text:
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Important Days
Tomorrow at midnight, 40 man rosters have to be set to protect young players frm the Rule 5 draft. Among those who need to be protected if the jays don't want to risk losing them are the following (It's possible I don't have everyone, particularly among non-drafteee signings):
Adam Loewen
Brian Jeroloman
Alan Farina
Brad Emaus
Darin Mastroianni
Moises Sierra
Joel Carreno
Henderson Alvarez
That's eight candidates (that I've identified) and there are eight open spots on the 40 man roster. If you are wondering why someone like Shawn Hill was dropped, there's your answer. also, given that there's always the potential for free agent signings or trades to go down, some current roster members are still potential cuts (looking at you Luis Perez).
We'll find out soon which of these guys, if any, will be exposed (My guess is they will gamble on Jeroloman and Farina and protect the rest).
On another subject, there's much speculation about Justin Upton. I won't wax verbose about the idea except to say that very much approve of pursuing that possibility. Of course it's possible to overpay, but within reason - you have to try.
One final note: I don't wish to make a habit of cross-pollinating my blogs, but this being a special occasion - I'm go9ing to make an exception tonight. If you only ever read one example of my other blog - make it this one.
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
This sort of thing is easy to over-analyze because we are so early in the off-season that the music is still playing and we don't begin to know who will end up in what seats. on the most basic level, we dealt a couple of guys who were, at best, n the fringes of the top 30 on anyone's list. I find Farquhar intriguing but he's not a rare talent. Mags is a fungible part, even if he hits his ceiling. So there's no real loss, per se. On the other hand Davis is 30 years old, and other than being a very fast and very efficient baserunner, he doesn't impress you with his offense. He a competent to good defender in CF, and can play all three positions. He's an almost ideal 4th outfielder, which will likely be his role. if he starts, he's gonna provoke Otis Nixon flashbacks.
There are other side points to note - does this make Lewis a sure bet to be out of town within the next couple of weeks? - would Davis have been non-tendered by the A's? could he be non-tendered by the Jays? - Would they seriously consider moving Wells out of CF for a gy like this (answer: very doubtful)? and does that mean Bautista goes to 3B if he does (answer: almost certainly)?
But honestly, it's useless to get to strident right now. When mid-February rolls around we can look at all the moves as a set ad have a better idea. in the mean-time, Davis gives us some assurance against being caught with our pants on the ground in a few different ways.
Meanwhile, we could address a lot of this if we'd just go out and get Justin Upton!
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Obligatory Comments
After a couple of days though, there's been no real new information coming from the team regarding the roster moves this week. So, before the story gets too cold, or trumped by a newer one, my reactions are these-
No one really is worried about Wise, right? He did reasonable work as a fourth outfielder but there are so many options for that job it would be exhausting to discuss them all. As for Brian Tallet, YES he was aces against LH hitting, and yes, contrary to some comments I've seen, the $2 mil-ish he'd be due to make if he'd stayed is not out of line for that skill set, BUT . . .
There are a number of ways to fill that need, from in-house options like Carlson, Mills, and Zep to trades to free agents to even bringing Tallet back at a lower price. A lot of people have a low opinion of Tallet right now but that has much more to do with his having been pushed beyond his competency level the last couple of years than it does his not having any value at all.
As for Encarnacion, one must admit up front that we don't have all the information available to Alex & Co. It has been hinted at in the media and inferred by what we can observe that there are . . . personality issues involved. The sort of things that are sometimes referred to as "difficult to coach." Such things are not spoken of by wise front office people in public but they no doubt factor into decision making. That's not to say that EE is a "cancer" or any such thing, just maybe stubborn. Jose Bautista has admitted in interviews that he took a long time to accept that his swing needed to change. It happens.
More crucial was the problem of where he plays defensively. If he had stayed with the Jays, he'd have pretty much had to have been the DH. the $6 mil or so he would have made to do that might not have been too much, but the dent he puts in the team's flexibility if you put him down for that role is huge.The Jays can get similar offense from a new player, almost certainly for less money, and they don't have to have their hands tied before even the GM meetings to do that.
It's too tempting, when addressing this subject, speculate about the future of 3B. I can't pass up the opportunity.
Stating the obvious - Bautista or Hill might end up there, depending on the potential to import an outfielder or second baseman - preferably one with top-of-the-order offensive skills. This I've discussed before and will again, but laying that aside . . .
The field of potential acquisitions at 3B is not deep, but is possessed of some intriguing names, of which I submit these four names for consideration (all rumored as potentially available according to MLBTR)
4. Dan Uggla: Oldest player on this list, most reliable, and most expensive to acquire and to pay. Down side is that he's only under team control for one more season, and he's nothing like a lead-off option (but none of these suggestions are). You'd have to be REAL confident you could extend him if you were going to make a run at him.
EDIT: I made a comment here about his OBP but it was in error - looked at the wrong column or something.
3. Alex Gordon: Often discussed on Jays blogs and forums, and opinions are sharply divided. I confess I've been obsessed with Gordon since his college days so my objectivity suffers. It is rightly observed his last two season have been a mess, but there's also a solid possibility that the Royals created that mess. The upside is that Gordon is a hitting version of Brandon Morrow, the downside is that he's just another of those high draft picks who failed to live up to the clippings.
He did have a very solid season in 2008 at age 24, so the foundation is or was there. In my opinion, the potential upside in acquiring him for what would be presumably a reasonable price (Mills and Sierra, for instance?) and hoping that a change of scenery and coaching unlocks his former talent is worthwhile.
2. Gordon Beckham: I'm a bit shocked to hear that the White Sox might listen here, and in no position to speculate as to the cost to acquire him, but the availability can't be ignored. He was a more-or-less competent 3B in 2009 with above average offense at age 22 - and that after less than half a season in the minors. At first glance, it would appear he slumped badly in his sophomore year - but a closer examination reveals something quite interesting: From July 9 through the end of the season, his OPS was .911 in 1/3 of a season's worth of at-bats. I cannot say, of course, with any authority whether or not there is a big negative we can't see. But given what I can see, I'd pay and pay pretty handsomely to install Beckham at 3B for the Jays for the next 4 or more years. Kenny Williams loves to deal, hopefully the Jays can find something he finds irresistible. Also here, if you think the D would be better with Hill at 3B and Beckham at 2B, you could do that too.
1. Pablo Sandoval: One of the best hitters in the NL in 2009, he dropped off massively in 2010 while surounded by questions about his conditioning and work ethic. He was lightly used in the playoffs as a result and while it's unclear whether he is actually available, the dilligent GM (and Alex is nothing if not that) will certainly seek to take advantage of the reversals to see if he can be obtained. it's not without risk - you'd have to be convinced you could get him back to his 2009 levels. but there's obviously something there for which to strive.
One other thought, if you really want to light it up - trade for Sandoval for 1B and Beckham for 3B. That will take a big bite out of the farm system but you'd potentially make a huge improvement in the major league club
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
A modest proposal
So let me suggest something that is a bit outside that box - Go after Tsuyoshi Nishioka. According to Tim Kurkjian, the 26 year old middle infielder from Japan will be posted this week.
Nishioka won the Pacific League batting title this year with a .346 average. He scored 121 runs, stole 22 bases and had 206 hits, the most by a player in that league since Ichiro Suzuki in 1994. Nishioka, a switch-hitter, batted leadoff for the Marines and his team recently won the Japan Series.
"He is a good player, he is a talented kid," said ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine, who managed Nishioka in Japan. "If he had been a college kid four or five years ago, he would have been a first-round pick. He runs faster than a lot of people. He can get a hit. He can steal a base. He can bunt. He is still developing physically and mentally. And this year, he stayed healthy all year. He has style issues, positive and negative: he likes to be noticed. How he develops will depend on what team signs him."
Now, I'll go ahead and acknowledge that Fangraphs is only mildly impressed, but i think this might be a good place for AA to throw Rogers' financial muscle around and address a need. There's not a history of Japanese imports losing their batting eye in the U.S., just of seeing their power moderate. But we don't need power, we need a lead off hitter. Here we have a guy who's an excellent defender, with tremendous range (and a 2B arm) who gets on base at a high rate (.366 career, .423 in 2010) and has good speed and a taste for the spotlight. Sounds like an ideal top-of-the-order spark to me.
Newman (at Fangraphs) says he might be a "Ryan Theriot/Chine Figgins" type which is weird since Figgins is a wildly better player. But if you could get a 26 year old Figgins at a reasonable price, that's a fine acquisition.
Do this, and move Aaron Hill to 3B which in turn allows you to go Snider/Wells/Bautista in the OF and you have a better lineup and a noticeably better defense as well.
What's not to like?
On an unrelated note, I want to take advantage of the chance to nod in the direction of the coaching hires. I have to say that the announcment brought a big smile to my face - the only thing I can think of that would be better is word that Rick Langford will stay in the organization, either at Vegas or roving. Having Pat Hentgen on the major league staff is very happy-making. Wakamatsu bringing experience to the bench, and a great reputation to his special assignment as a coach to JPA is very good news, and Tory Louvello brings a great reputation as well. I venture to say we may now have the finest collection of coaches in the majors.
Also there was chatter today that a Boston writer includes the Blue Jays on a list of teams looking at Victor Martinez. My thoughts? First, not gonna happen - there's no way the jays pay what it will take to sign him AND give up a first round draft pick, the report is either wrong or AA is just doing due diligence. Second, I agree with that outcome. Martinez is a player primed to decline in value, IMO, and he's hoping to get a contract for 4 or more years. While it is true that he fits into an open spot on our roster (1B) and brings some value (the ability to catch if JPA flops horribly) that's a short term situat8ion and doesn't warrant a long term deal. Pass.
Friday, 5 November 2010
Baseball America's Top 10
|Kyle Drabek, rhp
|Deck McGuire, rhp
|Anthony Gose, of
|Travis D'Arnaud, c
|Zach Stewart, rhp
|Asher Wojciechowski, rhp
|J.P. Arencibia, c
|Carlos Perez, c
|Aaron Sanchez, rhp
|Jake Marisnick, of
My initial reactions . . .
McGuire at #2 surprises me - not sure if they think he's really good, or if it's just a deference to his draft position. Possibly some combination.
Stewart at #5 (instead of #2) is a mild surprise but reasonable.
Wojciechowski in the top 10, instead of Alvarez was totally unexpected.
Otherwise, It's probably much like most every top 10 that comes out this winter will look. The obvious questions all flow from the names not there: "what about Thames? What about Adeiny?" but I could tell you, and the BA writers said as much during the chat, that this isn't an illustration that the missing players are lacking, but that the system is deep enough to have more than 10 worthy prospects.
BA's write-up is jealously guarded for subscribers, as is the chat, but in very general terms here's what Nathan Rode had to say: they are really impressed with Drabek's curve and their 2014 projection lists him as a #1 starter ahead of Romero and Morrow; they really like McGuire's slider, he has a good change and his curve is his rawest pitch; Gose is described as the best defensive outfielder, and fasted baserunner but Marisnick is called the best athlete.
Travis d'Arnaud is described as the long-term answer at catcher, due to excellence on both side of the game which would presumably dictate position switches (or trades) for the other highly ranked catchers; Stewart was rated as having the best fastball, and though they agree with his continued development as a SP, they also project that they Jays will have enough better options by 2014 that he'll be the closer; Woj was said to have similar stuff to Stewart.
Sanchez was described as having a steadily improving fastball (touching 95 in instructionals) and the Jays are said to be even more excited about his ceiling now than when they drafted him.
Other players mentioned but not on the list include Brad Emaus being described as having the best strike-zone discipline I the system, and Drew Hutchison has the best control among the pitchers (on a side note, Pat Hentgen, in an interview at BluebirdBanter, spoke very highly of Hutch). Hechavarria was described as JUST missing the cut; Eric Thames also was a near miss, he was called very strong and expected to be an average LF (I wonder if there will be George Bell comparisons?).
When asked about Jenkins, Rode didn't respond with negatives - no reason to be concerned; he was asked about Sam Dyson and said he'd just had TJ surgery and would miss all of 2011 - I can't find a report of this elsewhere; Henderson Alvarez, he said, didn't miss as many bats as you'd like to see but given his age and level, that's likely part of the process - projects as mid-rotation starter still. Kellen Sweeney was highly praised ("really really good") but missed the top 10 because of system depth (my guess is he's in their top 20).
Rode also said on a couple of occasions that the Jays had arguably a Top 10 system, and that there was a lot of talent in the low minors which would stand them in good stead even when they graduated Drabek and JPA. The implication was that the system would be near the best in the majors for the next few years at least. In terms of looking at my own list, every player in my Top 20 got some kind of praise except AJ Jiminez, and the two top 10's had 8 players in common.
Speaking of prospects, John Sickels' Prospect list for the Jays should fall sometime in the next week, and he mentioned briefly yesterday that he saw Eric Thames in Arizona and had glowing praise for him (as has everyone except Kieth Law). Good days to be a prospect junkie!
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Major Announcment
This is, at a minimum, the most unexpected entry you'll ever read on this blog. I have debated for well over a year now whether or not I should ever write it, but the time has come to get off the fence and either do, or not do – so I've chosen to write it.
Many, if not all of you, are aware that early this year I was giving very serious consideration to closing up shop here. After the main part of the off-season activities were past, it seemed a reasonable time to make the break – especially given the end of the Halladay Era was an obvious transition point. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't because the results of the 2010 season have re-energized my enthusiasm for the Blue Jays' future. Nevertheless, the issue I had then remains, and so either that solution must still be applied, or another one instead.
I am not, at this point, really willing to just shut it down and walk away – although the eventual fallout might lead to that (I'm not expecting that but it's possible). I do not want to make assumptions about my friends and readers that would have been wrong and unfair to make. However, this is a tremendously difficult thing to do. It is something which seems, on the surface, to be antithetical to the whole culture of sports fandom.
You might ask why I feel it's important to do – without drifting too far afield from the theme and purpose of this blog, I can't even begin to answer that question – all I can say to it is that unless you have gone through this situation, you don't have a frame of reference to properly appreciate why it's important.
So – I beg your indulgence to humor me a bit as I take care of a bit of business which has nothing to do with the Jays, or with baseball, but which for my personal state of mind needs to be done.
I've been writing this blog for, if memory serves, some four seasons now (with some partners in the first year) and been a fixture around various Jays related message boards for some years before that. The subject I'm discussing tonight predates all that by decades, in fact, it predates the first time I ever saw a baseball game. But for various reasons which it would serve no purpose to go into here, I felt it necessary to repress and conceal that matter. Just over two years ago, I ceased to do that.
I am transsexual. For one full year now I have been living full time as a female and I have adopted the name Tammy.
I hope that I may continue to be a part of the ongoing virtual conversation about the Blue Jays (though I do understand that it is difficult for any acquaintance, no matter how "virtual" to make the mental adjustment) but even if I find that's no longer possible, I had to speak up. One of the things that comes from spending so much of your life hiding your true face is that you develop an obsessive distaste for masks of any sort. I'd rather risk rejection than be false in any sense – even a mostly anonymous on-line persona. It is my hope that my worries in that regard are unfounded.
We'll see how it goes.
(One note – if anyone wishes to offer comments or questions they'd rather not post in public, write me at email@example.com and if you want to know more, ask for the address to my transition blog)


text:
Even on a mobile device, the full desktop version let's you enter the site creator. I-phone doesn't allow photo or file upload. And the WHSYWIG editor doesn't open for text editing. Only HTML Editor is available for basic font. HTML scripting can be done for link, image, embed, tables, etc. A full version PC or MAC will be needed for Text WHYSIWIG.
Even on a PC, tables, iframes, and advanced font control HTML will be needed. Switch over to HTML editor and script away.
The language for building web pages.LEARN HTML HTML REFERENCE
Views: 5

subset: commoncrawl


text:
'Sudden Death' of Kim Jong Un's Half-Brother Investigated 0
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother died Monday after becoming ill at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, according to Selangor State Criminal Investigations Department Chief Fadzil Ahmat. Another police source told CNN the man who died is named Kim Jong Nam.
Police have described the incident as a "sudden death" pending the of a post-mortem investigation. South Korean media is reporting that he was in his 40s at the time of his death.Kim Jong Nam was the most public of all of Kim Jong Il's sons before Kim Jong Un took power, though most remember him for the scandalous headlines he made.
Reports surfaced that Kim Jong Nam fell from favor from the ruling family after he was caught trying to sneak a visit to Tokyo Disneyland using a forged document in 2001 — something he denied to a reporter in a 2012 book.


text:
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the US federal government agency most directly charged with protecting health care workers, has come out against mandatory flu vaccines.
OSHA believes that there must be a very high burden of proof that mandatory … programs are not just desirable, but also necessary to protect the public health . . . At this time, OSHA believes there is insufficient evidence for the federal government to promote mandatory influenza vaccination programs . . . (Source)
The following graphs illustrate why scientists at OSHA and elsewhere have serious questions about the effectiveness of flu vaccines.
Review these graphs (below) and you'll likely have serious questions too . . .
(Source: here and in the graph.)
The graph above is based on US health data for the 1900-2005 period and shows a combined flu and pneumonia mortality rate (sources are cited in the graph and here). US health data combines deaths from flu and pneumonia together because flu often leads to pneumonia. You'll notice that the introduction of flu vaccines in the 1970s had little impact on the flu and pneumonia mortality rate.
Take a closer look at the data . . .
The graph below focuses in on the same US health data for the 1960-2005 period–and overlays the percentage flu vaccine coverage across the US population. As you see from the graph, during the 1980s, when flu vaccine coverage doubled, the flu and pneumonia mortality rate should have gone down. It didn't. Despite a doubling of flu vaccine coverage in the 1980s, the flu and pneumonia mortality rate increased, significantly. After 1990, although flu vaccine coverage continued to increase, resulting mortality rate remained essentially unchanged within a narrow range.
(Source: here and in the graph.)
If flu vaccines "work" then mortality rates should decline when flu vaccine coverage increases.
Instead, as flu vaccine coverage increased, mortality rates also increased.
Conclusion? Flu vaccines don't work.
Join me and say, "I do not consent to useless or harmful vaccines."
These Organizations Are Opposed to Flu Vaccine Mandates Many organizations are opposed to mandatory flu vaccination and the lack of options for exemptions, including these well-known groups: (Source)
- American Medical Association (AMA): 228,000 members [2]
- Service Employees International Union, representing health care workers (SEIU): 1,100,000 members [3]
- Association of American Physicians and Surgeons: 4,000 members [4]
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME): 1,300,000 members [5]
- American Federation of Teachers (AFT): 1,600,000 members [6]
- Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America (AFA): 60,000 members [7]
- The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions: 95,000 members
- United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union: 30,000 members
Maybe instead of mandatory vaccines there should be mandatory healthy lifestyle? Maybe we should identify and publicly shame those people who don't eat immune building foods and lead healthy lives? We could also prevent them from raising children, or perhaps take their children away if they don't comply. Surely there is more justification for that than mandatory vaccines. (Source)
OSHA's position regarding flu vaccine are from the following OSHA document:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is strongly supportive of efforts to increase influenza vaccination rates among healthcare workers in accordance with the Healthy People 2020 goals. However, at this time, OSHA believes there is insufficient scientific evidence for the federal government to promote mandatory influenza vaccination programs that do not have an option for the HCP to decline for medical, religious and/or personal philosophical reasons. While we are supportive of the Healthy People 2020 goal of a 90% vaccination rate, we have seen no evidence that demonstrates that such a high rate is in fact necessary. Furthermore, the current influenza vaccine is no magic bullet. The current state of influenza vaccine technology requires annual reformulation and revaccination and the efficacy is quite variable. Every year there are numerous circulating strains of influenza that are not included in the vaccine. In years where the antigenic match is good, the vaccine only provides protection against the 3 strains in the formulation. In years when the antigenic match is poor, the vaccine may provide no protection at all. The limits of current influenza vaccine technology are especially problematic in the context of a mandatory influenza vaccination program that results in job loss. Lastly, reliance on a mandatory influenza vaccination policy may provide healthcare workers, health care facility management and patients with an unwarranted sense of security and result in poor adherence to other infection control practices that prevent all types of infections, not just influenza. Influenza vaccination has always been just one part of a comprehensive multi-layered infection control program. While OSHA does not believe that there is sufficient evidence to meet the bar necessary to support mandatory vaccination programs, we nonetheless are convinced that influenza vaccination is generally beneficial and are supportive of efforts to promote vaccination. Influenza vaccination exemptions should be for HCP with valid medical contraindications to vaccinations, or religious and/or personal objections and a signed declination statement that indicates the HCP has been educated regarding influenza, is aware of the risk and benefits of influenza vaccination, has been given the opportunity to be vaccinated with the influenza vaccine at no charge, and can receive the influenza vaccine in the future at no charge to the HCP. (Source) [Note: Some browsers will NOT open this document. If your browser does not open this link then, from inside Adobe Reader, open the following link: http://www.nvic.org/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?nodeguid=da4b451c-b83e-4eb4-9b64-5c210aad1ec3 )
U.S. Media Blackout: Italian Courts Rule Vaccines Cause Autism
See also:
The aluminum present in vaccines makes the mercury, in any form, 100 times more toxic through a process called synergistic toxicity. Aluminum is used in very large doses in vaccines ostensibly to cause an immune reaction. According to a very recent study, "it causes cells to give up their DNA". — Journal of Toxicology; Volume 2014 (2014), Article ID 491316.
- No decrease in flu hospitalization from flu shots – Vaccine Journal
- Vaccine Failure: Flu Vaccine Has No Effect On Hospitalization Or Sick Days, Cochrane Review
- Should Vaccines Be Mandatory? Reason Magazine
- The CDC is lying to you again: flu fiction vs. flu reality
- CDC overstates influenza cases to sell more flu shots
- Recent Medical Graduates are More Skeptical of Vaccines
- How much money do doctors make from flu shots?
- Herd Immunity From Vaccination Is A Myth by Dr. Russell Blaylock MD


text:
Gilbert Sorrentino once wrote, "If you make a better book the world will build a mousetrap at your door."
With one exception over a five-decade writing career, the mousetrap was always at Sorrentino's door.
The author of 15 novels -- including a parodist's feast called "Mulligan Stew" -- Sorrentino was a master of avant-garde fiction whose work was admired by other writers. That the world never beat a path to his door did not unduly concern him. That most critics found him hard to peg bothered him more, but their neglect made no appreciable dent in his prolific career on the imaginative rim of American letters.
"Sorrentino was an American master," novelist Don DeLillo said Tuesday of the longtime Stanford University professor of literature and creative writing, who was 77 at his death Thursday in New York City. The cause was complications of lung cancer.
"His work has humor, anger, passion and deep-reaching memory. But he wrote against the times," DeLillo said, "against the pressure to be commercially successful. There was an edge in his work that wasn't always easy to accept."


text:
TEMPE, Ariz. -- On Thursday night, Chans Cox realized a life-long dream.
The freshman linebacker ran onto the field for his first game as an Arizona State Sun Devil, but he was not alone.
Joining him was Jorden Kline, one of Cox's close friends who has not let Down's Syndrome get in the way for his support of Chans or his beloved Sun Devils.


text:
The day before she was due back, we were a little anxious on whether we would actually see her at LCCT the next day. Thankfully, she smsed us to remind us to pick her up from "Bandara" (Bandaraya Udara) keesokan harinya. Alhamdulillah, syukur..
With her, she brought back a lot of ole-ole for the entire family. Keropok Malinja (apparently the famous ones are from Solo), dodol, kacang tanah all prepared by her. :)
Untuk anak-anak:
1. For Khaleeda
This boneka would sing "Mana Topi Saya" to the tunes of "Burung Kakak Tua" if you press her tummy.
2. For Khaleeq
3. For Khadra (this one definitely wins, hands down!)
-dillz blogging out-


text:
Editor's note: There is a great Jewish tradition to dedicate the 29 days in the month of Elul to study and prepare for the coming high holy days. The time is supposed to challenge us to use each day as an opportunity for growth and discovery. On each of the 29 days of Elul, performer Craig Taubman posts a "jewel," or story, from some of today's most celebrated visionaries. Past contributors include President Barack Obama, Desmond Tutu, Mary J Blige, Eli Wiesel, The Dali Lama, Rabbi Ruth Messinger Lady Gaga, among many others. Today's reflection comes from Peter Yarrow.
I have gained perspective on the art of aging over the last decade of my 74 years. The gift of perspective is, in a word, "gratitude" -- the conceit that my cup is half full, and each day more and more so.
Years ago, my life was filled with excitement, wonderment and adventure, but also beset with varying degrees of anxiety about what tomorrow might bring. Now, I truly pass my days without such concern, and with few lapses, I feel grateful for what I have, for those I love, for work that satisfies –- and, happily, the focus of my life is all about tikkun olam, repairing the world.
Is my life different now from the way it once was? Not really. But the shift in the angle of the glass, the tilt of the reflection that has reframed my perspective, has made an inestimable difference.
I'm reminded of the lesson of the goat: A rabbi is consulted by a man who proclaims that his life has fallen apart. "My wife hates me, my children disobey me, I can't pay my bills, no one respects me." The rabbi solemnly counsels the man, "Buy a goat and live with it for a month -– in the house –- and then we'll talk." The man obeys the rabbi. Soon the goat has chewed his clothes, eaten his food and done his business on the carpet. Chaos reigns. Desperate, the man returns to the rabbi and throws himself on the rabbi's mercy. "What should I do?" he wails. "Get rid of the goat," says the rabbi calmly. One month later the man returns. He fairly shouts to the rabbi that he's the luckiest person in the world, proclaiming to all in the shtetl that the rabbi is a genius.
What's the gift of aging? Sometimes, if we're lucky, we get rid of the goat.
Peter Yarrow is a political activist and the Peter of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary.


text:
photo: Holly Armour
The broadway show Wicked is in town at the Segerstrom Performing Arts Center, which is located less than ten minutes from Orange Coast College. The play tells the untold story of what happened before the The Wizard of Oz, and why the two witches began their infamous feud.
As a fashion major, the fascinating part about the show was the costuming. After taking History of Fashion at Orange Coast College, I enjoyed and appreciated the costumes in an entirely new light. I loved the show and suggest that anyone make the effort to go see the costumes yourself.
– Holly Armour


text:
Student visa holders who wish to stay in Australia at the end of the course may need help planning. We can recommend you on the best options, including 485 visas for recent graduates. If you have fresh graduated from an Australian college or university with a global vision talk. Simply take our free online assessment. An Australian visa counselor will contact you to talk about your eligibility for a visa subclass 485.
Your Australian Graduate visa options
Foreign students who have recently completed a course in Australia may want to travel to return home or to enter the labor market by Australian work visa. Although many foreign graduates may already be eligible for General Skilled Migration (GSM), others will need to get additional skills and experience to stay in Australia. Subclass 485 is a temporary visa for Australia, which allows applicants to remain in the country for up to 18 months to prepare for the completion of GSM. Those who are gifted, you may want to review our position on well-known Talent Visa, because it is a quick way to PR. Skilled sponsored visa is another option.
Who can be eligible for a subclass 485?
Student abroad apply for this temporary visa for Australia should be:
Under 45 years of age (the upper age limit for GSM)
Holding eligible training completed in the last six months of study of at least two years in Australia
Cannot achieve the pass mark the points test for skilled Independent (Residence) visa
You meet the Australian standards for professional activity of skilled occupations list (SOL).
Advantages of 485
Overseas graduates who get this visa can stay in Australia for as long as 18 months, with no restrictions on work or study. It also allows the owner to add a secondary candidate, including partner or dependent child during or after the visa is granted. Holders of the Subclass 485 visa may choose to :
- Travel
- Work
- Improve their knowledge of English
- Completion of the Professional Year - structured professional development course that offers bonus points for GSM.


text:
Someone from the FFL is at it again. The term "edit war" is in the discussion section, and this one has all the signs of malicious editing, considering most of the links are FFL related now the entry seems to insist that the Couples for Christ is made up of two groups now.
When will this end? Oh I don't know, they already have their two different entries but they still feel the need keep re-editing the official CFC one.
Looks like it is fixed. Thanks to whoever was responsible.


text:
The front page of The Times newspaper in Britain this week featured an interview with Tony Blair who again called for effort to be put behind regime change in Iran. This has been a long running narrative for the former Prime Minister who is part of an established political school of thought in the west that believes much of the trouble in that part of the world originates in Tehran.
It's a simplistic world view for a man who was famously uninterested in the complexities of issues he faced in office. Civil servants who worked under Blair later said that Tony would be highly enthusiastic for the big idea, but when they tried to discuss detail with him his eyes would glaze over.
This sums up how a politician like Blair comes to believe in bogeymen. He is happiest when you can boil a narrative like the modern middle east down to goodies and baddies. Some baddies come and go but the overarching baddie has always been Iran, mostly because it has dared to defy western foreign policy for so long.
So Blair and The Times, not convinced we heard it the first, second or third time (or even at the Chilcot Iraq inquiry, where Blair managed to wander off on a tangent to pontificate on the wrong subject) set about telling us how evil the Iranians are. When they are not supporting terrorism they are building a nuclear bomb. Tony says Afghanistan and Iraq would be a peaceful as Norfolk if it were not for those meddling mullahs.
The hypocrisy is mind boggling, although this is Blair of course. Western military and intelligence agencies have an absolute right to choose sides in these countries respective civil wars but neighbouring Iran does not. Of course nobody should be interfering in the affairs of sovereign nations but Blair's insistence to the contrary is straight from the imperialism of the Victorian British empire.
Iran also must be stopped from building a bomb but this is about as far as Blair complex point goes. No mention that Iran is a nation surrounded by nuclear armed neighbours with Israel to the west, Russia to its north and that byword for instability, Pakistan to its east. The fact that Iran has not invaded another country for over 300 years also has no significance for Tony.
Why are the rantings of a bored, overpaid and disgraced former politician worth commenting on then? The answer to this lies in the fact that Blair's idea of "liberal interventionism" is alive and well.
Iraq gave this idea a bad name through the lies, blood and chaos surrounding that country over the last decade. Libya now provides an example where the west "got it right". This will be the overwhelming narrative for the political establishment and the media when the next big adventure presents itself.
The relatively swift victory of the Libyan rebels against Colonel Gadaffi gave the
'liberal interventionists' a success story, to be expoited at a later date.
It is a dangerous idea as it seeks to convince us that the problem with Iraq was not the outright lies or the criminal aggression against another nation. It was more a question of strategy. The next time politicians wish to get all macho with their generals a few points will be observed.
First get the UN on board, even if it is just to agree that the biscuit supplies of said nation must be protected. Once you have this you can do whatever you like biscuit related or not.
Only use air power and then insist there will be no "boots on the ground", then deploy those boots on the ground and call them "advisors", then hope the media buy it, which they probably will.
Finally, jump into bed with those elements on the side you chose in the civil war and make sure any previous western business related deals are kept. If the nation is a major oil producer then oil deals, but if the western powers intervene in a nation whose most significant export is asparagus, then of course vegetable export deals.
Its not that meddling in the affairs of independent nations is wrong, its just a question of perception. Libya was easy, they may start to believe that Iran could also be done with such minimal effort. There will be blood, but then again they are unlikely to get any on their suits when directing the war from a press conference in London.


text:
A Dual Track
Two very disappointing sets of figures were released last week.
One: the anemic 3.4% GDP growth experienced by the Philippines in the second quarter of the year. That places growth in the first half at 4%. Economic managers have had to revise downwards their full-year projection to 4% from the targeted 7-8% (it would require growth of 10% in the second half of the year for the target to be reached, and not even the budget department's assumption of 5% seems likely at this point).
Two: the abysmal jobs market in the US which saw no new net jobs created in August as many private firms became spooked by events in Europe and the US credit downgrade. The fact that high unemployment is expected to persist until 2015-16, perhaps even to 2016-17 (with many states coping with the end of stimulus by laying-off workers) has led many to conclude that the US is teetering on the brink of a double dip recession.
Bracing for the harsh winds from a US downturn, Sen Frank Drilon has called on the government to step up its infrastructure spending. Amando Doronila uses the findings of Credit Suisse which downgraded its growth prospects in the region which is expected to suffer "more than most" and cast doubts on the Philippines because it doubted whether
(T)he planned PPP (public-private partnership) infrastructure projects that many were bullish about were likely to get off the ground in a hurry.
In fact, the first couple of projects are scheduled to be bidded out at the end of the year, 18 months after the SONA in which it was announced. That means actual investments will not flow until well into the next year.
Economist Solita Monsod in her weekend column chastised our economic managers for not heeding the official early warning signs by accelerating public construction expenditure. She likened it to economic sabotage when she concluded
Public construction contracted by 23 percent in the third quarter of 2010 and 14 percent in the fourth quarter. Okay, that's the price for trying to tighten procedures. But decreasing by 38 percent in the first quarter of 2011? And 51 percent in the second quarter?
Prevent plunder? Maybe. But there is economic sabotage in the process. What a choice Filipinos are faced with: between ill-intentioned plunderers and well-intentioned saboteurs.
Amando Doronila had more harsh words in today's op-ed piece
The straight path to governance sainthood under the Aquino administration's mantra, "without corruption there's no poor," is littered with the derelicts of pious slogans as well as the detritus of incompetent economic management. These derelicts cannot make up for the big deficit in economic performance.
Much like his American counterpart whose followers have become disenchanted with the meager results of his lofty campaign rhetoric, PNoy could soon find the public's receptiveness to his slogans waning with each passing day.
After experimenting for a year with his idealistic Daang Matuwid will hard-nosed pragmatism be resurrected? A dual track is needed in which the administration pursues its good governance agenda in a way that does not hamper economic growth and development.
This is perhaps what the purists in his camp failed to consider, that the path to development is not a single lane, and that the two agendas can run side-by-side.


text:
Sometimes I think my decisions to volunteer are opportunistic and almost without any altruistic motives. I go because the opportunity comes up, because I have time, because I want to travel.
I went to Yuendumu because for years I had been saying "I would love to work in an Indigenous community!" And then I got back from overseas and had 5 months till uni started again, and I saw the Youth Challenge Australia link on a website.
I went to Christmas Island because I was returning to uni after working for a few years and had excess time over January and February and a lack of money. A few people in my immediate circle had applied with ALIV to volunteer on Christmas and in other detention centres, and it was one of the few completely supported volunteer positions available.
Only later, after the decision has been made, and people start responding do the altruistic motives seem to come in. They say, "wow, what made you do that? What a great thing to do!" And even though I try and make my opportunistic and selfish motives plain they only seem to hear and recognise altruistic motives.
This is a wallwisher.
By clicking on it you can go to a collaborative sticky-note wall and answer the question
Why did you decide to go?
Double click on the wall to add your own sticky note.


text:
At this time of year as the local amphibians start to go into hibernation, the tiny mammals start to think about where they're going to live during the long, dark and damp winter months. Some of these rodents think that it would be a jolly good idea to live in our house. The holes in the house that allow water and sewage in and out of our house make a nice way in and out for small rodents as well.
We normally find mice under our sink. This has historically been a good spot for them. They are protected from what ever cat or cats we have living in the house as there are tight fitting cabinet doors that protect the under-the-sink area. There is a way in via the plumbing I mentioned before. To add to that the fact that the internationally recognised place for the kitchen rubbish is under the sink. This provides the food that mice will need to live and indeed breed over the long winter months. I keep mousetraps set under the sink all year long but it is in the autumn that they trap has to be emptied most frequently. I'm not squeamish about these things. The trap just gets new bait and re-set. I keep meaning to block these holes with steel wool, but I never remember to buy some when I am in a hardware store or a D.I.Y. hypermarket.
Earlier in the autumn, our mousetrap broke. It was banged against the side of the wheelie bin a bit too vigorously and it broke. I stopped by a local shop on my lunch break and got another mousetrap (they may have sold steel wool but I seem to have a thing about not remembering it). It was the same model mousetrap as the broken one and the same sort of mousetrap I have been used to using for decades.
|Fairly reliable mousetrap
I re-baited and re-set the mousetrap. Then again the next day the trap needed to be re-baited. I put new peanut butter on the mousetrap each day for a week while thinking that this new mousetrap was not very good.
|Empty but unsprung mousetraps!!
|Ninja mice have been here!


text: Guests Return to Battered Mumbai Hotels Reopening marks city's quick rebound By Ambreen Ali, Newser User Posted Dec 22, 2008 1:49 AM CST 0 comments Comments Guests check-in at the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers after its re-opening in Mumbai yesterday. (AP Photo/Gautam Singh) View 7 more images (Newser) – Both five-star Mumbai hotels targeted in last month's deadly terror attacks reopened for business yesterday, marking the defiant rebound with glitz and prayer, reports the Los Angeles Times reports. Amid tight security, Bollywood stars and top government officials celebrated at the century-old Taj Mahal—whose flaming building became the iconic image of the three-day siege that claimed more than 170 lives. Nearby, the Oberoi's rebirth began with solemn prayer led by leaders from eight faiths. This "will send a message that we can come alive again in record time," said the Taj Mahal's owner. Boarded-up windows were visible on closed portions of both structures—the parts where the most brutal fighting took place. It may take a year to completely repair the destruction wreaked by suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba militants. View 7 more images


text:
Although I didn't SELL the Arboretum Shawl or Mini-Shawl at the Arboretum Show in October, they have both since sold (the shawl at Artistry in Southport and the Mini at Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts in downtown Wilmington). And since many have lusted after them, I decided to create another series of the same colors.
I have my stash organized by type of yarn/fiber - not by color. As I go through the process of choosing yarns for a project, I always wonder if in fact I should re-organize it by color. Anyway, so far I haven't done that. I take a transparent/translucent shopping bag and pick through my stash (HUGE!) to select the colors/textures I have in mind. For this series, I pulled various greens, oranges, rusts, golds, reds, etc. These are colors I've always liked, so this is an easy task for me.
But then I got stuck in green/orange! First I made a new mini-shawl (knit), then I made a cachecol (knit), and then I decided to try my hand at a mobius scarf in crochet. And now they are done, and I am SICK of the colors! But yesterday someone suggested that she loves green with purple (not my favorite color, as anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows!) But I know others who love that combo, so I thought I'd try it before RE-stashing all those greens. So that is what I'm working on right now - the results will be shown later.
Additional photos of these on flickr.


text:
As I was running some errands with the boys today, I was talking with them about the Feast of the Holy Family. Our last stop happened to be at the Honeybaked Ham Store. A fond memory came to me and I laughed out loud as I told the boys the story.
When I was just a year or two out of college I went with my family on a cruise during the week between Christmas and New Years. It was great fun, especially on New Year's Eve. On that night I saw an image of the Holy Family that few have ever witnessed. (I know we used to have a snapshot of it.... but I can't seem to find it. I tried really hard and I couldn't even find anything remotely like it on Google Images.)
Get ready for it.....
At the top of the midnight buffet.... nestled among the fancy ice sculptures, cheese sculptures, fruit sculptures, etc.... there was a magnificently crafted portrayal of the Holy Family.... carved out of a block of......
On Google I saw Holy Family images made of flower pots, fleece, clay, wood, plastic, and metal. But not ham.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.... pray for us.
Friday, December 30, 2011
The Holy Family -- "Icon of the Domestic Church"
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family. We look to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as the most beautiful example of all that a family can and should be. We implore their intercession as we seek to emulate their love for one another.
A simple Google Image search renders hundreds of beautiful artistic images of the Holy Family. I started this post almost an hour ago and became engrossed in looking at and praying with some of those images. I chose the above image for this post because I love how it shows the practical human side of the Holy Family as well as their great holiness. I was immediately drawn to the brilliant light surrounding Jesus and then the halos above Mary and Joseph. However, seeing them engaged in their daily work together really touched me. So many artistic representations of the Holy Family are "posed" but this one depicts them going about their everyday lives.
And it's in the midst of our everyday lives --- in doing the laundry, referreeing the squabbles, paying the bills, doing the dishes, playing board games, raking the leaves, eating breakfast --- that we truly love one another and learn how to grow in holiness. All of our interactions... our working and playing and praying together... make up our family life, our domestic Church. However, if all of those daily tasks are not grounded in and nourished by prayer they become drudgery and distractions rather than paths to holiness.
In this week's message to the General Audience, Pope Benedict spoke beautifully about the role of prayer in the formation of the domestic church. "The Holy Family", Benedict XVI concluded, "is an icon of the domestic Church, which is called to pray together. The family is the first school of prayer where, from their infancy, children learn to perceive God thanks to the teaching and example of their parents. An authentically Christian education cannot neglect the experience of prayer. If we do not learn to pray in the family, it will be difficult to fill this gap later. I would, then, like to invite people to rediscover the beauty of praying together as a family, following the school of the Holy Family of Nazareth".
And so let's take to heart Pope Benedict's challenge today. Let's recommit ourselves to diligent family prayer. As we prepare to begin a new year, let's take a loving look at our domestic church and discern the areas in which God is calling us to stretch and grow a little bit or a lot.
In our family (inspired by Lacy at Catholic Icing) we are discerning a saint whom we will "adopt" for the year. We will learn about that saint, pray for his/her intercession, and seek to grow in the virtues he/she models for us. We are also committing to praying the Rosary together more frequently.
May 2012 be a blessed and fruitful year for all of our families.
Prayer to the Holy Family
This prayer is taken from Prayer Book for Religious, compiled by Fr. F. X. Lasance, S.J. (Benziger Brothers, 1904). Its language is dated, but its content is beautiful.
O most loving Jesus, Who by Thy sublime and beautiful virtues of humility, obedience, poverty, modesty, charity, patience and gentleness, and by the example of Thy domestic life, didst bless with peace and happiness the family Thou didst choose on earth, in Thy clemency look down upon this household, humbly prostrate before Thee and imploring Thy mercy. Remember that this family belongs to Thee; for to Thee we have in a special way dedicated and devoted ourselves. Look upon us in Thy loving kindness; preserve us from danger; give us help in time of need, and grant us the grace to persevere to the end in the imitation of Thy Holy Family; that having revered Thee and loved Thee faithfully on earth, we may bless and praise Thee eternally in heaven.
O Mary, most sweet Mother, to thy intercession we have recourse, knowing that thy Divine Son will hear thy prayers.
And do thou, O glorious Patriarch, St. Joseph, assist us by thy powerful mediation, and offer, by the hands of Mary, our prayers to Jesus. Amen.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for us.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Christmas Potluck and Pageant
More than 30 families from our homeschool group gathered last evening for a fun, festive celebration of the Christmas season. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate with these holy families who are our dear friends. And it was so great to have my dad, Mary, and Susan join us as well.
We gathered in a parish hall for an evening that included a potluck dinner, a procession of "gifts for Baby Jesus" that were donated to a pregnancy help center, a beautiful birthday cake for Baby Jesus, and an old-fashioned children's Christmas pageant.
These homeschooled kids don't often get to be part of group performances. They loved this and they did a great job! They acted out the Christmas story and the show included several traditional Christmas carols that we all joined in singing together. Ray was a shepherd and Adam was a sheep. We all had a great time.
We gathered in a parish hall for an evening that included a potluck dinner, a procession of "gifts for Baby Jesus" that were donated to a pregnancy help center, a beautiful birthday cake for Baby Jesus, and an old-fashioned children's Christmas pageant.
These homeschooled kids don't often get to be part of group performances. They loved this and they did a great job! They acted out the Christmas story and the show included several traditional Christmas carols that we all joined in singing together. Ray was a shepherd and Adam was a sheep. We all had a great time.
|Before dinner, the children decorated their own placemats.
|Preparing for the "gifts for Baby Jesus" procession
|A scene from the pageant.... the Innkeeper's doors.
|The sheep and shepherds. Can you spot Ray and Adam?
|We had a super cute little cow in our flock of sheep! ;)
|Ray really "got into" the curtain call! That's one rocking shepherd.
|Susan and a little sheep.
Have you ever seen a sheep with such chapped lips? ;)
Highlights of our Christmas Celebrations
We have enjoyed lovely Christmas celebrations over the last several days. We are so blessed with wonderful family members and friends with whom we are sharing this beautiful season of joy.
My mom, my sister Colleen, and my nephew Carter joined us for a nice dinner on Christmas Eve followed by the Vigil Mass at our parish.
The boys awakened us promptly at 7:00am on Christmas morning. They had been up for a bit, but they managed to wait patiently until the "magic hour" of 7:00. We had a really nice time opening gifts together. Suprisingly, they went for their stockings first. Then we took turns opening one gift at a time.
The boys LOVE this "claw machine" that Santa brought.
Look what I got! ;) It's my "Being Mirrors" trademark symbol!
The long-awaited, much-hoped-for Wii DID make it into Santa's sack for the boys. They were so very excited to finally get it. They jumped around the room and did a dance on the bubble wrap after opening it.
They also received several Mario-themed gifts.
It was awesome to see them sharing their excitement.
My friend Susan came over and enjoyed watching the boys open gifts. We had a yummy breakfast together.
And then the boys spent a good part of the day doing this.....
Later in the afternoon, we headed to my mom's house for more Christmas festivity.
I surprised my sisters with old copies of some books we fondly remember from grade school. Oh, the power of Amazon! ;)
Every year my mom makes awesome pajamas for all of us! Here are the boys modeling some of theirs --
You should see the wonderful placemats and napkins she made as well! I'll try to get a post up about those soon.
We got my mom a soda machine. It carbonates water and includes lots of different flavorings to add. We had fun testing it out. I would love to get one of these!
We've had a bit of downtime this week. We've enjoyed our new toys, watched some movies, and relished the slower paced non-school schedule. We've been observing the 12 days of Christmas in some simple ways (a future post I hope).
Yesterday, we got to celebrate Christmas with my Dad and Mary. We met them for lunch and then spent the afternoon exchanging gifts.
Here's my dad with a few of his "custom decorated" golf balls!
Adam got even MORE Mario stuff!
Ray got some awesome things for his train layout: boxcars, buildings (which Mary painstakingly assembled), a history of trains poster, and this cool poster ---
Ray had a great time showing off his layout. Pappy and Mary helped assemble the figure-8 track!
Thank you so very much to all of our friends and family who have been so generous to us this Christmas! Thank you Jesus for becoming man, bringing light into our world, giving us reason for hope, and being the source of all our joy.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Catholic Christmas Prayer
Lord, in this holy season of prayer and song and laughter,
we praise you for the great wonders you have sent us:
for shining star and angel's song,
for infant's cry in lowly manger.
We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little Child.
We behold his glory, and are bathed in its radiance.
Be with us as we sing the ironies of Christmas,
the incomprehensible comprehended,
the poetry made hard fact,
the helpless Babe who cracks the world asunder.
We kneel before you - shepherds, innkeepers, wise men.
Help us to rise bigger than we are. Amen.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Holly, Jolly, Happy, Busy, Holy Days
Adam's been walking around for the past two days saying, "I'm a happy boy!" in such a sweet sing-song voice. He is just loving all of the Advent rituals and Christmas preparations. He is so excited for the next few days to get here. We all are. But there is just something so precious about a five year old's pure joy and excitement. I am trying to drink it all in, to see things with his eyes, and to really enjoy what these days are all about. It has, indeed, been lots of fun around here.
We got to watch my nephew Carter all day on Wednesday. The boys played happily together. We made some gingerbread boys and little houses.
A fun Christmas dessert ---
The boys have really loved our Jesse Tree readings and ornaments.
I made them their own big trees on their bedroom doors. Each morning they have colored the day's ornament and put it on their trees.
When we got to the O Antiphons, they wanted ornaments for those too... so I made them and we added them.
|Our beautiful O Antiphon house
Now I need to make ornaments for the 12 days of Christmas. I'm so glad they're loving these Advent traditions.
Today I had the great privilege of enjoying one of my favorite Christmas traditions.... a day out with my "bestest" --- my friend Susan. She lives in San Antonio now and it's such a treat when she comes to visit. Instead of buying gifts for each other, we spend a day together. She accused me of never putting her picture on my blog, so here she is ----- standing outside the awesome restaurant where we had lunch. (Watch out Susan... I have LOTS of other pictures of you that may appear here someday soon.)
We did some shopping and we got our nails all fancied up for Christmas !
It's so fun this time of year to come home to yummy, amazing treats from friends! Thanks Kelly!
This evening Jon and I took the boys out separately to purchase small gifts for one another. Then, Ray bought us all dinner! He had a free pizza certificate he earned from the Boy Scout popcorn sale. He was so proud to take us all out for pizza!
We ended this day with a trip downtown to enjoy the Christmas lights! (Unfortunately, my camera wasn't
working quite right and a lot of my pictures turned out blurry... but here are a few good ones.)
A local insurance company has been putting up a beautiful Nativity display for many, many years. I remember visiting it as a child. Now it's a tradition for our family to visit it each year.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Bosco Boys Club - "Initiative"
We had a wild time with the Bosco Boys Club on Tuesday! This month's virtue is "INITIATIVE."
We talked about Saint Vincent dePaul and all that he did to care for the most needy people of his day. We brainstormed ways that we can help others, especially in our own homes during this busy time of holiday preparation. Each of the boys wrote down one way he plans to take initiative in loving and helping someone this month. They offered these virtuous deeds to Jesus by placing their slips of paper into his stocking.
We had yummy snacks. Thanks Fouts family!
We had cup stacking races.
Each of the boys made a Christmas gift for his mom. I won't spoil it here.... but it involved glitter and glass and glue.... and they did such a nice job!
And then, the highlight of the meeting for most of the boys ---- We played with pom pom poppers! It was wild. It was crazy. It was loud. It was FUN!!! They shot at the targets I brought and at the ceiling and of course at each other (and me).
I was so proud of the boys because they had a great time and no one got hurt and they cleaned it all up on their own. (There were hundreds of pom poms all over the room!) Go Bosco Boys!!!
The pom pom popper idea came from Pinterest (of course). You can see it here --
http://pinterest.com/pin/124412008425628972/ . (If you need a last minute Christmas gift for ANYBODY... just save your money and make these. They're fun!)
If you've got a boy in our club..... give him plenty of ideas for ways he can take initiative around your house!
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
It took about four days of getting oriented in Kuala Lumpur before I realized there was something rather special about Malaysia that was going to be a focal point for my visit here.
Anyone who knows me at home in Canada knows I have a love of coffee. The darker, the stronger, the richer – the better.


text:
Join us (Jenny Schuck and Ariana Rabinovitch) as we progress through B.K.S. Iyengar's 5-year program of suggested sequences from his book LIGHT ON YOGA and blog about our experiences–whatever they may be. You are welcome to be part of this adventure. Just get a copy of LIGHT ON YOGA and add your comments here.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
"How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body" NY Times Article
Yoga is not a cure-all. Yoga does NOT exercise every muscle in the body. I was stunned when I first learned this. Many yoga masters have claimed that it does (even Mr. Iyengar in Light on Yoga) and as teachers we are taught this and accept it. This is a misunderstanding. Certain muscles get over-developed (e.g. triceps) and others get overstretched (e.g. hamstrings). If yoga is your only form of exercise then you can create musculo-skeletal imbalances in the body which over time can lead to injuries.
I heard from a teacher of mine that in some sports clubs there are certain stretches that are banned for personal trainers (because they are deemed too risky) but yoga teachers can teach them because they have less restrictions. In general, I feel that the standards are quite low for who can qualify as a yoga teacher. Some certifications claim that you can be certified in a weekend.
I feel like I can never learn enough and it is precisely why I took it upon myself to take an in depth 108-hour anatomy course. Even after taking it I still don't think it's enough, but it gave me knowledge that is essential for any movement professional. I don't think yoga teachers should be exempt from this level of understanding. Why are they anyway?
I am taking a Zenyasa Yoga certification that does promote musculo-skeletal balance. Jason Brown who created this method felt that after studying anatomy and western exercise science that yoga was not enough to foster strength and flexibility throughout the body. So he includes other exercises such as pulling exercises for the arms in order to strengthen the biceps, rear delts and rhomboids (which are hard to strengthen in yoga). He also includes a warm up for every class so your muscles are warm before you start strengthening them. And you strengthen before you stretch. This is something that I have felt is missing in my Iyengar classes as of late. There is no warm up and you start stretching to the max right away. Ouch! I have come close to injuring myself many times this way.
But then there is also the responsibility of the student - to do what feels appropriate for their bodies and not be forced into any pose by a teacher or get caught up in the obsession of "getting" a pose for the sake of satisfying their ego (while sacrificing stability in their joints).
I could go on and it is a topic that requires more attention than I am giving it here. What do you think?
7 comments:
- namaste said...
First and foremost I view myself as a novice, a beginner in Yoga. However while I was a very late starter (to asanas and pranayama) my past had taught me there was a Great Deal More to Yoga than what it has become in the West. These recent discussion of how Yoga can wreck your body reinforces the view of my Teachers in India, which is that for the West Yog ( they do not refer to it as Yoga) has come to mean stretching exercises and if one is lucky some breathing exercises. My male teacher once remarked, 'you have fat-ass yoga, you have skinny-ass yoga, you have cat-walk yoga, and you now you have hot yoga. BUT where's your Yoga?' In October of 2010 I was fortunate to be a student in Prashant Ji's classes in Pune. He too noted this 'western view' of Yoga referring to it as 'Gym or gymnastic Yoga'. Now this NY Times article, which for me just further reinforces the consequences of those who would be teachers and yet lack some elementary knowledge about the Life Style they would teach to others. And yes Asanas just like Pranayama can harm the body, especially so when taught by those who lack both the skill and the experience, even more so when its to students who carry their ego into the Yoga hall with them. Having followed an assortment of threads resulting from this specific NYT article, the above is one of the few I've read which suggests an 'open approach', though I would disagree with the statement that Yoga is 'not a cure-all'. I believe it is as it were, 'a cure-all', but not with the current 2-prong approach which is the trend in the West. Perhaps we need to start incorporating the other 5 steps of Yoga into our daily life. This will certainly not be easy, perhaps the West is not yet ready, as many Yoga Teachers will be faced with empty Yoga Hall's if they dare begin to introduce something other than asanas to students with anything less than 5-10 years of practice.
Indeed there is much more to say, but let's make a beginning as the life style we know as Yoga is well worth the time we give it.
- January 22, 2012 at 8:02 AM
- Krishna said...
Dear Friend
I have given my own feedback to the NYT article in my blog http://myashtangajournal.blogspot.in/
in post No: 21) The importance of BioMechanics for Yoga Practitioners and Teachers.
My post is of 2 parts .The first is my own feeling about the NYT article and the second is a letter by Shmuel Tatz (one of the best known movement specialist ) .This letter by Shamuel Tatz is in response to the original NYT article and you will find answers to where actually the problem is .
- February 1, 2012 at 3:45 AM
- kaney said...
Yoga is the only methodology available with the humanity which has anatomized the human existence without opening a human body. It is the oldest and the deepest psychology of the human existence.
ceralin forte metagenics
- May 28, 2012 at 1:29 AM
- prairiediva said...
I've been practicing Iyengar yoga for 4 years now and I feel great. Friends have noticed big changes in me but do not follow me into yoga. Some of my friends do not understand yoga and will read articles like NYT and give me lectures on yoga safety. I listen to my teacher and do not push my ability beyond what my body allows any given day. I have had a pulled hamstring from letting my ego get in the way so lesson learned. Listen to your teacher and do not let your ego get in the way.
- June 8, 2012 at 5:07 AM
- James said...
Will you please post a link to your Blog at The Yoga Community? Our members will appreciate it.
Members include: Yoga Enthusiasts, Instructors, Experts, Studios, Classes, etc.
It's easy to do, just cut and paste the link and it automatically links back to your website. You can also add Articles, Photos, Videos and Classifieds if you like.
Email me if you need any help or would like me to do it for you.
Please feel free to share as often as you like.
The Yoga Community: http://www.vorts.com/yoga/
I hope you consider sharing with us.
Thank you,
James Kaufman, Editor
- October 21, 2012 at 10:43 AM
- karyn gray said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- January 17, 2013 at 5:07 AM
- Raghav Singh said...
I have joined Yoga Teacher Training In India It is a good platform to me start the yogic journey where i'll learn the basic. get the benefits of yoga, it's a way to achieve physical and mental fitness.
- April 25, 2015 at 12:43 AM


text:
Development and Marketing Coordinator
Who We Are
Wu Yee delivers comprehensive services throughout the City of San Francisco. We serve over 4,000 children, families and child care providers each year.
We provide Early Head Start, Head Start, and State Preschool programs, Child Care Resources and Referrals, Child Care Subsidies and the Family Child Care Quality Network (FCCQN). The phrase "wu yee" means "protector of children" in Cantonese, and truly, children are at the heart of everything we do. If you'd like to learn more about who we are, please visit wuyee.org.
Why Work for Wu Yee
Wu Yee is committed to the professional development and ongoing support for all staff. Wu Yee offers competitive wages and benefit plans which include medical, dental, vision and acupuncture/chiropractic care for employees and their families. In addition, Wu Yee offers an employer-sponsored shared-contribution 403 (b) retirement plan, pre-tax benefits and flexible spending accounts for health, dependent care, and commuting.
Position Summary
Reporting to the Chief Development and Communications Officer (CDCO), the Development and Marketing Coordinator provides marketing, graphic design and fundraising support for the organization.
The Ideal candidate will be technically savvy and have experience in graphic design and writing. They will assist with designing, writing, and reviewing of marketing materials including donor packets, blogs, social media, websites and other print and online material. They will also be responsible for maintaining the donor database and assisting with development and public relations actives.
Who We Are Looking For:
● Two years' experience in marketing and/or development within the nonprofit and/or the social service sector required.
● Savvy with graphic design and technology. Experience with software such as (InDesign, Photoshop, Publisher, Adobe and MS Office).
● Superior writing and presentation skills, and the ability to proofread with accuracy.
● Strong passion for the mission statement and providing opportunities for families to thrive.
● Experience editing and managing Word Press websites, knowledgeable in Mail Chimp desirable.
● A Sense of humor, can-do attitude, team player and willingness to dive in and do what is necessary.
● Occasional weekends and evenings are required.
Education Required:
● Bachelor's degree and two years' experience in marketing and/or development within the nonprofit and/or the social service sector.
How to Apply:
To be considered for the Development and Marketing Coordinator position submit 3 samples of previous work with your resume to firstname.lastname@example.com. No phone calls please.
Examples of supporting materials you can submit (3 required):
● Collateral (ex. brochures, pamphlets, forms, media kits, donor packets)
● Publications (ex. newsletters, articles, research papers, program books)
● Development Communications (ex. appeals, Direct Mail packages, thank you letters, grant applications, case statements)
● Online links (websites, social media sites, landing pages, online campaigns)
● Public Relations (press releases, speeches and public remarks)
● Advertisements or other creative writing project


text:
Princess Mononoke
Origin: Spirits of the Past
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Ghost in the Shell
All Kazuhiro Wakabayashi films
Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
Copyright © 2018 FANDANGO MOVIES.


text:
Welcome to Teak Publishing's Shortwave Central blog. You will find broadcast, amateur radio, and clandestine information including log, QSL tips, and last-minute news. If you would like to contribute information, please send it to w4gvh @ frontier. com All content on Shortwave Central is copyright © 2006-18 by Teak Publishing, who is solely responsible for the content. All rights reserved. Redistribution of these pages in any format without permission is strictly prohibited.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Blog Logs
// parallel frequency *sign-on - sign-off*
All times UTC
logs edited for clarity
11710.8, Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior, General Pacheco, Buenos Aires, 2155-2205. German until 2155, 2155-2200 interval signal and station IDs in broadcasting languages of RAE, 2200-2202 music and IDs in the same languages. Spanish program starting 2205, SINPO 45444. (Beryozkin). Also heard at 0005-0020, Portuguese talks, Argentine music and then news bulletin - good with slight fading and local noise. (Timofeyev in DXplorer/DX Window 458)
4835, VL8A Alice Springs, NT, 1320-1323. Phone-in program discussing raising special needs children, talk program about alcoholism, SINPO 45343. (Sellers). Also heard at 1825-2000, Aboriginal and English phone-in program. SINPO 45343 (Beryozkin). And at 2132-3136. News and comments in English, SINPO 13321 // 5025. (Méndez/DX Window 458)
9745, Radio Bahrain, Abu Hayan, 2357-0020. Carrier + USB. Audible when Romania signed off at 2357*. Traditional local music, local pop music and ballads. Poor. Weak but readable in noisy conditions. (Alexander in DXplorer/DX Window 458)
6034.74, BBS, Sangaygang, Thimphu. Vernacular and English. Several times on Jun 30, I heard the same indigenous instrumental theme music as heard on BBS on 5030 back on Dec 15. From 1427 to 1458 a woman chatting on the phone with different people, 1458 theme music and seemed to be an ID in English, into assume the news in English; poor. At https://www.box.com/s/edda9641bba2a7f7c3bf you can find my recorded music (MP3). Must be full power now, strong enough to overpower Yunnan PBS. However, on Jul 01 found BBS was either off the air or back to running reduced power; random checking from 1258 to 1407 heard no heterodyne at all; nothing on 6034.74; only heard what sounded like the usual Yunnan PBS on 6035.0. Completely different from yesterdays positive BBS reception that overpowered Yunnan PBS. (Howard)
6035.00, BBS, Sangaygang, Thimphu, 1935, Jul 03. Wandering around 6034.997 down to 6034.990, and accompanied by annoying audio hum. Peaks on 147 and 544 hertz away, some peaks seen and heard on that channel; easily to check against web livestream at http://www.bbs.bt/news/video-wan.html . (Bueschel). Also heard at 1958-2310, Jul 05, 06 and 07, talk in Asian language (definately not Mandarin or Vietnamese!) and short local inst music, slight hum, SINPO 44333 // http://www.bbs.bt/news/?page_id=9126# . On Jul 08 a strong carrier noted 2055-2230, but no modulation and no streaming radio audio on the BBS web site (www.bbs.bt ). (Churchill listening on receivers in South Africa and England, Petersen and Timofeyev/DX Window 458)
6134.896, Radio Santa Cruz, 0045-0100. Clear signal here of music and Spanish comments between tunes. Additional comments at 0049 over the music, of an unrealted topic. Signal fair-poor. (Chuck Bolland, FL)
6180, Radio Nacional da Amazônia, Brasilia, DF, 0459-0900. RNA transmits a big humbuzz and no programming; same on // 11780 on Jun 30. But on Jul 03 Portuguese comments, "2 horas 27 minutos en Brasilia", "En Brasilia 2 horas 53 minutos, Radio Nacional da Amazonia, musica made in Brazil, samba", program "Madrugada Nacional", 34433. (Sellers and Wagai). Also heard at 2115-2330, Jul 05 and 07, Portuguese talk, soccer comments: "Bahia y Botafogo", ID: "Nacional a radio da cidadania", SINPO 43333 with adjacent interference. (Méndez and Petersen/DX Window 458)
9625, CBC North Quebec Service, Sackville , 2154-2207.* Country music, then conversation between a man in vernacular and a woman answering in English (!), SINPO 45444 until 2200, 43443 after 2200, Interference from NHK Japan in Japanese on 9620. (Beryozkin/DX Window 458)
9558.64v, Voice of Peace and Democracy, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, *0358-0430.* Horn of Africa music, opening ID 0359 and vernacular talk. Some Horn of Africa music. Poor to fair in noisy conditions. Varying between 9558.64 - 9558.71. Weak on // 7234.30v - varying up to 7234.47. Mo, We, Fr only. (Brian Alexander, PA)
Costa Rica
3350 Radio Exterior Espana relay, 0258 in Spanish // 6055. Group pop vocals and a man with talk then time pips at 0300 and a man with "Radio Nacional de Espana - Noticias" and into a man and woman with news - Fair with static crashes. (Mark Coady, Canada/Cumbre DX)
11760, Radio Habana Cuba 1935. Mailbag program. SIO 252. (Bob Fraser, ME).
4780, Radiodiffusion Télévision de Djibouti, Arta, *0258-0320. Fade out to open carrier until indigenous music opening, Arabic ID and opening announcements and recitations. Fair at first but fading rapidly. (D'Angelo). Also heard with late sign on at *0317-0330, Jul 08, abrupt sign on with Arabic talk. Weak. Poor in noisy conditions. (Alexander in DXplorer/DX Window 458)
4055, Radio Verdad at 0211 in Spanish. Male preacher with a slow and deliberate delivery with mentions of "Verdad" and "Jesus" - Fair with static crashes (Mark Coady, Canda/Cumbre DX)
6135.00, Radio Madagasikara, Ambohidrano, 1342-1405. For a long time was formerly on 6135.2. Today disturbing Shiokaze (scheduled *1330-1430*) moved to 5985.0 (now blocking Myanmar [5985.84] and causing a heterodyne). French speeches with applause. Some audio problems with segments very muffled, but mostly had good audio, 1356 IDs and advertisements via long path. MP3 audio posted at https://www.box.com/s/326a6cf66ebe36269d20 . Rather surprised to find them doing so well. (Ron Howard, CA)
9835, Sarawak FM, 1105. Bahasa Malay. Man with news until 1110, music bridge and then songs, ID as "Sarawak FM" at 1118. Fair with RTTY interference. (Harold Sellers-BC, Canada)
North Korea
11710, Voice of Korea 1300. english sign-on with into, followed by patriotic music with female's response. Signal fair. SIO 351 (Bob Fraser, ME).
Papua New Guinea
6040 PNG, NBC Port Moresby, 1020 July 12. English, song ending and ID as "National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea", announcements about their election coverage and at 1024 began giving vote counts, parallels noted were 3205, 3315, 3905 nothing heard on 4890 which was reported active yesterday. Fair. (Harold Sellers-BC, Canada)
6040, NBC Port Moresby with NBC National Radio, the Voice of Papua New Guinea programming,randomly from 0817 to 1000, July 12. Amazing how this 10 kW station has fair reception on a daily basis. In Tok Pisin reporting on a "power lackout", "standby generator", etc. (so is not entirely in English!). Usual ad for BSP (Bank of South Pacific) in English to local time checks. Many station IDs: "N-B-C National Radio, the Voice of Papua New Guinea." Today intermittently played some pop songs. Bird call at 0901 into the NBC National news in English with election coverage. Today was not able to confirm all the // stations, but clearly Wantok Radio Light on 7324.95 was the strongest // by far, with the news till 0914 when they had their usual announcement ("Wantok Radio Light management thanks the National Broadcasting Corporation for allowing us to relay the daily bulletin. Join us at seven AM for the next N-B-C National News"). Checked 4890 till 1000 with no results of anything.https://www.box.com/s/a3e6dadde006d7ea2cb2 contains MP3 audio
(Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón E1)
9855, FEBC Radio, 1053. Keyboard music (like a xylophone) interval signal and English ID repeated, "This is FEBC Radio broadcasting from Manila, Philippines." Would have been 1100 sign-on in Vietnamese but RHC signed on 9850 at 1058 overwhelming 9855. Fair until RHC sign-on. (Harold Sellers-BC, Canada)
13800 Radio Romania International 2053. DX Mailbag program. (Bob Fraser, ME).
South Africa
3320, Sondergrense at 0225 in Afrikaans with local pop music and a man with talk at 0255 re-check - Weak with static crashes and utility interference. (Mark Coady, Canada/Cumbre DX)
9505, CVC 2105. Religious program Brotherhood. SIO 453. (Bob Fraser, ME).


text:
For the purpose of a health testing discussion, I will not try and discuss all possible eye disorders that a Mastiff have inherit. I will discuss the process (test) we have for testing: the CERF exam along with the PRA and CMR DNA testing.
In this entry, I will only discuss the PRA (Progressive Rential Atrophy) and the CMR (Canine Multi-Focal Retinopathy) diseases since they are the only eye diseases that we can currently DNA test for in Mastiffs.
Please note, that a CERF exam may also show other "genetic eye diseases"--i.e. Entropion, "cherry eye", Cataracts, Glaucoma, etc.- disorders that we DO NOT have DNA tests for at present in Mastiffs--so a CERF exam is essential to rule out genetic eye disorders.
Below is a labeled diagram of the canine eye. In the later discussions, you can use it as reference.
What is a CERF (Canine Eye Registration Foundation) Examination?
The Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) was established in 1974 to track heritable eye diseases in purebred dogs. A database is maintained through registered purebred dogs examined by board certified veterinary ophthalmologists (Diplomates of the ACVO -- American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists).
This database helps breeders and ophthalmologists monitor eye diseases. A CERF exam is basically the same exam you would get if you went to an ophthalmologist. A dog can be registered by CERFonce it has been examined by an ACVO diplomate and found to be unaffected by a major heritable eye disease.
CERF examinations are performed annually. The ophthalmologist fills out a computerized form and gives a copy to the owner. This copy can be sent to CERF by the owner (if the dog has been found to be unaffected, as previously described) along with the registration fee to receive a CERF registration number, which can be used by the owner for show purposes, breeding, and AKC pedigrees.
This registration is good for one year and it must be renewed annually by examination, to maintain an up-to-date CERF number. Since many ocular diseases do not appear until later in a dog's life, such as progressive retinal atrophy and some forms of cataract, it is suggested that an annual examinations be done to rule out heritable disease which occurs as a dog ages.
In an effort to educate the public, CERF also publishes a quarterly newsletter about eye diseases in dogs. It contains current information about the frequency and heritability of eye diseases in dogs, and gives tips for healthy breeding practices. This publication is a great source of inform,ation for dog owners and breeders.
The goal of CERF is to identify those conditions that should be selected away from when breeding. To simplify, dogs with bad hips should not be bred, and dogs with inherited cataracts and certain other eye diseases are not suitable for breeding either. Other problems result from facial conformation considered desirable by breeders. For example, breeding for prominent eyes and facial folds in Mastiffs might lead to corneal irritation, scarring, and eventual blindness.
CERF works with the ACVO genetics committee to determine ocular conditions that are identified with certain breeds. A book is available that lists all the known ocular disorders of dogs: Ocular Disorders Presumed to be Inherited in Purebred Dogs. It is updated as new information becomes available, and can be ordered from CERF.
What is Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) in Dogs?
This is a genetic, inherited disease of the retina (the "film" in the camera), which occurs in both eyes simultaneously. The disease is nonpainful, and there is no cure for it. The eyes are genetically programmed to go blind. PRA occurs in most breeds of dogs and can occur in mixed breeds also.
It is recessively inherited in all breeds studied, with the following exceptions: PRA is dominantly inherited in Old English Mastiffs and Bullmastiffs, and PRA is sex-linked and found primarily in male dogs in the Siberian Husky and Samoyed breeds. In other words, for a Mastiff to inherit and manifest PRA, it must inherit a copy of the gene from only one parent.
Clinical signs vary from the dog first becoming night blind in the early stage of PRA (not able to see in low light surroundings) to the entire visual field in all light levels becoming affected, which is advanced PRA. The pupils are usually dilated, and owners often notice a "glow" and increased "eye shine" from the eyes.
All dogs with PRA will eventually develop blindness from advanced PRA, and this time frame until the dog is blind varies considerably from dog to dog, but usually takes at least 6 months from the time of diagnosis, and can rarely take years until the dog is completely blind.
Although no treatment for PRA, nor is it possible to stop the disease. A nutritional antioxidant supplementation for retinal health may help slow the deterioration of the retina in some dogs to "buy some time" before the blindness inevitably happens. Holostic Animal Eye Care experts believe that in many of these PRA patients, specific oral antioxidant nutritional therapy can delay the progression of blindness.
However, Blindness can not be avoided in any PRA patients. If oral antioxidants were used, they would be continued until complete vision loss occurred.
What Should I do if I suspect My Mastiff has PRA?
As with any serious eye disorder, have your dog examined by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist to determine if this disease is indeed present. Your local Vet can refer you to the closest Canine opthalomigy specialist fo an ophthalmic examination.
Dogs with PRA should not be bred, and the breeder that you received your dog from should be notified that the dog is affected, so the breeder can alter their breeding program in future.
It is important to understand that dogs with PRA are happy dogs. Their eyes don't hurt, and they adjust very well to their slow loss of vision. In fact, if a dog were destined to become blind and you could pick the disease, it would be PRA, as the vision loss is slow and nonpainful, and the dog is given much time to adjust to its vision loss.
It is important to realize that it is OK to grieve about your pet's vision loss, but you must not put your sad feelings in your dog's head--they aren't really there! Your dog is not suffering. They adjust well to their vision loss, and it is by far hardest to deal with on the owner's side.
Your dog's job description has not changed. Your blind dog is happy as long as its routine is stable. From your dog's point of view, life continues to be great-- you are there as always, and they just need to use their other keen senses a bit more to get the same information they used to view. Keep household furniture in its place, and consider purchasing the book "Living With Blind Dogs" by Caroline Levin. It is the only book of this subject matter, and is beneficial in helping owners and their affected pets adjust to the vision loss. It is suggested that you purchase a pet medical alert tags that reads, "I Have Poor Vision" or "I Am Blind" along with your address and contact info. Blind dogs have been known to wander away from home and be unable to find their way home.
Dogs with PRA can develop cataracts late in the disease process. Cataract surgery would never be done, as it would not help the dog to see. However, cataracts can cause pain and damage to the eye, and if the eyes look very cloudy to you, please call your opthomoligist vet for a reexamination as soon as possible.
In the 1990's when PRA began to appear in Mastiffs, the MCOA along with the American Kennel Club Canine Health Fund help to set up and conduct a study which lead to the development of a DNA test for PRA. We now have a blood test available to determine if dogs are likely affected with PRA, are likely carriers for PRA, or are not likely carrying the PRA gene. Always ask a breeder if their dogs have had the DNA test for PRA.
In the table below, you can see how this disease is inherited:
For more information about this test, go to The Optigen website- (http://www.optigen.com/).
What is Canine Multi-focal Retinopathy (CMR)?
CMR is a recently identified recessively inherited eye disease known so far to affect the Mastiffs (English, Bullmastiff, French mastiff or Dogue de Bordeaux), Great Pyrenees and Coton de Tulear. Early clinical studies in 1998 by Dr. Bruce Grahn at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, first described CMR in the Great Pyrenees.
This condition was observed in each of the named breeds at an ophthalmologist's exam that included numerous distinct (i.e. multi-focal), roughly circular patches of elevated retina with accumulation of material that produces gray-tan-pink colored lesions. These lesions, looking somewhat like blisters, often vary in location and size, although typically they are present in both eyes of the affected dog. Occassionally, Discrete areas of tapetal hyper-reflectivity might also be seen.
The disease generally develops in young dogs before 4 months and might progress slowly, might even appear to heal, or might even appear and then go away again. Some lesions disappear with no remaining sign, while some lesions leave a wrinkled area – a fold. Some leave the lasting lesion of a blister formation. Most dogs exhibit no noticeable problem with vision despite their abnormal appearing retinas.
And in almost all cases, CMR does not progress significantly over time. The disease seems to have a consistent pattern among the breeds identified so far, although lesions in the Coton de Tulear are often more serious and seem to remain longer than in some of the other CMR-affected breeds. In rare severe cases, the clinical diagnosis could be confused with progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). The full range of clinical symptoms will learned as more dogs are tested for their genetic status.
The clinical presentation and pathology of CMR closely resembles lesions of "Best vitelliform dystrophy", a human disease with variable clinical expression but usually with serious affects on central vision. Identification of the gene mutation responsible for CMR was based on these similarities. A mutation in the human VMD2 gene – Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy 2 Gene – causes dominantly inherited human Best Disease. Analysis of the canine version of the VMD2 gene indicates that mutations in it cause CMR as a recessively inherited canine condition. The normal form of the VMD2 gene produces a protein named "bestrophin". The bestrophin protein assembles, in the cells of the retinal pigment epithelium, in a group of four or five units that form a pore through which chloride ions pass.
Our current understanding is that CMR in Mastiffs is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. This means the gene mutation responsible for CMR is located on an autosome (that is, a chromosome that is not a sex chromosome) and CMR disease results when the gene mutation is passed to the offspring by both the mother and the father.
(It should be noted that the human disease that mirrors CMR in dogs is an autosomal dominant disease with incomplete penetrance. This means that sometimes, but not always, only one copy of the disease gene needs to be present in order for the disease to be observed clinically.)
At this point CMR in dogs is NOT considered to be an autosomal dominant disease however as more animals are characterized genetically with the DNA CMR test, it is possible that we will find a similar form of inheritance as is seen in humans.
There is complete concordance of the mutation with the disease among affected dogs in the Mastiffs, Great Pyrenees and Coton de Tulear. However, retinal dysplasia described in other breeds, for example in Labradors, Samoyeds or English Springer Spaniels, is very distinct in comparison to CMR and these conditions are not caused by the CMR mutation.
Due to the abnormal appearance of the CMR-affected retina, CERF, ACVO, ECVO and other ophthalmologist's eye exam reports typically record these multi-focal lesions as "retinal dysplasia" or "retinal folds", to denote a defect in formation of the retina. Such findings might disqualify the dog from breeding. Presently CERF doesn't list CMR as a specific condition, but does fail a dog for "retinal dysplasia/retinopathy – folds, detached."
The genetic test for CMR is valuable for identifying Mastiffs affected and those which are carriers. Given the exact genetic diagnosis, a breeder can identify carriers and breed only to "clear" dog--thus no "affected" puppies will be produced. Puppy buyers who purchase a "carrier" puppy can be assured that there probably will be no vision loss due to this condition. By using the DNA CMR test and eliminating Carriers and affected dogs from our breeding programs, future cases of the condition can be prevented.
In the table below, one can see how breeding affected and carrier dogs produced this disease.
For further information, go to the Optigen website, (Http://http://www.optigen.com//)


text: I think I had the Tuesday Blahs today...and so did other people. Everyone was like, blah..... so here are some drawings from about a month ago. Random stagnant girl drawings. pooooo.....Oh yes, after yesterday's bombardment of spam about colons and such in the blog comments, I have turned on visual identification. Which means, when you go to leave your comment, type in the letters that are shown to you. 'Cause spam bots are too stoooopid to figure that out. Stupid robots.


text:
Rising height and dipping temperature
The month of December for me is all about Christmas and the festive mood with Christmas lights all around. I love these strings of colourful lights and the aura it creates when these are put on the Christmas tree. So to celebrate my favorite festival, I decided to visit India's smallest hill station – Matheran.… Read More Rising height and dipping temperature


text:
Twin Lakes National Fiddlers Competition
The Twin Lakes National Fiddler Championship contest is held annually each 3rd weekend of July. The next contest will be held on Saturday, July 15, 2017 in Leitchfield, KY on the courthouse square starting at 9 am CDT in conjunction with the Leitchfield Freedom and Fiddling Festival.
We have six categories of competition in fiddling, as well as three of dancing, bluegrass band, guitar, mandolin and banjo.
Pre-Festivities began on Friday, July 7, 2017 at 6:00 pm with the Twin Lakes Fiddle Festival Queen Pageant at the Centre on Main. Congratulations to our 2016 Fiddle Festival Queen Kaylyn Nicole Hagan!
Festivities will begin on Friday, July 14, 2017 as the Leitchfield Freedom Festival kicks off with fireworks at dusk.
On Saturday, the fun begins early on the Courthouse Square. In addition to the competition on the east side of the square, the Leitchfield Freedom Festival events are held all around the square with vendor booths, crafts, amusement rides and activities for the kids, a car "Cruise-In', Sponsored by the Western Kentucky Car Club, and much more! Click here for more information about the Leitchfield Freedom Festival.
On Saturday evening, you will not want to miss a special square dance show and demonstration!
After the contest, be prepared for even more special entertainment on the square!
Make plans now to be in Leitchfield on Friday and Saturday, July 14 and 15, 2017 !!
For more information visit twinlakesfiddler.com


text:
While there, we noticed an older lady, full of spunk walking around, greeting the customers. That's when we met Hope –
We hadn't been back for a while but a month of so ago, went on a Friday evening (they are open til 9 yay!) and had a great time Everyone was very personable and even broke the rules by letting us taste a few =)
Two weeks ago, we went back. Todd Brooks was playing and he is AWESOME! The place was packed so we ended up inside. This caught my eye –
And ya'all know how much I love books. Books with meaning. Stories of people's lives that I feel like I know. We bought the book and Saturday morning in between chores, I read it. Wow. This woman is awesome. Her Mom's name is Doukenie. Her life has been full of challenges and this is somewhat of a memoir. Some of her favorite sayings, she talks about her children and her grandchildren, she talks about her husband of 52 years that died a few years ago and she talks about how she once again is playing the piano. She named her golf cart, computer and piano. Such a unique, inspiring person.
Anyway, it was one I couldn't put down and it just goes to show that good people open wineries. Good people keep the good coming. And, it's not always bad to enjoy local wines, meet great people and relax for a while. Just sayin'…..