text:
Spend a day with photographer Michael Forsberg as he shares his vision of the Great Plains with a group of students from Grand Island. Visit the Mennonite Park, a labor of love that preserves the Mennonite heritage of Henderson. But will it outlive its founders? Go behind the scenes as Omaha artist Jun Kaneko proposes startling costumes and groundbreaking animation for the premieres of the Magic Flute by Opera Omaha and the San Francisco Opera. And finally, meet Phillip Smith, an up-and-coming composer whose contemporary work is earning raves from musicians.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Who Borrowed Your Time Today?
I was at a lecture last evening. In case you are wondering I am studying for my MSc. (A juggle of work and studies! Arhhhhh!)
We were given some homework the previous week and the lecturer asked how many actually completed it. The majority of the class said, "No, I didn't complete". Yours truly included ! To our utter surprise he started asking "why" from every student. When the first culprit answered, "I didn't have time" the lecturer asked, "Who borrowed your time?". At the time, everyone burst out laughing at the cynical statement. However, it got me thinking and here I am writing a post about it.
I am aware that there are many books and articles that offer many helpful advice on how to save time. This post though, is to highlight a different approach.
Who borrowed you time today? When your at home, it might be the television. When at work, it might be an annoying colleague. When your on the road it might be the traffic. Yes, there is a point I am trying to make. Here it is. Identifying the cause of time wasters. Once you are aware of the factors that drain you time, you might be able to take preventive measures to avoid or reduce it.
Now is the time. Who borrowed you time today? Start making the list and analyze more feasible solutions. Practice it for a few days, and let me know if it made a difference.
Enjoy the Post? Please bookmark it and share it with others.
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text:
Title: The Longest Battle
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own Macross Frontier.
Summary: A collection of shots where Alto deals with a pregnant Sheryl.
A/N: Some scenes in Starlight are really hard to convey with words. I also can't help but notice how it's much easier to write lighthearted stories than ones that have a more serious take. Nevertheless I will conquer Starlight! Oh and expect to see the last chapter of Harassing the Hime soon.
There was loud clamor happening in the hangar, as the crew gathered around a certain somebody. Ozma Lee, long-time pilot who was married to the late Frontier president's daughter, frowned with puzzlement at the growing crowd.
He decided to take a closer look; everyone automatically made way for him, giving him a clear path. One of the perks of being a long-timer was the respect you gain through the time. Ozma soon found himself face to face with the center of the attention—Saotome Alto, who couldn't look any cockier.
"What the hell is all this about?" Ozma asked.
One of the rookies answered for the blue-haired pilot.
"This taichou here is going to be a father!"
Ozma's eyes widened in surprise before his whole face softened to a smile.
"Congratulations, Alto."
"Ah." The soon-to-be-father accepted with a nod, the earring adorning his left ear sparkled.
The next few hours were spent on drills and practices for those whose schedules had been assigned with that day. Those who didn't were lucky enough to join in Alto's booze party in the mess hall.
The celebration was a joyous one, as everyone partied and drank. Slapping each other around and singing songs drunkenly.
Amidst the happy noise, Ozma sat down with the celebrant for a chat.
"So Alto, are you ready to face fatherhood?"
Alto smirked. "Head on. I really wish the nine months could pass already."
Ozma, who had a three-year-old, could relate to Alto's excitement. "Trust me, I know that feeling."
Alto took a sip from his beer. When he set it down on the table, he sighed. "I just feel bad for Sheryl though…"
Ozma raised a brow. "Why is that?"
"Well…it can't be easy to have someone growing inside of you." He shrugged. "I'm sure it'll have a lot of suffering on her part."
Ozma was quiet for some time. He also sat rigidly.
"Alto, do you really believe that?"
"Well, its true, isn't it?"
Ozma opened his mouth to say something but decided to shut it.
The princess would find out for himself.


text:
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March 2017


text:
The police on Sunday booked two youths and arrested one of them for allegedly raping a 20-year-old girl for two days after locking her up in a room at a village in the district.
The victim, a resident of Basti Khanuu Wali village in Ferozepur, was waiting for her acquaintance on a road at the village some days ago, when a villager, Ravi, and another youth, Ashwani, of Jhoke Harihar village came there on a motorcycle and offered her lift, which she accepted.
Instead of taking her to her destination, the two took her to an isolated place and later locked her in a room. The two allegedly repeatedly raped for two days. Before letting her go, they threatened her with dire consequences if she approached police against them, reports said.
After reaching home, the victim narrated the incident to the family who reported the matter to police.
Ferozepur senior superintendent of police Varinder Pal Singh said a case under Sections 376, 366, 354, 506 and 34 of the IPC was registered against Ravi and Ashwani. The latter had been arrested while Ravi was at large, the SSP added.


text:
Sunnyvale, CAUSA
April 29, 2013
Ops guy at Apigee.
I love to code. It's something I want everyone to learn. I spend a lot of my free time teaching people I know, and I wanted to reach out to a larger audience. Coding: in this day and age it's a great skill to have. It not only adds to the ways we can solve problems, it also provides a language and context for sharing solutions to complex problems. In this meetup I'll be teaching you how to code. We'll start by learning how to find and run other people's open source code. That means we are setting up a development environment, installing a language, downloading some open source code, and installing the needed libraries to run a specific example. That will give us access to the best learning resource available, the deeply rich developer community. Once we see what the community looks like, then we'll start to look at how we can contribute and participate... See you at step one!
Or sign up with email
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text:
Town Square
Palo Alto prepares for storms, potential outages
Original post made on Nov 29, 2012
Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, November 28, 2012, 4:03 PM
Comments (8)
a resident of Greenmeadow
on Nov 29, 2012 at 1:36 pm
Ha. No sandbags out at the airport as of a few days ago--definitely AFTER the November 15 posted date. Will check East Meadow . . .
a resident of Barron Park
on Nov 29, 2012 at 1:53 pm
How hard to program a self-refresh function for the "online creek-monitor" page?
a resident of Palo Verde
on Nov 29, 2012 at 2:24 pm
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Nov 29, 2012 at 3:48 pm
I have not seen the city workers clean out the storm drains in at least two years. After the 1998 floods, the city said they would never let the storm drains go unattended again. Yesterday, there were floods on Alma, floods on Oregon, floods in the parking lot of T and C and elsewhere. This after just one rain, not even a bad one at that.
This is an El Nino year, according to some meteorologists. Let us not have a repeat of 1998!
a resident of Downtown North
on Nov 29, 2012 at 6:40 pm
A quick note re the comment above regarding computers not being available during a power outage. We emphasize our outage website because many people have smartphones and can access the info that way (in fact, we have a new mobile app---check that out now at www.cityofpaloalto.org/cpaumobileapps)
Also, many times people have computers at work or other places outside the area of an outage.
Debra Katz, Utilities Communications Manager
a resident of Palo Verde
on Nov 29, 2012 at 6:45 pm
I believe that if you have a power surge on your wifi, it will work for several hours after an outage. When the power went out on Thanksgiving we were awoken by the constant beeping of our power surge and we still had internet on our laptops.
a resident of Crescent Park
on Nov 29, 2012 at 11:45 pm
bru is a registered user.
Good point about there being no internet when there's no power.
Palo Alto needs to get wireless infrastructure like Mtn. View that can be used in case of situations like this. This could really be important if people can report really quickly to a central location about there lines are down or water is rushing.
I hear we have fiber all over the city or at least is some places ... why can't those be split off to service WAP wireless access points throughout the city where each address is throttled down to some bare minimum so it can only be used for basic or emergency access?
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Nov 30, 2012 at 8:33 am
Can we please emphasize all of us - residents, businesses, garden contractors, school district, the city, city contracters cleaning up all the leaves blocking the gutters. Thanks. The water really blocks up in the gutters in some places we see.
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Short story writers wanted!
The 31st Annual Palo Alto Weekly Short Story Contest is now accepting entries for Adult, Young Adult (15-17) and Teen (12-14) categories. Send us your short story (2,500 words or less) and entry form by April 13, 2017. First, Second and Third Place prizes awarded in each category.


text:
Out-of-this-World TV Service in Ashville, OH with Time Warner Cable
You are one of the many people who've found out that Time Warner Cable is their cable television service provider in Ashville, OH. The majority of the residents of Ashville -94%- watch TV on a regular television set. Did you know that's 3,311 local people? Whether you're part of the 94% or the 6%, you'll find a television programming package to suit your needs.
Residents of Ashville really love their television programming from Time Warner Cable. Get special programming features that are only available from Time Warner Cable; including TWC TV™, which gives you the ability to watch TV or program your DVR from your wireless device.


text:
The Chicago Blackhawks don't have a lot of recent experience in Game 7's, but the games they have played provide them with some important lessons heading into Sunday's game against the Kings. Read »
The Chicago Blackhawks' come from behind Game 6 win over the Los Angeles Kings was keyed by big time efforts from several players, and we recognize them in this edition of Three Stars. Read »
Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist in the Chicago Blackhawks' furious third period comeback, adding one more page to his already impressive legacy of clutch play. Read »
With contract extensions for Niklas Hjalmarsson and Corey Crawford set to hit next year, the Chicago Blackhawks got some great news on Tuesday as it was reported that league revenues have risen around 10%... Read »
The Chicago Blackhawks are struggling on offense, but would a reunion of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews help solve the issues? Read »
The Chicago Blackhawks got two goals out of Jonathan Toews, but it wasn't enough as they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. Read »
The Chicago Blackhawks led early, but second period goals by Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter gave the Los Angeles Kings a 4-3 victory in Game 3 Saturday night. Read »
With some missteps in Game 2 in mind, the Chicago Blackhawks will attempt to simplify their game plan on special teams for Game 3 Saturday night. Read »
The Chicago Blackhawks will be looking to take a 2-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night, and Madhouse Enforcer has their Three Keys to Victory. Read »
In this edition of Hawks Headlines, we take a look at the battle between Jonathan Toews and Anze Kopitar, as well as the return of Andrew Shaw and the desire to stay ready for Antti Raanta. Read »


text:
The Boston Marathon always attracts celebrities and athletes and this year was no different. Boston native and New Kids on the Block member Joey McIntyre was amongst them — and he narrowly missed the horrible explosion that killed three and injured dozens.
"There was an explosion by the finish line about 5 minutes after I finished- I'm ok but I'm sure there are many hurt," McIntyre writes on Twitter. He later adds, "I don't know what to say. I feel for everybody involved with the Boston
Marathon. My family is ok. I am ok. Gonna take a while to process."
He had previously been tweeting about how excited he was to participate in the annual race, running for Team Eye & Ear and the Alzheimer's Association, along with this picture (left).
NKOTB member Donnie Wahlberg expressed his concern during the confusion following the bombs about his fellow bandmate, writing, "Please reach out if you hear that @joeymcintyre is ok!!!!! Please say a prayer for everyone in Boston!" and later, "Just heard that @joeymcintyre is ok! Thanks to everyone for tweeting! Scared for everyone else in Boston. #PrayerForBoston please."
He later writes, "No words to describe the pain in my heart, at this moment, in seeing my city torn apart this way. So sad. Please #pray4boston & the victims." and "Dearest Boston…. Your resolve is unquestionable. Your character undeniable. Your history
unparalleled. You've inspired us, all the way. You will again today."
Brother Mark Wahlberg adds, "You try to put everything in God's hands and whatever happens here is
out of our control and there's a bigger picture. But it's still
obviously upsetting."


text:
Completed in late 2001, the Paramount Apartments, San Francisco, California, is the tallest concrete building in a region of high seismic activity in the United States. At an overall height of 420 feet, this 39-story building includes 486 apartment units and has a total area of 660,000 square feet). The construction cost is approximately $90 million. The lower eight floors and basement level accommodate a variety of functions with a maximum per floor area of 31,000 square feet).
Retail space occupies most of the first and second floors. Residential amenities include a leasing office and business center on the third floor, and a fitness center and outdoor pool on the fourth floor. Parking for almost 300 cars is located on the north side of the building on floors three toseven, with residential units on the south side on floors four and above. The eighth floor serves as a podium above which typical 13,700-feet residential floors begin. The building steps back at the 34th floor to the high tower, where the floor areas are 9,900 square feet.
A combination of cast-in-place and precast concrete is used to meet the functional and aesthetic demands of the project. A precast concrete perimeter moment frame serves as both the lateral force resisting system and the architectural facade. The architect was able to utilize the high quality and flexibility of precast concrete to create an exciting design. The beams on the south face of the tower frame a true curve. White concrete is used to differentiate the central tower element from the ends or shoulders of the building, which are dark gray concrete. Sandblasting, reveals, and bullnosing all add to the complexity and interest of the facade treatment. By combining the structural frame and facade into one component, the contractor was able to save over $4 million and to reduce the construction schedule by several months.
Structural Framing System The framing for the southern portion of the first four floors consists of a conventionally reinforced 9-inch thick flat plate with a specified compressive strength of 4,000 psi. Typical spans are 24 feet, and floor heights average 14 feet 6 inches. Where parking occurs in the northern portion of the building, the framing consists of precast concrete beams spanning up to 43 feet and a 6 inch thick one-way slab spanning 18 feet. The depth of the structural system at the parking floors is 2 feet 6 inches, and the story height is 9 feet 8 inches; this helped to maximize the number of floors without increasing the height of the podium. An all-valet parking system, with access from the basement by two auto elevators, eliminated the drive ramp and enabled the same total number of parking spaces with two fewer floors.
The typical tower floor framing consists of 6 ½ inches thick post-tensioned flat plates with spans ranging from 24 feet to a maximum of 27 feet. To achieve a compressive strength of 3,000 psi in three days for stressing, a 5,000-psi mix was specified for the slabs. Stressing through the perimeter precast frame was not possible, so an internal stressing program was developed. To accommodate the apartment layouts, cables were placed uniformly in the north-south direction and banded in the east-west direction. The flat plate floor system allowed the bottom of the slab to be used as the ceiling and provided a comfortable 8 foot 4 inch clear story height.
Column sizes vary to fit the apartment layouts. Typical column sizes are24-by-30-inches up to level 20 with a specified compressive strength at 56 days of 8,000 psi. Above level 20, the columns are 24-by-24-inches with a strength of 6,000 psi.
The foundation of the building is a concrete mat, which is 5 feet thick under the tower and 3 feet thick under the remainder of the structure. The mat thickness was kept to a minimum to maintain about a 5-foot buffer between the bottom of the mat and the water table. The mat is reinforced with Grade 75 reinforcing bars with a specified yield strength of 75,000 psi and is post-tensioned in both directions under the tower. A 4,000-psi mix was specified for the mat, and basement retaining walls utilize 3,000-psi shotcrete.
Lateral Force Resisting System
Two types of lateral force resisting systems are utilized in the project. Below the 8th floor podium, a combination of structural walls and cast-in-place special moment frames is utilized. Varying slab elevations and required occupancy separations between parking and living spaces facilitated the use of structural walls at these levels. Above the eighth floor, a perimeter precast moment frame was developed using both the hybrid beam system and the Dywidag ductile connector (DDC) system®.
The hybrid beam system is the predominant framing system utilized, while the DDC system is used at short frames, which occur at re-entrant corners of the building where the effective post-tensioning force required by the hybrid beam system could not be developed. Typical frame columns are 36-by-36 Inches up to the 20th level and are 24-by-36-inches above that level. Concrete strengths for the frame columns are similar to those for non-frame columns. Typical frame beams are 24-by-36-inches with a specified compressive strength of 5,000 psi, and are set flush to the outside face of the columns.
The hybrid beam system consists of concentric post-tensioned cables anchored at both ends of the frame. The clamping force creates a friction force between the beams and columns, which transfers the shear demands. Mild reinforcing steel — the straining of which provides the necessary energy dissipation during a seismic event — is placed at the top and bottom of the beam through the joint and is grouted in place. These bars are also wrapped (debonded) in a region adjacent to the column to reduce inelastic strain demands and to force all post-yield rotation to occur at the beam-column interface. By limiting post-yield rotations to the joint, damage to the system is minimized. An additional benefit of the hybrid beam system is the restoring force provided by the elastic post-tensioned cables.
The geometry of the building required biaxial stressing at several corner columns. The columns could not effectively accommodate two tendon anchors, so an around the corner stressing detail was developed. The tendons are threaded through a curved pipe that is anchored in both directions at the back face of the column.
The DDC system uses dywidag ductile rods cast into the column. A high-strength thread bar is screwed into the rods and coupled at the beam centerline. All inelastic action occurs in the ductile rods, which causes system deformations to occur at the beam-column interface. In this project, a precast face shell serves as a form for the beam that is cast in place with the slab.
Column confinement is provided by Baugrid welded wire grids. These grids met the tight tolerances required for bar placement. Columns are placed in two-story lifts and are spliced at the top of the beam using NMB Splice Sleeves, which are approved as Type 2 connectors by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners (UBC).
Construction Data This project is the first significant application of the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO)-approved Precast Hybrid Moment Resistant Frame. With over 2,200 precast pieces cast by Pankow in an off-site casting yard, significant scheduling savings were achieved on the tight downtown site. The floor to floor construction schedule for the project above the eighth floor averaged five days per floor, with the top eight floors being assembled at a pace of four days per floor.
Concrete Versus Steel Framing
Concrete framing was chosen for this project for the following reasons:
The Paramount Apartments demonstrate the versatility of concrete, and especially precast concrete, as a building system. Significant schedule and cost savings were achieved by using precast concrete for both the lateral force resisting system and building facade. The architect, through the use of color, aggregate, texture, and varied reveals, created a unique and aesthetically pleasing building utilizing concrete.
Owner: Third and Mission Associates, LLC Design/Builder: Pankow Residential Builders II, LP, San Francisco, California Structural Engineer: Robert Englekirk Consulting Structural Engineers, Inc., Los Angeles, California Executive Architect: Kwan Henmi Architecture/Planning, Inc., San Francisco, California Design Architect: Elkus/Manfredi Architects, Ltd., Boston, Masssachusetts Design Architect (Interiors): Ismael Leyva Architect, PC, New York, New York Year: 2001
Learn about concrete solutions for homes, pavements, buildings, and more.
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text:
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Dammit, dammit, dammit.
"Just blog about anything" They say. "Write whatever comes to mind."
Easy for Them to say.
Whatever comes to mind.
Okay. I'd like to thank whomever came up with this stuff. I don't know about the "Anti-Aging" part, but by Freyja, with a thick coat I can actually stay out for an hour or so without spontaneously combusting. 'Course, by "thick coat" I mean that the 8oz bottle is good for about four applications.
*scratch, scratch*
'Bout six weeks ago, I was walking into the house, when I noticed a scrap of carpet on the front fence. Being in a bit of a tidy mood, I walked over to dispose of it and discovered another kitten. It was flea-ridden and starved to the point that it didn't even make a sound or a move when I picked it up.
One day I must find the "Sucker Lives Here" sign on the front door and remove it.
About a week of touch-and-go there, and the sprite made a fairly impressive recovery -- enough so that I took him to the vet for the shots and other sundries that an eight-to -ten-week-old kitten requires.
Now, before we get into the meat of this story, bear in mind that the feline in question was -- at the time -- barely bigger than the palm of my hand. Got a mental image? Good.
So. I pack up said bit of fluff, and we show up at the vet's office, him being in full-bore Adorable Mode and being such a tiny little thing -- what could possibly go wrong?
Shows how much I know about cats.
Said vet looks over kitten, and makes a general statement to the point that it would be best for the other cat if we tested said kitten for feline leukemia. The vet goes further to assure me that this test "is nothing" and requires "just a bit of blood".
I thought it passing strange that the vet gently demurred in allowing me -- with several decades of experience in holding animals far larger than a palm-sized kitten -- to assist in this little blood-drawing experience, instead summonsing his aide who promptly gently took the little bit out of my hands, laid him on the steel table and proceeded to grab an amazing amount of the scruff of his neck.
My paw to Freyja -- there was more fur in the aide's fist than there was left on the kitten.
I was about to opine something along the lines of, "Hey, he weighs a pound and a half. Is this really ..." when I noticed that my kitten was making a new kind of noise. One that I'd really not ever heard before. It was an odd sort of noise, somewhat like a very small, very distant, monumentally pissed-off chainsaw. Running full bore.
I'm not exactly sure, but I believe that the translation of this is: "Now I am become Shiva, the Shatterer of Worlds."
Folks, when your housepet starts quoting ancient religious texts, rest assured that someones day is about to get Very Interesting, Indeed. Trust me on this one.
Well, the vet took a deep breath, leaned forward, slid the needle into my kittens leg ...
Have y'all seen Terminator 2? Remember the part where Ah-nold slammed the evil terminator face-first into the wall, and the evil terminator kind of shimmered and then his front moved to his back?
That little kitten promptly retracted all of his limbs and other assorted protuberances, rotated inside his skin, popped back 180 degrees out from original position and proceeded to enthusiastically bury five of his six ends in the vet's arm.
A long, shocked pause, and then the vet remarked, quite coolly and calmly -- as if, in point of fact, he didn't have blood dripping out from under an enraged black hairball attached to his forearm -- "I hate it when they do that."
Sayeth the aide: "OhMyGawd."
Kitten: "Mmmrrraaaaooowwwrrrr." Which, of course, translates as: "From Hell's heart I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!"
The fact that my cat can quote Melville disturbs me more than an ability to quote the Bhagavad-Gita. Which probably says unsettling things about me.
Vet: "We're in, loosen the tourniquet. The tourniquet. Loosen the tourniquet."
Aide: "Sweet Jesus, you're bleeding!"
Kitten: "You cockaroaches! I bury you! You wanna play rough, okay! Say hello to my little friends!"
Vet: "These things happen, get the tourniquet loose or we're going to have to do this all over again."
Aide: "Got it!"
Kitten: "I can haz arteries, [deleted]!"
Vet: "That's probably enough. Get the vial off the end. The vial. Yes, the vial. For Christ's sake, don't drop it."
Aide: "Got it!"
Vet: "That's good. Get it to the lab. Sir, would you kindly help get your [deleted]ing cat off my arm?"
Bit of tussling later, and we've got one homicidal, yet terminally cute, furball back into the Cat Crate. Ten minutes later, the vet comes back -- covered knuckle to elbow in Spongbob Squarepants band-aids -- to announce that kitten is leukemia free and then squints somewhat woozily at the calendar.
"Well, he'll need to come back in three weeks for shots. Hmm. Linda! When's that snotty intern supposed to be in?"
"Monday through Wednesday for the next two months!" comes a bellow from the front desk.
"Sir, feel free to bring your furry little cusinart in on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday the third week from today."
*sigh* Wonderful.
*scratch, scratch*
Well, hopefully that broke the old Writers Block. We'll see.
88 comments:
- Orion said...
*laughing* You describe cats quite well...I surely miss my two fuzzies.
We would have to wrap Shredder (she lived up to her name!) in a towel when we took her to the vet. You'd generally wrap her up, leave one paw out for blood work, and keep a hold of the scruff of her neck as well as pinning her down...
Then there was how I got the nickname 'Cat Wrangler' at our Fire Station...
Orion - 1:20 AM
- aepilot_jim said...
"I can has artery", That would be funny if it wasn't true. I'd say that cats are the spawn of the devil, except that they'd feel insulted and the devil is afraid of them.
- Black Ice said...
I'd say you just beat Writer's Block's ass like a rented mule.
- Kelly said...
We had our cat spayed recently, and everyone at the vet's office kept saying how sweet and friendly she was. I'm fairly well convinced there must have been a friendly and sweet cat that looked like her in that day, and they were confusing the two. And after spending two weeks giving her medicine because of the reaction she had to her stitches, I'm also fairly well convinced she and your kitten are pen pals, or something. They must be sharing strategies with each other somehow.
- Mark said...
*snort* I love cats.
Viewed axially, you have a centreline device for removing divots of flesh followed by two symmetric pairs of penatrative trauma dispensers and terminating which a dual-mode centreline chem launcher.
But they're so cute! - 2:57 AM
- Geoff said...
Well sure, but they stabbed him. How could he let some big bully get away with such abuse without reprisal?
- Evil Lunch Lady said...
Is it bad that I feel sad about the kitteh?? The vet learned never underestimate a wee one;)
- Carteach0 said...
Well, you sure made MY morning!
Thankfully the coffee is not done brewing, or it would have gotten messy. - 5:47 AM
- ben said...
Well crates dont help my old cat would grab intimate areas through the bars whilst the crate was held on the lap.
- Dustin said...
Well, I don't know about the writer's block, but that post sure had me rolling. At the last vet we had in GA before we moved, we had to pick up tranquilizers before bringing her, or the vet wouldn't see her. All 20 pounds of cat (declawed, btw) was too scary for the vet. It's strange, though, as the vet here has no problems whatsoever. She doesn't even growl or cry when she goes there.
- Kristine Shreve said...
I needed a laugh this morning and that was a good one. Those cute little cats need to be watched.
- Tim Covington said...
Welcome to the world of feral cat rescue. Back in May, we had a litter of feral kittens (~3 weeks old) come out from under our deck demanding to be picked up, fed and taken inside. They have all been adopted out now.
BTW, how is the tiny terror you described doing? - 8:01 AM
- Kelly(Mom of 6) said...
My mother in law has a cat like that...only she isn't wee. She's a very big cat...or a small lion ..however you choose to look at it. She puts her cat into a pillowcase to take her to the vet and they give her the shots right through it.
What the hell do you feed your cats in Texas, anyway? Geez.
My kitty is a killer..but of rodents, varmints and stuff...with people, she's as loveable and sweet as can be. - 8:03 AM
- TIM CARROLL said...
LD, Thanks for the heads up, I have to take my now 3 yr old furball to the vet on Saturday morning for her booster!
She was almost like your little one was 36 months ago.
Lucky Me! - 8:35 AM
- pdwalker said...
firey spitballs of death.
yep, know them well. I've got the scars to prove it.
so, where are the pictures? - 8:51 AM
- Vic said...
Dawg, you will never find the Magic Sucker sign. I'm here to tell you that it is tattooed in invisible-to-humans ink on your forehead. Trust me on this...I have a friend in your AO who runs a large dog rescue, and he has the doggy version of the mark on his forehead too. It doesn't matter where he is, stray dogs gravitate towards him--they can see the S on his head!
--Vic303 - 8:54 AM
- M.E. Again said...
I own that kitteh's older sister. Oddly enough our big Thom Cat's a laid back ol' dude that just continues to purr whilst the vet roughs him up. (Pix on the bottom of my blog.)
Well, that was a great way to break out of writer's block. I probably really shouldn't read your blog at work, if for no other reason, because sooner or later I will be committed for laughing uncontrollably for no (apparent) reason.
Hope you found your Muse. - 9:15 AM
I'm not so concerned your cat quotes classic literature so much as she quotes lol cat. Means she already is on the computer when you are not around...and could come up with ideas.
Sounds like you got a perfectly normal kitten to me: an entire medieval armory stored TARDIS-style inside a tiny cute fur coat.
Well, almost normal. Bhagavad-Ghita is a fine and noble piece of work, right up there alongside Tao Te Ching and A Book of Five Rings. But meself, I'd wonder about any kitten that had such execrable taste as to read Melville... - 9:50 AM
- Mark Alger said...
Kittens. There's a reason God made them so adorable.
It says a lot about humanity that we keep small predators as pets and eat the ones bred for sneaking up on vegetation.
- lookingforlissa said...
"I can haz arteries, [deleted]!"
Love it :)
My kitty's just the opposite; last time I took him to the vet he engaged in a very serious bout of "if-I-can't-see-you-you-can't-see-me" and proceded to bury his head in the crook of the vet's elbow. Yeah, he doesn't get let outside. Ever. - 10:15 AM
ld .. writer's block surely broken .. keep the good stories coming .. djs
Melville? That sounds suspiciously like Khan Noonian Singh to me.
LawMom - 10:57 AM
- The Raving Prophet said...
Have you named the little kitty?
From your description, "Cuisinart" might be a good choice. - 11:01 AM
Once again, Lawdog gives us the TRUTH! Little cans of mayhem, equipped with cutlery, wrapped in a fur coat. Loved it!
It took me only 5 tries to read that whole thing. :D
Look here:
Pops - 12:04 PM
Is there some kitty school where they learn how to produce disturbing quotes? Our cat has roughly the same reaction, but with a few more years of experience and a few more pounds to back it up with. And a different, but to my eye no less disturbing, book of quotes.
Kitty is presently called 'Thing.'
He and Ittycat are tearing up jack in the back room. It's play, play, play, SLEEP, play, play, play, SLEEP, and so on.
Thing and Ittycat are half-brothers, so they look a great deal alike, both black and silky, with white tummies and paws. Itty has big gold eyes, but Thing must have some Siamese, because his are that muddy yellow, not nearly as attractive as Itty's. But lively. Very, very lively.
LawMom - 1:16 PM
- fuzzys dad said...
I can relate to your cat stories.
I have 6 cats. Only one is nuts.She needs prozac or what ever. - 1:30 PM
'...used like the last of the damned!' was probably translated from the original Kittenish by Achmed-I-Just-Get-These-Headaches immediately before the tenatacles struck.
DomH - 1:34 PM
- MAJ Arkay said...
Like LawMom, I believe kitty has already named itself Khan. Go with it, lest Khan provide ancient Klingon quotes, too.
- Diamond Mair said...
LawDog, once again you've done wonders with words .................. gotta go with "Cuisinart" for a name for it - "Cuis" {pronounced 'kweeze'} for short ................. ;-) Seems you have the upper part of TX covered as "Kitteh Savior" - I seem to have the area NNE of Houston as my AO .................... ;-)
Semper Fi'
- LabRat said...
Level-headed vet. After having been in the aide's position more than a few times, I've learned that it's usually better to let a pissy cat that's inclined to latch on, latch on. It's the ones with a more dynamic strategy that tend to create the true Clinic Holocausts.
Seriously, give me a mean dog any day. They're MUCH easier to restrain, even if the consequences for failure are more dire. - 2:27 PM
- ASM826 said...
Har har har!
The real lesson here, beyond the wonderful storytelling, is that cuteness, or the lack thereof, is no indicator of possible threat. - 2:57 PM
- Nancy said...
There is a good reason our little lady cat is named SpitFire.
She was kicked out as a patient by the first vet we took her too. He was a country vet by trade and was used to handling all sorts of wild critters, but the 5 lb kitty was too much.
Her second vet is much smarter. They sedate her before any and ALL procedures.
oh, and she's a gorgeous cat. - 4:38 PM
- net said...
Peek at her file when you take her back to the vet's! I'll bet donuts to dollars that she has a "red" tag attached to it.
Our daughter, the Vet, has a red tag on all "Cuisinart" patients - just so she has fair warning!
You big lug! Your kitten won the Powerball Home Lottery! - 4:51 PM
- phlegmfatale said...
This reminds me of how my granddad would un-man the boy cats on the farm by sticking their front end in a rubber boot, back legs protruding and held fast in the most undignified pose imaginable by another hardy soul, and then...
Well, I'll spare you the details, but maybe vet offices should employ the services of a rubber boot now and again, thus diminishing the flailing, spiky bits down to just the two? I'm sure blood could be taken from other parts than the scruff? How's about that powderpuff thingie? I'll bet you could get blood from that. - 5:06 PM
- Mark said...
*grips agonized sides*
DAMMIT STINGRAY! Warn me I'm going to impel my ribs through my liver with hiccoughs of laughter before posting that kinda thing! - 6:40 PM
Lawdog, This story is a hoot. May you have writer's block frequently.
- IceFire said...
Next time take along a towel to wrap the little whirling dervish in. Wrap the kitty SECURELY. (I know, easier said than done)
Sounds like your vet should invest in some of those leather "cat gloves"...the ones where the leather goes all the way up to the shoulder!
As for you, yep, the local stray cat population has no doubt secretly marked your home with the "Sucker" sign, and you'll never be able to find, much less remove it. That's 'cause you're an ol' softie when it comes to the little furballs. Have fun with "Khan" - 7:46 PM
- SpeakerTweaker said...
"...My kitten was making a new kind of noise. One that I'd really not ever heard before. It was an odd sort of noise, somewhat like a very small, very distant, monumentally pissed-off chainsaw. Running full bore."
Sir, you have a knack for wordsmithing unparalleled in the blogosphere.
With those kinds of skills, surely you have enough spare bank lying around to afford new keyboards and the occasional monitor...
tweaker - 7:53 PM
Making note to self, only drink cheap beer when reading Lawdog.
ben - 8:13 PM
- Valerian said...
Mr Dawg, the kitty community will never reveal their sources but you are known to them. Obviously. On a similar note, my wonderful "Domino" was terror to the vets. She hurt her front paw once and I took her in. The vet's aide kindly took her from me saying "we have a bag that we put the cat in, and then just draw out the limb we wish to examine – it puts less stress on the animal." Ha! But this is a trained professional – she works with animals all day – who am I to warn her of fur coated razor blades? A few minutes later, I heard Domino's displeasure made loud and clear from the back rooms and a short while later she was brought back to me by a frazzled and torn aide who said "we weren't able to examine the limb, but she appears to be fine – if its still hurting in a day or two, bring her back …. When I'm not on duty!"
- ben said...
traq gun plus darts = less scars.
- Diamond Mair said...
For ALL the cat companions out there, I've one word - ACE - that's the shorthand for acepromazine, which is a wonderful cat {or dog - we had to use it on our Australian Shepherd whenever we took him to the vet} tranquilizer - for one the size of 'Cuis', 1/4 tab should do nicely, about 1/2 hour prior to entering the exam room .................. ;-)
Semper Smiling
We have two cats. Both strays, one cat, mine,named Snowflake is able to clear out the waiting room at the vet's with a single yowl, but she normally doesn't bite. She did, however, bite the vet through the mesh of the cat carrier one time.
The other cat, my mother's is a Siamese, named Cairo (we did not name the cat that, when we adopted her from the MSPCA that was her name), nicknamed Ginsu Kitty. Anyone care to guess why?
She's about 6 or 7 and we believe that she was abused because while she is quite affectionate with my mother and me, usually, she HATES to be picked up. She's the one with the 'agressive' sticker at the vet's.
Just to add to the merriment, the family goes on vacation for a month (my mother's retired, she can do that--I'm grad school so I come too) and the cats, of course come.
You know what kind of a joy it is to go through airport security with a VERY pissed off Siamese?
Finally got a little smarter this year and gave her not only a full pill of the tranq, acepromozine, but also stuffed a towel in her carrier. Pull cat out with towel wrapped around, walk through, put cat back in, right?
Not quite. As I'm standing there, just after going through the metal detector, this brain trust from the TSA wants to X-ray the towel the cat is wrapped in. Right then, not after the cat is put back in the carrier. RIGHT THEN.
Pardon the language folks but ARE YOU FUCKING NUTS????!
I said basically that just not in those words. Fortunately, a supervisor comes over and tells the brain trust to let me put the cat in the carrier and then they can x-ray the towel
Yeah....traveling with a pissy Siamese, always a joy. I think we'll drive next year.
Amy, SE Texas - 9:52 PM
- Jerry The Geek said...
Indeed, "The Wrath of Khat".
As I work for a veterinarian,I can guarantee you that dual personality cats are common...but never had one called Cuisinart....yet !Your vet has a great sense of humor. And you need it in this business. Great blog, by the way.
Toni - 6:05 AM
An apt exposition on the meaning behind "fight like a cornered cat".
- Maeve said...
"I can haz arteries, [deleted]!"
I am sure that is what my kitten was screetching when the vet & tech were trying to take his temp the last time I brought him in.
The fun is just begining....trust me. - 7:39 AM
My beautiful pure white kitteh got sick once - ran a fever and had to spend several days at the vet. When she tried to shred the intern I knew she was well. My kitteh loves me and the rest of the world can go pound sand.
Ky Person - 8:20 AM
I have a cat who the vet would sedate every time - for some reason, Shadowcat, the most mellow of cats, turned into Mr Hyde when brought into the vet's office. When I complained about them knocking my cat out every time (that CAN'T be good for him! Not to mention the added expense), they suggested that maybe I find another vet. I agreed... and found Dr. Lori Kriedberg of Metrowest Mobile Vets (in Sudbury, MA), who makes HOUSE CALLS. Funny... but she can do ANYTHING to Shadow and he just purrs at her. And the price is a wash - costs more for her to make house calls, but then again... he's not getting sedated all the time.
Apparently, Shadow is just a homebody and does NOT like to go to the vet's office.
And I haven't heard him quoting the Bhagavad-Gita since. - 8:36 AM
"Melville? That sounds suspiciously like Khan Noonian Singh to me."
I believe he was quoting Khan, who in turn was quoting Melville.
Khan did it better. Melville simply wrote it, while Khan lived it (fake chest piece and all). - 9:11 AM
- Mark said...
Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahn! - 10:36 AM
- The Meezers said...
great story! My wonderful gentle little pile of Siamese kitty turns into some form of demon who pees on every person at the vet who touches him. They are very nice with him though when he does this. - Mary
Don't tell me that chest was fake! AS I recall, he took his shirt off during a Barbara Walters' interview back then. I drool at the memory....never mind that he's an awesome, though vastly underrated, actor. Ricardo Montalban has been the sexiest thing on earth since I was six years old.
Rave on, Khan!
LawMom - 11:08 AM
- Wyatt Earp said...
I think I speak for everyone when I say, "Cats. What's the point?"
- X_LA_Native said...
"Melville? That sounds suspiciously like Khan Noonian Singh to me."
Really nice to know I'm not the only d0rk in the bunch.
And I side with Vic in re: the Magic Sucker sign; I haz it too.
Which is why we now have three dogs, as opposed to the two we moved to SE Texas with. - 12:09 PM
- joated said...
Jeezus! The tears are still rolling down my face but I've stopped laughing long enough to say that is one heck of a story!
Having two cats (currently..and several others in the distant past) who really,really hate to get into the cat carrier and hauled to the vet I can empathize.
My third cat, the big 17 lb ball of love thinks any handling is a treat. The vet can't hear his heart and lungs for all the purring. - 1:57 PM
I need to find one of those vets with an aide... my vet asked me to hold my gorgious fur ball and I was the one bleeding...
He has mellowed in his old age tho, and just sits there with the chainsaw growl, nashing his teeth, and glaring, now that he knows drawing blood won't make me or the vet let go... gotta love those little half angel/half devils. - 2:09 PM
"I can haz arteries!" snort!
I recently brought my youngest in due to the sniffles, which were magically cured as we crossed the vet's threshold. She ended up on top of the cabinets offering to perforate anyone within reach. She's better now, sure glad the experience didn't break her spirit, Heh heh... - 2:24 PM
"What we have here is a failure to communicate." I actually haven't seen this too much with doctors. I spent so much time with UC Irivine doctors who also taught, I got used to their high communications skills. Fortunately, I've taken Speech & Debate and Listening courses, as well as studied quite a lot autodidactically in fallacies and other communications topics, and my Computer Science courses contained more than the usual amount of liguistics, computational and mundane. However, now that I'm dealing with non-professorial doctors, I'm aware that the intense studies required by doctors leaves little time for anything beyond the studies strictly required for their profession. With my own doctor, I have to take the initiative if I want to discuss more than one completely obvious thing.
Now, when I read, "The vet goes further to assure me that this test 'is nothing' and requires 'just a bit of blood'", two questions came immediately to mind. Just what amount is, "A bit of blood"? A drop? A cc? A pint? The second question was, "Whose blood?" Clearly, the doctor was unclear, and while the kitten was doing his best to comply with the doctor's ambiguous request, he had no more idea how much a bit was than I do. Understandably, he drew blood until the doctor was satisfied. - 3:06 PM
- Vincent said...
Cuisinart's Tony Montana impression made me keel over laughing.
Thanks, Lawdog. - 5:48 PM
- DW said...
"I think I speak for everyone when I say, "Cats. What's the point?"
They're all points ....and hooks.
LawDog, two words, welding gloves!
Plastic or kevlar inserts wouldn't hurt. - 8:53 PM
- WordFaery said...
Oh, well done, LawDog.
Feel free to come back when the intern is here. muahahahahaha! - 9:18 PM
I'd recommend a leather welder's cape, and heavy gloves.
As far as that sign, it's not visible.
It's a scent, and since humans have no sense of smell to speak of . . .
--Webfoot Logger - 9:20 PM
- Andrew said...
When I brought my petite six-pound American Short Hair for shots, I tried to warn the vet, honest I did.
"Son, I've been handling cats for thirty years. I think I can handle a li...YAAAAARGH! It bit me!"
Her name was "Joy." She went to the great catnip patch in the sky last fall after sixteen years. I miss her still. - 12:49 AM
- Mark said...
Compared to the post by Labrat I believe it was on Atomic Nerds, this compares and if they rate a 10 this one rates 9.75 good sir.
Quoting WolfWalker "Sounds like you got a perfectly normal kitten to me: an entire medieval armory stored TARDIS-style inside a tiny cute fur coat."
Sometimes the comments are just as funny (and thoughprovoking) as the post!
LawDog - we need kitty pics! Sounds like the little one is a VERY lucky kitty! - 8:29 AM
LOL! @ jerry the geek.
LawMom - 11:11 AM
- Sarah said...
My sister is a vet tech and their solution to the evil headspin kitty is to use a fishing net, with a loooong handle and a towel. Even with those tools, I've seen her sport a few scratches that were nasty! Makes me love my dog even more!
- Area Trace No Search said...
How about something about pursuits? I'm always interested in how others do it.
i'm afraid that "sucker for kittens" sign is tattooed on your soul, but no worries, you've plenty of company. my son in law came in a week or two ago to ask if we could give a home to a pair of 8 week kittens that were about to be put down. then another a few days later, "frodo", "romeo" and "hunter" have taken up residence and are practising the finer points of stalking and pouncing on my stocking feet having terrorised our female pit bull into accepting them as masters of the house.
"gunner" - 3:37 AM
- Senihele said...
Oh dear heaven that's the funniest thing I've read in ages and so so true.
- X_LA_Native said...
Heads up for you LawDog, the Invisible Tattoo may apply to livestock as well.
Or it could just be my luck I woke up from a nap to discover someone's donkeys in my backyard... - 5:14 PM
- Pastor Geek said...
Very funny.
Back in a previous chapter of my life I had seven cats (well eight for a while, but that's another story) and between them they had had every neurosis and temperament possible. The biggest cat I ever had was 18 lbs, jet black and looked like a mini bear cub.
One of my congregation has a cat that weighs in at 23 lbs. It's a monster! I scored many points with it's owner by picking it up and surviving the experience. I am a cat person though, so that helps. They all seem to love me. :-) - 9:59 PM
Someone sent me this - I dislike blogs and I'm not a cat person. That said, I found the story (and all the following blog comments) hysterically funny, loved the Melville references, and kept wondering when the vet was going to discover that the "kitty" was a wild fisher cat, wolverine or bear cub!
- The Freeholder said...
So when are we graced with a picture of the Kittenator?
The Kittenator is a dense black, and when he's photographed, only his tuxedo and spats tend to show. However, I shall proceed to nag the Dog and see what we can do about a pic.
LawMom - 2:35 PM
- Jules said...
Well, I'm not sure what it did for your writer's block, but it certainly broke me up.
Thankfully my fiance added a "Make sure you're not drinking coffee" disclaimer when he forwarded the link to this to me. - 9:55 AM
- HerrBGone said...
"Make sure you're not drinking coffee"
Or anything carbonated! - 12:18 PM
- Joanie said...
I miss having a cat. Sigh.
Of course, as a former pediatrics nurse, I would encounter much the same thing with kids of all ages, most surprisingly the infants. Go figure.
DaGoddess.com - 1:21 PM
- red said...
"Have y'all seen Terminator 2? Remember the part where Ah-nold slammed the evil terminator face-first into the wall, and the evil terminator kind of shimmered and then his front moved to his back?
That little kitten promptly retracted all of his limbs and other assorted protuberances, rotated inside his skin, popped back 180 degrees out from original position and proceeded to enthusiastically bury five of his six ends in the vet's arm."
That had me in tears when I first read it. Now, I've seen it with my own two eyes and have the scars as proof! - 10:52 AM
- Mike Van Pelt said...
When I saw this lolcat, I immediately thought of this story:
http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/funny-pictures-your-cat-is-special.jpg - 1:21 AM
I see your vet trip. and raise you this one
*laughing* I found Ferrule is a similar flea ridden state as well... - 8:57 PM
- Gordon Mainwaring said...
This one time, I met a black cat, fully grown, female I think, at a pet adoption center. Said cat was in her Cute Mode up until I mistakenly touched the edge of her cage.
Next thing I knew, this cat exploded into action like something out of a supernatural thriller horror movie; a colossal hiss followed by Hovering Homicidal Hairball Mode and frenzied loud-as-all-heck meows. The whole thing, quite apart from scaring the hell out of me, scared the hell out of the few cats around her and made the whole store look around that way.
As we were walking out, Chat Noir Royale repeated her feat to a little girl, causing her to scream in fright.
Oh yeah, and my finger had two long cuts on it for a week after that visit. - 3:12 AM
Oh man. I'm a cat person, but I have to say they can be the most dangerous things in your house. When I was a kid we had a cat named Grendel, after the beast from Beowulf. Trust me, he didn't get that name by accident.
Grendel is the one and only cat my family has ever had declawed, because he was A)aggressive B)smart and C)he liked to aim for the eyes. I think that last one was the deciding factor. I was absolutely terrified of that cat for something like ten years. He mellowed with age, and we eventually came to a truce, but he was terrifying. - 1:58 AM


text: First Red Dead Redemption Trailer Hits Tomorrow... Or Right NowMichael McWhertor5/06/09 2:30pmFiled to: save the dateRockstar GamesRed Dead Revolver70EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalinkFirst footage of Rockstar Games follow up to 2004's Red Dead Revolver should be making its way to you no later than tomorrow, in the form of the game's first official trailer.AdvertisementRockstar says we should expect Red Dead Redemption's debut trailer to arrive Thursday, May 7th, giving us a look at John Marston—"a notorious outlaw trying to survive life in the harsh frontier when the newly government-appointed Bureau of Investigation approaches him with a deadly ultimatum"—and crew in moody motion picture glory. Hopefully that means availability via the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace.We expect the trailer to look a lot like the game's new screen shots, but with a much better frame rate.AdvertisementUpdate: Apparently "May 7th" in Rockstar time means "May 5th," as IGN has posted the first trailer. And that's the last time I'll do that!Reply70 repliesLeave a reply


text:
The Beatles: 1
- By The Beatles
- Genre: Pop
What parents need to know
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that "Yesterday," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Help!" address adult themes of loneliness and self-doubt. "Day Tripper" alludes to a less-than-romantic liaison. In "Get Back," there are controversial references to drugs ("JoJo left his home in Tucson, Arizona, for some California grass") and to "Sweet Loretta Modern" (who "thought she was a woman, but she was another man"), but they don't seem quite so inflammatory 30 years after the fact.
User reviews
Parents say
Kids say
What's the story?
For more than 40 years, Beatles music has held surprising appeal for kid audiences, and this collection of #1 hits presents the band's biggest songs ever. Many parents relish this opportunity to inject a little Beatle magic into their kids' lives. Lots of teens, too, appreciate the remarkably high quality and far-reaching influence of this enduring pop music. Also, taken as a whole, THE BEATLES: 1 presents a concise overview of the moods, motivation, and musical experimentation that characterize the band's storied career.
Is it any good?
It's easy to overlook lyrics that have become so familiar, but don't discount valuable messages in "Can't Buy Me Love," "We Can Work It Out," "All You Need Is Love," "Hey Jude," and many others. Classic light-hearted romps ("Yellow Submarine," "Penny Lane") still garner giggles from preschoolers and early grade-schoolers, but even some of the more straight-faced songs ("The Long and Winding Road," "Let It Be," "Help!") continue to resonate with sensitive young listeners. Simply put, this is some of the best "kids'" music ever recorded for grown-ups.
Families can talk about...
Families can talk about how this music represents pop music nirvana. Each song is a gem, and hearing them one after another offers young listeners a mind-boggling treatise of the Beatles' lasting contributions to 20th-century music history. Discuss the music chronology with interested young fans.
Music details
Artist: | The Beatles |
Release date: | November 14, 2000 |
Label: | Capitol |
Genre: | Pop |
Parental advisory: | No |
Edited version available: | No |
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text:
With Instructables you can share what you make with the world, and tap into an ever-growing community of creative experts.
This is an awesome, durable, custom made paint brush holder!
You will need Duct tape, Scissors, and the paint brushes you want to put in the case.
First, arrange the brushes in the order you want and evenly space them. This will give you an idea as to how big the case needs to be. ...
Cut small strips of tape and place between brushes across both the main piece and handle cover. This is where that excess on the handle cover comes in. ...
The outside of the cover can be customized to your own personal style. You can lay random strips of tape across the top, make letters, or weave strips ...
Duct Tape Glitter Beauty organizer ♥ by takia.mustafa
Paintbrush Roll-up Travel Kitby Jessie Marie
Organize on a budget - Tips, hacks & How to !!by Vikalpah


text:
The United States holds enough oil and gas to power the country for hundreds of years, and Colorado is at the center of the search for energy resources. Using a controversial process called hydraulic fracturing—better known as fracking—and new drilling techniques, oil and gas companies are able to extract these previously inaccessible fossil fuels. These technologies may be the biggest step yet toward securing our energy independence. But at what cost?
Jurisdiction Matters
Longmont steps up in the power struggle between local and state governments: Who should regulate fracking?
Imagine someone coming into your backyard and building a factory in full view of your living room. They tell you the location is prime for manufacturing. But no one cares that you know your neighborhood best. There's nothing you can do about it. The factory starts humming. Workers traipse through your yard every day. Smog wafts up over your rooftop.
It's not a far-fetched scenario for those who live in mineral-rich zones. Currently, the state makes the oil and gas rules for Colorado. Municipalities, much to the frustration of some, don't have the final say on the technical aspects of drilling within their city limits.
And then, there's Longmont. At press time, the city of Longmont and the state of Colorado were locked in a legal skirmish. The state sued the city in July after Longmont passed its own drilling regulations in an attempt to trump the COGCC's existing rules. "To be clear at the outset," wrote Governor John Hickenlooper in a September 26 letter to Longmont city officials, "suing Longmont was a last—and not a first—resort for our administration. This decision was only made after attempts to resolve the state's concerns were unsuccessful."
The state's beef? A "patchwork" of local, inexperienced town governments managing different sets of regulations is unwieldy and inefficient compared to an agency with more than 70 years of oil and gas experience and already-existing rules that are "widely regarded as among the most protective in the nation," Hickenlooper wrote. The city of Longmont filed to dismiss the lawsuit in September, to no avail. The case has become a textbook example of the regulatory debate sparked by hydraulic fracturing.
Litigation aside, the residents of Longmont last month voted yes on Question 300, a ballot initiative making Longmont the first city in Colorado to ban fracking and related waste disposal within city limits. The charter amendment was petitioned onto the ballot by advocacy group Our Health, Our Future, Our Longmont, which secured 8,200 signatures. Some critics say the amendment will just invite further legal action.
Take Two
Doing it different in the East.
New York has taken a drastically different approach to hydraulic fracturing than most states, Colorado included. In 2008, New York officials temporarily banned fracking in the Marcellus shale—a formation that, by some estimates, contains enough natural gas to meet the country's demand for six years. At the same time, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation started researching the impact fracking has on the environment. The governor has said he intends to continue the temporary ban until the study is complete. In the meantime, more than 30 towns in New York have banned fracking permanently, and at least another 80 have enacted temporary moratoriums in line with the state's decision.
On The Big Screen
Three films tell three very different fracking stories.
• Gasland
If you haven't seen the Oscar-nominated documentary Gasland, chances are you have heard of the film's money shot, in which a Colorado man sets fire to the water running out of his kitchen faucet. The scene—and the implication that fracking caused the flammable tap water—became so controversial that the COGCC issued a detailed, four-page Gasland correction document. The agency contends that the gas in the tap water is naturally occurring "biogenic" methane—not the "thermogenic" methane associated with oil and gas development. Film director Josh Fox responded with the argument that fracking could have created a pathway for "biogenic" methane to seep into the aquifer. Who's right? Who knows? gaslandthemovie.com
• FrackNation
FrackNation is a response to Gasland that aims to "tell the truth about fracking for natural gas in the United States and globally." The film challenges fractivist rhetoric with testimonies from families and citizens whose survival depends on hydraulic fracturing—e.g., farmers whose livelihoods hinge on leasing their land to oil and gas companies. The filmmakers have also produced documentaries that attack Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth and aim to debunk the environmentalist movement. FrackNation is currently in production. fracknation.com
• Promised Land
Matt Damon is stirring up controversy—and talk of an Oscar—with his latest film, a drama that pits a natural gas company salesman against a small rural town struggling with economic collapse. The twist: The film, which reportedly carries an anti-fracking message aligned with Damon's and co-star John Krasinski's views, is financially backed by Image Nation Abu Dhabi, which is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates—an OPEC member and the world's third-largest oil exporter. Promised Land premieres this month so it can slide into the 2013 Academy Awards pool; look for the general release in January.


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ECB Opaque-Asset Review Seen Targeting Deutsche Bank, BNP
Nicholas ComfortDeutsche Bank AG and BNP Paribas SA, which hold almost half of the hard-to-value assets on the books of the euro area's 10 biggest banks, are facing a reality check that could impose losses.
As part of its review of 128 lenders, the European Central Bank is studying less-actively traded loans and securitized products that banks value with minimal external data. The unprecedented scope of the exercise gives the ECB, which is taking on a supervisory role this year, insight that has eluded investors: comparing how the biggest investment banks value complex assets.
The findings, to be released in October, could require Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas and other firms to restate the value of assets, driving down equity and slowing efforts to boost capital levels to meet demands set by regulators, according to Martin Hellmich, a professor of risk management and regulation at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. ECB President Mario Draghi, seeking to show the assessment will be credible, has said some lenders need to fail its stress test.
"Banks with a lot of level-three assets that still have a viable business model and funds to spare make for good candidates for the ECB to discipline," Hellmich said. "That's a political approach, but it makes sense."
Level Three
Banks split assets into three categories: one for those with transparent prices, such as stocks; a second for assets where some external data is available, including many over-the-counter derivatives, such as interest-rate swaps; and a third for those they assign their own values to because there isn't an active market.
The last group, known as level three, contains the most illiquid asset-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations, repurchase agreements and derivatives. Banks value these assets using their own models based on historical data and risk assumptions. The models aren't made available to investors.
Derivatives are a broad group of securities that let buyers guard against a borrower's missed debt payments. Credit derivatives include credit-default swaps, the most common, and collateralized debt obligations.
The ECB plans to publish results of its study of level-three assets along with other discrepancies identified in the asset-quality review in October. The banks will be informed of the findings prior to publication.
'Equally Prudent'
The euro area's 10 biggest banks say their holdings of such assets would have fetched 109.3 billion euros ($146.8 billion) if sold at the end of last year, according to annual filings. On average, 2.5 percent of the fair-value assets at the companies were designated level three, the documents show. The lenders had a combined balance sheet of 11.6 trillion euros at the end of last year.
"Very small changes in the model inputs of those assets can cause significant changes in the valuation," Osman Sattar, a London-based credit analyst at Standard & Poor's, said in a phone interview. "The combination of scrutiny of the individual models and comparing them with those of the other banks means it's an opportunity to make sure everyone is equally prudent in their valuation."
A bank would have to correct the value of its assets if the ECB says it has misjudged the risk of a position, he said.
Equity Levels
Deutsche Bank, Europe's largest investment bank, and BNP Paribas, which has the biggest balance sheet in the euro area, held the most level-three assets, with 29 billion euros and 24.8 billion euros respectively, the filings show.
A 10 percent drop in the value of Deutsche Bank's level-three assets would cut the Frankfurt-based firm's shareholder equity by 5 percent, the most of any euro-area lender, according to Citigroup Inc. analysts who studied 38 European banks.
Group BPCE's Natixis SA unit, BNP Paribas, Mediobanca SpA and KBC Group would be the next hardest hit, with their equity levels falling about 3 percent each, the analysts wrote in a report published June 16.
While the ECB's review may force banks to write down the value of their holdings, impairments on level-three assets are still a "manageable risk," said Kinner Lakhani, an analyst at Citigroup in London.
Ronald Weichert, a spokesman for Deutsche Bank, declined to comment on Citigroup's calculations or the ECB's review, as did Julia Boyce at BNP Paribas in Paris, Milan-based Mediobanca's Stefano Tassone, Ilse De Muyer at KBC in Brussels and a Natixis official in Paris.
Stress Test
The ECB plans to use the asset-review findings to conduct a stress test in September, before taking over supervision of about 120 banks in November. Firms will have six months to raise equity to cover any shortfalls identified in the review or the milder of two stress-test scenarios, and nine months to address deficiencies resulting from the more-adverse scenario.
"We're confident that the AQR will be both tough and fair," the ECB wrote in an e-mailed response to questions from Bloomberg News, referring to the asset-quality review. A spokesman for the central bank in Frankfurt declined to comment on which banks or assets might face losses.
Deutsche Bank was criticized by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in December for erroneous valuations in its U.S. business, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. U.S. regulators are requiring foreign banks operating in the country to hold more capital.
Deutsche Bank said in a statement that the company has "been working diligently to further strengthen our systems and controls and are committed to being best in class."
Sliding Shares
Deutsche Bank shares have fallen 19 percent this year in Frankfurt trading, while BNP Paribas has slid 12 percent. They are the fifth- and sixth-biggest losers in the 43-company Bloomberg Europe Banks and Financial Services Index, which has gained 0.9 percent.
Banks have cut the share of level-three assets in their holdings as they reduce risk, according to S&P. Level-three assets accounted for 7 percent of trading assets on average at the end of last year, down from 13 percent in 2009, S&P said in a May report, citing data from 15 global banks.
Deutsche Bank's level-three assets have shrunk 50 percent since the end of 2009, while those of BNP Paribas fell 29 percent, filings show. Both companies increased the level of disclosure related to the assets over the period.
Deutsche Bank, led by Co-Chief Executive Officers Anshu Jain and Juergen Fitschen, is set to report second-quarter results tomorrow. BNP Paribas, headed by CEO Jean-Laurent Bonnafe, will follow two days later.
Illiquid Assets
"Banks are playing close attention to the economic value of whether they should hold or sell such assets," said Citigroup's Lakhani. "There's a very active market. A number of banks have been selling without necessarily taking big hits."
Private-equity firms, hedge funds and other specialized investors seeking higher returns have bought illiquid assets from shipping loans to repackaged debt as stimulus measures by central banks depress bond yields.
Gregory Turnbull-Schwartz, a fund manager at Kames Capital Plc in Edinburgh, said his firm compares a bank's level-three assets with its equity when deciding whether to invest in its debt. The investor, who helps manage 52 billion pounds ($88 billion) of assets, including bank bonds, didn't name lenders he avoids or considers risky enough to demand a premium from.
"We look a little bit more favorably on the ones that at least seem to be trying to get rid of these things," Turnbull-Schwartz said. "If it's going the other direction, it means they're asleep at the wheel, or not that bothered really about getting rid of these really illiquid things."
Capital Buffers
Banks also have prepared for the asset review by raising provisions for bad loans, shrinking total assets and selling shares to increase equity. Lenders have bolstered their ability to withstand losses by about 198 billion euros since July 2013, ECB Vice President Vitor Constancio said this month.
Deutsche Bank's common equity Tier 1 ratio, a measure of financial strength, rose to 9.5 percent at the end of March from 8.8 percent a year earlier, while BNP Paribas's increased to 10.6 percent from 10 percent, company filings show.
As the costs of legal settlements and regulatory fines for past misconduct eat into banks' capital, Deutsche Bank sold 8.5 billion euros of stock in May and June to provide a buffer against future capital requirements.
Deutsche Bank probably will set aside 5.2 billion euros for legal matters this year and next and needs 5 billion euros of additional equity to keep pace with the capital levels of competitors, Andrew Lim, a London-based analyst at Societe Generale SA wrote in a July 21 report.
'Standardized Approach'
Twenty-one of 44 analysts tracked by Bloomberg say investors should buy Deutsche Bank shares, while Lim and four others recommend selling. Seventeen of 38 analysts say investors should buy BNP stock, while three recommend selling.
BNP Paribas's $8.97 billion penalty for violating U.S. sanctions will cut its common equity Tier 1 ratio to about 10 percent at the end of June, the bank said June 30.
Banks may be able to take some of the sting out of any shortcomings the ECB finds by showing investors they will comply with standards published by the European Union's top banking regulator earlier this year, according to S&P's Sattar. In March, the European Banking Authority published standards for valuing trading-book assets more conservatively than existing accounting rules require. Many of those assets are typically classified as level three.
Applying the standards to 59 banks the EBA studied would require them to set aside 13.4 billion euros, or 1.5 percent, of their total common equity Tier 1 capital, the regulator said, without naming the lenders. The rules would sap Deutsche Bank's capital by as much as 2 billion euros, the firm said April 29.
The central bank's review will examine the trading books of 29 companies, including the euro area's 10 biggest lenders.
"Regulators have been aware of the fact that banks have very different models, and we haven't necessarily solved that issue," said Hellmich, the finance professor. "Many supervisors aren't keen on the idea of allowing banks to run with their own models, so the ECB may give them a harder time now to push them onto a standardized approach."


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Opens at 9? What's up with that?:confused: Good luck, RK!
Our season opens up next Wednesday, but I won't be able to get at em til Friday or Saturday. Got my spot picked and everything. Just need it to get here!
Printable View
me and some buddies got some sage chickens last thursday. yella dog is camera shy. ha.
Just got back from Sask. Canada. Had a couple of amazing hunts. 6 of us took 48 ducks in under 50 minutes one day. 4 of us shot 32 in under an hour on another day. Goose hunting was kind of slow, lots of crops still in the fields up there due to wet conditions. Hunt of a lifetime experience though. Seeing 1000s of ducks at a time was the norm for the week.
I Don't Have Anything To Report, Haven't Even Pulled The Trigger On Anything This Year - The Field Trial I Was Supposed To Run In This Weekend Got Cancelled But I'll Post A Picture Of Duke Anyway ALTHOUGH I SAW THE AVITAR ABOVE MY POST AND WOULD SO VOTE FOR NUGE IF HE'D RUN
Opening morning!:cool: Better than playing Sniper on Xbox.
Are those squirrels? If so that's not really hunting, they are eliminated here on a daily basis!
ID Waterfowl Opener
Got to spend the AM being with my best buddy doing what we like best - geese!
Got one really nice Canada that made Magnum work a bit. The smaller rh one was a 50 yd blind retrieve that he lined, guess this HT stuff is paying off! :D
Too bad most locations now have citified squirrels anymore. Used to hunt red squirrels as a kid. They can sure hide really well when they are used to being hunted. Best puzzle ever. A good dog that follows the squirrel's path to the next tree etc. is a "winner" if you aren't silent hunting ( without a dog ). Dad had an English setter that hunted with my terrier and the hound ( and me )that was very good at keeping an eye on where a squirrel went.


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SYDNEY FC coach Frank Farina has warned his players that they face two season-defining games if they are to have any hope of even reaching the finals, let alone making further progress.
Encouraged by the attitude of his squad in fighting their way to a 2-2 draw in Perth on Saturday, Farina will demand more of the same on the basis that "we're running out of time" to make any sort of impression on the season.
Sydney have consecutive home games on the horizon, hosting first Melbourne Heart on Sunday then Wellington Phoenix the weekend after.
Heart's 3-2 win over Brisbane on Sunday lifted them to sixth, four points above Sydney in bottom, and Farina conceded defeat would leave the Sky Blues a potentially insuperable gap to bridge.
Of the 10 games remaining after Heart and Phoenix, six are away.
"These are crucial games for us, there's no question about that," Farina said of the two home fixtures.
"If we're going to threaten anything this season, we have to win them, simple as that. Otherwise we're running out of time. The players know that.
"I think we've seen a bit of a change in mindset in the last six weeks (since Farina took charge), but that's not something that'll happen overnight.
"The attitude in Perth was excellent. We could even have gone 2-1 up and the players responded well each time that we conceded. But we need more of that, and we're pushing the players hard. A lot of this stuff should have been done in pre-season, which is why we're getting these rollercoaster results."
Farina hopes to welcome back Yairo Yau and Fabio, the latter close to full fitness but short of match readiness after several weeks out.
"Yairo had a tight calf after playing a number of games in a short period, and with the trip to Perth, I just felt it was better to be cautious," Farina said.
With an emergency left back in Rhyan Grant and a 16-year-old centre back in Aaron Calver last weekend, Farina said the defence had not been culpable for either of Perth's goals.
"I'm not sure you could do anything about the first one - defensively we were in good shape but Perth produced a gem of a cross and Smeltz finished it well," he said.
"He had a good finish for the second one, too, but the important thing was we didn't just lie down after that."
Heart will be without David Williams for the Sydney game, the forward banned for one match after being sent off against Brisbane yesterday.
Originally published as Farina warns it's do or die