text:
People asking me that question are not talking about survival of the soul. They are teasing me about my excitement about popular writer Jill McCorkle's first novel in 17 years.
The book was officially released this week. So it is time to evaluate the results.
The novel is set in the fictional Pine Haven Retirement Center, where characters come together as residents, staff, visitors, and family.
The central character, Joanna, provides hospice-like counseling and comfort to dying residents and their loved ones. Her activities give the novel a gentle storyline and provide a persistent reminder that illness and death are an inescapable part of the experience at Pine Haven.
A mentor tells Joanna, "Make their exits as gentle and loving as possible. Tell them how good it will be, even if you don't believe it yourself. You're Southern, you know how to do that."
McCorkle describes how family members embrace Joanna "like she is one of them. Lung. Brain. Breast. Uterus. Pancreas. Bone. The families discuss and explain the symptoms and diagnoses for her as if they have never been heard of before, have never happened to anyone else, and she listens."
Each of McCorkle's characters has a different set of challenges, but the onset of fatal illness and death is a constant.
For instance, there is Stanley, a lawyer and widower. After his wife's death, his son moved into the family home, would not leave Stanley alone, slept beside him in his dead wife's place in their bed, and was driving the grieving Stanley crazy.
To get away from his son, he decided to act as if he really was crazy and therefore needed to be in a retirement center. He constructed a new image for himself, a kind of senility combined with a loss of judgment that led to inappropriate remarks to women. His crude descriptions of his desires and how he wanted to fulfill them proves that his mental condition requires institutionalization. Stanley's crazy conduct was an act to get him away from his son and into the retirement center. It worked.
For me, however, Stanley's act is a tragic reminder of what sometimes happens to people whose minds are slipping away. It also brings back painful personal memories of watching my father struggle to say the right things while Alzheimer's was taking away his memory and beginning to eat away at his judgment.
Stanley's situation did more to me. It raised fears that I, like Stanley, also a one-time lawyer, would someday be stripped of the deference that lawyers come to expect and demand. What Stanley had been did not matter much once he got to Pine Haven. Prior status might even count against new residents, especially those who made too much of their prior importance. My mother's struggle for acceptance when she moved into her hometown retirement center was complicated by her pride in having been the active and important wife of a college president. For a time, word passed around that she needed to learn that it did not matter in the retirement center who she was or how important she had been before.
Stanley is only one of the several characters whose situations evoke sympathy, pain, and laughter.
Dealing with the presence of death is a part of life's experience. Reading "Life after Life" deepens a reader's realization of its oncoming approach. It makes one wonder again why we are here, why we are still here, and whether or not there is really some life after life.
McCorkle's introductory quote from Thornton Wilder suggests her answer: "There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning."
D.G. Martin hosts "North Carolina Bookwatch," which airs Sundays at noon and Thursdays at 5 p.m. on UNC-TV. For more information or to view prior programs visit the webpage at www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch.
This week's (March 31, April 4) guest is Jill McCorkle author of "Life after Life."
The program will also air at Wednesday April 3 at 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on UNC-MX, a digital cable system channel (Time Warner #172 or #4.4). In addition, airing at 11:30 Wednesday on UNC-MX will be a classic Bookwatch program featuring Ron Rash author of "One Foot in Eden."
A grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council provides crucial support for North Carolina Bookwatch.


text:
Summaries of EU Legislation
Summaries of EU legislation: direct access to the main summaries page.
- Archived: true
Patent law in the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering: implementation report (2005)
This second report focuses on issues relating to the patenting of sequences of genes which have been isolated from the human body and the patentability of inventions concerning stem cells. It also reports on the implementation of the Directive on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions.
Report from the Commission of 14 July 2005 - Development and implications of patent law in the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering [COM(2005) 312 - Official Journal C 211 of 30.8.2005].
The Commission drew up this report on the basis of the work carried out by the group of experts set up following the first report.
It presents an analysis of the two issues which had been raised in 2002:
- the patenting of sequences of genes which have been isolated from the human body
The aim was to determine the scope of the protection conferred by patents to this type of product: classical protection covering possible future uses of the sequence or protection restricted only to the specific use disclosed in the patent application ("purpose-bound protection").
The Commission has not taken a position so far regarding the scope of Member States' protection. It will, nonetheless, monitor the matter closely to determine whether there are any economic consequences of possible divergences between Member States' legislation.
- the patentability of human embryonic stem cells and cell lines obtained from them
A distinction should be drawn between totipotent stem cells, which are capable of developing into a human being, and pluripotent embryonic stem cells, which do not have this capability.
The former are clearly excluded from patenting on grounds of human dignity.
For the latter, the group of experts considered that the question of patenting was linked to the definition of what constitutes an embryo, and the scope of research allowed, which is determined by national legislation. Given the divergences which exist between Member States on this matter, the Commission considers that it is premature to give further definition or provide for further harmonisation in this area.
The Commission will monitor developments in this field and has launched a study looking at the ethical and legal aspects of stem cell patenting.
It draws attention to the initiation of legal proceedings in 2003 for failure to transmit transposition measures and the opening of new procedures in December 2004 against Latvia and Lithuania which had not completed the transposition of the Directive. Italy and Luxembourg had also still not applied the Directive in July 2005.
Report from the Commission of 7 October 2002 - Development and implications of patent law in the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering COM(2002) 545 final [Not published in the Official Journal]
This document is the Commission's first annual report aimed at evaluating the implementation of Directive 98/44/EC on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions. It examines the development of patent law in the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering, and identifies and evaluates problems and sensitive issues which have recently arisen.
European Parliament and Council Directive 98/44/EC of 6 July 1998 on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions [Official Journal L 213 of 30.07.1998]
The purpose of this Directive is to guarantee clear and effective legal protection in the field of biotechnology. It also specifically bans human cloning and any modifications to germ line genetic identity. The ethical aspects are handled by an independent committee which has been given the task of advising the European Commission on these matters.
Last updated: 03.01.2006

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Bill O'Reilly continued his prude campaign this week when he questioned whether a recent Elle magazine photoshoot featuring Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber frolicking in the ocean surf was appropriate.
The cultural curmudgeon, speaking on his Fox Network show "the O'Reilly Factor," mocked the tween star's hairstyle, saying "he looks like Ringo Starr.
Margaret Hoover, a guest on the show, said the photospread disgusted her. "It's a 16-year-old having an affair with a celebutante!" she cried.
The Elle photos depict Kim Kardashian, 29, in an ocean-soaked dress running hand in hand with an also-soaked Bieber, 16. O'Reilly said the images were reminiscent of the movie "the Graduate," in which a young man has a sexual affair with an older woman.
Conservative maven O'Reilly, who earlier this summer took Jennifer Aniston to task for starring in a movie centering around artificial insemination. The outraged right winger told his TV audience that he had a different set of interests when he was age 16.
"I wanted to be a baseball player," O'Reilly said on his show. "I didn't want to hang around Kim Kardashian...I had a baseball bat and ice skates! That's what I was doing."
Kim Kardashian had no ethical problems splashing around with the young Canadian phenom. "The shoot was so much fun," she told Access Hollywood, "he was such a good guy."


text: I installed Google Music Manager about a month ago and I didn't have any issues with it connecting to the Music Manager server. After a couple weeks, Zone Alarm updated and now I can't use Music Manager without disabling the Application Control in Zone Alarm Free Firewall. I looked at the list of Programs and all the Music Manager entries are Allow. When Music Manager tries to connect, Zone Alarm pops up and tells me it was blocked from connecting to the local zone.


text:
- Product H71836
PRS Studio with Pattern Thin Neck Electric Guitar
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PRS's new 22 fret, 25" scale length Studio model electric guitar is a fresh, modern rendition of a traditional single-single-hum guitar set up with t...Click To Read More About This Product
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A new finish, a new neck, and Narrowfield pickups for more tonal flexibility.
PRS's new 22 fret, 25" scale length Studio model electric guitar is a fresh, modern rendition of a traditional single-single-hum guitar set up with the beauty and brightness of a maple top. The possibilities are vast with PRS's proprietary 57/08 Narrowfield pickups in the middle and bass positions in conjunction with a 57/08 humbucking bridge pickup. The Narrowfield"¢ pickups focus the string attack much like a single-coil but are hum canceling. The result is a new sounding pickup system, which blends features of single-coil, soap bar, and humbucking pickups. Screaming lead tones, crisp rhythm tones and 5-way blade switch also enhance the flexibility of this guitar in the studio or on stage.
Other features include mahogany neck, V12 finish, rosewood fretboard, "pattern thin neck", 2011 birds, PRS tremolo bridge, PRS locking tuners, nickel or gold hardware, and redesigned lampshade knobs volume and push/pull tone controls.
V12 Finish
Finish should enhance the look, sound, and feel of a guitar by accentuating the wood's inherent beauty and feel without hindering its natural resonance. And PRS Guitars' new "V12" finish does just that. Introduced at Experience PRS 2010, "V12" is a very thin, hard, and clear finish that will not crack or react with thinners. After roughly 12 years in development, it is halfway between acrylic and nitro but with a classic feel all its own. "PRS models with this new finish feel like old instruments," said Paul Reed Smith.
Pattern Thin Neck Shape
Neck shapes have always been a high priority for PRS and a hallmark of our quality. A guitar should feel comfortable, like "home," as soon as you pick it up, and the neck is paramount to that connection. The "Pattern Thin" neck is an updated version of PRS's traditional Wide Thin neck. This new neck shape reflects modern tooling and programming that allows us to even more preciously shape and consistently reproduce our necks.
- Mahogany body
- Figured maple top
- V12 finish
- Mahogany neck
- Pattern thin neck carve
- East Indian rosewood fingerboard
- 22 frets
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- 57/08 Narrowfield middle pickup
- 57/08 Narrowfield neck pickup
- 5-way blade pickup switch with push/pull
- Position 1: Treble Humbucker
- Position 2: Treble Humbucker with middle Narrowfield
- Position 3: Middle Narrowfield
- Position 4: MIddle Narrowfied and bass Narrowfield
- Position 5: Bass Narrowfield
- Position 1: Treble humbucker in single-coil mode
- Position 2: Treble single-coil with middle Narrowfield
- Position 3: Middle Narrowfield
- Position 4: MIddle Narrowfied and bass Narrowfield
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- Nickel hardware
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Reviewed by 1 customer
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Best Uses
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Comments about PRS Studio with Pattern Thin Neck Electric Guitar:
I've been a strat player for years. Picked this guitar up and just fell in love with it. Comfortable, Great tone, 5 way blade switch give you those out of phase tones just like a Strat. And it looks great !!


text:
If you were an artist, how would you represent the worst of the human condition? How about rabid hyenas emerging from the swollen, bandaged head of a faceless man? That's how artist and University of Oregon student Bryan Schuldt imagined it with his piece "Head Fuller," on display at the UO's Mills International Center. "Hyenas seemed to be the perfect animal to show disgust, fear, restlessness, anger and just a lot of 'bad' emotions that we have in everyday life, especially in interactions with others," Schuldt says.
The Mills International Center's fall exhibition, Cycles, features the work of four students: Bryan Schuldt, Mary Campbell, Alisa Akay and Bryan Putnam. First-time curator Justino Long hand-picked the artists.
The Mills International Center, in the Erb Memorial Union, is where many UO students go to study, catch up with friends or catnap on the saffron couches. More than that, this is a place for students to ease the transition from summer to fall, whether they come from Cambodia or Cottage Grove. For Long, the challenge with Cycles was to integrate the art with the space. "This room is not the typical white box of the gallery," he says. "My intention was to create some sort of connection between the work and the space, instead of just having the work here for decorative purposes."
In Cycles, the motif of reinvigorating sequence is the common thread. Long selected artists who examine familiar styles and compositions, yet find ways to arrive in foreign territories. Schuldt's "Rorshach Study," for example, is a new perspective on the psychological inkblot test. Putnam takes a look at the symbolic and narrative properties of tattoo in his "Sightings" series. Campbell places living room furniture in a fresh setting, and Akay's fall foliage takes on a metaphysical bent.
Putnam skillfully engages the contemporary artistic and cultural landscape through visual storytelling. In "Sightings," he invites us to interpret a strange, life-altering incident in the lives of a small fishing crew. See for yourself what this means, and while you're at it, make sure to check out his fantastic fish and "ESAV Studies" etchings.
Schuldt is another standout. In Schuldt's "Have Heart," two wraithlike figures with dotted halos part fabric to reveal a blue heart. His sculptural screen-print collage, "In the Quiet Absence of God," invites the viewer to decode the black and white scenes and their relation to each other. Horses graze, figures blur in ghostly symmetry and bridges against stark landscapes carve into the white sky.
Akay and Campbell use a color palette of pinks and reds to different effect. Campbell uses specific moments in her life as fodder for her work. She begins with the memory as a concrete reference point, and then dips "into a more unconscious world of color and experimentation with mark making." A Portland-born painter, Akay cites local artists Adam Grosowksy and Ron Graff as pivotal instructors. Akay renders her paintings with visible brush strokes, dynamic textures and vibrant, saturated colors.
Cycles runs through Dec. 3 at Mills International Center, University of Oregon; free. The exhibit is part of the Lane Arts Council's ArtWalk.


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The weekly American History class offered by Marian University at the Fond du Lac Public Library continues weekly through March as it marches through our nation's early years. Classes meet at 6 p.m. The schedule:
March 5: Lifestyle and the evolving material culture in Colonial America, Part one
March 12: Maps and mapping with emphasis on the historic fur trade
Valentine's Day is almost here and love is in the air. The library is THE place for romance readers. No matter what kind of love story is your favorite - contemporary, historical, paranormal, or just good old fashioned "boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after" stories - we have them all. Stop in and check out our Love Stories display on the first floor. We pulled together some of the greatest love stories of all time, from Gone With the Wind, to the tumultuous love affair of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go," said the wise Cat in the Hat.
The Fond du Lac Public Library hopes kids will go to the Children's Room on Sunday, March 2, to celebrate Dr. Seuss Day. Kids ages 3-12 can stop in from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to hear stories, try their hands at a make-and-take craft, cookie decorating, do a bit of coloring and hope to win one of the door prizes. The event is free. No registration required.
Touted by foodies and the medical community alike for their complex flavors and purported health benefits, fermented foods are making a big comeback. They've been around for centuries; ancient people used what nature provided to preserve foods in a healthy way. The same basic techniques are available to any home cook.
Bands of young men carrying torches down Main Street Fond du Lac! Militant politicos! Uniform-wearing radicals! We're talking, of course, of the '60s. The 1860s.
Kids love books, and kids love clubs. Voila, the Fond du Lac Public Library has put together Book Club Kits for kids. Each kit comes with eight copies of the same book accompanied by discussion questions. They can be checked out for 60 days (instead of the usual 21 days for a single book).
The Fond du Lac Public Library is lending Kindle e-readers loaded with kids' and teens' chapter books. Books such as the uber-popular Divergent, Hunger Games, Percy Jackson and Harry Potter series are preloaded on the devices. The Kindles can be borrowed for 21 days and can be renewed just like other library materials. Children checking them out must have parents sign a release form.
The Kindles are available at the Main Desk in the downtown library.
Lake of Tears is Mary Logue's latest mystery set in Pepin County and featuring the character Claire Watkins. This is a good choice for people who like to read books with a Wisconsin connection, and people who like police procedural mysteries. The story is set in autumn as the local people are doing an annual ritual of constructing a Viking boat and setting it on fire. Claire is a deputy sheriff, and her daughter Meg will be going to college soon.
Love to write? Hate to write? Want to improve your writing? The Teen Writers' Workshop at the Fond du Lac Public Library will give young writers a chance to get feedback and help from students and faculty from UW-Oshkosh Writing Center. Teens in grades 6-12 are invited to bring works, completed or in progress, at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 23. The workshop is free; no registration required.
Teddy is invited. So is bunny. Or kitty. And don't forget dragon. They're all invited to the Teddy Bear Sleepover at the Fond du Lac Public Library. Kids ages 3 to 8 are invited to drop off their best stuffed friend any time on Friday, March 14, and come back at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 15, to be reunited with their friends and enjoy breakfast and stories.


text:
Aurora Borealis Shines on the South
I recently wrote about the Aurora Borealis (The Northern Lights) making an appearance in the Civil War after the Battle of Fredericksburg in December, 1862. Some soldiers called the celestial occurrence God's Windows.
It happened again last night in Northern Arkansas. I went outside when I heard about it but the lights didn't appear in our sky. I wish I could have seen it but we are too far South.
I saw the Northern Lights for the first time when I was twenty six years old and on board an airliner somewhere above Iceland. My husband and our two year old son were on our way to Augsburg, Germany for our first overseas Army tour. When the pilot announced to all the passengers that we had a wonderful light show outside our windows I was awed but also very frightened. I had never seen nor heard of the Northern Lights. The sky was on fire with blue, yellow, green and red lights dancing all over it. I will never forget the sight.
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text:
Hoover, Contreras optioned to Triple-A
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
CINCINNATI -- It's been a struggle of a 2014 season for Reds reliever J.J. Hoover, and it reached a low point on the previous road trip when he was on the mound for two walk-off losses. The Reds made roster moves Thursday and Hoover was optioned to Triple-A Louisville.
Hoover is 1-10 with a 5.27 ERA in 46 games, which tied the Reds' record among relievers for most losses in a season. His 10-game losing streak is a record for Cincinnati relievers. He 10th loss came when he hit Jon Jay with the bases loaded in the ninth inning for a 5-4 loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday.
"J.J. was the choice simply because it's been such a battle to just really be consistent and be the same guy we've come to know from 2012 and 2013," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "I think a few outings down in Triple-A just to get his feet back on the ground hopefully will help him when he comes back. He'll certainly be back with us in September and hopefully throwing the ball as good as ever."
Also optioned to Louisville was rookie Carlos Contreras, who had a 6.11 ERA in 13 appearances. Contreras exited Wednesday's game at St. Louis in the eighth inning with right shoulder stiffness but it proved not to be a serious issue.
To fill the 25-man roster, the Reds recalled lefty pitcher David Holmberg from Louisville to start vs. the Braves on Thursday. Right-handed reliever Pedro Villarreal, who had one-game stints in the big leagues for the Reds in 2012 and 2013, was also called up.
Villarreal had a 3.20 ERA in 42 games this season for Louisville. In the Reds' 8-0 loss to the Braves, he replaced David Holmberg in the third and allowed two runs and three hits over 2 1/3 innings.
Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Mark My Word, and follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text: Talking about an underrated, almost never talked about match! Stumbled across these highlights tonight and I have to say, this is easily one of their best matches. Look at how hard they are hitting. The court is pretty fast too, as is Nadal. Man could he move back then! Enjoy.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPoKUbTojxU&feature=youtube_gdata_player


text:
Not since Dan Gilbert swarmed into Detroit's downtown real estate market in 2010 has such a flurry of central business district office buildings been poised for sales deals.
Four midsize buildings totaling 295,000 square feet have been put up for sale and are actively being marketed to potential buyers. Real estate experts say how those buildings fare in purchase offers will be a marker of the how high the level of investment interest is in the 12 million-square-foot downtown office market.
The buildings range from 15,000 square feet to 164,000 square feet. They are at 1260 Library St. (100 percent occupied); 511 Woodward Ave. (vacant); 243 W. Congress St. (53 percent occupied); and 415 Clifford St. (vacant).
Two of the buildings, the Woodward and Clifford sites, are being sold by Wayne County. The Library Street property is being sold by Vernier Holdings LLC with a registered agent of developer Michael Curis. The Congress building is being sold by Maria Gatzaros, widow of the late Greektown developer Ted Gatzaros.
"You want to see how this real estate is absorbed and what comes of it and what the sales comps are," said A.J. Weiner, executive vice president of brokerage in the Detroit office of Jones Lang LaSalle, which is marketing three of the four buildings for sale. "If the comps are strong, it bodes well for other sellers."
Charles Mady, CEO of Detroit-based Exclusive Realty — the company marketing one of the four buildings, the 164,000-square-foot Class B Marquette Building at West Congress and Washington Boulevard — said the CBD office market is still "sluggish." However, if the downtown buildings sell for high enough prices, that will be a milestone for the market.
"We would go up a full rung on the ladder," he said. "We are now attracting professional buyers and developers. I get calls every day from L.A. and New York. The excitement is out there, so that would be a major boost."
In the fourth quarter of 2013, CBD office buildings sold for an average of $23.69 per square foot, according to data from the Southfield office of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank.
What the four buildings are used for, whether office or a combination of uses, will become future indicators as well, brokers said.
"Are they going to be tapping into the demand for residential? One would argue that would be an easy sell," Weiner said.
Some would likely remain office space, such as the 15,000-square-foot Class B building just northwest of Gilbert's Z Site on Library Street. Others, like the 35,000-square-foot Class B building on Woodward between Larned and Congress streets, could be transformed into mixed-use space for retail and office, Weiner and Mady said.
The Clifford Street site, between Bagley Avenue and Times Square, includes 81,000 square feet of Class C office space. Jones Lang LaSalle is marketing the Clifford, Library and Woodward buildings.
Brokers and attorneys say the next wave of real estate sales downtown is expected to attract a different crop of people seeking to invest in a market on the upswing.
Joe Kopietz, a partner in the real estate practice at Detroit-based Clark Hill PLC, said approval of a business improvement district downtown might be something that "some of our more passive property owners may not want to be around for." That means more building sales could be on the horizon, he said.
The Downtown Detroit Partnership is asking downtown property owners to form the district and tax themselves to fund an entity to pay for things like downtown cleanup, beautification and safety. The idea still needs city approval and then property owner approval.
The district's proposed boundaries would lie roughly between the freeways — I-75 to the north, I-375 to the east and M-10 to the west — and the Detroit River, and impact the 253 commercial property owners in that expanse.
How much a property owner would pay is based on floor space (60 percent) and assessed value of the property (40 percent). According to the DDP, the 30 largest downtown property owners would pay more than 75 percent of the expected annual budget of $4 million. More than one-third would pay less than $1,000 per year.
Kirk Pinho: (313) 446-0412, [email protected]. Twitter: @kirkpinhoCDB


text: I have two CT90's (bought as a package, one running and one parts) The running one is being kept stock (well ok, I am going for a big bore kit since I managed to hole a piston....lesson learned... always double check jetting when you get a used machine with a rebuilt carb!) I'm now thinking of taking some essential bits off the parts bike as spares for the other one and then doing some modding to the parts bike. (Which is in bad enough shape and missing enough bits I don't feel badly about modding it.) Currently my mental list includes: Tractor style motorcycle seat Lifan engine (I'm keeping the engine from this one aside for parts for the other CT90 which I am keeping stock) Ammo box panniers Flat black paint job Dual headlights with wire cage Leather Frame cover with rivets (to replace the missing frame cover on this bike, it's the piece that covers the central frame tube) - I plan to mould some wet leather around the frame cover of the other bike to get the general shape. (Am going to try for a vintage/steampunky feel for this) Replacement speedo (original one being kept as spare for the other bike) Replace the rear tail light, replace blinkers (Get something with a wire cage, bit of an industrial look perhaps.) Redo side covers - make rough copies in sheet metal and then rivet together (and add copper to outside for riveted copper look.) Currently aiming to do this near year - going to spend a year collecting bits (and saving up the budget to redo the bike) Any other ideas I can *ahem* blantantly steal? :)


text:
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|Topic: Truths that will change your life part01
Male Islam
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Location: Algeria
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Posts: 96
| Topic: Truths that will change your life part01
Posted: 26 October 2012 at 9:42am
Truths that will change your life
Everyone lives inside his brain throughout his life, and can in no way ever step out of it. Perceptions related to every illusion we see, every sound we hear, every object we touch and everything we taste are the perceptions that electrical signals form in our brain. We can never make direct contact with the original of any illusion we see, any sound we hear or the fruit we taste outside our brains. Throughout our lives, we watch perceptions formed in our brains.
For instance, someone who travels in a plane, crossing over oceans, actually travels between images formed in his brain. The image and noise of the airport, the announcements made to the passengers, the noise of the engines, the sensation produced by a plane taxiing on a runaway, clouds, the image of the city left behind, the oceans, the sense of distance, the hardness of the seats, the texture of its fabric.... All of these are perceived in the tiny visual center in the brain.
The sense of distance formed in that center, which is only a few inches in size, on the other hand, is a great miracle created by God. Within such images created in such a small area, God also creates a sense of distance, perceived as if one's destination were miles away. Someone looking at the ocean from a plane window actually watches it in his brain from the plane in his mind. The distance between the two, on the other hand, is a perception God creates in the human being who lives within his brain.
this point, we encounter another important fact: The consciousness that
sees the ocean miles below, hears the noise of the engine or feels the
hardness of the seat does not consist of the cells or nerves in the
You must also have a better understanding of this glorious and unprecedented artistry, this infinite wisdom in God's creation and draw the appropriate conclusions from this miracle of creation.
Have they not reflected within themselves? God did not create the heavens and the earth and everything between them except with truth and for a fixed term. Yet many people reject the meeting with their Lord. (Koran, 30:8)
If someone asks you how far away the TV set is when you are watching the late-night news, you will most probably answer, "A few feet." Yet, that answer is far from accurate. That is because the TV set is not "a few feet" away from you at all, but is in the sensory center in your brain. What you see is not the television out there but an image formed in the visual center in your brain. The signal reaching you by means of light from the external world is transformed into electrical signals by your cells, and these signals reaching the brain are perceived as an image.
This fact is a great miracle created by God. In a tiny space made up of flesh, lipids and proteins, God creates a colorful, bright image that gives a true sense of depth. This is an image of perfect quality and sharpness that has no blurriness, darkness or shift. Furthermore, in another tiny spot in that same brain, God creates high-quality, multi-dimensional sound with no distortion that accompanies this image perfectly and is totally synchronized with it.
It is a scientific fact that everyone actually lives in a small room in his skull, in a tiny part of his brain. No one, no matter how much he strives, can ever step out of that room in his brain. He can never reach the original of the world that occurs in his brain.
This scientific fact is very important in the sense that it indicates the glorious and unprecedented creation of God. From the Prophet Adam on, God has created separate lives in the brains of all the people that have ever appeared on Earth, showed colorful, bright images providing a sense of distance in the brains of billions of people and caused them to hear the loveliest songs, the roaring of a waterfall, thunder or the buzzing of a bee. More strikingly, God created all such perceptions with such delicate harmony and perfection that the majority of these people never realized that they actually heard the sounds or watched the images in their brains. They always assumed that they saw the actual things that existed in the outside world, talked to them or touched them.
Never forget this important truth:
We can never reach the original object. We can only experience what we see in our brains.
Stimuli coming from the ears, eyes and nose reach the brain in the form of electrical signals. Who is it in the brain that experiences these electric signals as sound, smell and sensation? Inside the brain there exists a consciousness that perceives all these without having any need for eyes, ear or nose. To whom does this consciousness belong? Darwinist-materialists, who believe that nothing exists except matter, cannot answer these questions.
Never forget that it is in your power to destroy the basic claims of Darwinist-materialist ideology.
The 21st century will be the century when all these facts will be grasped and accepted.
There is one fact everyone knows: The senses of sight, sound, smell and taste are perceived in the brain. That is, we experience the outside world inside us. We spend our entire lives in that small space in our brains. We watch the outside world on the television in our brain. We smell the electrical signals entering our brains from the external world in our sensory centers. We again perceive the electrical signals entering our brains from the external world as hardness. The electrical signals entering our brains are transformed into sounds in the loudspeakers in our brains.
We experience all these sensations in that room of a few cubic inches in our brains, and all through our lives we can never step out of it. No individual, not someone traveling from one continent to another, nor the first man who walked on the moon, nor a farmer who has never left his village in his life can go anywhere outside the small room in his brain. We see oceans, woods, the sky, the Sun, the Moon, flowers and fruits, which do exist in the external world, in this small room in our brain. We smell them there and hear the sounds they produce in that room, without ever making direct contact with their originals outside Inside the brain there is a consciousness perceiving all these sensations. However, that conscious certainly does not belong to the nerve cells or lipids making up the brain. This consciousness is the soul God creates.
Every individual who reads this obvious fact must ponder on God, the Exalted, Who places the entire universe with all its colors in a pitch-dark space of a few cubic inches in the brain, fear Him and take refuge in Him.
The entire life of a human being is made up of the perceptions in his brain revealed to him through his five senses. For instance, a person walking on the street actually walks on the street inside his brain. His feet, the unevenness of the pavement, the sloping road, the discomfort his shoes cause him, the height of the curbstones, the wind and all the cars passing by are seen and sensed in the brain.
A person who rubs his eye because of an irritating dust particle in it will grasp this reality. When he rubs his eye, he sees the image of the road, trees and cars moving up and down. This is similar to the shifting of images on the television. That system also exists in the brain. In this sense, a person is similar to someone watching television. In the same way that he watches television programs, he also watches what is provided for him, through his senses, in his brain.
This being the case, who is it that sees these images in his brain or feels the cold wind on his face? God informs us that it is the SOUL that perceives these sensations. What we call "our life" is actually what our Lord shows our soul in accordance with the destiny He creates for us.
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Gallo puts on show during Futures batting practice
Rangers prospect wins unofficial homer derby crown with impressive display
By Jim Callis / MLB.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- Unlike with the All-Star Game, there is no Home Run Derby tied into the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. If there had been, Rangers third-base prospect Joey Gallo would have run away with the title.
During batting practice, Gallo led all players with 15 home runs, many of the tape-measure variety. He reached the third deck in right-center at Target Field with his first swing and hit five more balls there, including one with his final swing. Gallo also hit three blasts to right field that carried all the way out of the park, including one that smashed the windshield of a vehicle outside.
"My first swing, I was up there just swinging and I hit a home run and heard people go kind of like, 'Ohhhhhh," Gallo said. "I said, 'I might as well put on a show. People are paying good money to be here, so I'll give them what they want.' I heard I broke a windshield, and I do feel bad about that."
Gallo's power is no surprise, because it earned him a $2.25 million bonus as a supplemental first-round pick in 2012. He set a rookie-level Arizona League record with 18 homers in his pro debut, led the Minor Leagues with 40 homers last year in his first full pro season and is tied for the Minor League lead with 31 homers this year.
Still, to actually see Gallo's power in person was impressive. It left onlookers around the batting cage gasping and giggling. One scout who has seen Gallo take batting practice multiple times was awed by what he saw in a Major League park.
"Gallo was the winner, absolutely," the scout said. "You come to the Futures Game and these type of events, and to see the way his power plays, and the way his balls carry and [what they] look like here in a big league setting. … You watch the balls carry the way they do, into the upper deck with the overhang and out of the stadium. Wow."
Gallo is a native of Las Vegas, as is Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, who shares the Minor League home run lead with him. Asked the day before who would win in a homer contest between him and Gallo, Bryant said, "My money would have to be on Joey."
Bryant put on a nice show with five long balls, including two bombs to dead center (one off the batting eye) and an opposite-field shot into the second deck in right field, but his prediction proved correct.
Gallo said he has known Bryant his entire life, as Bryant grew up playing with Gallo's older brother. They're helping establish Las Vegas as the power-hitting capital of baseball, with Bryce Harper leading those efforts.
"You could say it might be something in the water, but that's not right," Gallo said. "We've just had good talent. I think maybe we're underrated out there. Vegas has pretty good players and coaches."
For the United States team, Yankees catcher/first baseman Peter O'Brien also had a nice batting practice. O'Brien, who ranked third in the Minors with 29 homers, hit nine balls out, including one off the batting eye. Reds outfielder Jesse Winker reached the third deck in right field, while Padres outfielder Hunter Renfroe put two balls into the second deck in left field.
Cubs third baseman Javier Baez, who topped the Minors with 75 extra-base hits a year ago, was the unofficial World batting practice leader with seven homers, one more than Rangers catcher Jorge Alfaro. Baez crushed his shots to left field, including one into the third deck with his final swing. Alfaro was the only player to reach the second deck in center.
Twins first baseman Kennys Vargas reached the seats from both sides of the plate. He hit a ball off the façade of the second deck in left-center batting right-handed, and a ball off the façade in right field while batting lefty. Vargas also hit another homer batting lefty, as he enjoyed getting acclimated to the park he may call home in the near future.
"It felt pretty good," Vargas said. "The ball flies here. I don't think about trying to hit the ball out of the park. I just try to hit the ball hard and they flew out. I know I can hit the ball out of any park."
Jim Callis is a reporter for MLB.com and writes a blog, Callis' Corner. Follow @jimcallisMLB on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Latest Jewish news:
- Canadian blog sued for link.
- Rabbis: sex with the enemy is kosher.
- Brooks and Shields agree: NPR screwed up with Juan Williams.
- Juan Williams boomerang: NPR terrified with backlash.
- NPR fires Juan Williams for remarks opposing jihad.
- Islamic apartheid alive and well.
- Israel is the Jewish homeland. Get used to it.
- "Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom"
- Ground Zero imam plays the innocent sweetheart when it suits his game.
- Teaneck Rabbis: Whatever it is, we deny it!
- NJ Jewish paper unlikely to reverse decision in face of orthodox threats.
- Interview: We don't hide who we are.
- NJ Jewish paper threatened by orthodox thugs.
- NJ Jewish paper bows to bigots.
- UK Muslim schools mandate veil. Moderate Muslims protest.
- Jon Stewart rips Rick Sanchez.
- Rick Sanchez: Jews rule CNN. Fired.
- Castro: Jews most slandered people in the world.
- Why Muslims convert to Christianity.
- Muslims get net group to allow terrorists.
- Escape from Islam forbidden by law. Cult coerces members.
- Infidels = criminals. Muslims track with technology.
- It's the law!! Accept Islam at work or pay a fine.
- We are here to stay. Deal with it.
- Good yuntif. Yom Kippur 5771.
- NY Times: comment on Islam abusive and objectionable.
- Muslim rule in Hartford, Conn.
- NY Times: Koran is word of God.
- If you want respect, then show some respect.
- Obama: How can we call Islam offensive???
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Tag Archives: wamu-fm
Brooks and Shields agree: NPR screwed up with Juan Williams.
Here is the transcript of what David Brooks, conservative pundit, and Shields, a liberal commentator and journalist, said on PBS News Hour: JUDY WOODRUFF: Thirty seconds left. The firing of Juan Williams, the analyst, by National Public Radio: the meaning … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Alicia Shepard, david brooks, islam, jihad, juan williams, mark shields, muslim, national public radio, npr, pbs news hour, vivian schiller, wamu-fm Leave a comment
Juan Williams boomerang: NPR terrified with backlash.
Apparently, NPR has now realized that Americans will not stand for its one-sided coverage of news. There is a red line which one cannot cross without some backlash. Firing Juan Williams for saying what he thought, on another station, brought … Continue reading


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Our calendar must be screwed up, because somehow the September issue is already out.
The first issue of TransWorld SNOWboarding is shipping to subscribers today! You'll be able to buy it at newsstands in two weeks.
To kick off of the season-TransWorld's nineteenth season-we created two different, collectible covers. Subscribers will get Josh Dirksen's 34-foot backside air from Mack Dawg's now-famous super session at June Mountain. On the cover of the newsstand issue is Josh's one-footer, way the hell up there on the same massive hip.
TransWorld's got a whole different look this year, thanks to our new art team: Art Director Randy Ronquillo and Associate Art Director Kim Treffer. It's clean and well organized, and of course it's filled with the best photos and content that only T-dub can get.
As a bonus, if you buy the newsstand edition, you'll also get a free DVD featuring teasers from our exclusive partners: Mack Dawg, Defective Films, kidsKNOW, Whiteout Films, Neoproto, and Misschief. The mag is still just $3.99 (U.S.). Don't miss out on future issues of the world's number-one snowboard magazine; subscribe here on the site. Or head to newsstands August 1 and get the DVD.
P.S. If you buy one of the new snowboarding videos from www.TransWorldSNOWboarding.com, you get a subscription to the magazine included in your purchase! That's what I'd do.


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An altercation occurred among inmates at the Marion County Jail during first appearances Friday morning.
An altercation occurred among inmates at the Marion County Jail during first appearances Friday morning.
Among the inmates appearing before a judge via video link from the jail to the courthouse downtown was Dillon Gresham, 23, of Fort McCoy, who is charged, along with Timothy Mayhew, 20, address unknown, with murder in the death of Robert Hiles, 64, of Citra. Gresham's girlfriend, Angel Crystal Faith Long, 22, of Ocala, faces charges of being a principal to murder.
Gresham, whose prior criminal history includes burglary and dealing in stolen property, told the judge he was going to hire a private attorney.
After Judge Tommy Thompson denied bond for Gresham and he turned and began to walk away, another inmate, Albert Norris, reportedly called Gresham a "(expletive) murderer" and gave him a hard shove. Gresham was going to retaliate, but was quickly restrained by a corrections officer. Another officer quickly grabbed Norris.
Officers put Norris into a holding cell inside the courtroom area and locked it while Gresham was escorted out of the room.
While Gresham was being escorted out, he reportedly shouted to Norris, "I got you boy; I'm going to (expletive) you up."
Gresham, Mayhew and Long had been tenants in a home in which Hiles rented out rooms.
On July 16, someone called 911 after seeing a fire at Hiles' home. Firefighters found him, beaten and badly burned, in the doorway of his home. Hiles died soon afterward at Ocala Regional Medical Center.
On Thursday, Marion County sheriff's detectives arrested Gresham, Mayhew and Long, who were in custody on auto theft charges and had been brought back to Marion County from Alabama. They are suspected of stealing Hiles' 1999 Oldsmobile.
Before Gresham came to the podium Friday morning, Long made her first appearance before Thompson and also was denied bond. She is being monitored under suicide watch at the jail, meaning with constant supervision.
When Mayhew made his first appearance, Thompson also denied bond in his case.
Both Mayhew and Long, who does not have a criminal history, will be represented by the Public Defender's Office.
After about 15 minutes, officers took Norris out of the holding cell and asked if he might create any more scenes and he said no.
Norris told a Star-Banner reporter that he had never seen Gresham and did not know him.
"He murdered somebody," Norris said about why he yelled at Gresham.
Norris said that he feels "so much is going on (in) the world today with people being murdered" that he just wanted to do that.
Norris is in the jail on charges of trespassing, resisting arrest with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer.
When he appeared before the judge, Norris, 36, said he did not want an attorney and wanted to represent himself.
Norris has a criminal record that includes battery and robbery with a weapon. He told the judge that he has a history of being treated for mental illness.
Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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CARSON, Calif. – Central to Sporting Kansas City's efforts this season has been the play of reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Jimmy Nielsen.
The Danish 'keeper has followed up his strong award-winning 2012 season with yet another strong performance this year having only conceded three goals while making 11 saves and keeping a 0.43 goals against average. Currently Sporting have a five-game shutout streak and have kept their opponents scoreless for the last 512 minutes.
LA's own goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini admitted that Nielsen is quite the weapon for Kansas City, but he's more focused on stopping their high-octane attack.
"He's doing very well. Last year, he was the best goalkeeper in the league. It's a team that looks pretty solid and this year they have a very good striker in [Claudio] Bieler, who is a very good goleador. They're getting stronger and last year they were first in their conference so they're a team to beat."


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Lt. Michael Shaw said police were trailing a group of men overnight in Detroit who were suspected of impersonating officers to commit a string of armed robberies when the suspects bailed out of a car in the 5300 block of Townsend Street.
"Troopers went in pursuit, performed a perimeter around the house with a canine unit. The Detroit Police Department helped with a sweep of the neighborhood to see if they could help catch the individuals. It was during that time that the troopers and members of the DPD were fired upon," Shaw said.
The trooper was hit below his knee. A Detroit police officer was also grazed on his left side.
"This could have been a heck of a lot worse if it wasn't for the troopers and the DPD officers out there relying on their training," Shaw said.
---Lt. Michael Shaw describes what happened Monday morning when an MSP Trooper was shot
Two people were immediately taken into custody. Police stayed on the scene for several hours -- using teargas brought in by a SWAT team -- to clear out the house and make sure no one else was inside.
They said they were looking for two more people connected to the incident.
Copyright 2013 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Please call 715-794-2060 for lodging reservations. Or book online by clicking the "Check Availability" button at left. This form is intended for non-urgent communications only.
We believe you'll find that most questions you may have about Cable Nature Lodge are addressed on our website. But if you can't find the answers you're looking for there, please feel free to complete this form and we'll get back to you at our earliest convenience.
Thank you!


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NATO Secretary General bids farewell to Headquarters
On 30 July, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer returned to NATO Headquarters to bid farewell, his tenure ending on 31 July 2009. He met with his closest civilian and military colleagues, and many members of international and military staff were on hand to wish him a fond farewell. Before departing he laid flowers at the Memorial to the Fallen.
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has been NATO's Secretary General since January 2004. On 1 August 2009, he will be succeeded by Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark.


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phpMyAdmin is a tool intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the Web. It can create, rename, and drop databases, create/drop/alter tables, delete/edit/add fields, execute any SQL statement, manage keys on fields, create dumps of tables and databases, export/import CSV data, and administrate one single database and multiple MySQL servers.
Free-SA is tool for statistical analysis of daemons' log files, similar to SARG. Its main advantages over SARG are much better speed (7x-20x), more support for reports, and W3C compliance of generated HTML/CSS reports. It can be used to help control traffic usage, to control Internet access security policies, to investigate security incidents, to evaluate server efficiency, and to detect troubles with configuration.
A decentralised packaging system.
Small Unix networking tools.


text:
Saw this on Alan Hahn's facebook page:
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
OKC lock up Serge Ibaka with a four-year $48 million extension.
Donte Greene to the Nets on minimum deal.
Read on Hoopshype today that McCants was on the verge of playing ball somewhere in France, then his French team (SIG Strasbourg) backed out after he failed a physical. McCants is on his way back to the States.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Don't know how bad the injury or ailment is but if it's something we can work with that's not too bad, maybe we give this guy a look. I know it's been said that he may not have had the best attitude in the past but he's got experience (which seems to be a requisite for the Knicks' front office for any FA they consider) and to be fair, he's a very solid offensive player with good talent. I dunno man -- I think we could do far worse than Rashad McCants on a vet. minimum deal for one of the final roster spots. What do you guys think? Should we investigate this or pass?


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1. We learn that Alice's visions change depending on the decisions of the person she is trying to observe. Did this surprise you at all or was this how you always thought her visions worked? And what does this say about the power of our own choices?
This is how I thought they worked. Says that the power of a persons choices impact everyone and everything around them.
2. How long to you think it took Alice and Jasper to figure out where Bella had gone? And how do you imagine Edward took the news?
I think Alice knew all along, Jasper probably found out about 3 minutes after she went into the bathroom, and I can damn near guarantee Edward was Pissed!!!
3. We learned that Alice was once a resident in a mental institution. What does this say about Alice's human family? Do you think they were justified because of the times they lived in?
More than likely, considering it was the 1920's. Like James said, a hundred years earlier than that they would have burned her at the steak. I bet her family was terrified.
4. James is somewhat of a performance artist, using the mirrors to create a very effective death for Bella. What does this say about his character or his life when he was a human?
He is VAIN.


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Love is in the air — and on the pages of these books. If you've got that special, mushy feeling about love this Valentine's Day then we'd like to recommend these reads for you to keep your heart warm and your hands full. Put down the box of chocolates/glass of champagne and pick one of these excellent reads up!
Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer
This love story, set in the late 1950s to early 1960s, is told through the fictional correspondence of two writers. Their letters take the reader through their meeting, the unlikely start of their romantic relationship and the terrifying mental break down one faces. The conclusion of their relationship will embraces Tennyson's phrasing, "it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." It's heartbreaking in all the right ways.
Recommended if: you love Mad Men, but wish it were a little more romantic.
Farewell, Dorothy Parker by Ellen Meister
If you're lucky, once in your lifetime you'll find a love that trumps all odds. Film critic Violet Epps has mastered the art of wit on paper, her social anxiety provides all kinds of trouble on her journey to find love. It's through her three great loves: an unassuming soon-to-be new boyfriend, long-deceased literary hero Dorothy Parker who comes to life right before her eyes, and her 13-year-old orphaned niece Delaney that Violet is able to find herself. Once she champions her fear of speaking up for herself all kinds of good things come her way. In this delightful tale Ellen Meister proves that often the best relationships begin with yourself.
Recommended if: You're a fan of heartwarming love stories and always root for the underdog.
Mad Girl's Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted by Andrew Wilson
Plath's life after marrying husband Ted Wilson, both what we remember through his curation of her work and what we think we know based on her mental illness and suicide, is a sad one. This book attempts to unearth her life and love affairs, which mostly go undocumented in other books about Plath's life, before Wilson. Why is it a Valentine's Day read? Because sometimes it turns out the most epic love in your life is love of self — if you don't love you, how can anyone else, right? Accidentally or on purpose, this book strikes at the heart of what made Plath into the woman Wilson fell for.
Recommended if: Losing your one and only would literally destroy your life.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A classic love story that has inspired a hundred spin-offs: the tale of Elizabeth Bennet and William Fitzgerald Darcy is the template for most of your favorite romcoms. Girl meets boy, girl thinks she detests boy, awkwardness due to miscommunication and then the boy eventually gets the girl. And it doesn't hurt that he woos her with his giant house. If you haven't taken the time yet to read this beloved book, perhaps this year (on it's 200th anniversary!) should be the year you finally do.
Recommended if: You've ever enjoyed a romantic comedy or any movie starring Colin Firth.
-Courtney E. Smith and Annie Reuter, Radio.com


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Jocelyn Thatcher is a humble dressmaker's apprentice determined to not go down the road of prostitution, as her own mother did. Thwarting her sensible plans for a decent vocation are the lurid sexual fantasies that have begun to plague her hours. Those naughty little secrets lead her to a devastating truth - she's half fay.
Lucius Domintius Stanton has served Satan for nearly three millennia. He's a Hell Rider - the living, breathing visage of death. Along with the other three Riders, he collects the tainted souls destined for hell. His world is tilted on its ear when he meets Jocelyn. Turn her over to the Hellfire Club or keep her for his own? A brief interview with Satan will set the course. His lust for Jocelyn might just kill her.
©2010 Belladonna Bordeaux (P)2013 Belladonna Bordeaux
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I've started a league called WHF, PIN is 8010758.
I'm the only person in it so far, so all feel free to join. It's unofficial (at the moment), so I won't be handing out prizes every month, or at the end of the season, but hopefully if enough people join, someone at WHF will get involved.
The link to the site is http://fantasyfootball.telegraph.co.uk/, and it's free entry if you stick to just one team.
Please get involved, it is just for fun, but it's better than nothing (just about).


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Anyone have a Baxley Chock for their trailer? I just got mine and the front tire gets stuck in the chock and I can't pull it back out as it is supposed to do. I had it in the #2 position and the bike stood up right without any help but I could not pull it back out of the chock while sitting on the seat. Had to get someone to push it back out. I then put in the #3 and then #4 position to widen the chock and the bike was not stable and would not stand on its own while in the chock. I did all this with the chock sitting on the garage floor. It is supposed to do this without being bolted down.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I haven't called Baxley customer service yet.


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The following Op-Ed appeared in The Billings Gazette on November 26, 2011.
By Paul Hansen
Within the space of just a few days, the national debt has topped $15 trillion — about $133,000 per taxpayer — and the congressional super committee failed in its effort to lower annual deficits and reduce the growth of the national debt.
When given a chance, ordinary citizens, college students and even high-schoolers have done much better at reducing the deficit than members of Congress.
That's what the nonpartisan Concord Coalition has repeatedly found in conducting budget exercises with groups across the nation. In the Rocky Mountain states, citizens from across the political spectrum have been able to agree to budgetary changes that would reduce deficits by at least the $1.2 trillion that eluded the super committee.
In most cases, these citizens found amounts close to the $4 trillion, which would move us much closer to stabilizing the debt.
The exercise asks the groups to vote on domestic and defense spending options, tax and other revenue policies, and possible changes to health care and retirement programs. Although the goal is to reduce deficits, some options allow participants to increase spending for some items if they think those are reasonable investments for the nation's future.
Bipartisan agreement
The participants vary by ideology and profession as well as age. They discuss and decide on policies to reduce projected federal deficits over the next 10 years.
Strong majorities frequently favor spending caps, increasing the taxable earning cap for Social Security, raising the Medicare eligibility age, comprehensive tax reform that raises additional revenue, and eliminating oil and agricultural subsidies.
In recent exercises, Republicans agreed to tax reform that yields new revenue and sensible cuts to defense, while Democrats agreed to changes to make entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security sustainable. (Additional information on Concord's deficit-reduction exercises, including materials that can be used in the classroom or by community organizations, is available at concordcoalition.org .)
Since 2001, the debt has more than doubled. This was driven in large part by two wars financed by borrowing, a slew of fiscally irresponsible policies, and a deep economic downturn.
Neither political party is without blame, and neither can force its own agenda. Both must be part of the solution. Anyone who is serious about budget reform must be equally serious about compromise.
Combination solutions
Members of Congress know what needs to be done. They also know that every single program or policy they look at has an entrenched constituency that will raise a perfect hell (and not donate to their campaigns) if they dare to touch it, as former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson recently reminded them.
We cannot simply cut, tax or grow our way out of this fiscal crisis. We must do all three.
The Concord Coalition is a national, grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public about the causes and consequences of federal budget deficits, the long-term challenges facing America's unsustainable entitlement programs, and how to build a sound foundation for economic growth.
Concord began in 1992 as the voice of concerned citizens who were motivated, like the Minutemen at Concord, Mass., to take a stand in the belief that we have a moral obligation to leave the country better off for our children and grandchildren. Our work shows that here in the West and across the nation, the American people are well ahead of their leaders on this defining issue of our time.


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Discussion in 'Racquets' started by drakulie, Oct 16, 2012.
Wouldn't string durability be an issue with a 16x15 string pattern?
Thanks PED. I have some Tour Bite sitting around so I'll give it a try too. I think it's 16L but will see how it works. BB Alu Power lasted about 2-3 hours when I tried it. Is their durability comparable? Haven't used tour bite enough to know.
Yes, very much so. That's the one thing that concerns me about this racquet.
About the gut mains and durability: I don't think the mains are going to be the problem. Its going to be the crosses. My mains (granted only been an hour) look just like they do after an hour on my 16x19 stick. I normally break gut mains in 8-12 hours on my RDiS. Based on my first session I don't see any difference here.
The crosses, well, that's a different story. Its poly. It looks great then snap. Who knows.
The racket I demoed had TNT in it and it was moving all over, this stick is made for poly. A multi will not last long, the way the new string was moving on me it had huge gaps between the mains from hitting top spin. This racket is definitely over hyped, it is not that special.
Sorry but any main other than poly or kevlar is not going to last very long in this racket.
I wonder what this will do to wrists, elbows, and shoulders in the long run.
I would never, ever, put a multi in this racquet. I think a full bed of poly is about the only way to go in this racquet if you're a decent player (4.5 and up). I broke 16g 4G in 3-4 hours the first time out and I was getting more spin, not tons of spin, but enough to give me that little extra confidence to swing out a little bit more.
I don't think this racquet is over hyped at all. The proof is in the puddin'. That said, it's not going to be for everyone and everyone isn't going to be able to get the most out of this racquet. I see you use a Rebel strung at 68lbs with 4G. I could tell you that this probably isn't going to be the racquet for you. Have you tried the 99S with a good poly in it?
I agree this racket is made for pretty much poly only, I do need to give it a try with 16 gauge 4g at high tension. Where is the proof that this racket is not over hyped? I have used the vortex racket and if you want super spin it will beat the 99s easily.
couch - just to say I've been following/liking your posts on the 99s. Anyhow, unlike on that other 99s thread where any discussion of string/tensions is strictly "verboten" - I'll ask this here: how do you think 4G @ about 50 lbs would perform in this frame? Am about to get 99s strung with full 4G 16 but have never used it previously and TBH don't know a whole lot about it. Straight 50 was like my reference tension for a while, though more recently I've gone down into the 40's... btw, interested to hear about the Black Code test.
klem - "Great minds think alike"!... I think I posted at the end of last year in the diary thread how much I liked Poly Tour Pro in my Juice 100.
PED - Yes, I'm waiting to hear some feedback from others re TB in the 99s. I thought I'd play safer by initially going for the 4G as so many like it in the 99s and it's Wilson's designated string for it. Dare say it won't be long before I see if TB's a good fit though.
Ross, mine is coming strung with tb 16l so I can get a baseline reference. I'm going with 45/44 tension wise as I've been playing with the prestige s at 42/41 for the last four months and really dig the lower tension.
I'll try out the 16g tb as well to see how it goes as it lasts a good deal longer.
I'm done with string testing, lol, only tb for me. 4g sounds good but tb is only 7.5 per set off the reel and I get the feeling the steam is going to out a new wing on my stringers house
Hey man, it has been a while. Today is my first day back on court since I tore my calf on October 29th. I too have noted our affinity for the same frame over the decades (??????? ) now.
I'll post a review in this thread after I've hit today. But based on everything I've preordered two without even hitting (damn dumbass me)
Hope you are well.
Thanks for the nice words.
4G, at least to me, seems to be somewhat low-powered and holds tension extremely well. I normally string my frames with full poly around 54-55lbs (50-60 reference range). Since the 99S has such an open string pattern I decided to go up a few pounds to compensate. Also, the rec. tension is 54-64 so I just strung 1lb below mid tension like usual.
I would start with your reference tension and maybe add 2-3 pounds given the open string pattern. 4G, even strung at 58lbs, feels comfortable to me so I wouldn't worry about the comfort level too much if you string a little higher than normal. I think it's just the open pattern that gives the extra comfort of this frame.
Will give a Black Code update when I get a chance.
Couch, thanks for all your posts. I am no where near your level of player, but would love to find a softer poly that holds tension and performs great in the 99S. I know my elbow can't take 4G so I didn't even try it. I have had bouts of TE off and on all my life and can't hit with stiff frames like PDGTs, so settled in with a Wilson BLX Pro Open (RDC measurement of 66) for the past 2.5 years. I have no issues with TE if I hybrid the Pro Opens with X-One Bi-Phase, or NRG2.
I prefer poly/multi hybrids, but the 99S isn't designed for this type of hybrid, so I have one with a full bed of Yonex Poly Pro Tour 125 (stiffness from TW University is roughly 200), and another one with Babolat Tonic / Yonex Poly Pro Tour 125. The Gut / Yonex is softer but I like the way the full poly hits.
Love any thoughts or suggestions? Now at 4.0 level, playing singles and doubles, putting about 10-12 hours a week on the courts. I break X-One Bi-Phase crosses in about 12 hours in my Pro Opens, so durability isn't really a factor.
The Tonic 16 / Poly Pro Tour 125 is better for my arm, but would love to find a softer poly that my elbow can manage. I love the Steam 99S but would love to see a more flexible version of a midsize with the same 16x15 pattern soon.
I played five days with it now putting in 21 sets. My arm is a little sore as I generally hit Sat-Sun-Mon then leave town for work on Tuesdays back on Friday afternoons.
Thanks for any help you might offer.
And you know this because you've gone through how many gut mains? Exactly. I'll let you know what really happens after I play with the stick and wear through the gut.
The stick hits pretty soft. I felt no difference between it and the RDiS. In fact, it felt softer. On the other hand the RDiS is pretty firm.
And again, How many times have you hit with the 99s? Yea. Exactly.
I'm not couch, but I have had bouts of TE in the past. I found the following to be softer polys and still ok with tension. I'm assuming you will brealk or cut them in 8-12 hours. Use the string size that lets you break it in 8-12 hours. I've played with all of these:
MSV CoFocus
MSV Hex
PolyFibre TCS
Gosen Sidewinder
Topspin Cyberflash
Polystar Turbo (Loses tension fast, high power)
Mantis Power poly
Maybe for you it will last, but I had a brand new set of TNT ready to break and moving all over after a half hour. This racket is already to powerful so good luck with nat. gut, but it depends on if you take big cuts at the ball or short pusher swings. Any player that really swings out with a lot of spin is going to eat through strings quickly with this racket.
I do not agree, I am a 4.5 who hits pretty hard, did gut Pacific classic mains with 4G Poly cross and strings looked great after 1.5 hrs, and not too much power at all int eh 1.30 gauge
I think using syn is a "sin" for this frame
Look I play 5 days a week all year long, and I try a lot of different sticks. It does not take me numerous hours to know what a racket can do. I do want to give this racket another try with thick poly at high tension because then I will know for sure if this stick could work for me.
Ya I agree that is what the demo came with. But TNT is a multi, but not a very good one.
TNT does that in every racket I've tried it in. It's a horrible string to have by itself IMO. So the 99s is only going to amplify how bad that string is. Other soft strings are much better and much more durable.
Sorry but TNT is a syn gut with multifilament layers.
Okay it is like a half multi, but like you mentioned it does not compliment the 99s. I will try something else but it sure won't be a soft string, more like a stiff and low powered string.
Thanks wmilas.
I see there is a new MSV Soft Hex out now also.
Gosen Sidewinder 17 seems to be pretty soft and descent tension stability.
Tour Bite Soft comes out soon too.
I have played a Signum Pro Tornado/Syn Gut hybrid for the last several years so I haven't really tried too many polys but these would be on my short list for soft polys to try:
Signum Pro Tornado- since it's shaped and twisted not sure how well it would do in the 99S. Does hold tension well.
Signum Pro Hyperion- fairly soft and good tension maintenance.
Signum Pro Poly Plasma- another softer poly that holds tension really well.
Weisscannon Black5edge- have played with this a couple times and I believe people talk about its softness.
Yonex Poly Pro Tour- hit with it once in the yellow and this one seemed like a pretty soft and elastic/powerful poly so it might be a good option
I just strung up the Black Code and hope to bit with it tomorrow so I'll give my feedback then.
Also, not sure what gauges you are using but you may try a 16L string. 4G has 16L and that may soften the stringbed up a bit. Just throwing out some options.
Any one else have any ideas as I am trying to find the right combo of power, spin, and durability in a string for this racquet.
On a side note- won my usta doubles match today 6-3, 6-2 using the steam. Probably served better than anything.
Hi TLM - You are the umpteenth person to come into the thread, comparing the racquet to a Vortex, then wondering what all the hype is about. Anybody who puts a full bed of nylon in this frame clearly has no idea what the 99s is designed to do. Fewer crosses than mains (something none of the vortex frames have) reduces string on string friction, and promotes the sliding and snapping back of the mains as the ball exits the string bed. The extra spin comes from string movement. You need to put slippery strings in there or it defeats the whole purpose. Your full bed of TNT is sliding, which is good, but they are too sticky to snap back into place, like a Gut/Poly or full poly bed. If you want to know more about this you can check my post #1000 a few pages back.
Low string to string friction, (which promotes string movement) is far more important to spin production than high ball to string friction, or "ball bite". There is nothing to believe or dis-believe about that statement. It is, simply said, an observational fact. It has been observed, confirmed, re-confirmed, and re-confirmed again.
These four independent confirmations took place starting in 2005, by two Physicists working in Japan, by the International Tennis Federation circa 2006-07, followed by Crawford Lindsey's studies which can be found right here in the TW university which occured 2009-2011. Wilson's in house R&D studies are only the final confirmation.
There are dozens of high speed film studies available to show exactly how this happens. The net is littered with these videos like broken dreams at a redneck bar, they are everywhere. I will provide a link to Joshua Speckman's article published in the Atlantic, because the online version contains excellent video illustrating very clearly ( see 2:50 - 5:50 ) how the mains sliding and snapping back creates additional spin.
The New Physics Of Tennis
By Joshua Speckman, The Atlantic Magazine
It's wicked ironic, that for a very long time, (especially following the University Of Sheffield Studies) the brainiacs in the white lab coats were telling us that string makes no difference at all with regards to spin. Zero, Zip, Nada. Around 1999-2003, as poly began hitting the pro tour in quantity, that idea seemed down right goofy. Now we have clear evidence from the lab explaining why poly is so spinny, and lots of us simply don't want to accept the explanation.
This is old news. Old thinking dies hard. This information has been available since somewhere in 2005-2008, yet the board continues to be pounded with questions about how to increase "ball bite" with the regularity of waves crashing into the beach.
Bite is dead. Slide is the new King. Get over it.
I would not have put that string in the racket it is what the demo came with. I completely understand that less x's can aid in the snap back of the mains which gives more spin, that is no secret. But just because it has 1 less cross than main does not make it the spin monster of the century. My main weapon is consistent high jumping top spin, I go by how high and quick my shots pop up and give my opponents trouble. Not by what the # of x's are to main strings.
A few years ago i used a vortex for a few weeks and tried different string set ups to experiment on what this racket would do. Regardless of the amount of crosses the vortex has it produced tremendous spin, and it really did not matter what string i used in it. I could use poly or a cheap nylon and still got massive spin from this racket. The spin came from the open pattern, the number of crosses meant nothing.
I will try the 99s with some poly to give it a real test and then report back. But what i could tell from the first time out it does not seem produce the amount of spin as the vortex does. But after a couple of different poly set ups I am hoping that i can get this super spin that many are saying.
Yes of course. You were unimpressed with the 99s, because you were playing with full nylon. I wish you luck with your play test... but your play test... is not going to add or subtract one iota from what has already been confirmed under tightly controlled conditions.
Really what exactly has been confirmed? And under what tightly controlled conditions? I really don't care to add or subtract from anything, this is just another tennis racket. You make it sound like you may have some financial interest in this racket being promoted. I demoed the 99s and the new blade 18x20 the other night, my opponent said that the ball came off the court much quicker with better hop from the blade, which surprised me but I am just stating what happened.
I am going to put some poly in the 99s tonight and hit with it tomorrow night. I hope that it plays great and I love it and it helps my game. I will be glad to report that if it works out to be a special racket. But if it does not I will report that also, so what like I said it is just another tennis racket.
What I won't do is exaggerate or over state its performance because it has 1 less x's than main string. I go by performance not unwarranted hype!
Hitting the 99s with synthetic gut or a multi almost totally negates the purpose of the racquet. I don't see how anyone would like it this way. The 16x15 pattern will turn the racquet into a rocket launcher if you are a flat hitter or if you use a string that doesn't snap back.
I have no idea if you will like it with poly but am not surprised that you hated it as demo'd.
Well it is pretty funny that the suggested string that is printed right on the racket is 4G, which happens to be one of the lower powered polys out there.
Ya I am interested to see how well it plays with a full poly job.
Oh good lord. Really? You and I already had that conversation on posts 998, 999, 1000 and just a few moments ago in 1283. I provided bucket fulls of information, supported with numerous links and references there. Good luck with your racquet. No more wacky matches for me. If you want to have the last word on this feel free to take it. Not worth the investment for me.
In all these buckets of information that you provided were exactly is there any proof that the 99s can produce more spin than the vortex racket? The vortex racket with its open design definitely gets a whole lot of snap back action also.
Or are you saying that because it does not have one less cross like the steam it cannot give the snap back action or spin of the 99s? Better yet have you tried both rackets to actually see how they perform? Or are you to busy reading lab reports?
I think lab tests can give some good information and be helpful, but many players have found that they don't always match real life on the court experience. Which is exactly what I have found, I have found what really happens on the court to be much more accurate.
I have strung the 99S up with a full poly job and will give it a try tomorrow. I am hoping that it gives me great spin and control and helps my game. Like I said spin is a huge part of my game so I am hoping this stick works out and improves my game. If this happens I will gladly say so and report on how great this racket is. But if I don't think it is all that I will state that also, regardless what some lab tests say.
Got myself a backup, and I was pleasantly surprised that both my racquets are identical in static weight. Yoohoo..
You, sir, need to by a lottery ticket immediately.
Would it be possible to use a 15 gauge syn gut as a cross? I haven't hit with the 99s yet but I get nervous(as in wrist health) hitting with full poly.
I think it would certainly be worth a try. Lots of guys I know use poly mains and a simple synthetic cross. I think the synthetic cross would still allow some of the snap back that you need to take advantage of this racquet. I used Gamma synthetic gut a bit and it seemed to work really well. One of the guys in the string forum likes this a lot too. But Gamma, Prince, or Gosen OGSM I think would be good options. Make sure you get the plain synthetic, not with duraflex or wearguard. I don't think those types offer the snap back as plain synthetic.
Probably not a bad idea.
I hit with the 99S yesterday. At the request of its owner, I strung it at 58.5 mains and 55.5 crosses. It was strung with MSV Focus Hex 17L. First, I think it was strung a little too tight for my tastes, but I was really amazed at how well it played strung with poly at what I consider too high a tension for me. Three of us, 2 4.5s and 1 5.0, hit for two hours and played some Canadian doubles.
The thing that really struck me was, as others have said, how much more clearance you get over the net. Once you get used to the frame, you can keep the ball lower for times when your opponent is at net. The other striking thing about this racquet was how the ball "dove" at the end of well hit strokes. This caused the 5.0 on the other side of the net (ProKennex about 15 years old) to mishit ball after ball. He remarked more than once about how cleanly I was hitting the ball.
Comfort, especially considering an all poly string job at 58, was excellent. Control was great and touch was as good as any other frame save possibly the C10 that I've hit with of late.
I was really impressed with serves. I arrived earlier than the other two and took some serves. I started off just limbering up, hitting some easy kick serves. I then hit a couple of harder serves. I was able to hit the corners, and with more pace than I've been getting with my Prince frames. This frame is much firmer playing than the O3's, but not necessarily in a bad way. Serves were definitely a plus with this frame.
If struck properly, the ball really has a nice trajectory. Crosscourt forehands were for the most part unreturnable if I made it a point to step into them. On all shots, it seemed that the ball was coming down into the court much faster and at a steeper angle.
One-handed backhand here and it was sublime. I hit a couple of balls that had so much spin on them they literally shot off the court after hitting it. And the really good news is that slices were effortless and "dug" into the court more. I was able to really hit the ball without worrying about this being a new frame. It was like I had played with the frame before.
This frame is nice and fast around the net. Proper technique is rewarded with some good stick on volleys. Touch was great with half-volleys going back and angled volleys were pretty good too. I think my net game was a little off due to the all-poly string job and I did club a few.
Service Returns
The one thing to keep in mind with this frame is "swing". You really need to give the ball a good cut to get the proper response out of it. This is really most true for service returns at least 1st hit. I may, after some time with this frame, figure out how to hit a softer return, but out of the gate, if you swung aggressively, you were rewarded with a great return.
The 5.0 who owns the frame called me to check on how I liked it. I basically loved it. He said there is a downside. He had the other one and strung it with ALU 16L. He said that he broke strings right after the 1st set. I took a look at the MSV in my frame and it was notched about a quarter through. I think a soft, cheap, thick poly may be in order here. That said, I'm probably going to string mine with Lux Ace or Pacific PF 18 or Isospeed Pulse 17 when they come in. I know for sure that I'll string it at 54 or 55 and the crosses at 52 or 53. I suspect from previous experience the BB Original may be a good candidate for this frame as well.
From my experience, this frame plays great right out of the gate. I didn't have to make any big adjustments.
And, I'm going to try a few hybrids in this frame ----- Draulike?
But this is a great frame. Maybe Mark Woodforde and Felix Mantilla did know something none of the rest of us did!
Got the answer:
"Correct, the model does not include open string patterns. I will try to fix that at some point, but it I'm afraid it is way down the to do list at the moment."
nice review Rabbit, I'll play some dubs Tu and Thurs and I'll have more to add.
I did a TW search and Black Widow has a 15L Poly, but I thins it's only a 1.32. I loved the gut mains with the 4G crosses the first time out so I will see how it lasts. Interesting you found the serve to be good, I did not hit serves my first time so I'll look forward to that tomorrow.
Thanks for the suggestions in your other post. I have a reel of B5E and have that is what I have been using the last 18 months with X-one crosses. Love that combo in the Pro Opens.
Forgot about NvY as a option for crosses. The Tonic 16 / Poly Pro felt better after a few hours of hitting with it Strung at 52 / 54. Thinking the tension will die quickly on the poly. Maybe I should start lower on the tension.
Will try some various poly / NvY combos and see if that helps.
It could just be my elbow does like the flex of the 99S and that will be a complete buzzkill as I love the frame after six days of hitting with it.
Mikeler, going to UPS store today as they accept USPS mail. Sorry I didn't the strings in the mail Sat. Was gone from 845 am until 530 pm on Sat and didn't get that B5E mailed to you.
I will keep you posted on the MSV Soft Hex as well.
Thanks for the post. Since I'm not a big string expert, does anyone have any suggestions for a 15 gauge syn gut that would allow snapback but is also some what durable?
Here we go!
Now things could get interesting :twisted:
Ok, just a warning to those who think they might be having arm problems with the 99s. I got to demo it and the stringer said he strung it to 58 lbs with Luxilon 4G (mains and crosses). So, as you all know, that is relatively high for a poly string. Well, I first was exited and hit outside with it on a 45 degree day. I could feel the vibration through the frame when I was hitting big. So, i blamed it on hitting in the cold and then got to hit it indoors with newer balls. Same thing, just could feel the whole frame vibrate. I thought this was cool, until I realized that is the definition of tennis elbow, and about 3 months ago, I just got over a bout of that as i was experimenting with different string tensions/patterns. However, a number of you guys probably don't hit as hard as me and just use a window washer motion and probably will never even feel this. Also, I am thinking, that the racket was simply strung too high with all poly, further showing the hollowness of the frame. I am also spoiled, as my main racket is the head microgel mp, which, the "microgel" is just a fancy word for silicone injected in the frame, which gives it this rock solid feel and no vibration to it(plus its way less stiff, also). I also have a pure drive gt, which is very similar to this frame in stiffness, but again did not notice any vibration on my frame. If you hit anything in the top third of the racquet hard enough you will feel what I am describing(unless I got just a bad demo model). I don't have tennis elbow anymore so i didn't have any pain hitting with this, but was wary and didn't use it too much.
As for the spin? Well, I was experimenting with a new combo of strings in my babolat, and thought it made more or as much spin as the 99s! Though, compared to the babolat, the 99s was smaller(i was pleasantly surprised, as I don't really like how large the head is on the babolat) and more shaped like my 98square inch head microgel(which is more like a 95 compared to other company specs), which i liked. I had decent control/accuracy with it and overall, felt almost like hitting with the most powerful wood racquet because of this give and vibration through the frame. This caused me to return it quicker just in order to keep my arm in 100 percent shape that it is now. Oh, and I almost forgot, all rackets had the same dampener in that I always use, so that was not a factor. So, for now, until or if they make a more solid players racket version of this, I am going to put my new string combo in my microgel and then decide if I am going to use my babolat or head or both for the summer.
Lux. 4G at 58 lbs. makes me cringe let alone playing it in 45 degree weather.
Separate names with a comma.


text: Hi. I'm a relative newbie to both linux and beowulf clusters. I am starting up a small beowulf cluster. Until we get some more funding, I have two dual processor computers connected with a crossover cable. I'm using the ns83820 driver in the 2.4.17 kernel. I have not been able to get any real connection between the two cards. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Hardware: Dual AMD MP 1800+, Tyan S2460 mother board, SMC9462TX ethernet cards Tests: -crossover cable is good -if connect (with crossover cable) one of the cards to another (non-gigabit card), it recognizes and correctly auto negotiates to the new media speed. -ping between two gigabit cards has 100% packet loss. thanks for your help. Alexis p.s. I know this may be a bit too hardware specific for this group, but I thought that this group would have the most experience with gigabit cards. _______________________________________________ Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf


text:
With each passing day, it seems to be getting progressively noisier around the house.
Those high-pitch shrieks and screams that were once a novelty, and as cute as could be, have become so incessant they have been known to rattle a nerve or two every now and again. Long gone are the cute coo and ooh sounds that used to make my heart melt. Those were his first sounds and were some of the sweetest utterances I have ever heard.
They have now been replaced with a persistent stream of sounds – sometimes seeming like yelling and screaming and other times just a loud, happy babble and gibberish – that can often be heard as soon as I close my car door in the driveway. The good news is it always brings a smile to my face and wipes away any concerns I drove home from work with in an instant.
There's no mistaking the intent of these fits of loud yelping. There are occasions when it's just random prattle to himself as he examines a book or two and then tosses it haphazardly aside, but more commonly they are hollers for attention and can make things a little hectic, particularly if you are juggling a few things at once, as most parents I know find themselves doing quite often.
One thing is for sure these loud outbursts certainly have a way of making conversation at the dinner table a little difficult, more like impossible. No matter who is talking, he has no problem bellowing out a big scream if a conversation is taking too long and distracting from the task at hand – eating. No, the table manners are not quite there yet.
There's no question Beckett is at the age now that he craves (demands) attention. In the event he is not getting the proper amount he feels he deserves, he's anything but reserved. He will let you know about it immediately and often until he's satisfied.
For instance, during a rainy weekend day recently, my wife and I hunkered down to watch the movie "Marley and Me" while Beckett took his afternoon siesta, usually a two-hour event. We thought we could squeeze the flick in before he made his presence known. As luck would have it, he could not find his sleeping groove that day and was up soon after we put him down. We let him be for a while, but it was useless – there would be no more sleep at this point.
Rather than put the movie off until later in the night, we decided to try and watch it with him awake. We knew we would be distracted, but we were not watching a movie that required concentration. We took turns entertaining him the best we could to get through the movie. He fared well until the end, which, of course, happened to be the saddest part of the movie. That's when he started to let go of some bottled-up screams for attention. You know that's what they are when he screams his head off and then laughs just as hard a moment later. If he could, I just knew he would be jumping and waiving his arms in front of the television to get our attention.
It got to the point that all we needed was a few more minutes so I got desperate and gave him my finger to gnaw on for a while. Anyone with a teething little one understands well this is a dangerous and desperate tactic, but it works. It was enough to get us through the terribly sad movie's ending, which for some strange reason departed from the book version. Nonetheless, we made it through it and I had only a few minor teeth marks on my finger to show for it.
Yes, the house has become a loud place in recent weeks. It's to the point these days silence concerns us. Rarely is he completely quiet. There's always some kind of sound. We have quickly realized he's up to something if he's silent. Typically, if he is awake and all is quiet in the house, chances are he is tending to personal business.
On this front, he's a predictable little guy and maintains a solid routine. Every morning, invariably around 7:30, Mother Nature comes a calling. Again, later in the afternoon after lunch, it's that time again. It's fairly easy to figure out when it's time. The house falls silent and an unmistakable odor fills the room.
Staying on the subject that does not necessitate a lot of further details, it's amazing to me how Beckett can roll with a dirty diaper. It has no impact on him, for the most part, and that seems crazy to me. I feel certain it would rattle me.
For example, at some point last weekend, a diaper change was necessary after a prolonged silence. Unfortunately, when I picked him up, I found out firsthand (note the word choice) exactly how badly he needed it. Around my house, I have coined my own phrase for this turn of events. It sounds something like catastrophe with the first two letters replaced by three others. This so-called term is reserved for those diaper changes that put my gag reflex to the test and require an entire new wardrobe for him, and maybe even me. Fortunately, they are few and far between these days.
After the hazmat operation, i.e. the diaper change, was completed, I couldn't help but marvel at my son's laidback attitude about it. If it weren't for the smell and the long pause of silence, I would not have even known it. There he was, with the messiest of dirty diapers and some remnants trailing up his back, playing as if he did not have a care in the world. That's impressive to me.