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Ok everyone, gather around. It is time to learn about the history of bird cages.
Wait! Come back! Don't fly away just yet. I know, I know…the history of bird cages sounds like the beginning of a long-winded, and possibly made up, story you hear from your grandparents. I mean…it's a cage. For birds. End of history, right? I am happy to say I was proven wrong thanks to thanks to Richard H. Randall Jr.'s research article, "A Gothic Bird Cage". I am always ready to learn new things and Randall's article definitely taught me more about bird cages than I knew before..
Looking through the different bird cage products and projects from Michaels I had to wonder…when did the idea putting birds in cages begin? When did we start using them as decoration?
In Randall's article, he discusses how many ancient Greek vases depict tall wicker cages characteristic in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. He also mentions different symbols associated with bird cages. For example, he describes an early Christian sarcophagus from the Vatican cemetery that looks like a domed bird cage with the bird sitting on top of it, signifying that the soul of the person had been liberated from its earthly prison.
Wood and wicker were the most common materials used to make bird cages in medieval times. The wicker cages had a conical or rectangular shape and were hawked by peddlers along the streets. Iron cages were also common in the palaces of Louis XI and Isabella of Bavaria. In 1379.
Charles V of France had decorative bird cages made out of "gold and silver filled with birds of enamel and precious metals, set with the finest gems. These minute birds were sweetly perfumed, and the cages hung in the wardrobes and chambers of the palaces as sachets."
Apparently the idea of decorating with bird cages has been around a lot longer than I thought. I know for a fact that I could never rock a bird cage hair style but I might be able to pull off a few bird cage decorations in my apartment.
If you want to try to bring a little of this history to your own home, Michaels has several projects that continue the history of bird cage décor. Why not try making the Bird Cage Bamboo Wind Chime, Turquoise Bird Cage succulent display, or Bird Cage Lanterns.
Have fun incorporating bird cages into your home décor!


text: Now was very gritty, and very disturbing in that as a reader I had no idea what the backstory was, only that Scotty was obviously injured and trying desperately to fix something. It reminded me of the crash scene from Jeri Taylor's Mosaic where Janeway crashed with her father on that ice planet and was trying to survive despite being only moderately aware of where she was and what was happening to her due to her serious injuries. Nicely done. Strange and unsettling, but effective.

subset: commoncrawl


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Jordan is 'playing with fire,' Syria says
Fri., April 5, 2013
AMMAN, Jordan – Jordan tightened security along its border with Syria, doubling the number of soldiers as President Bashar Assad's regime warned Thursday the kingdom is "playing with fire" by allowing the U.S and other countries to train and arm Syrian rebels on its territory.
The warning, coinciding with significant rebel advances near the border, plays into Jordanian fears that its larger neighbor might try to retaliate for its support of the opposition fighters.
The stepped-up security also reflects the kingdom's fears that the chaos from Syria's 2-year-old civil war could lead to a failed state on its doorstep where Islamic militants have a free hand.
The Syrian warnings followed statements from U.S. and other Western and Arab officials that Jordan has been facilitating arms shipments and hosting training camps for Syrian rebels since last October.
A front-page editorial in the government daily al-Thawra accused Amman of adopting a policy of "ambiguity" by training the rebels while at the same time publicly insisting on a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
Jordan is "playing with fire," state radio said.
Over the years, Syria has accused Jordan of being America's "puppet" because of its strong alliance with the United States and a "spy" for Israel, with which Amman maintains cordial ties under a peace treaty signed in 1994.
A Jordanian security official said the kingdom had tightened security along its 230-mile border with Syria.
He said Jordan was also hoping to receive one or two Patriot missile batteries, which the U.S. might temporarily pull out of the Persian Gulf to station on Jordan's northern border. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements to the media.
Jordan's chief of staff, Gen. Mishaal Zaben, said Jordan was installing more cameras, radar and sophisticated early detection equipment to help prevent smuggling and infiltrations across the border and assist Syrian refugees as they cross into Jordan. The equipment will "significantly bolster Jordan's defenses along the border with Syria," he said.
The rebels being trained in Jordan are mainly secular Sunni Muslim tribesmen from central and southern Syria who once served in the army and police. The force is expected to fill a security vacuum by protecting the border with Jordan, assisting displaced Syrians and setting up a safe haven for refugees.
They are also envisioned as a counterbalance to the Islamic militant groups that have proved to be among the most effective of the myriad rebel factions fighting Assad's forces on the ground.
Chief among these is Jabhat al-Nusra or the Nusra Front, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist group and says is associated with al-Qaida.


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US Cellular Field 5-4-2010
My last blog about Cellular field, and their fans was kind of harsh, I suppose. I had a bad experience. You know what they say about first impressions. Well, the WhiteSox were hosting the Kansas City Royals for a three game home stand, and I always have great success with the Royals throwing me baseballs. So I figured I would try my luck with them on the road. Since it was a weekday, and both of these teams were struggling to maintain a decent spot in the division, I figured the crowd would be minimum. I checked Monday nights attendance, and it was somewhere in the low 20,000 range. Perfect.
Finally arriving at U.S Cellular field, I made my way around the stadium. It was such a beautiful day but very windy. I had to pull my baseball cap down over my eyes to keep it from blowing off of my head. Like many games before I was the first fan at the stadium. I feel thats probably the first step in success in getting as many baseballs as possible at a game. Being the first person in line. Also, in the picture above do you notice something with the gates? Yep. That specific gate was open, and no security around. I wandered over for a closer look.
Yes folks. This gate was unlocked, open, and no one around to guard it. I quickly went into daydream mode. I thought about going inside, and having the whole stadium to myself. I dreamt about going down to field level, and claiming all the easter eggs in the seats. I got endless autographs. I got endless baseballs. My bag was filled to the brim, and I could barely zip it up. I had to take it to my car, and unload baseballs into the truck of my car.
" Hello? Hey, hello? HELLO?!" Snapped the man with a WhiteSox shirt on. I quickly snapped back to reality.
" Yes?" I answered.
" You here for the game, or what? You cant enter here." He said in a sharp tone.
" Oh, I know. Yeah, Im here for the game. Im just killing time." I answered back, and walked away with a smirk. In the first picture on the left side of it you can see a security camera. Thats probably why the man came out. It was fun dreaming anyway.
I continued my trek around the stadium. What kind of bothers me about this stadium ( like many ) is you cant walk completely around it. Busch Stadium in Saint Louis is the same way. Im not sure why that is. Maybe its because they designed it that way because the old stadium was in the way. But didnt they just upgrade, and renovate New Comiskey Park to U.S Cellular? I mean, you can walk around Cellular Field, but you end up on the main road, and before that you have to cross through the projects. I wasnt up for a long walk anyway. I turned back around, and headed towards home plate entrance. There was a band setting up, and doing sound checks for pre-game festivities. There were a few WhiteSox, and Royals fans lingering around, but not much else was going on. I couldnt believe there were Royals fans in Chicago.
Finally a small crowd started to show up at around 5:00pm. The gates open 90 minutes before game time on weekdays at Cellular Field. Just like Kauffman. The WhiteSox arent winning, and they arent drawing the crowd. So thats why the gates open 90 minutes prior to game time rather than two hours. As I stood in line a small crowd of autograph collectors started to gather at the front next to me. At least eight finally showed up but I knew they werent any competition. These guys show up early like me, but they run down to the dugouts, and reserve those spots to get autographs during batting practice. No threat whatsoever. If they all wanted to get in front of me I wouldnt have a problem because Id beat them down to the field anyway. Ticket ready to go, the gates went up, and we were in.
Okay folks. Its time to learn about a stupid rule U.S Cellular Field has that I was not aware of. In fact, I think this is a brand new rule they just made up. If you have been following my Blogs youll know I was at Cellular Field on April 24th 2010. Well, apparently between April 24th, and May 4th fans can no longer stand in the first row directly behind the visiting teams dugout. I dont know about the WhiteSox dugout because I never went over there. I didnt even look when I was told to either stand in the aisle one row back, or stand behind the front row seats. But its okay to go sit directly next to the dugout to get autographs. Im trying to understand these rules, and Im trying to understand the logic behind them, and Im also trying to understand who is making them, and Im also trying to understand why they are being made, and Im also trying to respect them. But its hard to do all of that. The front row was completely empty. It was just me, and the usher that was standing on top of the dugout. Ridiculous.
So there I was standing in the aisle exactly one row back. I inched forward and stood inline with the front row seats eventually. These rules were stupid so I compromised. I cant remember if the usher left, or I simply blocked him out but eventually I was standing in the front row again with no one bothering me. I called out to a Royals coach that I couldnt recognize, and asked him for a baseball. I was told that the Royals were short baseballs today, and he couldnt throw me one. I thanked him for his time, and I tol dhim I would hit him up once "we" got back to Kansas City. He nodded, and assured me he'd hook me up at the K. I moved on. ( Obviously wearing my Kansas City Royals cap. )
The Royals had a good 45 minutes or so left on the field, and I traveled down the first base line to see if I could snag some foul balls. Within minutes of moving down there a ball was hit my way but out of reach. I stayed on it, and Kyle Davies came over to retrieve it. I asked him if I could have it, and he tossed it to me. Bing! Ball number one. I quickly put it in my bag, and continued to wait on more. It really didnt hit me that I had my first ball of the day until moments later. Its almost as if Im expected to get at least one. Especially after the game at Busch on April 30th 2010. What an utter disaster that game turned out to be. So I felt pretty good about today after snagging that one.
I continued to wander around the baseball field. The nice thing about Cellular Field is you have instant access around the entire field. There arent gates, and railings, and shields, and ushers, and guards to keep you from moving around. So I moved out into the outfield for a while to see if I could catch a home run ball. Well, the Royals were hitting, and they dont have any real power hitters except maybe Billy Butler, Scott Podsednik, and MAYBE Jason Kendall. I played straight away center field, and a few came my way but way too short. Fortunatly, I identified 2009 Cy Young Award Winner Zack Greinke as he came running full speed to the wall while trying to field two baseballs. I asked if he could please toss one of them up to me, and he looked up at me with a smile after stopping himself against the wall. He backtracked off the warning track, and underhanded me one. Bing! What a stand up guy! The Royals werent throwing a lot of baseballs into the crowd so I felt fortunate enough to get these two that I had. I guess they really were short on baseballs or they just didnt like WhiteSox fans.
The Royals had plenty of right handed hitters coming to the dish so I sprinted to the third base line. Minimum competition. Mostly fathers with their kids encouraging them to catch baseballs. I held my ground but nothing really came my way. One ball came screaming passed everyone, and no one had a good position on it so it just rolled to the corner. I contemplated assembling my glove for the glove trick, and as soon as I started to make my way towards the corner to get the ball this guy had already started lowering his ball retrieving device! Within seconds he had the ball! I ran after him to speak with him, and he acted as though I had the plague. I finally caught up with him.
" Excuse me." I called after him.
" Oh, I thought you were security. I heard a voice, so I started to make a run for it." He laughed.
" No, I wanted to know if youve seen Zack Hamples ball retrieving device." I laughed, as I spoke to him.
" The guy on Youtube? Yeah, Ive seen that. Its pretty impressive. Most people see me use this cup so they run up to the concessions stand, get a cup, come down, and it doesnt work because they arent doing it right." He explained.
" And security hates me. Everytime I use it they come running after me to try, and get my device. Its insanity." He chuckled.
" I know. Last time I was here I tried to use my ball retrieving device, and security stopped me. I got the ball anyway but still." I said.
" Yeah. I hear ya. Well, happy hunting. Ill catch you later." He said as he jogged away. I waved, and started to head back over to the third base line. Then I went back over to the first base line.
I stayed on the first base line for the remainder of batting practice. Which wasnt much longer. After being rejected by Willie Bloomquist in the outfield for a baseball, I had another chance to get another from him. He sent a soft line down the line into foul territory. When the ball landed it died out immediatly. I knew it wasnt going to roll all the way to me. Id have to go get it, and I figured a whole mess of kids were on their way to get it. I had a young couple sitting in the front row directly to my left that were in my way. I stood there for a half a second waiting for one of them to jump up, and get it. Niether of these things happened. I couldnt believe it. No one was going after this ball? It was two feet away from these two people! TWO FEET! It rolled to the wall, and just sat there. I excused myself, moved passed the happy couple, and scooped up the ball.
" Who hit it?" Asked the security guard ten feet away.
" Willie Bloomquist." I answered back. What an easy grab. It doesnt get any easier than that, folks. I know at Busch Stadium that ball would have been swallowed up by a fan before it even reached the wall. So that was number three on the day. As soon as I got that ball, I wandered down the line towards home plate to call out to Bruce Chen to toss me number four. No dice. Batting practice ended, and I made my way up into the concourse for some food, and drink. I still couldnt believe that no one went for that last ball.
During the game here is where I sat.
Great seats for $35.00. Unfortunatly, I was in the middle of the row, with people on both sides of me. Two foul balls came my way. If I had been sitting on the aisle one of them would have been mine. It landed about five feet from me on the stairs, and rolled underneath the seats. The next foul ball came later in the game, and it came right at security. ( Security were the ball boys ) All I saw was security run out of the way, the ball took a hard bounce up into the seats, and nailed a guy right in the face. The ball hit so hard it put him on the ground, and flew back out onto the field. Scott Podsednik fielded the ball, and tossed it into the stands. The guy that got hit was okay, but was taken by EMS to make sure. And that was it. After the game I chased down to the Royals dugout to try, and get one more ball. No dice.
Worth mentioning. This game was Ozzie Guillens 1,000th as a manager for the White Sox. Congratulations Skipper!
Also for you Ballhawks that are chasing homerun balls here is a list of players that are close to their milestones;
Alex Rodriguez- 585
Andruw Jones- 397
Derek Lee- 297
Alfonso Soriano- 297
Albert Pujols- 373
Game; Chicago WhiteSox Vs Kansas City Royals May 4th 2010 7:05pm
Game Balls; Three
Autographs; None
Attendance; 17,517


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The fashion assassins
We shouldn't be so quick to dismiss fashion as shallow, writes Damon Young. We're more influenced than most of us care to believe.
For some, fashion has a whiff of shallowness to it. Thought is profound, says the received wisdom, but clothes are superficial.
For example, I was once invited onto a television program about fashion. As the token philosopher, I suspect my job was not to share my sartorial tips ('geek chic'), but to give my eyes-over-bifocals professorial contempt for beauty and clothes.
Friends and colleagues will agree that I'm no ambassador for fashion or style. Torn cheap jeans shorts and a Marvel Hulk t-shirt usually win over a Rhodes and Beckett shirt and fitted Levis.
But it is absurd to pretend my clothes are alien to me. They convey a casualness that softens my professional profile; they speak to pop culture tastes, and wariness of academy formality. To deny this is what the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre called 'bad faith': refusing responsibility for my own existence.
And every item in my wardrobe was designed, produced, distributed, purchased, and is now worn by a paying consumer. This is the point of Meryl Streep's sharp monologue from The Devil Wears Prada, as she chastises her blithe assistant. "It's sort of comical how you think you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry," she deadpans to a doe-eyed Anne Hathaway in a cerulean jumper, "when, in fact, you're wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room." Those who are wary of fashion's influence are still touched by its industry.
Alongside the rag trade is clothing's social currency. As the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu noted in his book Distinction, so many of our tastes and habits speak to economic class and social status. Food, music, accent, gestures, couture or bargain bin jumpers: they arise from social distinctions, and reproduce these within us. While we are not mindless automatons, argued Bourdieu, even spontaneous splurges and improvised outfits usually obey unwritten social laws.
And this is not just a French quirk. In Accounting For Tastes, Tony Bennett and colleagues demonstrated how many of Australia's everyday choices are marked by socioeconomic standing. "The care of the body," they write about beauty and fitness, "is both more intensive and more extensive as one's educational level rises."
In short: even if I am contemptuous of fashion, the economic and social character of clothing will stick to me like synthetic underwear on a summer jog.
But why be contemptuous of fashion at all? The basic idea is that thought and beauty are somehow at odds; that the industry of style is in conflict with the enterprise of thought.
This is false. Yes, fashion can be ludicrously priced, and sold on hype instead of talent or craft. But this is true of the art market. Much fashion is trivial or pretentious – again, this is true of all arts and crafts. Both art and fashion, as industries, can corrupt or cultivate their chief worth: semblance.
Semblance is an old-fashioned word, but in this case it means a show: display, appearance, performance. It is something knowingly false, which is enjoyed without pretending it is straightforwardly true - the way we 'suspend disbelief' at the movies. In many cases, semblance is literally superficial: a surface, whether painted, projected or embroidered.
The philosopher and poet Friedrich Schiller once noted that semblance and reality are bedfellows, not enemies - as long as they are not mistaken for one another. And to avoid this, we have to be familiar with both: to seek truth and savour the show.
If Schiller's right, the runway's haute couture weirdness is no threat to genuine thinking. It is a semblance, which is never enjoyed as anything else. It might be a luxury for the ludicrously rich, but this is often a problem with the market, not with the clothes themselves. Likewise for cufflinks or a race day fascinator: they are chiefly enjoyed as a show, or not at all.
In this light, there is no epic war between fashion or style and thought. There are priorities of class and status, time and temperament - I might donate to charity instead of buying a shirt. But I can still admire its precise fit, harmonious lines and crisp Egyptian cotton.
Fashion is often superficial - and we can enjoy its surfaces without ditching depth.
Dr. Damon Young is a philosopher and author. His latest book is Philosophy in the Garden (MUP). Follow Damon on Twitter: @damonayoung
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Very entertaining for Brian. I'm sure he'll score well, despite the fall-out on the 3-axel. He doesn't have great lines and stretch and not much re transitions, but he's beloved, and there was great drama and charisma -- his trademark.
Mura is fairly good techniquely, but no artistry to speak of.


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Regenerative Medicine
Top Reproduction Studies of 2017
Dr. Regina Turner recaps research on endometritis, factors affecting pregnancy rates, treating placentitis, and more.
Photo by iStock
How Newborn Foals' Dental Pulp Can Help Heal Horses
Dental pulp injections helped reduce pain and improve lameness in horses with soft tissue injuries and arthritis.
Photo by Kevin Thompson/The Horse
Tips for Rehabbing Soft Tissue Injuries in Horses
Successful treatment depends on an accurate diagnosis and good knowledge of the therapeutic options available.
Photo by Courtesy Dr. Andris J. Kaneps
Top Reproduction Studies of 2017
January 15, 2018
Dr. Regina Turner recaps research on endometritis, factors affecting pregnancy rates, treating placentitis, and more.... Read More
Researchers Harvest Uterine Stem Cells From Horses
December 13, 2017
Laboratory results show the stem cells can differentiate into fat, bone, cartilage, and muscle tissue.... Read More
Study: Gene Therapy Can Help Reduce Equine Lameness
October 31, 2017
Study horses returned to full health after tendon and ligament injuries and treatment without adverse side effects.... Read More
LMU Students Share Collaborative Research Project Updates
August 25, 2017
Research topics included deworming, cytokine production in senior horses, fatal suspensory apparatus injuries, and more.... Read More
How Newborn Foals' Dental Pulp Can Help Heal Horses
June 28, 2017
Dental pulp injections helped reduce pain and improve lameness in horses with soft tissue injuries and arthritis.... Read More
Mending Equine Tendons and Ligaments
June 20, 2017
Researchers are exploring improved ways to heal these notoriously complicated soft tissue structures. ... Read More
Tips for Rehabbing Soft Tissue Injuries in Horses
January 20, 2017
Successful treatment depends on an accurate diagnosis and good knowledge of the therapeutic options available.... Read More
Accelerating Medical Progress on Equine Lameness
January 11, 2017
One researcher describes the promising progress that's been made in lameness diagnosis and treatment.... Read More
UK, University of Copenhagen Team Up for Dual PhD Program
December 23, 2016
Jasmin Bagge, DVM, is studying the use of stem cells to facilitate tissue repair following injury in horses.... Read More
Equine Regenerative Medicine Topic of Dec. 6 Lecture
November 10, 2016
Dr. Kyla Ortved will review the varying types of regenerative medicine and their applications in the equine athlete.... Read More
AFA Funds Equine Stem Cell Research Grant
October 14, 2016
Researchers will work to develop culture techniques so donor stem cells can be used safely and effectively in horses.... Read More
2016 BEVA Congress: Friday's Top Tweets
September 09, 2016
Top take-homes from presentations on regenerative medicine, eye issues, racing performance and injuries, and more.... Read More
Could Bone Marrow Aspirate Help Heal Tendon Injuries?
August 10, 2016
Injecting bone marrow aspirate into core SDFT lesions yielded good results for returning racehorses to competition.... Read More
Autologous Conditioned Serum Composition Evaluated
June 15, 2016
This treatment uses the horse's blood to generate serum enriched with growth factors and anti-inflammatory mediators.... Read More
Regenerative Therapy Trends and Techniques in Horses
May 18, 2016
Veterinarians share their thoughts on stem cells, IRAP, and platelet-rich plasma.... Read More
Racehorse Breeder Donates to CSU for Regenerative Research
March 02, 2016
The anonymous breeder donated $20 million toward a new state-of-the-art regenerative medicine research facility.... Read More
Regenerative Medicine Hastens Healing of Stifle Injuries
February 03, 2016
Horses treated with regenerative therapy healed eight-and-a-half months faster than those undergoing surgery alone.... Read More
Thoroughbred Stakes Winner Flick Euthanized at 24
January 08, 2016
Flick was one of the first Thoroughbred racehorses to undergo successful stem cell and bone marrow treatments.... Read More
AAEP Convention Day 4: Do or Die in a Day
December 17, 2015
Our veterinary-reporter on the ground shares tidbits from AAEP Day 4.... Read More
Current Applications of Equine Regenerative Medicine
December 08, 2015
Regenerative medicine is opening doors to new and improved therapeutic options for equine musculoskeletal injuries.... Read More
Encapsulated Stem Cells Could Accelerate Wound Healing
May 04, 2015
Equine stem cells confined inside tiny capsules secrete substances that help heal simulated wounds in cell cultures.... Read More
Veterinarians Discuss Stem Cells for Equine Joint Therapy
April 29, 2015
Equine athletes often require supportive care for their musculoskeletal systems, and stem cells can fill that need.... Read More
Study: Western Performance Horses with PSD Benefit from ACS
April 20, 2015
Researchers have found success treating some proximal suspensory desmitis cases with autologous conditioned serum (ACS).... Read More
Bogers Receives $15,000 Elaine Klein Development Award
April 18, 2015
Dr. Sophie H. Bogers' research focuses on using stem cells to treat osteoarthritis in horses.... Read More
Choosing Cases and Using MSCs for Equine Joint Injuries
April 10, 2015
Learn how one veterinarian chooses cases and uses mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat horses with joint injuries.... Read More
Related Topics
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Lingering Lameness
Q. I have a 10-year-old mare that tore her deep digital flexor tendon two years ago where it meets the coffin bone. Would she be a candidate for adipose-derived regenerative stem cell treatment, or is the injury too old?
Blog: Smart Horse Keeping
- Making Friends With Horseless Neighbors
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- Keep Pastures Healthy With Rotational Grazing
- Washington Horse Farm Uses Rain Gardens for Mud Control in Paddocks and Mountain Trail Course
- Buffer Your Horse Paddocks
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- Free, Non-Toxic Insect Control for Horse Properties
- Footing Q&A for Outdoor Reining Arenas


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What Made My Favorites List This Week
In any given week, I might watch a few seconds of and reject dozens of scenes. Maybe the girl was completely silent, had an acne problem in her sensitive places or visible boobjob scars (those are some of my dealbreakers).
The ones that really catch my interest make it on to one of my favorites lists (I have half a dozen). This week, three new scenes made the list out of the sixty or so I checked out.
Swallowing Anal Whores #2, Scene 1
Vanessa Lane starts the scene by rubbing her pussy on a couch. Normally this would be pretty uninteresting to me, but she's got a quality about her that makes you want to watch. Her shoes are so over the top, they're awesome and I actually think the outfit's pretty hot. She's one of the few stars who actively fuck the guy back and it sort of makes up for all the gasping. She didn't do any really crazy pretzel moves in this scene, but that's okay. Her beauty and enthusiasm was more than enough.
Rachel's Choice, scene 1 (Evil Angel)
Rachel Starr has an unfortunate above-the-pussy tattoo (is there a name for that?). But it's okay because this scene was good enough to distract from that. At 17:26, Steve Holmes starts rubbing her pussy hard and whether or not she actually came, she at least convincingly faked it. There's an unusual mid-scene cumshot at 25:00 where Rachel Starr jerks Steve Holmes into her mouth. There's a lot of blowjob footage in this scene, but at almost an hour long, you can easily skip it without sacrificing everything. Watching the girls fuck side-by-side is definitely a treat and I thought the intensity of Erik Everhard working his way up to anal with McKenzee Miles was great.
Big Titty Moms, Scene 1
While not generally a fan of the MILF genre (or teens either, actually), I do like a woman who knows what the hell she's doing. Austin Kincaid seems like a knowledgeable "older" woman (I think she's like 29) who loves to fuck. She has a nice ass, and as a few pointed out, a classy look you don't see a lot in porn. The garter belt and stockings with the line down the back are a nice touch. The scene itself isn't anything special, persay, but it's a good, solid performance from an actress I think is underrated. As member rutnadexin3 pointed out, she recently retired. Let's hope it's not for good.
How about you guys? Which scenes struck your fancy this week?
Tags: austin kincaid, favorites list, rachel starr, vanessa lane


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Jocks Walk Out of Musical Over Gay Kiss
The musical Zanna, Don't! is about a high school where all the smart kids are more popular than the dumb kids, being gay is the norm, and being straight is abnormal. In one scene, two guys briefly smooch. Big deal, right?
Apparently it was for some of the kids who caught a recent performance of the musical at Hartford Public High School in Hartford, Connecticut, because they walked right out of the theater. As one of the school's principals told CBS Connecticut:
There was a public walkout by a bunch of students (when the kiss happened) … mostly male ...It was visually evident (due to the jerseys the team was wearing) that a lot of football players got up and walked out. It was almost a symbolic kind of thing."
The school has resisted calls by parents to remove the kiss scene from performances of the musical, which is being presented as part of an anti-bullying initiative at the school. If the football players at Hartford PHS are anything like the ones we went to school with, then they're the audience members who had the most to learn from such a program.


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The latest silliness from Pat Robertson and from Bill O'Reilly has been making the rounds–Lawrence O'Donnell offers a simple counter-example (video at link) to the claim of the bitter, hateful atheist who wants everybody to be miserable at
Christmas the end of December. That counter-example?
Ricky Gervais.
In a 2010 article in the Wall Street Journal, Gervais answers questions about atheism; the last question asked is "How do you plan on celebrating Christmas?"
Eating and drinking too much with friends and family. Celebrating life and remembering those that did, but can no longer.
They are not looking down on me but they live in my mind and heart more than they ever did probably. Some, I was lucky enough to bump into on this planet of six billion people. Others shared much of my genetic material. One selflessly did her best for me all my life. That's what mums do though. They do it for no other reason than love. Not for reward. Not for recognition. They create you. From nothing. Miracle? They do those every day. No big deal. They are not worshiped. They would give their life without the promise of heaven. They teach you everything they know yet they are not declared prophets. And you only have one.
I am crying as I write this.
His full answer is beautiful. Go read it.
Related posts:
The Night Before (The War On) Christmas. A scary story, but with a happy ending.
(The War On) The War On The War On The War On Christmas You know, in case you feel like denying that there is such a war.
The War Against Christmas Comes Early One of my favorites, contrasting the solemn observation of Christmas in early America with the modern celebration.
An Atheist's Christmas Answers the question "why would an atheist want to celebrate Christmas?" Another favorite.
An Atheist Christmas Card Just a wee bit snarky. Mostly sweet. Historically accurate.
Another Atheist Christmas Card Weapons-grade glurge, but I've already had some people tell me this one is their favorite.
'Tis The Season Last year's earlier offering. It's actually a song, if only I were a singer.
The War On Christmas, Explained Blunt, for those who are unclear on the concept. Not terribly poetic, though.
It's Tough To Be Christian (When Christmastime Comes) A lament. It's always nice to put yourself in the other person's shoes.
This Means War! (on Christmas) A brief explanation of the War.


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I just got an HP ENVY dv7, with an intel corei7 and 8 gigs of ram. I installed 64bit Mint Maya on it and completely wiped out winblows. After noticing it was running a bit sluggish I found that mint is only picking up, less than one gig of ram..
Code: Select all
~ # free -m
total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 907 801 106 0 2 187
-/+ buffers/cache: 611 295
Swap: 8085 186 7899
I'm hoping that this is just a solved issue that I wasn't able to find anywhere, but so far I haven't had any luck.. The Mem is showing up in the bios just fine, but not in mint. Anyone know why this would be happening?
Thanks a ton in advance!


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Niemann making steady progress with shoulder
By Bill Chastain and Greg Zeck / MLB.com
In the aftermath of that outing, Niemann has been making slow progress while making sure to get rid of the inflammation in the shoulder before proceeding with regular throwing activity.
Wednesday was the first time Niemann has thrown off a mound since that Toronto start, and the 6-foot-9 right-hander said that all went well. He threw approximately 30 pitches, all fastballs, and experienced no problems.
"It was a great day. It's also bittersweet, too, to be able to say [that I'm healthy] with one day left to go [in the season]," Niemann said. "Sad and disappointing, but I'm glad we got back to the point where I'm healthy and able to throw a ball again. That's all we need to do, and once we get to that point we know we can be successful, we know we can be good."
Overall, Niemann feels much better than he did last week, and he doesn't anticipate needing to undergo an MRI or have any kind of medical procedure on the shoulder.
"I'm really confident that everything is good and all the doctors are right, and I trust that going into the offseason," he said.
Niemann plans to "stay with the program and keep doing all the rehab stuff."
Playing winter ball could also be in his future.
"Honestly, I think that is still a possibility, because I'm going to keep [pitching]," he said. "I know what I can do when I'm healthy. If I have to prove that, I will. No big deal."
When asked about the prospect of showing up in Port Charlotte, Fla., ready for Spring Training with no restrictions, he said, "One hundred percent ready to go, absolutely."
This past spring, Niemann won the fifth spot in the rotation over Wade Davis, then made six starts before fracturing his right fibula in his seventh. He finished the season at 2-3, with a 3.08 ERA.
Zobrist finds a groove at shortstop
ST. PETERSBURG -- Ben Zobrist proved his worth as a utility man through most of the season, but it wasn't until he settled in at shortstop that he found the right spot.
Since Aug. 9, the first time he started at short, he's done solid defensively but even better offensively. He hit .310 with eight homers in 50 games during that stretch, with an OPS of .927.
In the 106 games prior to that, he hit just .253, with 12 long balls and an .818 OPS.
But Zobrist feels that a strong start to June was the turning point of a season that only got better when he moved to short, and he hopes for more of the same in 2013.
"I couldn't have asked the last four months of the year to go any better, considering where I was at in the first two," Zobrist said. "I'm trying to rack my brain about how I can get it going earlier than that next year, to try and help our club earlier. You do the best you can, and I just feel very fortunate I've been able to hit 20 homers again and help the club as much as I could."
With great turnover possible in the offseason and the only probable lock being Evan Longoria at third base, Zobrist is willing to play anywhere, though he wouldn't mind returning as a shortstop.
"I've really enjoyed playing short," he said. "I think they know, from my perspective, I'm open for whatever works best for our team next year."
Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. Greg Zeck is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Tech Off Post
Single Post Permalink
Hi all,
I was just watching the C9 lecture from Stephan about STL algorithms and functors, and I can't really wrap my head around std::equal!
I mean, for me the semantics is a bit strange, since what it does is IMHO more like "isPrefixOf(...)" than an equality check. What was the idea behind implementing std::equal as it is? Is the functionname "equal" not a bit misleading for what it really does?


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Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)
Anselm Kiefer (born 1945)
Arms and Armor – Common Misconceptions and Frequently Asked Questions
The Decoration of Arms and Armor
Europe and the Age of Exploration
Jan Gossart (ca. 1478–1532) and His Circle
Portraiture in Renaissance and Baroque Europe
The Printed Image in the West: History and Techniques
The Rediscovery of Classical Antiquity
The Reformation
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669): Prints
The Robert Lehman Collection. Vol. 7, Fifteenth- to Eighteenth-Century European Drawings in the Robert Lehman Collection: Central Europe, the Netherlands, France, England
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 5, The Renaissance in the North
Gothic and Renaissance Art in Nuremberg, 1300–1550
Dürer and Beyond: Central European Drawings, 1400–1700
82nd & Fifth


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Kayman Charters
75 Essex Avenue
Gloucester, MA 01930
Telephone: (888) 752-9626
Kayman Charters is a full time professional charterboat that has been going out there for over 15 years and coming back in with a good catch. The Kayman is a 35 footer carrying six passengers and the crew with a cabin and a 18 ft. Tuna Tower. Fish for striped bass and blues, or bottom fish for Haddock, Cod, Pollock and a few more. Go out for Big game Shark and Tuna. All equipment is Approved by the Coast Guard and they really know what they are doing and where to go for "The Big Ones". Call 1 888 752 9626 for additional information and a schedule.
Operating Season
Mid April to Mid October


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Magnetite nanoparticles for functionalized textile dressing to prevent fungal biofilms development
© Anghel et al.; licensee Springer. 2012
Received: 19 May 2012
Accepted: 1 September 2012
Published: 6 September 2012
The purpose of this work was to investigate the potential of functionalized magnetite nanoparticles to improve the antibiofilm properties of textile dressing, tested in vitro against monospecific Candida albicans biofilms. Functionalized magnetite (Fe3O4/C18), with an average size not exceeding 20 nm, has been synthesized by precipitation of ferric and ferrous salts in aqueous solution of oleic acid (C18) and NaOH. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and differential thermal analysis coupled with thermo gravimetric analysis were used as characterization methods for the synthesized Fe3O4/C18. Scanning electron microscopy was used to study the architecture of the fungal biofilm developed on the functionalized textile dressing samples and culture-based methods for the quantitative assay of the biofilm-embedded yeast cells. The optimized textile dressing samples proved to be more resistant to C. albicans colonization, as compared to the uncoated ones; these functionalized surfaces-based approaches are very useful in the prevention of wound microbial contamination and subsequent biofilm development on viable tissues or implanted devices.
Most of the organisms responsible for device-related infections including central venous catheters, joint devices, dialysis access devices, cardiovascular devices, urinary catheters, penile implants, voice prostheses, dentures, and ocular implants can grow in polysaccharide-rich extensive biofilms and are associated with drastically enhanced ability to express resistance against most antimicrobial agents [1–3]. Candida species are the most common fungi isolated from device-related infections, inquiring sometimes the removal of the device [4–6]. However, when Candida albicans enters sterile cavities or tissues and causes infection, treatment may be difficult and prolonged. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil-coated magnetic nanoparticles strongly inhibited the adherence ability and biofilm development of C. albicans and Candida tropicalis clinical strains [7] on the catheter surface, and usnic acid-coated magnetic nanoparticles strongly inhibited the adherence ability and biofilm development of Staphylococcus aureus on the coverslips surface, opening new perspectives for the design of antimicrobial and antibiofilm surfaces based on hybrid functionalized nanostructured biomaterials [8].
Nanotechnology deals with the science and technology at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nm, although 100 nm presently is the practically attainable dimension for textile products and applications. The technology can be used in engineering-desired textile attributes, such as fabric softness, durability, and breathability and in developing advanced performance characteristics; namely, water repellency, fire retardancy, and antimicrobial resistance in fibers, yarns, and fabrics. The enhancement of textile materials by nanotechnology is expected to become a trillion-dollar industry in the next decade, with tremendous technological, economic, and ecologic benefits. Although textile industry is a small part of the global research in the emerging areas of nanotechnology, the fibers and textiles industries in fact were the first to have successfully implemented these advances and demonstrated the applications of nanotechnology for consumer usage [9].
The nanoparticles have been largely used for different biomedical applications, such as targeted drug delivery [10–12], magnetic resonance imaging [13], alternative drug and vaccine delivery mechanisms (e.g., inhalation or oral in place of injection), bone growth promoters, cancer treatments [14], biocompatible coatings for implants [15], sunscreens (e.g., using ZnO and TiO2)/cosmetics [16–18], biolabeling and detection (e.g., using Au) [19], carriers for drugs with low water solubility, fungicides (e.g., using ZnO), magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents (e.g., using superparamagnetic iron oxide), new dental composites, biological binding agents (e.g., for high phosphate levels), antivirals, antibacterials (e.g., Ag) [20], anti-spore nonchemical creams, and powders (using surface tension energy on the nanoscale to destroy biological particles) [21]. We have previously reported that magnetite nanosystems exhibited antimicrobial activity against planktonic, as well as adherent microbial cells [22]. In this study, we assessed the potential of Fe3O4/C18 nanoparticles to improve the in vitro antibiofilm properties of textile dressings, using a monospecific fungal biofilm experimental model. The changes induced by the presence of nanoparticles in the C. albicans biofilm formation on textile dressing samples were assessed by quantitative, culture-based methods for viable cell counts (VCCs) assay, and qualitative analysis was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Preparation of functionalized magnetite nanoparticles
Functionalized magnetite nanoparticles are usually prepared by wet chemical precipitation from aqueous iron salt solutions by means of alkaline media, like NaOH or NH3[23, 24]. In the present paper, the functionalized magnetite nanoparticles were prepared by a modified precipitation method. Half gram of oleic acid was solubilized in a known volume of distilled-deionized water, corresponding to a 0.01% (w/w) solution, under stirring conditions (200 rpm) at 25°C. Then, 2 g of NaOH was added to the oleic acid solution. Thereafter, a 500-mL solution, consisting of 0.6 g of FeCl3 and 1 g of FeSO4 × 7H2O was dropped under permanent stirring up to pH = 8, leading to the formation of a black precipitate. The product was repeatedly washed with methanol and subsequently dried in an oven at 60°C until reaching a constant weight.
The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images were obtained on finely powdered samples using a Tecnai™ G2 F30 S-TWIN high-resolution transmission electron microscopy from FEI (FEI Company, Hillsboro, OR, USA) equipped with area electron diffraction and selected area electron diffraction. The microscope was operated in transmission mode at 300 kV with TEM point resolution of 2 Å and line resolution of 1 Å. The finely micronutrient powders was dispersed into pure ethanol and ultrasonicated for 15 min. After that the diluted sample was put onto a holey carbon-coated copper grid and left to dry before it was analyzed through TEM.
X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) was performed using a Shimadzu XRD 6000 diffractometer (Shimadzu Corporation, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan) at room temperature. In all the cases, Cu Kα radiation from a Cu X-ray tube (run at 15 mA and 30 kV) was used. The samples were scanned in the Bragg angle 2θ with the range of 10 to 80.
The differential thermal analysis (DTA) coupled with thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed with a Shimadzu DTG-TA-50 H, at a scan rate of 10°C/min, in air.
Textile dressing coating
In order to obtain the coated textile dressing, the textile material recommended for otomastoiditis, nasal-sinus, and cervical wound dressing (obtained from the local provider of ENT Coltea Bucharest Hospital) was aseptically cut in samples of 1 cm2, submerged in the obtained nanofluid (Fe3O4/oleic acid/CHCl3 0.33% (w/v) under magnetic field, and extemporaneously dried (due to the convenient volatility of chloroform) [7].
Fungal biofilm model
The artificial monospecific biofilms were developed using C. albicans strains recently isolated from the clinical specimens identified by the Vitek 2 automatic system (bioMérieux Inc., Durham, NC, USA) and previously tested for their susceptibility to currently used antifungals (voriconazole, itraconazole, caspofungin, amphotericin B, fluconazole, and flucytosin), as well as to some essential oils [25].
Microbial adherence to uncoated/coated textile dressing
The microbial adherence ability was investigated in six multiwell plates in which sterile textile dressing samples of 1 cm2 with and without nanoparticles coating have been placed. The plastic wells were filled with sterile liquid culture medium, inoculated with 300 μL of 0.5 McFarland microbial suspensions and incubated for 72 h at 30°C. At 24 h after the culture medium was removed, the textile samples were washed three times in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) in order to remove the nonadherent strains, and fresh glucose broth was added. Also, VCCs assay have been achieved for both working variants (uncoated textile dressing and textile dressing with magnetic nanoparticles coating) at 48 h in order to assess the fungal biofilm developed on these substrata. In this purpose the fungal cells that adhered to the textile samples have been removed by vortexing, and brief sonication in a fixed volume of sterile saline was performed, and serial dilutions ranging to 10−1 from 10−4 have been spotted on Sabouraud agar and incubated for 24 h at 30°C. The colony-forming units have been numbered and multiplied by the dilution factor, and the spotted volume correction was done in order to obtain the VCCs [26].
Examination of the biofilm architecture by SEM
In order to evaluate the architecture of the fungal biofilm developed on uncoated and magnetite-based textile dressing, SEM was used. After 48 h of incubation, the samples were removed from the plastic wells, washed three times with PBS, fixed with cold methanol, and dried before microscopic examination. SEM analysis was performed on a HITACHI S2600N electron microscope (Hitachi High-Tech, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan) at 25 keV in primary electrons fascicle, on samples covered with a thin silver layer.
Results and discussion
Figure 1a,b shows the TEM images of Fe3O4/C18. The observed morphology of nanoparticles is spherical, without aggregation of particles. The TEM micrograph suggests that the particle diameter ranged from 5 to 20 nm.
The X-ray diffraction pattern of the Fe3O4/C18 is shown in Figure 1c. The magnetite peaks were identified in the sample as the only crystalline phase (the main peaks of the magnetite are centered at 2θ = 30.31, 35.71, 43.31, 57.61, and 62.81). Based on the intensity of the characteristic peaks of magnetite, no preferential directions of crystallization were identified [27].
The wet synthesis of these Fe3O4/C18 nanoparticles leads to the retention of approximately 2.84% humidity which is lost at heating (below 180°C). The three exothermic peaks centered at 234°C, 306°C, and 388°C can be attributed to the organic phase decomposition. The total loss of the oleate shell decomposition is determined as mass loss between 180°C and 450°C which is being estimated as 30.25%. The total weight loss of the Fe3O4/C18 sample is 35.79%, while in the case of the pure Fe3O4 sample, this is only 5.55%. Assuming that all the oleate is decomposed up to 1,000°C, it can be estimated that the weight ratio Fe3O4:C18 is approximately 2:1. Also, in this paper we have investigated the potential magnetic nanoparticles to improve the antibiofilm properties of a textile dressing using an in vitro model of monospecific C. albicans biofilm.
The optimized textile dressing samples coated with functionalized magnetite nanoparticles proved to be more resistant to C. albicans colonization, as compared to the uncoated ones. These functionalized surfaces-based approaches are very useful in the prevention of wounds against microbial contamination and subsequent biofilm development on viable tissues or implanted devices.
This paper is supported by the PN-II-PT-PCCA-2011-3.2-0284: 'Novel nanostructured prosthetic tubular devices with antibacterial and antibiofilm properties induced by physico-chemical and morphological changes', funded by the National University Research Council in Romania.
Authors' Affiliations
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This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


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The next name up on the list for The Designer Crochet Project is John Galliano. I suspect before I even get started with my research that there isn't a lot of crochet from this designer. He has gorgeous edgy designs, though, so let's take a look at what we can learn about him.
Hop past the break to see …
Fashion Designer John Galliano
I know a bit about John Galliano because I saw a great documentary on him on Hulu awhile back (part one of the five parts is shown in the video above). But let's turn to the book 50 Fashion Designers You Should Know to get the basics. John Galliano was born in 1960 in Gibraltar. He graduated at age 24 from the popular Central Saint Martins College for Art & Design in London and immediately began working as an independent fashion designer, showing his first collection the following year. From that time on his work has always shown impeccable taste and stitchery beneath and elaborate sense of historically-inspired style that borders on costume. Words that frequently come up when people talk about his work include "theatrical" and "romantic" but everyone is also quick to point out that there is superior quality to all of the creations.
Galliano, now based in Paris, has not only worked on his own designs but also been a leading designer in various fashion houses including Balenciaga, Givenchy and especially Dior. He has received numerous awards over the years, including being the British Designer of the Year many times and receiving the prestigious French Legion of Honor. In 2011 Galliano got into some legal trouble that resulted in him facing criminal charges and being released from working with Dior. He's been mostly laying low since then although there are rumors (which have been denied here and there) that he will work next with Schiaparelli. He continues to put out his own fashion work.
John Galliano Crochet
So what I found as I started researching was that much of the crochet by Galliano was in small details on accessories:
Galliano woven hat with crochet flower
Galliano crochet scarf/ shawl
There are also some crochet tank tops in the Galliano line:
The listing on Mighty Kismet says that this crochet top is a Galliano top beaded with lucite crystal drops.
A knit tank top with crochet details from Galliano
And a few larger pieces:
This Galliano dress was posted on Polyvore and listed as crochet. I can't tell for sure if it is because I can't find an image anywhere else that shows better detail. I can definitely see hints of a crochet motif, though, even if it turns out not to really be crochet.
Galliano Worn with Other Crochet
Galliano doesn't get to claim credit for this amazing teal dress (more photos here) but he is responsible for the shoes that go with it.
Crochet Inspired by Galliano
Mua Mua Dolls is an art factory in Bali that makes many beautiful things including a set of crochet dolls inspired by designers and other artists. Here's their Galliano:
Other Amazing Galliano Designs
They may not be crochet but I love them:
2008 Spring, via FabSugar
Fall 2012 Galliano, via NY Mag (the full collection can be seen there)
Visit The Designer Crochet Project to find links to dozens of other famous fashion designers and their crochet creations.


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The commission voted Wednesday to fire Robert Wilson. Commission Chairman Madison Murphy declined comment on the decision.
Wilson's attorney — John Walker — told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the firing is no surprise.
Wilson's lawsuit alleges he was fired "for all practical purposes" when his Sept. 9 suspension with pay was later changed to a suspension without pay.
Wilson was suspended after state auditors found legal division employees were paid for 2,520 hours they didn't work during a 2 1/2 year period. Wilson said he allowed employees a paid half-day off every third Friday starting in 1990 at the suggestion of his superiors.


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Only cure for a cancer in the locker room.......
[IMG]http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=kimo+von+oelhoffen/v=2/SID=e/l=IVI/;_ylt=A9gnMiLgTyxEsKAA1bijzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTA4NDgyNW N0BHNlYwNwcm9m/SIG=12jjtoghi/EXP=1143841120/*-http%3A//www.cincypost.com/bengals/images/kimo_vonoelhoffen99.jpg[/IMG]
Squattenheimer Out!
Last edited by Squattenheimer; 03-30-2006 at 05:34 PM.
I thought that would be terrible. But very funny sir!
no.............................................noOriginally Posted by Squattenheimer
Why can't I post an image of Kimo?
Originally Posted by ICWT10
You didn't log out of your first name before making this post!
This could get very interestingOriginally Posted by The Paranoid Jet
That doesn't even wualify as humor.
To the dump please
You fool. How long have I been a contributing member of this site? I work with Squattenheimer. I'm sure Sooth can run a simple IP addy check and confirm the difference.Originally Posted by The Paranoid Jet
Why don't you talk to the dude and tell him to pick a name that is not offensive to our Offensive Coordinator. I don't know about everybody else but I find his name show disrespect to our coaches.Originally Posted by ICWT10
Here is the image
I don't think it shows disrespect. Its a play on words, a joke. He likes the Schotty signing so he picked to make a spin off of his name.Originally Posted by RMJK
Lighten up Francis.
This is the 2nd time today I've seen the phrase "Lighten up Francis", just one of those weird things that happens from time to time.
My first impression is one of disrespect. And I wouldn't give any credibility to anybody with a name like that. FrankieOriginally Posted by ICWT10
I wonder if anybody else on the board thinks his name is offensive. I don't have a problem with you. But don't call me Francis or I will. It is easy to hide behind your PC. Frankie.
Originally Posted by ICWT10
Easy killer. The winking guy means its all in good fun.Originally Posted by RMJK
Peace then.Originally Posted by ICWT10
There have been a bunch of jerks with 4 or 5 post that come across with pretty
strong stuff. With a name like squattenheimer I thought he may be another one. If your friend likes the name, so be it. I won't take offense, ICWT10 .
Originally Posted by RMJK
Peace among my jets brothers, (sniffle) it's so beautiful!
Hey My 500th post!!
McGraw still rulessssss!! lol
Originally Posted by ICWT10


text:
Velocity final piece of Peavy's comeback
By Scott Merkin and Tyler Emerick / MLB.com
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Along with feeling great throughout his Cactus League work, Jake Peavy has noticed a slight uptick in velocity. The right-hander, who makes his final Cactus League start in a Minor League game on Thursday at Camelback Ranch before taking the mound Wednesday against the Royals in Chicago, got up as high as 94 mph and was regularly near 93.
Peavy's average velocity was 90.7 mph in 2012, 90.4 in 2011 and 91.1 in 2010, when he had season-ending surgery for a detached lat, compared to 93.9 in 2007 when he won the National League Triple Crown of pitching with the Padres, according to Fangraphs.com. The 12-year-veteran is not big on radar readings, but he likes the position he's currently in as opposed to trying to find any way possible to retire hitters as he was in 2010 and '11.
"When you are used to pitching a certain way and being able to do certain things with the baseball and you go out and can't do these things, you have to find ways to reinvent yourself and get guys out," Peavy said. "Is that fun? Absolutely not.
"I pitched so long one way. Is it fun when that happens and you've just been traded to another team? It's awful. But we've weathered the storm as best we could. It wasn't pretty at times, but at the end of the day we came through it. You learn a lot in those times. You learn a lot about your teammates, people who care about you. You learn a lot about yourself."
There has been nothing different employed by Peavy to change the velocity, aside from being more than two years removed from his July 14, 2010, surgery. Changing speeds on almost every pitch remains key for Peavy, but the velocity gain certainly won't hurt a pitcher who threw 219 innings and four complete games last season.
"You want to vary the number on your breaking balls. You want to vary the number on your fastballs," Peavy said. "So, I'm excited that it might potentially be a little bit more there because hand speed is important. When your fastball is a little bit harder, your hand speed is good and your breaking ball will be a little bit sharper.
"If I can get back close to some of the numbers I used to do in San Diego, you would think my stuff would be a little bit better, which translates into a little more success. I feel fortunate. I hated to have to go through it, but in life you learn in everything you go through. It was a good learning experience."
Ramirez day to day after being hit by pitch
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez left Wednesday's game against the Indians with a right shoulder contusion after being hit by a Daisuke Matsuzaka pitch in the second inning. The club listed him as day to day.
"X-rays were fine, nothing's broken, it's just the muscle," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "He'll be fine. You just worry about it at the end, getting guys out of here healthy."
In 56 at-bats this spring, the 31-year-old had 15 hits, including four doubles. The White Sox will play two exhibition games against the Brewers in Milwaukee this weekend before hosting the Royals on Monday to open the season.
"We'll see how he feels," said Ventura when asked if Ramirez will play in Milwaukee. "I don't worry about at-bats with him. It's more of how he's feeling."
Axelrod appreciates opportunity to make impact
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The expectation, or at least the hope, at the start of Spring Training was that John Danks would break camp as part of the White Sox starting rotation. That hope held true despite Danks coming off of Aug. 6 season-ending arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
Even with Danks as the preferred candidate, Dylan Axelrod never allowed himself to think about roster permutation as he worked hard over the six weeks in Arizona. And with Danks starting on the disabled list to build up velocity and command, Axelrod will get the opportunity he's long desired as the fifth man in the rotation.
Manager Robin Ventura made the news official after Tuesday's contest.
"It's a great feeling," Axelrod said. "I've been working toward this for a long time. It's been a dream of mine to be a starting pitcher in the Major Leagues. So I'm getting a great opportunity obviously. I'm going to try to run with it.
"I really just let it go. I just decided to do my best and however it turned out, it turned out. I was proud of myself for not looking into things. I did a good job of just being me and not looking over my shoulder."
Axelrod will start April 6 against the Mariners and believes his pitch count can get up toward 90 or 100. He'll throw around 90 when he takes the mound Saturday in Milwaukee during an exhibition game.
Ventura stressed that Axelrod is not a one- or two-start experiment. He will get a chance to prove himself with Danks gone, a fact Axelrod appreciates.
"That's nice to hear," said Axelrod, who has made 10 starts among his 18 Major League appearances but was in Independent baseball as recently as 2009. "I feel comfortable having a routine and having that assurance definitely helps, knowing that I'm going to start every fifth day or what have you. Not going back and forth between the starting rotation and bullpen will benefit me with my routine."
Flowers' mechanics, accuracy key to slowing runners
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- There was a short period during this extended Spring Training that concluded Wednesday when White Sox starting catcher Tyler Flowers lost his desired form for throwing out basestealers.
"I got it back," said a smiling Flowers, who had a 30 percent accuracy rate last season (12-for-40) in nailing runners.
Ask Flowers the key for getting the ball to second and he responds with the idea of simply throwing it hard. But as much as getting the ball away quickly also is an issue, accuracy on the throw is an even more important factor.
"A 2.2 [seconds] and accurate is better than a 1.8," said Flowers on the timing/accuracy combination. "You get [a throw] from the waist down, obviously that's much easier to make a quick tag than if it's at their head or above their head.
"It's accuracy in conjunction with being quick. But accuracy is more important than trying to throw 1.8 or something."
White Sox bench coach Mark Parent, who works with the catchers on controlling the running game, said that when Flowers has been right mechanically, he's been really good. There have been other days when his mechanics were a little less than perfect.
Take Sunday's intrasquad Minor League game, where Flowers caught John Danks. He had three chances to throw out would-be stealers and had bad mechanics on the first one but corrected his issue and was pretty good on the next two.
"All you've got to do is tell him," Parent said. "It's about getting his turn, being aggressive and anticipating the guy running more.
"If you are a big guy and you are a little bit open, you end up a lot more open. He has to stay turned and get his shoulder lined up. He's got more than enough arm. He just has to anticipate the situations and not get caught being late."
As for time to second, Parent's desired number is very basic.
"Out," said Parent with a broad smile. "Tyler is like 1.95, if he could stay there, and that's easy for him. It has to be accurate and so his mechanics have to stay right. It's tougher for a big guy because you have more moving parts."
Thornton ramping up toward season opener
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Matt Thornton's back-to-back days of throwing come with Thursday's off-day in between after he takes the mound for Wednesday's Cactus League finale. The veteran left-hander gets two days off before the season starts and feels great after battling through triceps soreness early in camp.
"Just stay where I'm at and things are coming together," Thornton said. "The slider is getting good. Fastball location has gotten better. I don't know my velocity but from what I can tell from the reaction of the hitters, it's getting better.
"I'm getting to a place where I feel pretty good. So, stay healthy, finish Spring Training strong and get ready to go."
Thornton hopes to mix in a couple of different variations of offspeed pitches, based more on location, along with his plus fastball.
"My breaking ball last year was slower and it was very effective when I kept it out of the zone," Thornton said. "But [White Sox pitching coach Don] Cooper and I talked about how it stays in the zone if I don't bounce it in there. I'm working on the harder breaking ball and keeping that slower breaking ball in there for the right situations.
"I talked to the catchers, Coop has too. Get a good mix and go out there and have a good time."
Third to first
• Alex Rios is hoping to return to the White Sox lineup Friday night in Milwaukee. The right fielder has missed the last five games because of lower back stiffness.
• Hector Santiago gets the start on Friday in Milwaukee. Gavin Floyd will start Saturday afternoon, followed by Dylan Axelrod.
• A very limited number of standing-room-only tickets are available for Opening Day on Monday at U.S. Cellular Field, with first pitch against the Royals at 3:10 p.m. CT. Tickets are available for the remainder of the homestand against the Royals (April 3-4) and the Mariners (April 5-7).
Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Merk's Works, and follow him on Twitter @scottmerkin. Tyler Emerick is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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American Samoa Gov't; Moors v.
MISIMOA MOORS JR., a Minor by MISIMOA MOORS,
His Guardian Ad Litem, Appellant
AMERICAN SAMOA GOVERNMENT, Appellee
High Court of American Samoa
Appellate Division
AP No. 9-91
March 12, 1992
Damage awards are subject to wide variation between jurisdictions, therefore American Samoan courts need not be bound by awards rendered in other American jurisdictions.
Before KRUSE, Chief Justice, RICHMOND, Associate Justice, MALAETASI,* Acting Associate Justice, LOGOAI, Associate Judge, and MAILO, Associate Judge.
Counsel: For Appellant, Gata E. Gurr
For Appellee, Richard D. Lerner, Assistant Attorney General
The sole issue on appeal is whether the trial court's award of damages, in the sum of $20,000 for the loss of vision in one eye, is inadequate. Appellant's principal contention is "that the value of an eye should not be dependent on the cost of living in the place of residence of the injured... it should be the same for everybody anywhere in the world." Appellant's Brief at 3-4. Appellant argues that the trial court should have been guided by awards rendered in other American jurisdictions, and he cites a selective number of cases from state jurisdictions.
This is a normative argument. Not only have the damages [20ASR2d77] awards in lost vision cases varied notably from case to case, see e.g., Annotation, Excessiveness or Adequacy of Damages - Awarded for Injures to, or Conditions Induced in, Sensory or Speech Organs and Symptoms, 16 A.L.R.4th 1127, 1211 (1982), but "factors affecting damages are subject to wide variations between (sic) jurisdictions." Leoso v. Seumalo, AP No. 37-84, slip op. at 2 (1984). As the Court recently explained in Kim v. Star-Kist Samoa, 8 A.S.R.2d 146, 151 (1988):
The disparity [in damage awards] from place to place is accounted for by many factors, including variations in the amount of goods and services that money can buy and in social attitudes toward pain. That trial judges in American Samoa tend to award lesser sums than those in Texas or California no more suggest that awards in Samoa should be higher than that those in Texas should be lower.
Looking at the individual circumstances of the case before us, we cannot say that the award for the particular injuries suffered by appellant's son and their effect upon him, was an abuse of the court's discretion as the trier of fact. We AFFIRM.
* The Honorable Malaetasi Togafau, District Judge, District Court of American Samoa, serving by designation of the Secretary of the Interior.


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Completely reversible king-size quilt; both sides are made totally from scraps.
I used Warm & Natural batting. It's a bit heavy as it's got so many (thousands,
it seemed!) seam allowances enclosed so it's nice to be able to "change" the quilt
by just turning it over.
This one is "Buggy Wheels". I used white sashing and white binding on this side.
I dubbed this [string quilt] side "Just the Scraps, Ma'am"! I used black sashing
and black binding on this side.
These two photos show the reverse of each side.


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Minnesota Lake Homes and Lakeshore Cabins by County
Display ALL Minnesota lakeshore properties by county by clicking this link.
Bookmark this link because it is updated daily. This will display all information on Minnesota lake cabins, waterfront, and luxury lakeshore estates by County. If you are serious about finding lakefront in the Twin Cities or a lakeshore cabin anywhere in the state, this is the only link you will ever need.
This page is your reference for locating all MN cabins and lakeshore homes by county that are provided by the Northstar Regional Multiple listing system. Most, but not all brokers have opted into the broker reciprocity agreement, but some brokers in remote areas may have not elected to participate, so this list might not be entirely complete. To ensure that you are finding all lake home listings in a particular area, do not hesitate to contact us. Note: This list is updated daily.
Looking for winter vacation homes? See Scottsdale AZ homes for sale.
Search for Minnesota Lake Homes by County
Aitkin.Save this link if you want a handy reference for Aitkin County Minnesota lake homes currently for sale on the Northstar Regional MLS statistics. Farm Island Lake and Big Sandy have plenty of nice properties listed here right now. Let's not forget about Mille Lacs Lake, either.
Recently there has been some scuttlebutt spewing from the mouths of media pundits in the Twin Cities about Mille Lacs Lake. They make the walleye fishing sound pretty dismal, and have even proclaimed that Mille Lacs Lake is "unmanageable. The truth of the matter is that Mille Lacs will continue to be Minnesota's premier walleye fishing spot. The state has done a great job of managing this lake for many, many years. Every lake has fish population cycles with low and high points. Media pundits would rather make a sensational, easy statement, than to take the time to put things into perspective. This is rather irresponsible, especially since high gas prices have already put a strain on the local tourism industry.
If you are not from Minnesota, you really should visit this huge, clean, beautiful lake and hire a fishing guide to help you find some walleyes. You just might end up buying a convenient Minnesota lake home, not very far north from Minneapolis on Highway 169.
Find the best MN fishing lakes!
Anoka. Browse Minnesota lake homes by using this link. You don't have to go very far from the Twin Cities metro area to live on a lake with good fishing on it. There aren't as many lakes in this county as there are in some of the other metro counties, but in most cases, the fishing is excellent. The City of Anoka Minnesota is the county seat.
Becker.Detroit Lakes hosts the government for this beautiful Minnesota county. Use the link to see all lake homes in Becker County. This is definitely summer vacation land here. Look at Minnesota lake properties in this beautiful resort area that is home to a zillion sky blue lakes. Other notable towns here are Ogema and Frazee. (What? Did you blink when you drove through this area?)
Beltrami. Visit lakeshore listings on Cass Lake and other bodies of water too numerous to mention. If you like riverfront, the Mississippi River runs through here, albeit is not very wide at this point. Bemidji Minnesota is the seat of Beltrami County, and contains a large lake called Lake Bemidji. It's cold up there. We call it "Burrrmidji." If you like Jack Pines, blueberries, and grouse hunting, you better check it out. Wild rice is harvested in this county.
Carlton. Find that ideal Minnesota lake home on Bear Lake. Build a cabin on Cross or Mattila Lake. Park, Sand, Upper Island, or Woodbury Lake. The City of Carlton is the county seat. This area is a straight shot north of the Twin Cities on Interstate 35. The City of Moose Lake is found here, and there are probably a few moose living around here too.
Carver. Use this link to browse all Carver County lake property. Chaska is the county seat for this west metro suburb. Lake Waconia is about the largest metro area lake in the Twin Cities besides Minnetonka. If you can't afford to live right on Lake Waconia, there is always the possiblility of a home with deeded access to the lake. There are a large selection of these for sale right now on the Carver County MLS. Chaska, by the way, is a buyers market, but don't wait too long. You might even be able to afford a Minnesota lake home here. The new freeway is expected to bring a few Twin Cities transplants along with it.
Cass. The scenic town of Walker is the county seat. Walleye country. Find a nice waterfront house on Leech Lake, or MN lake property on Walker Bay, Cass Lake, or Woman Lake or many others. Leech Lake is the place to be in Cass County if you want walleyes. It's a huge lake. This area is a favorite destination for a number of walleye fishermen that I know. Walker is the county seat. Drive north to Wilkinson, a vibrant city with a population of about ten people and two billion hungry mosquitoes. Some of the lakes in the National Forest areas here have fall scenery that is to die for.
Fishing for sunnies in Crow Wing Brainerd Lakes area
Chisago County MN lake property link. Center City hosts the government headquarters. Explore this county and the Chisago lake area homes on Chain, Rush, North Lindstrom, or North/South Center lakes. "Chisago lake area homes for sale" is a heavily Googled search term. This area is just north of the Twin Cities and there is something for everyone here in almost every price range. Minnesota lakeshore living is not as expensive as you think it is. Towns with Minnesota lake homes here include East Bethel, Lindstrom, and Chisago City.
Cook County is seated in Grand Marais. Rush to your getaway Minnesota lake home on Caribou Lake near Lutsen. Build your dream lake home on Lake Superior. You know you always wanted to live on the North Shore. For some very fine estate homes, take a spin up North Shore Drive. If you ever are up this way in the winter, you really ought to check out skiing at Lutsen to get some fabulous views of Lake Superior.
Crow Wing. Find all MN Brainerd Lakes area property at this Crow Wing lakeshore search link. County seat is Brainerd. The Brainerd Lakes area contains too many lakes to list them all. Get your Minnesota lake home here. If you want the big water, visit Mille Lacs. Something upscale? How about Gull Lake? Let's not forget Pelican or Cross Lake. For the most excellent fishing, visit the Whitefish Chain of Lakes. If you don't catch any fish, you can always buy some at Morey's. Other towns in Crow Wing County that boast Minnesota lake homes for sale are Pequot Lakes, Nisswa, and Breezy Point. There are also some nice private lakes (no public access) like Butterfield Lake near Emily.
Dakota. Check out all Dakota County MN lake property at this link. The county seat is located along the Mississippi River in Hastings. You don't have to go far to find a good lake close to the metro area. Check out Lake Marion, Keller or Crystal Lake for homes. Lake Marion in Lakeville is definitely the place to go if you want a Minnesota lake home on a big clean body of water. Lakeville is just a few minutes south of the Twin Cities.
The Dakota County government is located in Hastings Minnesota. Dakota is a rapidly growing county, so this might be a good place to invest in Minnesota lakeshore. Dakota is home to Apple Valley, Burnsville, Lakeville, Eagan, Rosemount, Farmington communities. This is one of the fastest growing counties in the state, and contains several nationally recognized school districts.
Douglas. This is the Alexandria lakes area, home to Latoka, Crystal, Ida, Genova, more… Independent Brokers Realty has a branch office in Alexandria, as well as a number lakefront real estate experts to help out. Folks from this area tell me that the local economy here is actually booming. This might be a good place to invest in a Minnesota lake home. Alexandria MN is about an hour west of St. Cloud on Interstate 94.
Goodhue. What would Goodhue County be without Lake Pepin? Lake Pepin is really a wide spot in the Mississippi River. Call me at 612-296-0007 if you want riverfront. I can find it for you. Selection is very limited, so don't sit on your hands. Reserve yours today. The county seat is Red Wing, located among the scenic river bluffs. If you want a gorgeous city with about 600 boat slips in the local marina, check out Lake City MN real estate to look for Lake Pepin homes for sale. The beautiful river bluff town of Red Wing is also found in Goodhue County. Another city of note that contains Minnesota lake homes for sale is Frontenac.
Lake Minnetonka, Excelsior Minnesota
Hennepin County is seated in Minneapolis. This link will show you all available Hennepin County MN lake property. Go catch some muskies in Lake Minnetonka. Maybe you should buy a luxury home here, too. With over 200 miles of shoreline on this composite kettle lake, you should be able to find a nice Minnesota lake home. Due to the increased growth of nuisance vegetation, muskellunge are thriving here and are being taken in record numbers. Browse Medicine Lake in Plymouth, Weaver Lake in Maple Grove, and more. You can find a Minnesota lake home without driving very far from the Minneapolis metro area. You aren't going to find much for lake shore homes in Minneapolis, but there are some fabulous mansions with views of Lake Harriet and Lake of the Isles.
Hubbard. This is the Nevis – Park Rapids – Akeley area and is home to Lake Plantagenet. I have a buddy who had a cabin on Lake Belle Taine. He wishes he still had it. The county is headquartered in Park Rapids, which is about half an hour south of Itasca State Park, which contains the headwaters of the Mississippi River.
Isanti. Drop a hook into Blue Lake. You can also live on Green Lake. Check out lakeshore living on Long Lake or Lake Francis. Just drive north out of the Twin Cities on Highway 65. Cambridge is the county seat of Isanti. If you buy a Minnesota lake home here, you could live and fish here all year long. Another city here that is offering waterfront real estate for sale is Nessel.
Itasca. This county is actually not near Lake Itasca, but is in the beautiful Grand Rapids and Deer river area. This area is famous for Lake Pokegema. Grand Rapids is the county seat. Other towns with lakefront include Bigfork and Cohasset.
Kanabec. This is the Mora area. Click this link to find Minnesota lakeshore real estate on Knife, Fish Lake, and a few others. There are usually about a dozen and a half properties available. I have a real esate partner that knows the fishing and the market up there inside-out. Apparently, the curly leaf boom has really helped out the muskie fishing. Kanabec County seated in Mora.
Koochiching. Now you are up near the Canadian Border. Bullwinkle the Moose lives here. Er, wait…I think that was Frostbite Falls. International Falls is headquarters for the county and is located on Rainy Lake. If you are not sure about living up here, rent a houseboat for a week and go fishing. Then go home and find your checkbook so you can write an earnest check on a remote cabin.
Lake County. The name says it all. Who doesn't want to live near Lake Superior or Ely? Maybe you can quit your boring job and make a living by cutting pulp wood and poaching deer. A lot of people do, you know. Become a "Jack Pine Savage." Your food stamps will go much farther. Is that venison you are cooking? Lake County is seated in Two harbors.
Walleye at Mille Lacs Lake
Lake of the Woods. Baudette is the seat for this county. Duck your head, or you might get hit by Northern Lights or a Canadian Hockey puck. You are way up north. Close to Baudette. Nice, eh? You might not be able to see all of the properties for sale from this link, so don't hesitate to call me to get more listings that you might not be able to get anywhere else.
LeSueur. There are a suprising number of nice lake homes just a few minutes south of Minneapolis. Lake Sakatah and Tetonka are the most notable spots. At the time of this writing, there were 35 lakefront properties for sale, at an average asking price of $410,000. Almost free. Le Center is the county seat. Check out le real estate here. You are still close to le Twin Cities.
Meeker County is headquartered in Litchfield. Litchfield and Dassel area are west of the metro on Highway 12. There are usually about three dozen or so for sale out here.
Mille Lacs. Use this link to find premier MN lake property in this countyTry living along the west side of Mille Lacs Lake. If you don't catch any fish, you can always buy smoked fish in Garrison. There is also a giant idol of a walleye in Garrison for worship purposes. Be sure to stop and pay homage to it. Milaca is home for the county government.
Morrison. Watch out for speed traps on the county roads, or you will end up in traffic court in Little Falls. I know I did. I got two tickets in one day. Little Falls sits halfway between Brainerd and St. Cloud. Notable bodies of water with nice Minnesota lake homes on them include Sullivan and Fish Trap.
Ottertail. This link instantly displays 'em all. Fergus Falls area. Buy lake homes in Perham, Ottertail or Parkers Prairie.
Pine County. Pine City area. You should have started looking here first. Drive north on 35 to Pine City and Moose Lake. Heaven on earth. You don't have to go all the way to Canada to find big hungry fish. There aren't as many biting black flies here, either.
Pope. You look like it's time for you to retire and buy some finde Pope County MN lake property. We have some wonderful all-one-level brand new townhomes along Lake Minnewaska in Glenwood. Trade in your shovel for a fishing pole.
Ramsey County. St. Paul region. More lakes here than you can shake a stick at.
Boat launch at O'Dowd Lake near Shakopee Minnesota
Scott County government center is located in Shakopee. Good fishing and nice lake homes are found on Fish Lake, Spring Lake, Cedar Lake, O'Dowd, Prior Lake, and more. O'Dowd has big fish. Prior Lake is comprised of two large basins. Fish Lake is good for finding black crappie. Spring offers hungry bucketmouths on the south end. Scott is the fastest growing county in the state.
Sherburne. This is Big Lake, Clear Lake, and Elk River Minnesota Country. Just drive west on 94 or 10. Can't miss it.
St. Louis County. Duluth area. Bingo! Jackpot! You found it! There are over five dozen Minnesota lake homes currently listed on the Northstar Regional MLS! My wife's uncle lives on an island in Lake Vermilion. Pretty cool.
Stearns. St. Cloud MN area. Check out Minnesota lake homes on Upper Spunk or Lower Spunk lakes. No, I did not make those names up.
Wabasha. Wabasha County offices are found in the City of Wabasha. Easy to remember. Check out homes on Lake Pepin near Lake City, a beautiful river bluff area in the southeastern part of the state. The Lake City MN real estate market is characterized by luxury condos overlooking Lake Pepin.
Washington County. Forest Lake and White Bear Lake area. The county seat is Stillwater, along the beautiful St. Croix River. There are about 166 Northstar Regional MLS lakeshore listings right now. Sales can be brisk here, given the proximity to the Twin Cities.
Wright County. Buffalo is where the courthouse is located. This county contains lakes near Buffalo, Maple Lake, and Annandale. This means the drive to your weekend getaway would be just a short drive west on Highway 55. Some of the lakes near Cokato smell very bad. Don't forget to search for excellent MN lake property opportunites on Pulaski, Pleasant Lake or Maple Lake. Then, of course, there is Buffalo Lake, a very large lake not to be confused by a town of the same name.
More county searches coming soon..


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What qualifies as bullying, how to prevent it and how to punish it are always up for debate among students, teachers, parents and phsychology experts.
As part of a proactive approach to prevent bullying, the Russellville School District invited Jodee Blanco, bestselling author of "Please Stop Laughing at Us: One Survivor's Extraordinary Quest to Prevent School Bullying" and "Please Stop Laughing at Me: One Woman's Inspirational True Story."
Blanco will be speaking to all RSD students in grades 3 through 12 on Sept. 24 and Sept. 25 and at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Blanco will address parents and the community during a seminar that is free and open to the public.
"Educating the whole child means helping students to solve life's problems as well as learning to solve math problems," RSD Assistant Superintendent Alene Bynum said. "Bullying is a national problem, and Russellville School District wants our students, parents and teachers to hear from experts in order to equip them to deal with bullies."
The school district has a zero tolerance regarding bullying, but to say that bullying doesn't exist would be untrue.
What Bynum and others hope is true, is the knowledge that RSD takes the matter of bullying seriously and that parents, students and teachers feel safe reporting incidents of bullying.
RHS principal Sammy Ussery said students today have to deal with forms of bullying that didn't exist in the past.
"There are many forms of bullying and cyber bullying is something we are consciously trying to educate the students, teachers and parents about," Ussery said. "The seminars are designed with students, teachers and parents in mind so that everyone can learn how to be better equipped regarding all aspects of bullying. While we may never create a completely bully-free campus, we can certainly strive to educate the entire district about the adverse affects of bullying, in hopes that students will feel empowered to make responsible decisions to prevent a bullying culture."
Bynum said the district has already heard from parents who are excited for the opportunity to learn more about bullying from someone like Blanco, who openly shared her saga of dealing with bullies in her books.
"I want my child to be able to recognize bullying and know how to properly report it," Jason Williams, parent of an elementary student, said.
For more information about Blanco, go online to www.jodeeblanco.com or for more information about the seminar, call the school district at 968-1306.
Anti-bullying Seminar
• 6 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Center for the Arts.
• National speaker and advocate, Jodee Blanco, will be addressing parents and members of the community about ways to prevent bullying in schools.