1914, says Ms. Freericks. Today they can cost up to $2,000.
Cotton batting ornaments, also made in Lauscha, would have been made for children and depicted angels, Santas, dwarves or children on sleds, she says. They were made from sheets of puffy white cotton batting, glued and tightly wrapped around a wire frame.
Among his ornaments, William Miller of Manhattan lists a rare Ebenezer Scrooge glass piece that he bought for $850, a glass Zeppelin ($800) and a Man in the Moon ($1,200). He values the 250 items overall at about $80,000. He places the ornaments and real candles in his tree because he loves the way they reflect the candlelight. Then Mr. Miller watches them like a hawk. "When the light hits the glass, it's really spectacular," he says. "But it's definitely a fire hazard."
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