text:
"The Blessing Way" (season 3, episode 1)
Season three of The X-Files is, for me, hands down, its best season and maybe one of the greatest TV seasons of all time. Despite what Zack was saying last week, season three is where the mythology really works for me. It's also the season where the standalones are generally the sharpest, despite a few clunkers here and there (no season is perfect). And, as the perfect capper, Darin Morgan turns in three episodes that rank among the best television episodes of all time. It's a brutally consistent season of television, swinging from strength to strength, handily taking the show from cult sensation to genuine pop culture phenomenon, a show that would become a major part of the '90s cultural landscape and an Emmy Award-winning sensation, instead of just a show a handful of devoted, fervent fans watched.
I had forgotten that it starts out kind of terribly.
Now, "The Blessing Way" isn't, actually, some abomination of an episode, but it is one of the episodes that has aged atrociously. In general, when The X-Files was dealing with the weird compromises the West made to stay ahead of communism after World War II was over, it was at its best, filtering some of the awful things nations like the United States had done through the veil of alien conspiracy theories to make them more palatable to a mass audience. Episodes like that - like the very next one - are the best the conspiracy mytharc had to offer, even when that storyline had mostly run out of gas in the seasons to come. And season three is chock full of mythology episodes like that (and one that brilliantly sends them up). But when The X-Files tried to engage in trendy for the time New Age spiritualism, it tended to completely fall apart. And half of "The Blessing Way" is pseudo-mystical bullshit.
Fortunately, the other half is Scully running around, trying to find Mulder and the men who (she thinks) killed him. This half is pretty much awesome, and it redeems the episode. Up until now, Scully's had far too few chances to rescue her partner, while her partner has gotten many, many chances to rescue her. (Someone in comments said a few weeks ago that this feels dramatically unsatisfying because Mulder gets into danger because he's pursuing his goals, while Scully is often just randomly tossed into the paths of madmen. I tend to agree.) A motivated Scully is one of the very best things The X-Files had to offer, and Gillian Anderson makes the most out of racing across the country to try to find Mulder, facing off with Skinner, and just generally being a pain-in-the-ass to the Consortium, which gets its introduction in this episode. (Wikipedia informs me they're called the "Syndicate," but I've always called them the Consortium for some reason and will continue to call them that, unless there's an uproar. "Syndicate" makes me think they're going to start trying to sell local newspapers on picking up Funky Winkerbean.)
But every time we drift over to Mulder, lying in the midst of some sort of Navajo ritual, the episode turns into left-behinds from Chris Carter's junior year of college diary, y'know, the year he got the really GOOD stuff. At the time, I recall, this felt pretty profound because no other show on TV was doing stuff like having Mulder's father deliver lengthy monologues about how the quest for truth and justice is a holy one or something like that. Mulder languishes between life and death, in a weird, purply afterlife, and it turns out to be, well, a lot like that old show This Is Your Life, actually, with Deep Throat and his dad and the whole gang showing up. Potential Candidate for Worst X-Files Recurring Character Ever Albert Hosteen shows up to babble about what the Navajo believe and explain the episode title to us, and the answer to "How did Mulder get out of the burning boxcar?" turns out to be "Shut up!"
As Lost was winding toward its conclusion and it became more and more apparent that not all of the series' big questions were going to be answered, it touched off a bit of fan discussion about just how much needs to be tied up to make a satisfying ending. I realize that my position on these things is a bit unlike most other people who watch this sort of stuff for fun or a living, but, officially, I don't care. If the story just keeps getting bigger and bigger and more nebulous, fine. Pile mysteries on top of mysteries until the groaning weight of the artifice topples in on itself. So long as the character stuff and the plotting are generally tight on an episode-by-episode level, I kind of LIKE it when things get so big that they seem to encompass all of human existence (as the central mysteries on Lost and The X-Files both eventually did).
But smaller questions, questions of how or why certain moments happened to our characters? Those you need to answer. Did we need to see Mulder climb through the flames only to get buried by a rockslide? I'm not sure, but I think it would have been a helluva scene, and I think it would have handily re-dramatized the lengths he's willing to go to for his quest. (My wife insists that he specifically carved a hiding spot out of those rocks. I've always thought he found the hiding spot, then was buried by the rocks. I suppose her version makes more sense, but I'm sticking with what I've thought since I was 15, dammit.) I don't think it's an egregious cheat that we don't really figure out how Mulder gets out, outside of the suggestion that he did so painfully, but it's a cheat nonetheless, and when warped together with the series' penchant for New Age weirdness, it makes for an episode that's half deflating after the genuinely awesome and fun "Anasazi." (One image in this storyline that does work for me: All of the alien creatures being gassed to death in Mulder's vision. It's a rather potent sci-fi reimagining of some of the 20th century's worst atrocities.)
But, as mentioned, the Scully half of this episode kicks ass and saves it from being a total waste. She gets fired from her job! She pulls a gun on Skinner! She plays games with very dangerous men to avenge her partner's near-death! Her sister dies! (OK, that part's not so awesome, but it sets up a vital part of the Scully arc: She is going to sacrifice damn near everything for a quest that's not even her own.) This is the episode where Mulder's mission really becomes Scully's mission, where she begins to realize that the end of the X-Files road is both her road and Mulder's road. It's why the show was able to semi-function once Duchovny mentally (and eventually physically) checked out of the series. Scully may not believe everything she hears, but she's finally reached a point where she needs to know just what in the world would be worth so much destruction.
"The Blessing Way" has all of the middle-portion problems inherent in the second part of a trilogy. It's an episode caught in limbo, seemingly designed to keep us in suspense about a bunch of things we know won't happen. Mulder's not going to become Scully's spectral advisor. Nor is the Consortium going to catch up to Scully and eliminate her. And the attempts to clumsily graft in a bunch of spiritualist hokum fall incredibly flat. It's interesting that the mythology arc is so much more successful when it focuses less on the weirdness out there beyond the stars and more on the very prosaic evils men can do to each other by their own hands. But we'll get to that in "Paper Clip."
Grade: B-
Stray observations:
- When I was a teenager, this was one of my favorite episodes of the series. I liked all of the pretentious monologues in the in-between. But I liked pretension back then. I'd like to think I've matured, but probably not.
- No, really. Is there a worse recurring character than Albert Hosteen?
- I believe this is also the first appearance of the Well Manicured Man. The X-Files was the first show to really take advantage of the natural, built-in audience science fiction shows had on the Internet, and they used that conduit to leak things like episode titles and new character names out there. By the time I finally saw this episode in a late season three rerun, EVERYone knew he was called The Well Manicured Man. Duh.
- Scully's implant also turns up for the first time. I seem to recall the resolution to this sucking, but then, many mythology resolutions did. Sometimes, questions don't need an answer. Sometimes, questions simply existing is far more terrifying.
- This episode was watched by 19.94 million people. Season three was when The X-Files really crossed over, and even with that big of an audience, "The Blessing Way" was not among TV's top 20 programs. Geez.
"Paper Clip" (season 3, episode 2)
A conspiracy theory is a way of reordering the universe. It's a kind of religion, really. Things will never go the right way because the people in control make sure of it. They're the ones keeping the oil spill flowing. They're the ones who made sure Obama's change was incremental, not transformative (if, indeed, it was present at all). They're the ones who keep the populace cowed and ignorant. They brought down the Towers. They killed JFK. They're keeping back the truth about the aliens. They know about zero point energy or alternative biofuels or cars that get 600 miles to the gallon, but they're keeping them from you to keep the old order in place. They, they, they.
A conspiracy theory is a comforting thing, really. If you can blame someone else for everything that happens, then there's no need to take responsibility for one, and there's a sense that bad things don't just happen because the universe is terrifying and random for two. Admitting that the oil continues to flow because we just don't know how to stop it and may never be able to is a terrifying, terrifying thing. It's easier to think the men in the shadows are doing it for their own nefarious purposes, which will become obvious if we give things enough time. We're all pawns in the game, man.
The truth is that actual conspiracies are prosaic and often carried out in the open. Operation Paper Clip was secret for a while, but people eventually figured out about it. The people involved all had to say, "Well, we did it for the good of our country. Would we have won the Cold War without those scientists?" and for the most part, Americans shrugged and took the government at its word. Should there have been more outrage? Who knows, but "Paper Clip" is one of the defining episodes of The X-Files because it simultaneously expands the conspiracy into the kind of giant you can never hope to fight and brings it down to a more prosaic level. The Cigarette Smoking Man is a multi-tentacled monster with his hands in everything that's out there, but he can also be defeated by a resourceful FBI director and a bunch of guys with top-notch memorization skills.
"Paper Clip" contains some of my favorite scenes of the series. The whole sequence at the mining company front in West Virginia is simply terrific. Skinner's final showdown with the CSM is instantly iconic. Mulder's angry questioning of his mother about whether she had to make a choice is one of Duchovny's finer acting moments of the early seasons. Even the resolution to the Skinner and Scully standoff of the last episode, while completely expected, is handled with panache. German scientist Victor Klemper is one of the series' finer one-episode creations (at least for a mythology character). There are few episodes that move as swiftly or confidently as this one in the series' run to this point, and there will be few after. "Paper Clip" is so good because it makes The X-Files seem like a show that's capable of damn near anything.
The smartest thing this trilogy of episodes does is tie the larger alien conspiracy in to things that actually happened. The compromises the United States and other Western nations made to survive the onslaught of communism in the Cold War were ones that should have made more of those nations' citizens take pause, stop to think about the cost of living free, but they almost never did. Whatever kept us on the side of the coin where we could blithely say "Better dead than Red" was a-ok by us. Naturally, the Soviets had their own versions of these compromises, as two superpowers engaged in an intellectual arms race designed to make sure that both sides would keep their eyes fully open in a giant contest not to blink. I'm not trying to suggest that Western capitalist democracy is somehow a terrible system (it's not), but when you need to stay one step ahead of an enemy dedicated to wiping your way of life out of the way, well, you do some pretty bad things. And bad things happened. Operation Paper Clip is just the tip of the iceberg.
It's the fact that we still can't see the whole iceberg that keeps conspiracy theories alive. What makes "Paper Clip" work as an expansion of The X-Files' mythology is the fact that it never suggests anything below that tip that gives the conspiracy's members anything like superhuman powers. Alien/human hybrids? Plausible in a science fiction universe like this one and something that could be handled by doctors who'd tested the capabilities of the human body in the Holocaust. A giant warehouse containing tissue samples and medical information from everyone to receive a smallpox vaccination? Eminently plausible, if you're willing to assume the government would want such a thing. A UFO hiding out in a mountain base? If the government's going to have such a thing, where else would they keep it? The CIA being called in to clean up a problem involving U.S. citizens? Pretty sure we've been doing this for a while now. I don't have to believe that George W. Bush brought down the Twin Towers to know that I'm pissed off about the extraordinary rendition of men accused of no official crimes begun under his administration and continued under the next one. But I can see where the proven existence of these events lead to many believing the world is simply full of insidious evil, guarded by powerful men, seeping its way into the cracks of everyday life.
One of my very favorite things to do is drive across the American night and listen to Coast to Coast AM, particularly the episodes where host George Noory has some crazy dude who claims to know the TRUTH about Area 51 or something on. And the thing is, if you assume these guys aren't on the level, you have to assume they're insane (completely plausible) or that they're just fucking with a gullible audience (even more plausible). One of my favorite things about "Paper Clip" is the way that it suggests that all of the men Mulder has been gobbling up information from are, indeed, just fucking with him, dressing up sharply and going to leak him information that will keep him in spitting distance of the truth but never quite in reach of it. Scully's able to see through the bullshit the Well Manicured Man is filling Mulder with, the fact that much of it could very well be a lie just designed to keep her partner away from the more prosaic truths that would really infuriate him. Again, George W. Bush doesn't have to bring down the Towers for evil things to happen. But it's easier to chase an ultimate evil sometimes than recognize the atrocity in your midst. One of my favorite images of the series is Scully staring down that long mining tunnel at the tiny figure of a hybrid that seems to grow before her eyes as the ship's light stretches its silhouette. The conspiracy becomes something normal, comprehensible, but still frightening.
The story of the United States after the Cold War is the slow, dawning realization that we aren't always what we said we were and what we thought we were. The things we profess to believe in are good things and worthy goals, but the failures of our particular system and the men and women who have run it have led to a long series of compromises between our better angels and our pragmatism. And when you make compromises, it's inevitable that horrible things will happen around the edges. Really, we should have seen this coming, when we spent most of our first century keeping a careful balance between states that believed all men were free and states that believed some men were property, but like all humans, we have a bad eye for the big picture and a good eye for what's in our immediate vicinity. Mulder discovers his father in a picture, standing next to a monster of a man, smiling. We are not who we think we are. The iceberg looms in the dark, and what we can't see is scarier than what we can.
Grade: A
Stray observations:
- I'm not sure why the Consortium is always so half-lit (outside of it being the series' aesthetic). Maybe they really need to conserve on energy bills.
- Great line: "Lots and lots of files." It's not a great line on the page, but the barely restrained terror in Gillian Anderson's voice makes it work.
- Skinner was such a badass. That's something I forgot, and this episode is one of his finest hours. The reveal of what happened to the tape is one of the best things about this episode.
- On the other hand, Krycek's role in the conspiracy has always been a little muddled to me. He's a character who started out with a clear purpose but eventually became far too all over the place, likely because the producers liked Nicholas Lea and the character but ran out of things for him to do.
- If this episode has a flaw, it's that there's another accursed monologue by Hosteen to open the episode. But speaking of, man, remember how the White Buffalo was kind of a big deal in the mid-90s? I had mostly forgotten.
"D.P.O." (season 3, episode 3)
And we're back to basics.
At the time, "D.P.O." was greeted with a certain amount of scorn from the fan community. After three episodes where the show's continuing storyline seemed to take off into the stratosphere, how the hell could the show simply return to monster of the week episodes. How could Mulder and Scully return to them? Weren't there bigger fish to fry? Making such an abrupt shift back to just generic stories wouldn't be possible in today's TV landscape - once Fringe had a story arc similar to what The X-Files did in its three-parter, it pretty much wandered away from straight-up monster of the week stories. But here we are in the middle of nowhere with a disaffected teen that can control the lightning or something.
Seen now, 15 years later and removed from the fan furor of the time, "D.P.O." is a pretty good episode, and it suggests why The X-Files went from very good to great and from cult phenomenon to legitimate mainstream hit in its third season: The show's direction, always good, made the leap from consistently interesting to look at to consistently cinematic. I don't think this is the result of any one person stepping up or joining the directing team or anything. Rather, it's probably the result of Fox giving the show a larger budget, allowing it to take its time with more intricate and intriguing shot set-ups. Indeed, even in future seasons when The X-Files' scripts would start to become more variable, the direction was almost always top notch. The series took chances on big, cinematic sequences and moments, and they would usually pay off.
You can really see the difference in the opening of "D.P.O." which sets up Darin, our monster of the week, a teenager who's killing people using the power of lightning (since he can control electricity for barely explained reasons). He grows angrier and angrier with another teen, who's playing too long on his favorite Virtua Fighter arcade console, and when said teen heads outside to his car, he's attacked by, well, by lightning, even as we don't see it jet out of the sky and hit him. The whole sequence is told visually, with a rock song rising on the soundtrack, and it's appropriately paced, cleanly edited, and briskly shot. Few of the monster of the week teasers in seasons one and two were as well constructed as this one was, and within a few weeks, doing something this cinematic to open the episode with would become almost de riguer for the series.
But that's not what most people talk about when talking about this episode of the show. No, the thing that most talk about is the fact that it stars Giovanni Ribisi as Darin and Jack Black as his closest compatriot Zero. I like both performances. Black is largely the same guy he plays in most of his roles, but it's like he's trying out a younger, less fully developed version of that character here, and his death scene is believably tragic (and, again, very cinematic). I do worry that Ribisi leans a little too heavily on a vacant-eyed stare toward the camera to convey the horror of what Darin is doing, but the scenes with Zero (particularly the cow barbecue scene) and his mom are all good, and I like the casual way he's learned to use his powers for destruction, just like a teenager probably would.
Another key element in the development of The X-Files in its third season was the fact that the show more often used Mulder and Scully as agents driving the action. The monster would be off in his own world, doing his own thing, but our duo would be one step behind him fairly consistently, instead of being shuttled from place to place like they were in some sort of horrific travelogue. Here, they come up with a good theory on what it is that makes Darin tick, find him via his initials in the video game, and have a series of standoffs with him. They even manage to lock the kid up for a while by episode's end. It's not the greatest policework in the world, but in season two, the two would often seem like they were guest stars in their own series. There's no mistake here that this is also Darin's story, but Mulder and Scully have a kind of agency in it that definitely helps keep the action rolling along.
I don't want to claim that "D.P.O." is some sort of unheralded classic or anything. In many ways, it's just a well-done, garden variety episode of a show that could do so much more than that, which can't help but make it feel just a bit disappointing after an episode where the series did just that. But there are so many interesting little touches in the episode and so many sequences that confidently walk the tricky line between horror and broad comedy (again, that cow barbecue scene springs to mind) that it suggests the series was closing in on a firmer sense of the kind of show it would be in the seasons to come in this episode. The X-Files had every reason to rest on its laurels at this point in its run, but it's still pushing into new territory and seeing what new ghouls and goblins it can turn up. They can't all be "Paper Clip," but when they were mostly "D.P.O.," the show was very good indeed.
Grade: B+
Stray observations:
- Wonderful images: Zero, passed out on the pavement of the parking lot, quarters flooding away from him like blood. Then, cut to Darin standing atop the arcade, looking down upon the other boy, blank expression on his face.
- Looks like the most popular way to describe this episode at the time of its airing was "Beavis and Butthead meets The X-Files," given how many reviews I was able to find that name check the then-popular duo.
- I'm not sure the hot school teacher was necessarily needed to tell the story, but, man, she was pretty hot, huh?
- Weird to think that out of the central four characters in this episode, Jack Black is the guy with the healthiest career right now.
- Signs of the times: Hearing those Sonic the Hedgehog noises definitely, definitely takes me back in time to the '90s. Really, all of the games at the arcade do. Also, I haven't thought about Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot" since, well, 1995.
- OMG. The dates on the Virtua Fighter games are largely from 9/11/1995. The X-Files predicted the future, man! They were in the business of INVENTING it.
- Another wonderful image: Lightning coming from the sky to strike Darin, him almost reveling in it. It's like the ultimate teenage wish fulfillment fantasy to have these kinds of powers, and the show finds a beautiful way to express that theme entirely visually.
And now, some brief thoughts on Space: Above and Beyond:
A few weeks ago, when Zack and I were talking about rebooting this feature, I humbly proposed that we follow Space: Above and Beyond at the same time as The X-Files, season three, and Millennium at the same time as The X-Files, seasons four, five, and six (and then probably Harsh Realm and The Lone Gunmen somewhere down the line). He seemed game for it, and I'd always wanted to watch Space: Above and Beyond, created by two of The X-Files' chief creative minds in its early seasons, Glen Morgan and James Wong. Plus, Mark Altman's Sci-Fi Universe, a fantastic magazine that deserved better than its fate of being purchased by the Sci-Fi Channel and turned into their house press organ, loved the shit out of the show, and that magazine was an early and important benchmark in my journey toward becoming a critic. I've also liked the few episodes I've seen in the past. But we can't let this feature take over the main one, so here are three paragraphs on the first three episodes.
The "Pilot" is actually quite good and a handy way of laying out who all of the characters are and just what's going to be the central conflict of the show (which is, apparently, going to be sort of a World-War-II-in-space type thing with heavy shades of the original Battlestar Galactica). On the other hand, I couldn't help but think of just how different this pilot would be if it were produced today. It's incredibly slow-moving, and it takes its pains to make sure we understand exactly which war movie stereotype lines up with which character. The cast is variable in talent, with leading man Morgan Weisser seeming to vacillate in capabilities from scene to scene. If this were being produced today, we would almost certainly have it be pared down to a lean hour where we watched the Marines take on the enemy threat on an important mission and got little, intriguing hints of their backstory. Instead, we see Charles Widmore bombarded by the enemy (an alien race called the Chigs), then get an hour of the road to alien war. It's not a bad structure, exactly, but it reminds me of how much time network television had to tell stories back in the '90s. The pilot isn't terrible, but it does feel a little logy. Grade: B
"The Farthest Man from Home" strikes me as an episode that might have worked much better as the pilot. You have all of the characters together in the main situation, but you also get a great chance to lay out some backstory that might have played more interestingly as backstory rather than actually being seen in the pilot. (In general, the relationship between West and Kylen is a little boring, and Kylen is better off as a ghost that West is chasing.) Morgan and Wong bring their X-Files lessons about opening an episode with a haunting prologue to bear, with the scene where the survivor screams about how he's the "farthest man from home," and once West takes off in his own bird to try and figure out just what happened to his girlfriend, the episode is pretty much on the rails. It's not great TV, but it's enjoyable sci-fi TV, and it suggests that the show will have some interesting places going forward. Grade: B+
On the other hand, "The Dark Side of the Sun" is kind of a mess. I wonder if the Silicates - who are basically the Cylons of this universe - weren't one sci-fi concept too many, as dropping them into the mix feels abrupt and forced, even if the series has made mention of them here and there up until this point. It's a pity, too, because so far, Kristen Cloke's Shane is the most interesting character (and I totally get why fanboys were obsessed with her back in 1995; she's damn gorgeous here). Tying her backstory into the backstory of the Silicates makes them seem like they should be more than the stereotypical rogue AI characters, and the portrayal of them feels like an unfortunate leftover from VR.5 or another terrible Fox series of the era. When they show up in Shane's dream of her childhood, it feels like a total mess, particularly as the Silicate makeup just looks stupid on the lower-grade video images, and the portrayal of their mining colony/Purgatory is the kind of bad sci-fi trope I wish the show would skew far, far away from. Grade: C-
Next week: Zack takes on one of the best X-Files ever with "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose." Also, "The List" and, uh, "2Shy." And whatever Space episodes he watches, assuming he's still on board with my crazy plan.


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Heatmiser neoHub Gen 2 – Neo System Internet Gateway with HomeKit Support
The neoHub Gen 2 handles all of the network communication between the neoStat, neoAir and neoPlug and is very much the brain of the Neo System. Therefore you will require one if you're looking to control your heating & hot water system from your SmartPhone.
The neoHub Gen 2 brings HomeKit support to Neo. For more details visit here
The neoHub Gen 2 connects to your home router by an ethernet cable, so one free port is required. The neoHub Gen 2 is very much plug and play and pairing neoStat's, neoAir & neoPlug to the neoHub Gen 2 couldn't be easier. After you have paired all of your Neo devices (up to 32 are supported) you will have In Home and Remote access of your heating, hot water and appliances.
To ensure your neoHub Gen 2 is always up to date, your neoHub will automatically download and install updates so you will always benefit from the very latest software enhancements.
|neoHub Gen 2
|HomeKit Support
|Yes – Gen 2 Hubs Only
|No. Connected Devices
|neoStat, neoAir, neoPlug
|1 x Ethernet Port (RJ45) Lead Supplied
|Included in Kit
|1 x neoHub
1 x Ethernet Lead
1 x Mini USB Power Lead
4 x Power Adaptors
|Mesh Function
|230v AC
|Dimensions (L,H,D)
neoHub is supplied with UK, EU and Australian Power Adaptors.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Division of Environmental Health
Professor and Division Head
Phone: (619) 594-4671
Office: HT 04
Email: email@example.com
Research Group: http://hoh.sdsu.edu
Download CV (pdf)
- Ph.D., Environmental Science, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University (2006)
- M.S., Environmental Science, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University (2003)
- M.S., Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (1997)
- B.S., Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (1995)
Scholarly Areas
Dr. Eunha Hoh's research interests focus on the investigation of diverse environmental pollutants in the environment and their impact on human health. Her current research projects focus on ocean and human health, environmental exposure to tobacco smoke residue (thirdhand smoke), environmental impact of tobacco product waste, and water quality. Chemicals of interest are known toxic organic pollutants such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), tobacco smoke residues (thirdhand smoke components) and waste components, as well as potentially toxic brominated/chlorinated flame retardants, their degradation products, other emerging contaminants, and microplastic pollutants. Dr. Hoh developed a nontargeted analytical approach for detection of a broad range of organic chemicals in various types of biological and environmental samples using novel instrumentation. Using this approach, she discovered and identified previously unknown contaminants and has implemented the technology on comprehensive contaminant analysis for environmental monitoring, exposure assessment and remediation/treatment efficiency assessment. Most of her work involves the application of chromatography and mass spectrometry.
Dr. Eunha Hoh is a Professor of Environmental Health at the School of Public Health. Dr. Hoh received her doctoral degree in Environmental Science in 2006, under the guidance of Distinguished Professor Ronald A. Hites at Indiana University. Her research focused on the fate and transport of organohalogen contaminants in the atmosphere and the investigation of previously unrecognized halogenated flame retardants in the environment. After her graduation, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher under supervision of Dr. Steve Lehotay in the field of food safety at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Regional Research Center, located near Philadelphia, PA. She developed novel analytical methods, which included fast and efficient analyses of multiple classes of targeted chemical residues and a nontargeted analytical approach for organic compounds of interest in food and environmental samples. She was one of six PIs of the Scripps Center for Oceans and Human Health. She is a Scientific Guidance Panel member for the California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program. She is a member of the California Ocean Protection Council's Science Advisory Team, an expert interdisciplinary group formed to address issues impacting the state's coastal and marine ecosystems. As a member of the Thirdhand Smoke Research Consortium, she also serves as a lead researcher with the Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center.
- For an up to date publications list see Google Scholar.
- Eunha Hoh, featured in 360 Magazine and SDSU NewsCenter
- See how student researchers are applying their learning in practical ways that help the world


text:
Financial Functions & Features
The Financials module provides features and functions that allow accountants and financial managers to ensure financial transactions are tracked and properly recorded, and that this information is available via reports and other data retrieval tools. Traditionally, this module includes the general ledger, accounts payable, fixed assets, cost accounting, cash management, accounts receivable, and financial reporting submodules. Financial Functions & Features are an important module of the comprehensive ERP RFP Template for Discrete Manufacturing.
The ERP RFP template with Financial Functions & Features for ERP is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx) featuring a total of 3761 decision criteria. The ERP RFP template allows you to quickly and easily prepare the business, functional, and technical requirements sections of the solicitation package you'll send to ERP software vendors. It ensures for:
- complete response from each ERP software vendor
- deep and accurate evaluation of submitted ERP proposals
- impartial side-by-side comparison of ERP solutions evaluated
- rational and documented selection of the best matching ERP system


text:
[[The girls (Ki, Patty, Trish, and Trudy) are reacting to Nick's description of how the grey jumpsuits came to be. Trudy responds first, launching a probing question at Nick.]]
Trudy: Since now we've got so many more humans on board, I don't suppose there are any objections to designing something a bit more... colorful?
Nick: Heck, I don't care, so long as everyone's decent and I can still get grease on mine.
Ki: [eyeing the greasy hand prints on Nick's jumpsuit] And as long as we don't have to do laundry...
Grey clone: If you provide us with the necessary patterns, we should be able to extrapolate replicated designs for virtually any human bodily dimensions.
Trudy: [smiling at last] Excellent!
[[Trudy grabs Trish's hand and with a determined expression pulls her away from the rest of the group.]]
Trudy: C'mon, home ec queen. I'm going to put your seamstress skills to the test.
Trish: [resigned] Um... O-ok...


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Technology has made large strides within the flight simulator recreation industry with enhanced animation and graphics design to offer the gamer with an outstanding three-dimensional graphical interface that makes the flying expertise very near the actual thing. While you see site visitors shifting on actual looking roads, rivers flowing by and the daylight glinting off the sea, it's a must to imagine you truly are flying in house. Games now have the added feature of structured missions and you'll select from a listing of options that can challenge your flying capabilities to the fullest extent.
From scenic coastlines, to amazing wild and marine life, to fascinating sports, art and entertainment, to scrumptious cuisines, to beautiful seashores, to historical villages, distinctive experiences and excellent accommodation, English Riviera has it all. It one true place to fall in love with, one true place you'd like to spend your holiday in over and over again.
Some of these choices are listed below.
These are just some examples of a number of the airsoft pistol prospects obtainable. Using the pistol is unquestionably going to make any match tougher. Be sure you are ready to deal with the problem earlier than you get to the field. Snowboarding ought to proceed to develop in popularity as a winter sport. Its acceptance as an Olympic sport and its ever growing tv coverage has introduced the game into the sports activities mainstream.
People eager about getting tickets have to register on the official website. They have to decide on which occasions they wish to go to. The Olympic 2012 summer season video games events is already properly underway. The event promises to be very effectively organised and to offer a chance to see the most effective athletes on the planet compete for his or her international locations.
So maybe they build a false sense of security.
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Many occupations take one thing from a scenario that's raw or not absolutely utilized to one thing that's helpful, profitable and desired by their clients or those they serve. Flying on Monday February 14th will even save on premium weekend rates. It might make an incredible surprise for a particular liked one.


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CASA GRANDE, Ariz. – The Real Salt Lake U-16 & U-18 Academy teams are set to kickoff a busy March schedule against Southwest Division rivals Chivas USA U-16 & U-18 Academy on Saturday, March 8th, at the Grande Sports World.
The U-18 match is set to begin at 3:00 PM and will be followed by the U-16 match at 5:30 PM.
Real Salt Lake U-17/18, ranked #2 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer, is the current leader in the Southwest Division with a 10-1-3 record and has conceded a U-17/18 league best ten goals. Through six matches at home, RSL U-17/18 has won five matches, drew one and has outscored opponents 26-3. Eric Carbajal is the team leader in goals scored with nine and is followed by Sam Gleadle with seven. Jose Hernandez and Corey Baird have found the back of the net five times. Carbajal, Gleadle and Hernandez are all tied for the team lead with five assists each. In their most recent match, the U-17/18s defeated Nomads SC 3-2 on February 23rd with Gleadle recording a brace and Carbajal adding one.
In the previous matchup between these two sides, RSL U-17/18 defeated Chivas USA 2-0 in Los Angeles on October 5th. Chivas USA is currently holding the third position in the Southwest Division with a 10-4-4 record through 18 matches.
Real Salt Lake U-15/16, ranked #3 in the country by Top Drawer Soccer, is the current leader in the Southwest Division with an 11-1-2 record and is tied for the league high in goal difference with +37; 43 goals scored and 6 goals conceded. RSL U-15/16 has won all six matches played at home this year outscoring opponents 20-1. Sebastian Saucedo leads the team in scoring with 12 goals and is followed by Josh Doughty and Tate Schmitt, who have recorded five each. In their most recent match, the U-15/16s defeated Nomads SC 2-0. Evan Waldrep and Saucedo scored for the Claret-and-Cobalt.
In the previous matchup between the two sides, RSL U-15/16 defeated Chivas USA 3-1 in Los Angeles on October 5th. Chivas USA is currently holding the fifth position in the Southwest Division with a 7-6-5 record through 18 matches.
|Saturday, March 8th
|Real Salt Lake U-18
|Chivas USA U-18
|Grande Sports World
|Saturday, March 8th
|Real Salt Lake U-16
|Chivas USA U-16
|Grande Sports World


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Trip to San Jose November 9, 2016
It was a beautiful day, clear sky, green fields. I arrived at the airport at 8 p.m. for a 9:20 flight.
Pretty easy huh?
Nine hours later I arrived at my motel in San Jose at 6 o'clock in the evening.
Could I have driven the distance in that time? Maybe. Except I couldn't have read a novel or napped on the plane.
I felt that I had been dropped into a 3rd world country.
The plane in Eugene was delayed for about 45 minutes. I had brought my laptop that weighs a ton and placed it atop my roll-on suitcase. The weight of it made that luggage sluggish and hard to pull. No problem, just walk down the jetway and board your plane. Right?
There was no jetway.
The plane was a little puddle jumper to Portland, and I guess it didn't deserve a jetway. It was parked outside.
Okay. No problem. No rain. Except to my surprise once out of the airport gate, we entered a long outside corridor that was blocks long. (I'm not exaggerating this time.) We could leave our suitcase at the bottom of the stairs but needed to take electronic devices aboard. I lugged my heavy computer case up the stairs, and all was well.
We were off.
Except that we arrived in Portland 45 minutes late, and by the time I dragged that suitcase with the computer down a ten-mile long corridor and arrived at the gate it was closed. Bye, plane. I watched as it pulled pull away from its jetway.
They reassigned me. The next plane would leave in two hours. They told me to go to gate C 9. And where was gate C 9? Back down that ten-mile long corridor, with me schlepping that suitcase while my back swore at me.
And where was the plane?
Parked outside.
To conserve space they offered to check my bag for free, so I did, and we flew to San Jose while I read and napped and told my back all was well. It could relax.
We arrived around 4:30.
I decided since time was not a problem this evening, to try out my UBER app, and through it arranged for a car. (Only $5,16 they said.) I had planned on registering for the Tony Robbins event at the convention center this evening, but due to the late hour and my exhaustion, changed my mind. In the morning I would join the great throng of other contestants also registering. (My consultant warned me.)
The UBER site said a car would arrive around 5 p.m., then they said 5:30. I waited and waited, and the phone kept saying they would arrive in 2 minutes, then 3, then 4, then 2. And the phone was down to a 5% charge.
Finally, I gave up and took a shuttle ($25.00) to my motel—not a hotel, a MOTEL.
Usually one has a car when arriving at a "MOTOR lodge." I had switched from a hotel to save money. That meant I had to walk to my room, number 183, down a pathway, over a bridge, through the woods, no, but it felt like a mile with me feeling I was pulling a cement truck.
I arrived at my room and decided not to leave it until morning. Among the many food items, packed in my suitcase is power-shake makings, so that will have to do for dinner. They warned us to bring snacks for there will be no lunch break tomorrow.
At the Motel I had to pay for WiFi, and yes I did need to sign a document from back home, which was one reason I bought the computer.
I'm on the computer now, figuring I should use it since I paid for it.
I'm not complaining, just the facts, and I got in a day of reading, and up there in the sky, I marveled again how exquisite it is to fly. Can you believe people can fly? They can pour themselves into a big heavy bird and sail away. It is incredible, even if ground duty makes it take all day.
And speaking of birds, this morning on the way to the airport husband dear and I saw a flotilla of geese, floating down like eiderdown feathers, and landing in a tight puddle of brown the size of a football field in an immense field of green. And behind them, another group ebbed and flowed in slow motion until they gradually joined the dark sea of Canadian geese sitting down for a feed or a rest.
Tomorrow the event.
To be continued.


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By Caitlin Hines on April 12, 2018
Here at Qualtrax we recently added two new team members whom we are excited to introduce to you all!
Christine Whittaker joins us as a Sales Development Representative and Scott Harriman as a Business Operations Administrator. Both them wrote a quick introduction to themselves so that you can get to know them better. So, without further ado…
Christine's introduction to you all:
Hello! My name is Christine Whittaker and I'm very energized to be a part of the team here at Qualtrax as a Sales Development Representative. I've held several dynamic roles in the past, including owning and operating a small business, real estate sales and most recently Corporate Relocation sales, brokerage, and management. When I was looking for my next challenge, I was looking for a company that was truly customer focused and I was immediately drawn to Qualtrax when I experienced the enthusiasm and desire they have to solve compliance burdens for our customers on a daily basis.
A little bit more about me, I live in Botetourt with my husband John and our two children, John David, age 8 and Abigail, age 6. As a family we enjoy spending time outdoors, on the weekends you will usually find us boating on Smith Mountain Lake or camping with friends.
Scott wanted to say:
Hello, my name is Scott Harriman and I'm excited to be joining the Qualtrax team as the Business Operations Administrator.
I graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Marketing and International Business and have since served in various roles at similar growing technology companies in Roanoke and London. I hope to put my unique experiences to good use at Qualtrax!
Outside of the office, I like to spend time outdoors- so I'm usually mountain biking on the local trails, paddle boarding on the lake or playing soccer with friends. I also love to travel abroad any chance I get and flex my amateur photography muscles.
Volunteering is also important to me, so I help coach a local youth biking team and plan fundraising events with the Square Society- which is another reason I'm glad to be at Qualtrax and a part of an organization that puts a real emphasis on giving back to the community.
Thanks so much for helping us welcome Christine and Scott to the Qualtrax Family!
To stay up to date on other important Qualtrax news like this, be sure to follow our blog so you can get emails when something new comes out.
Category: Culture


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Articles By Daniel Varisco
Things Unseen Primary category in which blog post is published
The Sword of the Lord
He had everything: "seuen thousand sheepe, and three thousand camels, and fiue hundred yoke of oxen, and fiue hundred shee asses, and a very great houshold."
Tell your representatives to stop the war in Yemen
A cholera epidemic has affected over a million people. Education has been interrupted at all levels due to the insecurity and bombing of schools.
Edward Said, 40 years later
The academy evolved, but has anyone else?


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Angry Birds Epic Review
- Publisher: Rovio Entertainment Oyj
- Genre: Adventure
- Released: 12 Jun, 2014
- Size: 628.3 MB
- Price: FREE!
- Approachable turn-based strategy combat
- Wonderful presentation
- IAPs give you an edge but are not required
- A little lite on tactics
- Not much to involve genre fans
- Speeding up crafting with IAPs changes the difficult curve
As a strategy RPG Angry Birds Epic feels a little light, but as an RPG gateway for Angry Birds fans it'll probably do the trick.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
At this point the Angry Birds are more than just feathery projectiles in a physics puzzler. They have become icons that can leap into any medium they choose. Like Mario before them, their first step was into the world of kart racing, and now they have progressed to a strategy RPG with the turn-based Angry Birds Epic.
To keep things easy for genre first-timers, Epic does away with exploration of similar titles. Instead it adopts a map that will be familiar to free-to-play fans, with fights separated into stages on a set path. Unfortunately, while this does increase the pace, it washes out much of the story motivation that drives many RPG players.
Dropped into a medieval world, the birds have undergone a redesign for Epic. The presentation is beautiful, and a perfect fit for the new locale. The Red Bird, for example, is now suited in armour that allows him to fulfill his hard hitting melee role, while the yellow bird sports a natty wizard's hat and staff.
Battles are turn based. To attack, you simply trace a line from your bird to the nasty piggie when its your turn to attack. However, once you free the Yellow Bird things start to get interesting.
The magical Yellow Bird can use its turn to zap groups of enemy pigs with lightning, or, with a quick tap of the desired team member, use its powers to provide a shield that will shock attackers. Similar aggressive and defensive options are provided for each of your avian compadres, and learning how your three-bird squad's abilities work in tandem can completely change the flow of combat.
Rovio has provided several upgrades systems to mix things up. Plans for different hats and weapons can be found in the world. Crafting this equipment from items collected in-game, or bought through in-app purchases, lets you completely alter your birds fighting style.
Despite these additions though, the combat feel a little barebones once the novelty and presentation start to wear off. The fun is also undercut by an free-to-play model that seeks to claw cash from your purse by offering potions and perks to make the game easier. Refuse to pay, and your progress will be hampered, forcing you to fight the same fights over and over.
It is tough to judge Angry Birds Epic as an RPG fan. Like Pokemon it could prove the perfect gateway into a larger experience, but is in itself its a little light for genre enthusiasts. It a mechanically solid combat-RPG, but unfortunately, but a very not a deep one.
DescriptionUnleash the Angry Birds flock in a free turn-based RPG, and join a community of more than 85 MILLION players around the world!
Angry Birds Epic sends you on a sprawling adventure across the tropical beaches, frosty mountains, and deep dungeons of Piggy Island in hundreds of challenging levels. Collect and craft a huge arsenal of weapons, and wield powerful magic to defeat fearsome boss pigs and their many minions. Crush troublesome pigs in battle to win epic loot, craft ever more powerful weapons and level up your party. To victory!
● FIGHT hordes of enemies in turn-based battles. Use the powerful skills of your birds to lead your flock to victory!
● PLAY as heroic knight, mighty wizard, or helpful druid, and assemble the perfect party!
● LEVEL UP and master your birds to defeat mighty boss villains like King Pig, Prince Porky or Wiz Pig.
● CRAFT hundreds of weapons and magical potions! Improve your best equipment even further through powerful enchantments.
● COMPLETE rare equipment sets, and use them to unleash devastating power-effects in battle.
● CHALLENGE real players from around the world in the arena. Progress from wood to diamond league and carve your place at the top the leaderboards.
● JOIN limited time events to earn valuable upgrades and rewards! Follow the flock on Facebook and Twitter for news on upcoming events.
PLEASE NOTE: Logging into Game Center does not save your game data. To save your game progress in Angry Birds Epic, please sign up for a Rovio account or log into an existing one.
Angry Birds Epic is free to play, optional in-app purchases are available.
This game may include:
- Direct links to social networking websites that are intended for an audience over the age of 13.
- Direct links to the internet that can take players away from the game with the potential to browse to any web page
- Advertising of Rovio products and also products from selected partners
This game may require internet connectivity and subsequent data transfer charges may apply.
Terms of Use: https://www.rovio.com/terms-of-use
Privacy Policy: https://www.rovio.com/privacy
Support: https://support.rovio.com/hc/en
What's New in Version 3.0.1Just when you thought Chronicle Caves couldn't get any tougher: We're proving you wrong and digging a new one!
Only for the bravest-est: New Chronicle Cave 26's swines may break your spines.. Or not! Are you up for the ultimate challenge?
Arena repair: A bunch of handymen fixed the banner and emblem issues, along with other Arena problems
Read the full patch story: http://bit.ly/Epic-301


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SG-1 was about to attain the loftiest of broadcast heights – its 200th episode – and we wanted to do something special. Something unique. Something everyone on the production would enjoy as much as the longtime fans watching at home. The initial idea pitched out was something called "Remember When…", trip down memory lane in which our characters' reflections would form the frames of the varied flashbacks to outrageous missions. While everyone loved the idea of the outrageous missions, the premise of the episode felt too diffuse. We wanted an actual story that would form the heart of the episode. After much discussion, we elected to pay tribute to the franchise by referencing our last milestone – episode 100 – abd bringing back Martin Lloyd and the show within a show, Wormhole X-Treme. But the fun we poked at the franchise through that spoof production was nothing compared to what we had in store for 200…
We finally meet the furlings!
Sort of. Even though it never really happened and we end up getting them killed in the end.
Back in the show's fourth season, not long after joining the production, I was summoned to Exec. Producer Robert Cooper's office. He was doing his pass on our first script, Scorched Earth, and needed something from me: the name of an alien race. When pressed, he admitted naming alien races was not his forte and, as evidence, offered up "the Furlings". I have to admit that whenever I heard the name, I always imagined a cosmic version of the Care Bears, giggling and snuggling their way through various adventures. As evidently, did everyone else on the production. The fans, however, were all sorts of curious and nary a week would go by without a fan or two posting a message board request for a glimpse of the elusive beings. As time wore on, those requests continued and, at one point, Brad suggested an episode in which we actually did get to meet them: a race of gaunt, towering, hairless, grey-skinned creatures. But that idea was quashed and the production went on its merry way, choosing to keep the race a mystery. But with 200 came the opportunity to honor those fan requests, and the viewers at home finally got to see those lovable furry creatures who turned out to be a cross between an ewok and a deranged koala.
And then we SG-1 went and got their planet blown up.
Of course, we quickly reveal that the incident never actually happened and it was part of a pitch for a revival of the defunct Wormhole X-Treme t.v. series, a show that last an inglorious three episodes before being cancelled. But thanks to an impressive second life on dvd (following in the footsteps of Family Guy and Futurama) the show is being revived – and General O'Neill, in a desire to maintain a cover of plausible deniability for the Stargate program (and, let's face it, screw with his old teammates) charges SG-1 with the task of creatively contributing to the production.
Mitchell takes on the living dead.
Every once in a while, actor Ben Browder would drop by the offices to pitch out an action sequence for his character – so I thought it appropriate that, given the opportunity, his character would pitch out an action sequence for – uh – his character. And, really, nothing says action like zombie hordes. Just ask fans of The Walking Dead. This sequence also allowed us the rare opportunity of witnessing Harriman getting his head eaten. Double bonus!
MItchell's idea is shot down and Martin gets on the phone with a representative of the studio. He is clearly frustrated and Mitchell asks: "Studio executives, huh?" Martin responds: "What? Oh, no Charlie? He's a great guy. He's the only one I trust." This was a reference to longtime MGM Exec. and Stargate supporter Charlie Cohen, one of the smartest, kindest studios executives I've ever had the pleasure to work with. As much as he was a fan of the show, we at the production were fans of Charlie.
Martin is outraged because they lost their lead. How, he wonders, can they do the show without their lead. "You just bring in a character to replace him,"suggested Mitchell – an obvious reference to the introduction of Cam Mitchell which followed soon after the departure of longtime SG-1 lead Jack O'Neill. Carter then goes on throw out some alternate ideas for keeping the lead alive: "Well, you could have the other characters refer to him all the time. Maybe, get him on the phone once in a while." Yep. Been there; done that during SG-1's seventh and eighth seasons. And then, someone references that time O'Neill was invisible…
The idea of doing an Invisible O'Neill segment was actually a joke I threw out. That ended up making the script. That happened a lot in this episode. As with all the segments, we went off and wrote them individually, and then everyone weighed in and they were tweaked. There's one beat in this segment that wasn't part of my original draft, the moment in which Carter catches O'Neill spying on her in the shower. I thought it was a little…oh…creepy.
Anyway, the Invisible O'Neill idea was embraced because we wanted Richard Dean Anderson to come back and do a cameo on this all-important episode, but didn't know if he'd be able to work an appearance. So, we figured we'd get the next best thing: his voice. As it turned out, he was able to swing the appearance, making 200 all that more special.
The Getaway
Martin then pitches out a tale of high adventure, placing our heroes (SG-1) in an impossible position – and then simply cutting to them escaping through the gate. This was a tip of the hat to the many fans outraged by a similar scenario in a past episode (don't remember the name) in which our heroes (SG-1) are surrounded by Lucian Alliance soldiers only to effect some miraculous unseen escape. During the ensuing argument over the merits of the pitch, Martin attempts to come up with a reasonable window of time for the team to reach the gate and dial. Ten seconds is too short and thirty seconds is too round a number. He decides on 38! Which, coincidentally, is the same number (of minutes) a stargate can stay open.
Timing is, of course, everything, and nothing says action like a ticking clock. Which prompts the following gem from Martin: "Trust me, jeopardy plus ticking clock is box office. It's the E equals M C squared of the entertainment world. Ask any executive." Indeed. If there were two notes we received more than any other during Stargate's long run, they were: "More jeopardy!" and "We need a ticking clock!". Having a character race a timer to defuse a bomb? Didn't get much better than that.
They're off to see the wizard!
Next to The Simpsons, The Wizard of Oz was probably the most referenced piece of pop culture over SG-1's decade-long run. The fans certainly took notice and which resulted in one particularly memorable piece of artwork being sent to studio – it depicted the original team as the cinematic classic's adventurous foursome. So, I suppose, it made perfect sense to reference the show referencing by including a little Wizard of Oz sequence in the episode as well.
Mitchell's line: "Now, how can something work perfectly fine for ten years, then all of a sudden, it doesn't work anymore?" was an in-story reference to the gate suddenly stopping operations – and, interestingly enough, could have been interpreted as a comment on the the show's cancellation.
Okay, that's enough for today. I've got a caponata to make and, time permitting, some kasu ice cream. Ivon, Lawren, and Rob are over tomorrow for some football – and, of course, to cheer on my Snow Monkeys.


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80 years ago this week. The Federal Trade Commission ruled that the L.B. Silver Company of Salem, Ohio, must "cease and desist" from representing that the Ohio Improved Chester, or OIC pig breed, is a separate breed from the Chester White breed. Several hearing were held locally, in Cleveland, Columbus and the Washington. The company was also ordered to stop advertising the OIC hog is less susceptible to cholera and that it enjoys special express rates in interstate shipment.
Practically all the stock sold by the L.B. Silver Company is bred by farmers in Columbiana and Mahoning counties and are affected by the controversy.
50 years ago this week. Representing northeast Ohio, the Cortland Grange quartet won the state championship in the contest sponsored by the national grange at the Ohio State Fair. The quartet, which will represent Ohio at the national contest in Atlantic City in November, is composed of Larry Stahl, Gerald Conley, Norman Fobes, and Walter Churchill. They were accompanied to Columbus by Paul Allen, master of the Trumbull and Pamona granges, and Carl F. Scheig, director of choral groups around Warren who has coached the quartet since it won the district contest.
25 years ago this week. Restaurateur Bob Evans of Bob Evans Farms set a new Ohio State Fair record for the grand champion barrow with his bid of $8,640. Kevin Under of Eaton, Ohio, raised the champion.
Up-to-date agriculture news in your inbox!


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A couple weeks ago, I shared with you a reader note about an internal interview process. You can read the original note here. The reader wanted to know if the situation was ethical. Here's what you said:
While the "questionable" category got the most votes, the "unethical" choice wasn't far behind. And I wouldn't totally discount the "ethical" numbers. This one-question, unscientific survey speaks volumes about ethics. My takeaway? Ethics isn't always clear. Far from it. Different people can interpret a situation differently.
That's why companies must develop an ethical standard. Each of us calibrates our moral compass differently. Every company defines ethics differently. Let's use conflict of interest as an example. Some organizations have very strict rules about gifts; others don't. It's important to define for employees what is considered to be ethical in their profession, industry and company.
Now some people might say, "Aren't there some situations that are obviously unethical?" And yes, I agree. Some situations should be obvious. Then I think about the standards of conduct companies create that include activities like "don't steal from the company or your coworkers" or "don't sleep on company time" and say to myself – shouldn't that be obvious? But sadly it's not, so we have to write rules about it.
I'll put this in the category of better safe than sorry. Define your ethical standard. So no one can question it.0


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Sony has started selling Xperia Z in US market for $629.99 on it's online store. This is an unlocked version of the Android smartphone and it is also available from Amazon and Newegg for a little less. Another thing to know is that this is a HSPA+ version that means it only supports 3G speeds and not 4G. A 4G version might be coming through T-Mobile according to the Xperia blog.
Sony has also reduced the price of Xperia ZL, earlier Xperia ZL retailed for $759 and now its price is reduced to $629.99 inline with its sibling Xperia Z. Xperia ZL is not water and dust resistant like the Xperia Z.
Sony launched Xperia Z smartphone this January, it is a flagship device for Sony and it is available in many countries since the launch. It is available in White, Black and Purple colors for the US market. It is available in India for a price of Rs. 38999.
Sony Xperia Z is powered by a 1.5GHz Quad-core Snapdragon Processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. It comes with a 5-inch full HD display with scratch resistant shutter proof sheet. It comes with a 13megapixel rear snapper and a 2Mp front camera. View full specifications of Sony Xperia Z.


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This is one of the three group campgrounds in Joshua Tree National Park and is home to six group campsites. The campground is popular with boy scouts and other such groups seeing as each large site can accommodate up to 70 people. Keep in mind that there is no potable water (as is the case with most campgrounds in the park).
The great advantage of these sites is that they are available to be reserved and are close to some of the great climbing within the park as well as a host of different hiking trails. If you're headed into the park with an eye on climbing during the high season, it offers significant peace of mind to snag one of these sites. Dogs are allowed at this campground, though they must be on a leash when outside your vehicle. RVs, on the other hand, are not allowed.
This site sits at the southern edge of the broader Lost Horse Valley just to the east of Hidden Valley Campground, and it is named for the pass that divides the Lost Horse Valley and the Queen Valley.
One of the most notable formations in the area is the prominent Saddle Rocks that are perched just below the summit of Ryan Mountain. It's best accessed from Ryan Campground, but many groups default to Sheep Pass Campground for the peace of mind of having a reserved site. The Saddle Rocks crag features some of the longest climbs in the park and attracts a great number of climbers. And for good reason. Though it's a bit sparse compared to other jam-packed crags in Joshua Tree National Park, it boasts several must-climb classics.


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Negotiations began between the Tanzanian government and Shell and Equinor about a host government agreement for a US$30bn liquefied natural gas (LNG) project that had come to a deadlock since 2019
Teledyne Gas & Flame Detection will showcase highly capable solutions such as its GD1 open-path laser gas detector and its GD10P infrared gas detector, which features upgraded software during ADIPEC 2021
Perth-based energy exploration company Kinetiko Energy has provided an update on the company's operational activities and significant new exploration commencing and specifically the first new gas wells being drilled in over eight years
SPM Oil & Gas in Dubai, a leading upstream provider of systematised pressure pumping and pressure control equipment and services, has announced the availability of its new KOP AM20 Series Gate Valves
The KOP AM20 Series Gate Valves reduce NPT and the risk of catastrophic well loss while lowering inventory costs.
The KOP AM20 Series Gate Valves allow and shut-in flow for every operation of the wellhead, tree system and choke and kill manifolds — from drilling and completion to pumping and production. The KOP AM20 Series offers unprecedented safety by ensuring a gas-tight seal from pressures as high as 10,000 psi to as low as 50 psi. An advanced coating guards against high wear, corrosion resistance and low friction factors for low operating torque.
The KOP AM20 Series also meets stringent requirements and is qualified for API 6A Annex PR2F, API 6FA fire test, API 6AV1 sand slurry test, extended low gas pressure hold test, endurance cycle test and sea water corrosion test. The actuated KOP AM20 Series surface safety valves are qualified to Annex F PR2F, API 6FA and API 6AV1 Class II.
The KOP AM20 Series features a simplified design that is not only smaller and lighter for greater cost savings but also provides part interchangeability to simplify inventory requirements. The KOP AM20 Series withstands harsh conditions for more than 600 endurance cycles—representing a 60-year lifespan—without grease injection. The KOP AM20 Gate Valves increase the maintenance period by 50% as compared to other gate valves in the market. This will reduce valve maintenance cost by at least 50%.
"Our new KOP AM20 Series Gate Valves enable operating companies and drilling contractors to satisfy today's well integrity qualifications while lowering their assets' life cycle costs, enabling them to more effectively compete in the marketplace," said Ronan Le Gloahec, president of SPM Oil & Gas Eastern Hemisphere.
From North America to the Eastern Hemisphere region, SPM Oil & Gas can solve customers' engineering challenges and improve oil and gas operators' efficiencies with a comprehensive global product offering and localised service capabilities that meet the needs of each operating environment.
Sasol and the Central Energy Fund (CEF) have signed a MoU to collaborate on accelerating the development of gas solutions in South Africa
Alain Charles Publishing
University House,
11-13 Lower Grosvenor Place,
London, SW1W 0EX, UK
W: www.alaincharles.com


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Mama was the best cook. And she loved to experiment with recipes, adapting them and making them her own. One very special dish was her Beef Curry. It was our family's favorite, and it became the go-to dish for birthdays. I'm pretty sure that every member of our clan had the privilege of celebrating their birthday at Mom and Dad's house with a heaping plate of Beef Curry and Rice, followed by 'the cake', which was a simple chocolate sheet cake slathered with chocolate and pecan icing.
Mama would have turned 89 this October. Each October, I miss her more and more, and this year I decided that a good way to remember her was to make up a batch of her Beef Curry, adapting it (as she would have done) to my Instant Pot. Continue reading "Quick and Easy Instant Pot Beef Curry"


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Notice of Special Interest: Research on EMSC
- Published October 13, 2019
Research Objectives
This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) invites research applications that focuses on three specific areas of research on emergency medical services for children which were understudied in earlier versions of this program. These are:
1) Clinical and translational research which includes building the evidence base for clinical aspects of emergencies and emergency care and assuring pediatric safety and quality in emergency care.
2) Methodology which includes improving data collection, patient outcomes and outcome measures in pediatric emergency care, and system organization, configuration, and operation to provide optimal care.
3) Evaluation which includes costs and cost-effectiveness, diagnostic tests, procedures, and services provided by medical, nursing, social work, first responders, ancillary personnel and others involved in EMSC care, and the evaluation of systems of EMSC care.
Please click the button in the side bar to view the Notice.
Please direct all inquiries to the contacts in Section VII of the listed funding opportunity announcements with the following additions/substitutions:
Scientific/Research Contact(s) Valerie Maholmes, PhD, CAS
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
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Notice Number
Key Dates
Release Date: October 9, 2019
First Available Due Date: February 5, 2020
Expiration Date: September 8, 2022
View Notice Here


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On October 17, the WH announced the President's intent to nominate career diplomat and former ambassador to South Sudan Mary Catherine Phee as the next U.S. Ambassador to Qatar. The WH released the following brief bio:
Mary Catherine Phee of Illinois, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Qatar.
Ms. Phee, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as the Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation at the Department of State. Previously, she served as Ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, and Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Additionally, she served on the National Security Council as Director for Iraq and was the Senior Civilian Representative of the Coalition Provisional Authority to Maysan Province, al-Amarah, Iraq. Ms. Phee earned her B.A. from Indiana University and M.A.L.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She is the recipient the State Department's Robert C. Frasure Memorial Award and the Baker-Wilkins Award for Outstanding Deputy Chief of Mission. She also received the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award and the Order of the British Empire. Ms. Phee speaks Arabic.
If confirmed, this would be Ambassador Phee's second ambassadorial appointment. She was appointed and confirmed U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan in 2015. She would succeed career diplomat Dana Shell Smith (1970–) who served as chief of mission to the US Embassy in Doha from 2014-2017.
Since 1960 when AFSA started tracking ambassadorial appointments, the U.S. Ambassador to Qatar appointees have been largely career diplomats. Only two appointees (Joseph Ghougassian (1944–) and Chase Untermeyer (1946–)) were political appointees.
Lord @tariqahmadbt has a productive meeting with #US Ambassador, Mary Phee, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of International Organisations 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/egLS62R7s3
— UK Mission Geneva (@UKMissionGeneva) February 27, 2018
U.S. Ambassador to #SouthSudan Molly Phee & embassy staff in blood drive in #Juba @USMissionJuba @unmissmedia pic.twitter.com/E8IEIHZGJ8
— Radio Miraya (@RadioMiraya) April 6, 2017
Happy #JulyFourth from #SouthSudan 🇸🇸, where our team celebrated with U.S. Ambassador Molly Phee (second from right) + @USAIDSouthSudan 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/f39xCh9aOg
— Democracy International (@DemocracyIntl) July 4, 2017


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I have skipped the Weber State game because ... well, I'm sure you can figure out why.
Over the past two seasons, the Utes haven't exactly jumped into conference play successfully - starting 0-4 both times. That slow start has certainly played a role in why the program has taken a couple steps back since joining the conference and they'll look to change that this season with a big third week conference match against the improved Oregon State Beavers.
If Utah wants to be the 2013 version of Oregon State, they're going to have to beat 2013's Oregon State and this game should ultimately help establish what direction the program is heading for this season. I think we all can concede that a winning campaign pretty much only gets off the ground with wins over Utah State and the Beavers and if they can't do at least that, the prospects of a bowl game quickly become pretty bleak.
This is an interestingly timed game. Utah plays Weber State (I'm assuming a win) the week before and then BYU a week later. Unlike the last two years, the Utes won't be entering Pac-12 play on the heels of a Holy War and that might actually help the team focus a bit in getting off to a hot start. Something that is imperative to the success of this season.
But Oregon State is also a very good team. It's odd to say that when, this time last year, most everyone assumed they would be one of the worst Pac-12 teams, and yet here we are after a very solid 2012 from Mike Riley's Boys. I mentioned already that Utah is auditioning to being this year's Beavers and of course, that means they're looking to be the 2013 surprise conference team - one that is universally overlooked and that bursts onto the scene with a fairly impressive upset win. They have the first part down (being underestimated) and the Oregon State game most definitely could act as that second part - a notice that the program might be better than most any in the national and local media expected.
It's interesting that today, 5 Dimes Sports Book put the over/under for Utah at 5.5 wins. Not exactly a show of confidence for a team that, this point last year, was floated around as potentially a Pac-12 South champion. But for the Utes to get to that over, to return to a bowl game, it's hard for me to envision a scenario without a victory at home against the Beavers. I guess it could play out differently, and I shouldn't expect anything after the last two years, but it seems like common sense that this game is going to help define what type of team Utah is in 2013.
Fortunately, Oregon State is a winnable game - especially at home. I don't think the Utes played all that badly against the Beavers a year ago in Corvallis, though they did eventually end up losing 21-7. This was a game they only trailed 14-7 entering the fourth quarter and appeared to have momentum late in the third when Travis Wilson found Jake Murphy for an 18 yard touchdown pass that really got them back into it. The rally never resulted in a tie game, but for a portion of the second half, Utah actually was in it and that, at the time, was pretty impressive when you consider it was only Wilson's second start all-time and, more importantly, on the road against the 8th ranked and undefeated Beavers - who, if you remember, had defeated BYU 42-24 down at LaVell Edwards Stadium a week prior.
It wasn't a moral victory. I didn't take solace in the fact Utah kept it close for pretty much the entire contest. But that was one constant about last year's team that does give me hope for this year's - namely they were competitive in a whole host of their losses (USU, USC, UCLA, Oregon State and Arizona). The idea here being, of course, that they're able to turn a few of those close losses, or at least a couple, into wins this season.
Oregon State remains, whether realistic or not, one of those best shots.
Utah actually finished last year's game with 307 total offensive yards, which was better than Oregon State (227) overall. Wilson, though, did have two interceptions, which really made the chance at winning extremely challenging. But much is forgiven when, again, you realize it was only his second start and also happened in rainy weather.
Wilson would eventually take the blame for the loss and Utah would move on to win two in a row, temporarily salvaging their season, before dropping the next two to lose their bowl eligibility.
They'll need to be more consistent this season, and in this game, to win and make that bowl eligibility push.
As for the Beavers, they're not going to sneak up on anyone again this year. That might have been an added benefit in 2012 because most didn't realistically think they were a threat - even after their upset win over Wisconsin. It didn't really start to sink in that this team was legit until, I think, that dominant victory over the Cougars in Provo.
So, is Utah going to take Oregon State's place as the surprise Pac-12 team or will the Beavers continue to build on what they started last year and just extend their success over the Utes to two games?
The path Utah takes in 2013 will surely be ties to either outcome.


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Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what books they got throughout the week!
From Publisher
One book for review this week, but it looks like a good one! I love historical romances, so I can't wait to read this!
From Half Price Books
I went to Half Price Books to go Christmas shopping and, of course, had to get something for myself! I had a $5 off of $25, so I got some presents and then I got these two books for my bookshelf. Down London Road is the only book in Samantha Young's series that I didn't own, so when I found it for $5, I had to pick it up! I also found Oblivion for $5 and, seeing as I LOVED Obsidian, I couldn't resist picking it up. I'm definitely happy with these goodies I got myself :)


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Fishing Roosevelt Lake Arizona
Fishing Vacations at Roosevelt Lake, Arizona
Far from being just a dry and thirsty desert, Arizona is home to more than 400 bodies of water suitable for fishing and camping. In this state, you can choose between fishing in hot or cold water, and find a place where the fish are biting at any time of the year. In this regard, Roosevelt Lake will not disappoint you! Tonto National Forest hosts one of the most famous lakes in the state, Roosevelt Lake. A gem, especially when it comes to bass fishing in Arizona.
The lake is known for its 20,000 acres of warm waters and vegetation cover that allow the bass population to thrive. The lake is the third largest water reservoir in Arizona, which is formed by the Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River. Built in 1911, this reservoir is the oldest in the state. Its named after President Theodore Roosevelt, who played a major role in the construction of this lake. When it comes to the common features of the lake - largemouth and smallmouth bass are the ones which are most popular amongst the anglers. The lake is open all year round for fishing, and that's good news for sport fishing lovers.
Beware, the water fluctuations in this lake are frequent, so you should be careful while enjoying water activities!
Fishing Roosevelt Lake requires you to have a license if you are above 10 years of age. Its issued by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Various types of licenses are available for the Arizona residents and non-residents.
Roosevelt Lake Fishing
Roosevelt Lake offers many possibilities, providing you with the ultimate fishing experience. The nutrient-rich vegetation of the lake helps to produce largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white bass, striped bass, catfish, and bluegill.
The lake is famous for producing a large number of bass. Most people come to the lake to catch bass. The best time to fish in this lake is late winter and early spring when large sized bass move to the spawning flats. In March, the spawning season is at its peak. During this time, the anglers prefer to use bait that is made from rigged worms, and soft plastic, as well Texas-rigs. However, in the summer season, the best baits are: Carolina rigs, heavy jigs, and deep-running crankbaits.
During fall, the bass often returns to the shallow water. Most fishermen find success while fishing in this area for largemouth bass. Then, anglers use spinner baits and crankbaits. During summer, the peak time is morning and evening at the deep areas and shoreline. For largemouth bass, anglers mostly choose both artificial and live nightcrawlers and spinner baits.
Smallmouth bass is another popular fish species found in the waters of Roosevelt Lake. During the day time, smallmouth can be found under the covers in water. While during morning and evening time, they move to the shorelines.
During the spring season, white bass move to shallow water to spawn, which provides a great opportunity for the anglers to catch them. Bait that are effective for white bass include: minnows, silver spoons (silver, white, yellow or chartreuse), and slabs. The surface lure can also be used, but usually, the fish is caught on slabs, live gizzard shad, and plastic shad.
For catfish and shovelhead which are 11- to 24-inch range, the trotline area in the upper lake is good. From July to September, using large suckers, night crawlers, shrimp, and chicken liver -the anglers catch a fairly large number of shovelhead and catfish.
Anglers can try their luck in the areas of rip-rap and rocky shores during late spring and early summer. At this time, the effective baits will be: cut bait, sunfish, shad gizzards, blood bait, large minnows, and shrimp. When the fish migrate downstream to the main pool area in spring, you should choose live gizzard shad. Anglers do not hook catfish by rod and reel but usually by trotlining, with live sunfish as bait.
Roosevelt Lake Lodging and Amenities
Boating, swimming, jet skiing, and water skiing are featured, which makes the lake a favorite recreation spot. The lake features many marinas and boat rentals, which offer: sailboats, bass boats, pontoons, and other boats are available for all sort of pleasure.
Amenities such as restrooms, showers, and first aid stations are provided.
The Roosevelt Lake area provides hotels and cabins to behold the nice views of Roosevelt Lake. The cabins are located in beautiful areas where you can fully enjoy the beautiful evenings. Restaurants and motels are located in the nearby areas.
Other Attractions At Roosevelt Lake
Grapevine, Schoolhouse, Cholla, Indian Point, Cholla Bay, and Bachelor Cove are popular camping sites which provide excellent camping opportunities.
The Vineyard Canyon area has short trails known as the Vineyard Trails, which lead to the rocky lake shore. It is the only maintained trail along the shoreline. Apache Trail Route has some of the the most scenic views in Arizona, especially in the summer season. You can behold the beauty of this lake from the heights while walking or hiking on the trail.
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Arizona Center for Hand Surgery – Phoenix
Arizona Center for Hand Surgery – Phoenix
Market Sector:
Phoenix, AZ
Archicon Architecture & Interiors
Square Feet:
The Phoenix remodel took an unoccupied second floor space with nearly 1,000 square feet of exterior balconies, and reconfigured the space into new Administrative and Patient Care Areas and adjoined the existing administrative office of ACHSS. The project captured additional square footage for the growing practice by enclosing the balconies with new interior space that now serves as the main patient entry/waiting areas and adding a large open treatment room to enhance the patient experience through therapies. The elevator was reconfigured and updated into the new interior space on the second floor as well. The building facade was complemented with new storefront assemblies that match the existing curtain wall to allow the new addition to blend in nicely with the existing.
In addition, the entire parking lot was resurfaced with the new asphalt to provide a face lift to the aging site. New floor finishes have been added to the ground floor and stairs to provide additional visual upgrades to the building. In all, the new tenant improvement and building addition were completed in only 8 weeks and did not cause any major disruptions to ACHSS ongoing busy patient schedule.


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Ok, here's the experiment. We analyzed over 500,000 first contacts on our dating site, OkCupid. Our program looked at keywords and phrases, how they affected reply rates, and what trends were statistically significant. The result: a set of rules for what you should and shouldn't say when introducing yourself online. Let's go:
Rule 1Netspeak, bad grammar, and bad spelling are huge turn-offs. Our negative correlation list is a fool's lexicon: ur, u, wat, wont, and so on. These all make a terrible first impression. In fact, if you count hit (and we do!) the worst 6 words you can use in a first message are all stupid slang.
Be literate
Be literate
Language like this is such a strong deal-breaker that correctly written but otherwise workaday words like don't and won't have nicely above average response rates (36% and 37%, respectively).
Interesting exceptions to the "no netspeak" rule are expressions of amusement. haha (45% reply rate) and lol (41%) both turned out to be quite good for the sender. This makes a certain sense: people like a sense of humor, and you need to be casual to convey genuine laughter. hehe was also a successful word, but much less so (33%). Scientifically, this is because it's a little evil sounding.
So, in short, it's okay to laugh, but keep the rest of your message grammatical and punctuated.
Rule 2Although the data shows this advice holds true for both sexes, it's mostly directed at guys, because they are way more likely to talk about looks. You might think that words like gorgeous, beautiful, and sexy are nice things to say to someone, but no one wants to hear them. As we all know, people normally like compliments, but when they're used as pick-up lines, before you've even met in person, they inevitably feel…ew. Besides, when you tell a woman she's beautiful, chances are you're not.
Avoid physical compliments
Avoid physical compliments
On the other hand, more general compliments seem to work well:
The word pretty is a perfect case study for our point. As an adjective, it's a physical compliment, but as an adverb (as in, "I'm pretty good at sports.") it's is just another word.
When used as an adverb it actually does very well (a phenomenon we'll examine in detail below), but as pretty's uses become more clearly about looks, reply rates decline sharply. You're pretty and your pretty are phrases that could go either way (physical or non-). But very pretty is almost always used to describe the way something or someone looks, and you can see how that works out.
Rule 3We took a close look at salutations. After all, the way you choose to start your initial message to someone is the "first impression of your first impression." The results surprised us:
Use an unusual greeting
Use an unusual greeting
The top three most popular ways to say "hello" were all actually bad beginnings. Even the slangy holla and yo perform better, bucking the general "be literate" rule. In fact, it's smarter to use no traditional salutation at all (which earns you the reply rate of 27%) and just dive into whatever you have to say than to start with hi. I'm not sure why this is: maybe the ubiquity of the most popular openings means people are more likely to just stop reading when they see them.
The more informal standard greetings: how's it going, what's up, and howdy all did very well. Maybe they set a more casual tone that people prefer, though I have to say, You had me at 'what's up' doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
Rule 4Obviously, all successful OkCupid relationships outgrow our in-site messaging feature. But an offer to chat or of an email address right off the bat is a sure turn off. One of the things online dating has going for it is its relative anonymity, and if you start chipping away at that too early, you'll scare the other person off.
Don't take it outside
Don't take it outside
Also, don't ask for or give away a cell number (10%). I thought that was a no-brainer.
Rule 4There are many words on the effective end of our list like zombie, band, tattoo, literature, studying, vegetarian (yes!), and metal (double yes!) that are all clearly referencing something important to the sender, the recipient, or, ideally, both. Talking about specific things that interest you or that you might have in common with someone is a time-honored way to make a connection, and we have proof here that it works. We're presenting just a smattering: in fact every "niche" word that we have significant data on has a positive effect on messaging.
Bring up specific interests
Bring up specific interests
Even more effective are phrases that engage the reader's own interests, or show you've read their profile:
Rule 5Awkward, sorry, apologize, kinda, and probably all made male messages more successful, yet none of them except sorry affects female messages. As we mentioned before, pretty, no doubt because of its adverbial meaning of "to a fair degree; moderately" also helps male messages. A lot of real-world dating advice tells men to be more confident, but apparently hemming and hawing a little works well online.
If you're a guy, be self-effacing
If you're a guy, be self-effacing
It could be that appearing unsure makes the writer seem more vulnerable and less threatening. It could be that women like guys who write mumbly. But either way: men should be careful not to let the appearance of vulnerability become the appearance of sweaty desperation: please is on the negative list (22% reply rate), and in fact it is the only word that is actually worse for you than its netspeak equivalent (pls, 23%)!
Rule 6Mentioning your religion helps you, but, paradoxically, it helps you most if you have no religion. We know that's going to piss a lot of people off, and we're more or less tongue-in-cheek with this advice, but it's what the numbers say.
Consider becoming an atheist
Consider becoming an atheist
These are the religious terms that appeared a statistically significant number of times. Atheist actually showed up surprisingly often (342 times per 10,000 messages, second only to 552 mentions of christian and ahead of 278 for jewish and 142 for muslim).
Though very few people actually do it, invoking the sky-breaking thunderbolts of zeus does help a person get noticed (reply rate 56%), but maybe that shouldn't be a surprise on a site that is itself named for a member of the Classical pantheon. So if you can't bring yourself to deny the deity, consider opening yourself up to a whole wacky bunch of them. But ideally you should just disbelieve the whole thing. It can help your love life, and, besides, if there really was a god, wouldn't first messages always get a reply?