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Have you ever dropped an energy gel wrapper or struggled to open one while riding? Many of times I have fumbled in my jersey or pockets for one and the Hydrapak Gel Bot has the answer. Hydrapak sent over their 24 fl oz. version for our review.
The Gel Bot stores both your energy gel and water in one container. Loading the gel into the inner container with a 3.2 oz energy gel is simple and easy. The inner container removes simply by pulling it from the lid, add the energy gel, then you push the green plunger up removing any excess air. After re-inserting the inner container to the lid, add your water to the fill line, screw on the lid and you are set for your ride.
Now how are you supposed to get your gel and water? Does it come out together in a water mess? Absolutely not. When the nozzle is closed and you squeeze the bottle, gel. Open the nozzle and squeeze, water. It is so simple and easy, no more fumbling! I found clean up to be easy as well, just separate the parts and hand wash or top shelf it in the dishwasher.the 20 fl 0z. version is $13.99 and the 24 fl oz version is $14.99, not a bad price for this convenience.


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Laura Kurella is an award-winning, self-syndicated food columnist, an award-winning Food Stylist, and the author of two cookbooks: Fabulous Desserts and Fabulous Tiny Bites and beverage. Her column, Vitality Cuisine, appears each Tuesday in the Sturgis Journal, and her Radio Recipe show can be heard Tuesday mornings at 7:15 am at WBETFM.com Questions or comments? Contact Laura at firstname.lastname@example.com.
QUIP: Strawberries are wonderful this time of year but cleaning and cutting a bunch of them can feel labor intensive, especially if you want to create an eye-catching presentation. Is there a way to make cutting up strawberries easier?
TIP: There sure is, and quite likely, you have it already sitting in your drawer—an egg slicer!
Yes, believe it or not, the egg slicer is the perfect tool for cutting strawberries, too!
This is especially handy if you want to make a special platter or presentation because it cuts each strawberry into perfectly uniform slices and if you don't push the blades all the way through, you can keep all the slices attached to the stem and then fan them out on a plate, which makes it look like you went to great extremes to make your plate more pleasant. It's that simple!

subset: commoncrawl


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Rick Alan
Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral infection. It produces a widespread itchy rash and crusting. The varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes chickenpox. The virus can spread from person to person via:
The virus is most contagious for 1-2 days before the rash erupts and during the first day or so after the rash has broken out. It remains contagious until all of the blisters have crusted.
Because of an extensive
program, the incidence of chickenpox has declined greatly in the United States. The majority of cases occur in infants, children, and adolescents under age 14. The incidence among adults 20 or older is very low. When contracted during childhood, chickenpox is usually not serious. Serious complications are more common when contracted by adolescents, adults, newborns, or people with a suppressed immune system. These complications can include:
Chickenpox. American Academy of Family Physicians website. Available at:
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/chickenpox.html. Updated May 2010. Accessed May 30, 2013.
Chickenpox (varicella). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/chickenpox/. Updated April 25, 2013. Accessed May 30, 2013.
Last reviewed March 2015 by David L. Horn, MD, FACP
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.


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I don't know if this is an acceptable question to make here, but I wanted to know what kinds of things are being researched that can lead to major breakthroughs in math. I'm not talking about usual research but something that can be really big and promising.
There are essentially two different ways to approach the question that might lead you to different conclusions.
But before that, I think it would be nice to share a quote about the current state of knowledge in mathematics, and where we are headed. This is paraphrased from an anatomist who was remarking on the state of his field near the turn of the century.
As our level of mathematical knowledge increases over time, it becomes correspondingly difficult to comprehend, let alone answer, the questions that remain. Some of them fall into the category of easy questions with incredibly complicated answers (like Fermat's last theorem), while some are seemingly vague and nebulous to all but the specialists that engage with them. Questions like P-NP are considered to be very deep with incredibly complicated answers, yet it would take quite a while to explain to someone without extensive background what the questions surrounding P-NP are, and why they need to be answered.
The first approach to the question would be "what is the current trend in applied mathematics?" I don't have very much experience with the subject, but there are very important open questions in computer science and number theory, such as the aforementioned P-NP questions. As stated before, integer factorization is highly relevant to cryptography, and a "fast" algorithm to factorize large integers would be considered quite groundbreaking.
The second approach would be to ask about the trends in "pure" mathematics, or just mathematics for mathematics' sake. Current research is highly specialized. It is difficult to prioritize one field over another. Even highly abstract fields like topology have important applications to other theoretical fields. Theoretical physics has borrowed heavily from group theory and topology. Mathematicians like to ask questions about things without regard to practical application. We like to classify manifolds because it's fun (the classification of manifolds is not complete, however, but it is a highly studied field). It just so happens that manifolds are enormously useful to frame problems in physics and other sciences.
I am not sure this is a 100% match, but these are of interest to a wide audience: http://www.claymath.org/millennium/
I just wanted to add that sometimes results from "the usual research" happen to "hit on" something "phenomenal", or, as is often the case, the implications of some result from "usual research" has far-reaching consequences that one could not have anticipated.
Theory often "trickles down" to applications, in ways that one cannot necessarily know, and in turn, "needs in the real world" often motivate breakthroughs in theoretical research.
So I wouldn't dismiss, outright, "the usual research."
I simply felt obliged to point out that the foundations of "breakthrough" research are years in the making, and such work, behind the scenes, often goes unnoticed. I didn't take your question to be dismissive; it's just that those credited for breakthroughs wouldn't be in the spotlight (historically, or in the future) were it not for the "usual" work of his/her teachers, predecessors and/or contemporaries.
I think, P vs NP is currently the problem with the most important implications to society. It concerns the complexity of algorithms, which can be described as the asymptotical growth rate of the number of calculations needed by a computer to solve a problem. P denotes the class of problems like solving systems of linear equations and calculating the determinant of a matrix which can be solved comparatively easily (in a number of steps proportionaly to a P olynomial in the number of digits of the input, hence the name). NP is a class of problems like the factorization or discrete logarithm problem which may not be easy to solve but whose solution can be easily checked if one is given the correct solution. Clearly $P \subseteq NP$. Most mathematicians believe that $P \ne NP$, meaning that there exist problems belonging to NP, but not to P.
The most currently used encryption algorithms rely on the difficulty to solve certain NP-Problems. For example the RSA cipher could be deciphered if one had a fast algorithm that given the product $pq$ of two large primes $p$ and $q$ (somewhat like 50 or 100 digits each), returns those two primes.
In, other words, our whole encryption system could break down if someone published an efficient algorithm for solving NP-complete problems (which are "maximally hard" NP problems, i. e. problems which enable us to solve every NP problem efficiently if we can solve them efficiently; the factorization problem is presumably not NP-complete and so it could be possible that you could factor an integer quickly but you are not able to find a Hamilton circle in a graph in polynomial time).
On the other hand, if someone proved $P \ne NP$ we could be very optimistic that our current encryption standards are not effectively breakable (althou.
Joseph Teran at UCLA works on things like computer graphics and virtual surgery, and has a lot of cool videos (showing output from his algorithms) on his web page. Ron Fedkiw at Stanford also does cool computer graphics stuff.
The "deep learning" algorithms for machine learning being developed by Geoffrey Hinton, Andrew Ng, etc. seem very exciting. This area is making a lot of progress right now.


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Whale struck by cargo ship
Body of whale on cargo ship at Port of Oakland, Sept. 16, 2010. (Monterey County Herald/ABC7)
September 20, 2010 - LM Editorial
According to reports, the ship had been steaming in at such a high rate of speed that the creature was unable to move out of the way.
And who provided this "fact"? None other than a marine biologist working for the National Marine Fisheries Service. The biologist, it should be noted, was unable to even identify what kind of whale had been dragged in.
No member of the commercial shipping community was interviewed, and no evidence as to just how fast the ship was traveling was reported.
Instead, readers were told that "a whale was hit with such force that its body was wedged into the bow for miles, even as the vessel docked."
The article concludes by having the same biologist suggest that vessels reduce their speed. He then states that this is unlikely since, for ship operators, "time is money."
Had the reporter bothered to do more research he would have known that the trend today is for cargo vessels to reduce their speed to save money. Indeed, "slow steaming" is in such vogue now, that it is unlikely ships will ever return to speeds greater than 22 knots.
This is not only good for the bottom line, but also saves energy and reduces CO2 emissions.
Of course, this story won't support a sensationalized headline or produce dramatic photo ops. And the general public won't read a piece of news related to ocean-borne commerce again until there's another act of fate to be blamed on shipping companies.
About the Author


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My company is currently at a rebranding process and the brand names have been used in the sources' package names but these names are only visible to developers who maintain this code so nobody from project management is really interested in changing them considering also that it would imply the recompiling of several old components.
What factors do I need to consider when deciding on a change like that?
I don't know if I should worry about legal issues or not and if so, how to address this with project management.
More background details. I have all the sources and dependencies but since the company rebranding, other development areas have adopted some of the code that needs package name-changing so I cannot take the decision only by myself so I don't make everyone else's code to crash with my core components and I cannot change other areas' code without the permission of those areas' users so yes, my concern is more political than technical. I am going try to coordinate the involved it areas to make the change anyway, since it seems to be the best approach.
Unfortunatelly in my company there's no continuous integration build server so we build our code manually on demand and to get something to production I have to justify the change (even just the package name changing) to QA with an user requirement and some other bureaucratic documentation so that's why I was hesitating the change in first place.


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When you hear of people making extreme quantities of omelettes in record time (think: contests), is there a special technique one needs to master in order to do this? Or is it simply a matter of being really good and efficient with the standard technique? If there is such a technique, what is it?
I find that this exquisitely instructional video about how to make an omelet is a great way to start.
You may try at least 2 techniques to cook the omelet faster. They do have disadvantages in the result that you will get.
Starting from here, in order to cut down the cooking time, you will need to use a larger pan / fewer eggs so that you only get a a very thin layer of egg on it that cooks in just a few seconds. The disadvantage here is that generally the omelet that you get will be somewhat dryer and less fluffy.
Alternatively .. or additionally, you may use a lot more butter / oil in the pan. This will transfer heat faster to the egg and you will be able to cook the omelet in a smaller pan. This method allows you also to have the pan hotter and reduce the cooking time even more. The main disadvantage is that you will make it a lot more fatty than it is needed without adding flavor to the dish.
This are the main techniques that I see to make it faster. Personally, I prefer taking the extra 60 seconds that it takes to make it in the "standard" way described in the video as I tend to get a lot better results.
Essentially this is just a more detailed version of what Carmi suggested.
I can't say much for how professionals would do this, but I have found just about the quickest omelette is the Julia Child (French) version of one.
By her method, you cook the eggs (mixed with just a bit of water) over fairly high heat in a bit of melted butter, shaking the pan the whole time. At the end, you jerk the pan to get the eggs to roll up on themselves.
See a video here. It takes her about 30 seconds.
I don't know about contests, but I have in the past cooked 100 18-20 inch omlettes in just over half an hour.
We used three pans working in parallel. Get the pans as hot as you can. Use oil, not butter, so you don't have to wait for it to melt each time. Pre-beat all the eggs together in advance. After that, it's just a tablespoon of oil and a ladle of eggs. Flip when solid enough to survive flipping.
I'm not sure if the fact that the entire kitchen (galley actually) was gently rocking form side to side on the waves was a help or a hindrance.


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I have 250Gb drive on a laptop, which has Windows 7 on a 122Gb ntfs partition (which has a "boot" flag on it) and Ubuntu 12.04.1 on a 110Gb extended partition, of which the root ext4 partition is 108Gb and the swap is 1.74Gb. You can see everything in the screenshot below. My question is:
- I want to diminish the size of the linux root partition and then use that space to increase the windows partition. How do I do that?
Also, is it possible to increase the size of the swap partition and not do any damage? If so, how?
I'm using GParted, and i'd say i'm pretty confident with it.


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MARTINS FERRY - For the second time in three days, Buckeye Local has defeated Martins Ferry on the baseball diamond.
Buckeye Local's Austin Marshall struck out a dozen in scattering five singles and issuing just one free pass in a 12-2 triumph Wednesday.
In addition, he drove in a run with a pair of singles and a triple as
"That's two conference wins," first-year Buckeye Local head coach Rick DeLuca said. "That's a pretty good start."
The Panthers rewarded Marshall by tallying eight times in the third inning when they sent 12 batters to the plate.
Shane Duncan highlighted the uprising with a two-run single, while Marshall singled and tripled in two at-bats in the frame. Buckeye Local took advantage of four base-on-balls and a trio of Martins Ferry errors in that inning alone.
"We don't have any starting pitching right now," Martins Ferry head coach Anthony Reasbeck said after watching four hurlers combine for a dozen walks. "If we don't find some soon, there's going to be a lot of night's like this."
Marshall whiffed eight of the first 10 Purple Riders he faced, including the side in the third.
With Marshall doing the work with his arm and bat, teammate Chase Hopkins joined in with three singles and a double from his leadoff spot.
Buckeye Local 12, Martins Ferry 2
Buckeye Local 008 000 4 - 12 10 1
Martins Ferry 000 010 1 - 2 5 3
BUCKEYE LOCAL (3-2): Marshall (WP, 12K, 1BB) and Williams; Hopkins 3S, D, rbi; Duncan S, 2rbi; Marshall 2S, T, rbi; Zeroski S, rbi; Banal 2rbi; Ostjich rbi; Figurski S, rbi
MARTINS FERRY (1-2): Oberdick (LP, 4K, 7BB), Lloyd (3, 4K, 2BB), E. Baire (6, 1K, 2BB), Malesky (7, 1K, 1BB) and Scott; Lannum rbi.


text: Jerome Goddard II received a B. S. in Mathematics & M. S. in Mathematics from Mississippi College and a Ph. D. in Mathematical Sciences from Mississippi State University. He joined AUM in August 2011 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics in the School of Sciences. Goddard's research interests are in applied mathematics. In particular, his research is focused on the study of reaction diffusion equations and nonlinear elliptic boundary value problems arising from population dynamics and combustion theory. His personal interests include outdoor hobbies such as hiking, backpacking, camping, & fishing.


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Tony Williams: Co-inventor of COM
- Posted: Aug 11, 2006 at 11:31AM
- 50,361 views
- 19 comments
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AdityaG wrote:Very cool interview. I know this is not totally relevant to content, but I felt the interviewer was very very very uptight and fake sounding. The older lady that usually hosts this show seemed to be a bit more casual.
Minh wrote:Co-inventor? Don't you mean CoCreator?
samirsshah wrote:Internet is laying to rest and finally will lay to rest COM.
SOA is the new COM. But this time the environment is better. There is development support in terms of Windows Communication Foundation. And there is better adoption, both camps (Java and .Net) have embraced it.
COM had the goal to fit legacy and new applications on a local computer for reuse. It achieved that. But DCOM did not succeed in the Internet age. Hence Internet is laying to rest COM.
SOA has the goal to fit legacy and new applications for reuse over Internet. It is achieving that. It has enough momentum to succeed. I do think that SOA is enabling efficient and cost effective reuse.
An Indian online bookstore I visit is using a US bookstore's Web Services (May I call it SOA?) to give me seamless Indian experience. It has achieved efficient and cost effective reuse. SOA is another way Internet is laying to rest COM.
We produce about 4 shows per calendar year.
DenvilleSteve wrote:ok, I am getting less and less out of these interviews. There are the Anders Helsberg interviews which are great and I learn a lot. From that highpoint, 80% of the interviews dont put the subject matter in context with the wider software field and they quickly lose me. Shouldnt the central question in the interview always be "what does this software creation of yours do that others dont"?
I think the people doing these interviews should have a lot of knowledge and experience with software. An aging programmer would work, there must be a lot of them around now a days.
Here are the questions I would have liked to have asked:
Who was the other co inventor of COM and how did Tony work with him/her?
I always found COM books very difficult to understand. Was that just me being dumb or thick? What were Tony's impression of the COM books and other education sources available to programmers.
Tony said .NET is not a replacement for COM. But COM is gone, no? Kind of confusing. I guess I would have liked Tony to elaborate on the subject of present day and future COM.
I understand the "draw your favorite data structure" is a standard of the show. I remember Anders Helsberg drawing an interesting one. But Tony did not appear into it at all. You should expand that to "draw your favorite flowchart or data struct". Then Tony could have drawn his favorite flow of events within the COM process.
I only watched 10-15 minutes of the Craig Mundie interview and saw no spark of intelligence or creativity in him. I watched the entire Tony Williams interview and while he does not score low like Mundie, I did not see the brilliance he must exhibit for Bill Gates to put him in charge of such an important project. The fair viewer must fault the inverviewer for this.
Thank you for channel 9. honestly.
Tony, it's a shame you're a physicist. I say this because in your talk you never alluded to biology or such things. There are superb examples of componentisation in nature at the macro/micro level and from an architecture viewpoint something to be admired. This is not to say they don't exist in quantum physics.
For instance, some basics building blocks are common to all forms of life on earth such that a butterfly might become an albatross given time. As software's existence is imperceptible in biological timescales it could just be that one of your legacies, or a colleagues, will have been to help create a software molecule that become fundamental to all future software.
My favourite from all the years of Word, Excel etc has got to be drag and drop.
Chadk wrote:
AdityaG wrote:Very cool interview. I know this is not totally relevant to content, but I felt the interviewer was very very very uptight and fake sounding. The older lady that usually hosts this show seemed to be a bit more casual.
Agreed, she was alot better!
Comments have been closed since this content was published more than 30 days ago, but if you'd like to continue the conversation, please create a new thread in our Forums, or Contact Us and let us know.


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Lost In Translation: 20 Baffling Foreign Movie Posters
#10. Big (Czech Republic)
"That's your poster for the JFK movie? You're fired, you sick bastard."
"Uh... no! Of course not! This is the poster for... Big, the Tom Hanks comedy about a man who changes bodies with a child!"
"Perfect! Here is your raise."
#9. Army of Darkness (Japan)
Having just watched the first few minutes of the film before slapping their poster together, the Japanese marketing department renamed Army of Darkness to Captain Supermarket because, you know, Ash worked in one.
You can just picture the poster designer tapping the pencil on his desk thinking, "Okay, supermarket. Let's get a bag of groceries on there. What else do they sell at the supermarket? Soup! Campbell's soup! And the star is named Bruce Campbell! It almost makes too much sense!"
#8. Bullitt (East Germany)
We're too terrified to make a joke.
#7. Easy Rider (Czech Republic)
Well it would appear that this poor man has a dove for a dick, and is trying to fuck the horseheaded guy. The question is: Which one is Jack Nicholson?
#6. The Fly (Poland)
Of course you have to tell the audience that the movie has a scene with a fly-monster puking. Why else would they buy a ticket? Oh, and go ahead and imply that the fly is played by Kojak's Telly Savalas just to make sure.
#5. First Blood (Japan)
Japan repackaged First Blood as a kickass motorcycle chase through the city with Dukes of Hazzard-esque ramping of cop cars (bottom). But at least they portray the safety-conscious Sly as wearing a nice padded helmet.
#4. Planet of the Apes (Poland)
Props to the designer for both drawing a literal planet made out of an ape and giving away the twist ending.
But here's the problem: Once audiences have actually seen the movie and realize it's not actually about humans landing on a monkey-headed globe in space, how do you do posters for the sequels?
#3. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (Poland)
We knew we would regret asking that question.
#2. Deliverance (Yugoslavia)
We all know why this could have been worse.
Okay, before we go, let's hear from Poland one last time. Let's pick a movie they couldn't possibly turn into nightmare fuel: The Muppet Movie.
#1. The Muppet Movie (Poland)
And... you are now insane. Sorry.
For more tasteful foreign cinema, check out 9 Foreign Rip-Offs Cooler Than The Hollywood Originals and Ridiculous Overseas Rip-Offs of American Films.
And visit the foreign version of Cracked.com's Top Picks by clicking the link (we went ahead and translated it for you so you'd know where to click).


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WHEELING - Police have launched an investigation into a 20-year-old Wheeling Jesuit University student's allegation that she was sexually assaulted by five fellow students in a campus dorm Saturday night.
According to Wheeling Deputy Police Chief Martin Kimball, the woman said she and a male classmate were together Saturday night at the Rathskeller. Commonly referred to as the "Ratt," the on-campus pub serves beer and nonalcoholic drinks.
The pair then went back to Thomas More Hall, the woman said, near the Currie Drive entrance to the campus. According to the university's website, Thomas More Hall houses male and female upperclass students. Rooms are divided into "quads," which house four to six students in two to three bedrooms. Each quad also has a separate lounge area, equipped with a locking door.
The woman told investigators she and the man engaged in consensual sex in the lounge area. She also reported she had consensual sex with another male student who entered the room. At some point, Kimball said, five men were in the room with the female and she was no longer consenting.
"When asked if she had refused or attempted to refuse, she claimed to have said 'no' to certain acts with certain people, but said, 'There were five of them and only one of me,'" according to a police report.
None of the woman's roommates were in the living area at the time of the alleged incident.
Kimball said the woman reported the alleged crime to police on Monday morning. Detectives are in the process of gathering statements from the five male suspects. When the investigation concludes, Kimball said, the evidence will be turned over to the Ohio County Prosecutor's Office, which will decide if charges will be filed.
The woman was examined at a local hospital, Kimball said, but the results of that examination are not yet available.
Wheeling Jesuit President Richard Beyer on Wednesday said the university received a student complaint within the past 24 hours, but he would not be more specific regarding the nature of that complaint.
"Any complaint is taken seriously, and we have a very specific process in place to address any issues brought forth by students," Beyer said, adding that campus safety is his top priority.


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I'd like to expand my use of fonts in my web designs. I know that there are a variety of services available like Google Web Fonts to include fonts onto my site, but I would also like to be able to use those fonts in high-fidelity design mockups made with either Fireworks or Photoshop. Is there an easy way to import web font files so they are available outside the browser?
It's a paid application, but I've found TypeDNA to be pretty useful for previewing fonts in Photoshop http://www.typedna.com/. Among it's many other useful features, it has a feature which allows you to use Google Fonts directly in Photoshop. Again, it's a $49 purchase, so this may not be what you're looking for.
Another option, which is free (at least currently), is the beta "Web Font Plugin" from Extensis http://www.extensis.com/en/webfontplugin/index.jsp. I haven't used it myself, but it looks to be pretty useful. It gives access to Google Fonts, as well as thousands of WebInk fonts (From what I can gather, WebInk is a usage-based web-font subscription service)
As for converting webfonts to be able to use them in Photoshop—I'm not sure of how to do this, but even if you could, most webfonts are not licensed to allow this.
If the typeface is open source, freeware, or public domain (all different concepts in terms of licensing, though the cost is the same (free)) then you can just download and install the font as you wish. All of the fonts Google hosts can be downloaded and installed and used in Photoshop as you see fit.
For commercial typefaces, there are typically two main options (aside from outright purchasing a license from the start):
The link you provide in many cases has a clear link to the relevant typeface creator. The easy way to get the font file is to contact the creator and/or download the typeface from their website or e-commerce site.


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BROCKTON – A spike in violence in Brockton this week left two men dead – one shot to death, another stabbed to death – plus another man shot and a woman robbed at gunpoint in a drug deal gone bad. The week came to a bloody end on Friday, when a man was found stabbed to death on Green Street, and another man was shot and killed inside The Lit bar on Ames Street.With the surge in crime, police chief Robert Hayden said they are going to step up their efforts to combat the violence:An unidentified man was found with multiple stab wounds on a Green Street doorstep Friday morning. A woman who was leaving for work found the man lying in a puddle of his own blood on the front steps of a house at 56 Green St. about 5 a.m. He was taken to a Brockton hospital where he was later pronounced dead.Law enforcement officials made a quick arrest in the stabbing.At about 2 p.m., Friday, state troopers and U.S. marshals arrested Terrance Terrell Richardson, 19, at his home at 129 Frankton Ave. and charged him with ,one count of murder and one count of armed robbery.Richardson will be arraigned at 9 a.m. Monday in Brockton District Court.Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz credited the efforts of police for the speedy arrest."This quick arrest in the wake of this morning's murder is the result of good police work by the detectives involved in this case," he said.At 12:28 p.m., Friday, police received a call that a man had been shot inside The Lit bar on Ames Street.Police said a man came in through the back door and shot the victim twice in the chest while he was sitting at the bar. The shooter then fled.The victim, identified as Elson G. Miranda, 21, of Brockton, was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.On Monday, a 26-year-old Brockton man was smoking a cigarette outside a house on North Warren Avenue about 6:30 p.m. when he was approached by three men and shot once in the chest. The man was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover from his wounds, police said.Four people were arrested Thursday by Brockton and state police in connection with Monday's shooting.A gun, ammunition and clothes believed to be worn during the shooting were recovered.Abriel Martinez, 20, of Brockton, was charged with shooting the man.On Tuesday, a fight broke out on Westland Street and at least 10 shots were fired. There were no injuries in the shooting and no arrests were made.Page 2 of 2 - On Wednesday, two men were arrested after police said they robbed a woman at gunpoint at a CVS on Centre Street.Police said the woman was robbed of $4,000 when she went to meet the men to buy prescription pills.Hayden said, with the warmer weather, a spike in crime and violence is something to be expected."We expect that when it gets hot out that there are going to be a lot of people that haven't gotten the message yet, and they're going to try to go back to their abhorrent ways of behavior," he said Friday outside The Lit bar shooting scene.To deal with the increase in crime, Hayden said the Police Department will have extra men on duty and will work closely with other law enforcement agencies."We have extra men on the street, we have extra men from the state police, Sheriff's Department and Secret Service. We expect it, but we're on top of it. We're going to have a good solid response to it," Hayden said.He also said the department would be introducing a new motorcycle unit, which is expected to roll out within the next two weeks.The department is leasing eight motorcycles from a dealer in New Hampshire and four of the bikes should arrive as early as next week."Detectives are interviewing people, looking at tapes of all of the incidents that happened. I think we should be very proud of how quickly there are arrests made after these things," Hayden said.Hayden said Brockton and state police are investigating all of the week's incidents for possible connections.Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter visited the scene of the murder on Green Street Friday morning. He said the police have stepped up their efforts and is happy with what he has seen from Hayden since he took over the department in January."A lot of that activity is proactive on their part. They aren't just waiting for the 911 calls. They're out there looking for stuff," Carpenter said.Benjamin Paulin may be reached at email@example.com.
Location, ST | website.com


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February 29, 2012
The Renaissance is rightly viewed as a time of extraordinary scientific and artistic achievement and innovation. But often overlooked among the works of Michelangelo, Shakespeare, and Da Vinci is how people were accessorizing. Bella Mirabella, an associate professor at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, brings this lesser-known aspect of the Renaissance to life with Ornamentalism: The Art of Renaissance Accessories (University of Michigan Press), an edited volume that is the first to focus on the period's accessories, their histories, and their meanings.
With essays such as "Embellishing Herself with a Cloth: The Contradictory Life of the Handkerchief," " 'Grandissima Gratia': The Power of Italian Renaissance Shoes as Intimate Wear," and "Scented Buttons and Perfumed Gloves: Smelling Things in Renaissance Italy," the work reveals the crucial role ornaments played in social, political, and cultural negotiations of power and identity in the early modern period.
Illustrated with 70 color plates, Ornamentalism engages with many current areas of study, including material culture and fashion, manners and morals, gender and sexuality, as well as theater and performance.
Mirabella specializes in Renaissance studies, with a focus on drama, theater, performance, and gender.
This Article is in the following Topics:
Gallatin School of Individualized Study, Faculty Book, Research
Type: Article


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A used NN3 just sold on eBay for $260 --
You guys should only sell on eBay...
A used NN3 just sold on eBay for $260 --
You guys should only sell on eBay...
I've seen similar. We don't really like seeing used units being sold for such high prices as they are not covered under warranty even if like new and never used. Only authorized resellers can sell new and used with warranties.
We do sell on eBay from time to time but usually only discontinued stuff at a discounted rate.
Nodal Ninja has you noted hold it's value very well through time. This is why we wanted to extend support for older models through this forum.
I had no idea it would go for that much. I had only intended to have it go for $195 or less. Please don't hold it against me, Bill. :-\ I needed some cash and the NN5 I bought from you a while back does everything I need it to. The NN3 was just lonely and sitting on the shelf dying to be used. Nodal Ninja makes a great product and people really, really want it.
I believe if a customer sells a unit on eBay they should note on the listing no warranty implied.
I see in Feb there was a NN3 pkg that sold on eBay as "new", never used for $225.
I'm sure the seller was happy and the buyer was happy but should, and it is rare, a part breaks due to manufacture defect the item is not protected under warranty.
We actually tell our customers considering doing a trade-up to resell their NN's on eBay as it would bring a higher price than if we bought it from them.
Besides when you're in auction mode and the bidding frenzy is on you really have no control over the final price.
So congrats!


text:
Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD
You have a unique medical history. Therefore, it is essential to talk with your doctor about your personal risk factors and/or experience with Parkinson's disease. By talking openly and regularly with your doctor, you can take an active role in your care.
General Tips for Gathering Information
Here are some tips that will make it easier for you to talk to your doctor:
Specific Questions to Ask Your doctor
About Parkinson's Disease
About Treatment Options
About Lifestyle Changes
About Your Outlook
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
website. Available at:
Conn HF, Rakel RE.
Conn's Current Therapy 2002.
54th ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Company; 2002.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
website. Available at:
Parkinson's Disease Foundation
website. Available at:
Last reviewed May 2015 by Rimas Lukas, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.


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I am interested in providing an online backup facility to my corp intranet. I don't want to trust my user data to online companies that may disappear at any time. What software would I look for? Is there anything available to do this? I am using Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Pro.
Rsync is probably your best open source option. It has a few draw backs, specifically with how it handles folder rename/moves, if you don't have too many of these operations, and can manage the bandwidth, it's the ticket.
Jim C. http://www.kleobackup.net
For small backup, I would look at just hosting a FTP server and then using an off the shelf / free backup utility that supports ftp which many do.
If you are using Windows, you can even just use the built in backup utility and push it to a network drive or again FTP.
You may want to look at the Microsoft Sync Toy.
For FTP, if you have a spare Windows machine - I recommend Filezilla Server, or for Linux, there are many choices of FTP.
There's an open source solution that looks promising. (never used it but I have heard good things) http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/info.html
Personally, I'd use rsync as a preference. Setup the outside server with rsync (there by default on Linux, Deltacopy on Windows. You can then install the Deltacopy client onto any Windows machines you wish to backup, and while the first backup will take a long time, subsequent ones will be very quick.
If you aren't happy on Linux, or don't have the option to setup an rsync server; then FTP is probably your best option. I've used Cobian in the past (free, used to be open source) - it supports full/incremental/differential backups, and have options to keep multiple timestamped copies. If thee server is untrusted, it can also encrypt the files for you.
You may want to give the Zmanda Online backup system a look. I've been using the purely open source version for years to back up a lot of systems outside of the cloud and it is simple and reliable. I haven't personally used the Zmanda cloud offering but if you are in need of an online system it may be a good fit. I imagine that you can probably download the backups after they are complete so they would be both in the cloud and available on some other medium (again I haven't used it myself but it seems logical since it just uses S3).
Why not?
You can trust it to a company like Amazon.com, which stands very little chance of disappearing at any time. If you're completely paranoid, you could backup to a second service, as well. The chances of Amazon.com, a second reputable backup service, and your intranet server going kaput at the same time seem very, very slim.
rbackup is the best thing I've found so far. The price isn't too steep and it offer most of the features you'd want for this type of service. We have looked into to doing this for our local customers.
We use Vembu's StoreGrid to do our in-house backups, as well as provide off-site (to our private servers) for our clients.
It's got all (most?) of the bells and whistles others' do, plus a few extras (like 'grid' storage between clients and such). It's pretty straight-forward to setup and run, and for our purposes it was/is way cheaper then I would have thought it would be. :)
There tech support is top-notch as well.
Do you have a solution in place for clients that are inside your corporate network? If so, can that solution be extended using a VPN solution?
I'm not sure if this is what you're after, but you might look at LogMeIn Backup. You use their software and mgmt tools, but your storage. I've used in scenarios where multiple locations all have plenty of unused space. Servers at location 1 backup to a server at location 2. Servers at location 2 backup to one at location 3. Servers at location 3 backup to one at location 1...
Not free, but not all that expensive for what you get. I've been pretty happy with it.
CrashPlan or CrashPlan Pro might be worth a look as well. Similar concept as above.
Well online Backup is I guess "Off-Site" Backup in this case so I would suggest that if you want to run your own Backup Servers just run some Linux/BSD/Windows box to host a SFTP/FTPS/WebDAV Server, mount/map it locally on run scheduled Backups to the drive.
Otherwise maybe look into JungleDisk and Amazon S3, since Amazon is unlikely to go away quickly and silently.
Off-Site is never a replacement to a local backup so, because of the by far increased restore time.
Barden mentioned RBackup, which is what caught my attention. But RBS also has another product called Mercury, which is used for Windows and Mac. Both products can be self-hosted to provied online backup services. both are at http://remote-backup.com


text:
I am writing a QGIS Python Plugin. I am trying to write data to a file using
with open("filename.txt", "w") as f:
f.write("file text.")
QMessageBox.information(None, "Test", "Written to file.")
It runs the above and displays the message but it does not write to the file. Why is it not writing to the file? No exceptions are raised.
Thank-you in advance.


text:
Gather Us In?
At the Pray Tell blog, Nathan Chase has a practical question: what do you do when your worship space is "too big" for the number of people gathered to worship in it?
His question takes for granted that it is desirable to have the members of the assembly at Mass sit (or stand) reasonably close together, and I think he's right about that. I like a little elbow room as much as the next Catholic, but it has certainly been my experience that I feel most connected to my fellow Massgoers when they are within reach. And I think being connected to each other is a crucial dimension of the liturgy. It also seems to encourage vocal participation (singing, answering prayers, etc.). If the sign of peace comes and I can't reach a single person (outside of my family) to shake hands, I wonder, am I really part of an intentional assembly, or are we just a lot of strangers who happened to show up in the same place at the same time for Mass?
Becoming aware of that dynamic has encouraged me to make a conscious effort, when I go to Mass, to get closer to the people I'm praying with. It seems to me we should relate to fellow parishioners differently than we relate to random strangers we encounter in public. So, I've tried to overcome my inclination to steer well clear of others, as if I were choosing a seat in a doctor's waiting room, and instead opt for, say, a pew near the front that already has a couple of people in it instead of an empty one near the back. I'm not getting so close that it makes people uncomfortable. Just close enough that I can't forget they're there, too.
I also try not to park myself on the aisle, blocking easy access to the rest of an otherwise empty pew. I'm always astonished at how many people do exactly that. Commuters know it's poor etiquette on the train or bus to force other people to ask your permission to sit in the seat you've blocked. Some people still do it, but when the train is full enough, people will ask them to move, because it's less awkward than having to stand (which, on a rush-hour train, always makes me wonder, Why bother with the passive-aggressive seat-hog act in the first place? But I digress). Since churches seldom fill to capacity, people (at least in my experience) seldom ask the aisle-seat-takers to move, and the result is a lot of pews left mostly empty but for the very ends, all the way back.
What can be done to avoid antisocial seating patterns at what ought to be a reasonably social celebration? Chase mentions a few ideas. The best solution, I suppose, is for people who attend the same Mass regularly to get to know each other -- if Massgoers are not strangers, they're less likely to behave like they are. But that's a long-term project, and of course there will always be visitors. Another possibility: have someone get up, before Mass starts, and invite people to move in closer to the altar and to each other. This kind of thing has to be done right -- it has to be genuinely welcoming, not scolding (nothing like this). The goal is not making people feel bad about the seat they've chosen, but inviting them to take an even better one. The only place I've seen this done was in Florence, Italy, at the Duomo. This happened twice, on two different visits three years apart: a sacristan -- the same fellow, both times -- came out before the Sunday Mass began to welcome us all and ask us to please move in closer. He did this in Italian, but his warm manner made his meaning clear. I ended up sitting inside the rail that encloses the altar (visible here), next to the credence table, and close enough to offer the sign of peace to tourists from a number of different countries. The experience of intimacy was not at all what I'd expected from Mass in such a venerable and cavernous space, especially as a tourist, but I've never forgotten it, and I've often wished more churches could pull it off.
What's it like at your parish? How would you fix this problem? Or do you prefer to maintain a decorous football field's distance between you and the next sinner?
About the Author
Mollie Wilson O'Reilly is an editor at large and columnist at Commonweal.
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Interesting thoughts. I think a lot of where people sit it is simply habit. A former pastor of ours was returned for a wedding and offered Sunday Mass the following morning. He commented that it was great to see so many old friends, and to see that they still sat in the same places as always. To some extent, anyway, being part of a parish involves developing relationships with other parishioners, and not having those relationships makes one a bit of an outsider. I've also noticed that I tend to sit by myself when I'm in a unfamiliar church, on vacation for example. I get the that feeling of not quite belonging. I assume others feel the same, though maybe not. The exception is when someone, an usher perhaps, or maybe a parishioner (I assume its a parishioner anyway) makes some effort to tinclude me. It has been as simple as moving in to make room. I try to keep this in mind when I see new faces in our parish church.
I'm not too thrilled by the notion of an"intentional assembly," but I would very much like to see a deeper sense of community that would have its center in the Eucharist, especially the Sunday Eucharist. It would be good if there could be occasions to get to know some reasonable slice of oour fellow communicants. After Mass coffee, even coffee before Mass ( Can the hour-long abstinence from food or drink be all that important?). Perhaps, during this time, some of the parishoners could be on the lookout for new attendees, people who may have recently had a family member die, etc. Being part of a Catholic parish should have consequences that go well beyond simple Mass attendance.
I myself am not the most sociable of people. That's hardly a virtue. I should be encouraged to pay more attention to my fellow worshipers. And I ought to be willing to take some initiative. Only once, in my life, some years ago, did I find this sort of "communal" sense cultivated. It was at a university Catholic Center.
My problem with the notion of an "Intentional assembly" is that it sounds like too much like a club hat one voluntarily joins as one sees fit. Most of us have been baptized as children into the Church. In that sense, being a participant in the Church is part of what we have been inducted into with the consent of the community that has received us. Hence, we have responsibilities to the community that are not the same as those attached to ordinary clubs. Perhaps I'm just being cranky. If so, please chalk it up to my age, but I think that thee are good reasons not to blur the distinction between club membersinp and membership in the Church.
Jim - Yes! Making room for someone specific, without having to be asked to, is such a welcoming gesture. I wish it came more naturally to me, at Mass if nowhere else.
Bernard -- maybe my term is not the best one. What I meant by "intentional assembly" is just that the people who make up the assembly at a given Mass are aware of being there on purpose and with purpose. We've come there to do something together, rather than just being near each other by coincidence while we individually pray the Mass.
Mollie for pastor. A cousin of mine notice that her pastor when giving communion mentioned the person's name. "Body of Christ, Jim. Body of Christ, Mary." She was determined that the pastor would do the same for her. So she called up the pastor and volunteered her services for any help the parish might need. Eventually, she helped with filling envelopes and sure enough the pastor said her name when she received. (I tease her about it all the time.)
How many people does the pastor know outside his inner circle of volunteers? Some pastors do not even know the names of volunteers. So should it start with the pastor or lay leaders? Like many groups those in the church tend to get clickish unless there is leadership to foster community rather than favor those who have business or other reasons for being more visible. So how do you provide a happy mix without people feeling intrusive. On the other hand should we learn to live with that tension?
The smaller number in many Protestant parishes forces people to mix in as they are challenged more. Churches that are crowded seem to foster anonymity, strange as it may seem.
I have always found that whenever I gave a party I made sure to greet everyone and make sure they were comfortable. Maybe we can find a way to do that in church.
Mollie, what a great topic! I was going to say, "Don't get me started because, as an usher, I see everything." But you got me started. Just a story and a question:
My wife and I attended a weekday noon Mass at a beautiful cathedral. We were strangers in town. Instead of being celebrated upstairs in the really gorgeous church, the Mass was in the basement, a room that is replicated in any school lunchroom. OK. Probably financial reasons for that. The crowd was sparse, but we went up front and entered a pew in handshaking distance of another couple. The couple promptly moved back a pew, outside handshaking distance. At the sign of peace, my wife and I shook hands with each other. No one else moved or made eye contact, although the priest called for the kiss of priest. That was, perhaps, the first time the priest looked up after he entered (from the sacristy). Holy 1949, Batman, that was a downer. The folks in that town don't deserve that cathedral.
My question is: Why do so many people cling to the aisle seat? They stand up and move into the aisle to let in people who arrive during Mass, even during the homily, creating even more disturbance than the latecomers (another issue). What are they expecting? What do they get? Is it fear of fire, maybe? We have a couple of parishioners who are mildly agoraphobic; they arrive on time and stand at the back of the church. Have we scores of others with the same problem who lack the forethought of those two? If anyone out there is one of those immoveable objects, tell me why.
The aisle seat is like the end seat on the subway; it makes it more likely that, at least on one side, you won't get squished. (But that wouldn't be a problem in an empty church). I never get the aisle seat, I have 2 daughters that always fight over it.
My own parish seems to have a reluctance to shake hands at the Kiss of Peace. The Archdiocese is recommending it be downgraded to a "worship site". If that happens, I'm going to be shopping for a new one, and one of my selection criteria (there will be others) is going to be whether the congregation shakes hands at the Kiss of Peace.
I like crowded churches, because half empty ones feel just so sad to me.
This isn't an issue at Newman Hall, Berkeley CA since at most liturgies the chapel is full.
It's amazing that it's just like when I was a child when you are aware of someone's absence because they aren't in their usual pew.
[Our family always sits in the balcony - a habit formed when our children were really young, and we were also the "very loud family," and we didn't want to disturb the really serious parishioners downstairs during the liturgies (most of the serious parishioners are also unmarried, unattached or retired).
Al Moser, our 90 yr. old Paulist, usually at our liturgies asks any visitors to identify themselves and accept the parish's warm hospitality.
The welcoming character of our parish is somewhat under assault recently these days after the new bishop Michael Barber of Oakland has intruded upon our peace by summarily dismissing our pastor and campus minister with no explanation, made pejorative statements about our worship and community, and refuses to come personally to speak and explain himself to parishioners. Sound a little scared to you?
Barber, without ever once visiting Newman Hall, has pronounced our parish as representing a "negative Catholicism" - whatever that means?!? A strange comment coming from a hierarch who has had no difficulty in demonstrating in the less than a year he has been in Oakland that he is hopelessly alienated and dangerously irrelevant to the lives of the people of the Oakland diocese.
It may just be a matter of Barber being a really immature bishop-leader that he feels he needs to send messages and/or put his scent on the diocese. He appears to be a very ambitious politician so all this authoritarian fever may be for the comsumption of his mentors higher-up the hierarchy ladder and to impress his patrones in the Vatican.
Hopefully, the Beatles were right: "All Things Must Pass." Reminds me of: I once had a conversation with now deceased Bishop Walter Sullivan just after he returned from Roma and his ad limina visit. I asked him his impressions. He just smiled his very Irish smile and said, "Someday, they all will be dead."
I have always found that whenever I gave a party I made sure to greet everyone and make sure they were comfortable. Maybe we can find a way to do that in church.
My parish has opening announcements just before mass. The first one is to ask visitors to stand so we can see and greet them. There is inevitably a slight hesitation to do so until the first one does ... they the rest stand. We applaud them and greeters rush about giving them a welcoming brochure with information about the parish.
Many of us have volunteered to be sure to go up after mass to someone who is visiting and personally welcome them, ask how they found out about us (our location is a bit off the usual visitor path in San Francisco) and to escort them (if they wish) to the social activities in our basement. We put out a good spread and want visitors to be sure to join us. Those who do join us are generally greeted by more of the regulars.
I have yet to find that done in ANY other parish I have attended.
More's the pity.
although the priest called for the kiss of priest.
Good show, Father!!!
The aisle seat is by far my favorite because, even if the church gets crowded and someone tall sits in front of me, I can still stick my head out into the aisle and have a better view of the altar and ambo. We can look back and get a view of the entrance procession even though everyone is standing up and blocking the view of the people who are in the inside. Also, we get sprinkled with more water. And we have a better chance of smelling the incense if there is some.
It's better in almost every way.
I sit on the center aisle because I don't receive. When the usher moves to my row, I step out and back and gesture for others to move into the center aisle, then I step back in place. They re-enter the pew from the side aisle. If I sat there or in the middle, I would disrupt the "flow."
Most people in the local parish sit with in their extended family groups. Everybody knows which pews "belong" to each family and keep out. I rarely notice visitors, as the parish is isolated and small, but when we "turned Catholic" years ago and didn't know the seating arrangements, a family patriarch asked me and my four-year-old to please move so his family could sit there. We moved down until there was no room and found ourselves in the aisle, so we had to change our seat entirely. It was kind of humiliating.
Raber is often lectoring or EMing, and needs to sit in the front. I prefer to sit toward the back with the widower farmers because I get hot flashes thinking about holding hands at the Our Father, and those guys wouldn't be caught dead holding hands under any circumstances. They also pass the peace with a nod.
Ushers? We have them, but I have no idea what they do except hang around in the lobby and tell dirty jokes to each other, and give people the bulletin after Mass. It would be nice if they took an interest in seat-and-greet.
Raber, who is the "real" Catholic of the family, seems to want to stay in the local parish until the priest, who is quite ill, retires. I would like to switch to our sister parish, which is slightly more welcoming and has Bible study, after that.
It's my experience in both Anglican and Catholic traditions--most certain as a Unitarian--that when people are at worship, they feel that basic friendliness or courtesy would be unseemly because it would mean speaking.
When I went to chirch i usually sat in the front, mostly because I can't see well. But also because most people seemed to have struck claims on most of the other pews. The church was always pretty full, so no reall need to get people to move. You can see a not very good pic of my small suburban church's interior here ... http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yTf6LKyHuxw/UOucL_aJwGI/AAAAAAAALtg/7SwlcVKVfa...
I had to laugh when I read Jean's comment about "...widower farmers...those guys wouldn't be caught dead holding hands under any circumstances." That pretty well describes my dad to a "t". He always goes to Mass a half hour early, so he can say his rosary, but also to stake out his favorite seat to the left of the pillar three rows from the back. You don't have to shake hands with a pillar. I'm not quite that bad yet, but I can see there from here; I have some of Dad's genes. I think it's kind of an introvert /extrovert thing whether one likes to meet and greet people. I do try to greet people as I am coming into church or leaving.
Dang! Pillars! What a great idea. I'm going to make sure the next parish I "shop" has them.
I thought about the cry room--some of the agoraphobes do sit back there--but they used to make us sit in there in the run up to the Rite of Initiation at Easter, and that's bedlam. The cry room is actually the parish hall with a window that looks into the church proper, and the ushers put out the donuts before Mass (duh). That means all the toddlers back there who are already freaking out because they're bored from church can also freak out because they can't have a donut until it's over.
Trying to distract them with stuff in my purse doesn't work because I have nothing in there that would trump a donut.
... the people who make up the assembly at a given Mass are aware of being there on purpose and with purpose.
But why must such awareness be expressed by physical proximity? Whenever this issue is raised, I always wonder about it.
Just as everyone connects with God in his or her own peculiar ways, everyone connects with other people in different ways, no? That people aren't sitting close together, side by side, doesn't mean they are being antisocial, nor does it mean that they are rejecting being part of a community.
A well written piece, Mollie Wilson O'Reilley.
My two cents:
From an old St. Joseph's Weekday Missal under the General Introduction #2 - Participation of the Faithful - that many years ago opened my eyes to my role in the celebration:
Participation of the faithful is not a ministry but an office. This prerogative is theirs, not as individuals but insofar as they unite to form one assembly or congregation. For it is as a community that they are the sacramental sign of the Church.
...It is of the highest importance, that, whether few or many, the faithful participate in the Mass as one body, united in faith and charity and avoiding every appearance of singularity or division. It is as a group that the Word of God is addressed to them and the body of the Lord is offered to them and that they are invited to pray, to sing, to perform certain actions and take certain positions. It is, therefore, as a group that they should respond. This common participation, lest it degenerate into more outward conformity for the sake of good order, should be motivated by a deep religious sense of their relation to one another and to God in Christ and of their office to be a sign of the mystery of the Church.
I'm assuming that immoveable objects, aisle seating and pillars, notwithstanding, are somehow incoporated into the ideal participation of the faithful. These wonderful people we see on most Sunday's do become a part of the fabric of our celebration. I'd feel remiss if they were forced by an overbearing usher or parishioner to, "Move in please; I'M IN CHARGE HERE, thank you very kindly."
I'm glad they have taken the time to be at Mass, considering the many who choose to stay home. I'm with Bernard Dauenhauer: no "intenional assembly"; perhaps a Christian community is sufficient. And Tom Blackburn: My question is: Why do so many people cling to the aisle seat? Some questions are best left unanswered. Consider the inscrutable aisle clingers as guardians of the pew who are maintaining a cosmic balance that escapes our understanding. ;)
Here is how the Roman Missal itself, in the General Instruction, instructs us in the matters at hand. The GIRM has a legal-document aspect to it, and while I suppose it's not really possible to legislate unity any more than it is to legislate morality, there are also some good theological and liturgical insights in the GIRM, and I'd suggest that this passage is an example. I've taken the liberty here of italicizing some pertinent phrases and sentences.
II. The Functions of the People of God
95. In the celebration of Mass the faithful form a holy people, a people of God's own possession and a royal Priesthood, so that they may give thanks to God and offer the unblemished sacrificial Victim not only by means of the hands of the Priest but also together with him and so that they may learn to offer their very selves. They should, moreover, take care to show this by their deep religious sense and their charity toward brothers and sisters who participate with them in the same celebration.
They are consequently to avoid any appearance of singularity or division, keeping in mind that they have only one Father in heaven and that hence are all brothers or sisters one to the other.
96. Moreover, they are to form one body, whether in hearing the Word of God, or in taking part in the prayers and in the singing, or above all by the common offering of the Sacrifice and by participating together at the Lord's table. This unity is beautifully apparent from the gestures and bodily postures observed together by the faithful.
I have read that GIRM passage many times. It's always quoted whenever this question arises and especially when the discussion morphs into, as it usually does, debates about "the active participation of the faithful" between the so-called OF and EF zealots/adherents.
I still fail to see how that passage traslates to: the faithful should sit together closely, and there must be physical contact among the faithful during mass.
By definition church means a gathering of people. We say People of God. The GIRM passage is spot on. No singularity. It is not really church if one person attends. That is why all those singular masses were atrocities, as it were. We show who we are by our actions towards each other.
I think parishes reflect the tone of the larger community, and I presume that's why the local parish in my neck of the woods is the way it is. Plus there's an irony about Catholicism, which is the Church Universal on the global level ... but at the parish level it can be insular, exclusive, and overly influenced by a few families or a specific ethnic group. Others have taken issue with that latter, but this area is still heavily influenced by the original German and Czech families whose progeny predominate and also happen to be Catholic.
"OF and EF zealots"?
I still fail to see how that passage traslates to: the faithful should sit together closely, and there must be physical contact among the faithful during mass.
Maria - I don't think the GIRM is telling us that we need to bring tape measures to mass to ensure that we're sitting acceptably adjacent to the next guy. I do think, though, that there is real power in the symbolism of the People of God, gathered together to worship. And that sitting such that, spatially, we look and feel like one People rather than many diffrent and widely scattered people, can be significant.
This really gets to how the changing mores of modern culture influence parish life. At one time, and that is still true today (at least technically), one's parish was determined by one's geographic location. That is all well and good however with stratification in neighbourhoods you have certain parishes catering to a largely upper middle class group, another a poorer one and so on. Thus going to the geographic parish is not guarantor of connecting with the cross-section of Catholics.
Add to that self selection and people moving to parishes that more suit their particular sensitivities and spiritualities (e.g. EF groups) or parishes that are on the other side of the spectrum. And you have selective, voluntary grouping of people who share the same, general outlook.
Similar for Catholic discussion sites although we had some conversations some time ago around attracting people with different views and engaging with them in respectful ways.
Thank you.
I must confess though, my (crooked little) brain tends to think kinda the opposite, i.e., when I see people sitting all over in the church, some alone in one pew, others together in another, some in front, others in the back, etc., as happens at my rather large church, especially during weekday mass, I don't see that as "many different and widely scattered people," but instead, as the song goes, this: "we, though many, throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord," as symbolized by the very fact that we have gathered together to worship in one place, regardless of where and how we are seated in that place, regardless of our varied places in this world.
So yes, I do fully agree with you about "the power in the symbolism of the People of God, gathered together to worship," but guess we disagree on just what symbolizes what.
Thank God unity does not mean uniformity, eh? :-)
Raber, I think, would agree with Jim P. Despite the fact that Raber doesn't particularly like hand-holding any more than I do, he believes that it's important to show that the parish is united as the people of God, and that his being creeped out is a defect in his own character and needs to be broken down.
I understand and respect his point of view.
But he's still a regular communicant and feels a connection with the Church Universal that is long gone for me.
The kiss of peace is kind of depressing at a church in Florida. I've never seen so many people who simply nod instead of shaking hands. They're invariably elderly, so either they're severely germ-phobic or they have arthritis.
Angela, Come over to this side of the state. It's a Petri dish of germs. I noticed this morning that our weekday Masses are almost as filled in the middle section of the church as on out-of-season Sundays, and it has stayed that way even after Easter. No one was in the balcony. Two people were in the left section today and a scattering was on the right with most of the scatter in a knot at the front where the sacristan and his pre-Mass Rosary contingent sit. They form a circle to hold hands during the Our Father. My oldest daughter was scandalized no end. The point being that on weekdays, with the chance to spread out, most of our parishioners don't.
On Sundays we pretty much fill up, even out of season, so it would be hard to do a Garbo anywhere in the church. One more thing: Hardly anyone gets into the noon Mass on Sunday without being touched by an usher -- a pat on the shoulder, a handshake, a hug... some acknowledgement. (I specialize in hugging the widows because at my age I can get away with it.) A lot of the hugging strems from 20 men's and 21 women's Christ Renews His Parish retreats with cross-pollinated chrp brothers and sisters. We were all quiet, mousey and introverted until those retreats started.
I accept, and even honor, Jean's reason for clinging to the end of the pew. Hanging tight for cosmic balance unhinges my imagination, though.
Is shaking hands instead of actually kissing an American thing, or do people do it elsewhere?
Abe, come to my parish and you will be kissed, bussed, smacked and/or smooched to death at the Peace. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mhr_sf/5709144496/in/set-72157626694506210/
There is, of course, always a danger of it becoming the French kiss of Peace, but that's another story.
Kiss the people whom you know well enough to kiss them outside of Mass. Shake hands with all others. That's how we do it in France, where we are not afraid of germs.
Finn on mom's side. In Finland shaking hands is considered foreplay so not sure what the 1 or 2 Catholic churches in the whole country do. Hugs for close friends and fam, shaking hands for others....kissing...no...not for me...not afraid of germs but not my thing at least in public.
Claire, I don't think the distaste with hand-holding and kissing stems from fear of germs. I'm happy to hug children and the infirm, especially in nursing homes, and hold hands with the dying--the people who seem to need communication through touch.
It's that the hand-holding at the Our Father and hand-shaking at the peace is done awkwardly and out of a sense of duty unless it's within the extended family groups who sit together. Outside of the family group, it's rendered meaningless by its tepidity. Sometimes think that if the folks in the local parish were freed from the obligatory touching that they clearly dislike, they might loosen up and be a little more welcoming in other ways,
Just one quick observation that has nothing to do with handshaking, etc. If I don't know my fellow congregants, don't have a chance to do much of anything else with them than take part in the Mass, it's hard for me to see much sense of community being achieved within the Mass. It's all too mental, "intentional," if you wish. For those of us who have been fortunate enough to have had sufficient instruction in the theology of the Mass, then maybe we can manage. But other folks are left with very little to go on other than some general sense that going to Mass is what they should do. Not a good recipe for enouraging them or their children to think of themselves as part of a community.
I think "Maria" hit the right point mentioning that all this may have to do with the introvert/extrovert thing.
Being VERY old and trying to be, in the Mass, in touch with "my Friend from Galilee" who gives himself to me, I need a personal space around me.
I once read that when Cardinal Newman (perhaps recently canonized?) was dying, he requested to be left alone in his last moments.
It's very hard to pretend that those who are in many churches for mass at the same time are a "real" community, at least not in the sense that they actually know one another and have a relationship and something in common beyond being at the same mass on any given Sunday.
The large suburban parishes I am most familiar with have anywhere from 1800 to 4500 familes. The churches seat 700+ people, and most masses are fairly full (all except the earliest!). It is sheer chance to recognize a face, even if there is a coffee-doughnut social hour after mass, as there is in the parishes I know best. Perhaps you might know a couple of people - but only those whose kids play soccer with yours or go to school with yours, or those who serve in the same ministries. On Sundays, the luxury of a bit of space does not exist at most masses, which are crowded. Some of us need a little space., as mentioned above. The handshake of peace seems to be somewhat forced, although most of the kids love it - at least the outgoing ones. The more introverted children are often forced by their parents to do the handshake of peace and that is unfortunate. I prefer to be in a pew by myself if I can be! Mea culpa, mea culpa.
Anne, meet me by the pillar. I'll save space for you!
@ Svato Schutzner:
Actually, the point I was getting at has little to do with either "introvert/extrovert thing" or need for "a personal space."
My point was simply that everybody is different, and that there is more than one way to understand what it means -- and what it looks like -- to be a "real" community and be part of it.
For me, there is no other place than at church -- any church -- that I feel less alone, like I belong, even if I'm the only person there (like on some early mornings when I stop by my church to pray), or even if I hardly know anyone there (like when I go to a different church while traveling).
We believe; therefore, we belong. To me, this is enough. Physical togetherness or social friendliness (e.g., I know you; you know me; let's be friends) is just incidental.
@ Jim McCrea:
Can I come too? Your parish church sounds and looks all kinds of lovey-dovey, in every sense of the word. I love it!
My goodness, you Yankees are reclusive. No wonder we are leaking members. So we are in Williamsburg, Va., (this is maybe 10 years ago), a place we had been exactly one time before. As we enter the strange church, my wife says something to the usher -- because we always talk to people -- about being from West Palm Beach, and the usher says, "Tom?" And he turns out to be a guy I was in high school and college with in the '50s and hadn't seen since. We had dinner with him and his wife, whom we also knew, that night.
Of course, we could have kept our heads down and headed right for the pillar -- and later had our melancholy dinner at an unusual melancholy tavern. Look up, Speak up. You'll only be snarled at maybe one time in a hundred. Except maybe in Michigan where everyone has his own cave and protects it from intruders.
Jean, here shaking hands is something one routinely does with perfect strangers, in and out of church. I don't think it takes an effort to do it. It is no big deal. I would never refrain from offering or taking an offered hand (unless it was from an enemy).
It's too bad that you live in a place where people dislike any kind of physical contact with strangers. Does that extend to eye contact as well, or are you allowed to make eye contact?
I think I'm making myself out to be more of a curmudgeon than I am.
Folks like Mollie, Jim and Tom, who seem to have affectionate natures and love for God and neighbor, of course want more community, whether that's sitting together, holding hands, hugging the peace, or whatever.
But even when you're willing to keep your head up and look for the need you might be able to fill in your parish, you may not be welcomed. I tried for the first several years, in the first flush of being a new Catholic, to start a Bible study with another woman (interestingly, the only people who came were other converts, but most seemed more interested in apologetics and getting ammo to argue with Protestants, so it kind of collapsed). I participated in lector ministry, helped with CCD, When I stopped receiving, I gave up all that (not a good example for others), but I can't say I felt any more "out of it" than I did when I was participating, because nobody really wants anyone new.
Raber, who has a faithful Catholic longer than I've been an unfaithful one, tries very hard. But we hear from Catholics in other parishes that some communities are just plain clique-y, and that seems to be something that goes on at the local parish.
I wonder if dioceses could do a better job trying to help parishes assess their "welcome" factor and to teach priests how to better spot and encourage parishioners with special gifts along these lines.
Maria ... come one, come all.
And if you come more than once, the smallness of our masses (averaging 40 Sunday evening to about 250 Sunday @ 10 ... we also have Saturday evening and Sunday @ 8 am ... all of this for a parish of about 400 people .. not families, people) you'll be recognized by someone, particularly if you head to the basement social hall afterwards for a bit of a nosh up.
Most of the time people that I see at the Mass welcome the contact. It seems to be a different person/s each week. It is not perfect but it helps.
The Mass or
Eucharist is a community act in itself. It is also the command of the Lord to be God's people. "Whenever two are moret of you..........." Thee is no option. A Community act it is.
We are one as God's people. The spiriual bond and unity is more important than family ties. It is the command of the Lord. We must let the Lord wash our feet so we can do the same for each other..
When I was a girl -- in the South -- we were taught hat ladies didn't shake hands unless the other person extended theirs. If the other person did, then it would be extremely rude *not* to shake the extended hand. So for old women here I think that offering to shake hands is against our inclinations, but when the person next to you offers a hand it would be extremely rude not to shake it.
Also, please let me remind you that if an old person sits with crossed arms and won't look at you, assume that the person has bad arthritis, and don't extend your hand. I find it almost impossible to refuse to shake an extended hand and sometimes at Mass I end with a crushed one.
Ann --- will you return an offered hug?
Jim McC. --
Depends on whether or not the person looks like a bone-crusher.


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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: CYBEX Strollers
Units: About 1,100 in the United States and 90 in Canada
Distributor: Regal Lager Inc., of Kennesaw, Ga.
Hazard: The stroller's hinge mechanism poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller.
Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received one report of a child placing his finger in the stroller's hinge mechanism, resulting in a finger fracture.
Description: This recall involves Ruby, Onyx and Topaz models of CYBEX umbrella strollers. "CYBEX" is printed on the side of the strollers.
Sold at: Department and juvenile product stores nationwide between August 2009 and November 2009 for between $140 and $260.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled strollers and contact Regal Lager to receive a free hinge cover retrofit kit.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact the Company Service Center at (800) 593-5522 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm's Web site at www.regallager.com/recalls - consumers can also email the firm at firstname.lastname@example.com
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I have an Airport Extreme and Airport Express connected via an ethernet cable to different parts of my home. Is it preferable to used the same SSID name? Will my devices automatically connect to the stronger signal?
I have a similar setup: same SSID and same password. My devices (laptop, iPhone, iPad) connect automatically. Roaming from one zone to the other is failing from time to time but generally I have no problems.
Just my two cents here, but I would suggest the opposite of what Matteo does. I have different names, because in this way I know which one is the strongest, dependent on where I am (the two networks cover the whole house, but not with the same strength).
For a Mac, it connects following the order specified in System Preferences, Network, Wi-fi, Advanced, Wi-fi.
For iDevices, I have no idea, but the problem, at least for me, it that when I move to the part of the house where the other network is stronger, I can manually change the Wi-fi, and I'll immediately know which one I have to choose (not trivial if the names are the same).
It depends on what you want from your network. If you'd like to have devices/computers connecting on either the Airport Extreme/Express to be on the same network, you can use the Airport Express to extend your network (see this Apple support page for details):
More info from Apple about using Airports to extend your wireless network is available on this article.
If you want your devices to be on separate networks, having different SSIDs on each of your Airports would provide that separation.
Yes, your devices will automatically connect to the stronger signal.
They will not switch between signals if one becomes stronger, they will only make this decision when they are looking for a network. Once on a network they'll stay on it until something causes them to disconnect (user, loss of signal, going to sleep, etc).
The advantage of having the same SSID everywhere is minimising configuration. Users don't need to separately enter the details for each access point. This isn't a big deal for two APs and one or two clients, but in a school/workplace/boarding house/etc you want to keep it simple. This applies not only to new devices being set up, but also changes to the network password. It also makes it easier for novices to use (may or may not be relevant depending on typical residents/guests at your home).
The advantage of having unique SSIDs for each AP is that you can intentionally choose which AP to connect to. Sometimes this is useful, though I tend to think most cases where it's useful are because of a bad network design. Sometimes that design is out of your control, or correcting it is beyond your budget, so it doesn't make it wrong to have unique SSIDs, just a little more fiddly/annoying than if access points were in better places, were more evenly distributed, more evenly utilised, had better antennas, etc.
In either case, it can be helpful to ensure there's an access point very close to the most common places devices are used, and overlap between access points is around places you move through (corridors/hallways) rather than places you use the devices. This can mean, counterintuitively, turning down the power on an access point, or moving it, to intentionally reduce the overlap between APs. That way, the switch will happen automatically (whether SSIDs are unique or not) if you move from one region to the other. Something like NetSpot can help with this.
In either case, the setup complexity is
On my ground floor I have an internet connected dsl wifi-router (fritzbox) from my provider with the possibility of wifi on 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz or both. I have both and distinguished them by adding 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz to the ssid names.
On my second floor I have a Time Capsule. I had configured it first with a different ssid names than the machine on the ground floor but then my devices did not reconnect to the stronger signal. They kept as long as possible connected to the machine below. When I changed the ssid names on the Time Capsule exactly to the ssid names below with the same passwords, the switch works perfect.
You can test it by walking with connected device (iPhone) from the ground floor to the second floor. Halfway I saw my wifi reception getting lower but more upstairs it took the stronger signal from the Time Capsule automatically.


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Through GLRI, NRCS provides farmers and private landowners within priority watersheds technical and financial assistance to implement conservation practices that will benefit their own lands as well as the Great Lakes ecosystem. Pennsylvania NRCS staff and conservation partners have identified priority watersheds and conservation practices to most effectively address resource concerns affecting the Great Lakes. These resource concerns include non-point source pollution from agricultural activities, degradation of wildlife and aquatic habitats, terrestrial invasive species and loss of farmland. High priority watersheds were determined using existing watershed assessments and priorities determined by the Environmental Protection Agency.
NRCS National GLRI Announcement
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Applications for GLRI through either the EQIP option for farm projects, or the WHIP option for stream and wildlife habitat projects, will be accepted continuously throughout the year to be evaluated, ranked, and prioritized based on their potential to address priority concerns. Currently only applications in identified high priority areas will be considered for funding.
Applicants for EQIP must be either farmers or forestland owners, or owners of land that is being used for agricultural production. Applicants for WHIP must be private individuals or entities and projects must be located on privately-owned land.
Click here to see a map of Pennsylvania's two priority areas in the Great Lakes watershed, the Chautauqua-Conneaut watershed in Erie County and the Upper Genesee watershed in Potter County.
Erie County/Chautauqua-Conneaut Watershed
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Payment for eligible practices in EQIP and WHIP are based on current standard rates. These rates are available from the program contacts listed below.
Thomas Matticks
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District Conservationist
(814) 796-6760, Ext. 3
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Ben Renner
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text: Representatives of Mercy for Animals, an animal advocacy group, were near the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Weirton Friday protesting alleged acts of animal cruelty by one of the company's pork suppliers. The organization has alleged the pork supplier, Chistensen Farms, confines pigs in small crates, and is asking Wal-Mart to phase out the practice with all of its pork suppliers. Officials from Wal-Mart were not immediately available for comment. -- Craig Howell


text:
RadioShack Grand Opening on eBay: 20% off select electronics
Exactly what the title describes. This ends August 26th.
Happy shopping!
11 Comments add a comment
I always like Radio Shack as a kid, but now I can't figure out how they survive, I haven't seen a single salesperson that knows ANYTHING about what they are selling, their prices have gotten so out of control on everyday things like batteries and what not, they have just become a glorified cell phone store, I don't know of much else I would consider buying there that I couldn't get online, MUCH cheaper... i'm not trying to attack them, I just hate that it's came to this... 20% off of items marked up 60% to high doesn't interest me :-(
@gmnorrod: It's a useful store to have near a campus that has electrical majors. Being able to walk over and pick up a critical component just in time is a pretty nice luxury.
@gmnorrod: Actually, most of the sales people never did know what they were selling. I used to go there for electronics parts 30 years or so ago, and some of the misinformation could have actually killed me.
@gmnorrod: There are very few places that have knowledgeable associates. I don't believe customers should expect the sales person to know how to build your project for you. Google is your friend =) The reality is Radio Shack pays all its associates minimum wage and the wireless carriers pay them commission for selling their phones.
20% off of inflated prices isn't much of a deal.
They became a cell phone and RC-anything store and I had to go elsewhere for small quantity components- mostly online now, but there are a few surplus electronics places in the Dallas area so I expect I've got it easier than many.
I worked there out of high school ~18 years ago, and back then I wondered how they stayed in business with their prices. I worked there with a couple of friends. We were a bunch of computer geeks so we were knowledgeable, but the rest of the staff were clueless.
It was the worst place to work too. You either got minimum wage or 10% commission, whichever was higher. There was a sales per hour quota you had to meet, so you were encouraged to claim less hours to meet that quota. They had these knowledge tests you were encouraged to take (by encouraged I mean they threaten to fire you). You had to study on your own time, and even come in on your own time to take the tests. There was no reward for taking the tests, unless keeping your job is a reward. Oh and then there was the meetings we were required to go to at the regional office, that we didn't get paid for and had to pay our own expenses to go. I was eventually "encouraged" to leave because I wouldn't play their games.
@publiclurker: The sad thing is you can't count on them for electrical components anymore. When I worked there they had a large section dedicated to the stuff. A couple of months ago I needed some capacitors to fix an LCD monitor, so I headed to Radio Shack for the first time in years. Their electrical components are now down to a small drawer in the back of the store. They only had one of the type I needed too, so I'm still wondering why people go there.
@miniskunk: AGREED, Their prices are so outrageous!!! I never shop there!!!
@gmnorrod: I agree as well. Amazing when I go in there to get a switch or some terminations and they ask if they can help. I say yes even though I don't need the help then I watch them dig aimlessly through their inventory like it's their first time in the store. The place really has become a joke.
@gmnorrod: I feel exactly as if I wrote this! When I go into RadioShack for a sale item, the clerk acts like they NEVER heard of the product! You need to bring in the sale paper WITH a picture. There's this one particular salesperson who I HATE coming up to me asking if she can help. I'm thinking to myself, "you haven't been able to help me the last three times that I've been here." of well, there's always the InterNet. Say bye-bye brick-n-mortar stores.