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In 2004, I read the story about original Macintosh logic board architect Burrell Smith, and his unusual way of playing Defender. He and everyone else who played Defender struggled with it the way the game was designed. But what he did one day was that he started by putting himself in the worst possible situation and learned to control it. He turned the tables of the game's expectations while still operating inside its limits.
At the time, I occasionally started up the best Mac OS X Tetris clone that I'm aware of, Quinn, which is sadly unavailable due to legal threats by the Tetris company. (Quinn was previously described as "similar to a block-dropping game that, according to The Tetris Company, I am not allowed to name".) I was never good at Tetris although I liked it; the earlier levels were boring and the difficulty got steeper so quickly once it got going.
The penny dropped months or maybe even a year after that. I started dropping the pieces directly into place even in the early levels. I played as if I was always under pressure to get the blocks into place. Of course the high score went up since I had earned more points by the time I couldn't handle the difficulty, but I still didn't last longer. However, as I kept going (I've played it daily pretty much every day since 2005), I did eventually get a lot better. My early high scores were around 50'000 and I'm currently at 221'524. (At the time of writing, it's enough to place in the top 30 of today's global Quinn high scores.)
I am not claiming any sort of innovation in my approach to this problem. More likely than not, the way I was playing originally was pretty brain dead. I am also not going to harp on spending 10'000 hours because I'm certainly not one of the world's best Tetris players.
But I am better than I were. A lot better. I am just as frustrated when the game finally ends, but I have come farther.
Let's connect this to another Waffle favorite; Douglas Adams' Parrots, the Universe and Everything talk; his last ever and a good career cap. Towards the end, Douglas is asked why the Hitchhiker's Guide series is rife with bitter references to digital watches and confides that when they were new, they were so crappy that they were an inconvenience. He then goes off on things that are stuck in horrid reinvention cycles, like hotel/airport bathroom faucets:
What do I do? Do I turn something? Do I push something? Do I pull something? Do I knee it!? (Laughter.) Do I just have to sort of be near it? (Laughter.)
While Douglas Adams is still right on this point eleven years later, he does end on another note:
But, I just think it's wonderful we just sort of keep on inventing it even though it works, because it's the way of getting ourselves off local maximums isn't it?
I am the world's biggest proponent for using the right approach for the right job. For example, I am not ashamed to use the sort of programming languages that C++ programmers look down on, which tends to be the sort of programming languages that aren't C++. Even taken as gospel that C++ generates the most efficient machine code in the world, you're probably not going to need the speed increase badly enough to lower your productivity. (Deserved as it mostly is, I don't intend to rag on C++ or its programmers; it's just a useful example.)
But on the other hand, sometimes you do need that. There are tough problems in the world and they need solving. Indeed, we should all be solving tough problems. If no one would, we'd still be living in caves.
I've been on the lookout and I've been seeing two very concrete examples of Burrell's mentality. (In a stunning twist, both are Java projects.)
The first is a "pauseless" garbage collector. The second is a "disruptor" pattern with "mechanical sympathy".
Both have a thing in common and both articulate it clearly: in order to solve the tough problems, you have to solve the hardest problem constantly and you have to invent a new way of doing it. We could have a discussion about which constituent parts already existed (I'm guessing most of them), or how they are making mostly-true statements on some ends because of the convenience it allows them in explaining things, or how they choose different words when words already exist, or whether parts of the problem was already being solved in similar ways before, and some people might shy away from these examples because of these things. I would be surprised at their reasoning; your definition of innovation, if I might use so foul a word, can't be to literally reinvent everything. It wouldn't be practical and it wouldn't be useful. You can spend your life being bitter about other people's success despite their faults, or you can revel in their advances.
You don't need to solve every problem as if it is a hard problem. You don't need your every fiber to sparkle with reinvention to avoid the taint of conventionalism. You should do what's enough for the problem at hand. Faucets probably don't need remaking yet again; if anything, maybe they need to be more consistent and labelled.
But every once in a while, at your pleasure and when the moment arrives, what's enough will require you to take a step back and reevaluate everything. It will probably be more meaningful than Tetris, but you will enjoy it thoroughly. You will savor the challenge, you will twist your brain inside out, you will learn more about unexpected things and you will have fun.
Do it, and don't look back.


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Yard sales and memory » « But she Later on Saturday morning The "Gender Equality in the Secular Movement" Panel from Women in Secularism 2 is online. Share this:FacebookTwitterTumblrRedditGoogleMorePress ThisEmailPrint Yard sales and memory » « But she
Aratina Cage says August 24, 2013 at 12:55 pm It gave me a better idea about some things and some of the problems women face in the atheist community, and it ended strongly. I was kind of surprised that a Cornwell was there with her being an evolutionary psychologist and part of Dawkins' management team, but other than her coldly-received shout out to evopsyc at the beginning, she had a lot of interesting things to say as well.

subset: commoncrawl


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AGAWAM, Mass., Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A new white paper is available to assist medical device manufacturers with understanding recent changes to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) thinking regarding endotoxin testing. The paper is available to download from the Web at http://www.microtestlabs.com/medical-device-endotoxin-testing-paper.
Titled "FDA Updates Medical Device Endotoxin Testing Program (New Guidance)," the new white paperis authored by Steven G. Richter, Ph.D., a former FDA official, and President and Chief Scientific Officer of Microtest Laboratories, Inc., a leading contract testing laboratory.
In the paper, Dr. Richterdiscusses the FDA's recently published document, "Guidance of Industry Pyrogen and Endotoxin Testing: Questions and Answers." The FDA document replaced the agency's 1987 Endotoxin Guidelines now considered out of date as a result of changes in the USP and pharmaceutical dosage forms. It presents the agency's current position regarding pyrogen and bacterial endotoxin testing requirements for pharmaceuticals, biologics, and medical devices. Medical devices that contact circulating blood or cerebrospinal fluid, or are used with intraocular products or in vitro fertilization procedures, are required to be endotoxin-free.
In his new white paper, Dr. Richter reviews the FDA's updated guidelines on endotoxin testing and explains how they relate to medical devices. Since the majority of pyrogens found on medical devices are bacterial in nature, the paper focuses on those contaminates.
Some medical devices that are required by the FDA to be tested for endotoxin are:
Download a copy of the new white paper, "FDA Updates Medical Device Endotoxin Testing Program (New Guidance)," from the Microtest Laboratories website at http://www.microtestlabs.com/medical-device-endotoxin-testing-paper. Or, request a copy by calling 1-413-786-1680 or toll-free 1-800-631-1680.
About Microtest LaboratoriesMicrotest Laboratories is a full-service medical device testing laboratory and provider of related services for the medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. Medical device testing is performed in-house by seasoned regulatory microbiologists and chemists under strict GMP/GLP regulations. Microtest is both ISO 9000 and 17025 certified. Testing services include bioburden, sterility, endotoxin, accelerated aging, and toxicity (ISO 10993). In addition, Microtest recently introduced a fast-track test to screen plastics and polymers in medical devices for toxicity using Zebrafish embryos.
Based in Agawam, Massachusetts, USA, the company provides expertise and flexible processes that enhance product safety and security, accelerate time to market, and minimize supply chain disruption. For more information, visit http://www.microtestlabs.com, or call 1-413-786-1680 or toll-free 1-800-631-1680. Follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MicrotestLabs.
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.Steve Richterhttps://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=42622
SOURCE Microtest Laboratories


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What Is Beriberi?
Beriberi is a disease caused by a vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency. There are two types of the disease: wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the heart and circulatory system. In extreme cases, wet beriberi can cause heart failure. Dry beriberi damages the nerves and can lead to a loss of muscle strength and eventually, muscle paralysis. Beriberi can be life-threatening if it isn't treated.
If you have access to foods rich in thiamine, such as beans, vegetables, meat, and whole grains, your chances of developing beriberi are low. Today, beriberi mostly occurs in people with an alcohol use disorder (alcoholism).
What Causes Beriberi? Who Is at Risk?
The main cause of beriberi is a diet low in thiamine. The disease is very rare in regions with access to vitamin-enriched foods (e.g., breakfast cereals and breads). Beriberi is most common in regions of the world where the diet includes a lot of unenriched white rice, which only has a tenth of the amount of thiamine as brown rice.
There are a number of other factors may cause thiamine deficiency as well. These include:
- Alcohol abuse can make it hard for your body to absorb and store thiamine.
- Genetic beriberi is a rare condition that prevents the body from absorbing thiamine.
- Pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers, and anyone with hyperthyroidism (over-active thyroid gland) need extra thiamine.
- Prolonged diarrhea or use of diuretics (medication that makes you urinate more) can lead to depletion of thiamine.
- Infants drinking breast milk or formula low in thiamine are at risk for thiamine deficiency.
- Kidney dialysis can increase your risk of beriberi by depleting your body's stores of thiamine more quickly.
What Are the Symptoms of Beriberi?
The symptoms of beriberi vary depending on the type (wet or dry). The following are symptoms of wet beriberi:
- shortness of breath during physical activity
- waking up short of breath
- rapid heart rate
- swollen lower legs
The symptoms of dry beriberi include:
- decreased muscle function, particularly in the lower legs
- tingling or loss of feeling in the feet and hands
- pain
- mental confusion
- difficulty speaking
- vomiting
- involuntary eye movement
- paralysis
In extreme cases, beriberi is associated with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome are two forms of brain damage caused by thiamine deficiency. Wernicke encephalopathy damages regions of the brain called the thymus and hypothalamus. This condition can cause confusion, memory loss, loss of muscle coordination, and visual problems such as rapid eye movement and double vision. Korsakoff syndrome is the result of permanent damage to the region of the brain where memories form. This can cause loss of memory, the inability to form new memories, and hallucinations.
How Is Beriberi Diagnosed?
You will need a series of medical tests to determine whether or not you have beriberi. Blood and urine tests will measure the levels of vitamin B1 or thiamine in your body, specifically erythrocyte transketolase activity. If your body has trouble absorbing thiamine, you will have a low concentration of thiamine in your blood and a high concentration in your urine.
Doctors will also perform a neurological exam to look for lack of coordination, difficulty walking, droopy eyelids, and weak reflexes. Later stages of beriberi will show memory loss, confusion, or delusions.
A physical exam will alert your doctor to any heart problems. Rapid heartbeat, swelling of the lower legs, and difficulty breathing are all symptoms of beriberi.
How Is Beriberi Treated?
While the symptoms can be severe, beriberi is easily treated with thiamine supplements. Your doctor may prescribe a thiamine shot or pill. For severe cases, intravenous thiamine will be administered. Your progress will be monitored with follow-up blood tests to see how well your body is absorbing the vitamin.
How to Prevent Beriberi
To prevent beriberi, eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes foods rich in thiamine. These include:
- vegetables
- beans and legumes
- meat
- fish
- whole grains
- nuts
- dairy
Many breakfast cereals come enriched with 100 percent of your daily thiamine.
Pregnant and nursing mothers should be checked regularly for vitamin deficiencies. Infant formulas should also be checked to be sure they contain enough thiamine.
Limiting alcohol consumption will reduce your risk of developing beriberi. Anyone who abuses alcohol should be checked routinely for B1 vitamin deficiencies.
What Is the Long-Term Outlook for Someone with Beriberi?
If beriberi is caught and treated early, the outlook is good. Nerve and heart damage from beriberi is usually reversible when it's caught in the early stages. Recovery is often quick once you begin treatment.
If beriberi is allowed to progress to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, the outlook is poor. While treatment can control symptoms of Wernicke encephalopathy, brain damage from Korsakoff syndrome is often permanent.
Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is important for your health, so talk to your doctor if you think you are showing signs of a thiamine deficiency or if you need advice on how to get the nutrients you need.


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From left: Canadiens legends Larry Robinson, Frank Mahovlich, Serge Savard and Yvan Cournoyer with their old sterling friend Stanley. The four icons were on hand at the Hall of Fame today to unveil a new exhibit marking 100 years of the Canadiens.
Peter J. Thompson, National Post
The Hockey Hall of Fame today unveiled a spectacular exhibit commemorating the centennial of the Canadiens and launched publication of Honoured Canadiens, a coffee-table book that covers the club through the decades. Hats off to curator Phil Pritchard and his staff for assembling something that's well worth a trip for any fan of the team.
There are some truly historic items on display.
Today, all-time greats Yvan Cournoyer, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard and Frank Mahovlich, winners of 26 Stanley Cups as Canadiens players, were on hand for the unveiling and to reminisce about the Montreal hockey dynasties of which they were part, to talk about this year's edition of the team and more.
Settle back with this audio:
• Hall of Fame curator Phil Pritchard provides an overview (1:21);
• A hot-stove chat moderated by Gord Stellick. It opens with Savard speaking, a failed microphone providing a little comedy (15:49);
• Yvan Cournoyer (6:08) • Larry Robinson (5:42);
• Serge Savard (10:29) • Frank Mahovlich (4:57).


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Kindle Australia update Oct 7, 2009 – Amazon is now selling Kindle in Australia. You have to pick Australia in the list and then go to an Australia specific page.
Lets look at some of the big kindle news threads this week –
No love lost between Australian Newspapers and the Kindle
Sydney Morning Herald were happily trumpeting the news that –
- Australia's second biggest publisher Fairfax rejected Amazon's offer.
- Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd (Australia's biggest publisher) was looking beyond Amazon.
The discussions with Australian newspapers might mean that Amazon is cuing up for a worldwide release this year.
Amazon doesn't have an Amazon Australia so wonder how they'll handle distribution.
Flat World making headway with Free textbooks
- FlatWorld has grown from 1,000 students in 30 colleges last semester to 40,000 students at 400 colleges. Scary numbers for textbook publishers.
- Good for Kindle DX and Plastic Logic eReader.
- Martyn Daniels at Brave New World has a great write-up.
- I wish they had a blog and updated news and textbooks added on that.
Guess the whole 'you can't make textbooks for free' theory isn't really valid , at least for some textbooks.
Reader's Digest files for Bankruptcy
Persona Non Data has a good write-up on Reader's Digest filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reduce its debt from $1.6 billion to $550 million or so.
It's been a long time since reading stories like the Kon Tiki voyage in a Reader's Digest was the highlight of my week. However, it's sad to see Reader's Digest struggle so badly and a little distressing to hear that now Reader's Digest covers nonsense like celebrity news.
They still do have 9 million subscribers so hopefully they can figure out things and get back on track.
Assorted Kindle Randomness
- We have Reader Plates for pilots from a company very aptly titled Reader Plates. It's a $9.99 a month subscription –
All 13,000+ SIDs, STARs, airport diagrams, minimums, approaches and Airport Facility Directories.
•Each cycle includes a full set of terminal procedures and Airport Facility Directories for the entire country.Each page is sharply rendered at the full screen resolution of the Kindle DX for maximum readability. And pages are tightly compressed to allow the Kindle DX to carry both a current and upcoming cycle of Reader Plates for the entire U.S. With two complete cycles installed on a Kindle DX, there is still space available for more than 500 additional books
- Bendable, transparent LEDs sans organics – Ars technica has a great article on yet another eInk technology that is Fabulous and a mere 3 years away from actual use.
- Matt Bandyk at USNews is confused, as am I, about a Harvard Business study that says Kindle being manufactured outside the US shows the decline of American Innovation.
If anything, the Kindle is a great example of innovation – The whole ebooks industry is back from the dead.
Are the Harvard Professors upset because workers in chinese factories get to 'innovate' by working 60 hrs a week in factories with barely liveable conditions?
Closing Thoughts – Kindle Australia Impact
What happens now that Kindle Australia has arrived. The Australian newspapers and Rupert Murdoch are up in arms against it.
At the same time its a channel to get customers to pay for news.
Perhaps Mr. Murdoch and Mr. Bezos figure out a win-win situation and get Australian Newspapers on the Kindle.


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FREE SHIPPING on orders over $75.
Alessi, known as the Italian design factory, has manufactured household products since 1921. The stylish and fun items offered are the result of contemporary partnerships with some of the world's best designers of unique and modern home accessories.
The Dry 5 pc. Cutlery Set is available with the following:
- Made of stainless steel
- Mirror Polished finish with Matte handles
- Contains one table spoon, table fork, table knife, dessert fork (not pictured) and tea spoon (not pictured)
- Designed by Achille Castiglioni, 2002
- Dishwasher safe with gentle detergent
- Hand dry recommended
Manufacturer IDs: view
Need help with some of our terminology? Check out Lumens' Lighting & Design Glossary.


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Tony Grenek hired as Point Park University women's basketball head coach
May 5, 2011
Tony Grenek (left) in the Seton Hill huddle as head coach Ferne Labati looks on. Photos courtesy SHU athletics.
PITTSBURGH – Tony Grenek, who spent the last five years as the top assistant at NCAA Division II Seton Hill University, has been named the head women's basketball coach at Point Park University, announced Pioneers' Director of Athletics Dan Swalga on Thursday (May 5, 2011).
Grenek has 10 years of coaching experience on the college level – five as a head coach – and was Seton Hill's associate head coach the last two years. At Seton Hill, he was instrumental in the Griffins reaching the NCAA Division II national tournament in 2009-10, just their second season eligible for that event.
Grenek replaces Sam Kosanovich, who led Point Park to its most consistent success in decades the last five years. The Pioneers are coming off consecutive winning seasons for the first time in 25 years, but Kosanovich stepped down at the end of the 2010-11 season to become Point Park's Student Center Director full-time. He had been serving the role of women's basketball coach and Recreation Center Director for four years before taking over at the Student Center in his fifth season.
"Coach Grenek will be a great addition to our staff," said Swalga. "He has head-coaching experience as well as coaching at the Division II level with success everywhere he has been. We have a good thing going with our program, and I expect Tony will continue the growth and success of our recent past. We're poised for great success in women's basketball."
"I am very grateful for the opportunity to join the Point Park University family," said Grenek. "It's a great situation here with a great campus in a beautiful part of downtown Pittsburgh. I was eager to become a head coach once again, and I'm going to work as hard as I can for Point Park University.
"I want Point Park to be known as one of the premier women's basketball schools in the Pittsburgh area," said Grenek. "With the plans for the new on-campus arena and all the great things happening here, that can only enhance our recruiting. And as we start to build a winner, we can establish a tradition of getting talented student-athletes who are students first, athletes second and also wonderful people in the classroom and the community."
At Seton Hill, Grenek worked under well-known head coach Ferne Labati, who has had Grenek as her top assistant for all five years she's been at the school in Greensburg, Pa. Before coming to Seton Hill, Labati was the head coach for 17 years at NCAA Division I Miami (Fla.), and she has more than 500 career victories.
Grenek's responsibilities for the Griffins included running a defense that ranked first in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in opponent's points per game (60.0) last year. He made all the defensive calls for the Griffins and was responsible for much of the on-floor coaching. His duties included running practices, creating scouting reports and recruiting.
Grenek helped the Griffins to consecutive 20-win seasons the last two years. A break-through year was the 2009-10 season when Seton Hill went 23-8, reached the WVIAC tournament championship game, and qualified for the NCAA Division II national tournament. The Griffins, in just their second year eligible for the tourney after entering the Division II ranks, won their first national tournament game over Fayetteville State before losing to No.1 ranked and eventual Final Four team Gannon in the second round.
Seton Hill was 22-7 last year and played in the semifinals of the WVIAC tournament but did not receive an at-large bid to the national tourney like the year before.
Also strong performers in the classroom, Seton Hill ranked in the top 15 in NCAA Division II in team GPA the last three years. The Griffins were as high as third in the nation in 2008.
Before going to Seton Hill, Grenek spent five years as the head men's basketball coach at Butler County Community College. He took over a program that had little interest and was 5-25 the year before his arrival. Grenek quickly turned things around there with an NJCAA Region 20 championship in his first season of 2001-02. The Pioneers made the Region 20 playoffs all five of his years, and the non-scholarship program was 35-19 the last two years under Grenek.
Highlights of Grenek's time at Butler County CC include being named the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year in 2004-05 and also coaching two junior college All-Americans.
Grenek earned a bachelor's degree in General Sociology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1994 and a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Slippery Rock University in 1998.
Point Park University women's basketball was 14-13 overall in each of the last two seasons. The Pioneers were a few games shy of making the American Mideast Conference postseason tournament both of those years.
Point Park welcomes back four starters next year including All-AMC second team guard April Austin, a junior from Penn Hills, Pa., and All-AMC Honorable Mention pick Joncelyn Peterkin, a senior center from West Mifflin, Pa.


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Time: December 1, 2012 at 7am to December 30, 2012 at 6pm
Location: The Corner Store
Street: 1118 W. 37th St
City/Town: San Pedro
Event Type: art, painting, boutique
Organized By: Heather Caine
Latest Activity: Dec 11, 2012
Export to Outlook or iCal (.ics)
Holiday Artists' Boutique at The Corner Store 7 am - 6 pm.
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As long as the E3 one. Platinum Games, Sora, & Monolith Soft will probably be involved. (They have tweeted about it.) Right off of Wii U's January sales woes and January's lack of Nintendo Direct, two things Iwata is going to have to respond to. 5 pm Eastern.
Get ready, this one will be huge.


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The bankruptcy process can take anywhere from a few months to 5 years or more to be completed depending on whether it's a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. While there are a number of factors that may delay your case, the required bankruptcy courses shouldn't be one of them. Prior to filing for bankruptcy protection, completion of a 90-minute Credit Counseling Course is required within 180 days. Then after filing, but before discharge a Debtor Education Course must be completed. Once you have completed each course, certificates are to be provided to your attorney from an approved agency to avoid having your case delayed or dismissed.
To put things in perspective, we'll give you a timeline of a typical Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. Once the case is filed, it can take a few days to receive notice of when a meeting of creditors will take place, which is usually scheduled about 2 to 3 weeks away. Once the meeting of creditors takes place and assuming there are no issues that may arise, it will take about 60 days before you receive your bankruptcy discharge off all of your dischargeable debts. However, it is important to note that a Chapter 13 bankruptcy can take anywhere from 3 to 5 years to complete since it involves making monthly payments over time to creditors.
So, other than completing the required bankruptcy courses in a timely matter, what issues can arise and delay your bankruptcy case? Here's a list of other possibilities that you can try to avoid:
Be Prepared Before Filing
During your initial meeting with your bankruptcy attorney they should inform you of all of the necessary documentation required to complete the bankruptcy papers and file your case—this could take some time. The attorney should also provide you with a written fee agreement that will detail what you will pay and what services will be covered. The average cost to file for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy can average approximately $1,500 so if this money cannot be paid up front, this will delay filing the case since attorney fees must be paid before a case is filed.
Protecting Assets
The timing of when a case is filed can affect your assets. Prior to filing a case, your attorney should discuss with you how to legally protect your assets. This can delay your case considerably depending on your individual situation.
Not the First Bankruptcy Filing
If this is not the first time you've filed for bankruptcy, it is important to note that once you've filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection and have received a discharge or elimination of debt, you cannot file again for 8 years. If you haven't hit the 8 year mark yet, then this will delay the filing of a second bankruptcy case.
Income is Too High
If you've been working overtime to help make ends meet, this may hurt your case. If your income is showing as too high (even if it's only temporary) this can make you ineligible for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. If your overtime hours are indeed only temporary, your attorney will have to show proof of this to the court, which can also cause a delay.
Depending on your individual circumstances, the factors affecting the timeliness of your bankruptcy case can vary. It is important that you consult with your bankruptcy attorney regularly about the status of your case to ensure that the delay is not a result of a lack of communication. Although completing the required bankruptcy courses is solely your responsibility, Start Fresh Today makes it easy for you to fulfill your requirements with courses available online or by phone, in English or Spanish, and they are available online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
*This article is not intended to serve as legal advice. Contact a qualified, local bankruptcy attorney for assistance with a bankruptcy case.


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Cooking for Your Pets
Read the back of a pet food bag and you will see a long lists of ingredients that features a variety of preservatives and fillers. While these ingredients may keep the food fresh, they are not alw ...
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Chew Toys |
Chew toys can do more for your pet than satisfy playful tendencies or keep them from chewing your furniture. Some chew toys can actually help build and protect strong teeth. Gnawing on chew toys can eliminate some softer tartar and stimulate your pet's gums. However, choosing the right chew toy is important. Make sure you look for nylon and rubber chew toys or toxin-free rawhide if your pet prefers it. If your pet doesn't particularly like chew toys, make them more inviting by filling them with treats. Many companies even make edible pet chews specifically designed to improve their oral health. They are good for, not only your pet's mouth, but also for their overall health. Chew toys are a great way to bolster your pet's at-home dental care routine. |
Per their dentist's recommendation, most people brush their teeth twice a day and floss once a day. Practicing regular at-home care and routinely visiting an oral health professional can help prevent bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease. Having good oral hygiene practices is also essential for helping maintain one's overall health.
Did you know that having good oral hygiene is an important part of your pet's overall health too? In fact, pets are just as susceptible to the negative repercussions associated with poor oral hygiene as humans are. Unfortunately, few people brush or clean their pet's teeth as frequently as is recommended — if at all. Here's a reminder about why it is just as critical for you to practice good oral hygiene habits on your pet as it is to practice them on yourself.
Periodontal Disease
Whether in humans or in animals, periodontal (gum) disease ranges from early-stage gingivitis, which is characterized by gum inflammation, to advanced-stage periodontitis, which is often characterized by damage to the jawbone and soft tissue around the teeth.
The root cause of periodontal disease is plaque buildup around the teeth that gradually spreads under the gum line. When left untreated, bacteria under the gum line can make the problem worse. As it progresses, periodontal disease damages the supporting tissue around the tooth, which can lead to loose teeth that eventually fall out. Furthermore, certain chemicals released by your animal's own immune system actually speeds up this process.
Thankfully, practicing regular at-home dental care and visiting your veterinarian for regular checkups can help prevent the onset of periodontal disease and other dental diseases in your pet. Use the following guide to keep your pet's pearly whites sparkling bright.
How to Clean Your Pet's Teeth
Remember: Always use toothpaste that is specifically recommended for use on animals.
If you have any additional questions about your pet's oral hygiene or would like more information about the correct way to brush your furry friend's teeth, contact us for help. We can provide teeth cleanings for your pet, recommend a veterinary dental specialist or simply provide more information about your pet's oral health.


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Childhood: Typical
& Atypical Development
Instructor Name: Dr. Marrea Winnega
Facilitator Name: Darcie Donegan, MA/Ed.
Phone: 509-891-7219
Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
PST Monday - Friday
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Address: Virtual Education Software
16201 E Indiana Ave,
Suite 1450
Spokane, WA 99216
Support: firstname.lastname@example.com
to Early Childhood: Typical &
Atypical Development, an interactive distance learning course that covers development during the
first six years of life and research-based best practices in early learning.
Included will be typical development from the prenatal stage to middle
childhood with an emphasis is on individual differences, cultural influences,
and the impact of developmental delay and disability. Discussion
will also include instructional technology (IT) and assistive technology (AT)
applications for this population.
This computer-based instruction course
is a self-supporting program that provides instruction, structured practice,
and evaluation all on your home or school computer. Technical support
information can be found in the Help section of your course.
Course Materials
Title: Early Childhood: Typical & Atypical Development
Instructor Name: Dr. Marrea Winnega
Facilitator Name: Darcie Donegan, MA/Ed.
Publisher: Virtual
Education Software, inc.2008, Revised 2012
Academic Work
work submitted by the individual (such as papers, assignments, reports, tests)
shall be the student's own work or appropriately attributed, in part or in
whole, to its correct source. Submission of commercially prepared (or group
prepared) materials as if they are one's own work is unacceptable.
Aiding Honesty
in Others
individual will encourage honesty in others by refraining from providing
materials or information to another person with knowledge that these materials
or information will be used improperly.
of these academic standards will result in the assignment of a failing grade
and subsequent loss of credit for the course.
of Application
course is designed as one part of a five-part series on early childhood
education. Upon completion of all five
courses, you will have covered all of the
the conclusion of this course students will be able to:
Understand basic principles of
growth and the foundation of development from conception through 6 years,
including genetic and environmental influences.
Identify the historical roots,
common research practices, prominent child development theorists and theories.
sequences, characteristics, and concepts of development in the domains of motor
and perceptual, cognitive and communication, social and emotional development
for each stage.
individual and cultural differences in child development and socialization.
how to create environments, programming, and interactions that support the
development of young children, including those with special needs, individually
and in groups.
professional resources on the typical and atypical development and needs of
children prenatal-six years.
first chapter will present an introduction to the study of child development
from conception to age 6. We will
examine the historical roots and methods of child study, major psychological
theories, and developmental principles and definitions. This information will
provide grounding for the following chapters on specific ages and developmental
the second chapter we will start to study child development chronologically. We
begin with conception and prenatal development and care, and then continue
through labor and birth. Next, we consider the special characteristics and
needs of the newly delivered baby, including common developmental variations. This overview will include
both typical and atypical development.
third chapter focuses on infants and toddlers; the first three years of life
(ages 1-36 months). We will look at growth and development in the domains of
motor-perceptual, cognitive, language, brain, and social-emotional development.
This chapter details milestones, red flags, developmental variation, and how adults
can safely and appropriately facilitate the development
of infants and
Finally, Chapter Four discusses early and early
middle childhood, or the magic years,
ages 3-6 years old (Fraiberg, 1959). The preschool and kindergarten period is a
time of great discovery, testing, and wonder. Students will learn about typical
and varied 3-6 year-old development in all areas—moral, social, self-esteem,
early learning, motor skills, communication abilities, social and brain
development, and more. Indicators, or red flags, suggesting developmental delay
or deviation, and resources are detailed in all chapters.
Each chapter contains additional
handouts or attachments that cover specific topics from the chapter in greater
depth. They are provided for you to
read, ponder, and apply to the early childhood education setting in which you
work. Some of the topics are intended for you, as the professional, while
others are intended for you to pass on to parents, when appropriate. After
completing each chapter, you will be required to take an examination and pass it with a score of 70% or better in order to
move on to the next chapter.
Student Expectations
a student, you will be expected to:
all information chapters covering Typical
& Atypical Development, showing a competent understanding of the
material presented.
all chapter exams covering Typical & Atypical Development,
showing a competent understanding of the material presented.
a review of any chapter on which your examination score was below 70%.
any examination, after completing an information review, to increase that
examination score to a minimum of 70% (maximum of three attempts). *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by
college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to
determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.
all course journal article and essay writing assignments with the minimum word
count shown for each writing assignment.
a course evaluation form at the end of the course.
Chapter Topics
Chapter One: Introduction to Child Development
Define child development and basic developmental principles
Understand historical and emerging viewpoints on child study
Recognize major theories and recent trends
Identify research methods, designs and ethics
Appreciate the importance of child development to early childhood
Chapter Two: Prenatal
and Newborn Development
1) Outline family contexts of
family planning and preparation
2) Describe the process of
conception and fertility assistance methods
3) Explain the stages of
prenatal development
4) Understand the role of genes
and chromosomes in development
5) Define proper prenatal care
and risks to the developing infant
6) Identify labor and birth
options and processes
7) Discuss atypical conception,
prenatal development, labor and birth
8) Define newborn assessment
& care
9) Understand typical and
atypical newborn appearance & abilities
Chapter Three: The
Development of Infants (1-12 months) and Toddlers (13-35 months)
Discuss growth patterns and motor development in the first and second
Describe the development of language and cognitive skills
Understand normal socio-emotional development of infants and toddlers
Identify motor development milestones and sequence
Describe cognitive and language development in 1 to
12 month-olds
Recognize common variations and atypical infant and
toddler development
Four: The Development of Preschoolers (3-5 Years) & Young School agers (5-6
1) Understand the typical
sequence of preschool growth and motor development
2) Describe preschool cognitive
development and related theories
3) Identify language
development milestones including emergent literacy approaches
4) Discuss typical 3-to-6
year-old social-emotional development
5) Define developmentally
appropriate practices for young children
6) Learn types of atypical
development and developmental variations
the end of each chapter, you will be expected to complete an examination
designed to assess your knowledge. You may take these exams a total of three
times. Your
last score will save, not the highest score.
After your third attempt, each examination will lock and not allow
further access. Your final grade for the
course will be determined by calculating an average score of all exams. This score will be printed on your final
certificate. As
this is a self-paced computerized instruction program, you may review course
information as often as necessary. You will not be able to exit any
examinations until you have answered all questions. If you try to exit the exam
before you complete all questions, your information will be lost. You are
expected to complete the entire exam in one sitting.
Writing Assignments
course has two required writing components.
ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE REVIEWED. Exceptionally or poorly written assignments, or
violation of the academic integrity policy noted in the course syllabus, will
affect your grade. Be sure to refer to
the Grading Guidelines for Writing
Assignments, sent as an attachment with your original course link.
It is highly
recommended that you write and save all writing assignments in an external word
processing program (such as Word or Notepad), and then copy and paste these
into the course program so that you will have backup copies.
To save your essays:
you select the question or article you wish to respond to, 'Simple Text' or
'Text Edit' will launch automatically. When you are finished entering your
response, simply click SAVE.
You must SAVE
before you write another essay or move on to another part of the course.
1) Essay Requirement: Critical Thinking
There are four
Critical Thinking Questions that you must complete. You will do research on the
questions and write brief essay
responses relating it to the course content (and your personal experiences,
when possible). To view the questions,
click on REQUIRED ESSAY and choose the Critical Thinking Question that you are
ready to complete; this will bring up a screen where you may enter your
essay. You must write a minimum of 500
words (maximum 1,000) per essay. You may
go back at any point to edit your essays, but you must be certain to click SAVE
once you have completed your edits.
You must SAVE before you write another essay or move
on to another part of the course.
Essay Requirement: Journal Articles
This task requires you to write a review
of three peer-reviewed or scholarly journal articles, preferably written by an
author with a Ph.D. (blogs and news articles are not acceptable) of your choice
on a topic related to this course. You
may choose your topic by entering the Key Words (click on the Key Words button)
into a search engine of your choice (Bing, Google, Yahoo, etc.). Choose three relevant articles and write a
critical summary of the information given in each article, explaining how the
information relates to, supports, or refutes information given in this course.
Conclude your review with your thoughts and impressions (200 words per journal
article minimum, 400 words maximum). Be sure to provide the journal name,
volume, date, and any other critical information to allow the instructor to
access and review that article.
To write your
essays, click on REQUIRED ESSAY and choose the Journal Article that you would
like to complete; this will bring up a screen where you can write your review.
When you are ready to stop, click SAVE. You may go back at any
point to edit your essays, but you must be certain to click SAVE once you are
done with your edits. For more information on the features of this assignment,
please consult the HELP menu.
You must SAVE before you write another essay or move
on to another part of the course.
Facilitator Description
Early Childhood:
Typical & Atypical Child Development has been developed by Darcie Donegan, MA/Ed., the
instructor of record. Darcie received her BA at the University of Washington
and her master's degree from Pacific Oaks College in Human Development,
specializing in Early Childhood Education and Adult Education. She has
worked with young children and their caregivers for more than 30 years in
various capacities, including preschool teacher, center director, parent
educator, trainer, and consultant. Darcie has also been an international
consultant through the Soros Foundation and taught in many different countries.
She is currently adjunct faculty in ECE at Whatcom Community College, a
Washington State Department of Early Learning approved trainer, and the author
of the ten Parenting Preschoolers modules for Washington State's Organization
of Parent Education Programs
(OPEP). Areas of special interest
include infants and toddlers, child development, observation and assessment,
social-emotional development, brain development, child care, and
parenting. Darcie is the mother of three teenagers and has been married to
a (nice) lawyer for 20 years. In addition to writing this course, Darcie
is the author of another course in this Early Childhood series called Early Childhood: Observation &
Assessment. Please contact Professor Donegan if you have course content or
examination questions.
Dr. Marrea Winnega, is a Licensed
Clinical Psychologist with 20 years of experience in the field of Autism
Spectrum Disorders. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Clinical
Psychology in the University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Psychiatry.
She consults for schools and agencies serving individuals with Autism Spectrum
Disorders, including Asperger's Disorder. She has also conducted numerous
workshops, in-services, and trainings throughout the United States. Please contact
Professor Donegan if you have course content or examination questions.
You may contact the facilitator by
emailing Professor Donegan at email@example.com
or calling her at 509-891-7219, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
PST. Phone messages will be answered within 24 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to ten minutes per student, per
day, given that this is a self-paced instructional program. Please do not
contact the instructor about technical problems, course glitches or other
issues that involve the operation of the course.
If you have questions or problems
related to the operation of this course, please try everything twice. If the
problem persists please check our support pages for FAQs and known issues at www.virtualeduc.com and also the Help
section of your course.
If you need personal assistance then
email email@example.com or
call (509) 891-7219. When contacting
technical support, please know your course version number (it is located at the
bottom left side of the Welcome Screen) and your operating system, and be
seated in front of the computer at the time of your call.
Minimum Computer
refer to VESi's website: www.virtualeduc.com
or contact VESi if you have further questions about the compatibility of your
operating system.
Refer to the addendum regarding Grading Criteria, Course Completion
Information, Items to be Submitted and how to submit your completed
information. The addendum will also note any additional course assignments that
you may be required to complete that are not listed in this syllabus.
Bronson, P., & Merryman, A. (2009). Nurtureshock: New
thinking about children. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group.
Allen, K.E., & Marotz, L. (2000). By the ages: Behavior and development of children pre-birth through
eight. Albany, NY: Delmar.
Allen, K.E., & Marotz, L. (2012). Developmental profiles: Pre-birth
through eight (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Allen, K.E., & Schwartz, I. (1996). The exceptional child: Inclusion in early childhood education.
Albany, NY: Delmar.
Ames, L.B.,
Gillespie, C., Haines, J., & Ilg, F.L. (1978). The Gesell Institute's childhood
from one to six. New York: Harper & Row.
Bee, H. (1997). The developing child (8th ed.). New York: HarperCollins.
Berk, L.E. (2011). Infants and
children (7h ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. (1996). Tools
of the mind: The Vygotskian approach to early childhood education.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Abecedarian Project. (1999). Early Learning, later success: The
Abecedarian study. Chapel Hill, NC:
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center.
Brazelton. B.T. (1981). On becoming a
family: The growth of attachment.
New York: Dell Publishing.
Bredekamp, S., & Copple, C. (2010). Developmentally appropriate practice in
early childhood programs (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: National
Association for the Education of Young Children.
Bredekamp, S., & Rosegrant, T. (Eds.).
(1996). Reaching potentials:
Appropriate curriculum and assessment of young children. Washington, DC:
National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Dodge, D.T.
(2010). Creative curriculum for
preschool (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies
Dombro, D.T., Rudick, S., & Burke, K. (2006). The creative curriculum for infants,
toddlers, and twos (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Teaching
Elkind, D. (2001). The
hurried child: Growing up too fast too soon. New York, NY: Knopf.
Farber, A., & Mazlich, E. (1980). How to talk so kids will listen
& listen so kids will talk. New York, NY: Avon Books.
Fein, G., & Rivkin, M. (Eds.). (1986). The young child at play: Reviews of research. Washington, DC:
Galinsky, E.
(2010). Mind in the making: The seven
essential life skills that every child needs. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Gardner, H.
(1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. New York, NY: Basic
Gerber, M. (1998). Dear
parent: Caring for infants with respect. Pasadena, CA:
Resources for Infant Educators.
Gopnik, A., Meltzoff, A.N., & Kuhl, P.K. (1999). The scientist
in the crib: Minds, brains, and how children learn. New York, NY: William
Goleman, D. (1997). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than
I.Q. New York, NY:
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2006). Infants,
toddlers, and caregivers. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Gottman, J.M., & DeClaire, J. (1998). Raising an emotionally intelligent child. New York, NY: Simon &
Greenspan, S., & Greenspan, N.T. (1994). First
feelings: Milestones in the emotional development of your baby and child. New York, NY: Penguin.
Herbert, M. (2003). Typical and atypical development.
Oxford, UK: BPS Blackwell.
Honig, A.S. (2000). Cross-cultural study of infants and
toddlers. In A. Comunian & U. Gielen (Eds.), International perspectives on human development (pp. 275-308). Lengerich, Germany: Pabst Science.
Honig, A.S. (2000). Love and learn: Positive guidance for young
children (Brochure). Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Malaguzzi, L. (1993). History, ideas, and basic philosophy. In C.
Edwards, L. Gandini, & G. Forman (Eds.), The hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia approach to early
childhood education (pp. 41-89).
Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Medina, J. (2011). Brain rules for
babies: How to raise a smart and happy child from zero to five. Seattle,
WA: Pear Press.
Marotz, L., Cross, M., & Rush, J. (1997). Health, safety and nutrition for the young child (4th
ed.). Albany, NY: Delmar.
Siegel, D.J., & Hartzell, M.M. (2004). Parenting from the inside
out: How a deeper self-understanding can help you raise children who thrive. Los Angeles, CA: J. P. Tarcher.
Slentz, K., & Krogh, S.L. (2001). Early childhood development and its variations. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
Small, M.F. (1999). Our babies, ourselves:
How biology and culture shape the way we parent. New York, NY: Dell.
Thomas, A., & Chess, S. (1986).
The New York longitudinal study: From infancy to early adult life. In R.
Plomin & J. Dunn (eds.), The study of temperament: Changes,
continuities and challenges (pp. 39-52). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Child Development and Early Learning Websites:
are suggested online resources—some high quality professional organization
websites with a great deal of information, advice, links, and resources. Other
links are just to illustrate research, concepts, or share related video clips
or articles.
Recommended Web sites:
Specific Web
Links Related to Curriculum
Chapter One: Introduction to Child Development
appropriate practices information plus resources, full Position Statement,
age-specific recommendations, books, and teaching strategies. http://www.naeyc.org/dap
about the major developmental theorists and theories: http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/childdevtheory.htm
Chapter Two:Prenatal & Newborn Development
classic PBS documentary "Life's Greatest Miracle" video on prenatal development
from conception to birth online at: http://video.pbs.org/video/1841157252/
beautiful video and talk on prenatal development at: http://www.ted.com/talks/alexander_tsiaras_conception_to_birth_visualized.html
Medina's advice for healthy prenatal brain development and pregnancy advice at:
talk on research on the effects of the Dutch famine during WWII evidencing how
babies seem to grow to fit their environment: http://www.ted.com/talks/annie_murphy_paul_what_we_learn_before_we_re_born.html
on Medina's research on effects of a baby on couples' relationships: http://brainrules.net/brain-rules-for-baby-relationship
Chapter Three: The Development of Infants (1-12 months) & Toddlers
(13-35 months)
The "visual cliff" experiment can be seen on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6cqNhHrMJA
development info on this site from UW on "neuroscience for kids" (and adults) http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html#bb
For a fun measure of your own mental flexibility try the "Stroop test" and more
at: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html
recent research, information, briefs, links, and videos on the science of early
learning and early brain development at: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/topics/science_of_early_childhood/
Kuhl: The Linguistic Genius of Babies" TED talk and video on her research - http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies.html
Video and talk on research on infant intelligence and decision-making:
on mirror neurons: http://video.pbs.org/video/1615173073/
The AAP recommendations on TV and children under two: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/10/infant-tv-guidelines/
Info on the link between Baby Einstein videos and language development: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/baby-einstein/AN01990
and recommendations on children and the media: http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/article-faq.html
Fun TED video on why we think babies are cute: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_dennett_cute_sexy_sweet_funny.html
Great resources and you can test yourself with the "Are you Baby Smart?" quiz http://www.bornlearning.org/default.aspx?id=20
Ainsworth classic "strange situation" attachment research video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTsewNrHUHU
types: "flexible, feisty & fearful" video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EcA9mgxBwk
children try "the rogue test" for self-recognition:
Discipline and guidance links and resources on children's behavior: http://www.humsci.auburn.edu/~abellel/beeprogram/links/resourceupdates/guidedis/guidedis.htm
*Two great sites for Autism information: http://www.autismspeaks.org (video glossary with examples of indicators) and http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/ActEarly/
*Aimed at parents of children birth to age 3 on three keys to do daily: http://lovetalkplay.org/about/
* Washington state resources for
families: http://www.parenthelp123.org/
Four: The Development of Preschoolers (3-5 Years) & Young School Agers (5-6
care report and information: http://childcare.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=childcare&cdn=parenting&tm=32&f=10&su=p504.6.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.afterschoolalliance.org/AA3PM.cfm
on the USDA food pyramid and links to nutrition info and resources:
article on recent sleep research and children: http://room19pv.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/nurture-shock-sleep-deprivation.pdf
examples of play types: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSUdGqK6ohM
pre-operational and concrete operations stage conservation tests: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B65EJ6gMmA4
guidelines on developmentally appropriate practices for teaching reading and
writing: http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSREAD98.PDF
classic "marshmallow experiment" shows how preschoolers do with self-control
and is in many versions, including: http://www.ignitermedia.com/mini-movies/1350/The-Marshmallow-Test or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EjJsPylEOY or see a lecture
along with the test at: http://www.ted.com/talks/joachim_de_posada_says_don_t_eat_the_marshmallow_yet.html
intelligence info and resources: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq5_raising_emotional_intelligence.htm
your own EQ online with one of these- http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/education/sadker/Sadker_EIQQ/sadker_eiqq.htm
or http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl_eq_quiz.htm
or http://www.dreamsintoaction.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/emotionalintelligencequiz1.pdf
parenting styles and coaching at Gottman's website:
about moral development in early and mid childhood: http://www.livestrong.com/article/170720-how-parents-can-help-moral-development-in-children/
info on moral development theories: http://tigger.uic.edu/~lnucci/MoralEd/overview.html
rejection info: http://www.nncc.org/guidance/dc31_wo.friends2.html
tips for teachers on helping rejected children: http://www.ldonline.org/article/6170/
Brief video on discipline at: http://www.brainrules.net/brain-rules-for-baby-moral-baby
more about cultural and ethnic variations in parenting styles: http://family.jrank.org/pages/1253/Parenting-Styles-Cultural-Ethnic-Variations-in-Parenting-Styles.html#ixzz2GqLNA7xT
* Child abuse and neglect video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVfaKD37SQk
*Educational Resources
Information Center. ERIC
provides unlimited access to bibliographic records of journal articles and
other education-related materials: http://www.eric.ed.gov/
"Assessing Children for the Presence of
a Disability":
Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov
Connections to teacher resources and NOVA videos: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/
Course content is updated every three
years. Due to this update timeline, some URL links may no longer be active or
may have changed. Please type the title of the organization into the command
line of any Internet browser search window and you will be able to find whether
the URL link is still active or any new link to the corresponding organization's
web home page.
Updated 9/2/14 JN


text:
Put your helmet on and let's ride! Bike East Bay (the coalition formerly known as the East Bay Bicycle Coalition) is offering family safety bike clinics, rodeos, helmet fittings, and street parties in addition to the usual Bike to Work and School rides. Find some more events on the EBBC website calendar. I requested their help in deciphering which rides and parties might be best for children but they're too busy running great activities to help me.
Bike to school or daycare
Bike to School day is officially May 7 or 8; different schools will do it their own way but the general message is to get more kids riding for fun and transit. Find out if your school is participating with an Energizer Station and which day. See the list.
Schools around the Bay Area will be honoring Bike To Work Day with a kid-friendly version aimed at getting us to commute without emissions. Over 100 stations will set up on the morning of Thursday, May 8th, to hand out free goodie bags and refreshments to bicyclists. Find your nearest energizer station here or roll out the door and surprise yourself with strangers offering you treats and kudos.
Celebrate your wheels
Bring your family to one of many Family Cycling Workshop or Kids Bike Rodeos throughout the East Bay from Albany to Pleasanton. Learn how to ride safely through a course of cones and chalked out pathways. The Oakland Bike Rodeo is April 19th and Berkeley is still TBD.
Some of the usual May kid-bike stuff happens in April so that children would be all decked out to ride in May. If you have any other bike tips for May, please share them with us!


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SoundMagic E10 (have these already)
Sony MH1C
Thinksound Rain (Little more $50)
VSonic GR02 Bass
Could throw in the UE-700 since it just dropped to $75 but thats pushing it.
Let the games begin...
Results (I have Ranked them all and will continue to do so as more are added:
OK so it took a bit to get through them but I wanted to review at least the ones I had for this little battle. MH1C, GR02 BE, SoundMagic E10 and I threw in the RE0 just for a little reference. VC02 were added as well as RHA MA-350
1st VSonic GR02 BE - Everytime I would switch back to these, I would get a smile on my face. The bass (Sub, bass and mid bass) is just so rich, powerful and detailed that I just love it. Also the highs on these are more detailed with better separation that the others. Bright does come to mind but I guess I do prefer crisp over warm. Some vocals may have been slightly veiled but everything else makes up for that. The soundstage is the narrowest as everything is right in front of you. If I could get the same crispness of all the instruments but spread them out, that would be ideal.
2nd VC02 (Added 2/15/2013)
Took everyone's advice and added the VC02 to the collection and gave them a run through tonight. The first word to describe them is creamy. Much flatter freq response with a very smooth sound. Much less bass and impact than the GR02 BE. Can make the GR02 BE sound a little hollow in the upper end but I also feel the vocals on the VC02 can sound a touch veiled which is my they are also smooth. Great detail and a wider soundstage. But they just lack that impact that you get from the GR02 BEs. Listening to Volbeat FLAC recording sounds very nice on the VC02, you love the clarity and smoothness but when you switch back to the GR02s, you just get that smile back on your face as you start to feel the music as intended (I was at the concert so I know). VC02 is one of the most comfortable IEMs that I own and is an excellent choice for smooth detailed and clear sound. If you are looking for v shaped with low end, punchy mids and crisp highs then it is the GR02s as they still remain the winner for me here. Next I will try and get to some brainwaves.
3rd MH1C - This took a little bit but I wanted to recable them as the J cord is just, well, awful. Replaced it with a Monprice cable from my 8320 (you can see this in the MH1C thread). Much more bass anbd sub bass than the Soundmagic and just slightly behind the GR02 BE. The mids were much better than the SoundMagic but the highs again just are not that detailed, there but a lot of the high freq start to run together. The Soundstage is definitely the wideeast and foudn some tracks the most enjoyable because of it.
4th (tie) RHA MA-350 (Added 3/1/2013)
This one was very close to the MH1C but the smoother Uppers with that slightly less can sound edged it out. Ran this one through some Rock FLAC Volbeat, Slash, Offspring etc. The first thing that jumps at you with these is the amount of Bass, tons of Bass especially sub bass. If the GR02 BE does not give you enough Bass then grab these babies. The Bass is a touch flabby for my liking and then also lacks the punch/tightness that I like. There are more highs here than the MH1C for a more V shaped sound. Most of the spectrum has this Canned sound to it, makes it a little thin, I get closer to sibilant with these than the GR02BE. I find the Soundstage more closed than most here. some of the highs run together a bit leaving you wanting a little more instrument separation. Overall this is a very good value and if you want that extra Bass - these are the ones. Build is nice, only 3 sets of tips, braided cable has some microphonics (similar cable to the Monoprice), little felt pouch similar to what VSonic is doing now.
4th (tie) SoundMagic E10 - While it is a fun IEM, there is just too much missing in the mids, you get some decent low end punch and some sub bass but the warm mids and powerful drums are just missing. Also the highs, while the are not recessed, just do not have the level of detail that I would expect. Soundstage is not narrow but but it is also not wide. Overall they are a nice IEM for the price but just does not measure up.
Even though the RE0 is $50 (on sale of course) - these are the most detailed of the bunch but there is quite a bit lacking in the low end for me. I will use these for some music types but for the most part of what I listen too, just not enough bass. It also takes a little more to drive these as well. If bass is not your thing and detailed and accurate are what you are looking for then I would suggest getting a set of these.
I am still thinking of buying a couple more in this category but that will be it before moving on the next level. Might give the VC02s (Done), AM90, Dunu DN-12, MA-350 (Done), MG5, M31 and possibly even the TDK MT300 as they are starting to get some love here. Thanks for tuning in.
I did add the TDK MT300 and there was not much to write as I did not find them very good, even for the price since I had to pay close to $25 for them. Even if they were $10, I would go for the SH3580s first but neither contend is this thread.
Edited by zerocoolhifi - 3/1/13 at 9:14pm


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Sent by her ambitious parents to visit her wealthy D'Urberville cousins, Tess attracts the attention of the unscrupulous Alec. Seduced and discarded by him and alone in the world, she finds work as a milkmaid, and the love of Angel Clare. Yet his love cannot accept the truth about Tess's past.
(P) 2014 Audible, Inc.
"Peter Firth gets this book"
Peter Firth played Angel Clare in Polanski's film version of this novel. His reading demonstrates great affection for Hardy's characters, and an understanding of the many nuances of the story. Don't worry if it seems slow to begin with, if you let the plot unfold, there is plenty of excitement and tragedy in store. Originally published as a serial, each phase builds up to its own climax, which makes for pleasant and interesting listening. Definitely not a "boring 19th century novel."
A heartbreaking story possesses both the clarity of rural life and the confusion of the epic struggles of a human heart. Tess and Angel Clare are so beautifully realized that the frustration one feels with them becomes all-too-real. The narration of this version, by Peter Firth, is among the best in the audible.com catalog that I've encountered so far. Tess is a book to read and re-read with your ears, eyes, mind, and heart.
"Heartbreakingly beautiful"
I nearly gave up on this halfway through. While Peter Firth does a good job with the characters, I found his reading too halting, with so many pauses that the language did not flow, and I had trouble connecting the sentences. This is not usually a problem in listening to Hardy. I switched over to Davina Porter's narration and was riveted for the second half of the book. I don't think this was entirely due to Peter Firth's narration. I think the first half of the book (prior to Tess's marriage) is overlong and repetitive. My advice is to stick with it; the rest of the book is more than worth it!
What a skilled and complex rendering of a good woman victimized by men's response to her beauty, and the double standard of sexual mores. And what an evocative and intense description of the love between two people and the very human inability to transcend judgment and to forgive those we love. This is such a beautiful book, with Hardy's exquisite prose and descriptive skills. I highly recommend Davina Porter's narration. Her voicing of Tess is so simple, yet so infused with feeling, and it brought me to tears more than once.
"Classic story"
Gripping story of life in by gone days. The heroine is beautiful and her beauty is a negative. Hardy captures eternal human nature in his writing, painting a vivid picture of love, lust, jealousy and fidelity.
Not possible
"Ripples of either holding or releasing a grudge"
Well written and artistically read, this book illustrates in story form the ever-enlarging circles of refusing to forgive a wrong. The beautiful contrast is seen in Tess.
"A wonderful classic!"
I had read this in high school, and, even though I couldn't remember the plot, always remembered it as a story I liked it. This audible version was delightful and I truly enjoyed my listen.
"Depressing story"
Yes, I have read "The Mayor of Casterbridge," also by Thomas Hardy, and I really enjoyed that book. "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," though, I found to be a truly depressing story with very little redemption in the ending to overcome that view of the book.
Peter Firth performed the narration well, giving different qualities to each of the characters. His portrayal of Angel Clare was my favorite, for he had a sense of the thoughts and motives of Angel that were evident in his voice and tone.
the story.
Tess, of course.
I enjoyed his narration. Speech was clear. I would listen to his book vocals again.
no comment.
My daily commute time literally hijacked any spare time for reading, and then, AUDIBLE.
"I didn't get bored"
I didn't get bored. It was a good listen....good narrator. Too bad the story couldn't have continued with Angel Claire relationship with Tess' younger sister...that might have been a juicy tale.
"Wonderful imagery"
I first read Tess many years ago as a teenager and didn't think much of it. Having revisiting through this audiobook I am astounded at how much I missed! This is one of those reads which benefit from a few years of life experience. Wonderfully read, atmospheric and colourful.
The description of milking: a real feast for the senses. Brought the era to life and the imagery is superb.
Well read and very consistent... Believable voices and accents. I am local to this area and found the dialect very believable.
It was very easy to see things through the eyes of the characters and to empathise with them, even given the very different attitudes of the time.
Thomas Hardy at his best....Highly recommended.
A wonderful story that is read beautifully in this audiobook. Peter Firth uses a wide range of voices and accents for the different characters which really brings them to life.
I've read the book (more than once), I've seen the film, but the story of Tess is always spellbinding, and this audio version is excellent. Peter Firth reads it beautifully; his rustic accents are quite convincing, although he does occasionally lapse into 'Oirish'. Highly recommended.
"Highly recommended!"
After having read and adored Tess of the D'Urbervilles last year, I thought this audiobook did Hardy's novel justice. HIs rich descriptions of Wessex and his compassionate character portraits are just as alive and vivid in an audiobook format as they were for me when I first read this book.
a great story and very well read. will listen over and over again
"An excellent audio reading of this book"
Peter Firth read this book beautifully. I can't wait to read more Thomas Hardy novels.
"How is this deemed a great classic?"
It's a story of a naughty teenager who gets pregnant, loses her baby through neglect, spends her time either blaming others for her problems or being irrationally stubborn. She destroys her first marriage (and the life of her husband) because she wants to be 'honest' despite clear warnings from her mother. She then loves this husband so deeply that she goes back to the first man (who is obsessed with her and in pain because Tess did not tell him about their baby) whom houses her desperate family and provides a lavish lifestyle. She kills him though and that's pretty much it. She's not a heroine, hero, or great example and I struggle with how this book is a classic. Maybe I'm missing a deeper hidden feminist point. Rather disappointing really - but it's narrated very well.
"not what I expected..."
very well read and for a first purchase great but did not realise the melancholy.
"Wonderful reading"
A few glitches on the recording levels. But apart from that this is superbly read.
"Lovely story"
I'm not really much of a literary expert but I did really enjoy this book. Not what I was expecting but a great listen.


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Bosses knew of Birmingham nursery rapist's 'special relationship' with child
A nursery assistant jailed for life for raping a child was known by authorities to have had a 'special relationship' with his victim, a serious case review revealed today.
Paul Wilson was jailed for life in July 2011 after pleading guilty to raping a child at the Birmingham nursery where he worked.
Then aged 21, he also admitted 47 counts of grooming of teenage girls over the internet.
Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board today published a serious case review into the abuse at Little Stars Nursery in Nechells.
The report revealed it was known by the nursery, Ofsted and the local authority that Wilson had a 'special relationship' with the child which should have raised the alarm and been examined in more detail.
Jane Held, independent chairwoman of the multi-agency board, said: "Responsibility for this awful abuse must, and does, lie with the perpetrator.
"He was clever, duplicitous and manipulative and took advantage of weaknesses in the system.
"Parents should be able to trust the people they leave their children with to ensure that children are properly protected. In this case there were unfortunately a number of weaknesses in the way that nursery was run and a number of opportunities to intervene earlier and prevent the continuation of abuse which were missed."
The damning review also found 'a lack of communication resulted in missed opportunities to collate the accumulating concerns about the perpetrator and his relationship' with the child.
It added there was 'poor management' within the in the nursery and the council did not communicate to the relevant agencies and investigate when the initial child protection concerns were raised. In addition there was a failure by Ofsted and the local authority to properly investigate concerns and a lack of rigour and depth to the nursery inspection process.
The report makes eight key recommendations which are being addressed.
In addition each agency has been ordered to conduct an internal review.
Ms Held added: "There are three key lessons arising from this review.
"One is that those in charge of settings caring for children must ensure there are strong clear practices and systems to minimise the risk of abuse.
"The second is to listen to and ask about children's experiences rather than just speak to adults.
"The third, and potentially the most important, is that safeguarding children is a job for everyone."
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Friday, November 9, 2012
This, That and The Other...
Thank you all who voted for my red and white Irish Chain. As of right now as I write this post, I do not know the results. I'll update this blog post when I find out.
Who knew I would get so many comments and suggestions on a needle threader? Not me!
The Stitchin Post is having their Pajama Sale tomorrow- the earlier you get there, the better the discount. Wear your PJ's for an extra 5%.
I plan on looking for the Sewline threader. I'm a visual learner so I love THIS video about it.
My second choice will be Bohin. Here is another VIDEO demonstrated by Becky Goldsmith, (Piece o Cake )
And if neither of those are available I'll pick up the Clover. Thank you all for your input! Quilters are never shy about recommending a product, are they?
Hey, I've found a new blogger that makes outrageously stunning quilts! Go say hi to Hilda at
Every Stitch and welcome her to blogland! Make sure to go back and read (or at least look at the photos!) of all 5 posts!
And just so you know, she commented on my blog and I clicked on the link to check out her profile. If you read and do not leave comments, that's ok, but it sure makes it more fun when we can interact.
I've been working on my challenge project that I showed you here. I was having a hard time figuring out the math since my blocks are not square. I don't even know how to Electric Quilt it, but YAY! I figured it out today, so now that I know what I'm doing I should be able to move forward much quicker on this. How are you doing on yours Barb, Sue and Jill?
I'll leave you with some more great photos from the Aurora Quilt Show I went to last month.
Have a terrific weekend!
27 comments:
I'm in love with Australia quilter's.
I love their use of color and pattern.
I cann't quite put my finger on what the difference is.RepliesMy goodness I hardly know you Liz!!
Some people say it's the light - there is even a distinct difference between Queensland quilts (hot bright climate) and those from the more southern states (more temperate) but many visitors from the Northern Hemisphere comment that our sunshine is SO bright. Perhaps thats why we chose bolder colours. But then again, we Aussies have always been a bit rebellious/adventurous - maybe a throwback to our convict origins!! K
Wow Lori! - I did not know what had hit me when I opened my email this morning - so MANY kind comments from blog viewers !! And now I see why ..thanks for such a generous recommendation in this post. I do hope I won't disappoint :)
Good luck with the Irish chain - I did pop over and vote for you as it is a great quilt. I'm very fond of red in quilts - and have to restrain myself from putting red in all my quilts! So, of course I love your photo of the red block from the Aurora Quilt show - gorgeous. And it was a knotted/tied quilt - so sweet!I like your feathered star - it looks like an antique one. Love, love the log cabin quilt in the cradle. Thanks for directing me to Hilda - I like her quilts very much.
I love to reply to comments or a question. If you are on firstname.lastname@example.com I have no way of contacting you. Please leave an email address. If you need help changing the setting please email me.
Because of the recent uptake in spam I am no longer allowing anonymous comments. If you want to comment feel free to send me an email as I would love to hear from you!
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About This Gigapan
Toggle- Taken by
- ted Brattstrom
- Explore score
- 1
- Size
- 2.45 Gigapixels
- Views
- 568
- Date added
- Jun 28, 2014
- Date taken
- Jun 18, 2014
- Categories
- environmental, landscape, nature, travel
- Galleries
- Competitions
- Tags
- Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, malaysia, Borneo
- Description
This is in the "resort" area at the reserve. The pool is reported to occasionally support a family of otters. The room/cottages are along the stream lower down and on the hillside higher up (and visible in this image. This area is secondary growth jungle, having been selectively logged 25-30 or so years before. Occasionally the pygmy elephants will walk up the streambed, though not usually as high as this pool. Birds, Butterflies, small lizards (though you may see some large monitors on the drive into the reserve), macaques, and other wildlife can be seen here, and even more on the tours taken out from the center. All hikes/drives away from the housing center must be accompanied by a guide - for the mutual safety of you and the wildlife (elephants!) - and they know the area and it's animals/plants well and can point out things you will likely have missed!
Stitcher Notes
ToggleMinimizeGigaPan Stitch version 2.1.0161 (Windows)
Panorama size: 2450 megapixels (70060 x 34984 pixels)
Input images: 368 (23 columns by 16 rows)
Field of view: 120.4 degrees wide by 60.1 degrees high (top=44.9, bottom=-15.2)
Vignette correction on: c1=0.00137 c2=-0.000623
All default settings
Original image properties:
Camera make: Canon
Camera model: Canon PowerShot SX110 IS
Image size: 3456x2592 (9.0 megapixels)
Capture time: 2014-06-18 15:52:51 - 2014-06-18 16:19:07
Aperture: f/8
Exposure time: 0.0125
Focal length (35mm equiv.): 357.6 mm
Digital zoom: off
White balance: Automatic
Exposure mode: Manual
Horizontal overlap: 11.6 to 41.0 percent
Vertical overlap: 14.5 to 19.8 percent
Computer stats: 2007.63 MB RAM, 2 CPUs
Total time 1:53:12 (18 seconds per picture)
Alignment: 23:01, Projection: 13:28, Blending: 1:16:43
(Preview finished in 49:46)


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Help the Perdomo's
Just got a call from Rosa, who is up at summer camp in N. Texas. Nelson aka Father Antonio just fell and probably broke his right wrist. He is right handed... Fr. Seraphim Holland, who is an RN, is taking him to the hospital right now. Of course, we have no insurance, so... Anyway, will let you know when I learn something more... What a day!
Father Antonio is now out of surgery.
Priest Priest-Seraphim
Holland says that the Doctor said it went very well. He now has a titanium
plate and screws in his wrist, so the breaks are all shored up. He is still in
recovery. He hopes to go back to camp after that... We shall see... As a more
likely back up plan, Reader Dan
Rudder has offered to come and pick him up at the hospital and let him
recover at their home up in the Dallas area.. Don't know yet which way it will
go. Will keep you posted when I get more news. Thanks for all of your prayers!
Can you help?


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Essentially I need a sampler patch which would allow, for example, me to load 100 loops of equal duration into it. There would then be a control slider to select which sample is being played. Only one sample need to plays simulatenously (possibly two if they are crossfaded). So the end result being, I have one slider which I can move where at one end it would play sample #1, and the other end sample #100. As you move the slider it switches through different samples, playing from the same point (so if you move the slider from #1 to #2 while it is half way through playing sample #1, it will start playing #2 from the same point half way through).
So I was wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of such a patch? Otherwise if there is nothing similar i'll look at building it myself :-)
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text: This was my second time here and again got good food with an interesting mixture of tapas. Some were better then others, but all in all a nice dinner. It is a friendly athmosphere and staff is service minded. They offer tapas as the main menu but if you ask they also have another menu with more traditional dishes. A... More


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Several days into this year's Toronto International Film Festival, the buyers' market hasn't quite caught fire yet. A few films have been picked up, mostly on the smaller scale of things, but the first few days have mostly been made up of films that already have distribution – the "Cloud Atlas"es, "Silver Linings Playbook"s and "Anna Karenina"s of the world. But in the next few days, the real hot tickets start to unspool, and the first major acquisition of the festival has been made.
While a number of bidders were reported to be in the running, including The Weinstein Company and CBS Films, Deadline report that Focus Features have won the battle for the rights for Derek Cianfrance's "The Place Beyond the Pines," the generational crime drama that stars Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. We'd named the film as one of the ones with the most potential to unleash a bidding war, and that's exactly what seems to have happened, with the Universal subsidiary acquiring the film early this morning for an unknown sum, said to be several million dollars.
There are no details on when the film might hit theaters as yet, but we'd be surprised if it was before the start of 2013. For one, there are whispers that many of the buyers hoped that Cianfrance could be persuaded to cut the 140-minute picture down (though if our review is anything to go by, he shouldn't touch a frame) to make it more commercial. Furthermore, Focus have several Oscar pics competing for attention already, in "Moonrise Kingdom," "Anna Karenina" and Gus Van Sant's "Promised Land," and given how competitive this year is already, they're probably better off not adding a film that would be trickier to get nominations into the mix.
In other distribution news, Anchor Bay Films just picked up Billy Bob Thornton's "Jayne Mansfield's Car," which gets its North American premiere at TIFF after screening in Berlin back in February. Another TIFF festival leftover, Michel Gondry's "The We & the I," which screened at Cannes, also has distribution, with Paladin and 108 Media picking the film up and planning to put it in theaters in New York and Toronto in March. [Deadline/Indiewire]
Meanwhile, new company Outsource Media Group has acquired Mike Newell's "Great Expectations," with Jeremy Irvine, Helena Bonham-Carter and Ralph Fiennes, ahead of the film's premiere on Tuesday in Toronto. The private equity fund is expected to partner with a distributor for the U.S. release, putting up the P&A themselves. Finally, Well Go USA has acquried Hur Jin-ho's Mandarin-language remake of "Dangerous Liaisons" for the U.S., and Film Movement has picked up Catherine Corsini's drama "Three Worlds." [Deadline/Variety/Deadline]


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In our modern Internet-connected age, it is common to suffer from information overload and to take for granted many things that we see and touch on a daily basis. Take our national currency, for example, the New Zealand Dollar - Do you know its history and how it is perceived in financial markets? Currency traders fondly refer to it as the "Kiwi", due to its association with our country and the fact that it is depicted on our one-dollar coin, but its history goes back to 1967.
Prior to 1967, the New Zealand Pound reigned supreme in "the land of the long white cloud", having replaced the British Pound Sterling as far back as 1933. Gone are the days when pounds, shillings, and pence were legal tender, and you needed two extra fingers and toes to make sense of it all. The cumbersome nature of this "dozen-ish" way to divide money was dealt with in 1963, when government officials decided to take action to do what is commonly called "decimalization", the act of converting to a "10-based" currency system.
A committee was formed and the "fun" soon began. The notion of converting to a "dollar" was top of mind, but many felt that this change might be confusing due to the existing prevalence of the U.S. Dollar in international commerce. Proposals were suggested to actually call it the "Kiwi" or the "Zeal", but supporters of the "Dollar" won out in the end. The official conversion date was set to be 10 July 1967. One Pound bought you two Dollars; ten Shillings, one Dollar; and one Shilling, ten cents. Coins and banknotes were issued with Queen Elizabeth II displayed, after other design ideas met with strong resistance.
In 1967, the "Kiwi" was "pegged" to the U.S. Dollar at NZ$1 = US$1.62, in line with the Bretton-Woods arrangements that limited fluctuations in value to tight bands set daily by central bankers. In November of the same year, however, the British Pound was devalued, and the impact on the New Zealand Dollar was to drop to US$1.12. Over the seventies, major currencies gradually transitioned to the "floating" system that we have today. The Kiwi actually "floated" in 1985 at a rate of US$0.44. Its relationship to the U.S. Dollar, as depicted on a "NZD/USD" chart, has strengthened slightly and presently hovers around US$0.82.
Foreign exchange, or "forex", traders refer to the Kiwi and its "cousin", the Aussie Dollar, as commodity currencies, due to their respective dependence on the prevailing commodity nature of their export trade. It is often said that the Aussie Dollar correlates closely with what can be dug out of the ground, while the New Zealand Dollar is more connected with what grows out of the ground or grazes upon it. Both currencies are highly favored by traders due to their predictable natures and the conservative governments that stand behind them.
Floating in the forex market, however, does present challenges. The Kiwi is actually the tenth highest traded currency in the world, far in excess of its country's rank as a percentage of Population or Global GDP. As China, India, and much of Asia has prospered, demand for New Zealand exports has increased dramatically, driving up the value of the Kiwi in its wake. Interventions by the central bank did little to rein in these rises, but the "Great Recession" did succeed in driving it down to US$0.50. In the past two years, it has hovered within a range of US$0.72 to US$0.90.
Since floating, the modern Kiwi has managed to fly, something its feathered ancestor could only ponder.