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Today, Ken Kolakowski, head of maintenance at Weiss Memorial Hospital, walks effortlessly and without pain—a vast improvement compared to his previous 25 years, when he was barely walking at all. His right leg bowed outward, and his knee joint was misaligned, two inches out of plumb. He limped down the hospital's hallways in pain, the bones of his knee joint rubbing against each other without any cartilage or padding to protect them.
"Every year it was deteriorating," Kolakowski said. "Everyday I walked I was in pain."
But he did not have to live that way, and one of the surgeons he passed in the halls told him that over and over again. His name was Henry Finn, M.D., medical director of the Chicago Center for Orthopedics and chairman of surgery at Weiss and professor of surgery at the University of Chicago.
"It's time to fix your knee, Kenny," Dr. Finn would say. "When are you going to let me fix that knee?"
"Eventually, Doc, and you'll be the one," Kolakowski would reply.
"He's such a great guy, but he was scared to death to have anything done," Dr. Finn said. "And he could be one of the most difficult total knee replacements that I've done. He had a severe knee joint deformity from previous trauma, which involved fractures and injuries to the soft tissues."
The two had known each other for 15 years, meeting at Weiss more than a decade after the accident that caused Kolakowski's physical troubles. In 1979, Kolakowski was on his motorcycle in Calumet City when a car slammed against him from behind, pushing him through a brick wall. He was 22 years old.
"The only thing I remember was being in St. Margaret's Hospital after that," he said.
Doctors gave him two options: They could attempt to keep his knee together with pins that would last a maximum of 20 years, or they could amputate his leg from the knee down.
Kolakowski chose the pins. The doctor, he said "did what he could to get me together." Afterward, Kolakowski's flexibility was extremely limited. He continued to ride his motorcycle in a cast and crutches. "I wasn't scared," he said. "I was young and dumb."
Twenty-five years later, Kolakowski's leg started to bow and cause him extreme pain, despite medications. No matter how bad he felt, though, the idea of surgery was more daunting. Just the thought of surgery made him anxious.
Dr. Finn said he believes that Kolakowski's anxiety came from the patients he witnessed coming into the hospital on stretchers and in wheelchairs. Some of the worst cases in the region passed Kolakowski in the halls, drawn to Weiss by the collective expertise of the surgeons who are now part of the Chicago Center for Orthopedics at Weiss.
Finally, after years of living in pain, he agreed to let Dr. Finn operate.
"I was scared at first. You're put between a rock and a hard place, but I know Dr. Finn and I know what he does," he said. Kolakowski told Dr. Finn he wanted to remember going into the operating room and nothing else.
That is exactly what happened. On August 5, 2010, nurses wheeled Kolakowski into the operating room. The entire surgery—which typically lasts an hour—went more than two hours due to the severity of Kolakowski's condition.
Dr. Finn skillfully released the tightened ligaments associated with Kolakowski's deformity. The severity of his injury required the expertise of a revision knee surgeon as well as a revision knee implant invented by Dr. Finn (the Vanguard Super Stabilized Knee, a knee replacement typically used for fixing failed knee replacements). Dr. Finn had to be careful. Many of the tissues bordered nerves and arteries, and the slightest error could have resulted in severe limb-threatening injuries.
Calling the surgery "very high risk," Dr. Finn added, "I always give my patients 120 percent, but when it's someone you know, it feels to me like more than a regular game. It's the playoffs."
Ken Kolakowski attended rehabilitation therapy everyday during his recovery.
A therapist was in Kolakowski's room within hours of the surgery, asking him to first sit up in bed and then stand. Those movements were possible because of the pain cocktail—a special concoction of drugs injected into all of the cut tissues during the procedure. The therapist explained that the longer Kolakowski sat still, the harder it would be for him to regain mobility. He returned home three days later, already feeling the benefits of the surgery by decreased pain and correction of his deformity.
But there was still work to be done. Kolakowski attended rehabilitation therapy everyday, driving into Weiss from his Indiana home for a 9:45 a.m. therapy session. By the fourth week he said he felt "good." He walked laps around the physical therapy room and used a stationary bike to re-acclimate his muscles and knee with bending and flexing.
Six weeks after surgery, Kolakowski returned to the hospital, only this time as an employee. "It's been a good experience coming to Weiss, knowing that everything would be taken care of. I was in good hands and relieved everything went well."
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Pain And Gain (2013)
Pain And Gain SynopsisFrom acclaimed director Michael Bay comes Pain and Gain, a new action comedy starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie. Based on the unbelievable true story of a group of personal trainers in 1990s Miami who, in pursuit of the American Dream, get caught up in a criminal enterprise that goes horribly wrong.
Pain And Gain Release Date
In Theaters April 26, 2013
Pain And Gain Credits
Starring: Rebel Wilson, Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson
Written by: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, and Scott Rosenberg
Directed by: Michael Bay
Produced by: Michael Bay, Ian Bryce, and Donald De Line
MPAA Rating: [ R ]
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
External Info: Pain And Gain Official Website
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if you're excited for Pain And Gain

subset: commoncrawl


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Product Number: 002-004-1784
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text:
Breathing Lessons
Breathing Lessons
The sound is familiar and startling like a diving swallow, but louder, maybe a falling rock. I have heard the sound many times, the sound of the diving swallow, the violet-green swallow, those that nest on El Cap. They spend their lives diving, making that sound, the whirring that their stubby wings make as they careen around invisible sky corners in pursuit of prey. But the sound of a falling rock is more ominous and a frightening sound. My first impulse is to duck, arms over the head, then inevitably to look up–-nothing–-then straight out from our perch on El Cap Tower, 1500 vertical feet above El Capitan's base, I see them—two human bodies plummeting toward the valley floor. My breathing stopped.
Moments earlier on this cool evening in the spring of 1993, Allan and I had comfortably bivouacked half way up El Cap's southwest buttress in Yosemite Valley. Why were we here? That thought had begun to dominate the somnolent reverie brought on by the extreme heat of this very long day and the inert boredom of belaying.
To the casual observer, El Cap Tower is barely visible on the face of El Capitan—the awesome granite presence that greets visitors to Califor¬nia's most famous national park. El Cap Tower is merely a ledge named by the first climbers to reach it back in the fifties. To Allan and me, the Tower is commodious. Ledges of this size are rare on this three-thousand foot high, one-mile long cliff. To the unaccustomed, however, just its location might add one more insanity to the idea of being here. Why were we here?
Six months ago Allan insisted that we do a Yosemite route together and the Nose of El Capitan was decided upon. We both had ex¬perience on El Cap, but not as a team. We had both been high in the granite niches of the Cap¬tain's walls many times in the past, but in those days the reasons for being there were never in question— why are we here now?
Back in the sixties and seventies when climbing many of the Valley's classic routes, I trained incessantly and obsessively for these "walls". I spent months working my way up lesser climb¬ing routes getting ready for the "big" ones. Allan, as a Tuolumne climbing guide in the seventies, had always been ready for his walls. Being "ready" meant spending hours, some¬times days, hundreds of feet off the ground, enduring the hot sun and unrelenting thirst, suspended in nylon slings, pounding pitons into cracks in vertical granite, often sitting all night in home-made three-step climbing slings on an ankle hooked under one's butt, or sleeping in a delicate nylon hammock strung between over-driven pitons.
We were ready then—not so, now. We are literally off-the-couch and twenty years older. We've been joking about our combined age being over one-hundred, and how if we suc¬ceed and can forget the difficulties, we might come back in a few years and break some kind of record for geriatric wall climbing. This day has been an eye-opening, memory-jogging, revela¬tion. Wall climbing was hard back then and it's even harder now. I am sixty years old. Allan is forty. I haven't been on El Cap since Royal R. and I gave Warren H. more to talk about back in 1971. Why am I here now?
Bill F., the Dolt, had begun to ask that same question during his many trips up and down the fixed ropes that he, Warren H., and Mark P. had strung to this most commodious of Nose ledges during the first ascent siege. He thought some¬one was trying to tell him something. Why was he there? On one of his numerous rappels, Bill forgetfully slid down into a knot and was uncom¬fortably detained many feet above the ground until he extricated himself. Later, according to Warren, "he began muttering ominous biblical quotations and eventually ended his wall climb¬ing activities—for good." He had figured out why he shouldn't be there.
We began the climb yesterday struggling up the first four pitches to Sickle Ledge. Two younger climbers, climbing free, passed us on the third pitch. We rappelled back to the ground and spent last night in Camp-4 with lots of time to reflect on our climbing efficiency—we are very slow. We haven't dared to step out of our aid loops except to rappel. Our wall climbing equip¬ment is outmoded and our technique is need of resuscitation. The two young climbers were two pitches ahead of us when we rappelled.
This morning we returned to our high point on Sickle Ledge and continued the climb up the Stove Legs, past Dolt Tower, and just beyond El Cap Tower. My thoughts beyond that point ran like this:
On the ground I was scared. Up here the fear is gone. The environment is familiar, friendly. I am in my element now. The immensity of the rock and the chore of climbing it should no longer be overwhelming. But something makes me ask, why am I here? The something is the exhaus¬tion.
This is exhausting. I am exhausted. Back in the sixties this was easy. The chimney behind Texas Flake was incredibly easy then. I wiggled up it in just minutes, completely within my aero¬bic capabilities. This is the nineties and I can't even get over the initial move into the chimney. I struggle over it somehow and begin the as¬cent. Within seconds I am gasping, gulping down air in insufficient quantities. A quarter of the way up I have to rest, but how does one rest when it's taking everything I have to remain stemmed between two vertical, slippery walls? Stopping to "rest" does nothing but increase my agony. I struggle upward toward Allan perched above me, clipped into a bolt, his legs astride the thin summit of the flake.
When I finally arrive, totally exhausted, com¬pletely out of breath, I cannot speak, I need more air than I can possibly inhale. It takes forever for my pulse to approach normal. Un¬able to talk, I'm thinking, God, I hope Allan realizes that I cannot lead the next pitch—the bolt trail out to Boot Flake and the scary crack up its right side. Avoiding eye contact, Allan calmly hands me the hardware rack, "Go for it, Don."
I'm thinking, sh#t, is he blind? I'm dying here! Resigned to my fate, I step out and begin clip¬ping the bolts. My pulse has returned to a more comfortable level and my mouth is regaining some moisture. As my body shifts into cruise control, my mind's eye flashes on Dolt's photo of Mark on this lead during the first ascent. I just want to finish this pitch so I can rest.
It's late afternoon when Allan follows my lead to the Boot top and we decide to rappel back to El Cap Tower for a comfortable bivouac. We are tired, but the ledge, El Cap Tower, is com¬fortable and we are already beginning to forget what it took to get here. We discuss Boot Flake and the King Swing—determined to go on to¬morrow. After our meal, with the sun gone, we quaff a couple of master cylinders—over-sized cans of malt liquor—and settle back to enjoy two of Allan's little plastic tipped cigars. Biv¬ouacs were always the high points of my sixties ascents and this was a nineties classic. In the back of my mind though, Why are we here?
This brings us back to the sound of something falling—back to the horror of the plummeting bodies and the instant my breathing stopped.
Before my heart can regain its rhythm, another sound. Pow! Pow! Like two shotgun bursts. Pow! Pow! The two plummeting bodies abruptly snap to a slow gliding descent below bright nylon canopies. They are now ecstatically ex¬changing joyous screams as they swoop to a clearing on the valley floor and their accom¬plices gather them and their gear into a waiting van. In a matter of seconds they are gone.
Neither one of us has said a word. I am still trying to breathe. Allan finally gasps, "Jesus, that scared the holy crap out of me!" The im¬pending tragedy has become nothing more than two BASE jumpers doing their thing, but the horror in our initial impression is not so easily dismissed. I am still trembling. Allan continues mumbling, his head metronoming, "That had to be the scariest damn thing I've ever experienced." Well, not quite—read on.
The next morning we awake to a dark cloudy sky. Now what? I have never retreated from an El Cap route in my life and always believed it easier to continue than to retreat. Allan used the escape bolt-route once in the distant past and was not anxious to use it again, but after considering our options, we decide to pack up, climb the fixed ropes to the top of Boot Flake, and wait to see how the weather develops. If there is no improvement by ten o'clock, we bail.
At ten o'clock, the wind has picked up, and the skies are still cloudy. We can see the two young climbers that passed us the first day. They are just over the Great Roof and moving into the lowering clouds. As the wind continues to build, we bail.
Allan knows the many rappels on the escape route, maybe 14–most from antiquated quarter-inch Rawls placed back in the late sixties by Tom R., the Mad Bolter. We begin our retreat. The wind is blowing from the west so intensely that it's impossible to stay on course and diffi¬cult to find the anchors—even harder to fight our way west to reach them. Sixteen times I find myself next to Allan, our total weight sus¬pended in nylon slings from two smarmy, al¬most thirty-year-old bolts on a blank vertical wall of granite, hundreds of feet above the valley floor. Each time we pull down the rappel line from the two anchors above we reduce our security by half and raise our anxieties propor¬tionately. I'm still wondering, Why are we here?
Many hours later, having added fourteen stress¬ful chapters to this epic of misguided adven¬ture, we are finally on the ground and met by friends. They have been watching our daily progress and have brought us each a beer. We kneel to kiss the ground, thanking God first, for the ground, our friends second, for the beer.
After a brief respite in Camp-4, we head for Degnan's and sit out front watching the weather grow worse and drinking more beer. Billy R. shows up, goes in and buys us another six-pack. Tim M. happens by later and offers to purchase another "box of Rocks". By late after¬noon and yet another box, the weather has deteriorated in sync with our sobriety. It's be¬gun snowing up higher. We think about the two young guys up on El Cap—bad news. We lean back and open another bottle. Now we know why we're here —down here. ♦
The "young climbers" that climbed into the clouds the day that Allan and I retreated from El Capitan in 1993 ultimately required a rescue from 800 feet below the summit. Both were suffering from mild hyper¬thermia and dehydration.
Although I attributed my difficulties in the Texas Flake chimney to lack of conditioning and old age, upon reflection I must explain that my first time up the Nose in was March of 1967. It was only the 8th time the route had been climbed. The chimney had not yet acquired the layers of shoe rubber and body oils that the subsequent hundreds of ascents deposited over the 26 year interim. The chimney was undoubtedly easier in 1967.
Don Lauria♦


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- Melina Griffiths Lettersten
- London
- United Kingdom
This conversation is closed.
It is a fact TED is a unprecedented success. How do you think it differs from other inspirational and original talks available online?
Hello global community :) At the moment i'm doing a dissertation for my MA. in social entrepreneurship. I am curious to know the underneath (sometimes subconscious reasons) why the individuals are so passionate about TED and what does it triggers in their lifes. Innovation? Reinforcement of personal talents? Creativity? awareness? a more personalized type of education revolution? A craving for authenticity and establishment of relationships? Empathy? A reconnection with millenary way of inspiring by story telling? Is TED playing a "digital parenting" role for individuals, especially for the young generation? Is it a tool for reforming education?
As you may see, there are so many questions! Please feel free to just pop intutitive ideas, feelings and visions ... They will all serve for my analysis.
Looking forward to reading your comments.
Thank you very much,
Fritzie -
May 22 2013: My opinion is that TED does a good job of curation so that a combination of interesting talks are put forward, they are of a length that lets people fit them into a busy day, and they are pitched for an audience of non-specialists. The most popular TED talks are presented in an engaging way and without commercial marketing. Both these attributes are not true of much of what one might hear online.
- +4
I think many TED talks, if not most, show what imaginative people are thinking about and doing, which, I believe, demonstrates that there is room for people from all walks of life to do creative and important things.
I think TED talks, like other talks online, are part of many people's continuing education and entertainment. The talks are not set up to go into subjects in depth or promote expertise in the listener, but can give the listener ideas as to subjects and ideas he might try to pursue in depth through reading, study, or experience if he does want to gain an understanding of the area presented..
greg dahlen
May 22 2013: Also, Fritz, if you watch those TED talks, the stage is physically more spectacular than it is for many presentations, it's bigger, it has more contemporary looking-screens for the speaker to show their photos or visuals. The stage looks different than many stages, isn't it usually rounded, and it has space both across and back. I would expect the speakers are encouraged to roam about, to really use that unusual stage.
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Also, it's lower than most stages, the speakers are down there close to the audience and lower than the people at the back, I think. It makes me think of a theater here in my hometown that is theater in the round with a low stage, except with TED it's academic subjects instead of light theater.May 23 2013: Yeah, they also light those talks beautifully, whoever does the lighting I think gets just the right level of low light on the audience, and just the right level on the speaker. And whoever does the camera placement is really good, it seems like they're usually shot from the right looking down, and it just seems to work. Of course, none of this stuff would mean much if the speakers weren't great, but this other stuff helps.
edward long
May 22 2013: TED's selection algorithm: Is there an Idea here? If yes, does the Idea have worth? If yes, should the Idea be shared with enquiring minds? If yes, utilize state-of-the-art production techniques to produce, record, and broadcast the Talk.
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Tana Bevan
Jun 15 2013: I spent last night happily immersing myself in TEDtalks. (I'd watched one a year or two ago, but since the link was sent to me I hadn't realized it was a series.)
- +1
What struck me about the talks were their focus on the Idea. Each Idea received the audience's attention, accolades, and limelight (versus the speakers being there for their own glory or ego). Every speaker seemed to have happened upon an Idea which resonated with him or her. Upon pursuit of said Idea, each realized it not only resonated and helped them in some way, but could also help others. That seemed to spark (and/or intensify) a passion for the Idea itself. And, as passionate individuals are wont to do, they were eager to share. TEDtalk gave them a forum.
As a first time observer I found myself emotionally drawn in by the passion ... and yet what kept me enthralled was the respect afforded to the Idea itself, by the audience and presenter.
Contributing my two cents to a couple of your other questions in the comments, it was the passion that drew me in, the respect for the Idea itself that kept me there ... and watching the videos. (When given a choice I prefer to listen. Watching -- with the theatrics and goings-on -- is usually distracting, taking away from the message.) The TEDtalks offered three ways to receive the information: visual only, visual and auditory, auditory only. Three choices was manageable.
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Jun 15 2013: Welcome Tana! I am so glad you joined. I hope you will enjoy my welcoming gift to you:http://www.ted.com/talks/sunni_brown.html
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Tana Bevan
Jun 16 2013: Thank you Juliette, both for the welcome and gift.
- +1
Sunni Brown's was the one TEDtalk I'd watched last year (or the year before) when the link was sent to me. As stated above, at the time I didn't realize TEDtalk was a series. I was enlightened last night (or the night before). Quite a high-quality series ... at least from what I've viewed in the past 24 hours.
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Jun 16 2013: Aha! well you have come to a great place. When you browse through the 1500+ talks you can pick the ones on topics that interest you.The majority are brilliant. I click on the 'favorite' button to add them to my collection...That way I can go back periodically and listen again.
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As another welcoming gift then:) Here is another one of my top favorites for you;
Dave Osei
Jun 1 2013: Hi Melina!
- +1
It definitely is interesting that TED talks have become so powerful in communicating ideas. I stumbled upon TED talks a few years ago and had my mind blown when some of them truly spoke to who I was underneath. It's fascinating to sit, and listen to someone who is an expert in their field, explain something they truly believe to be worthy in a manner that makes sense to not just me but millions. There's something about watching someone speak than just simply reading their ideas that allows TED to keep breaking new grounds.
I believe those that share their ideas on TED feel that they have stumbled upon something that may change at least one life for the good. They aren't just stating facts they have discovered but want to communicate what they found in eloquent ways to inspire, change and help those that are interested. As a game designer, when I am feeling uninspired, I listen to a TED talk to feel more empowered, and to get back the feeling of creativity that what I'm doing with my life is something I truly love. Over time this novelty of loving something can wane, but TED talks give back that novelty in inspiring ways - some of which I may learn from to better myself moving forward.
I tried not to ramble too long, but I'm super passionate about TED talks and how they are capable to inspiring millions. My favorite? Simon Sinek's "How great leaders inspire action". I'm not a leader in my studio, but I aim to be one as a grow in this industry. This talk spoke to me in so many ways, that once I'm at that point in my career I hope to communicate the "why" rather than the "what" when designing.May 28 2013: Hi Melina, thankyou for your query. I too am relatively new to this whole TED experience, tho feel that it provides an intellectual output for it's participants. There are enough options to engage people and when there aren't they have the option of asking their own query/idea/debate. In this way all the bases are covered.
I have been on the internet for a long time since the 90's when it sort of was mainsream (compared to when first started in the 60's). The TED Community was the first one that I found that was set up to harness intellect and stimulated conversation. It seems to have such a broad range of topics and provides such a positive medium to explore either via watching talks or participating in a myriad of topics. I for one intend to be a regular participant. :D
May 28 2013: Hi ! thank you for answering :) DO you think Ted Talks would impact in more or less the same way if they would be only heard? Such as podcasting the events.. Do you think VIDEO as a 'medium' is playing a key role in the way to impact the community? Especially in this "distracted society"?
Thank you,
Fritzie -
May 28 2013: You might want to look into the TED Radio Hour: http://blog.ted.com/2012/12/14/ted-radio-hour-named-the-best-new-audio-podcast-of-2012/ to get insight into the audio version.
- +2
Talks would logically be planned differently for a video presentation than for a podcast. I have sometimes listened to talks without watching and have found that I missed a great deal that way, because speakers typically have a vital visual component to their presentations. Beyond this, many if not most people are drawn more effectively to material delivered by a speaking person than to his voice or words on paper. This is not only because we learn best by experiencing material conveyed in multiple ways but also because there are tangible brain-chemical effects of eyes seeming to meet.
Obviously, there is a time and a place when video is impractical and audio or text are highly practical.May 30 2013: Fritzie pretty much stole my thunder and beat me to the punch here. Essentially it comes down to time and circumstance. The ideal is to see and hear, as statistically (from memory, some 80% of communication is non verbal).
Though if you are driving in your car, then being able to hear the TED podcasts is a good option. I in fact did it just the other night and really enjoyed the experience because I learned some really good stuff. It had to do with the Not For Profit charity groups and was inspirational.
In this respect, I wish it was more available.Following from this thought process, it is not too much of a stretch to see or visualise a demand for tv/internet TED Channel views as an option for people to watch on their TV's when they get home from work as one of their what do I want to watch on TV now...
Mark my words here... I told you so !!!!!
What did you expect, I'm the Time traveller' :D
Fritzie -
May 30 2013: I do not take cable television, but whatever it is I do take has a TED Channel. I have not tried it, as I listen to talks on my computer.May 28 2013: Hi Melina!
- +1
I haven't been on TED all that long, a few weeks now I believe. But it's the last thing I do online before I go to bed, and the first thing I do when I wake up.
Like many of us, I have been a social-media user for quite some time. My reasons for joining online communities like Facebook or Twitter, besides keeping in touch with family and friends around the globe, were to broaden my horizons, learn from others, experience new things.
Unfortunately, that has not been happening at all the past few years. After a FB visit, I would often feel down, drained, affected by the negativity, the materialism, the meaninglessness. Any attempt at a healthy debate or discussion turned into negative and destructive remarks.
When I discovered this community on TED, in short, it restored my faith in humanity! I am reassured, and grateful, that there are others who, like me, are passionate about this world and how we can make it better!
TED is a genuine, trusting environment, where ideas and thoughts are respected. I feel honored to know you all, and feel enlightened on a daily basis! In some cases, it is about trusting one another with our inner-most feelings, which is only possible due of the unconditional amount of respect in the unique TED community.
May 28 2013: Thank you Lizanne! I LOVE what you said: "in short, it restored my faith in humanity! I am reassured, and grateful, that there are others who, like me, are passionate about this world and how we can make it better!"
Nice to meet you! Thank you for your opinion.
Melina.May 25 2013: I think an unprecedented success from TED is because it'sgoal and duty to recruite all kinds of people join in equally to discuss all topics to build a happier,better world around us.
May 25 2013: It is a fact that the curators of TED contribute with a lot of its success! Its just amazing how some talks can just make you feel so human. I believe we need to feel "human". We need inspiration and mentors of life.. Thank you for your opinion.. All of our thoughts are helping me to build this dissertation. :)May 25 2013: MGL, The TED community has 187,634 members ... many of TED talks and conversations are are results of assocoated links like You Tube. If you watch the Recent Commenters cube you will notice that the same 20 to 30 faces show up very often thus making the 10.5 million views spoke of earlier hard to achieve.
TED talks, by design, are to engage. Look at the topics available ... to not have a interest in any of them is almost impossable.
So here is my theory: TED Conversations allows you to be validated by and through others. We all seek validation, acceptance, and appreciation ... TED conversations allow that through feedback automatically. Regardless of your level of expertise you are now a player ... in a major game.
Good luck on your dissertation. I wish you well. Bob.
May 25 2013: Its true Robert. Recognition its very important, especially for the youngsters. I am trying to understand this phenomenon from almost an "anthropological" perspective. I believe that we are craving for leaders, inspiration and mentors. TED is a great platform which offers this.About the validation… X factor is also a type of platform where "talents" are validated… But TED…. The stories and magic behind each speaker…Its as if the OLD culture of story- telling would be revived in a digital way. I am amazed by this phenomenon and the potential it has to change the lives of people.
May 25 2013: MGL, It is easier to address an issue on a known ... as your location is an unknown ... I will use the USA as a example. As you say we crave leadership. Whom do you consider the last real leader ... not politician ... leader. We have had no statesmen and the US suffers from a lack of diplomatic leadership .. we are a failed diplomatic nation. We have been and are being dumbed down. We are on the very verge of a recession and a repression and yet the media and a uncaring socialist inspired public are still loyal to the very people who have led us to this brink of disaster.
We seek escape through movie, stories, TV, and the rich and famous. As all fairy tales must end so shall the people have to face the realities of the day. Where do you suggest that they turn to recieve true leadership and succor.
We fail to learn from either the stories or from history ... on TED I have seen "arguments" on issues that should have brought us together ... we continue to argue ... not debate or discuss with open minds. In the USA, IMO, we are more divided today that I have observed in my 70 years and living in the least transparent society ever. TED does at least offer what is lacking in other communications a opportunity to express and face fears, hopes, and dreams.
I wish you well. Thanks for the reply. Bob.Jun 20 2013: "As you may see, there are so many questions! "
Thats right Melina, and so my first question, is to question your assumption, in your first sentence. ie "It is a fact TED is a unprecedented success."
So the question is how is it a success? You seem to not answer that, yet there in lays probably the most important question of all, which itself could be a thesis.
is Ted a success because people see it now a large enough platform to 'sell' products and services on?
is Ted a success just because videos view count? Or would we require action, if so how do you quantify that?
is Ted a success just because people comment on what they have seen? Again is that a sufficient argument?
is Ted a success just because it's a place to share ideas? Haven't documentary films done the same, yet the outcome of such sharing is not always action, or is just sharing the final goal?
How is Ted different from a selective youtube viewer - who also comments?
In fact how is Ted different at all from youtube given the above comments?
While it might seem almost a fatuous statement to question is Ted a success, it's none the less important, as by defining what if any differentiates it from others, and what it's goals are, and questioning if they are a)worthy b)achieved - is probably I dare say one of the most important questions a student like yourself can ask.Jun 4 2013: One of the most famous Quotes of Bill Drayton -Founder and CEO of Ashoka - is the following:
"the most powerful force in the world is a big idea—if it is in the hands of a great entrepreneur. It's how a very small investment can make a huge difference."
I think TED, is a great platform to SHARE IDEAS and inspire people around the world. I believe that maybe it is proving that it is not necessary for big ideas to be in the hands of great entrepreneurs to make an effect and create impact and in some way change the lives of others.
People that watch TED may or may not be undertaking any kind of entrepreneurial activity after being so empowered by TED speakers, but they are sharing those ideas with friends, family, etc… In a way or an other being part of a social change.
What do you think?May 28 2013: At what time o your day / night do you prefer to watch TEd.com? If you could average the times… i suppose in your free time. however, do you watch TED sometimes in your work break to relax and tune off from daily stressful activities?
Thank you,
Dave Osei
Jun 1 2013: I watch some of my favorites during lunch breaks at work when I'm feeling uninspired. Working in a creative atmosphere all day can be draining at times, so TED talks breathe new ideas and life into what I do on a daily basis.
- +1
Hope that helps! :)May 23 2013: Its ironic that the second most viewed TED TALK or third is about LEADERSHIP. simon Sinek : How great Leaders inspire action" with more than 10.5 million views.
This is just crazy!May 23 2013: Thank you all for you answers. What do you think is the underlying reason this phenomenon is happening now? Well.. storytelling is a millenary method to pass knowledge from one an other.. Do you think that the global community (especially the youth) is in need of leaders? Are we craving for leaders ? A more ethical and human type of leaders? Leaders of life? Do you think that this mechanism of inspirational talks / leadership is a way to reconnect with each other? A new form?
Now that you mention theatre. One of my favorite talks is the one of Sir Ken Robinson about how School kills creativity. I believe that he is a innate performer, he is entertaining and authentic. Personally i believe all teachers that are going to be part of this "reform" to education must pass through SERIOUS classes of performance! So that children can be able to really FOCUS. It is a fact that our attention span is getting tighter. Entertainment might be the "tool" needed for "engaging" all this new generation. What are your thoughts?
Comment deleted
May 23 2013: I agree. however… I'm trying to understand… When you watch a TED talk, you are in a way customizing you "education" or "continuing education" not only academic wise but "life" wise. Do you feel more capable of pursuing something after you have been inspired with TED? I love TED but I'm trying to see the big picture of it the underlying reasons. The masters I'm doing is in social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurs are seen lately as "saviors" of the world, passionate persons, leaders, creative, innovative ,etc…
I find this characteristics in all TED speakers. So it takes to me to question if there is two types of social entrepreneurs : 1) The social entrepreneur who will make a social enterprise 2) the one who has a spirit of social entrepreneur, sometimes hidden until this PASSION sparks and they become this LIFE leaders which TED is exhibiting to the world…


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Sorry for the late notice, but I only got the forwarded info on this this morning, and the board seemed to be down most of the morning.
There's a public meeting tomorrow night, 3/31, at 7 pm at the East Roswell Park Rec Center to get public input on the new library slated for development on the Holcomb Bridge/Fouts corner of the East Roswell Park property. The siting/design/construction of the library could affect at least some of the holes on the ERP course, holes 4 and 6 particularly.
The more of us who show up and respectfully voice our concerns while supporting the overall goal of building the library, the more positive effect we're likely to have.
From: East Roswell Forum <email@example.com>
Subject: New Roswell Library - local resident input requested
To: email@example.com
Date: Saturday, March 26, 2011, 9:32 PM
The Central Library has requested local residents meet on Thursday, March 31st at 7:00 PM at the East Roswell Park Community Center Building to provide them with input on what you would like to see in our new library to be built at Holcomb Bridge Rd and Fouts Rd (near the East Roswell Park).
This will be our opportunity to give ideas on what we want in our Library.
The design portion of the construction program begins later this year so we want to make our comments heard.
If you have any questions feel free to contact:
Anne Haimes, Branch Group Manager
404-730-1881 or email@example.com
Please share this information with friends and neighbors to show we care about our New Library and encourage everyone interested to come to the meeting.
Eileen Seidman,
President, People For The East Roswell Library
East Roswell Forum
"Sharing Information among Neighborhoods"
Web Site: EastRoswell.org
If you wish to subscribe, or unsubscribe, to E-Mail Updates from the East Roswell Forum, please send your request to: firstname.lastname@example.com


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As Maryland residents participate in outdoor activities this summer, the difference between contracting or not contracting West Nile virus could be a quick spritz from the bug repellent bottle.
West Nile virus is a disease spread by infected mosquitoes to humans and other animals.
The first case of West Nile virus in North America was recorded in 1999. Since then, there have been more than 37,000 cases and about 1,500 deaths linked to the disease nationwide, according to a report compiled by the Arboviral Disease Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 80 percent of humans bitten by infected mosquitoes will not suffer any symptoms, said Marc Fischer, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who are affected usually only suffer flu-like symptoms. About 1 percent of West Nile virus cases result in hospitalization, he said.
The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene began its annual tracking of West Nile virus cases July 1. Kimberly Mitchell, chief of Rabies and Vector-borne Diseases at the department, said the majority of cases will start popping up in late July and early August.
Every year, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene works with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Natural Resources to combat infected mosquitoes.
The department of health is responsible for discovering and reporting cases, as well as suspected breeding areas of infected mosquitoes. The Department of Agriculture then will spray the area, supplementing the normally scheduled sprays. The Department of Natural Resources will test the blood of animals that show signs of the disease, Mitchell said.
The department of health depends on residents to report cases of West Nile virus. The department records the data, analyzes it to see which areas of the state are more prone to the disease and submits it to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The analyzed data is used to predict how the disease will spread over the coming weeks.
Fischer said the CDC uses its aggregated data to do the same type of predictions on a national scale.
The yearly collected data helps provide the health department with crucial information about the pattern and epidemiology of the virus, Mitchell said, but there is no known cure for the disease. Doctors only can prescribe general symptom-reducing medicines to their patients.
But residents can stop West Nile virus from affecting them with simple habits.
West Nile virus "is preventable through behavior," Mitchell said.
Fischer suggests always using insect repellent when participating in outdoor activities and wearing long-sleeve shirts and pants whenever possible, especially if outside at night, which is prime mosquito-biting time.
"They tend to bite during evenings and mornings," Fischer added.
Residents also can protect themselves by using screens on their doors and windows, using air conditioning whenever possible and getting rid of standing water baths, where mosquitoes tend to breed.
These precautions are necessary because the severity and number of West Nile virus cases that will occur in Maryland and across the country this year is unpredictable, Fischer said.
The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene began its West Nile virus surveillance program in 2000. Since then, the year with the highest number of human cases was 2003, when 73 were recorded in the state and almost 10,000 across the nation.
From 2004 through 2011, the number of state cases never got higher than 25. In 2012, the count reached 47 cases in Maryland and almost 6,000 nationwide, the second-highest numbers on record.
"The number of cases increases and decreases from year to year and place to place," Fischer said.
Once cases are recorded in the state of Maryland, a weekly report will be available to the public on the department of health's website.
Anyone wishing to report a potential West Nile virus case can find reporting information on the department of health's website, as well.


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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
500 Fifth St. N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20001
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use and Privacy Statement
"Front Matter."
Setting the Course: A Strategic Vision for Immunization -- Part 2: Summary of the Austin Workshop.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2002.
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Baseball America has released their annual top 100 prospects and 4 Cubs are on it. The prospect lists I always look forward to are those by Baseball America. It seems in recent years that a dozen people have tried to capitalize on the increasing interest in prospects and have come up with their own lists. I'm sure some of them are good, but Baseball America has been doing this for a long time and they've done it long before there was as much interest in prospects as there is today.
Brett Jackson is 32nd. He's quite obviously the best prospect in this system and I have an even more difficult time taking other lists seriously when they have someone higher than Jackson. Anthony Rizzo is 47th. I thought he'd be a bit lower. I was thinking closer to the 60s, but Baseball America most heavily weights production from last season and Rizzo had an outstanding year in AAA. Javier Baez is 61st and Matt Szczur is 64th. They have an ETA for Baez of 2014, which is ridiculous. Then again, they don't have any players with an ETA higher than 2014 so I doubt they really think that. He'll spend most of this season in rookie league and if he sees a full season league it probably won't be until the very end of the season. A more realistic ETA for Baez is probably 2016.
Baseball America is higher on Szczur that anyone else. If he has a strong year this season it's conceivable we could see him in September, but I doubt that. A more likely ETA for him is 2013, which is what BA has.
People have talked a lot about the improved farm system, but it's worth pointing out that 3 of the 4 top 100 prospects were already in the system prior to this offseason. They traded a former top 100 prospect in Andrew Cashner to acquire the one who wasn't in the system. The system has improved, but it's had little to nothing to do with the new front office. They've not even had a full year so that's not surprising. I expect it will continue to improve, but I just wanted to point this out before people start talking about how the new front office has already improved the farm system.


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At this site you have the opportunity to try out beta versions of apps for Lumia phones before they are commercially released and give feedback to the teams working on them.
By participating you agree to this site's terms of use.
With added support for editing Living Images captured with Lumia Camera.
Get the latest features and fixes for Lumia Camera 5.x before they are rolled out to all.
Answer a call, mute a call, or activate speaker with gestures.
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August 2011
Keepsake's surgery is a success
Great news! The surgery is over, and, thanks to Dr. Amy Miller and Dr. Gordon Wilkes, it was a success! Lynne says Dr. Amy will take darling Keepsake home with her for the next couple of days to keep an … Continue reading
The Wow factor at the Oilers rookie camp
The talent is impressive at the Oilers rookie camp. But how many will get more than a cup of coffee in the NHL? Here is the roster for the Oilers rookie camp. In the days to come, Cult of … Continue reading
A paradigm shift is already coming to Edmonton, says McGill architect
The majority of new neighbourhoods being built now in Edmonton still leave homeowners entirely car-dependant, but change is already on its way, argues Avi Friedman. Friedman was my second interview for Living on the Edge wrap up piece. He's a … Continue reading
Caps vs. Vipers – Telus Field – TOP OF THE NINTH INNING – GAME 2 OF NORTH AMERICAN NORTH FINAL (Vipers lead best-of-seven series 1-0)
The Caps had a 7-4 lead going into the eighth inning when this happened for Calgary at bat… RF Lino Garcia = STRIKES OUT (1) LF Drew Miller = FLIES OUT TO SECOND ((2)) C Al Quintana – STRIKES OUT.… Continue reading
Gretzky namechecked in Jack White/Insane Clown Posse video
Yup, you read that right. Watch a snippet of the track above. Talk about an unexpected collaboration. Love it. … Continue reading
Voyage to the bottom of the depth chart
Three Oiler prospects are closest to the puck, clockwise from lower right Cameron Abney (36 white), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (9, black) and Kristians Pelss (26, white). I'll let readers guess which two are discussed in the following article. (Photo by the … Continue reading
Wednesday 4:30 p.m.: THE CHATCAM: Orv Franchuk and catcher J.D. Closser look ahead to tonight's Edmonton Capital game
A new day…that's how Edmonton Capitals approaching tonight's Game 2 of the North American League northern division semi-final against the Calgary Vipers….the Caps were beat 9-3 Tuesday in Game 1. Please click here for Tuesday night's game story… Continue reading
Why do I stop so often for traffic lights downtown?
Morning traffic down 127 St. from 148 Ave. looking south in Edmonton on August 26, 2011. Photo by Ryan Jackson / Edmonton Journal
Because it's safer if you have to stop, says Brian Murphy, a traffic monitoring supervisor with the City of Edmonton. The city synchronizes lights downtown only during peak commuting hours. So, for example, during the morning commute, if you drive … Continue reading
Puppycam being watched far and wide
London's Canary Wharf is home to the world headquarters of numerous major banks, media organizations and services firms, including Barclays, Citigroup, HSBC and KPMG. In one of the big banks, there are three 50-inch monitors in the reception area, all … Continue reading
Kings offer up their medical findings on Fraser to NHL
The Los Angeles Kings have given their side of the story to the NHL in their grievance over how badly hurt Colin Fraser was when they got him from the Edmonton Oilers as part of the Ryan Smyth trade. Their … Continue reading


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I think everybody, at times, would like to be able to customize certain web sites to better meet their goals. Now, I am not talking about simple visual edits – like making the background black and the text white. How about adding keyboard shortcuts for certain web site links and navigation elements? You an do that and more with the Customize Your Web add-on for Firefox.
So do you want to customize web sites without writing one single line of code? Check out this video tutorial for a little more information about the Customize Your Web add-on for Firefox.
Some of the other customizations featured include:
- Removal and rearrangement of elements (cut / copy / paste behavior)
Modifying of elements in every possible way (changing size, color, default values etc.)
- Definition of keyboard shortcuts / shortstrings for any clickable element (shortstrings are multi-character shortcuts, e.g. "SO" for a "Sign out" Button)
- Adding keyboard navigation support for any list of elements (e.g. for the result entries of search)
- Insertion of arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code
- Definition of small macros which are triggered by a shortcut
- Automatically triggering actions on page load (e.g. for automatic click on a login button or focusing a special field)
I am just having fun playing around with this add-on figuring out all the things I can do with it. For some, it might seem a little complex, however there is extensive documentation to help you along.
You can pick up the Customize Your Web add-on for Firefox from the Firefox Add-ons site or from Mouseless.de.


text: While you're visiting our dealership's website feel free to view our full selection of new Mazda's, including the Mazda CX-5, Mazda CX-9, Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda5, Mazda6 and Mazda MX-5 Miata for the Virginia Beach area. Hall Mazda Virginia Beach is a leading provider of new and used Mazda cars to greater Virginia Beach thanks to our wide selection of autos, affordable prices, and excellent sales staff. We encourage you to visit our Virginia Beach location to view our great selection of Mazdas and used cars in person, speak to a certified sales professional, or take a new or used car for a test drive. Call us at (877) 295-4324 if you have any questions about a new or used Mazda vehicle that we can answer for you.