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By Bob Difley
Like entering into an air-conditioned room, the morning fog of the California North Coast redwood belt provides a respite from the interior valley heat of mid to late summer. Patrick's Point State Park is a wonderfully cool forested destination to hang out for a few days in the heart of the foggy California North Coast redwood belt.
The year-round night and morning fog provides a temperate, wet climate, that enables rhododendron, salal, skunk cabbage, blackberry, huckleberry, thimbleberry, and salmonberry bushes to grow as if possessed with growth hormones and forming impenetrable thickets. And though the perfect climate for redwoods, the prominent trees in the park are hemlock, alder, spruce, fir and pine.
The 640-acre park perches on top of a tree- and meadow-covered headland at the south end of Agate Beach, and for hikers, trails carve through the thick foliage and along a long sandy beach with hidden pocket beaches and a rocky shoreline. From several prominent trail viewpoints you can spot migrating gray whales traveling between their winter feeding and summer birthing grounds, along with millions of birds on their spring and fall migrations.
The Octopus Tree Trail winds through a grove of massive old-growth Sitka spruce. The trail's name comes from the trees that originally grew out of and over downed tree stumps, extending their roots to the rich soil below the stump. After the stumps rotted away, the trees were left standing on their roots that resemble the arms of an octopus.
The level and easy, but serpentine Rim Trail is at times like a rabbit warren, as it burrows through the dense coastal under-story, often dripping like a light rain from the morning fog. Towering trees loom overhead reaching into the fog layer and grabbing life-giving moisture.
The two-mile-long trail circles the western, ocean side of the campground, winding along the cliff edge, from which six roughly quarter-mile side trails drop down to rocky coves for tide-pooling and beachcombing, or to overlooks at Wedding Rock, Rocky Point and Abalone Point. From Palmer's Point you can backtrack along the cliff or head diagonally across the center of the park.
For some of the best views in the park, take the short but steep climb to the top of Ceremonial Rock, an ancient sea stack left like a lonely sentinel by the retreating sea level, which now rises abruptly from the meadow in the center of the park. It was used for a scene in the filming of the first Jurassic Park movie, so if you see any stray velociraptors or Tyrannosaurus Rexes roaming around, report them to a park ranger.
At the rear, eastern side of the park, stroll through the Native Plant Garden for a better understanding of the local plants, those that grow between the seaward slope of the Coast Range and the ocean, and how they use and depend on the fog for survival. Adjacent to the garden, visit the reconstructed Yurok village of Sumeg to see how the local Yuroks lived. The plank-constructed structures have been built from local redwoods and include family houses, a sweat lodge, and a dance house where local Native Americans hold annual celebrations.
One hundred feet below the park's northern ragged cliffs, long sandy Agate beach juts out into the long swells rolling in from the North Pacific. Just south of the beach at the base of the headland, the pounding surf has carved fanciful sea stacks and carved rocky tide pools.
A path descends down the cliff to Agate Beach, named for the surf polished agates that can be found among the pebbly beach rocks and sand as well as unusual finds among the beach's driftwood collection.
Five miles south of the park, the historic town of Trinidad, discovered by Spanish explorer Captain Bruno de Hezeta on Trinity Sunday in 1775, was the first incorporated town on the North Coast and is the smallest incorporated town in California with just over 300 residents. During the gold rush years, Trinidad was home to 3,000 residents, most having come because of the gold. When the gold gave out, so did the residents, who moved on to other places.
One hundred twenty-four family campsites are spread through the three campgrounds in the park on Hwy. 101, 25 miles north of Eureka and 56 miles south of Crescent City.
You can find Bob Difley's e-books on Amazon Kindle.


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Glenn, Jo-Ann
Academic Resource Center Specialist
Phone: 718-262-2594
Office Location: AC-1C18
Jo Ann Glenn, a graduate of York College with a BA in English and an MA in English Literature from Queens College, is the Journalism Program Assistant/Writing Center Coordinator. Ms. Glenn has been a part of the York College community for the past few years as a Writing Center Tutor and Acting Supervisor. In addition to her duties as Assistant/ Coordinator, Ms. Glenn is an Adjunct Lecturer in York College's English Department teaching English 125 and English 200 classes.

subset: commoncrawl


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In the form of one of Atlanta's iconic and exceptional restaurants, South City Kitchen.
When you visit Avalon, your palate is limited only by your imagination. Our walkable community features inspired dining at more than a dozen restaurants from some of Atlanta and Alpharetta's top chefs. Visit the hotel at Avalon and enjoy the following restaurants.


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Attorney Michael Avenatti sentenced to 2.5 years for Nike extortion threat
NBC NEWS — Attorney Michael Avenatti was sentenced to 2.5 years by a federal judge on Thursday after attempting to extort tens of millions of dollars from Nike.
Avenatti was convicted in February last year of extortion, the transmission of interstate communications with intent to extort, and wire fraud in connection to threats he made against sports equipment and apparel giant Nike, as reported by NBC News.
The attorney was arrested after representing a Los Angeles youth basketball coach who reportedly had information about Nike staff making illicit payments to top high school athletes.
Avenatti threatened to ruin Nike's reputation and stock prices unless he and his clients were paid millions of dollars, according to the prosecution.
He was recorded on the phone pressuring Nike reps to pay him.
"I'm not f—ing around with this, and I'm not continuing to play games," Avenatti told Nike reps, according to court papers. "You guys know enough now to know you've got a serious problem. And it's worth more in exposure to me to just blow the lid on this thing. A few million dollars doesn't move the needle for me."
Prosecutors say he demanded that Nike pay his client $1.5 million and compensate him and his co-conspirator $15 million to $25 million to conduct an "internal investigation" for the company, as reported by NBC News.
Avenatti's defense lawyers asked for a six-month prison term, as his crimes were not violent and no one was defrauded of any money.
The post Attorney Michael Avenatti sentenced to 2.5 years for Nike extortion threat appeared first on NBC2 News.NBC2 (WBBH-TV)
#mortgagenaples, #naplesmortgage, #naplesnews, *Top News, Business, Crime, Michael Avenatti, National & World, News, Nike


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Matte polishes dry quickly and are completely matte with no shine or gloss finish. To ensure they stay matte, avoid using a top coat.
We've got a selection of matte nail polish below, or if you want to turn any nail polish matte take a look at our mattifier section.


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Trump blows up effort to blunt impeachment damage
The White House's release of Trump's first Ukraine call runs into the president's own tweets.
The White House on Friday set out to cast President Donald Trump as above the fray of the impeachment proceedings on the second day of televised hearings.
By 11 a.m., that effort had run into Trump's Twitter feed.
To start the day, the White House insisted Trump was too busy working to track Friday's hearing, which featured testimony from Marie Yovanovitch, the ousted ambassador to Ukraine. And it released a document summarizing Trump's first phone call with newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in April of this year, seeking to bolster its claim that Trump did nothing wrong in his dealings with the Eastern European leader, the subject of the House's impeachment inquiry.
Trump even tweeted out screenshots of the readout, which included no mention of the politically advantageous investigations Trump asked Zelensky about several months later during his much scrutinized July 25 phone call. One senior administration official said the president had long wanted to release the call to help clear his name.
Then the game plan fell apart.
Shortly after Yovanovitch gave her opening remarks, Trump took to Twitter to attack the former ambassador, saying that everywhere she "went turned bad," including her prior postings in Somalia.
Minutes later, the tweet was read aloud to Yovanovitch on Capitol Hill.
"It's very intimidating," she said.
Trump pushed back a few hours later, after House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff characterized the missive as "witness intimidation."
"You know what? I have the right to speak," Trump told reporters. "I have freedom of speech just as other people do, but they've taken away the Republicans' rights."
When asked if he believed his statements can be intimidating, Trump replied simply: "I don't think so at all."
The daylong exchange pulled attention away from the release of the initial call between Trump and Zelensky.
The tone of that April 21 call, which was blasted out moments before ousted ambassador Yovanovitch began testifying, was much more congratulatory, taking place hours after Zelensky's historic landslide election.
It was also significantly shorter than the July 25 call, during which Trump asked the Ukrainian leader to investigate Joe Biden, his political rival. That second call is now at the center of the House impeachment inquiry.
Notably, the document released Friday does not include a mention of Ukrainian corruption, even though a readout of the the White House issued in April said the two leaders discussed implementing "reforms that strengthen democracy, increase prosperity, and root out corruption."
Later on Friday, Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesperson, explained that the April readout was produced through "standard operating procedure for the National Security Council." He added that the description of the call "was prepared by the NSC's Ukraine expert, likely a reference to Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the NSC official who oversees Ukraine policy and has testified that he listened to the April call.
According to the more expansive summary of the call released on Friday, Trump began the April 21 call by congratulating Zelensky on a "fantastic election," agreeing that Zelensky's unlikely victory was similar to his own in 2016 after Zelensky told the president he used Trump as "a great example" for his campaign.
"I have no doubt you will be a fantastic president," Trump said, according to the rough transcript, prompting Zelensky to invite Trump to his inauguration and telling him he needs to experience Ukraine himself.
Trump then responded by recalling his time running the Miss Universe pageant, remarking that Ukraine "always had great people" at the event.
Shortly after the White House document was released, Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence committee, read it live during his opening statement of the impeachment inquiry. Chairman Adam Schiff quickly rebutted that while he was glad Trump released the memo, he also would like the administration to release the slew of documents the panel had subpoenaed for the investigation.
Friday's summary of the April call makes no mention of investigations Trump eventually sought into the Biden family and events surrounding the 2016 election, a focal point of the impeachment inquiry. Although at that point, former Vice President Joe Biden had not yet officially announced his candidacy for president.
Several administration officials have testified in closed-door depositions with House impeachment investigators that they eventually came to see mentions of investigating "corruption" in Ukraine as code for the Biden and 2016 election investigations.
Though the revelation of what occurred during the July 25 call was the catalyst for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to initiate impeachment proceedings, the conversation has only been one facet of the investigation. The probe has also uncovered a shadow diplomacy effort and pressure campaign directed toward Ukraine.
At the beginning of the April call, Zelensky emphasized that "we in Ukraine are an independent country," a theme that underscores much of the discomfort with the shadow campaign.
Trump has hailed the July 25 call as "perfect," claiming that it alone exonerates him and demanding on Twitter on a near-daily basis that his critics "READ THE TRANSCRIPT!" But in a tweet teasing the release of the first call, Trump asserted the April conversation, being the first between the two leaders, was the "most important."
"I am sure you will find it tantalizing!" he added.
Shortly after the July 25 call, White House officials, having been alerted to concerns about Trump's request for political investigations, reportedly took the highly unusual step of placing its summary of the conversation in a server meant for classified information. There is no indication it took the same step with the April call.
But according to testimony from Vindman, who listened to both calls, the first exchange was well-received.
Vindman told House investigators that the tone of the April 21 call was "significantly different" than that of the July call, according to a transcript of the deposition released last week. Whereas Vindman described the April call as "very positive" and "very good," prompting high fives among those that listened, he characterized Trump's tone in the July call as "dour."


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"How Music Sparks, Soothes, and Optimizes the ADHD Brain in Children" [Video Replay & Podcast #335]
Access the video replay, listen to the podcast episode (#335), download the slide presentation, and learn how to get a certificate of attendance for this ADHD Experts webinar originally broadcast on December 2, 2020.
Video Replay + Slide Access
Enter your email address below to watch the video replay and download the slide presentation, plus get strategies from ADDitude via email.
You may opt out at any time. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy .
Episode Description
Music lights up the ADHD brain. Research shows that rhythm, melody, and tempo activate attention and focus. Moving to music helps organize the brain. Playing music can enhance sustained attention, impulse control, decision-making and planning, not to mention boosting self-esteem. Active music making engages the whole brain.
Here, learn the most effective ways parents can use music to help their child learn more at school, improve self-confidence, and achieve life goals. Listen and learn from Patti Catalano, MM, MT-BC, about:
- The latest research on how music benefits the ADHD brain
- How music can help your child overcome ADHD-related challenges
- How to create a music library that sparks and/or soothes your child's brain
- Resources for finding music therapists who will work with your child's learning style
Watch the Video Replay
Enter your email address in the box above labeled "Video Replay + Slide Access" to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.
Download or Stream the Podcast Audio
Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Google Podcasts; Stitcher; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO.
Read More on Music for Focus
- Music Therapy: Sound Medicine for ADHD
- "I Found the Solution for Morning Lateness, and It Sounds Amazing"
- Your Free Guide to Music for Healthy ADHD Brains
- Rhythm Notion: 10 Benefits of Music for ADHD Brains
Obtain a Certificate of Attendance
If you attended the live webinar on December 2, 2020, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »
Meet the Expert Speaker
Patti Catalano, MM, MT-BC, is a board–certified music therapist. Her experience includes music therapy with children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities, children with autism, early intervention, older adults and geriatrics, adults with Alzheimer's and dementia, pain management and oncology, and individuals with a variety of learning styles. | See expert's full bio »
Listener Testimonials
"As a mom, musician, licensed educator, BCBA, LABA and overall lover of music, this was one of the most applicable webinars for people with ADD/ADHD (and all people!)"
"This was an excellent introduction to the value of music for all learners, all people, all ages, of music as an "organizing" force."
"Great webinar! Both of my kids (now 12 & 16) are living examples of the benefits of music, especially in busy youngsters."
Follow ADDitude's full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Stitcher
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Your first thought is probably "WTF?" when first seeing President Barack Obama on Between Two Ferns, the mock online talk show hosted by North Carolina's own Zach Galifianakis.
But then, a few minutes in, the president starts talking about his health care act and the website.
And then you realize millions will see this … mostly people in their 20s and 30s.
And then it hits you … this was a pretty smart move.
Plus, it's funny as hell.


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Will Mia Be In 'Fast & Furious 8'?
This past weekend, we said goodbye to Paul Walker for the second time. A year and a half after his tragic death in a car accident, Furious 7 hit theaters and featured the beloved actor in his last on-screen appearance. His character, Brian O'Conner, was featured heavily throughout the film before the final moments saw him retiring from his chaotic lifestyle with his family. Speaking of his family, what about Mia? While in the emotional throngs of the tearful goodbye and moving montage, I nearly forgot about Walker's on-screen wife, played by Jordana Brewster — leading to the important question worth considering now, will Mia be back for Fast & Furious 8?
Furious 7 made bank at the box office during its opening weekend with early screenings on Thursday night. It's now the highest-grossing F&F movie of all time, so, naturally, that means more sequels are on the way. Universal Studios told fans to expect at least three more of them, and Vin Diesel has already started teasing that Fast & Furious 8 could head to New York City. But will Mia pop back into the scene? She seemingly embraced suburban life with her husband, son and second baby on the way, but she's been a part of the franchise since the very beginning.
Brewster recently appeared on HuffPost Live and spoke about the potential for her character to return. She said in part:
I don't know [if I'd do another film], but it's always dependent on the fans. If they want one and if there's an appetite for it. We never want to jump the shark!
Well, it seems like the fans do want it, given the skyrocketing ticket sales. So Brewster is going to have to come to a decision sooner rather than later. Though, it sounds like she's game to return if the opportunity is there.
We first met her character, Mia, back in The Fast and The Furious in 2001. The sister of Dom (Diesel), she fell in love with Brian, a CIA agent undercover in the underground world of street racing. She has since been featured in Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7, though she sat out two installments. She also sat out for the majority of Furious 7. After Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) blew up her house, she went into hiding with her son, while Brian went to help Dom bring the baddie to justice. Her pregnancy was also presumably a factor, and her son needed a protector. By all accounts, Mia is set up for a perfect retirement.
We'll have to feel this one out, as Universal decides what they want to do moving forward. According to Diesel, the original ending of Furious 7, prior to Walker's death, would have planted hints into where the franchise would lead next. They ultimately decided to reserve this spot to mourn the loss of their comrade, which was the appropriate choice. But Mia's role in any future sequels seems just as up in the air.
Image: DomsLetty/Tumblr


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New survey results suggest that even when organizations have decided to commit to some use of Hadoop, their teams may still need additional training to come up to speed.
From the volume of technology media articles about Hadoop and its evolving ecosystem, it seems that the adoption of big data processing and analytics is pervasive across almost all industries.
This perception was the motivation for our recent research survey at Decisionworx: "Hadoop in Transition." We reached out to a small but focused group of data management and application development professionals and posed a series of questions about their experiences evaluating, testing, and adopting Hadoop-based technologies within their organizations.
Responses were analyzed by segmenting the answers based on duration of corporate experience with Hadoop and assessing differences about product choice, vendor satisfaction, and level of adoption and implementation maturity.
Survey Says: Plenty of Interest, Not Much Experience
Our interpretation of the survey results suggests that although some organizations may have decided to commit to some use of Hadoop, their teams may still need some additional training to come up to speed. In particular, consider these findings:
There is a big appetite for knowledge about Hadoop. Interestingly, among the respondents indicating that they worked in IT, many reported that their organization had no current plans to use Hadoop. The fact that these individuals were participating in the survey may indicate a growing interest in what the Hadoop ecosystem has to offer and a desire for awareness as opportunities for adoption emerge over time.
Organizations are still in the early stages of Hadoop adoption. Among respondents, 52 percent worked for organizations that had less than two years of experience, 30 percent worked for organizations with between two and four years of experience, and approximately 18 percent worked for organizations with four or more years of experience.
Many are at the early consideration, evaluation, and casual-use stages of adoption, which may be a good sign. As the Hadoop ecosystem matures, vendors may take the opportunity to engage new and recent Hadoop converts -- helping them with application design, development, and integration within the enterprise production environment.
Individuals need to hone their skills. When we looked only at individuals from organizations that have been working with Hadoop for more than two years, almost 23 percent of respondents indicated they did not yet personally work with Hadoop, and 29 percent had less than two years of experience.
When looking at the responses from those at organizations with less than two years of Hadoop experience, over 54 percent of respondents said that they did not yet work with Hadoop. Organizational Hadoop adoption is still in its early stages, and it appears that the pool of skilled resources remains correspondingly limited.
Bridging the Skills Gap May Be Key to Success
Our conclusion is that one potential barrier to Hadoop success is bridging the skills gap. Engaging experienced resources with Hadoop skills at an early point in the adoption and production stages is potentially very difficult.
For an organization to remain competitive, it may be valuable to proactively establish Hadoop education and training programs. That way, current staff members can come up to speed and can track with the technology as it is brought in-house.
Although there are a number of reported Hadoop success stories, many organizations remain at an early stage of Hadoop adoption. The Hadoop environment and its related components have developed at a fast pace, but one byproduct of the rapid introduction of the technology stack is this apparent gap between years of corporate experience and personal exposure to the components of the Hadoop ecosystem.
About the Author
David Loshin is a recognized thought leader in the areas of data quality and governance, master data management, and business intelligence. David is a prolific author regarding BI best practices via the expert channel at BeyeNETWORK and numerous books on BI and data quality. His valuable MDM insights can be found in his book, Master Data Management, which has been endorsed by data management industry leaders.
TDWI Members have access to exclusive research reports, publications, communities and training.
Individual, Student, and Team memberships available.
Membership Information


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Pak launches crackdown on sale of Indian filmstext_fields
Islamabad: The Pakistan government has launched a crackdown on the sale of Indian movies and banned airing of advertisements for India-made products on television channels in the wake of tensions after New Delhi revoked Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, a media report said on Friday.
"We have banned Indian advertisements and launched a crackdown on CD shops to confiscate Indian movies," Firdous Ashiq Awan, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information, told Dawn news on Thursday.
She said the Interior Ministry had already started a crackdown on Indian movies in Islamabad and it would be expanded to other parts of the country soon in collaboration with the provincial governments.
"Today the Interior Ministry raided some shops in Islamabad and confiscated Indian movies," Awan told Dawn.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has prohibited airing of advertisements for India-made products on television and radio networks.
In a letter circulated to all its television and radio licencees on Wednesday, the authority recalled that it had withdrawn permission for airing Indian channels and content on the Supreme Court's directive in October 2018.
"However, it has been observed that advertisements of various products of multi-nationals, which are either produced in India or carry Indian characters, are being aired on electronic media," said the letter posted on Pemra's Twitter account.
However, the airing at the same time of advertisements, produced in India, and carrying Indian celebrities, on Pakistani media was tantamount to "negating the state policy", the authority added.
Tensions have been simmering between India and Pakistan ever since New Delhi on August 5 revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and divided it into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, in order to bring in faster development and security to the state.


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At Prime Time Extended Learning Center in Tacoma, Gemma Stephani recalls welcoming a student who had been expelled from a private elementary school due to behavioral issues.
The student began attending Prime Time after enrolling in a public elementary school, and as the staff grew to know him better, Stephani witnessed a transformation as the child learned to verbalize his feelings more effectively.
"Being here in a caring environment with other children has really changed his attitude about going to school and learning," said Stephani, Prime Time's director. "Kids spend a huge percentage of their day outside of school, and these wraparound activities are such an important opportunity to reach them and fill in some of the gaps."
While extensive research demonstrates that learning beyond the school day helps young people build skills, improve their academic performance and discover their passions, relatively little research exists about what quality looks like in extended learning opportunity (ELO) programs and how to best support program improvement.
A new effort involving the University of Washington College of Education's Cultivate Learning aims to change that and improve the lives of children in Washington by providing more access to high-quality out of school time learning environments.
Prime Time was one of 50 ELO programs across the state that participated in a year-long study building on Cultivate Learning's previous work creating a quality rating and improvement system for Washington's early learning and childcare programs.
The study aimed to:
- Understand what high-quality ELO looks like and how to improve its quality.
- Discover how to best support ELO providers in improving the quality of their offerings.
During the study, programs were introduced to a quality assessment tool, conducted a self-assessment of their program, developed an action plan for improvement, participated in coaching sessions and completed another assessment following the intervention.
After completing their self-assessment, Stephani and her staff chose to focus their efforts on improvements in planning, reflection and skill building. Some staff attended methods training workshops offered by Schools Out Washington, while Stephani also led weekly, in-house coaching sessions for her staff.
"It's really created a sense of buy-in with our staff because they feel valued and challenged to improve," Stephani said. "And we've seen the fruits of that efforts with amazing involvement and engagement by our students."
Significantly, programs initially rated as lower-quality showed the most improvement with intensive training and coaching support, said Molly Branson Thayer, director of school age and youth development programs at Cultivate Learning.
Given the variation in quality across expanded learning programs, Branson Thayer said the study pointed out the importance of having adequate time for targeted training and coaching.
"It's not a one-size-fits-all solution, you need to understand where a program is in designing the intervention that will make the biggest impact," Branson Thayer said.
The study also pointed to the importance of investing in coaching, which is rare in the expanded learning domain.
"This pushed coaches out of their comfort zone to do things in a new and different way," Branson Thayer said. "Coaches need ongoing support and incentives for the work they do to make an impact."
Branson Thayer said the assessment tool and training on how to use it helped program staff better define and see quality, which enabled programs to talk more clearly about improvement efforts.
"We saw a lot of desire among programs for more frequent observations and feedback that would allow them to collaborate and resolve issues as they occur," she said. "We also heard that limited funding and unstable staffing were barriers to improvement. For example, if you had a designated coach or staff person at the program quit, then a lot of that work was gone and you're starting at ground zero."
Cultivate Learning has received funding from Washington's Department of Early Learning to continue its quality improvement work in expanded learning opportunities across the state. With children from low-income families likely to have spent 6,000 less hours engaged in after-school activities, preschool, summer camp and other extended learning activities than middle class kids, Branson Thayer said addressing that gap is a critical need.
"We know that kids who are the most impacted by poverty are the ones who benefit the most from high-quality expanded learning opportunities," Branson Thayer said.
Forty new programs are entering the rating and improvement effort during the coming year while Cultivate Learning continues development of a quality seal that will help programs demonstrate their quality. Meanwhile, researchers will start gathering input directly from youth about how expanded learning programs operate and are structured.
"The focus on out of school time marks a corner turned for expanded learning opportunities in Washington state," said Gail Joseph, director of Cultivate Learning and associate professor of educational psychology. "By supporting programs with coaching and training, we can help them hit the benchmarks we know will improve outcomes for kids in Washington and beyond."
Cultivate Learning also is working to enroll more expanded learning coaches in the UW's certificate program in practice-based coaching to develop more leadership experiences for the field state-wide.
Those efforts are heartening for Stephani, who sees professionalizing the field of expanded learning as one of the most important ways for Washington and other states to improve long-term outcomes for children.
"We've brought more intentionality to our work, planning and reflecting on our activities," Stephani said. "We see that reflected in our kids. They're working with eachother during their free choice time, building something together out of LEGOs. There's a sense of purpose.
"I want this effort to gain momentum and become an integral part of every program because it makes such a big difference in kids' lives."
Dustin Wunderlich, Director of Marketing and Communications
206-543-1035, email@example.com


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IPAW'2014 - Call for Papers
5th Intl. Provenance and Annotation Workshop
Provenance is growing increasingly important in an accelerated environment of Big Data and international data sharing. As a record that describes entities
and processes involved in producing and delivering or otherwise influencing that resource, provenance provides a critical foundation for assessing the
authenticity of computationally derived results, enabling trust, and facilitating reuse and reproducibility.
We are pleased that IPAW'14 will participate as part of a "PROVENANCE WEEK", a full week of co-located activities around provenance (details forthcoming).
IPAW'14 builds on a successful line of provenance and annotation workshops: http://www.ipaw.info/
The goal of IPAW is to bring together researchers and practitioners who are studying, applying, and advancing provenance in scientific and scholarly uses.
Topics of interest for IPAW 2014 include the following:
- Provenance analytics and visualization
- Role of provenance in Big Data
- Provenance quality
- Attribution and trust in sharing of research data across national boundaries
- Provenance and the semantic web
- Human interaction with provenance
- Security and privacy implications of provenance
- Legal applications of provenance
- Integration of provenance into existing information management architectures
- Provenance management architectures and techniques
- Provenance and social media
- Provenance in extreme computing
- Provenance in digital data lifecycle
- Reasoning about provenance
- Provenance discovery
- Standardization of provenance models, services, and representations
- Provenance management system prototypes and commercial solutions
- Applications of provenance in real life settings
Important Dates
Abstracts Due: March 14, 2014 (extended)
Papers (Regular, Demo) Due: March 23, 2014 (extended)
Poster Abstracts Due: April 11, 2014
Notifications: April 16, 2014
Conference Organizers
The organizers of IPAW'14 can be found here.
Research Papers
Authors are invited to submit original, unpublished research work. Papers must be:
not published or under review elsewhere
no longer than 12 pages, including references and appendices
formatted according to the Springer LNCS guidelines and technical instructions
submitted as PDF files to https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ipaw2014
A proceedings volume will be published after the event in the Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series.
Posters and Demonstrations
IPAW 2014 also encourages the presentation of early work as posters or demonstrations. Proposals for posters or demonstrations should be formatted and submitted as described above, with the following additional restrictions:
DEMONSTRATIONS: Using no more than 4 pages, describe the context and highlights of the proposed demonstration, including a brief description of the demonstration scenario. The title of the proposal should begin with "DEMO:".
POSTERS: Submit a 1-page abstract of the poster. The title of the abstract should begin with "POSTER:" .
NOTE: Demonstrations and poster abstracts will be included in the LNCS proceedings!


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A Tribute to Hank Marvin!
This instrumental guitar track is a tribute to guitarist Hank Marvin (The Shadows) and the music of the early 1960s! Featuring clean electric guitar (Fender Stratocasrer) playing the melody and chords, while the drums and walking bassline provide the backing.
If you would like to commission a brand new piece of music, or have any questions regarding a particular track of mine here on Audiojungle, please get in touch. I always love to hear how my music is being used, so if you have recently purchased a track please feel free to drop me a line and let me know how you have used my music in your project. If you do wish to purchase one of my tracks, it would greatly appreciated if you could take time to rate it (...preferably 5 stars!).
Email: email@example.com
Web: www.simonreidmusic.com.


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Bloomsbury Architecture Library offers the landmark 21st edition of Sir Banister Fletcher's Global History of Architecture, published in partnership with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the University of London, fully rewritten with updates from over 100 experts, and an expanding range of eBooks, covering architecture, architectural history, theory, design, urbanism, landscape, and interiors (42 available at launch). The platform also includes building pages, a world map, a time line and a glossary that contains over 900 key architectural terms.
Find out more about the content
Sir Banister Fletcher's Global History of Architecture 21st edition and a majority of the eBooks on the platform are available online exclusively in Bloomsbury Architecture Library. A limited number of eBooks in the resource are available on Bloomsbury Design Library.
The resource offers unrivalled coverage of all aspects of architecture from almost every country in the world. Sir Banister Fletcher's Global History of Architecture is an acclaimed resource with unmistakable illustrations and new color photographs. The 21st edition has been entirely rewritten with a global focus, reflecting the latest scholarship in global architecture history.
Bloomsbury Architecture Library features a wide selection of works on architecture and related disciplines including urbanism, landscape, and interiors. It approaches the subject through architectural history and theory, connecting to contemporary design practice and the best current thinking about the issues that matter including: global perspectives, politics, sustainability, and the future of architectural design.
The entire span of architecture history from pre-history to the present day is covered in the Bloomsbury Architecture Library.
Content updates will occur twice a year in the Spring and Autumn, adding new books and materials, including:
Bloomsbury Architecture Library is an invaluable resource for students, scholars, researchers, and professionals in the fields of architecture, architecture history, art history, interior design, urban studies, and landscape architecture.


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Safety tips when approaching a dog
Dogs have their own set of behaviors, instincts, and rules that are completely separate from our own. Despite this, we live in close contact with them, sometimes putting ourselves in situations we don't realize can be dangerous.
Even dogs that seem friendly or have no history of aggressive behavior are capable of biting under certain circumstances. That's why it's so important to learn as much as we can about the right way to interact with dogs.
Below are some safety tips that will help you understand when a dog might bite and how to avoid ending up in those situations in the first place.
Note: These tips are primarily intended for adults. Please see our Tips to Teach Kids page if you'd like more information on what to teach children about dogs.
General Dog Bite Safety Tips
One of the first steps in preventing dog bites is recognizing situations that can make a dog more likely to bite.
- Respect a dog's space. Don't casually place your hands on a dog's fence or other property. Dogs are territorial by nature and may feel threatened if they don't know you.
- Protective moms: Don't interfere with a mother dog taking care of her puppies. She will be very protective of them.
- Dogs that are off leash: If a dog approaches you when it's off leash, don't run away and yell or make loud noises. Stand still, with your arms held close to you, and avoid eye contact with the dog.
- Be careful around sick and old dogs. They may be more irritable than a younger one. Approach these dogs with extra caution. It's just as important to understand the signals dogs use to show us that they're not happy. They use their bodies to communicate, and we have an entire page dedicated to dog body language. In the meantime, here are just a few clues that indicate a dog is agitated and could bite:
- His tail is held stiff and high and is moving back and forth quickly
- He is looking at you from the corner of his eye, with a lot of the white exposed
- His nose is pulled back and wrinkled
- His lips are pulled back to reveal his teeth
- The hair along his neck and spine is raised His body is tense.
- He is growling or snarling
Edgar Snyder Alleghany PA
Dog Body Language Gives Important Hints
We have to teach dogs to understand our language, and to help prevent dog bites, we should do our best to understand theirs. Dogs use body language – from facial expressions to posture – to communicate how they're feeling.
The dog bite signs below aren't intended to be a definitive guide and are only an educational tool to give you some information on dog bite safety. Just because something is or is not mentioned here is not a guarantee that a dog will or won't bite. The descriptions below are generalizations, and keep in mind that each dog and situation is unique.
The Eyes and Gaze
- Eyes are normal shaped: Dog is probably happy and relaxed
- Eyes are larger than normal: Dog may feel threatened, stressed, or aggressive
- Eyes are smaller than normal: Dog may feel frightened, stressed, or may be in pain
- Dog meets your gaze with relaxed facial expression: Most likely friendly
- Dog stares at you with tense facial expression: May be a threat. It's best to look away slowly.
- Dog looks at you out of the corners of his eyes, exposing a lot of the whites of his eyes: May be leading up to an aggressive outburst
The Mouth
- Mouth is closed or slightly opened: Dog is likely relaxed and happy
- Lips pulled back with teeth exposed: Dog is probably telling you not to come any closer. However, if the dog has a submissive posture (lowered head, yelping, and whining), this may be a submissive "grin."
- Lips pulled back and up with mouth open and all teeth exposed: Dog is likely ready to bite
The Ears
- Ears held naturally: Dog is relaxed and happy
- Ears held high and head issigns pointed towards an area of interest: Dog is alert
- Ears pulled slightly back: Dog is probably friendly
- Ears flattened completely back or stuck out to the sides: Dog is likely frightened or submissive
- Ears pulled up high and forward: Dog may be aggressive
- Tail held in a natural position and wagging gently from side to side: Dog is happy
- Tail moving strongly from side to side or in a circular pattern: Dog is very happy
- Tail lowered or tucked between rear legs: Dog is probably nervous or submissive
- Tail held higher than normal (likely stiff, without movement): Dog is probably aroused
- Tail held stiff and high and rapidly moving back and forth: Dog is probably standing his ground. It may look like he's happy, but the rest of his body will indicate that he's not relaxed.
Dogs generally do one of three things with their body: Stay the same size, try to look smaller, or try to look larger.
- A happy dog will look normal with their weight distributed evenly.
- A scared dog will hunch as though trying to look small. He may lower to the ground or pull back from what is frightening him.
- A submissive dog will also try to look small. His head might be high, however, if he's greeting another animal or a person.
- A dominant dog will make himself look large. He will stand erect with his muscles tensed. His weight may be distributed over his front legs.
- An aggressive dog will try to look as large as possible, and his posture will be accompanied by other angry signals.
- Dogs sometimes shed more than normal when they are scared or stressed.
- They will also raise their "hackles" – the fur along their spine – when they are afraid, angry, insecure, nervous, or very excited.
Injured by a Dog Bite in Las Vegas and Have Questions?
Even the most knowledgeable and cautious people can be the victim of a dog bite. If you've been injured, we can help answer any legal questions you have about your situation. There are time limits to file a claim, so if you are even considering taking further steps, it's best to act quickly. Our legal consultations are free – just call 412-776-0475 or fill out the form at the top right of this page.
Source: "Canine Body Language." ASPCA. April 18, 2014.


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|Click to enlarge.
We know now that the new book was Role of Honor, the new car was a Bentley Mulsanne Turbo, and the year break did not happened between Icebreaker and Role of Honor, but would come before the next book, Nobody Lives Forever.
|Click to enlarge.
Great little time capsule!
And nice B item regarding the Bedside Companion too. That it follows the Gardner story... a cool little bit of unintentional foreshadowing. Having not read the book, I had no idea until now that there was an element of "community participation" (i.e. fans sending in trivia) to the making of it. You learn something new...
The James Bond Bedside Companion is STILL the best overview of 007 (both literary and film) ever published, even now that even the revised and expanded edition is a quarter of a century out of date! It's a must own.ReplyDelete


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Is there life after reality TV? Can you live down the more embarrassing on-air fights, thrown drinks and teary breakups, witnessed and recapped by thousands? According to cast members of The Real L Word's third and final season, the answer is an emphatic yes.
The Showtime series was just the beginning for Whitney Mixter, Sada Bettencourt, Kiyomi McCloskey and Lauren Russell. Whitney and Sada, fixtures for the entire run of the show, gave us a relatable look at a modern relationship's ups and downs—and got married just before the credits rolled. Kiyomi and her band, Hunter Valentine, injected some East Coast cool into the L.A.-based show. She and Lauren, the pink-haired voice of reason among the volatile cast, adorably fell in love at The Dinah. Fairy tale endings all around!
Now, with the wisdom they gained in front of the cameras, the four are pursuing new projects and looking forward to New Year's Eve in NYC.
GO: Whitney and Sada, you were part of the entire run of The Real L Word.That's a long time to be under the microscope. What did you learn from the experience?
Whitney: You learn at an incredibly accelerated pace about yourself. It's basically a crash course in a personal self-help workshop, really. I think it made me mature faster, and it made me realize what I wanted and what was important to me at a faster rate. And, yeah, I would probably still be the same person that I am today, but the show just expedited the process.
Sada: Watching myself played back is a hard thing to do. It was very hard for me at first, in the beginning of the process, to open up and be myself on camera—I had to learn how to be OK with being vulnerable. I felt like I was vilified on the show, but I kind of grew a tough layer and was able to defend against what was said about me and still hold my head up high and face the world, so to speak. When I watch it back, I can see myself being a bitch to Whitney. [Laughs]
Whitney: I can just go back to Season 3, Episode 6 and be like, 'You were bein' a bitch.' [Laughs]
GO: And that's my next question: what effect did the show have on your relationship? You were kind of on and off throughout the three seasons, and now you're married.
Whitney: It was challenging, for sure, because it was all put out there. Little things, that normally one doesn't know that the other is doing, are all aired out. So, on one hand it was good because we knew all the shit that was going on—but on the other hand, it caused distrust. But going into Season 3, we kind of threw in the towel on our own pride and our own fears and we just went for it, relationship-wise, and it really worked out for us. We've been married now for a year and a half.
Sada: I think it put a huge strain on our relationship because I didn't want to be vulnerable on camera, and we couldn't get to the point where we needed to be to move forward in our relationship. I had an enormous wall up. People were trying to keep us apart. It felt like us against the world. So, I think it took us longer to get where we would have eventually. Whitney is my soulmate, and I know that we would have ended up together, no matter what. Because of everything that we've been through, I think we can go through anything and make it.
GO: And Lauren and Kiyomi, you two met during Season 3. Do you agree with Sada in that it's difficult to put yourself out there on camera and really be yourselves, especially when beginning a relationship?
Kiyomi: Yes, people change so much when they're in front of cameras. It's shocking and very scary. It's so important to remember who you are and what you stand for. It's kind of a weird thing to meet somebody romantically on a television show because you're like, 'Wait, are you really this person?' But it turned out that we both were the people that we were on camera! There was definitely a lot of pressure around the relationship working out because we met on television. Like Whitney and Sada said, it has to be 'you guys against the world.'
Lauren: Neither of us expected it; neither of us knew how to deal with it; neither of us had done it before. It was just a whole different experience— not only being on camera as a couple, but meeting on camera as well. I had to continue what I was doing in the first place: being very open and not closing myself off. Whitney told me, 'Don't guard yourself. Be as open as you can. The more that you give on the show or to the cameras, the more you'll get.'
Kiyomi: I think that Whitney and Lauren had similar experiences, whereas Sada and I had similar experiences. I felt like I was vilified, too. [The producers] have to break a character or cast member completely down, so that they can build them back up again. They made me look like an asshole for a while, and then they showed my soft side and who I actually am. They did the same thing with Sada. It takes a lot to shake that experience off, where the whole world is thinking you're a jerk, but you just have to keep remembering who you are and what you stand for.
GO: Do any of you have regrets about doing or saying something on TV? What stays with you?
Sada: There was pressure on the show to be a certain way and do certain things. I do wish we could have changed the way production showed us to the world. Those are things that are out of our control; you give your trust over to people you don't know, and hope that they take what they get from you and turn it into something beautiful and make art from it. Do I wish things had been shown differently? Absolutely—but that's the way it was done. Living with regrets isn't useful.
Whitney: The best thing I learned to do is just own it. Don't be embarrassed about it; don't be ashamed of it. Because the more you do that, the more people will focus on it. I did some crazy things; would I do them again? Maybe, maybe not, but that's got me to where I am now. I'm not ashamed!
Lauren: I also wonder why [the producers] chose to reveal what they did. I was really confused by a lot of the process. I regret some of my naivete, but as a whole it was a really positive experience.
Kiyomi: What's done is done, but I do wish I'd taken the time to take a band member aside and say, 'listen, this is just a show, and it's only going to last so long. It's important for us to treat each other the way that we've always treated each other. Cameras don't matter at the end of the day.' In five years, who knows whether anyone will remember this show or not. But you'll always remember the friendships and relationships you've had in your life. That was a tough thing for me to realize.
GO: Now that The Real L Word is over, are you relieved that cameras aren't following you 24/7?
Sada: I'm not saying we wouldn't do something like The Real L Word again, but when you can go back to normal life, it's a relief.
Whitney: It just feels like one chapter is done in our lives and we're on to the next one. The Real L Word was an amazing experience overall, it was a challenging experience, we made a lot of everlasting friendships, and I learned a lot about myself and my relationships from it.
Kiyomi: There's always the next thing, once you start building your career and trying new things. Like, Whitney and Sada are going to be on another show—I'm sure they're a little nervous about it coming out—and I may or may not have done a new show where a lot of crazy shit happened and I'm waiting for that to unfold. I'm happy that I did The Real L Word, personally.
GO: So let's chat about your new projects. Whitney and Sada, you're going to appear on the new season of Couples Therapy on VH1, which premiers in January. That implies that there may be some relationship issues to work out…
Sada: I'll start off by saying I'm a huge advocate of therapy; our agent contacted us about the show and thought that we'd be a great fit, and it all fell into place. Honestly, going into Couples Therapy, we thought our relationship was perfect, it's great, we're so strong—and we're going to get through this. And there were times when I thought it was going to break us. Talk about an accelerated time period of growth! Eighteen days of intensive therapy—I cried every single day. We argued every day we were there. The format put us under scrutiny so we were able to work on our issues. We've been getting a lot of negative feedback from people saying, 'I can't believe you guys need therapy.' Honestly, I think people should have couples therapy before they get married—not to save their marriage after the damage has already been done. It was a tremendous opportunity for us. We worked with Dr. Jenn Berman who is an amazing psychotherapist, and we also made some everlasting friendships there.
Whitney: The thing is, I had never done therapy before. I was hesitant. I was nervous and I didn't want to stir the pot, if you will. But it made me realize that the pot needed to be stirred! You can't go into a relationship and expect that everyone's going to be on the same page on every facet of life. We learned so much in this experience: communicating and taking time to grow as individuals and grow as a couple. Without a doubt, it made us stronger. I don't even want to say that, actually—I want to be like, [whispering dramatically] 'stay tuned to see if it made us stronger!' [Laughs]
Sada: The people on Couples Therapy with us now know more about us than our friends and family members do. The hardest thing was opening myself up more than I ever did on The Real L Word, in front of cameras. I hope people enjoy the show and learn from it, because I think there's a lot for people to relate to.
GO: Kiyomi, can you tell us about the show you may or may not have done?
Kiyomi: My band Hunter Valentine was getting ready to go on a full U.S. tour recently, and got a call to audition for a new series. I can't reveal too much about it just yet, so stay tuned.
GO: Let's talk about New Year's Eve—all four of you will be at GO Magazine's party at AOA Lounge in TriBeCa. What are you most looking forward to?
Lauren: I've spent many a New Year's in New York, but I think this one is going to be the best. The best in a long time.
Whitney: It's exciting for me to come back to New York and see this amazing party in the works, and to bring Sada because she's never had a New York New Year's Eve experience. And we get to share it with some of our closest friends. The venue is going to be off the hook and it's going to give women a cool, safe, fun place to go.
GO: Kiyomi, I hear that this party is also serving as the kickoff for your new monthly event happening in the city. What's the scoop?
Kiyomi: Lauren and I have always wanted to do a monthly party that's a little more rock n' roll, 'cause that's our background. I've been on tour for a year straight, but now I have a really long break and can get started on it. I'm really happy that Whitney and Sada will be there, because they're pros from hosting Juicy in L.A. We can learn a lot from them and hopefully give the ladies something a little different every month.
Sada: I love New York City and I just know we're going to throw the best party and it's going to be so much fun! We're going to bring in the new year with love and happiness and—
Whitney: —and flowing beverages! [Laughs]
Kiyomi: We're always working in different cities and we rarely get to have appearances together. Lauren and I were in Houston last year and it was really fun, but it gets lonely in a way, because your friends aren't around. This year it's gonna be great. Like a reunion.
GO: Looking ahead to 2014, what are your New Year's resolutions?
Whitney: I thought I still had six weeks left to marinate on that!
Kiyomi: I'm going to try and achieve the different things in my life, whether it's writing or acting or music or whatever, and not be so focused on being a perfectionist. And also to not be such a fucking control freak.
Lauren: Kiyomi, I will second your resolution! I had a very stressful year with work, so I'm going to take daily steps to make sure I'm healthy and happy and try to keep the stress down.
Sada: Both Whitney and I work hard every day and my goal is to work smarter, not harder, and figure out ways to become even more successful in our relationship and our careers. And learn how to meditate.
Whitney: Yeah, yoga and meditation.
GO: Sounds like we're all gonna have a really relaxing 2014.
Whitney: Yeah, right! But to be honest, I want to remember to enjoy the moment.


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Hello and welcome to the 51st installment of the CBlog. It's hard to believe I just posted my last blog earlier this month. It seems like an eternity since my last CBlog. In this edition, I will be providing my thoughts on last Sunday's Survivor Series pay-per-view, as well as give my predictions for the rapidly approaching WWE TLC event. I will also be discussing Rey Mysterio and his need for another knee surgery, as well as Big Show's knee injury. The rumored WWE Network is another topic I will discuss, as well as the 2009 Slammy Awards (who should be Superstar of the Year, Diva of the Year, Breakout Star of the Year, etc.) and, as usual, expect some other opinions to be tossed around as well.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Mine was littered with some sick family members, but it was good nonetheless. I am fortunate enough to have a pretty good immune system. It will hit me soon, I am sure.
Before I get into the blog, I just wanted to shamelessly plug a big moment for me as a writer, editor, etc. on W101; and that is my first wrestler interview! Coming soon to Wrestling101.com is my first ever wrestler interview and it is with former WWE & TNA star Nick Cvjetkovich; better known as Kizarny in WWE and as Sinn in TNA. It will definitely be a fascinating read and I encourage all of you to read it once it becomes available, which should be very soon.
The 23rd annual Survivor Series was last Sunday night and, of course, I watched it. I really did enjoy the event and everything seemed to be laid out very well and the matches were all fairly good. I know this lacks any real insight, but if I don't write about the event less than a day from the event happening, then I lose any real interest in it. We all know how it is when you are dealing with at least four new WWE television shows a week; anything a week old is old news.
Survivor Series was last week and now WWE TLC is just two weeks away. It might not be a bad idea to move Survivor Series to a week earlier or so.
Anyways, on to my WWE TLC predictions. As of this blog, four championship matches have been announced for the event with John Cena defending the WWE Title against Sheamus in a Tables Match, Christian defending the ECW Title against Shelton Benjamin in a Ladder Match, The Undertaker defending the World Heavyweight Title against Batista in, what looks to be, a match with no disqualifications or count-outs, and Jeri-Show defending the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles against DX in a TLC Match.
Like most of you out there, I was a bit surprised that Sheamus was the one "selected" to be the new #1 Contender for the WWE Title. The more I think about it, the more I think it's possible that Vince McMahon thinks that fans complaining about wanting to see new stars in the title picture led him to this rather abrupt decision.I am not saying that Sheamus is not talented enough to be in the title picture, but I think it needs to be more of a gradual rise in the ranks; like they have been doing with Kofi Kingston as of late. Sheamus went from "retiring" Jamie Noble and picking on Jerry Lawler to challenging for the WWE Title. There was no middle ground there and that may prove to be the mistake here.
When I saw the final lineup for the Breakthrough Battle Royal, I naturally assumed one of three wrestlers would win it. Either Randy Orton would be given another title shot, Kofi Kingston would take his place in the main event scene, or R-Truth would win as the only SmackDown Superstar in the match.
As for a prediction, I see Cena retaining in this one. To me, Sheamus is not at the level to be WWE Champion just yet.
I purposely listed the ECW Title match before the World Heavyweight Title match because I really think that the Ladder Match between Christian & Shelton Benjamin for the ECW Title will steal the show at WWE TLC. I think Christian will retain, but I am hoping and expecting this match to be a great one.
To me, it's a "do or die" situation as far as ECW's representation on pay-per-views go. If the Ladder Match does not go well, ECW not being included on pay-per-views (or if they are included, having them be a small part of the show) could be something more permanent.
The ECW roster has the talent to be able to put on good shows every Tuesday night, but I think the veteran shows, RAW & SmackDown, are considered a lot more important than ECW to the point that no one tries too hard to make ECW good. I'm not saying the show sucks, but there is much need for improvement in different areas.
I am a little bit confused about the World Heavyweight Title match, but I do believe I have it figured out. While it is not being billed as a "Chairs Match" (which, let's face it, would have sucked any way you slice it), I think they are going with an unannounced no disqualification rule for the match or a "chairs-are-legal" stipulation.
It seems like we have seen Batista Vs. Undertaker in every way imaginable, but I think it will feel like a fairly new match now that Batista is a heel.
I have expressed, on numerous occasions, in past blogs about the shape that The Undertaker is in. To me, Undertaker looks to be handling things just fine and he may very well end up with a long title reign after all. I think it is very possible that WWE is successfully making Undertaker look more "capable" in matches, but that's fine by me.
The TLC Match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles between Jeri-Show and DX; most notably Big Show being involved in a match that requires you to climb a ladder to win it. Can you imagine Big Show climbing a ladder? Much less doing spots off one?
Well, I say it won't happen, plain and simple. With it becoming evident at Survivor Series that Big Show is having knee problems, I think this match will be modified somehow before the event. I could see them taking Triple H out of the match and have Chris Jericho Vs. Shawn Michaels for the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles in a one-on-one match. They could also have Jericho compete against both Triple H & Shawn Michaels in a Handicap Match. The most likely scenario is that they will have someone repeat what they did at Night of Champions and replace the injured champion. As to who it would be is anyone's guess; especially considering the tag champion could be from any brand. Vance Archer is the first name that pops into my head as a possible replacement.
Given the unknown specifics of Big Show's knee injury, my prediction is nowhere near "solid", but I will predict that DX will win the tag titles in this match. The match seemed to be made rather hastily so I think it is being done to get the tag titles off of Jeri-Show.
In a natural transition, I move on to Rey Mysterio needing another knee surgery. My thoughts on this are simple: Rey should seriously consider hanging it up and retiring from wrestling.
A rumor going around that I am personally excited about is that WWE signing a new contract with NBC Universal that would keep RAW on the USA Network through 2014 might have involved some "under wraps" negotiations about NBC Universal being the parent company of an new WWE Network! I would really love to see this, as long as it is made a regular channel.
The 2009 Slammy Awards will be coming up on December 14 (the night after WWE TLC) and there is one thing I am certain on and that is CM Punk being the 2009 Superstar of the Year. Punk has had a great year, plain and simple. Despite some great matches this year, I still think The Undertaker Vs. Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 25 will take the 2009 Match of the Year. Diva of the Year will more than likely go to Michelle McCool. If they have a Breakout Star of the Year category this time around, I think Kofi Kingston will take that prize. For the Tag Team of the Year, I would have to say DX. I am not sure if they will use the same categories this year as last year, but hopefully they will announce that beforehand.
Well, that's all for this edition of the CBlog. I hope you all enjoyed it and don't forget that you can follow me on Twitter at Wrestling101com (yes, I changed my username again).
Peace out!
CBlog #51- WWE TLC Predictions, Injuries, and The 2009 Slammy Awards
Hello and welcome to the 51st installment of the CBlog. It's hard to believe I just posted my last blog earlier this month. It seems like an eternity since my last CBlog. In this edition, I will be providing my thoughts on last Sunday's Survivor Series pay-per-view, as well as give my predictions for the rapidly approaching WWE TLC event. I will also be discussing Rey Mysterio and his need for another knee surgery, as well as Big Show's knee injury. The rumored WWE Network is another topic I will discuss, as well as the 2009 Slammy Awards (who should be Superstar of the Year, Diva of the Year, Breakout Star of the Year, etc.) and, as usual, expect some other opinions to be tossed around as well.


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The Sixth Floor Labs, LLC is a company devoted to improving the Linux gaming scene through the development of solid, fun, and intruiging games.
We're currently working on Project Alexandria, a top-down shooter set in the future.
Most recent post:
/ \
/ \
| 6fl |
| 1038 Au |
| killed by a |
| jackal |
| |
| |
| 2008 |
*| * * * | *
Aloha 6fl the Tourist...
You died in The Dungeons of Doom on dungeon level 1 with 105 points,
and 1038 pieces of gold, after 263 moves.
You were level 1 with a maximum of 10 hit points when you died.
Due to a lack of funding, Sixth Floor Labs must regrettably close our doors. Carl's busy at school working on his Master's, and Ethan got hired at a programming firm, so neither really have time to continue work on Project: Alexandria or any other 6FL projects.
We haven't given up on the "ransom Linux games" idea. Maybe when we have more experience, we'll come back and try something different. Hope to see you then!
Thanks for all your support, everyone! Thanks especially to the microPledge people -- they totally rock! So long, and thanks for all the fish!
EthanPosted Sat Feb 9 14:16:22 2008
The next level set for our retro physics-based space shooter, Project: Alexandria, is now up for ransom! You can see the collection at http://micropledge.com/projects/project-alexandria-healbeam. You can also get the current version of Project Alexandria at alexandria-r1.1.


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Fuck I do not want to write this. Somehow writing about drug and alcohol addiction is easier. I have made every excuse this morning not to write this. "Next month is National Recover Monthly I should wait until then." "What will the strong women in my life think of me?" "Your house need to be clean your house before work every day." I got up and started cleaning, but this haunted me, and here I go yet again.
My first and longest addiction was pornagraphy. This began before internet porn, when one actually had a stash of VHS tapes and magazines. It was bad then. And as good as the advent of the internet has been for me, in this case it crushed me.
As I began to deal with my drug addiction 5 years ago, I made the same excuse for pornagraphy as I did for alcohol. "It was normal." "Everyone guy did it."" "It" was not a problem. But the truth is, just like drugs and alcohol, it hurt my most intimate relationships.
In a moment it changed. I was reading Buddha's Brain, and I read this line:
"What flows through you mind sculpts your brain."
That day I stopped watching porn. That day I found a mantra that helped me in my battle. Just like that, one sentence, in one book, changed my thinking. It made sense to me, gave me strength, and put me in control. I did not want this in my mind.
I reflect on this line often. I do my best not to judge myself and others, to dispel the notion of right and wrong, and think of how to change impressions stamped on the mind and patterns formed in the brain. This is what gives me hope.
I read daily, even if only a few minutes, hunting for the nuggets that resonate with my soul and give me strength.
I am sure there are people and couples who enjoy pornagraphic material without the negative side effects. To each their own. For me, it hurt how I viewed and participated in relationships, and even more importantly, it affected how I felt about myself.
Now my mind is better and thus my life is better.
"Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions." - Marcus Aurelius
I hope this helps someone.


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Dezeen Screen: Tom Dixon at The Dock
Dezeen Screen: as we prepare for our relocation to Milan for the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in April, we've paid a visit to British designer Tom Dixon, instigator of new design epicentre MOST at the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia.
We'll be setting up Dezeen Studio powered by Jambox at MOST to create a daily TV show in a studio furnished by Dixon.
In this movie he gives us a guided tour of the galleries, shop and restaurant at his riverside studio The Dock. You can also watch this movie on Dezeen Screen »
Read more about the highlights of MOST in our earlier story and more about Dezeen Studio powered by Jambox here.
See more stories about Tom Dixon here, including two new lamps he'll be presenting at the show next month.
National Museum of Science and Technology,
Via Olona 6, 20123 Milan, Italy
Entrance through Via Olona 6
Dates: Tuesday 17 April, 10AM – 9PM Wednesday 18 April, 10AM – 6PM
Thursday 19 – Saturday 21 April, 10AM – 9PM Sunday 22 April, 10AM – 6PM
Press Preview: Monday 16 April, 3PM-7PM


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Author Joel Rosenberg recently dropped by the Faithwire newsroom to talk about a wide array of subjects, including radical Islam, president-elect Donald Trump's stunning victory — and Israel's relationship with the United States.
Among the points of discussion, Rosenberg — author of the soon-to-release novel "Without Warning" — broke down some of the important differences he sees between radical and apocalyptic Islam, and discussed how Israelis have responded to Trump's shocking presidential win against Democratic contender Hillary Clinton.
"Radical Islam is the movement that says, 'We will use force … to drive the infidels, mainly Judeo-Christian society, out of the regions that we call holy lands and holy places,'" Rosenberg explained, citing Al Qaeda, Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood and the Taliban as some of the groups that subscribe to the ideology.
He continued, "A subset of radical Islam (called apocalyptic Islam) says, 'We're not just trying to use violence to drive infidels out of our region; we're going to use violence to eradicate infidels."
Rosenberg said adherents of apocalyptic Islam see no place for infidels in the world, believing a messiah will soon come to set up a global Islamic kingdom.
Listen to Rosenberg tell Faithwire all about these theories below:
The author explained how both Iran and the Islamic State both subscribe to this latter ideology, though there are some important differences between the two parties.
To begin, Rosenberg said Iran is governed by leaders who are Shia Muslim and who "believe a very minority position on Islamic eschatology."
"They are trying to bring about the end of days. They believe the Messiah — the Mahdi — is coming at any moment and that their job is to set into motion the conditions of chaos and carnage into which this so-called Messiah will one day come, set up his kingdom or caliphate and rule the world," he said.
These leaders, he said, believe they can "hasten the coming" of the Messiah, also known as the Twelfth Imam; he also noted that Iran has focused on a long-term goal of building up its nuclear industry to create long-range missiles for a "global-termo nuclear holy war."
The Islamic State, though, is quite different, according to Rosenberg. Unlike Iranian leaders, the terror group is Sunni and has a bit of a different take on eschatology. While adherents believe it's possible to accelerate the end times, they don't agree with Iran that "you have to wait until you build nuclear weapons," according to Rosenberg.
"(The Islamic State thinks) if you have a sword and an AK-47, you can committ genocide today — you don't have to wait for nuclear weapons," he said, adding how they believe they can create conditions to trigger the arrival of the Mahdi.
Rosenberg called the situation involving Iran and the Islamic State concerning, considering it's purportedly the first time in history the world has seen two people groups attempting to bring about the end times.
The author, who moved with his family from the U.S. to Israel in 2014, also discussed the recent U.S. presidential election, saying his fellow Israeli citizens watched it quite closely, as its "impact on the U.S.-Israel relationship was going to be enormous," especially considering the fact that the relationship has been strained in recent years.
"We're a small country and America's a super power, and we live in a very dangerous neighborhood," Rosenberg said, citing Christian slaughter in the Middle East, Iran's purported quest for nuclear weapons and other problems in the region.
And much like the rest of the world, Israelis were apparently in shock the Wednesday after Election Day, as outlets like the New York Times, among others, diminished the chances of Trump securing the presidency. Overall, Rosenberg said there's a cautious optimism in the wake of Trump's win — one that is based on a few important issues.
"One thing has been consistent: (Trump) has talked about radical Islam … and has taunted both Hillary and Barack Obama, (saying), 'You won't even say it, you won't ackowledge it, you don't look at their ideology,'" he said in reference to Clinton and Obama and their refusal, at moments, to use terms like "radical Islam."
Rosenberg continued, "That has cut through. People see that he is talking about it."
While the author believes Trump has struck a chord with such rhetoric, he believes it would be beneficial to dial some of his comments back, as there are Sunni-Muslim Arab allies like Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Listen to the full interview.
Other Must-Read Stories:
– 'Keep Your Babies': Famous Singer and Actress Gets Candid on Abortion
– Fake News? Friends, Family Set Record Straight on Santa's Heartbreaking Story After Media Attacks His Claims
– Cops in 'Godley' Texas Are Handing Out Warning Tickets That Will Ironically Get You in the Christmas Spirit
– 'Give Me a Break': Franklin Graham's Message About God and the Constitution Amid Christmas Cross Controversy


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I consider myself to be a complete beginner currently, but have set my rank on IGS to be 26k in order to get the rating system to catch my games. I haven't yet played Go on a real board face to face, but I'm learning with a mate from uni (IGS username Odin) and I seem to win more often than not, maybe I should start giving him handicap stones? :)
I recently also started playing on KGS to compare the two, and have a 26k rank there after my first game.
Real name Paul Smith, I'm a PhD student at the University of Exeter, living in Newton Abbot (in Devon - South West England), disappointed not to find a nearby Go club. If there are any other Go players in the Devon area please let me know!
There isn't even a board game club in Newton Abbot, so I think I'm well and truly without players here :(
Hi Eratos - there are a few players around near Devon. Maybe you should try and bind them together into a club? Failing this there is always the British Room on KGS.
OK - if you're a player in Devon, why not add your name here and I'll see what I can do - of course I don't know how a Go beginner would go about setting a club up, unless a single digit kyu player also turned up and was willing to provide insight :)
List of players in Devon
- Me - Paul Smith, Newton Abbot
- Steve Worland, Exeter
unkx80: Question moved to BQM 47.
Having already messed up in the top right corner, any comments on the relative 'bigness' of playing at a? Or somewhere else completely?
Rich: There's still potential (maybe a ko) in the top right, which of course you should save until you see how the rest of the game develops. The big moves now look to be a, or an invasion in the top left. If white plays a, a move around b (give or take a space) looks big for black. If white were ahead in territory, this would be OK; but if you're behind in territory, you need to fight. I'd be looking somewhere around b, as an 8 kyu.
Personal stats
Favourite opening: Usually I open by putting a stone on the board. Sometimes however I open by letting my opponent put a stone on the board.
Other Games: I love playing the game Tantrix, I run a turn based (i.e. not real time) chess server that my uni mates play on, but they thrash me on it.
IGS Ratings
On the subject of Go rating on IGS - what exactly do you have to do to get a rated game? From the help files, I get the following list:
- Play 19x19 - Check
- At least one player in the rating system or at least 26k - Check
- Difference between handicap given and handicap required not more than 3 stones - Check
Yet I still only have 1 games showing up as rated! Where am I going wrong?
Nacho: At least one of the players has to have an '*' next to his rank. Also, games don't appear in the 'rated' count until the server processes the day's results.
Eratos: I see - so to have a game rated, one of the players must have an established rank - I wish they made this clearer in the help! Think I understand now - thank you very much!
I've recently started playing on KGS as well, the rating system is much easier to get into there! Just play a rated game (i.e. 19x19) and you're off! The even produce these fine and dandy rating graphs - very handy.
Now also playing on DGS - they also produce rating graphs! Yippee!
Rich: It may look broken there, but it's not... need a hint?
Eratos - Oooh ooh, I think I see it...
Rich: Nicely done. :P


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The thing about pancake is that they can be addictive. They are quick and easy to prepare. They can be served for breakfast/brunch adorned with sugary maple syrup or roasted strawberries like those from my favourite Bea's Diner. A scoop of ice cream will transformed them into beautiful pudding. Set it alight with alcohol and the much drooled flambé desert tick all the boxes for every pudding aficionado. Savoury pancakes, which although are just as delectable, are however less popular here.
One fine example of such savoury succulence is the Japanese Okonomiyaki or 'as-you-like-it' pancake. As the name suggest, you can use almost any combination of ingredients for this but the key ingredient remains the shredded cabbage which help to bulk up the pancake. To this you can be more adventurous and add squid, prawns and even Korean kimchi which I have done in the past and the result was astoundingly delicious. But here, I've adopted a more traditional combo and added some prawns to bling up the classic recipe.
Whatever your combination, the condiment toppings remained a must have in order to do this dish justice. Okonomiyaki sauce, a vegetable and fruit based sweet sauce should always be liberally spread onto the pancake. Followed by lashings of the famous QP Kewpie mayonnaise, a stuff so good that it has been compared to crack - simply addictive! (I dunk everything in it) A final scattered of some dried bonito flakes/Katsuboshi, spring onions and red pickled ginger/beni-shoga will make this the finest pancake you'll ever have. Mmmm...Oishidesu (Yummy)!
Ingredients (Serves 4)
200g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 baking powder
200ml dashi (see here for recipe), or alternatively use water
100g Nagaimo/Chinese yam, grated
3 medium free range eggs
100g tenkasu (bits of tempura batter, you can buy these from Japanese supermarket)
1 small white cabbage, roughly 250g, remove core and finely shredded
4 large raw prawns, shelled and roughly chopped
8 rashers streaky bacon, cut 4 of the rashers into 2-3 inches pieces.
2 spring onions, cut into fine rings
15g Beni shoga
Sunflower oil, for frying
For the toppings:
Okonomiyaki sauce
QP Kewpie mayonaise
a handful of Katsuoboshi bonito flakes
3 spring onions, cut into fine rings
Aonori seaweeds
Beni shoga/ pickled ginger
In a large mixing bowl, sift in the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the dashi, grated Nagaimo and eggs and whisk to a smooth batter. Set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes,
After this time, add the tenkasu, cabbage, prawns, bacon pieces, spring onions and beni shoga into the batter and mix well.
Heat up some oil in a non-stock frying pan over medium heat. Ladle in a quarter of the batter mixture. Using a spatula, shape the batter mixture into a round disc by gently tucking in the side along the circumference. This will give you a neater presentation. Place a rasher of bacon on top and cook covered for 4-5 minutes until the base is lightly browned.
Turn the pancake over and cook covered for another 5 minutes. Reverse again and cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Flip it over again and cook uncovered for another 3-4 minutes, until thoroughly cook through.
Transfer to a serving dish bacon-side down. Drizzled over the Okonomiyaki sauce, followed by the mayonnaise. Top with some bonito flakes and sprinkle over some spring onions, aonori and beni shoga. Serves immediately.


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Meet The Butchery, Carmel Valley's new butcher shop
The Butchery, a full-service butcher shop that specializes in high-quality meats and artisan cheeses has opened its first San Diego location in Carmel Valley's One Paseo.
Filling a large space close to the center's El Camino Real frontage, the shop offers meats like dry-aged and cedar-aged beef, wagyu, all natural pork and poultry, and even exotic options like bison and venison. Locally-made sausages, ground beef prepared in-house and pre-marinated meats are also available, along with a fresh-catch, sustainable seafood selection and a deli case stocked with charcuterie and cheeses.
"The type of vendors we work with are the same that you would expect to get in the nicest restaurants and steakhouses in the country," said co-owner Robert Hagopian who also operates three shops in Orange County with Brian Smith. "The same quality that a trained chef is looking for is the same that we are looking for in our meat."
The Butchery will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, May 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Festivities will include live music and grilling on-site and the opportunity to sample select meats, cheeses and accompaniments from premium purveyors including Mishima, Snake River Farms, Pasturebird, Salmon Creek Farms, Aniata Cheese Co., and Rockin Rubs.
Hagopian said that The Butchery aims to provide "food with a focus" sourcing the highest-quality meats and ingredients from the finest farms, ranches and purveyors in west.
"It's really a passion project for me," said Hagopian, a self-described foodie who wanted to have the same type of eating experience making a meal at home as he did when he ate out –he was frustrated to find a lack of availability in retail space.
He and Smith opened The Butchery in 2014 with the hope of providing a convenient place to purchase high-quality and exotic meats in Southern California.
Hagopian had always wanted to get in the San Diego market and found One Paseo to be the ideal landing spot.
"This is our fourth opening and the community response has been better than ever," said Hagopian. "It seems like we're really filling a need for this area."
At the counter, selections can be hand-cut to order and prepared to guest specifications by experienced in-house butchers. The store's retail section is filled with specialty grocery items like fresh baguettes, seasonings, deli accompaniments and a selection of craft beers and high-end wines.
The One Paseo location also features a full kitchen and an expanded deli with an ample seating area to enjoy sandwiches, hot dishes, salads, and sides using products sold in the retail portion of the store. The menu includes items such as a steak tri tip sandwich, Italian sausage with goat's milk cheddar, a cheese and charcuterie plate and more. Every ingredient used on the menu is available for purchase, from the meats to the sauces to wine and craft beer on tap.
Located at 3720 Caminito Court, Suite 0200, The Butchery will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit ButcheryMeats.com
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Next-generation solar cells based on perovskite are lighter than conventional silicon-based modules, making installation simpler with lower load-bearing requirements for rooftops. But perovskite cells are difficult to manufacture at scale and have a slightly reduced efficiency at 24.2% vs 26.7% for silicon.
PEDOT, a new polymer developed at MIT, can be integrated into the panels to create a transparent conductive layer that's less brittle than indium titanium oxide, which is transparent and conductive, but brittle and susceptible to cracking.
From MIT…
The combined transparency and conductivity is measured in units of Siemens per centimeter. ITO ranges from 6,000 to 10,000, and though nobody expected a new material to match those numbers, the goal of the research was to find a material that could reach at least a value of 35. The earlier publication exceeded that by demonstrating a value of 50, and the new material has leapfrogged that result, now clocking in at 3,000; the team is still working on fine-tuning the process to raise that further.
The findings were published this month in the journal Science Advances.
Inverse reports…
Many panels use indium titanium oxide for protection, but it's brittle and susceptible to cracking. The team developed a PEDOT alternative two years ago, but it lacked ITO's transparency and conductivity. The new material is 10 times more conductive than the old one, edging toward ITO levels, and lab tests showed it was able to boost a perovskite cell's efficiency and stability.
Perovskites have been cited by the International Renewable Energy Agency as one of the technologies that could help solar meet the world's energy needs. The agency's report, posted earlier this month, stated that deploying solar alone could reduce carbon dioxide emissions 21 percent by 2050. That would mean solar covers 25 percent of global energy, second only to wind, and could contribute to a 70 percent reduction in carbon emissions from 2020 levels.
Image – Unsplash


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Detroit Marathon Race Report
Short Version:
Total time: 3:58:45
Overall Place: 1029/3448
Gender Place: 786/2113
Division(M40-44) Place: 153/363
Needless to say I am very happy.
The alarm went off at 3:45am. Ohhhh...why am I doing this? Haha! I did the usual routine that I do for any race. Bathroom, foam roller, check weather, eat, go! The weather said rainy and windy. We had a few raindrops but nothing much and there was wind but it was not terrible except on the bridge. We started out in the high 40's which was a perfect day for running. It only got into the mid 50's and it was cloudy all day so that worked out just fine.
I went to get my running buddy, T. He was running the 1/2 marathon today since he did his marathon two weeks ago. Even with a marathon two weeks ago, he still did a 1:50 half. Amazing!
My running buddy and I got down to Detroit at 5:30am. We decided we would park in the same structure that we parked at for the expo. Great idea! It was very easy in and then we realized that we were right next to the start/finish line. Here's a few pictures we took from the structure.
|So close to the start/finish!
|Before the race
Since we got there so early we stayed in the car and T ate his breakfast and we listened to some music. My friend, P, also was able to find us in the crowd of thousands before the race started so we were able to wish each other luck. I can't believe she found us - not only was it crowded but it was dark too!
They did the Canadian National Anthem and also the US National Anthem. Since we were going off in waves, it took us 8:16 minutes to get to the starting line but it made is much less congested at the start. The first couple miles are not really scenic until you get to the bridge to Canada. For those of you that did not know, this marathon goes over to Canada and back to the USA. Here's the map:
Mile 2-5 takes you on the bridge and also by the bridge once off of it. It was really windy on the bridge the entire time and of course there was a nice incline at the beginning of the bridge but it's at the start of the race so it's not that big of an issue. There is also a big decline coming down the bridge too so that was nice having that. If they ever changed this race so the bridge was at the end of the race, it would certainly make for quite a challenge but given logistics its doubtful that it will ever change.
Mile 5-7 is running over near the water in Canada and you get a nice view of the City of Detroit. It was now light outside too. I was still feeling pretty good especially since I have not run in 4 days. When running by the bridge, you could hear a truck playing songs on it's horn coming off the bridge which was kind of funny.
Mile 7-8 is the only underwater mile in a Marathon. We headed back through the tunnel. Now everyone raves about the tunnel but frankly, I think it's stinky and hot. I would say that it is something everyone should experience though. My Garmin also went out here and through off my splits by about 3/4 of a mile. The best part about this tunnel is that there are lots of people lined up to cheer you on after you come out of the tunnel back onto the US side. This is the first time that I saw Ken from Eastside Stoney Creek TNT Coach. He asked me how I was doing and I was doing great. I didn't even feel any pull in my calf from Monday's incident at all the entire race! Ken is such a huge supporter of races in the area and it's great to get a cheer from someone you know.
Mile 8 take you around by Joe Louis Arena and the waterfront again. You really do get to see some great parts of the City. It's a marathon that should be on everyone's list.
Mile 9-12 takes you through Mexicantown and Corktown. Two great neighborhoods in Detroit. They have some great people there and even had a Mariachi Band playing which is nice. Also, I have run a 5k through Corktown a few times so it's nice to run in that area again. Mind you that I have still been following the 3:55 pacer this entire time. We actually got about 2 minutes behind the pace and made that time up later on in the race(or at least he did)
|This was not them but you get the idea - Mexicantown
Mile 13-16 is basically a straight shot down one road. Unfortunately there were not make spectators at this point of the race but really, most do not seem to get tired yet at this time in the race anyway. It did make for a little bit long part of the race since there is not much to see here.
Mile 16-18 is a run through Indian Village. This is an incredible neighborhood in Detroit with 100 year old homes everywhere that are very large homes. It used to be where the rich and famous lived and still many wealthy people live there.
|Incredible homes, huh?
Mile 19-22.5 is on Belle Isle which is a nice island with a great park on it. We also had to run over a bridge here twice. There is also many other races held on this island and you get a great view of the Skyline of Detroit and Canada. It was also a part in the race where it was really windy again but I did my best to hold on. At my last marathon I crashed at mile 22(bonked) but I promised myself that I would not do that here and continued to run although I was starting to slow down a big. I was still holding onto the marathon pacer through 22 miles.
|This is the view from Belle Isle; close up with a camera though
|This is the bridge we ran across twice!
|Of course, the fountains are not going this time of year but very nice!
Team in training, a great cause.
Mile 25 to 26.2 - I never stopped running from the boost of confidence Ken gave me. It was an incredible thing to do. Without him I would NOT have met my goal of sub 4 hours. I was ready to do whatever he said so he said just keep running and keep really good form. That did it for me, I finished the last 1.2 miles strong. My running buddy T was there waiting for me and had his camera so he got some great pictures of me at the end. He's a great photographer.
|Me at the end floating!
|I almost missed him!
and I'm smiling at 26.1 miles! Haha!
|The grand finish!
Remember, it took us 8:16 to get to the start
Here's a couple pictures of the medal which is really the nicest medal I have received so far and I believe probably one of the nicest medals for a marathon.
|Nice ribbon with US & Canada
|Sorry, hard to see the writing.
While I would say that there were several differences to how I did things from my first marathon to this one that helped me improve(will post about them later), all I can say is that it's still HARD. 26.2 miles is a lot of running. Haha! Now it's time to rest a few days to get my legs back to normal.
I hope you enjoyed the recap of the race. I'm sure I'll do this race again sometime.
Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!!


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Tennis of the highest order was seen on the first day's play.
It was a match of intensity and committed tennis from both players. Rob Fahey leads by sets 3/1. The 4th set played could have gone either way, but it was Fahey who won it. The set scores were 4/6 6/3 6/1 6/5.
Sunday will be a fascinating and no doubt another intense day of play, with Fahey requiring a further 2 sets and Sayers requiring a further 4 sets.