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Book Review: The Weight of Wings by April Bulmer
Reviewed by Joy Leftow
I first saw April Bulmer's poem, "Mai Po," on another poet's website while browsing online looking through websites of other writers who had other commented on my work or glanced through my blog. The poem, "Mai Po," touched me and brought together universal qualities of longing, sadness, the passing of time and personal search. I immediately googled April Bulmer, located her and told her I wanted to review her book, The Weight of Wings. Ms. Bulmer kindly forwarded a copy of this small but packed-with-valuables collection to editor Brad Eubanks and myself since he too was enthralled with her writing. The Weight of Wings is a mixture between a novel and a spiritual journey, written in poetic verse. First I read the book to myself, stopping and browsing along the journey. I paused to engage with the spiritual theme and read the small-but mighty book through to its end. To absorb more of the work and to examine how it sounded when read aloud I read it to a poetry co-conspirator. After reading several pages, I asked if he was bored. "No," he said, he appreciated my reading and would I continue. Thus I completed my second reading.
Later I sat and examined the fine papyrus paper purposely frayed and roughened at the edges of this sixty-page manuscript, running my fingers across it. The feel and look of the paper made it feel sacred. I opened the book. I measured it as though its measurements would reveal its meaning. The frayed cover measured 5 ¼ x 5 ¾ inches and the pages within were 5 x 5 inches. It was typeset with Cochin, "a font named for a family of 17th and 18th century Parisian engravers." [1] This made me feel the weight of time while experiencing a journey of verse.
Lulled into the rhythm and pace of the words I discovered a range of characters. I decided to list and outline each character to define where they fit in the text. Next, I realized there are over twenty characters and some reappear. The voices follow themselves or a member of their community.
It was there I stopped counting. I began concentrating on the threads that run through the prose. What connects all the characters is a personal relationship to their savior, "Most blessed of Women is Rosie, earthen vessel in whom Jesus now grows."[2] Each character struggles to maintain their faith and purity while simultaneously trying to survive in a sometimes harsh, unforgiving environment where loss, pain and loneliness intertwine with passions and desires. They are either residents of a convent or live in a nearby religious center. Thus they are connected through their faith as well as their losses.
The first poem throws us right into the battle.
Mr. F. Johnson
I laid down by the little plot, my heart tethered to the stone.
And God fell upon me like a warm blanket, though I still
shivered in the cold.
I prayed early that evening. God my horsepower. For Him my
faith cantered, unreined. But your death, daughter, was a saddle
a dark weight; your body folded untidy as a map in the rumble
of the black coupe. Heart a compass, the needle spinning dizzy
till it stiffened north.
It is noteworthy that much of Bulmer's poetry appears in theological reviews such as The Anglican Theological Review, as well as in feminist publications and anthologies. Some of her other works are, Spring Rain, Oh My Goddess, Holy Land, The Goddess Psalms, and A Salve for Every Sore, all published by the well-known Serengeti Press. Bulmer utilizes simple language that becomes complex and has layers of meanings hauntingly presented.
In an email Bulmer explains, "The mention of 'bruised bone' and 'oracle' in 'Mai Po' are references to ancient Chinese divination practice. These early people heated bones and tortoise shells to read the cracks and lines that appeared." Bulmer visited the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto years ago and toured an exhibit of these inspiring spiritual relics.
Bulmer's works encompass every man's struggle between good and evil; she brings us back to basics. In a world where every bad deed is counted and dividends for rewards run steep, stakes are high. Brimstone and fire tactics often help the populace behave and survive. Putting your best foot forward is what's expected although humanity has always struggled with issues such as greed or lust. These desires coincide with our desire to be good and do right.
Bulmer brings profound new meaning to our inner struggles and brings to light the uncertainty that the only reward we receive in this life is the confirmation that if we are good enough, we will enter the kingdom of God after death. Sometimes reaching for the light at the end of the tunnel seems useless when suffering and loss are all we know. Here may be the point. All of Bulmer's works dance with the desire for the universal search for truth and righteousness while trying to survive the day in a human body with desires and needs. It gives the word guilt more power.
As I spread my wings though the poems, I was carried through a dream-like sequence of events, mixing eroticism and religion with hints of sexual behavior. In addition the characters always attempt to make sense of themselves and their struggles in a way they can understand.
I thought God so loved the Virgin, he himself stepped out of his
work pants, hung his belt on a nail. I wedded him in a bridal gown…
But God so loved me he sent Diamond. …
I trip on my way to chapel … The thorns
break my skin, my ankles and calves bleed. Diamond takes me
to his shed where he stores his tools and bags of loam, lays me
down on a burlap sack: a leak in the roof, a hymn gentle from
the chapel….A hot drink, eggs scrambled
over fire, crusty bread Diamond hacks from a loaf. When the
cinders die, shadows sweep the ashes.
When I got to "Annie," I wondered if I was misunderstanding. I worried so that I finally wrote Bulmer and asked her if I was on point, raising several issues.
My new dog liked the smell of my yellow soap, thanked me
with kisses to the elbow, wrist and knee. He growled a little
when I clipped his nails and when I snipped at his dewclaw
he broke the skin on my left thigh. I bled.
He didn't like it among the brooms and buckets, whined for hours.
He was asleep on the rag bag when I opened the door. I carried
him to the bedroom, his body warm against the sleeves of my
cotton night dress. We slept cheek by jowl.
At noon he stood at the window like a little man, wiped the dew
from the window pane and cried. It was the sheriff and a vigil of
town folk at the front door. They kicked at me with their hob-nailed
boots, struck me with shovels and frying pans. The sheriff shot my
dog--a weight he slung into a burlap bag and carried to the river.
Sunday, and no heaving and crying at church. All cheeks were dry.
But as the choir rose, I heard a high-pitched howl, a soulful baying
that swelled my heart to a full moon.
"Did they really kill the dog and beat the woman because the two had sex and they had to be punished?" I wrote her. Bulmer replied, "My fantasy worlds are a little bit eccentric (as you gathered in reading about the woman who slept with her dog). I have a low-key life. I don't think anyone would be interested in reading about it. You highlighted the major themes of the book. Thank you for your keen reading."
And my heart swelled to meet the moon and I too heard the cries of a dog dying for doing the forbidden when obviously a dog wouldn't know better. I wondered too at the charity of letting Annie live. I figure they released her so she might repent her sins. I wondered how the townspeople knew what she and the dog had done.
I recommend all of Bulmer's work heartily. It is not for the feint of heart--neither is it for prudes. I love the lilt of Bulmer's words and how they continue to sing in my head, resonating long after the reading is done.
April Bulmer was born and raised in Toronto, but now lives in the small city of Cambridge, Ontario. She has published six books of poetry. Many of her poems deal with women and spirituality. She holds three Masters Degrees in Creative Writing, Religious Studies and Theological Studies. The prose poems that appear here are excerpts from her second book The Weight of Wings (Trout Lily Press, Stratford, 1997). Each piece in the collection deals with the spiritual life of a character in fictional Sweet Grass, Saskatchewan. April's newest manuscript is entitled "Women of the Cloth." To contact her and order books: firstname.lastname@example.com
Article first published as Book Review: The Weight of Wings by April Bulmer on Blogcritics.


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Subject: Senator Alfonse D'Amato Takes Leadership Position with the Poker Players Alliance
Dear PPA Member:
You probably have heard that the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has enlisted a key ally to support our cause. Yesterday, we announced that former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato is joining the PPA as Chairman of the Board and to help lead our efforts in Washington D.C. The PPA has been your voice for the past 18 months, now we have elevated our organization and will have even more influence with policy makers.
Senator D'Amato will be a tremendous advocate on your behalf. First of all, he is a passionate and skilled poker player who loves to win in both poker and politics. He has a distinguished 18 year record serving in the United States Senate and worked in a bipartisan fashion to achieve results for the people of New York. Now he is taking his enthusiasm, tenacity and political savvy directly to Congress to produce results for the Poker Players Alliance. We are proud that he has joined our team and we are excited about our prospects to get something done for poker in the near term.
I also want to take this moment to personally thank Linda Johnson, the First Lady of Poker, who was the inspiration behind the Poker Players Alliance and served as the PPA's first Chairwoman. Without her guidance the PPA would not be the great organization it is today.
I encourage you to go to the New York Times Web site
(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/05/technology/05poker.html) for more news about Senator D'Amato joining the Poker Players Alliance and to visit our site at
Michael Bolcerek, President
Poker Players Alliance
Senator Alfonse D'Amato Takes Leadership Position with the Poker Players Alliance
Poker Aficionado and former U.S. Senator to Lead Efforts to Protect One of America's Pastimes
Washington D.C.(March 5, 2007) - The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a grassroots organization of more than 160,000 poker enthusiasts, announced today that former United States Senator Alfonse D'Amato has joined the PPA to serve as Chairman of the Board and help lead efforts in Washington D.C. to protect the game of poker.
"I have had a passion for poker since my childhood, and for politics almost as long. This new position will allow me to fuse these passions and help establish sensible policy that allows Americans to enjoy the great game of poker in the venue of their choosing," said Alfonse D'Amato, the new Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance.
"We are thrilled to have Senator D'Amato take up our cause to promote and protect the game played by millions of Americans. His enthusiasm, tenacity and political astuteness will bolster the influence of the PPA and help earn poker a much deserved exemption from the recent online gaming law," said Michael Bolcerek, president of the PPA. "For the past 18 months Linda Johnson, the First Lady of Poker, skillfully lead our organization as Chairwoman, today the First Senator of Poker will lead the charge."
It is estimated that more than 23 million Americans enjoyed playing poker on the Internet in 2006. Yet, the recent government crackdown on Internet gaming has swept poker into its net of prohibition and have made it increasingly difficult for poker players to enjoy this great form of entertainment on the Internet. The Poker Players Alliance will be working with Congress to provide a skill game exemption for poker and pave the way for eventual regulation and taxation of the industry in the United States.
"Prohibitions don't work, they only create unintended consequences. The American people know this and we are going to make sure Congress knows it too," said Senator D'Amato. "We need common sense regulation of Internet poker. Prohibition will only drive the industry underground and strip away any protections for children and services for problem gamblers."
The Poker Players Alliance was formed in 2005 to protect the right of poker players to enjoy the great American tradition of poker in the venue of their choice, and Linda Johnson was critical in the organization's development. "I would like to personally thank Linda Johnson for her service to the PPA as its first Chairwoman, and in her continued service as a board member as we take the organization to its next level," stated Bolcerek.
The Poker Players Alliance http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org/ is a non-profit organization advocating on behalf of American poker players.

subset: commoncrawl


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|*August 9 - 15
|The Apostle
Read for This Week's Study:
Memory Text:
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth" (3 John 4, NIV).
Key Thought:
|The apostle John is one of the most loved characters from the Bible.
What can we learn from him?
Achurch tradition describes the apostle John as an old man living in Ephesus. Because of his feeble condition, his followers had to carry him to church. As they met together, his only spoken words were, "Little children, love one another."
His followers tired of hearing John repeat the same thing all the time and asked, "Master, why do you always say this?"
"It is the Lord's command," he replied. "And if this alone be done, it is enough!"
Whether true or not, this story captures the essence of this "son of thunder" who was eventually transformed into a "son of love and grace."
In John's three Epistles, or letters, we see the heart of a man whose life is motivated by love; we see also some of the most encouraging verses in the Bible, one of the most famous is "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defenseJesus Christ, the Righteous One" (1 John 2:1, NIV).
This week we will explore further the life and mission of this pillar of the early Christian church.
*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 16.
|August 10
A Special Calling
When Jesus called John and his brother James to follow Him, they were working in their boat fishing. "And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him" (Mark 1:20).
Read carefully Mark 1:20 again. What important principles can we take from there about what it means to follow Jesus? See also Matt. 8:21, 22; Luke 14:26; Phil. 3:8.
John's decision to follow Jesus and leave his father's business would forever change his life. Luke gives the most detailed account of Jesus' call (Luke 5:1-11).
What verse in Luke 5:1-11 again conveys what it means to be a follower of Jesus? What, again, is the point that is being made?
No question, those who follow Jesus need to make a full and complete commitment. Jesus, as Lord of all, is owed all. Yet, He does not demand our hearts out of selfishness; no, not at all. Instead, He knows the reality of the battle that we are in, and if there is any opening, any area of self not surrendered, the evil one will take advantage and use it to try to destroy us. Thus, we need to surrender completely to the Lord.
Which John did. And thus, instead of catching fish, John spends the rest of his life catching people for the kingdom of heaven. From now on, John's mission field was the worldto carry hope and healing and the good news to those who desperately needed it. Though he would have some hard lessons to learn, because he was dedicated to Jesus, he was in a position to learn them, no matter the pain that would come.
|How committed are you to Jesus? Have you forsaken all for Him? How can you know where your heart truly is? What changes might you need to make?
|August 11
Son of Thunder
Jesus gave John and his brother James a special nickname"the sons of thunder" (or Boanerges in Aramaic). Evidence suggests that this name referred to their dispositiona disposition that Jesus gently corrects.
Read Mark 10:35-45. What request do James and John make? How does Jesus respond to their request? What does this tell us about the character of both these men?
John and his brother also showed an unhealthy pride. In response to their request, Jesus asked if they could share His fate. "We can," they boasted (Mark 10:39).
On another occasion Jesus and His disciples were traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem. As appears to have been His normal habit, Jesus went directly through Samaria rather than circumnavigating in order to avoid the hated Samaritans. He sent James and John ahead to find lodgings for the night. They approached one village, but when the people learned they were headed for Jerusalem, they showed no hospitality.
What does their response to this indignity also reveal about their character? How much does the beloved John have to learn? Luke 9:54.
What a contrast we can see in the John depicted here in these accounts and the one who writes the letters he does later. What a changed man; what a changed personality! No doubt, though, the change did not happen easily or overnight. John had some hard lessons to learn that enabled him to become the great missionary that he eventually became.
|Recount some of your most recent hard lessons. What did you learn? What other ways could you have learned what you did other than through suffering? What other lesson need you to learn? What changes do you need to make in your life now that, perhaps, could spare you from having to learn them the hard way?
|August 12
The Witness of John
As an eyewitness who had spent much time in Jesus' company, John had much to tell, more, in fact, than he could.
Read John 21:25. What message do you think John was seeking to convey by that statement? What hope can we find in that text?
Though not able to tell us everything, John, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, does teach us one of the most important of all truths, that Jesus Christ came in human flesh. That is something all the philosophy, science, and logic could never lead us to. Instead, God uses John to tell it to us.
In the first verse of his Gospel, John refers to the Word, or in Greek, the logos. To the Jewish reader, the Word referred to the Word of God that created the world, as well as to His teachings, or law, that guides the way we should live our lives (see Deut. 32:45-47).
For the Greek reader, logos had other meanings. The logos was a life force that kept the universe together. The symmetry of a leaf, the harmony of the seasons, the stars in the skyall were kept in balance by the logos. The philosophers Heracleitus, Plutarch, Philo, and Plato, as well as various stoic philosophers, wrote about the logos.
For both Jewish and Greek readers, John makes a startling claim: This logos is a person. The logos became flesh and broke into human history in a specific place at a specific time with a specific purposeto bring salvation to humanity.
Read John 1:1-3, 14. What does this mean? In your own words, write out your best understanding of what the Lord is revealing to us here.
Jesus, our Creator, entered into humanity and became a human being. That alone is amazing; add to it the reason He came, to die for our sins, and we are given a revelation of the character of God that should bring us to our knees in gratefulness, faith, and humble obedience.
|August 13
"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31, NIV).
In these words John summarizes the reason he wrote his Gospel, and the entire purpose of his lifeto lead people to believe in Jesus in order that they might gain eternal life. A key theme, all through the New Testament, is that eternal life exists only in Jesus.
Look up the following verses to see some of the things John says about this key theme, that of "life." Also, as you read them, where can you see how the idea of "life" does not apply only to eternal life but has immediate implications for life now?
3:15-16, 36
John 10:28
What makes these promises of eternal life so important is that, although all creatures on earth die, human beings alone are capable of contemplating the idea of eternity. We alone can grasp the vast gap between our short existence and the prospect of eternity, and the cold reality of that gap hangs over us every instant of our liveslives that are just a clogged artery, a drunken driver, or an AIDS virus away from ending.
What a wonderful hope we have, then, to know that death is not the end; on the contrary, it is just a sleep that to us will seem like a second, and the next thing we know we will be with Jesus, for eternity.
|How should the hope of eternal life impact how we live now? In what ways do you live this life differently, knowing that you have the promise of eternal life?
|August 14
Spending Time With Jesus
"Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God" (3 John 11).
What does John mean about those who had not seen God? What is his point? How does one see God?
John had much to learn from Jesus. Even after spending time in His compassionate presence, John was still protective of his own turf and intolerant of others. On one occasion he stopped someone from casting out demons in Jesus' name because he was not an official disciple (Mark 9:38). Jesus gently taught him that " 'whoever is not against us is for us' " (vs. 40, NIV).
John grew in strength of character at the Master's side. At the time of Jesus' crucifixion, when other disciples had fled, John alone remained at the foot of the cross. The regard Jesus held for John is shown in the way He entrusted His mother into John's care (John 19:26, 27).
Read 2 Corinthians 3:18. What important principle is found there? What practical ways can we apply this principle to our own lives?
If you read the Epistles of John, you cannot help noting the kindness, the gentleness, the compassion found all through them. What a profound difference from the John presented in the Gospels. Truly something utterly remarkable happened to that man. We, of course, know what it was: He had been with Jesus, and his life and character had been radically altered from the experience.
Skim through the three Epistles of 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John. Look at the character revealed there. How did Jesus change John's life? What aspects of your own life could use change, as well? What practical steps are you taking in order to allow God to bring those changes?
|August 15
Further Study:
|Read Ellen G. White,
"John the Beloved,"
pp. 539-545 in The Acts of the Apostles.
"In the terrible persecution that followed, the apostle John did much to confirm and strengthen the faith of the believers. He bore a testimony which his adversaries could not controvert and which helped his brethren to meet with courage and loyalty the trials that came upon them. When the faith of the Christians would seem to waver under the fierce opposition they were forced to meet, the old, tried servant of Jesus would repeat with power and eloquence the story of the crucified and risen Saviour."Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 568.
"John lived to be very old. He witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the ruin of the stately temple. The last survivor of the disciples who had been intimately connected with the Saviour, his message had great influence in setting forth the fact that Jesus was the Messiah, the Redeemer of the world. No one could doubt his sincerity, and through his teachings many were led to turn from unbelief."Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 569.
Discussion Questions:
| Go through the three Epistles of John again. What other
elements of John's character can be found there? What strong words can you
find there for those who are not following truth? How does this help us
understand what love is all about?
What is your understanding of the idea of character development? How does it work? How does Jesus change our character? Though the Bible does relate many supernatural events, is there any event in which a person's character is changed immediately, supernaturally, in the same way the blind were given sight or the lepers cured? If not, why not? What does the answer tell us about the process of character development?
As a class, talk about the answers to these questions: How loving and accepting is your local church? What things can you do to help your church become more loving and accepting of others?
Having experienced firsthand the life-giving love of His Savior, the apostle John let that experience flow into all his words and actions. His life and writings remind us of the primacy of love in the Christian life and how it must be the basis of all our mission activity.
|I N S I D E Story
|Midnight Cry in Malawi
by MIKE NYONDO
A group of lay men and women in northern Malawi have a passion for souls. Although they lack equipment and supplies, they are making an impact on unreached areas of Malawi.
In one prison where they serve, they held evangelistic meetings, baptizing 100 prisoners. Among those who responded was Samson, a robber. Some prisoners doubted his sincerity, for he had attended only a few of the meetings. But Samson testified, "Even though I did not attend the meetings, I listened from my cell. I heard God's voice calling me, and I have answered."
Several of the newly baptized prisoners have been released and live in northern Malawi, where they faithfully attend church. The lay evangelists continue to work in the prison and have held subsequent baptisms.
Few Adventists live along the shores of Lake Malawi, an area dominated by another Protestant denomination. When Midnight Cry held meetings there, opposition was strong, and few came the first week. But then attendance picked up.
When 16-year-old Viyezgo (vee-AY-joh) responded to the first altar call, his parents were angry and locked him out of the house. He was forced to sleep outside. But he kept coming to the meetings. His parents tried to send him to stay with his aunt in Lilongwe, but on his way to the bus station, he met his aunt, who was coming to visit the family. He walked home with her then hurried to Lake Malawi to be baptized. When he returned home that evening, his parents again locked him out of the house. They sent him to Lilongwe with his aunt, where he attends the Adventist church.
The group is energized as they see God working through them. God invites every believer to become a lay evangelist and share His love in their corner of the world.
GABRIEL ZANCHIOR is a lay evangelist in Benin, West Africa.
|Produced by the General Conference Office
of Mission Awareness.
email: email@example.com website: www.adventistmission.org
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After nearly three years on the job as Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard's Chief of Staff, Wabash alumnus Chris Cotterill '99 has decided to leave the office to return to the private sector. Stepping into the post is another Wabash man, Ryan Vaughn '00, who is an attorney at Barnes and Thornburg and serves as a City-County Councilor for Indianapolis and Marion County.
"I am so proud to have Ryan join our administration. As a former President of the City-County Council, deputy prosecutor, and attorney, our city is very fortunate to have Ryan continue his public service in this new capacity," said Mayor Ballard. "Ryan has been a key partner in our efforts to balance the city's budgets, reduce crime, invest hundreds of millions of dollars in our neighborhoods and make Indianapolis a more livable city."
At just 34 years old, Vaughn brings a lot of experience to the position. He was first elected to the City-County Council representing District 3 in 2007 and has served as its president. He resigned from Council post on May 1.
"To serve the Mayor of Indianapolis as his Chief of Staff, and before that as the Corporation Counsel, has been an incredible opportunity for me," said Cotterill. "I have so enjoyed working each day to turn the challenges we face as a community into great opportunities and real results for the City of Indianapolis. At various stages throughout my career, I have realized just how well Wabash College prepared me to handle different roles and responsibilities, and today is yet another day I am hit with that realization. I don't think it's any surprise that the most qualified person to continue Mayor Ballard's reforms is another Wabash Man. I could not be happier that Ryan Vaughn is my successor."
At Barnes and Thornburg, Vaughn has been a member of the firm's Governmental Services Department concentrating his practice on legislative issues, including policy development, analysis and negotiations on local, state and federal levels.
The former political director for the Marion County Republican Central Committee, Vaughn was responsible for creating policy, media relations, and committee's voter integrity program. He also spent three years as a Marion County Deputy Prosecutor, a position in which he prosecuted all levels of crime.
Cotterill leaves Mayor Ballard's office having negotiated one of the biggest utility deals in city history. He brokered a $1.9 billion deal with Citizen's Energy, which transferred the city's water and wastewater utilities to the private firm, and shepherded the transaction through the City-County Council and Indiana Regulatory Commission.
"Chris Cotterill's leadership on the Citizen's Energy transaction will save ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars," said Mayor Ballard.
Cotterill joined Ballard's administration as Corporation Counsel in 2008 at the age of 31, and in that post managed the city's consolidated legal services department comprising 50 attorneys, paralegals, and staff. Cotterill is credited with overhauling the equal opportunity program to better prevent discrimination in the city, spearheaded the adoption an ethics reform package, increased prosecutions against civil code violators, and reduced outside counsel expenses by several million dollars.
As Chief of Staff, Cotterill led discussions with the Indiana General Assembly to enact the Mayor's reform efforts, Unigov2.0, and served on the executive committee of the Super Bowl XLVI Host Committee as the primary contact for the city.
Both Wabash graduates have been featured in the Indianapolis Business Journal's "40 Under 40," and Cotterill was the youngest lawyer featured in the Journal's "Who's Who in the Law" in 2011.
While at Wabash, Vaughan was a talented student-athlete who earned three varsity letters as a member of the College's swimming team. He was a speech major, member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, and graduated cum laude. He earned his law degree in 2003 from the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis.
Cotterill served as editor in chief of Wabash's newspaper, The Bachelor, for three years. He was president of his fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, and was elected president of the Student Senate. A history major at Wabash, he earned his law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies.
"I often joke that service in my administration is like the 'Hotel California' you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave," said Mayor Ballard. "That is true in the case of Chris Cotterill as I will continue to seek his advice and service in other ways for the betterment of Indianapolis."


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As an individual who wants to eat healthy, I wanted to find a treat that has healthy ingredients and taste great also. These treats have protein so they are good on the go, easy to make and easy to pack in my purse.
Try these delicious homemade treats made with ingredients that you will not feel guilty eating!
HomeMade Peanut Butter Almond Protein Bars
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp water
2tbsp oats
1tbsp coconut shreds
1tbsp honey
21 grams (2 scoops) almond flour
21 grams (2 scoops) protein powder
Put the almond flour and protein powder and coconut shreds in a bowl and mix them
Scoop peanut butter and honey into large bowl and mix. Then melt this ingredients together. I do it in the microwave.
Last add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and press it together. make into a flat bar or small balls. press dry oatmeal
on top the bar and cut into smaller pieces. I then like to refrigerate.


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The United States Supreme Court ended its October 2012 term with a flurry of high profile decisions. A number of those will have significant implications for employers. Among other noteworthy opinions, the Justices handed down one opinion regarding affirmative action and two dealing with Title VII. Employers should be aware of the precedents established by the respective cases, but should remain watchful for developing trends under the doctrines enunciated by the Court. read more
OFCCP Director Pat Shiu has garnered some flattering and critical (both) press coverage for her recent speech to the annual meeting of The National Employment Lawyer's Association (NELA), one of the country's leading trade associations for Plaintiff Employment Lawyers. (Note: NELA is not to be confused with NELI – the National Employment Law Institute, which many believe, is the country's leading non-profit employment law training institute. Ethics Alert: I sit on the Board of Directors of NELI.) read more
This article is the first of a two-part series. In this article, we'll provide some general information on how to set priorities in preparation for an OFCCP review. In the follow-up article, we'll discuss a number of specific items that should be priorities for all federal contractors and subcontractors.
The letter from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) that opens an affirmative action compliance review sends many companies into a panic. read more
Affirmative Action burst onto the American employment landscape about 45 years ago as a means to combat decades of racial discrimination by employers. That year, all Federal agencies were required by Federal law to put into place certain programs meant to ensure that all job applicants were considered without regard to "race, creed, color, or national origin," and to guarantee that these factors played no role in the treatment of employees once hired. read more
On June 18, 2013, the American Medical Association (AMA) voted to classify obesity as a disease. According to all reports, this decision does not, by itself, carry any legal weight. However, it could influence the way obesity is treated in developing public policy on the issue.
In fact, public policy has been trending this way for a while. One of the earliest cases discussing obesity and disability was Cook v. State of Rhode Island, Department of Mental Health, Retardation, and Hospitals, 10 F.3d 17 (November 1993). read more
The 2013 Industry Liaison Group National Conference is a premier event that brings Affirmative Action practitioners, the legal industry, government agencies, human resources, and vendor experts together to learn about the regulatory agenda of OFCCP and EEOC and what steps will be needed to meet the latest environment of compliance. Learn more
The Local JobNetwork™ will be in attendance, and we look forward to meeting you. The August edition of The OFCCP Digest will provide you with a recap of the conference. In the meantime, join the #2013ILG conversation on Twitter. Follow @theLJN and use #LJN_HR during the conference to interact with other attendees, share information, and ask questions. The person who tweets our favorite piece of information from the conference will receive a Starbucks gift card during each exhibitor session, compliments of the Local JobNetwork™.
We hope you find the information in this newsletter helpful. To subscribe to The OFCCP Digest, send your email address to firstname.lastname@example.com as well as your comments and feedback.


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The Los Angeles Chargers are above .500 for the first time this season. The Cleveland Browns have a chance to climb above that mark for the first time since 2014.
The Chargers will go for their third straight victory and attempt to hand the Browns their first loss at home when the teams square off Sunday at Cleveland's FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Browns (2-2-1) have already doubled their win total from their previous two seasons combined after squeezing out a 12-9 victory in overtime over the Baltimore Ravens last weekend. The win pushed Cleveland's record at home to 2-0-1 this season.
"This football team will fight," Browns head coach Hue Jackson said. "We don't do anything perfectly by any stretch of the imagination, but they work hard. They're becoming something. If they will continue to take the coaching, keep working hard and keep doing the things that we're asking them to do, we'll have many more victories."
While Cleveland is among the league's most improved teams, the Chargers already have ample reason to be wary of the Browns. Los Angeles lost at Cleveland 20-17 in 2016 -- the Browns' lone win that season -- and struggled to a 19-10 home win over winless Cleveland last year.
"That was a scary game for us," Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said. "And now they are just learning how to win. They have won some close games but they could be 4-1. It is a dangerous football team."
Cleveland's two losses have both come on the road -- a 21-18 setback at New Orleans and a 45-42 defeat in overtime at Oakland in Week 4.
The Browns have received a boost since turning to rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield. The No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, who came off the bench in relief of an injured Tyrod Taylor in Week 3, has provided the team with production and a swagger.
"He has sparked them and he has probably added a lot of energy outside the building and inside the building," said Lynn. "I thought he was a heck of a player coming out (of college). He plays with a lot of confidence and that is the way to go about it."
Los Angeles features the most potent offense the Browns will have faced since playing the Saints in Week 2. The Chargers have scored at least 20 points in all five games this season. Philip Rivers has thrown 13 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. He is receiving excellent protection and has been sacked only six times.
Running back Melvin Gordon, who has scored a touchdown in four straight games, is leading a rushing attack that, when combined with Austin Ekeler's contributions, is impressive. The tandem has combined for 1,005 yards from scrimmage with nine touchdowns. Gordon ranks eighth in the NFL with 334 rushing yards and is the team's second-leading receiver with 28 catches for 261 yards.
"Right now things are running smoothly on offense and it could not be more balanced," Lynn said. "Our offense has always been about adjusting to Philip's skill-set," Lynn said. "That is what you have to do when you have a quarterback of that caliber."
Getting into a shootout Sunday with Rivers would not benefit the Browns. A low-scoring, tight game will allow offensive coordinator Todd Haley to utilize running backs Carlos Hyde, Duke Johnson Jr. and Nick Chubb.
Hyde leads the Browns with 348 yards rushing and five rushing touchdowns on 100 carries.
"I think we can compete with any team in this league," Hyde said. "We have a really good group of guys and things are definitely going up for us. As long as we keep fighting the way we've been fighting and keep working the way we've been working, things will work out in our favor."
Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen made history in last year's game against the Browns when he caught 10 passes and gained 100 receiving yards while scoring a touchdown for the third week in a row. With the emergence of fellow wideout Mike Williams, defenses are being spread thin.
Allen could be matched up against Browns rookie cornerback Denzel Ward, the No. 4 overall pick who has three interceptions and was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday. Defensive end Myles Garrett has five sacks for Cleveland.
"It's going to be a dogfight," Lynn said. "But they all are so it's nothing we haven't seen before."


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All You Need Is Love | Stamp
Weddings, engagements, anniversaries, Valentine and everyday romance.
These American made stamps are deeply-etched rubber backed with 1/8" thick cling mounting cushion.
Stamp Image size: 1.75" x 2"
The stamps come backed with a cushioned cling mounting. To use, simply peel away the protective backing and mount on an acrylic carrier.


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- This event has passed.
Winter Wonderland at Carolina Ace Hardware
December 27, 2019 @ 8:00 am - 7:00 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 8:00 am on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, repeating until December 31, 2019
An event every week that begins at 10:00 am on Sunday, repeating until December 29, 2019
This year's Christmas display theme is "Winter Wonderland." Come take your family photos at this magical display. Santa will be available on special dates, contact store for more details! Display also open when Santa is not there.


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New Blog!
I just switched over my blog with a lot of Tim's help. I am now going to be blogging at www.danaschmoyer.com I figured if I will be blogging for a while I want a better domain to give to people. We have spent most of the day working on the template with Tim changing the pictures to my photography and pics of us. If yo refresh the page it'll change the picture of Tim and I. How cool! If you are signed up to get updates by email you should be fine, and switched over with it.
I also put my newest post on www.danaschmoyer.com, so enjoy the new sight! Some things will probably be added and changed in the next month, so stick around!
Posted in: on Friday, October 17, 2008 at at 8:29 PM


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STERLING — Dr. John Elliff, author of "Sterling Heroes of World War II" and Denny Dressman, annotator and editor, will be at KC's Music & Electronics, 322 Main St., Friday, Dec. 7, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., to sign copies of their book.
"Sterling Heroes," released earlier this year at the Heritage Festival, tells the story of 36 veterans from northeastern Colorado, most from Sterling. Many of them Elliff met during his years practicing ophthalmology in Sterling.
Starting in 2000, over a period of 10 years, Elliff sat down with the veterans for video-recorded interviews, asking them to recall their widely varying experiences immediately before, throughout and after World War II. With the help of his secretary, Lila Moore, he transcribed the recordings so they could be become a book.
The "Sterling Heroes" served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
"They served everywhere," Elliff said. "The Pacific, the European theater, Africa."
He says the book is simply "about guys telling their stories" — stories of landing on Omaha Beach, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and taking part in the bloody invasion of Okinawa.
Some became prisoners of war and one survived the Pearl Harbor attack aboard the battleship Tennessee.
One was a code-breaker, another was in the first unit to liberate the Dachau concentration camp and one even transmitted half of President Theodore Roosevelt's last message to Japanese Emperor Hirohito just before the Pearl Harbor attack. Another came to America as an Italian soldier captured in North Africa, later becoming a U.S. citizen and 65-year resident.
Logan County had several thousand men that fought in World War II; "Sterling Heroes" contains the stories of just a small portion of them.
"I hope people reading this book get a feeling of what these guys were doing for them," Elliff said.
The book signing will provide an excellent opportunity to get the book in time for the holidays if you missed previous signings in the Sterling area.
Both hard cover and soft cover books will be available for purchase. Cost is $42.75 for a hard cover and $32.05 for a soft cover.
Callie Jones: (970) 526-9286; firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow @CJones _JA on Twitter.


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Add to Calendar
January 8, 2018 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Keep a weekly art date! Free to members and friends of the Woodburn Art Center who want a place to paint or draw with others. There will be no instructor present, just time to paint, draw, make new friends and share your creativity. Adult coloring enthusiasts are welcome. The Open Studio Group meets every Monday from 10:00 AM-3:00 PM.


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When I was touring with the Compassion Experience, one of my favorite places to be stationed was at the very end of the tour, where the child packets were located. I'd see the faces on the walls of the truck and thousands of faces come through that room. Once we finished set up, I would sometimes just stand in that room and marvel at the precious little faces on the packets, waiting to be sponsored.
During my time on the road, we were fortunate enough to have Julian attend a few events. This was always a special treat for us as well as for people walking through her story.
At one event, a family came through the Experience and wanted to talk to Julian about letter writing. They wanted to know if it really did have as much impact as people said. In her ever sweet manner, Julian replied that it meant even more than we could communicate.
Julian then went on to tell us about one of the Compassion centers in Africa that stopped handing out letters in a big group because so many children didn't get letters from their sponsors. She shared that the children would then come and ask her and other staff if something was wrong with them. If their sponsor didn't love them?
As she described the heartbreak for these little kids desperately waiting for a letter, I felt tears well up in my own eyes. I wondered if the two kids I sponsor ever felt that way when mail would come and there was nothing from me. It changed the way I viewed letter writing and interacting with them.
I can't say I'm as diligent as I should be, but I've tried to be better at writing, encouraging, and loving them from my own little corner of the world.
What follows is a fictional story of what I imagine it's like to not get a letter as a child who is sponsored.
Help Families Affected BY COVID-19
Families in poverty have no safety net in times of crisis. Help provide food, medical care and support during this pandemic.
My mother shook me awake. "Manuel. Manuel, it's time to get up. We need something to start the fire. Run and get it."
I rubbed my eyes with my fist. It was still dark, but I knew she had been awake for awhile. The sun would be breaking through the clouds soon enough and I was already behind in my chores.
My feet hit the dirt floor quickly as I raced outside to find leftover scraps from last night's fires. I knew that someone somewhere would have something I could bring home. We just needed a little to cook our breakfast. If you can call it that. It's really just a mixture of water and flour. But it fills my belly and I'm grateful to have it.
As I walked along the side of the road, searching the landscape for anything to burn, I realized what day it was.
Mail day.
Today is the day we get mail at the child development center.
My heart started racing. I've been sponsored with Compassion for three years now and I've gotten three letters. Those days stick out in my mind. I remember the temperature of the air, the feel of the paper against my hands as I reached to grab it.
I studied each curve of her handwriting. Auntie Sarah is what I call her. I can't read English but I know exactly how she draws her letters and symbols. Every week I read those three letters. She's going to college in America. She said she loves Jesus, the same Jesus they tell me about at the center.
She is a very busy lady and I can't believe she's written me three letters. I feel like the luckiest kid in the world. It's been almost a year now since my last letter and I just know today is the day. Today there's going to be a new letter.
It's my lucky day! I found some leftover firewood to burn! Mama is going to be so happy with me. The house will be smoky but it won't smell like trash. Mama doesn't like it when we make the house smell like trash.
I race home, occasionally jumping up in the air and shouting like a superhero. I drop the wood in front of Mama and smile. She nods towards our pot and then turns back around. Mama is busy. I know she doesn't mean anything by it. She's proud of me, I know it.
While our breakfast is cooking, I get ready for school. I'm in the second grade. I really love school and when I grow up, I want to be like my Auntie Sarah and go to college. I haven't told anyone that but I'm going to do it. I'm going to be a doctor and help the people in my village get better.
School is usually the best part of my day. But today all I can think about is going to the Compassion center. Not even my team winning futbol makes the time go any quicker! This day will never end!
Finally. It's finally time to go.
I run as fast as I can to get to the gate and wave at Andre. He's my friend at the center. He helps me study and learn so many things. Andre's a little bit older than me but makes me feel like I'm almost all grown up. I like him.
"Andre! Andre, today is the day! I just know it!!! Auntie Sarah is sending a letter!" I shout excitedly.
Andre looks at me with a smile. "Maybe today is the day Manuel. We'll have to see!"
"How much longer do we have to wait until the letters come? Is it time yet?" I start to wriggle with anticipation.
"Finish your studies and then it will be time." He pushes my math homework in front of me.
I sigh and sit down trying to concentrate on my math problem. Addition is so hard! I don't think I'll ever understand it.
Finally, after forever, Andre tells me it's time to go outside for letters. We see Santos, the guy in charge, come outside with that big bag. We all start running towards him.
My heart starts pounding. This is it. Today is the day. Santos starts reading names out. He's got a stack as big as my hands. It has to be there! It HAS to.
He's halfway through now. Ada, Rosa, Marco, Jose. All my friends are getting letters. I lick my lips.
"Please. Please be there." I whisper.
Two letters left. I hear my best friend's name read. He jumps up and runs to Santos. I'm excited for him but I see one letter left. "It has to be mine."
My head drops and I feel the tears clog my throat. My friends are all around me, buzzing with excitement and comparing letters. The rest of us who didn't get a letter get quiet and walk away.
"Manuel." I hear Andre. I can't look at him. I don't want him to see how sad I am. I keep kicking the dirt and walk away.
"Manuel. Manuel, stop." I feel his hand on my shoulder.
"Manuel. Just because you didn't get a letter today doesn't mean it's not coming. Here, come sit with me. I want to show you something."
We walk over to the side of the playground and sit down. I keep wiping at my face trying to get the tears to stop. I hate crying. I hate when other people see me cry. I am strong and big.
Andre opens his backpack and pulls out a small stack of letters.
"Remember when I told you my sponsors lived in America too? Well, these are all of the letters they have ever written me. I want to read one to you."
I look at him confused.
Greetings, Manuel! How are you? We have been praying for you every day. Manuel, I want you to know you can be anything you want to be. Because we are made new in Jesus we have been given a new life. It doesn't matter where you were born or what anyone else says about you. God has a purpose and a plan for your life, Manuel. You can never out dream God's plan for you life. Today I want you to tell someone your dreams and what you want to be when you grow up. Because with God, all things are possible, beloved. We pray you grow to be a man of character and wisdom. You are in our hearts, Manuel. With all our love, Chuck and Betty Larson.
Andre looks at me and says, "Manny, when I got this letter, I was going to quit school. I wrote Chuck and Betty back and told them I wanted to be a teacher. They sent me another letter telling me they would pray with me and help me any way they could. I didn't believe it but they believed in me."
"But if that's your letter, why does it have my name in it?" I look up at him with wide eyes.
"Because," Andre begins, "Even though Sarah hasn't written these words I know she believes them about you. So instead of my name, I put your name in there. Chuck and Betty believed in me the same way Sarah believes in you."
I finally start to get it.
"Um, Andre, can I read all your letters?"
"Of course Manny. But first. What do you want to be when you grow up?" he asks me.
I swallow hard. The words are stuck in my throat.
"A doctor. I want to be a doctor."
Andre smiles.
"Then Manny, that is what I will pray you become." He hands me his letters and says, "Read the letters, and then we're going to sit down and write a letter to Sarah telling her you want to be a doctor when you grow up."
I take his stack of letters, carefully open the first one, and start to read.
This day turned out to be the best day ever, because I didn't get one letter, I got twenty.
About the Author: Former Compassion employee Rachel Mueller lives in Denver, CO and blogs at rachelmueller.net.


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Here are some things to keep in mind:
- The lower your mortgage rate, the less interest you will pay over the term of your home mortgage (with a fixed rate mortgage)
- The more rent goes up, the more you may save by owning a home (with a fixed rate mortgage)
- The longer you plan to stay in your home, the more likely it is that you would benefit by buying rather than renting
- The interest you pay on a mortgage may be tax deductible as well. Consult your tax advisor about the deductibility of mortgage interest.
Fixed Rates
- Your base monthly mortgage payment (principal and interest) will always stay the same (although your taxes and insurance may change)
- The more rents go up, the more you may save by owning a home (with a fixed rate mortgage)
- If you stay in your home for a long time, a fixed rate mortgage may be more affordable than an adjustable rate mortgage
- A fixed rate mortgage locks in your interest rate for the life of your loan.
- Prequalify here
Adjustable Rates
With an adjustable rate mortgage, you get a lower interest rate for an initial time period (usually the first 1, 3, 5 or 7 years). After that, your interest rate will reset at the market rate. Most ARMs have caps that limit how high the interest rate can go. Make sure you will be able to afford your payment if your interest rate reaches that cap.
- AnnieMac Home Mortgage can get you pre-qualified to help you determine how much you can afford to pay on a mortgage. We'll ask you questions about your income, debts and expenses.
- While a pre-qualification estimate is not a guarantee to lend, it does help you set your price range, your budget, and how much you can put toward a down payment.
- Prequalify here


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Pattern Long Vest
The Full Figured Fashionista (F3) Collection is created exclusively by New York Designers Anjula and Shuchi Sharma for sizes 1XL to 3XL. Designed for the fashion-forward woman, this collection will truly compliment and accentuate a woman's body and will make you feel empowered by your curves! Beautifully constructed with comfort, quality, and wearability in mind.
Black Swan Boutique ships all online orders via the United States Postal Service within the USA! As an added perk, you will receive tracking information via email once your order has shipped.
Receive complimentary shipping on all orders over $100 within the USA!
We hope your experience has been great one but understand that sometimes things go wrong. If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (405) 842-SWAN (7926) or via email at email@example.com as we want to work with you to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
For exchanges and returns, the item(s) MUST be unused, unworn, and in the same condition that you received it with the price tags intact. Please include a copy of the original receipt with your exchange/return.
Please open your package and check the content(s) immediately upon receipt. If you notice an item is missing, damaged and/or defective, or received the wrong item, please notify us within 14 business days of delivery via email at email@example.com or Facebook Messenger at https://www.facebook.com/theblackswanboutique/.
1. Email your request to email@example.com within 14 business days of delivery. You will receive a RETURNS FORM to complete and include with your exchange/return.
2. Mail your item to the following address: Black Swan Boutique, 6454 Avondale Drive, Nichols Hills, OK 73116.
3. Once your return has been received and inspected, we will notify you via email if you will receive a full or partial refund. There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable) which include:
4. If you are approved for a full refund, a credit will be automatically applied to your original method of payment by default. You may also request an in-store credit (online code), which can be used instantly once your return has been processed!
Only regular priced items may be returned; unfortunately, sale items cannot be returned. All Sale items are FINAL. If an item is damaged or defective, please notify us within 14 business days of delivery via email at firstname.lastname@example.com or Facebook Messenger at https://www.facebook.com/theblackswanboutique/.
If the item was marked as a gift when purchased and shipped directly to you (lucky you!), you will receive in-store credit for the value of your return. An online code will be sent to you via email once the item has been received, inspected, and processed.
If the item was not marked as a gift when purchased or the gift giver had the order shipped directly to them to give to you later, we will reach out to the gift giver and notify them of your exchange/return.
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(To learn more, click the yellow REWARDS button at the bottom left of your screen.)


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Ed Helms has kept himself busy since landing a job in 2002 as a correspondent on "The Daily Show." But his career bounced to a whole new level with his role in the 2009 surprise hit comedy "The Hangover," and he's been steadily doing films ever since, while still holding down a day job as the hyper-chipper Andy Bernard on "The Office."
Next up for Helms is "The Lorax," the 3D animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss' brilliant cautionary tale about the environment. In it, Helms lends his voice to The Once-ler, an inventor who wipes out an entire ecosystem in pursuit of his dreams.
Were you a fan of "The Lorax" growing up?
I was, thanks to my parents. They're really the ones who decide for you that you're going to be a Dr. Seuss fan. In fact, I loved ["The Lorax"] so much that when I heard this film was being made I reached out to Illumination [the studio behind the film] and told them I wanted a part. I didn't care how big or small it was, I just wanted to be a part of it.
You're the villain?!
Am I, though? I think the Once-ler is really just like any of us. He's got a dream, and he goes after it and maybe he loses sight of what's important. But he's not a bad guy, necessarily. I think [director] Chris Renaud did a nice job of making him more than just a villain, he also represents a warning about how we can maybe overreach and suffer a fall from grace. That's part of the genius of this telling of the story—the book is what, 20 pages long?When you make a book like this into a feature, you really have to stretch it out, which can give you the opportunity to maybe explore facets of the characters that Seuss didn't stress.
What's the name The Once-ler about?
For me, it's evocative of a wistfulness on Seuss' part for a time gone by—"Once upon a time"—a time when maybe things were a little better than they are right now.
Why does The Once-ler stay in his tower?
He's a broken man. Do you remember the name of his house from the book?--I'm not sure we even used it in the film--The Lurkem. How cool is that? But I think for The Once-ler, The Lurkem is sort of his form of self-banishment, a prison.
What was the biggest challenge for you in developing this character?
Fortunately I'd done a lot of voice work when I was starting out—it's actually what allowed me to not make any money doing stand-up. But doing voices for an animated feature is very different. A lot of times these film get cast with movie stars, and I think it's to the movies' detriment, because movie stars are accustomed to just using their normal voice. But for this movie, I created a voice for The Once-ler and had to play him at three different stages. And I had to sing, both as the young, naive Once-ler, and as the industrialist Once-ler. Fortunately, I didn't have to sing as the weird old hermit Once-ler—don't think that would've worked so well.
"The Lorax," which also features the voices of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron and Taylor Swift, opens March 2.


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Los Angeles based Mel Kadel has been a Fecal Pal for years. She lives in a funky radical cabin (photos) in the woods near downtown LA with the talented Travis Millard. Her work should be viewed in person to grasp the amount of incredible line work that goes into each piece. A talented stable inner core sourounded by humble generous kind person exterior. That's Mel.
I was probably signing up for my first hotmail account, on my computer at work. Back then, my job was as a receptionist, so I spent the day answering the phone for a few hundred people saying "Good afternoon, Rhythm and Hues!"
The pens got smaller, and more time gets spent on each piece. It's tightened up.
I'm not sure. I think in 1-year increments.
Cool....a website where they interview artists and ask them strange questions!
It's like a line that's been thrown out that has linked a bunch of people together, from totally different places. I'm really thankful to have had my work up on the site over the years, and for the relationships it helped start.
A band from the 70's called Death. New to me.
I'll know at the last minute.
I'm cutting and layering the heaviest paper I could find. It's like carving a tree with an x-acto blade. Not sure where that's going?
Fecal Face Dot Com, the San Francisco based content-rich, multidisciplinary art and culture website, is pleased to announce the opening of its 10 Year Anniversary Show on Friday September 10, 2010 at The Luggage Store Gallery (1007 Market St, San Francisco, CA) with a reception running 6-8pm. Original paintings from 25 mid career artists based out of San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and London. A live music event and party will immediately follow a block away at Mezzanine (44 Jessie St) 9pm-2am.
Displaying paintings, illustrations, photographs and mixed media works, artists whose work will be exhibited include Corey Arnold (Portland), Tiffany Bozic (San Francisco), Kelsey Brookes (San Diego), David Choe (Los Angeles), Richard Colman ( Los Angeles), FAILE (New York), Shepard Fairey (Los Angeles), Jeremy Fish (San Francisco), Ian Francis (London), Matt Furie (San Francisco) , Mike Giant (San Francisco), Henry Gunderson (San Francisco), Maya Hayuk (New York), Jim Houser (Philadelphia), Jay Howell (San Francisco), Sylvia Ji (Los Angeles), Mel Kadel (Los Angeles), Anthony Lister (New York), Mars-1 (San Francisco), Travis Millard (Los Angeles), Ferris Plock (San Francisco), Albert Reyes (Los Angeles), Jeff Soto (Los Angeles), Damon Soule (New York), Kelly Tunstall (San Francisco), Aiyana Udesen (San Francisco), Oliver Vernon (San Francisco), and Megan Whitmarsh (Los Angeles).
In the 10 years since its conception, Fecal Face has occupied a unique niche online and in the "real world," by documenting and shaping the contemporary arts scene in the San Francisco and beyond. The first website of its kind, Fecal Face has launched the careers of many a creative and catalyzed a community of artists and personalities working in various mediums from around the globe. The 10 Year Anniversary Show will feature the works of 25 of these artists, chronicling a community and style that has been the backbone of Fecal Faces' content for the last decade. The exhibit will be on display from September 10th to October 9th at San Francisco's famous Luggage Store Gallery, with an opening reception for the public on Friday September 10th from 6-8pm. Many of the artists will be in attendance and complimentary wine served.
"Together these artists represent a visual history of what we've been doing here at Fecal Face for the last ten years," says John Trippe, the website's founder, "And we're honored that Luggage Store Gallery is hosting the event. Their 23 year history and influence in the San Francisco art scene is a huge inspiration."
The after party at Mezzanine (444 Jessie St) beginning at 9pm is a short one block walk from The Luggage Store and will feature DJ Ted Shred and live music from local and international acts (TBA on fecalface.com by August 18th). A $5 suggested donation at the door will get you a raffle ticket with a chance to win original artwork from artists such as Jeremy Fish and David Choe along with clothing donated by Upper Playground and other art related prizes. Slideshows of Fecal Face's 10 yrs online will be displayed and patrons will be invited to participate in video and photo documentaries focused on Fecal Face's 10 influential years.
Friday, September 10, 2010, 6:00-8:00pm
The Luggage Store Gallery
1007 Market Street @ 6th street, San Francisco
Gallery hours: Wed-Sat 12-5pm
After Party
Friday, September 10, 2010, 9pm-2am
at Mezzanine
444 Jessie St.
DJ Ted Shred & live music from local and international acts
(bands announced on Fecal Face by August 18th)
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Amelia Earhart
From This Story
America's most famous woman pilot vanished on July 2, 1937, with navigator Fred Noonan, en route to Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean during an around-the-world flight in a Lockheed Electra 10E. Want the details? See Amelia Earhart by Doris Rich, Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved by Elgen and Marie Long, East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart by Susan Butler, or some of the other 50 books about or by Earhart; the 2009 movie starring Hilary Swank, the 1994 one with Diane Keaton, or the 1943 Rosalind Russell version. But in a nutshell: She's still missing.
Patricia Trenner
Charles Nungesser and François Coli
When this magazine last left our heroes—the two French pilots who got lost crossing the Atlantic in an attempt to win the $10,000 prize that Charles Lindbergh bagged 12 days later—their remains and their airplane were being sought in Maine's inhospitable backcountry. That was in February 1987, when Air & Space sent a reporter along on a search for the aircraft, L'Oiseau Blanc—the White Bird.
Charles Nungesser and François Coli had left Paris for New York on the night of May 8, 1927. A woodsman near the Maine town of Machias reported hearing an airplane above the clouds on the afternoon of May 9, and his story circulated among the locals for years. Searches of the area in the 1980s turned up nothing, but launched The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (which later earned fame for claiming it had found a piece of Amelia Earhart's shoe). Twenty expeditions and 23 years later, TIGHAR founder Ric Gillespie, citing testimony reported in a 1927 New York Times article, has moved his search from Maine to Newfoundland. The Times noted that New Yorkers were " scanning the dripping skies and devouring eagerly false reports of [the aircraft's] appearances along the Newfoundland and New England coasts." Gillespie believes some of the reports weren't false. "Several people along the [Newfoundland] coast went to the magistrate and swore what they saw on the morning of May 9 in affidavits," he says. "The reports are 20 to 30 miles apart, and they line right up." On Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, residents have told of an airplane crashing in one of the area's many lakes. Gillespie has traveled several times to an area, dotted with ponds, that he could reach only by helicopter. On his next trip he hopes to search with LIDAR—light detection and ranging technology. He says, "I would rather find the White Bird than Amelia Earhart."
Linda Shiner
D.B. Cooper


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ROCKFORD — Heritage Credit Union, 5959 E. State St., announced the promotion of Anita Rauch to CEO, according to a news release sent April 30.
Rauch has worked for the credit union for 31 years and served the last three years as its president. She is the first woman to lead Heritage Credit Union in its 80-year history and will also serve on the board of directors.
Rauch replaces Robert Lestina, who retired in March after 15 years of service to the credit union.
For information: heritagecu.org.


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I confess, I am a music-killer. I find a song I like and put it on repeat until I reach a stage where merely hearing the opening bars makes me want to punch something and then I put the ipod back onto shuffle until I find the next song.
This week it's this one:
Before that we had:
The one I always pick on the jukebox:
The one that makes me think of being a little kid again:
this one still makes me smile:
And this one (my one and only itunes purchase was this album):
Apparently I'm in 'sad phase' at the moment. all I know is that I wish I knew where I was going to be this weekend. I need to find a rock to sit on and think about life, and I'm just hoping that I find out soon so that I can go and see my other home for a couple of days.


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from the runway
RELEASE - Port Authority Partners with SBDC(Wilmington, Ohio) The Clinton County Port Authority is partnering with Ohio's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program to bring advisor Sangmi Kim to Clinton County weekly through the end of the year.
RELEASE - Port Authority Authorizes Repairs Equipment Purchases"We are still meeting virtually, using the Zoom platform," said Executive Director Dan Evers. "We are working to balance the safety and gathering in larger numbers and this is still the best option for us." At the meeting, the Board reviewed four pieces of legislation.
(WILMINGTON, OHIO) Around the country, aircraft are being temporarily parked as demand for passenger air travel decreases. The Wilmington Air Park, as a facility that can accommodate large aircraft arrivals and departures, is able to offer temporary space for parking of those aircraft.
RELEASE - Air Park Receives FY20 ODOT Grant Award Notice(WILMINGTON, OHIO) The Clinton County Port Authority (Port Authority) received a Notice of Project Approval (NPA) indicating that it has successfully secured grant funds from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) FY2020 Ohio Airport Grant Program. These funds will be leveraged with Port Authority funds to complete repairs of concrete infrastructure on Taxiway A and Taxiway C, as well as replace lighted signs along Runway 22R/4L.
OEDA Awards - Best Project - Clinton County Port Authority Final (R)WILMINGTON, OH, OCTOBER 14, 2019: The Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA) presented its Annual Excellence Awards at its 2019 Annual Summit, held at the Embassy Suites Columbus-Dublin.
(Wilmington, Ohio) Clinton County was recently recognized as one of the "Top 100 Micropolitans" in the U.S., according to a ranking by Site Selection magazine. This trade publication annually ranks states and regions on their success in securing projects that result in new investment and job creation opportunities.
Economic Development and Workforce Leaders Meet with Dayton Development Coalition
PORT AUTHORITY HOSTS REGIONAL MEETING (WILMINGTON, OHIO) The Clinton County Port Authority (Port Authority) hosted the first quarterly meeting for the Dayton Development Coalition's (DDC) region, bringing together Economic Development leaders from the 14-county region. Joining them were representatives from several of the region's Workforce Development offices, colleges, and other workforce development professionals.
WILMINGTON AIR PARK CERTIFIED PART 139 BY FAAWILMINGTON, OH – APRIL 17, 2018 – The Wilmington Air Park has once again earned its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 139 Certification, affirming that the airport facilities, infrastructure, staffing, and operations protocols are on par with other large airports around the country.
Wilmington Air Park poised for redevelopmentA $3.7 million construction project for a new complex at a Clinton County air park is being proposed as part of a multi-phase initiative to redevelop the area for present and future use.
Richard Thompson Retires from the Clinton County Port Authority Board; John Settlemyre, Brian Smith AppointedThe September 14, 2017, meeting of the Clinton County Port Authority Board of Directors saw the end of an era, with the retirement of Richard Thompson from the Board. Thompson was appointed to the Port Authority Board in 2004, when the Port Authority was formed by the Clinton County Board of Commissioners.
Wilmington Air Park Certified Part 139 by FAAWILMINGTON, OH – MAY 12, 2017 – The Wilmington Air Park has once again earned its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 139 Certification, recognizing that the airport facilities, staffing, operations and infrastructure are on par with other large airports around the country.
The University of Akron and Airborne Project on Pathway to FAA CertificationThe Wilmington Air Park is proud to be the home of a partnership to add value and safety to the aviation industry through applied technology. Air Park tenant Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, along with the University of Akron, welcomed several guests for the ribbon cutting on its new Supersonic Particle Deposition Booth. The process employs a supersonic jet of an expanded gas containing metal particles to bond with a solid surface on impact. It is part of a pilot program funded by the State of Ohio and including partners NCERCAMP (University of Akron), SAFE Engineering, US Technology Corporation and Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services.
WILMINGTON AIR PARK WELCOMES NEW TENANT - Schuerger Law Offices to operate Call CenterWILMINGTON, OH – FEBRUARY 22, 2017 – The Wilmington Air Park recently added another new tenant, bringing a new employer and new job opportunities to the community. The Law Offices of Robert A. Schuerger Co., LPA has leased 4,400 square feet of office space in the Air Park's Administration Building. The space will house both legal services and a call center operation for the law firm. The lease term is approximately five years, with a five-year renewal option.
Wilmington Air Park Now Certified at Cat IIIWilmington, Ohio – October 4, 2016 – The most recent runway in the United States to be Certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as Category III is located at the Wilmington Air Park. The Clinton County Port Authority and LGSTX Services, Inc. received word from the FAA that the Instrument Landing System (ILS) on Runway 22R has been officially certified at Category III/E/3.
Clinton County Receives Brownfields GrantWilmington, Ohio – May 20, 2016 – The Clinton County Port Authority and the Clinton County Regional Planning Commission received word this week that the Port Authority has received a $200,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).
FAA Authorization Propels UC's UAV Work Skyward
The high-flying endeavors in unmanned aerial vehicle testing and research at the University of Cincinnati just got a new lift from the Federal Aviation Administration. This week the FAA granted UC's Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics and Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering certificates of authorization (COA) to test five types of UAVs, or drones, in Wilmington Air Park, less than an hour's drive from campus. Permission to also fly with the West Virginia Division of Forestry is still pending.
Site Selection Names Wilmington Ohio in Top Ten U.S. MicropolitansSite Selection Magazine recently announced the awards given to this years top Metropolitans and Micropolitans in the U.S. In the magazines ranking of Top Micropolitans cities of 10,000 to 50,000 people Wilmington, Ohio was named number on the Micropolitan list.
Port Authority Distributes Small Business Safety Toolkits(Wilmington, Ohio) Partnering with JobsOhio and the Dayton Development Coalition (DDC), the Clinton County Port Authority received 125 Small Business Safety Toolkits to distribute throughout the community.
Redevelopment Study Providing Useful Data for Aviation Site Selection & Cargo Airport Site
In 2011, Jones Lang LaSalle was hired to lead a team which would conduct a thorough study on the redevelopment of the Wilmington Air Park. The overarching goals of the plan were to 1) identify potential economic development opportunities at the property and 2) provide a series of recommended actions that will enable the CCPA to capitalize on the economic development opportunities.
The project was funded by the Ohio Department of Development and the US Economic Development Agency. An Executive Summary of the Study is available for download here.


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Man suspected in shooting to stand trial
William Harris, 19, charged with first-degree assault
An Omaha teenager is going to trial after police said he shot a woman multiple times.
Detectives said 19-year-old William Harris went to 26-year-old Rebecca Earlywine's house Feb. 7 to sell crystal meth and street dope.
-- Mug shots: See who got arrested
Earlywine told police Harris shot her at least 10 times inside her home near 29th and S streets because she said no. She said she hid under the stairs until police arrived.
-- Woman suffers apparent gunshot wounds
She was taken to Alegent Creighton Health Creighton University Medical Center with an apparent gunshot wound, police said.
Harris' dad believes his son was framed.
"He's not a violent-type person. He's mischievous. He got into a little trouble before but not violent, wasn't nothing violent," said William Harris Sr.
Police said Harris told them he was "sorry for what he did" when they arrested him. Harris was charged with first-degree assault.


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It might seem like I'm being overly dramatic with the title, but the following two concepts are critical for understanding running form, or even human movement in general. With the rise in popularity of running form and the increase in running form guru's that accompanies that, I it was a good time to share what I feel is the most important lesson. Why? Because if you change mechanics and don't know what you're doing, you are begging for an injury. As always, I'm deeply in debt to the master when it comes to this topic, Tom Tellez. The two key lessons to learn are:
- What happens Active versus Passive
- The difference between Static movements and Dynamic movements.
What's so important about these concepts? Well, quite frankly it's what separates the knowledgeable from the quacks. It's relatively easy to watch a lot of good people run and figure out in a general idea what good running form looks like. What's harder is to figure out what the runners are actually doing to get to that point.
Passive vs. Active
The concept is relatively easy, but sometimes difficult to grasp with all the scientific type stuff, so I'll try and keep it to a minimum. The idea is that in dynamic movements like running, things happen both actively and passively. It's a little more complex than that, in that there is a large interaction between the two, but let's stick with making it simple. By active, we mean that muscles have to be actively contracted to accomplish some task. For instance, in doing a bicep curl, we know that the muscles in the arm work together to lift whatever weight is in your hand. Essentially, it's active if you've got to try and do it (even if it's so ingrained that aren't actually "thinking" about it to accomplish the task)
Passively is a little more complex. You can subdivide passive into passive mechanics, and reflexive. Passive mechanics are things like momentum or inertia, where it doesn't matter really if it's a human or not, objects will act in various ways. Think back to your High School Physics class for this stuff. Reflexive is exactly as it sounds. It's those things that happen without you actively thinking or doing anything. It happens as a result of something else. The common example is the test where they tap right below your knee in the doctor's office and your foot kicks out a little.
If we look at the various passive mechanisms we have in our body, you'll see things like the stretch reflex. Which should essentially be thought of as a rubber band. The muscle-tendon unit is stretched and then snaps back really quickly. You've got the stretch shortening cycle, which basically means that if you stretch the muscle a bit before contacting, you'll get a bigger power increase. The typical example is the calf muscle during any sort of hoping. When you hit the ground, the calf is stretched, storing energy, and then contracted as you push off. A practical example would be a counter-movement jump. If we were to measure jump height, what would you do? You'd start standing, then squat down and immediately explode upwards. If you instead squatted down, held it for a few seconds and then exploded upwards, you would not jump near as high because you didn't take advantage of the SSC.
There are other largely passive mechanisms that aid us in running. We could look at the elastic energy storage and transference through the body that occurs when you strike the ground, or we could look at the interplay of the motion in the upper and lower body which can aid in movement and force production. But…those topics are for another post, as I don't want this to become an all encompassing 20 page post. So we'll focus on what I'll call the big 3.
Passive applied to Running:
So what does this actually mean in terms of running? Well, part of the running stride is active, and part of it relies on passive stuff. If you are changing someone's mechanics and you are trying to copy some other runner, and you change something that he is doing largely passively, then you just screwed yourself. Because now you're using muscles you don't need to, which increases the energy cost and increases potential injury likelihood. Let's take a look at the running stride and help Identify what happens passively, or at least mostly passively.
Kicking your butt:
When athlete's sprint or run pretty quickly, most have a high back kick where the foot folds up and almost hits their butt as it passes underneath them. This is a good thing because it increases the angular velocity of the lower leg. But we don't get there by thinking about actively kicking ourselves in the butt…Why?
Because the reason the foot goes close to the butt is because of the inertial force that the thigh exerts on the lower leg. Once the thigh is extended as far back as it's going to go, it then shoots forward (for reasons we'll discuss shortly). Well, since the thigh and lower leg are linked, the thigh changes directions a tad "sooner" and moves faster (because it's closer to the rotation point…the hip) then it has a profound effect on what the lower leg does. The thigh essentially "drags" the lower leg with it. The faster the thigh moves, the more it "drags" it. So what's the effect that we see? The faster the thigh moves forward, the more the lower leg folds up to the butt. It's simply an inertial force.
If you want to get creative and see it for yourself, get some sort of simple 2 link segment to mimic the upper and lower legs. I've used a longer metal hinge before. Just play around with it making sure to rotate the "upper" part of the hinge/linked system and see what the lower part does.
Okay, so we got that lesson? The thigh speed partially determines what the lower leg does. (I say partially because body lean, the angle of the hips (the joint which everything "rotates" around) also will influence it…but that's for another post). So move the thigh forward faster right? Wrong!
Moving your thigh and lifting your knee:
The problem with trying to really move your thigh forward is that once again, it largely occurs passively. The stretch reflex at the hip plays a large role. As the thigh/hip complex moves back rapidly as you apply force to the ground, it creates a stretch reflex effect so that once extension is complete, the whole thigh shoots forward. As I've mentioned previously, it's best thought of as a pulling a slingshot back and then letting it go. As you apply force to the ground and the hip extends/thigh moves back, you are essentially pulling the slingshot back. Once you extend far enough back, then you "let go" and the thigh shoots forward.
The best practical example of this is when you take patients who have spinal lesions, put them on a treadmill, and then manually force the thigh/hip to extend. If you extend the hip enough, then let go, the leg will "magically" come forward through the swing phase in a close approximation to walking (and the lower leg will fold up slightly due partly to the inertial force exerted by the thigh).
So, trying to move your thigh through the swing phase faster is a foolish thing to do. It's trying to make something that is largely "passive" into something active. The same goes for lifting the knee actively. If the thigh comes through with enough speed, which will be a result of the stretch reflex and the inertial force of the thigh on the lower leg (because if the inertial force is great, then the lower leg will fold up towards the butt and increase the angular velocity of the whole leg coming through…). Put another way, the greater the force of hip extension/moving the thigh backward by application of force to the ground, the greater the knee lift will be in the front. Why? Because the thigh would shoot through "quicker" because of the greater stretch reflex. Thus…why when you sprint, you generally have a higher knee lift then when jogging…You're not extending the hip/thigh as quickly or as much.
Arm Swing
While there are a lot of other examples, one I'd briefly like to discuss is arm swing. The reason I'm mentioning this is it's relatively easy to feel the stretch reflex at play. In this case, swinging your arms backward will create a stretch reflex that aids in moving the arms through the forward swing phase.
It's pretty easy to feel. Go stand in front of a mirror and just start stroking your arms. Start with an easy tempo and then increase the tempo and range of motion. If you are swinging your arms back appropriately, you can easily feel the effects of the stretch reflex. Just mess around with it for a while and you should be able to get it. This whole arm swing mechanism is why you primarily focus on the backswing and stroking your arms, not bringing them forward.
One last thing I'd like to mention briefly about arm swing, is that the arms and legs work in concert. Arm swing is a great way to control tempo and stride rate/length. For example, why do people open up the arms and stroke them when kicking it in? To increase stride length because the arms are going through a bigger range of motion, the legs will too.
Just a quick tip, the arms and legs counteract the angular momentum of each other. Upper body rotation/arm swing problems can be used to identify lower leg problems and vice versa. Most of the time what I've found is if you fix the arm swing, the legs will compensate and "fix" too. It's why you've got to take a whole body approach and not isolate.
So what the heck do I worry about?!
You've got to make sure everything is in the right position to work correctly. The biggest lessons are learning what NOT to do. That being said, this isn't a post about how to change form. The quick and dirty cheat sheet guide is to pay attention to the following:
- Body position –slight lean from the ground, everything in alignment, moving forward, not wasting motion.
- Foot strike (not only where on the foot, but more importantly where in relation to COM)
- Hip extension once you hit the ground (Downwards and a little back. The key is starting hip extension once the foot hits the ground and ALLOWING it to happen and not trying to rush it or cut it off short…or as I like to invoke my inner info commercial…just set it and forget it…)
- Arm stroke- arms are your gas pedal. Use them to control the tempo.
- Relaxation
Static vs. Dynamic
Passive and Active are very much related to static and dynamic. If you've suffered through this post long enough, you'll realize that the body has to work differently in a dynamic state than a static one. The stretch reflex, SSC, and inertial forces, for example, all rely on relatively quick movements. They don't happen if we move really slow through the same range of motion. That means that the way we work dynamically is completely different than how we might work statically.
This has a couple major implications. First, you can't really use static tests or static range of motion to tell you much about a dynamic movement. My favorite example is that Carl Lewis couldn't touch his toes, yet watch him long jump and his dynamic range of motion was incredible. If you don't believe that story, I'll demonstrate on myself…
Ask anyone who has run with me and they'll tell you my static flexibility is horrible. I'm completely useless. Even when I wear high socks to run in, I can't come close to being able to bend down and touch them. The pictures below illustrate this. In the first one, I'm actively raising my heel as close as I can get it to my butt. In the second one, I'm pulling my heel to the butt as far as I can without feeling like my quads about to be ripped. It's pretty apparent that if you looked at these pictures, you'd realize my static range of motion sucks…it's horrible…
The point in mentioning this is to not fall into the trap of doing stuff like static flexibility or range of motion tests and then using those to explain someone's movement in a dynamic situation. For example, if a runner doesn't have a high back kick and a trainer/coach notices they have horrible static hamstring flexibility, the conclusion is often that the kid needs to stretch more so he can get that range of motion…Well that would be wrong. Runner's muscles are often "tight" statically because a tight musculo-tendon unit is "stiffer" which means it can work as a spring better, storing more elastic energy than a completely loose muscle. Our body isn't dumb; it tries to become efficient at what we do. That's the reason why research studies show that runner's with worse sit and reach scores have better Running economy.
Does that mean no static or dynamic stretching? No. Because remember that most of our mileage is run at relatively slow paces, so we primarily adapt to that. That's why you need some dynamic flexibility work, or more importantly some sprinting or faster running where the range of motion is much higher throughout the year.
To finish the static vs. dynamic section, I'll quote a dissertation by James Smoliga (2007) where he said, and backed up with research:
"Functional MRI imaging has revealed coordination between the upper and lower body to be a complex task controlled by multiple areas of a motor network, distributed across cortical and subcortical regions of the brain61. Coordination of the arms and legs is task-specific, with a reflex pathway active during locomotion73, 112, but not during tasks performed while standing or seated73 "
So What?
The whole point is to be informed. It's easy to look at a picture or a video and realize what you see. But what matters is the why and how what you see is happening.
Not being able to distinguish the above things is what separates the so-called "guru's" and the people who actually know what they are doing. Sorry if it sounds harsh, but with the rise of the barefoot running stuff and the interest in running form, there are a lot of people trying to make $ of runners who don't know any better…
The danger with using EMG:
Lastly, a section I've added on because Pete Larson requested it…EMG is a way we measure electrical activity in the muscle. EMG simply tells you when there's an electrical signal going to the muscle. So it can basically be used to tell if the muscle is "on" or "off". It's a tremendous tool. What it doesn't tell you is important to understand. It doesn't tell you where the nervous impulse originated, whether it was through higher motor centers, from a Central Pattern Generator in the spine, or as part of a reflexive adjustment based on feedback. More importantly, it doesn't tell you what the muscle is doing. Just because it's "active" doesn't mean it is being used in a primary contraction/force production way.
For instance, if we look at the concept of muscle tuning in the lower leg, an EMG might show that there is some pre-activity going on in the muscles of the lower leg for example before we even strike the ground. That doesn't mean the lower leg muscles are necessarily being actively contracted by the individual to dorsiflex the foot or try and get the "force generation" going early. Instead, what is going on is that the whole lower leg complex is "muscle tuning" meaning it's adjusting the characteristics of the musculature such as stiffness to prepare for the force absorption that will occur when the foot collides with the ground.
Another great example is in the hamstring muscle group during the swing phase as the leg swings through, unfolds and is getting ready to touch the ground. As the leg swings through, you often get an EMG activity signal. This is sometimes interpreted as the hamstring being active so that the lower leg unfurls and then there is a large active pawback where the runner tries to contract the hamstrings a ton to get the foot moving in the same direction as the ground. What's really happening is that as the leg comes through and the lower leg unfurls, the hamstring is simply active to slow down the lower leg unfurling. Because the thigh and lower leg swing through with a lot of momentum, the hamstrings work to counteract the lower legs unfurling momentum so that it doesn't just keep going until the leg is straight. If the hamstring didn't contract to provide just enough "braking" while the lower leg unfurls, we'd have a lot of runners landing with their whole leg in a straight line far out in front of them.
These are only two examples, but many more can be given. The "core" is an excellent example that I'll try and delve into some other time. Additionally, it is hard to separate out the stretch reflex mediated signal from a higher level motor signal. The stretch reflex will elicit an EMG response, so unless the study is designed to, it's hard to figure out how much the stretch reflex (or even if one contributes at all) contributes to the EMG signal. The point is that EMG only tells us when the muscle is on/off, not what it's role is or where the signal is coming from.