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Reading rhymes can be a lot of fun, but writing verse might be even more entertaining. Just ask Mary Ann Hoberman. She's been writing books of poems and rhyming stories for children for more than 50 years.
Her first book, "All My Shoes Come in Twos," was published back in 1957. She got the idea from seeing how fascinated her kids were with their shoes when they were little. Like many young children, they found it amusing to take off their shoes and play with them.
Since that first book came out, Mrs. Hoberman has published more than 40 kids' books.
A lifelong storyteller
So how did Mrs. Hoberman grow up to become a kids' book author?
Well, she got an early start. She began making up stories when she was only 5 years old! She would tell them to her younger brother and an imaginary friend.
It was a game to them – she and her brother just liked drawing pictures and telling stories.
When she was a little girl, Mrs. Hoberman also loved to read classic fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. Some of her favorite novels were "Heidi" and "Mary Poppins." And, of course, she always especially liked poetry books.
Dr. Seuss inspired her, too. In fact, she wrote some of her first kids' books based on his style.
"We all like this kind of verse. Even adults like it," she says.
Still, it was a long time before Mrs. Hoberman thought of writing for children.
She always wanted to be a writer, but she started out writing and editing more grown-up material.
First, she wrote for the newspaper at her junior high school. One year, she was editor of her high school's yearbook. And when she attended Smith College in Northampton, Mass., she wrote for the newspaper there.
During the time that she and her husband, Norman Hoberman, lived in Harrisburg, Pa., she wrote feature articles for the women's page of a local paper. And in Washington, D.C., she worked as a proofreader. (That means she looked for mistakes in the work of other writers.) She really enjoyed her early career after she had children because she could write and edit from home and stay with her kids.
As a young mother, though, Mrs. Hoberman found herself making up poems for her children when they were still in the baby carriage. The ideas for many books would just pop into her head when she walked.
"Ideas often came to me when [I was] lying in bed at night or walking," she says. She believes the rhythm of walking helps the ideas come naturally.
"If I am walking and don't bring a pad [of paper] with me, I have to rush home to write [the idea] down before I forget it," she adds.
And so Mrs. Hoberman began writing for kids instead of grown-ups. Even though at first, her books of children's verse did not sell well, Mrs. Hoberman kept at it – with her husband's help.
He worked as an architect and artist, so he drew the pictures for the first four of his wife's books. He illustrated "All My Shoes Come in Twos." And he even gave his wife the idea for one of her early books, "How Do I Go?" It's about the different ways kids can travel – on a tricycle, on a bike, in a car, or on an airplane. Mr. Hoberman drew the pictures for this book, too, as well as for "Hello and Good-by," Mrs. Hoberman's first collection of children's poems.
The Hobermans live in a house that he designed, and they have two dogs, Pico and Maria. When Mrs. Hoberman isn't writing, she likes to spend time in her gardens. Gardening even inspired one of her books. "Whose Garden Is It?" shows that even though a garden may belong to a person, it is also shared by many different creatures, such as moles and bees.
All those books
Over the years, Mrs. Hoberman's success as a children's author has grown. Her book "A House Is a House For Me" was published in 1978. In 1983, it won a special prize: an American Book Award (now called the National Book Award).
The story describes all kinds of houses that people or animals live in. Here is an excerpt of the rhyme:
A hill is a house for an ant, an ant.
A hive is a house for a bee.
A hole is a house for a mole or a mouse...
She got the idea for another zany story, "The Seven Silly Eaters," from observing the funny or strange eating habits of her children and grandchildren when they were young.
In 2003, Mrs. Hoberman received the National Council of Teachers of English Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. And she continues to write splendid children's verse today.
Her newest book series, "You Read to Me, I'll Read to You," is designed to help children learn to read. One of the series, "Very Short Scary Stories to Read Together," builds on kids' interest in monsters.
Another recent book, "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow," is based on an old song telling the story of the great Chicago fire of 1871. Supposedly, the blaze started when a cow knocked over a lantern in a townswoman's barn. Here's a bit of the verse:
The cow looked out
And started to moo.
We got up
And wondered what to do;
And when the smoke poured out,
We started yelling, too,
There'll be a hot time
In the old town tonight!
Reading, writing, and kids
Mrs. Hoberman's rhyming verse for children focuses on rhythm, language, and visual imagery. She writes for kids who are between 1 and 9 years old. Although a 1-year-old baby cannot read yet, his parents can read to him. And Mrs. Hoberman thinks this is a marvelous thing to do.
She feels that parents should not only read to their children, but that they should also make up their own stories or poems and share them with their kids.
She even suggests that parents sing some of the poems they know to their boys or girls.
But Mrs. Hoberman doesn't believe in pushing kids to learn to read too early.
"Some children are not ready at an early age. It's OK if they are ready, but the majority of children are not ready for the high standards that schools now set for reading," she says.
Whether boys and girls learn to read by themselves at an early age or later on, reading can be a joy from early childhood through adulthood. And Mrs. Hoberman does her part to make reading exciting.
She often goes to elementary schools and talks to the students about her books. She introduces her books to children by reciting poems and having the kids read and memorize the poems in class.
"It should be fun," she says. "Poetry is fun."
If you want to be a writer like Mrs. Hoberman, she advises you to write, of course, and to read and make up stories.
"Tell your stories or poems; recite them orally to friends, pets, or even dolls," she says. "Go to the public library and take out books. Collect stories and poems. Try to memorize some of the poems and stories. Memorization is an important skill to learn."


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FAA Grounds All Boeing 787 Dreamliner Jets
The FAA Wednesday grounded all flights of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after two major battery malfunctions on its flagship jets. WSJ's Jon Ostrower and Former U.S. DOT Inspector General Mary Schiavo discuss on the News Hub. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the the ... the yes J live at ... the ... helm of the anti space industry is reading ... the last time and all the way the Federal Aviation Administration ... has taken dramatic action to ground them into Atlanta ... the Boeing seventy seven Dreamliner this is an unprecedented repeat the bank ... and comes off the teenage about three malfunctions in its flagship Jets ... Jon Ostrower as I will see Donald was there has been covering the troubles the Bancroft aimed at the to the post Kiwi season Chicago this morning ... I was a delight to say that will be joined by Mary Schiavo at one loves talk aviation litigation expense in all that ... nonfarm inspector general of the US Department transportation ... IQ but thank ... you for much of the nails done ... as of the D tells exactly what this latest about him and it's ... usually our afternoon are here in the US ... of a totally new to traded the pick up ordered ... that up to date given operations by U S ... carriers ... in music ... there's only ... one I carriers that fly the American and United Airlines ... as ... a ... has usually been the case ... of overpaid operators will all get a really touchy recommendations ... the Leinster final coordination for ... the ... opportunity to an ... internal what what does that mean that if a painting that operators and then going ... into it with a two part of the oven and fill ... up a corrective action to put in place that that eventually insurers to gain both regulators ... and airlines and not into the buying public that the aircraft in my batteries ... are they operate ... yes the European GP ... you can think of all its content and regulators are around the world ... we are growing up ... actually ... the second week of the grounding ... all fifteen seventy seven that had been delivered ... in September twenty eleven ... we're going to be no use I reported that I would love play ... Boeing is moving towards according to series of interest that you get the permit and we wanna get ... it out ... upon entering battery inspection will be needed ... to ... be ... usefully removed ... from the aircraft are expected ... to be returned and possibly a change in ... how I look into the checklist before takeoff in terms of ... looking at the computer systems to monitor the the the the battery ... did before they leave the table ... and thank you so much remembering Mary Schiavo now Mary thank you so that I now see on the News Hub now you also the author flying blind flying save that new conference at the expense ... of course safety and security practices of many animes ... effect is that the federal government to ... regulate the industry ... in your opinion is this an overreaction by buying or is this exactly was the thing happening ... this is exactly what should be happening and kudos J JAL and ANA on Airways for taking the National action saying they would imply Ch but for all of that I know that the dark days it Bollinger is a silver lining in as the Federal Aviation Administration could have been much Marconi and instead they say the air with Easter egg and which has effectively grounded planes ... on a is going to be the same interval he can show that the batteries are say it they can be using the application for which they have a place in its service ... somebody has to get to work on this battery electrical problem the ... overall review of the seventy seven will continue there may be other problems ... they can get back into my name in a fix this battery ... will bow and and and I and ... three the thing that the new activity for the Dreamliner ... is as simple fixes a simple as saying ok we'll contains about three o ... does that affect the integration of the whole lack rocked ... but that is how long Boeing's lot hangs out is that this that every was made in Japan each is is a new application an airplane really ... ion battery ... for my knees and to be a thing is she's probably made hedging is something wrong needs to hear that reason he get different that recently ... had ... lunch then go into the backline very quickly however ... they have to swap out the batteries including new kind of better yet go back to an older style better even than my app can make changes ... to the design a system ... that would be a design change in any able ... to read through those two deck design changes ... so that and how many changes they have to make ... it's a simple fix its coming round to ease ... their batteries making fix it with Daniel weeks or days ... Japan and I'm in the history of the ... indicative of how fast time ... that it had a difficult relationship with the right ... sch oh no they had to grab the foreign to any airline may have been very good at Boeing customers but they're very meticulous customers as well and I spotted crowd was in the past the worst airline disaster in history was the JAL flight JAL one to three ... point range around you can on August twelve ninety eight by sch and that was the cause is GA Alexander plane back to Boeing for Boeing repairs and Boeing and its is well proven enabling us that's when the enabling did not appear that ... I read the GM plant it ... ally also played the problem ... of which was similar to that which the NTSB eight hundred which was the center wing ... fuel tank overheating so JAL is my aunt and Boeing customer ... my problems before expelled disasters of willingness to listen to them ... and a sales company and instead now twenty nine problems ... I am I managing the land of the very complex to a struggling supply chain ... if they didn't have that they are confident that I have a whole and complete redesign of one of the implications of that ... well I will personally will be delivering our planes anytime soon because ... they have to redesign the electrical systems that rely on this that I remembered sit there and I am playing all sorts of convenience is an end very each audio very extensive electrical service is ... Tencent's town is an as applied by why it's can be very important thing ... to change it when you have to do is check to make sure all the seasons are talking to each other and other computer codes most important ... of computer code to which literally filed by the airplane and fly in ... all states themselves into each added correctly ... so you will have to be checking and re testing on assistance ... but hopefully only the wind would have ABB's I redesigned the switch out the banner ... now for the consumer confidence and supply data and fifty g nine is in fact a nation that still taking out a lot of playing ... the game and one in the day they can substitute with all the faith ... that is that they ... need this yes they will need and therefore before the September eleven two thousand won actually that's U S carrier seats were much older then me are now they will have to bring back some tired I hear it ... or just reduce change around some of the routes that MITI canceled flights in the short run ... but that passengers probably won't notice it because the airlines will get their planes air equipment around those fly its ... passengers Nenad states don't have a right to the ticket ... if the airline wants to substitute another J present in eighty seven they can do it they wanna subsidies and an eighty seven for a triple sec and they can do in the U S law says all you get people on edge and you get a jacket doesn't say which one you get ... a nine month in ivory teeth I'm thinking I'm at ... now and and and no one will be this is very very serious and they say you know one is an anomaly that one ... let me here is to try and ... and it's very serious and I'm sure we'll see it very seriously and I know the FDA said in trying to relocate their own actions so now I would fly right now when no one will be until it's fixed lines when printed matter if the Abbott Cup aviation defense next battles so I will sit down with a ton ... of stuff thank you so much for joining us

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Patch 1.24b für die deutsche Version von WarCraft 3: Reign of Chaos
- Increased max map file size from 4 MB to 8 MB.
- Added the ability to store hashtable handles in a hashtable.
- Added GetSpellTargetX and GetSpellTargetY natives.
- Added a new base handle type "Agent" of which many types now extend from.
- Added a SaveAgentHandle native which can be used for saving most handle types.
- Added a JASS optimization dealing with global variable change events.
- Fixed a few false positives caused by the "return bug" fix.
- Fixed a crash related to hashtable reference counting.
- "Shadowing" global variables with local variables no longer is possible.
- Fixed a type conversion dealing with operators (i.e. adding a handle with an integer).


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Cook the Book: Sweet Potato Ravioli in Cheese Broth
"Stuffed pasta is always a treat, especially when it's homemade, but these ravioli are something else."
For as long as I've been eating at Frankies Spuntino I've been trying to figure out what makes their Sweet Potato Ravioli in Cheese Broth so incredible. It's the one dish I order without fail, and I've been trying to uncover what sets these ravioli apart, aside from the fact that they use wonton wrappers instead of a more traditional (and labor-intensive) pasta dough.
It was the first recipe I searched for when getting my hands on a copy of The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual by Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo. A quick glance at the list of ingredients list gave away the secret ingredient: Chinese five-spice powder.
Incorporating these Asian elements into an otherwise Italian-American menu might seem a bit strange but when you consider that Frank Falcinelli was cooking new American-Asian fare at Moomba before Frankies, it makes a little more sense. And when you taste it, the dish will wipe out any remaining doubts that you might have.
Using pre-made wonton wrappers takes the pressure off the pasta-maker phobics out there, not to mention cuts the prep time. The wrappers are much more forgiving than fresh pasta dough and for some reason sealed quicker and tighter than any egg-based pasta dough I've ever made, virtually eliminating the fall-apart threat during the cooking process.
The ravioli are finished in cheese broth, a thing of beauty in its own right. The Franks take the hard rinds of the cheeses used in the restaurant and simmer it with water so all the flavors from the otherwise unusable rinds infuse into the cooking water.
A little butter and sage are added to the broth with the ravioli, then topped with julienned scallions. Stuffed pasta is always a treat, especially when it's homemade, but these ravioli are something else. They tread the line between sweet and savory—I could eat about a million of them.
I'm pretty sure I'll be forever indebted to the The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual for turning one of my favorite Frankies' dishes into something I can make all by myself.
Win The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual to give away this week.
What's New On Serious Eats
- Yield:8
- 3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed
- A negligible amount of olive oil
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 48 round wonton wrappers
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 or 6 sage leaves
- 8 cups Cheese Broth (recipe follows)
- 4 scallions, white and very light green parts only, cut into long, fine julienne
Heat the oven to 350°F. Slick the potatoes with oil, sprinkle with salt and white pepper and wrap individually in aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour, or until very tender.
Halve the sweet potatoes and scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl. Add the honey, five-spice powder, and a large pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust as needed. Let it cool down a little.
Prep your pasta-making station: the bowl of ravioli filling, the pile of wonton wrappers, a cutting board to work on, a small bowl of water (to seal the ravioli), and a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Put a teaspoon of filling into the center of a wonton skin, dip your finger in the bowl of water and use it to wet the rim of the wonton skin, then fold the wrapper closed, pinching the edges to seal. Lay the ravioli on the baking sheet and repeat until they are all stuffed. The ravioli can be used right away or frozen on the baking sheet. (Once they have frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer bag or other container and store for up to a month.)
Melt the butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook them for a minute or so, just until aromatic. Add the cheese broth, season it with a pinch of salt and a few turns of white pepper, and bring to a simmer.
Drop the ravioli into the pot of salted water; they should bob to the surface of the pot in about 3 minutes. Remove the ravioli from the water and divide among the serving bowls. Ladle a cup or so of the broth into each bowl and garnish with a scattering of scallions.
Cheese Broth
- makes 1 quart -
Combine the rind of (the dry outer half inch of or so of a hard cheese) for a good-sized chunk of Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan or any grating cheese) with a quart of water and simmer for 2 hours, or as long as you can. Strain and use, or store it&mdash:up to a week in the fridge or for months in the freezer.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Every time I told people that Lav Diaz's Norte, the End of History (Philippines) was my favorite film of this year's Toronto International Film Festival, I would watch their eyes glaze over and their body start shifting as if to say, "Yes … but what else?"
Perhaps the title suggests something long, slow-moving, and attempting to end their history? Perhaps they had only heard about its four-hour running time? While all of the previous statements are probably true, what I want to stress is that this film about a group of existentialist 20-somethings encapsulates why I fell in love with cinema in the first place.
There are no movie stars in the cast, and no way to quickly sum up the plot. Due to the film's running time, the viewer physically experiences what the film's conflicted main character Fabian is struggling with. While many TIFF audiences seemed to complain and make snarky one-liners after pretty much all of the star-studded premieres that I attended, that wasn't the case here; Norte mesmerizes with its inventiveness and harrowing character arcs.
And yet it seems people are refusing to make the time to experience it. Neil Young of the Hollywood Reporter wrote "Diaz is apparently incapable of conveying the passage of time, instead [he] must simply inflict it."
Personally, I learned volumes from this film, about the state of present-day rural Philippines; about Dostoevsky, Diaz's favorite writer; about the 1890s Philippine Revolution against the Spanish. I tend to become emotionally wrecked when I watch a Diaz film; in Norte, Sid Lucero's portrayal of a law school drop-out brought up some very deep, dark personal feelings.
But most importantly, Lav Diaz creates cinema that gets me up early in the morning. So please, Mr. Diaz: keep "inflicting" me.
Ficks' Picks: Top 12 of TIFF 2013
1. Lav Diaz's Norte, the End of History (Philippines)
2. Pawel Pawlikowski's Ida (Poland)
3. Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (UK)
4. Kim Ki-duk's Moebius (South Korea)
5. Stephanie Pray/Pacho Velez's Manakamana (USA/Nepal)
6. Tsai Ming-liang's Stray Dogs (Taiwan)
7. John Turturro's Fading Gigolo (USA).
8. Hirokazu Kore-eda's Like Father, Like Son (Japan)
9. Jeremy Saulnier's Blue Ruin (USA)
10. Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue is the Warmest Color (France)
11. Claire Denis' Bastards (France)
12. Ben Rivers/Ben Russell's A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness (Estonia/France)


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Clue: What Orpheus plucked
We have 1 answer for the clue What Orpheus plucked. See the results below.
Possible Answers:
Related Clues:
- Soothing instrument
- Orpheus' instrument
- U-shaped instrument
- Instrument on a Greek vase
- Apollo played it
- Harp's cousin
- Instrument said to have been invented by Hermes
- It's plucked
- Muse's instrument
- Greek singer accompaniment
Found an answer for the clue What Orpheus plucked that we don't have? Then please submit it to us so we can make the clue database even better!


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Ashley Furniture Industries is the #1 Furniture Manufacturer in the World. But our products aren't the only heroes. The people of Ashley Furniture Industries also help this company truly define itself. Our team lives and breathes a "dirty fingernail" approach that breeds success unlike any other. And it gets the job done. That's what we're made of and what it means to be Ashley made.
While Ashley HomeStore, LTD is the most iconic segment of the Ashley brand today, the Ashley Furniture family of companies is much more than just a retail store.
Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of furniture in the world with major manufacturing facilities in the United States and abroad. Ashley Furniture Industries supplies furniture to over 6,000 retail partners in 123 countries. Ashley Distribution Services, LTD. delivers over 30 million pieces of that furniture annually with its gigantic fleet of trucks and trailers while also providing backhaul services to many other companies.
Ashley Global Retail, LLC. is a marketing, sales, and ecommerce organization that focuses mostly on products manufactured by Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc.
Ashley HomeStore, LTD is a retail chain that first opened in 1997 in Anchorage, Alaska. Ashley Furniture Industry's popular product assortments are sold worldwide at the over 700 Ashley HomeStores and thousands of other fine retailers.
Ashley Furniture Industries takes part and leads a variety of different community efforts.
Ashley Furniture Industries is hiring for a variety of jobs at this time. Click here to apply.


text: Our Melt and Pour Goats Milk is as smooth as silk. Goats milk has wonderful qualities. Have a try, you won't be disappointed. This soap is off white in colour. Just melt on the stove, or pop in the microwave and before you know it your soap has melted and is ready for colour and fragrance. Simply pour and leave for a couple of hours and then unmould. Make sure you wrap your soap as glycerine is a humectant and may "sweat" if left unwrapped.


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Be sure to head down to Carbondale, Illinois for the Ed and Ruth Shea Challenge LCM meet July 19, 2014.
Our ever popular indoor long course meters Ed and Ruth Shea Challenge Classic is back with renovated lighting and ceiling at the Southern Illinois University Recreation Center in Carbondale, IL.
There is no online entry for this meet so be sure to download your entry form at the OzarkLMSC.org website and mail soon enough to allow time for mail delivery before the deadline. Entries must be RECEIVED BY July 15th. Deck entries are permitted, but for a higher fee.
Hope to see you in Carbondale, July 19th.


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Arrest made in shooting that killed mother of 6 near Beltzhoover bar
Dorian Peebles, 22, arrested in February death of Tiona Jackson
A 22-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in the February shooting death of a mother of six as she left a Beltzhoover bar.
Dorian Peebles was taken into custody at a home in the 3200 block of Faronia Street by U.S. Marshals Task Force officers and Pittsburgh police.
Pittsburgh police said 28-year-old Tiona Jackson had just left Red's Ringside Cafe on East Warrington Avenue when someone opened fire on nearby Vincent Street around 1:30 a.m. Feb. 28.
The gunfire killed Jackson and wounded a man who was leaving the bar at the same time. Jackson worked as a certified nursing assistant.
When Jackson's kids woke up that morning, they learned their mother had died. Her daughter "misses her mom, having nightmares," said a friend, Nicky Bell. "This is so hard. Y'all don't even know what y'all did by taking Tiona."
Peebles has been charged with criminal homicide, conspiracy-criminal homicide, carrying a firearm without a license, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.


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The opening section of the Bible which states God created heaven and earth is a mistranslation, according to a professor at Radboud University in Nijmegen.
Of little relevance to most people, unless they employ words such as "inerrant" or claim biblical support for believing the Earth was created 6k years ago.She said she eventually concluded the Hebrew verb "bara", which is used in the first sentence of the book of Genesis, does not mean "to create" but to "spatially separate".
The first sentence should now read "in the beginning God separated the Heaven and the Earth" ]
Some links:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... demic.html
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2 ... _earth.php
http://www.nrc.nl/international/article ... essor_says


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RDU Series: Model RDU-CL, RDU-MC, RDU-SC, RDU-WM [BR]
Providing Critical Power Distribution to the Datacenter
The GE Series RDU Remote Distribution Unit provides a flexible design to provide an extension of power distribution circuits to critical loads. Each unit internally uses GE Panelboards and Circuit Breakers.
The RDU can also provide needed branch circuit monitoring to assist users in determining load balancing over the three phases, using alarm set points to insure the load on all circuits does not increase to a point that could trip the RDU's main circuit breaker.
Models and Features
RDU-CL , Classic Design
• 2ft x 2ft footprint ; Top or Bottom Cable Entry
• Panelboards mountable on front & back
• 1, 2 or 4 Mains ; 225 or 400Amp rated
RDU-MC , Mission Critical Design
• 2ft x 2ft footprint ; Top or Bottom Cable Entry
• Two Sources, make-before-break
• Key Interlocks ; Solenoid Release ; Synch Check Relay
• MLO Panelboards
RDU-SC , Server Cabinet Design
• Server Cabinet manufacturer of client choice
• In-Line Dual 42-ckt Panelboards
• Acrylic Glass Door Panels
• 24" or 42" dp
RDU-WM , Wall Mount Design
• 1 or 2 Panelboards
• 9.5" deep x 26" wide
• 225 or 400Amp Mains


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IDT will present its annual dance concert at Hope College on Thursday-Saturday, April 12-14, at 8 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland.
IDT (InSync Dance Theatre), is directed by Amanda Smith-Heynen, and is also a resident company of Hope College.
IDT's performance will include pieces by three guest choreographers. One is contemporary tap choreographed by Diane Gudat, who is a nationally recognized master teacher, choreographer and adjudicator. Another is by Crystal Frasier, who is a new faculty member in the department of dance and a company member for Rennie Harris Puremovement, who has choreographed a hip hop piece and an Afro-fusion piece. Another is by Dorrell Martin, who is the founder of Joffrey Jazz and is a past guest teacher for Hope, who choreographed a contemporary jazz piece titled "Electric Counterpoint."
This year IDT is also presenting a contemporary ballet called "Passage" and a "Jazz Through the Ages" piece, both choreographed by Amanda Smith-Heynen. In addition, Molly Vass, a Hope senior from Valparaiso, Ind.., who has been a member of IDT for the last three years, is choreographing a tap piece titled "Listen."
Also for the program, IDT is bringing back from last year Smith's piece titled "Shout and Feel It," with music by Count Basie. It is a "buck and wing"-style tap piece, harkening to the roots of tap.
Tickets are on sale at the ticket office in the main lobby of the DeVos Fieldhouse, and cost $10 for regular admission; $7 for senior citizens, faculty and staff; and $5 for students. The ticket office is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and can be called at (616) 395-7890.
Tickets will also be available at the Knickerbocker Theatre on performance nights directly preceding the performance time.
The DeVos Fieldhouse is located at 222 Fairbanks Ave., between Ninth and 11th streets. The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. Eighth St.


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On Sunday the 10th of March, eight Pestalozzi students attended Brentwood School's fourth annual Model United Nations. Each student was assigned a country to represent including South Korea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Equatorial Guinea and Myanmar. In preparation, students were asked to write a resolution paper for their committee, focusing on a solution for a major global issue. These were then debated within the environmental, security and human rights committees before being taken to the final General Assembly.
Nischal Poudel from Nepal reflected; 'Brentwood MUN gave me the opportunity to apply the knowledge I've gained from studying A-Level Economics whilst also developing my skills in public speaking, debating and negotiating. As the delegate of Equatorial Guinea, I got to analyse economic growth, poverty, inequality and environmental sustainability, and carefully evaluate how various practices and policies contribute to each of those topics in different parts of the world. I could also update myself on the current affairs of the world: ranging from the water scarcity in the Palestine region, to instances of social injustice in South America and Africa. The most inspiring moment for me however, was seeing students as young as 10 years old confidently voicing their ideas and opinions as delegates on topics of global concern. It definitely motivated me to push myself more often to take on the unknown, because only then can we grow as a student and as a person'.
Precious Katai from Zambia added; 'The conference was an incredible experience. I met students passionate and unafraid to remain true to their country's convictions and people who were willing to negotiate for the greater good'.
To round off a fantastic day, Prabidhik KC from Nepal won the 'Most Commended Delegate Award'. We were also fortunate enough to listen to a speech from a former employee of the International Justice Mission about human trafficking. The talk was incredibly thought provoking and just one of many inspiring moments from a day of new experiences, new found interests and new friends, with all of the students involved performing to exceptional standards. Thank you to the People's Postcode Trust for funding our attendance, it was a fantastic experience!
Any Questions?
Please contact us by clicking the link below.


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But DON'T tell me that you're worried about the effects of the pills on a fetus when you just told me you smoke a freakin' pack a day, okay?
Monday, November 30, 2009
Concerned Parent
But DON'T tell me that you're worried about the effects of the pills on a fetus when you just told me you smoke a freakin' pack a day, okay?
23 comments:
- Helen said...
I saw a heavily pregnant woman smoking the other day. I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I was.
- November 30, 2009 at 2:04 PM
Do you tell the patient your thoughts on the matter?
- November 30, 2009 at 2:14 PM
- Grumpy, M.D. said...
Of course. It never changes anything, but I still do.
- November 30, 2009 at 2:16 PM
"Doctor, You just don't understand, that's different."
There couldn't possibly be any data on the adverse effects of smoking during pregnancy. If there were, wouldn't they be on the package warnings? Oops. Never mind...
- November 30, 2009 at 2:16 PM
- OMDG said...
I don't know.... nicotine vs. depakote seems like a pretty obvious choice to me.
- November 30, 2009 at 2:17 PM
La Leche League will give more respect to the smoking breastfeeder than to the non-smoking formula feeder. This link has a quote by Dr. Jack Newman which saying the risk of not breastfeeding is greater than the risk of nicotine.
I've always kind of thought it's silly for a woman to quit smoking while pregnant if she's just going to resume postpartum and bring the baby into a smoke-filled home and even smoke while breastfeeding. Even if she doesn't light up during the feeding, she is still exhaling toxins in her breath and has all sorts of chemical byproducts off-gassing from her hair and clothing.
I'm with you, Grumpy.
- November 30, 2009 at 2:27 PM
All the more reason to be careful with prescription medicine. She's already used up her safety margin. It's all about strategic deployment of resources.
- November 30, 2009 at 2:52 PM
La Leche League has more respect for a smoker who breastfeeds than a nonsmoker who formula feeds.
- November 30, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Oh my...speechless...are you serious? What the hell does she think nictotine and all the shit in a cigarette is, an effing herbal supplement? (Wait...don't answer that question.I think we already know.)
On a happier note: New shirt idea! This one, you talk about stupid medication people! (You know, like the one about the guy wanting to go off his pain medication because it took away his back pain...and that girl who wanted a different color medication.)
- November 30, 2009 at 3:06 PM
- Mickey said...
We had an obviously pregnant woman come in a for nicotine gum a year or more ago, and I had the pharmacist come talk to her. It turns out that she already knew all the risks of smoking during pregnancy. In fact, she started smoking when she found out she was pregnant "to keep the baby's weight down so she wouldn't look so fat during her pregnancy." But now that she was nearing her due date, she wanted to stop smoking so her "teeth wouldn't get too yellow and icky-looking." Ugh.
- November 30, 2009 at 3:06 PM
I'm a pharmacist in a hospital, and our postpartum admission orders include check boxes for the three strengths of nicotine patches. I am appalled whenever I actually have to enter one of those orders.
- November 30, 2009 at 6:05 PM
- The Mother said...
We know a pulmonary doc who smoked through her entire pregnancy. Explain that one!
- November 30, 2009 at 7:50 PM
So, I work in a hospital and was walking to get a bite to eat with one of the pulmonologists. A rather pregnant woman came up and asked us where to find the "smoking area." My jaw practically hit the floor. The pulmonologist decided it might be a moment to mention smoking cessation which was met with..."F-you!!" But the chick didn't find the smoking area from us!! Of course once again, I was standing there with my jaw on the floor!
- November 30, 2009 at 9:34 PM
- student dr. blaze said...
that's just plain nauseating. let me guess, the patient is probably on some sort of government assistance that pays for her cigarettes, too, right?
- November 30, 2009 at 10:31 PM
- Chris said...
And when the baby's born with asthms, she'll undoubtedly blame it on the pills.
- November 30, 2009 at 10:43 PM
Not surprised.
Depa-bloat or smokey treats? Smokey treats for the win!
I worked with an oncologist, who had a 2 pack a day habit. This was back when you could smoke at the nurses' station. The whole place was litter with paper cups with water and snuffed. out sparkies. Ewwwww...
The whole station had a smoke haze just from him.
LD50 Rat
- November 30, 2009 at 11:12 PM
- TiredRPh said...
My niece has read some article somewhere that having a breast-feeding mom who smokes somehow makes the baby less likely to have respiratory infections as they grow up. SO, she smokes away. I was too tired to argue.
- December 1, 2009 at 2:58 AM
- Grumpy, M.D. said...
Old MD Girl & Anon- Depakote wan't the issue. I agree with you, it's likely not safer than cigs, but at least you can take folate to try and counter it.
The drug involved in this story was more benign, and category C.
- December 1, 2009 at 7:51 AM
Had a woman come into my pharmacy, not yet showing yet and actually asked me how she could keep her baby bump small and if i would recommend smoking as thats what her friends did.
Well at least she asked and I responded appropriately
- December 1, 2009 at 8:17 AM
Oh.My.God. I am about 24 weeks pregnant today, and apart from the clearly detrimental effects of cigarette smoke on adults AND fetuses, I absolutely cannot imagine wanting to be around the smell. I had to stop wearing my lovely perfume and switched to unscented body wash because I couldn't take the fragrance. I can't imagine willingly subjecting myself to cigarette smoke - I can barely walk past the cheese display at the market. And don't even get me started on the dumb-ass factor; that's been covered by others, I see.
- December 1, 2009 at 9:02 AM
I have an acquaintance who smoked all through her prengancy and has a severely asthmatic son now. Another's husband smoked all through his wife's pregnancy despite her constant nausea and now has three kids, all three with asthma and the second also had severe ear problems, necessitating a minor operation when she was three! I have never smoked but I am allergic to cigarette smoke (asthma) and I find I resent it more and more as I get older and am smoked over by people outside pubs and clubs - they are so freaking selfish!
- December 1, 2009 at 11:37 AM
- thegooddrlaura said...
Dear Dr. Grumpy,
Will your Category C medication prescription interfere with my baby's ability to get high on the methamphetamine I'm smoking? I also take OxyContin, so the baby won't be in any pain. Don't mess with that or the baby will go through withdrawals in my body and if I have a miscarriage, it will be your fault.
Mother of 6 from 5 different guys.
- December 2, 2009 at 3:57 PM
This post sooooo reminded me of this: http://www.funnyandjokes.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/smoking-while-pregnant.jpg
Sorry to say I live in this town and people are really that stupid here!
I ran across your blog this evening! Thanks for all the laughs!
- December 21, 2009 at 8:31 PM


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Hill Lists – Cymru / Wales
Y Trechol - The Dominant Hills of Wales
|Tarren y Gesail (SH 710 058) is situated in the Tarennydd group of hills and is listed as one of The Dominant Hills of Wales
Listings of hills in Britain have progressed since Sir Hugh Munro first compiled a list to the Scottish 3,000ft mountains that eponymously now bear his name of the Munros. Since Sir Hugh's list was first published in the 1891 Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal the concept of how to differentiate one hill from another has developed with this association now mainly relying upon what is referred to as prominence. This term is also known as reascent and drop, with this being the height gain between summit and connecting bwlch to the higher parent peak via the watershed.
Although differentiating one hill from another mainly relies upon prominence, it is not the only tool used to do so, as such criterion as distance, and height and prominence combined have also been used. But prominence is now the main criterion used to differentiate one hill from another.
The concept of prominence was first investigated by the early hill list authors such as Corbett and Moss who employed the use of a single ring contour in their listings. This system for cataloguing hills relied upon maps of the day that were based on ring contours at 50ft intervals, therefore a hill may be included that had a 5ft prominence or less because it had a separate ring contour, this is an obvious failing in this system.
However, Corbett had initialised the concept of objective judgment in how to make this all important differentiation between one hill and another, whereas Munro relied upon subjective judgment when he differentiated between his Separate Mountains (Munros) and their Subsidiary Tops (Munro Tops).
This objective judgement took its next stage forward when Carr and Lister used a 100ft criterion to differentiate one hill from another in their book to 'The Mountains of Snowdonia' which was published in 1925 by John Lane The Bodley Head Limited of London. This use of 100ft by Carr and Lister can be considered as the first objective height differentiation and therefore the first use of how we now view the term prominence.
Although, as mentioned previously, there have been other use of criterion to differentiate one hill from another, there is a definite line between how the use of prominence has evolved, this line can be viewed as a link, but this link does not have many connecting parts to it, and up until the Dominant listing that this Introduction details, that connecting part only involved one link, and that is Relative Height, and now the second connecting link of Dominance has been added.
The difference between Prominence and Relative Height can be summarised as the following, with the explanation of Dominance then following:
Prominence is applied to hills whose qualification also depends upon minimum height.
Relative Height is applied to hills whose qualification is just dependent upon a minimum prominence.
Dominance is applied to hills whose prominence equal or exceed half that of their absolute height.
For those that are not initiated with the intricacies of hill list criteria the above explanation can sometimes be a difficult concept to understand, but the essence being is that Prominence is used as part of a criteria in conjunction with another criterion which is usually Minimum Height, whereas Relative Height is normally used as a singular criterion that is not dependent upon any form of minimum height except for that stipulated for its relative height, whereas Dominance relies upon the relationship between the hill's prominence and its absolute height and is part of a criteria in conjunction with another criterion which is Minimum Height.
The first use of what we now refer to as Relative Height in a published hill list was by Eric Yeaman in his 'Handbook of the Scottish Hills' which was published in 1989 by Wafaida. However, the term Relative Height was coined by Alan Dawson for the Marilyns which were first published in 'The Relative Hills of Britain' book by Cicerone Press in 1992.
These two publications dispensed with the concept of Prominence with Eric Yeaman using 100m of Relative Height as the main part of his Scottish list and Alan Dawson using 150m for his British list.
The next link in this small chain that takes in Prominence and Relative Height is Dominance, and therefore Dominance can be viewed as the next step in the evolutionary process of Prominence.
Dominance is a new concept for a published list to hills within Britain and to the knowledge of the author was first used for hills within Britain in early 2009 under the working title of 'The Ultra Prominent Summits of Wales', this title was shortened to the UPPs and was later changed to 'The Dominant Hills of Wales.' The change of name was instigated after a discussion with Mark Trengove who pointed out that the same concept of Dominance had been used by Eberhard Jurgalski in written format in 2001 and in published format in 2004, and as the 5,000ft prominence world peaks are known as the Ultras, their title having been shortened from the Ultra Prominent Peaks, it was sensible not to use a working title that was similar to another list that used different criteria. Therefore, the title of Y Trechol - The Dominant Hills of Wales became the norm and the term of Dominance used to describe it, with the term Y Trechol being the Welsh for 'The Dominants.'
The concept of Dominance was independently conceived by the author and was not copied from Eberhard as until discussing the concept of this list with Mark Trengove, I had not heard of Eberhard Jurgalski, but the term 'Dominance' follows Eberhard's lead, as this is the norm when dealing with terms such as Prominence and Relative Height, each in turn were coined by someone and then they have become terms used by many.
To fulfil the qualification of a hill being Dominant its prominence has to be first known. Therefore a Dominant list cannot be compiled unless the Prominence of each hill is known beforehand, and for a country such as Wales there are many hills that qualify under a stipulated minimum prominence of 30m. I thought it wise to follow this minimum prominence figure as this had been previously used in a number of listings, these are briefly detailed below.
For Wales these 30m minimum prominence based lists were first published over a period of 20 years from 1984–2004. These listings were reliant upon data produced by Terry Marsh, Michael Dewey and Myrddyn Phillips. However, although all the lists produced by these people specified a minimum drop of 30m none of them listed the actual drop figure; this was added at a later date. During this time listings to the majority of these hills were also independently produced by E. D. 'Clem' Clements whose work appeared on the RHB Yahoo Group database.
The theory of Dominance was conceptualized shortly after all the drop values were added to my hand written Master Lists and the 100m height bands expanded upward to include all P30 summits in Wales. This Dominance criterion was conceptualized at approximately the same time as that of Remoteness, with both taking form from the same question – 'what else can be considered once prominence values are given to all hills?' Once this question was asked the theory of Dominance sprung in to my mind and that of Remoteness soon followed.
The Remoteness list was later published on Geoff Crowder's v-g.me website in 2011, and updated and co-authored with Aled Williams and published by Europeaklist, Haroldstreet and Mapping Mountains in April 2015. But until now the Dominance list has never been published.
Before detailing what Y Trechol - The Dominant Hills of Wales list consists of it may be prudent to detail the qualification for the main list:
Those P30 hills whose prominence equal or exceed half that of their absolute height.
Also included is a list to the Lesser Welsh Dominants, these are the additional P30 summits whose prominence is between one third and half that of their absolute height.
The list consists of the following:
Group: Each hill appears under their Group, this is the group / range that the hill is a part of. For example; Carnedd Llywelyn (SH 683 643) is part of the hill group known as the Carneddau. The Groups are arranged from north to south on a west to east orientation. The names of the Groups used in this list have received extensive input from Aled Williams.
Name: This is considered the most appropriate name for the hill with respect to the information available to the author. Sometimes the name used does not correspond to current Ordnance Survey map spelling and composition or the name may not appear on any map. Where no appropriate name has been discovered for the hill from any source, the Point (for example; Pt. 78m) notation is used rather than making up a name that has no local or historical evidence of use. The Welsh place-names that appear in this list and that were sourced from Ordnance Survey mapping are reproduced as simple compositions, with hyphenated and compound names reduced to the component elements. It must be noted that this process will on occasion result in loss of pronunciation information and as such, is not ideal. However, this protocol has been implemented in order to simplify the composition due to the inappropriate and inconsistent hyphen use that Ordnance Survey maps are prone to.
Dominance: This is the Dominance of the hill's height between bwlch and summit (its prominence) over that of its height from sea level (Ordnance Datum Newlyn) to its bwlch. The Dominance is given as a percentage.
Region: There are three Regions in Wales; North Wales, Mid and West Wales, and South Wales. The Regional split of Wales used in this list has received extensive input from Aled Williams and will be detailed on the Mapping Mountains blog at a later date.
Sub-Region: There are a number of Sub-Regions in Wales and those used in this list have received extensive input from Aled Williams and they will be detailed on the Mapping Mountains blog at a later date.
1:50,000 Map: This column gives the number or numbers of the 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey Landranger map that the summit of the hill appears on.
1:25,000 Map: This column gives the number or numbers of the 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey Explorer map that the summit of the hill appears on.
Grid Reference Summit: This is the ten figure grid reference (10FGR) for the summit of the hill. This has either been produced by an accurate survey, a map spot height or when neither is available by a centralised position in an uppermost contour ring. When the accurate survey has been conducted independent of the Ordnance Survey a (S) for 'survey' will appear adjacent to the 10FGR, a (TP) if the 10FGR is taken to a 'trig pillar', a (B) if the 10FGR is taken to a 'bolt' or a 'block', a (L) if the 10FGR is taken to the position of a 'levelled' height on old maps, a (HH) if the 10FGR is taken from a 'hand-held' GPS unit, a (SH) if the 10FGR is taken to a 'spot height' either on current or old maps and an (I) if the summit position has been 'interpolated' from contours.
Height (m) Summit: This gives the map height in metres of the hill above Ordnance Datum Newlyn (ODN), often referred to as sea level. Where a height is quoted to a decimal place it implies that the hill has been surveyed by GPS / GNSS receiver (these heights may not match current Ordnance Survey map heights). Where a 'c' (circa) appears preceding the height it means there is no known spot height available and the height has been estimated from contour interpolation.
Grid Reference Bwlch: This is the ten figure grid reference (10FGR) for the bwlch of the hill. This has either been produced by an accurate survey, a map spot height or when neither is available by a centralised position between converging hill to hill and valley to valley contours. When the accurate survey has been conducted independent of the Ordnance Survey a (S) for 'survey' will appear adjacent to the 10FGR, a (L) if the 10FGR is taken to the position of a 'levelled' height on old maps, a (HH) if the 10FGR is taken from a 'hand-held' GPS unit, a (SH) is the 10FGR is taken to a 'spot height' either on current or old maps and an (I) if the bwlch position has been 'interpolated' from contours.
Drop (m) Summit to Bwlch: This column details the prominence of the hill; this is commonly referred to as 'drop' or 'reascent'. The drop is the height difference between the summit and connecting bwlch to the higher parent peak along the watershed. The letter 'c' before the drop figure signifies there is no spot height or surveyed height known for either summit or more usually, the bwlch, therefore a part of the drop figure has been estimated from contour interpolation.
Drop (m) – Bwlch to ODN: This gives the map height in metres of the bwlch above Ordnance Datum Newlyn (ODN), often referred to as sea level. Where a height is quoted to a decimal place it implies that the bwlch has been surveyed by GPS / GNSS receiver (these heights may not match current Ordnance Survey map heights). Where a 'c' (circa) appears preceding the height it means there is no known spot height available and the height has been estimated from contour interpolation.
Notes: This column gives details relevant to the hill.
With special thanks to Aled Williams and Mark Trengove for their continued support and to Eberhard Jurgalski for taking Dominance to the masses. Thanks are also due to the people who submit 10 figure grid references to the Database of British and Irish Hills (DoBIH) and for DoBIH making these available for public use.
This list will appear in monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly instalments with the seventeenth Group being the Tarennydd. The Dominant Hills of Y Berwyn will appear on the 3rd March 2017.


text:
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text:
Well it's lonesome in this old town
Everybody puts me down
I'm a face without a name
Just walkin' in the rain
Goin' back to Houston
—Dean Martin
How many pitchers does it take to replace Mike Pelfrey?
More than one, we can now state with absolute certainty.
The front office that we reflexively tag with the genius label didn't exactly have a light bulb go off over its head when it came to having adequate backups in place in case one of its five starting pitchers went down for any appreciable period. Which is an interesting way to plot for all eventualities.
We also don't seem able, despite these swell taxi squads Adam Rubin keeps telling us about, to recall a catcher in case we're down one of those for a couple of days, but 48 hours deprived of the services of flu-ridden Mike Nickeas is small potatoes compared to having an arm ready to go in the extended absence of one Big Pelf.
Joke's on us, huh? Specifically those of us who've been waiting for the clock to run out on Pelfrey time. Five mostly frustrating seasons of the kid from Wichita never fully growing into a consistent big league winner or at least dependable mound presence seemed finally on the verge of ending in a good way. The Pelfrey of this season appeared a notch above the Pelfrey of other seasons. Hell, the last time we saw him pitch, two Saturdays ago against the Giants, we were actually dismayed to see him removed after eight innings.
That should have been the sign of the aPelfalypse. Next thing we hear is Pelfrey's on the DL, Pelfrey's going in for Tommy John and Pelfrey projects as a non-tender.
That's it? That's how it ends for us and Pelfrey? Nothing so dramatic as the big guy persevering until he wins that elusive big game that puts us over the top and casts him forever in a warm glow of Metsian appreciation? Or Pelfrey being shipped off for some "final piece of the puzzle" on this or next July 31? Just a quick disappearing act which leaves behind a half-Pelfed legacy and Chris Schwinden?
Mike probably feels worse about it than we do. It's his right arm, and we wish it well. We are left in the uncomfortable position of wishing we had it healthy and rarin' to go because Chris Schwinden…
Oh geez.
I'd like to pardon Chris Schwinden's abysmal two starts — his last two starts as a 2012 Met, I really, really hope — because they were made in two ballparks not conducive to pitching. Coors Field wasn't the place to be welcomed back to the bigs, particularly on the night somebody left the humidor open, and Minute Maid Park is, oxymoronically speaking, the biggest short porch I've ever seen. Then I remember I spent one of the gloomiest baseball afternoons of all time with Chris Schwinden last September at pre-haircut Citi Field, by no means a pitcher's graveyard. It wasn't Chris alone who caused all the damage that gray day against the Nationals (team debacles are rarely one man's burden), but after identifying him as a prime protagonist in losses of 10-1, 18-9 and now 8-1…with little in the way of contradictory evidence to suggest he was simply pitching in tough luck…Chris Schwinden can go find himself another gig. Or go get more experience at Buffalo and return later and make me Met-a culpa. I'll be happy to do so. I'm not in this to rag on Chris Schwinden. I'm in it to not give up on games as soon as I recognize Chris Schwinden is starting them.
This isn't a Schwinden issue. This is an Alderson depth issue. The GM's security blanket is Chris Young, who is one year removed from his most recent (and intensely memorable) major league action and working through his own post-surgery rehab. Young isn't ready to be a Pelfrey replacement. There's merit in not rushing the kids who were supposed to make us not miss Pelfrey eventually, but you'd figure there'd be a stopgap starter rattling around Triple-A we could have used instead of Schwinden. Better yet, there must be a stopgap starter we can use instead of Schwinden the next few times through the rotation. There's a spot where patience has to overlap with urgency. The 162-game schedule kind of demands it.
Ignominious way to say goodbye to good ol' Houston, where the next time we visit, it will be as an Interleague or, if you'll excuse the expression, World Series opponent. The shifting of the Astros away from our annual travel itinerary is a shame in that anything that shreds the comforting regularity from our communal routines is a shame. I'd feel the same way if it was the Padres or the Reds or, heaven forefend, the Marlins (granted, maybe a little less so if it was the Marlins) transferring to the circuit where they play eight-ninths of the Grand Old Game. Part of baseball's appeal is the clockwork-precision framework it presents us six months out of every year. From 1969 to 1992, you could set your Armitron by the alignment of the National League as it applied to the Mets: 18 games against each of five teams in the East, 12 apiece versus the six in the West.
Across that predictable canvas, the Mets made with their brush strokes. That's where the element of surprise came in. You didn't know how they'd do against their expansion-brother Astros every year but you knew the Astros would be there to greet them twice. And if there were trips to Houston, there'd be talk of mosquitoes the size of bullpen buggies; and Eighth Wonders that weren't so wondrous; and a master of the split-finger fastball whose nefarious scuffery could never be fully proven; and the laborious, glorious sixteen innings devoted to avoiding him at all costs; and Killer B's; and Toy Cannons; and Crawford Boxes; and Mets from when they weren't Mets — from Rusty Staub to Nolan Ryan to Carlos Beltran…right on through to these last three days unsuccessfully attempting to overcome the likes of El Caballo, Wandy Rodriguez and some vance named Jose Altuve, who isn't nearly as big as Ralph Kiner insists those Colt Stadium mosquitoes were.
The very first trip the Mets made to Houston, they were on fire, having won nine of twelve. These were the 1962 Mets, mind you, thus on fire meant elevating their record from 3-16 to 12-19, but it was progress nonetheless. They were seven games from .500 for the first time in their brief cumulative life (not counting when they were 0-7 en route to being 0-9). Then they flew to Houston — or tried to. There were mechanical troubles, there was inclement weather, there was a diversion to Dallas and before their long night/morning was over, Casey Stengel uttered his immortal press advisory to traveling secretary Lou Niss as Ol' Case grabbed his room key and headed for the hotel elevator:
"If any of my writers come looking for me, tell 'em I'm being embalmed."
Casey was alive and well in Houston, but whatever slim competitive aspirations the eighth-place Mets nurtured before touching down in Texas died an instant, muggy death. They lost both of their games to the Colt .45s and their next fifteen everywhere else. The Mets haven't been cumulatively within seven games of .500 as a franchise since they first got to town.
Yet it's a shame anyway that they won't be going there anymore as a matter of National League course. If I can say that after being on the wrong end of a miserable three-game sweep, I must really mean it.


text:
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Written for art educators and those who value the arts for students with special needs, this book provides an overview of special needs students in the art room—addressing each group separately and including current definitions and descriptions and recommended teaching strategies. Art lesson adaptations and behavior management strategies are included, and follow-up activities at the end of each chapter offer further insights into each group of students. It also addresses school-wide concerns: collaboration among educators and school staff; art therapy and therapeutic teaching; paraeducators in the art room; and resources for the arts for special needs students. Step-by-step directions aid readers in obtaining funding to expand their own teaching opportunities.
Editor Beverly Gerber says, "There is no magic teaching pill to learn how to teach students with special needs. There are however, effective teaching strategies and approaches that can reach a wide range of students of differing abilities. When these strategies are put together, they form a framework for lesson planning and behavior management" (p. 28). These sound teaching practices can be adapted for a variety of student ages and disabilities, and teaching practices and principles that work well in one classroom can usually transfer to other school settings—they are as relevant in the art room as in the special education program.
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© 2018 National Art Education Association


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Here's the full list of DVD releases this week (detailed list): We Bought a Zoo, Haywire, Fight the Fight, W.E., A Woman of Substance, Hold the Dream, and To Be the Best.
Interesting recent streaming releases include The People vs. George Lucas, Auction Kings, Before Your Eyes, Born 2 Race, Fading of the Cries, Albatross, The Minis, The Woman, Kickin' It, and A.N.T. Farm.


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ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Two young men are being sought in connection with an armed robbery at a St. Augustine Shores home late Wednesday night, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to the home on Phoenetia Drive at 11:30 p.m. and met with the 55-year old man who was robbed.
The victim told them that after getting off work, he stopped at a U.S. 1 South bank and then drove home.
Before getting out of his vehicle, two men in a white sedan drove by, turned around and stopped in front of his home, deputies said. They said one of the men asked for directions and then the two brandished handguns and demanded money.
One of the men struck the victim in the face with the gun when he told them he didn't have any money, deputies said. They said the suspects removed the victim's wallet that contained assorted credit and ID cards and drove off.
The victim was treated at the scene by St. Johns County Fire-Rescue.
The robbers were described as black man in their late teens to early 20s and both about 5 feet 5 inches tall. One was slightly stocky, clean cut in appearance and had a dark complexion. The other had a medium build and medium complexion.
The two were driving a white four-door sedan, possibly a 2000 model Ford Taurus.
Anyone with any information about the robbers' identities is asked to call Detective Chris Collins at 904-209-3981 or Crime Stoppers at 888-277-TIPS (8477).


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The landslide was located 8 km west of Arrochar on the A83. The A83, known as the Rest and Be Thankful Pass, is an important trunk road in Argyll and Bute in Scotland. It is to the west of Loch Lomond and is the main route to towns and villages in southern Argyll from Glasgow.
After a sustained period of heavy rain, some time on the morning of 8 September 2009, a landslide occurred that blocked the road for two days causing a 55-mile detour.
This is the second time the road has been closed at this location in the last two years; on the previous occasion, the road was to be closed for two weeks. The BGS Landslide Response Team surveyed the first landslide in October 2007.
The BGS Landslide Response Team made a visit to the landslide on 10 September 2009 to investigate the failure. Information was collected for the BGS National Landslide Database and to update our geological maps.
The landslides on the Rest and Be Thankful Pass have been widely reported in the local and national news:
The area in which the 2007 and 2009 failures have occurred is steeply sloping ground underlain by rocks of the Beinn Bheula Schist Formation. These are composed of psammite and semi-pelite rocks that are metamorphic in origin. These are composed largely of quartz, feldspar and mica minerals. These rocks are commonly intensely foliated and spectacularly folded; extensive quartz lenses and veins also occur.
The bedrock plays little part in the landslide activity on these slopes. The recent landslides here have largely been associated with slope deposits, including peat and topsoil as well as the underlying layers of colluvium. The colluvium comprises sandy to gravelly silts and clays, with varying amounts of cobbles and boulders. The colluvium deposits on this slope represent earlier phases of slope instability.
This landslide (National Landslide Database ID 15757/2) is classified as a debris flow, which has followed down an existing drainage line. The source of the debris was traced to an area on the slope high above the road, where rafts of soil had become detached, and broken up. These fed debris into the drainage line. Some rafts of debris moved only a short distance, however, and still remain near their source. The debris flow also scoured material from the drainage channel as it moved rapidly down slope.
The debris and water exceeded the capacity of the drainage of the road, causing the debris to be deposited on the road itself, blocking the whole carriageway.
A debris flow at the same location in 2007 caused a similar blockage. The Landslide Response Team geologists were able to make good use of their observations and excellent photographic records of the event in 2007 to demonstrate how instability of the slope has moved to a higher level and to new locations. It seems likely however that this recent landslide is being influenced by much older landslide features on the slope.


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I (Heart) Owls
A Western screech-owl sleeps the day away in a heart-shaped cottonwood callus.
"Male Broad-billed Hummingbird."
A male broad-billed hummingbird decked out in complimentary colors of orange and blue.
The feathers of a male broad-billed hummingbird refract sunlight into a painter's pallet of colors.
"Rivoli's Hummingbird"
Male Rivoli's hummingbirds sport iridescent feathers on their throat and crown that look black until they are viewed from just the right angle. This is a Mexican species that also nests in the southern tips of Arizona and New Mexico.
A winter flock of Sandhill Cranes heads out just after sunrise to feed in the agricultural fields of southern Arizona.
Behind the lens
Phoenix is the mythical bird of rebirth and renewal from ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Chinese cultures. It is a stork-like bird with glorious feathers of gold and red. According to Greek legend, the Greek sun-god Helios stops his chariot (the sun) at dawn to listen to its beautiful song. Once every 500 years, the Phoenix builds a nest of twigs which it then sets afire. Bird and nest burn furiously and, from their ashes, a new Phoenix arises to live for another 500 years.
The capital of Arizona was so named because it was built on the ruins of an extensive Hohokam civilization that had flourished in that location centuries earlier.
"Sandhill Ballet."
Sandhill Cranes pair for live, so you'll often see them flying in pairs or in small family groups.
Behind the lens.
While flycatchers are hard to photograph in flight, Sandhill Cranes are big birds that slowly glide to a graceful landing. For me, watching groups of cranes arrive is much more spectacular than human ballet.
"Crane Dance"
Sandhill cranes often jump up and down when around each other — a form of communication that looks vaguely familiar to us.
"Moonlight Flight."
After sunset, the moon watches while a flock of Sandhill Cranes fly towards their evening roost.
Behind the lens.
I visualized this image for several years before getting a chance to capture it. When we finally arrived on location, it still took me three evenings to to get the moon, clouds and cranes to cooperate.
"Platte River Sandhill Cranes"
Each spring more than 600,000 Sandhill Cranes use the Platte River in southern Nebraska to rest and refuel during their northward migration.
"Dawn Geese"
Canada Geese gather together in the peaceful, pre-dawn light on Lake McDonald, in Glacier National Park, Montana.
"Leap of Faith"
Bufflehead chicks make a leap of faith and follow mom from their nest cavity to the lakeshore, about 40' down and 100' away. Photographed on a small lake in western Montana. ("Leap" note cards available here.)
Behind the lens.
"Leap of Faith" is one of our most popular photographs. People walking through art shows suddenly stop, point at the photo, and laugh out loud. What better "gift" can we give total strangers than the gift of laughter? I like to believe that people who hang this photograph in their home will get a chuckle every day, no matter what else happens to them that day.
We were walking our dogs on a favorite trail when Tracy first spotted the hen peeking out of the nest cavity, about 40' up in a twisted larch snag. Tracy took the dogs home, and I returned with my camera and set up my tripod as far away as I could with my largest telephoto lens -- and waited.
Bufflehead chicks feed themselves, so as soon as all of the eggs hatch, mom must lead them from the nest to the lake. While I hid nearby, mom kept looking out of the hole every few minutes for a couple of hours. Finally, she dropped straight down to the bottom of the tree and then sat there silently for several more minutes. When she let out one soft "cluck," the chicks suddenly made their first appearance in the hole and immediately started jumping down -- one, two and three at a time -- to join mom. There were seven chicks all together, and it took less than 30 seconds for all of them to leave their nest and "fly" down to mom. Actually, their feet are bigger than their wings, and it's more of a controlled crash than a first flight. Once regrouped at the base of the tree, mom led her family on a 100-yard hike through the brush and fallen trees to reach the safety of the lake.
All's well that ends well.
"Flying Tomato."
The brilliant red plumage worn by the male Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) is the source of his common name, "The Flying Tomato."
Behind the lens.
Typically, the smaller the bird the faster it flits about. Vermilion Flycatchers are small birds that sit on a perch and watch for flying insects. They never sit for long, and they are equally likely to launch in any direction. Since I don't use autofocus lenses, my efforts at catching a sharp, well-timed flight image of the "Flying Tomato" are, so far, fruitless.
"Family Plan."
A springtime Raven carries carefully-selected sticks to her nest in progress.
"Curious Raven."
The handsome Raven is intelligent, curious and playful. ("Curious Raven" note cards available here.)
Behind the lens.
Whenever winter lands hard across Montana, I think of Ravens. Wind, snow -- Ravens.
Two or three serious blizzards have lured me into the mountains when I probably should have stayed home. But each time I ventured into the crushing cold, I found Ravens at play. Ravens making great looping, roller coaster flights into gale-force winds. Flights that lacked any apparent direction or purpose, flights that just looked fun. I trudged home half-numb but full of respect.
Ravens provided the inspiration for many Native American stories, and now they are acknowledged as one of the most intelligent and wide-ranging of all bird species. They are year-round residents here in the western half of Montana. Unlike Crows, which are smaller and often live in flocks in towns, Ravens tend to live in monogamous pairs in the wild, undeveloped areas that remain.
Displays of their ingenuity have been noted often. Ravens have been seen defending their nest by dropping stones on approaching people, and passing food through a zoo cage to feed a hungry vulture in freezing weather. The association between Ravens and wolves is also well-documented.
Ravens are scavengers, but they are unable to tear open a fresh carcass. So they learned to follow wolves (and wolf tracks) and scavenge their kills. Calling Ravens are also hought to alert wolves to the freshly deceased. Once torn open by wolves, the carcass becomes accessible to the Ravens. But it gets a little more complex.
Ravens have also learned to make seasonally-appropriate responses to howling wolves. Ravens generally ignore wolf howls between April and September, when wolves tend to hunt smaller items, and most howling occurs near the den site. But in winter, Ravens actively follow the wild chorus of howling wolves. In winter, wolves tend to hunt in groups and kill larger prey, which can take several days to completely consume. This change in wolf hunting tactics gives Ravens ample opportunities to scavenge meals.
"Raven Soul Mates."
Mated for life, Ravens are an affectionate couple. They spend lots of time perched shoulder to shoulder, and they often perform mutual preening which reinforces their pair bond.
Behind the lens.
Yes, these are wild, free-ranging birds. Photographing glossy-black feathers in deep-deep shade was challenging, and I had to drop to a shutter speed slower than I really wanted. As a result, this gets a little blurry when blown up large, so I'm keeping the available print sizes on the small side.
"Winter Raven."
This is a photograph of a Raven in snow that I edited to look like something between a photo and an etching. There's just something about their glossy throat feathers, not to mention their intelligence, that I can't get enough of.
"Black-necked Stilts."
The golden sunset silhouettes a group of Black-necked Stilts feeding in the shallow waters.
Behind the lens.
This is one of the rare, non-Montana photographs that I'm posting. We experienced this dazzling sunset on the Salton Sea, in southern California. The only good part about having air quality issues is that you get really intense sunsets.
"Eagle Talons."
A Bald Eagle catches a fish from a small Montana lake. The progression is shown in 0.2 second intervals, and from beginning to end is 0.8 (eight tenths) of a second. (Note cards available here.)
Behind the lens.
As a biologist, I spent years monitoring Bald Eagles in Glacier National Park. I've seen Eagles catch fish and ducks many times, but it always happens so fast that I can never tell exactly how they do it. So I imagined this sequential photograph for a long time, in the back of my mind, before I was actually able to document the event with a camera.
Like most birds, Eagles fly with their feet and legs held tight to the body for aerodynamic reasons. As they stoop on a prey item, the legs rotate forward and the talons extend, hitting the fish with force and locking down. As they start to fly away, they'll often turn the fish around head-first, again, for aerodynamic reasons. It's a beautiful sequence that's been perfected by countless generations of Bald Eagles -- and it happens in the blink of an eye.
Harriet Waits
A Montana osprey named "Harriet" watches and waits from her nest while the sun sets behind her. Harriet lost her mate late one summer, and her patience finally paid off late the next summer when a new male arrived who Harriet found worthy.
"Burrowing Owl"
With its short tail and long legs, the burrowing owl is a specialist that breeds on the prairies of central and eastern Montana. The Montana population has seen a slight decline while the owls practically disappeared just across the border in Canada, due to habitat loss and insecticide use related to commercial farming.
Sleepy Owl
A juvenile great-horned owl tries hard to stay awake while perched in a summer in a sunbeam.
Curious Owlets
A pair of curious great-horned owls peek over the edge of their nest in a broken-top larch snag.
"Owl Eyes."
With the forward-facing eyes of a raptor, a Great Horned Owl portrait gives the impression of intense concentration.
Behind the lens.
This is a trained bird, photographed while sitting on the trainer's glove. This face is a great example of something that has always fascinated me -- how many different shapes and functions that feathers can take on in a single bird. How many different feather shapes can you see?
After sunset, the moon watches while a flock of Sandhill Cranes fly towards their evening roost.
Behind the lens.
I visualized this image for several years before getting a chance to capture it. When we finally arrived on location, it still took me three evenings to to get the moon, clouds and cranes to cooperate.


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Schooling for Tomorrow Knowledge Base › Themes › ICT
In the 1990s, the potential for ICTs to improve schools emerged as part of the education policy agenda in many OECD countries. Initially, the focus was on capacity: providing schools with hardware and software for learning and administration. Since then, much progress has been made in some areas.
However, the enormous investment in computers and Internet connectivity for schools in some areas raises many questions, including the question of how the potential benefits of this investment are to be realised. For those schools with access to technology, the emphasis is shifting away from increasing ICT capacity to maximising the benefits of the existing capacity. The following sections discuss the use of ICT in schools for both learning and administrative tasks, as well as issues that surround ICT in education. One of these issues is the inequality of access to technology, also known as the "digital divide."
Schools are confronted with opportunity and increasing complexity: They not only need to choose and implement some of the possibilities that ICT has to offer, from forms of management to innovation in learning settings. They also need to prepare students for a life marked by rapid technological change.


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You got it (probably the post title helped too): a scoreboard.
For those not familiar, a traditional one looks like in the photo below (click on it to see it bigger).
It may look simple, but it provides a lot of functionality:
- display 2-digit home score;
- display 2-digit visitor score;
- countdown timer, with the starting time configurable/settable; timer displays mostly minutes and seconds, but under 1 minute, it displays seconds and tenths of a second;
- stop/resume the countdown;
- display round/period; number of periods is configurable/user-settable;
- buzzer sounding at the end of the round, game or on demand;
- penalty timers for up to four players (that also stop/resume with the main timer);
- functions as a clock when not used in a game.
An easy and quick way to build a home-made hockey scoreboard is to re-program a dual-display (16 x 64 pixels) Wise Clock 4. The scoreboard should be controlled wirelessly, from a distance of at least 10 meters (which disqualifies infrared remotes and also the most common Bluetooth, "class 2"). Potential solutions for the scoreboard remote control are:
- XBee
- good distance range;
- not cheap;
- reliable communication;
- requires building and programming a remote control device;
- already hardware-supported by Wise Clock 4 board;
- good distance range;
- cheap;
- reliability probably ok for short messages;
- requires building and programming a remote control device;
- uses SPI interface, requiring some hardware hacking;
- cheap
- easy to integrate
- does not require any software support;
- reliability at distance greater than 10m (?);
- no need to build the remote control;
- unfortunately limited to only 4 buttons;
- cheap (ESP8266)
- works as access point; user connects from smart phone or tablet, to access HTML form pages to type/input commands;
- requires extra coding;
- no need for extra remote control device (since using phone or tablet);
If using buttons, at least 4 are required to cover the minimum functionality:
- reset scoreboard - D0;
- start/stop/resume countdown timer - D1;
- increment home score - D3;
- increment visitor score - D2 (available) or D22 (re-routed)
This is how the prototype scoreboard works on my desk:
The software is a branch-out of the Wise Clock 4 main software (using the same libraries, classes and functions, but in a separate .ino file). I created a new font (file fontFull.h) for the score digits, defined in a 8x16 matrix.
To add extra features ("clock mode", "chrono mode", message scrolling etc), more buttons/commands would be required on the remote control. Which means that the RF 4-button key fob is barely enough for now, and another solution must be implemented. My next favourite is the RFM-12, a topic for a future post.


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