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Pilot Mountain Payback Trail Marathon
Pinnacle, NC
Time: 3:56:58
Place: 8th out of 80 finishers
This year I ran my third Pilot Mountain Payback. I love everything about this race. It was my first marathon in 2011. I get to train on the course every weekend. It has great scenery. I just love it. Abran Moore is a great race director and he'll have me coming back year after year.
After running a 4:01:53 last year, I was determined to go sub-4 hour this year. But the lack of training in December made me second guess whether or not I would be able to sustain the pace needed to run it in that amount of time. Only one way to find out though. I have been doing all of my long runs without food recently, in an effort to train my body to burn fat economically and not rely on consuming so many calories to keep the fire going. Since doing this, my plan was to not stop at the aid stations during the race. I would be carrying two handhelds; one with water and the other with Accelerade. Summer was going to meet me at the summit and swap out my Accelerade bottle with a fresh one for the second half of the course and give me an Ensure to drink. This would be the only calories I would have the entire race in an effort to minimize time at the aid station and run the fastest race I could.
Going into the race I thought about how it was going to be tough to meet my goal. I knew that the second half of the race was going to be a test. But I vowed to kill multiple birds with one stone. Since I knew the fatigued feeling would definitely set in late in the race, it would give me an opportunity to work on the mental side of things. In long distance running, eventually your body will begin to say no and at that point, you have to overcome and mentally push through. This will be the name of the game in May when I attempt my first 100 miler, the Massanutten 100. Back to today though.
The traditional 9am start usually allots for the sun to come up and provide some warmth on a February day. The last two years we were graced with perfect weather including sun and temps nearing 60. This year, not so lucky. Forecast was mid-30's at the start and 50-60% chance of rain/snow throughout the day. The temperatures were not expected to exceed 37°. And with the rain we had the week leading up to the race, the creek crossings wouldn't be avoidable.
As the start drew near, I decided I was going to get in the front. Last year I failed to do so and when we hit the single track trail, I was bobbing and weaving trying to get around other runners so I could run my own pace. So I lined up at the start line, and we were off.
There is a creek crossing 30 feet from the start line so no use in trying to avoid getting wet. There's also a long gravel road hill that we have to climb. As usual, I got caught up in the 'race' atmosphere and took off like a banshee. Soon I was passed though but not by too many folks. Then we finally hit the single track and I was getting into my groove. At the end of this short single track trail we hit the gravel road that leads into the park entrance. There are two more creek crossings before we hit the 6 mile corridor trail that takes us to the base of Pilot Mountain.
For the first two miles, I notice I'm running sub-9 minutes on each. I had set my Garmin's virtual race partner to 10:15 per mile pace which is what I needed to equal to run a sub-4 hour race (yes for you math geeks, the course is a little short....the elevation makes up for it though). I did learn this year though, that the first race, in 2010, the course was a full marathon's distance. But the summer after it, the made changes to one of the trails and those changes ended up making the course a little short. I knew I couldn't hold this pace though. I decided to slow a little and just run by feel. If I felt good, I'd keep the pace. If not, I'd slow down. But in this sport of distance running, there's only one way to find out whether or not you can do something. And that's to try. So I figured, I'm going to go for it. If I blow up, so be it. So I ran pretty hard on the downhills, and slowly ran the uphills for this first half of the race.
I finally hit my groove about five miles in. Another runner was behind me and as we approached the road crossing where a motorcycle rider wrecked during my first marathon, I heard the sounds of another motocycle's engine revving up in the distance. I instantly had flashbacks of this moment and I began to tell this story to the other runner. He began piecing things together and asked me if I had a blog to which I replied yes. He had read my race report from that race, trying to learn a little about the course he was planning to run. In fact, he was hoping to gain a little insight to the multiple creek crossings that the course holds. Maybe I need to take some pictures next time on a training run and put them on here. We introduced ourselves and Jeffrey informed me he was from Raleigh and was there running the half. We covered miles together, eventually splitting off at the turnaround for the half.
Nearly eight miles in and we reach the Pinnacle Hotel Road aid station. The half marathon runners turn around here, completing the out and back route. The full marathon runners continue on, up the Mountain Trail that eventually leads to the summit of Pilot Mountain. This trail is one of two technical sections of the course. I love this trail. I love going up it and I love going down it. After running it numerous times over the past couple of years, I know this entire course pretty well. I know where to run and I know where to walk. This is the part of the race that can make or break you. Push too hard and you'll really leave yourself hanging out to dry in the second half. I've learned this the hard way.
I see one other runner up ahead of me. Another comes up from behind and passes me and I give him the normal 'great job' as he continues on. He's running, and I'm walking. I know that we'll soon trade places. In my opinion, you have to be a really good mountain runner to run the entire 3.5 miles to the summit. Eventually I make the pass and there's no one close behind me and no one in front of me that I can see. Just me and the trail. Exactly how I like it.
The end of the Mountain Trail soon comes and I hit the tail end of the Ledge Springs trail that takes you to the Grindstone trail, which then leads you to the summit. This is the steepest part of the course as the trail is mostly man-made stairs. I don't even bother trying to run. I hike quickly and soon reach the summit. Summer and her parents, as well as Gemma were there to greet me. No time for chit-chat. I grab my Accelerade and the Ensure and continue walking as I down it. As I start towards the knob, I hear Summer yell something at me. She was informing me was in 10th place. Good to know, but I'm not here for place. I'm hear to beat 4 hours. And up until this point, everything was right on track.
Gemma and Scout playing at the top of the mountain
Coming up to the summit
Giving my sweet baby a kiss before tackling the second half.
I headed for the knob. If you have ever driven through Pilot Mountain, you know what I'm talking about. Runners circle the knob and then head down the Ledge Springs trail and then down the other side of the mountain. Once I finish the loop, I see another guy standing and talking to another runner. He was asking if that guy had gone around the knob. He said no. He asked me, and I said yes and I asked if he had. He had as well and I said go left. We ran together a little bit and he told me he had gone around the knob twice. That really sucks. Another reason I'm lucky to train on this course and know it so well. We both headed down the Ledge Springs trail together. Here I am wearing my super comfy cushy Hokas and this guys wearing Vibrams. He must have sandpaper on his feet. I don't see how he ran this whole race like that.
Once we reach the downhill part of the mountain, I take off. I pass my Vibram friend, and then a few other people but I'm not sure if they were in the race. I'm really concentrating on running this downhill as fast as I can. I end up running two miles at sub-9 minute pace. The next few miles are mostly downhill with some ups but no major climbs. Another part I'm very familiar with and I know when to push and when to not push. Again I'm all alone with no one close behind and no one up ahead.
After coming down the mountain, there is a short 1.75 mile trail that takes you back to the Pinnacle Hotel Road aid station that served as the turnaround for the half marathoners. I arrive to find my parents there to cheer me on. There are no other runners and only a couple of volunteers. I tell them thank you for being there and without stopping, head down the hill for the final 7+ miles to the finish. I knew what was in store. I knew fatigue would start to set in, and before the race I told myself that the mental test would begin here.
I ran as much as I could. I was power hiking the uphills, and running everything else. In my head I was loosely using a phrase that I had learned before my first 100k: "Walk before you think you should. Run before you think you can". I had slightly discarded the walking part, but trying to enforce the 'run before you think you can' mentality. It's a mind game. When you're tired, your body says stop. But you have to power through. "You are stronger than you think you are and you can do more than you think you can". Another quote I was using in my favor. I felt good that I was running, but when my Garmin would beep at the next mile mark, I noticed my pace for that mile was 10:29. Sort of deflated my feelings. I keep going and next mile is 11:04. Again, frustrating. It's times like this I should have just ignored the Garmin.
The race started at 9am. I knew I needed to finish by 1pm in order to break 4 hours. It's go time. With less than three miles left, I had my work cut out for me.
Nearing the end of the corridor trail, I pushed the fatigue and pain aside and ran as hard as I could. I didn't look at my watch but I ran a 9:59. Followed it up with a 9:34. Less than a mile left now and I'm done with the corridor trail. It's mostly flat from here on in with 3 more creek crossings. As I reach the entrance of the park where the race starts, some people are leaving in their car. Others are gathered around talking. They all yell positive things to me as I push forward. I get to the final creek crossing and the finish line is in sight. This is the deepest of them all, coming up to my knees. I almost stumble due to the rocks on the bottom but I grit my teeth and I think I grunted out loud. A few people were standing on the banks of this creek and they gave me some positive encouragement as I sprinted for the finish.
Sub-4 was a given now. I had beat my goal. I saw Summer and Gemma, as well as my parents and her parents. I threw my handhelds down and Summer handed me my baby girl and we crossed the finish line together. Officially 3:56:58. Surpassed my goal by three minutes and beat last year's time by almost five minutes. Doesn't sound like much but to me it's a big deal.
Summer making the handoff so I can run across the finish with Gemma
Clock says 3:57:02 but results on website showed 3:56:58
Gemma and I after the finish
Me and my wonderful family.
I ran my race. I ran hard. I pushed harder than I thought I should have. But if I hadn't, I would not have ran the time I did. I was proud of myself for once. I set a goal, and I pushed my body mentally and physically, and I achieved that goal. Some people are afraid to set goals for fear they will fail. Others are afraid that trying to do something that seems unattainable will 'hurt'. Of course it will! If it was easy, everyone would do it. Getting out of your comfort zone should be done regularly. You'll learn more about yourself when you do. This race really boosted my mental confidence and is another step in the right direction as I continue on my quest of completing my first 100 mile race, the Massanutten 100.


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The short answer is "good", but of course that won't be much of a blog entry considering how long it's been since I've written.
Peter has been completely off supplemental oxygen for a couple of weeks. This allowed some doctor's appointments to be canceled. Yeah! We still have to hold onto the equipment for at least three months in case he gets a cold or something and needs the oxygen. It was all shoved into the closet the same day we found out he didn't need it anymore. The closet is the most spacious room we have in our flat anyways.
We did have a concern about Peter's eyes. Randomly, Peter's eyes began to jiggle vertically. This is called a nystagmus. We got an appointment with the ophthalmologist that did the surgery on Peter's eyes while he was in the neonatal unit. The ophthalmologist examined Peter's eyes and said that physically Peter's eyes were great, perhaps a little nearsighted, but fine. He referred us then to a neurologist who had Peter get an ultrasound of his brain. It looked like there might have been too much fluid in his brain that may have been caused by a blockage in the ventricales, fluid, of the brain. This can happen to a premature baby because some bleeding in the brain happens at a premature delivery. This blood can cause a blockage in the flow of the fluid in the brain. This type of blockage could have caused the nystagmus, but could also lead to worse things. They talked about the fact that Peter may need a shunt from his brain to his stomach to drain the fluid. After an MRI, which is much clearer than an ultrasound, it was discovered that there was no blockage and no unusual build up of fluid in the brain. His head will continue to be measured for unusual enlarging and we will continue to have check-ups with the neurologist. All this to say that they don't know what is causing the nystagmus, so they need to wait and see what happens. As of the writing of this blog, the nystagmus has become less frequent and we are very confident that it isn't effecting his vision substantially.
According to the check-ups Peter has had, everything from his heart to his growth is all very good. He is catching up to the size he should be and he has a great appetite to help. We have introduced him to baby food according to his birth age as we were instructed. Since developmentally he isn't as far as a normal baby is when eating the first time, like in sitting up and developing teeth, we are staying with smooth food for a little while. Developmentally he is progressing according the his gestational age (his due date age). He is a little ahead in the use of his hands and how much he babbles, but slightly slow in holding his head up. This is not unusually for even a term baby, but the doctor's are kind of holding Peter under a microscope looking for the first smallest sign of trouble.
Other than all the doctor's appointments, vitamins, and strange developmental timing, Peter is just a normal baby...sort of.
Genesis chapter 13 - the parting from Lot - Just as in chapter twelve, in many ways, the journeys of Abram prefigure the journeys of the Israelites, so in chapter thirteen the actions of Abram and Lo...
8 years ago

subset: commoncrawl


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Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Boudoir Glamour!
Above my little blue fireplace in my bedroom was a framed print that I had stared at for many years. I felt the need for a change, so have moved it onto my landing wall. In it's place I have created this. It is a metal wire torso from the 1950's, that I have added pieces from my vintage accessories collection.
Posted by Niki Fretwell at 11:04 am
11 comments:
Hello Niki,ReplyDelete
I have a big black plastic torso and half a leg (separate pieces), in my kitchen! I bought them from an old shop that was closing down, years ago. The black body is wearing a recycled hat that Toby made, and some beads.
Ours is quirky. Yours however, looks like a work of art, it is beautiful, and a great idea to change the look from time to time using your wonderful treasures.
So sweet! And I love the colors, especially the pea green!ReplyDelete
That's so beautiful. What a lovely ideaReplyDelete
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Sunday was a much-needed break from reality. Hubb and I really needed to just get out, ride our bikes and be together outside of a doctors office or home. Its been hella-cray y'all! I am so thankful to have been able to make it out and support fellow Bronx BikeGirl-Laura Solis- and get in some miles whilst at it :).
The class was held at the highly #bikenyc acclaimed Bike-shop/Café Red Latern Bicycles. I've been trying to get to this place for almost a year, I am barely in Brooklyn as it is, but that is changing since I'm delving in manymany bikey adventures this year! This place lived up to the hype:
The famous 'farthing!
Trying not to be distracted by alllll the bikey-goodness of this place, I joined in on the class just as Laura was scrubbing her derailleur;
The class was catered to geared ladies
and single speed ladies
we were all hard at work getting the grime off our rides!
Thanks WEBike for a great class with great bike ladies!
After only wiping Hermie down(I hate a dirty Hermie, so he was pretty much clean!), I caught up with Laura, took in the shop, petted the cat and had my first latte in years!
A couple who I guess saw us taking bike portraits and stuff, came up to us and offered to snap a few shots for us…how nice!
it was easy being us around this guy, he was super funny!
Our little shoot done, we head to the Prospect Park loop, a place I am familiar with thanks to the Tour de Brooklyn last year! Hubb has never been, but has always seen the park on Alleycat races on YouTube, so I had to show him around :)
We ended up doing three laps back to back to back….we were in bikey heaven!
Every one was out enjoying the day; joggers, skaters, scooters, rollerbladers and even equestrians! Where that couple keep their horses is way beyond me…only in New York man. Being fueled by that latte alone, after lap number three, I grabbed a few shots of The Hubb with his new bike. Thank you so much to the people at his job who pitched in to get this for him after his accident..we are truly grateful!
As the sun sets, we make our way back into Manhattan via the Manhattan Bridge(way better than Brooklyn bridge; climb and traffic-wise), and head Uptown via the 1st ave bike lane. But not before grabbing a well-deserved lager and basket of Onion Rings!
30 miles in total on this grand day. Slowly but surely, things are getting back to normal, and we are counting our lucky stars <3
Happy Cruisin'!
K xo


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Guido Fawkes assertion that most people listen to podcasts on their desktop computers would appear to be supported by Uncle Seth's Public Service Announcement song and video. We featured this last week as An Lionra Soisialta focused on podcasting.
I don't know what is source of the statistic – although the band do mention Nielsen in another part of the song.
68% isn't 90%, and it's certainly not "all". But it's significant. And I would agree with Guido that if they're going to be rooted to the spot in front the screen – they may as well have video. However, I think that the move to mobile devices is going to be inevitable – and video will come too!
The only video podcast I watch is the only one I can find which plays on my mobile device. Rocketboom offers a feed with the shows in 3gp format which I can play on my Nokia N91 phone.
In fact, the N91's podcast client application is so good, and because the device supports wifi, I download many of the podcasts straight from my home broadband to the phone itself.
I don't think audio podcasting is dead – but I think the PC might be.


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One of the ways we try to stay cool during these hot summer months is by spending some time at the local splash pad. This afternoon we made our first, of what I'm sure will be many, trips there. And, of course, this was Harper's first splash pad experience.
The rest of the pictures are of Shyla enjoying the water. Harper was enjoying it too, but I didn't get any pictures of her because I was holding her the whole time.


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30 June 2005
The Evens at Fort Reno Tonight
Check the schedule out, because there are still dates to be filled and who knows who might play...
29 June 2005
The Real Haterz
Check the numbers. The capital state for hate is apparently South Carolina, with 47 active groups. But Florida, already stinging from being second in executions behind Texas, is vying for first place with 43. I think, though, that it's important to put these numbers in perspective. South Carolina has a population of 4,147,152, whereas Florida has 17,019,068. As far as percentage goes, Florida has a lot of catching up to do. And California may look like a hotbed of hate with its 42 groups, but the population is 35,484,453. So here are the ratios, per capita, for hate:
- SC: 1 hate group for every 88,237 people.
- FL: 1 hate group for every 395,792 people.
- CA: 1 hate group for every 844,867 people.
DC, by the way, has five hate groups listed, three of which are Black Separatist groups. In some strange oversight, they don't list the Heritage Foundation.
28 June 2005
How can this guy keep his job?
The question really is "Why isn't this guy fighting for his political life?" How much longer can Americans sit around listening to the chimp spout truisms like "support the troops" and "stay the course"? Assertion that you have a clear plan is not evidence that you have a clear plan. Or any plan at all.
The fact is that Mr. Bush planned to enter Iraq at any cost for any reason. Besides the Downing Street Memo, more British intelligence documents are coming to light revealing how clearly BushCo wanted this war, despite lack of any sustainable reason. London's Sunday Times printed a cabinet briefing from summer 2002 that laid out British government concerns that Bush lacked any sort of forethought:
The US Government's military planning for action against Iraq is proceeding
apace. But, as yet, it lacks a political framework. In particular, little
thought has been given to creating the political conditions for military action,
or the aftermath and how to shape it.
In other words, BushCo had a desired goal, but he needed to fix the intelligence to create a climate for war. Disgusting. Here in mid-2002, the British government was aware not only that the Bush administration was preparing for war, but also that they had given no thought to what might happen after a war (after all, why bother thinking, when the "Iraqis will strew flowers at your feet"?). Knowing all this -- knowing the fix was in -- the British government under Tony Blair still went ahead with the boondoggle. Maybe that's why British pundits call him "Bush's Poodle" and "Lapdog."
So it goes...
27 June 2005
Wow Images. Cool.
Hey I'm thrilled about this image thing on blogger. Now I don't have to deal with these third party places when posting material. I hope I'm within fair use on this one.
26 June 2005
Well that puts it all in perspective...
Now I'm trying to lose a little weight myself, but my problems pale in comparison to his. This man can't walk because his legs can't support his weight. The Post reports that the National Aquarium in Baltimore had to lend their whale crane to workers who were trying to move him.
Me, I'm trying to go from 170 to 158. That's nothing (although I suppose if you wanted to go with percentage of total weight, my trying to lose 12 pounds would be like this guy trying to lose 48 pounds).
These extra pounds crept up on me over the winter. I entered the fall weighing a respectable 160 or 162, but somehow I stepped on the scale one day in January and weighed 170. I was shocked. I hadn't weighed 170 since 1994, when my diet consisted mainly of Popeye's Chicken, purchased close to midnight at the 14th and N Popeye's. Love that late night drivethru.
Since Popeye's is no longer in my regular diet, I'm guessing these extra pounds are sympathy weight from my wife's pregnancy. That and in your mid-30's you don't burn calories the way you did a decade ago...
24 June 2005
Redefining Success
"We will succeed in Iraq, just like we did in Afghanistan," he said. [cnn.com]
You mean the kind of success where you can't travel outside of the capital city? The kind of success that means a continued military presence? The kind of success in which the US military is still engaged in fierce fighting with the supposedly vanquished Taleban?
Is Cheney channelling George Orwell? Or has his pacemaker shortcircuited his brain?
NetFlix Movie Reviews: The Cook The Thief His Wife and Her Lover
Almost the entire movie is set in a restaurant owned by a thuggish criminal, and as owner of the restaurant he dines there nightly in the coarsest manner possible with his drunken entourage generally looking indifferent if not downright bored. His wife, played remarkably by Helen Mirren, begins an affair with another restaurant patron, Michael, who brings stacks of books to his table and dines alone. They carry on their affair in the restaurant -- first in the bathroom stalls and then in the kitchen with assistance from the chef and for several encounters neither speaks to the other. Eventually of course the oafish husband catches on and in brutal manner first uncovers the lovers' whereabouts and then murders Michael.
So as not to spoil the entire movie for those who haven't seen it, all I'll say about the finale is that the title Thief gets his just desserts.
But enough of the plot. The set design alone would justify watching this movie. The restaurant is stylized, with an immense kitchen that looks as if it's an entire factory floor. The camera pans in cross-section style from the back alley entrance, through the kitchen, through a narrow hallway, and into the dining room, visually dividing the world of the movie between surface coarseness and invisible depth.
In addition to the physical walls dividing the spaces of the restaurant, the movie utilizes a color scheme that places each area in stark contrast. The dining room is a deep red, while the bathroom is pure white. The kitchen is nearly always green, although certain parts are yellow. Helen Mirren's attire often changes color as she moves from room to room. Visually, the movie is very beautiful.
Despite the aesthetically pleasing visuals, the movie in the end conveys a pessimistic worldview. The Thief, Albert, quite obviously is top dog who does what he wants and how he wants: he physically and emotionally humiliates those who stand in the way of his goals, and he is not called to account until the end of the movie. His wife, Georgina, is more of a possession to him than a wife, and her description of their intimate life is harrowing. Her lover, Michael, is a meek book collector -- the sensitive, arty type -- whose sensibilities stand no chance against the rage of Alpha Male Albert. As for the Cook, he is complicit both in the front he provides for the Thief and the front he provides for the two lovers. He relies on the Thief's patronage for his livelihood, but he detests his patron.
23 June 2005
I'm celebrating 8 years.
Afterwards, we wandered up Wisconsin a bit, to the Guy Mason ballfield where an SEIU softball team was taking on some other team under the lights. Some drunk woman was leaving the bleachers with what I presume was her boyfriend. She got involved in some discussion with two men that was inaudible until she blurted out, "It wasn't nice of him to say I enjoy anal sex, because I don't."
As her boyfriend/pickup/whatever hailed a cab, she stood in the curb lane and half bent over while looking at the two men. "I don't enjoy anal sex...at least not with strangers," she continued.
We walked on by and crossed the street for some ice cream. Not bad. In fact, pretty damn good.
For anyone else who got out last night, you know what a great evening it was, with that fat moon glowing amber through threads of clouds. Beautiful.
22 June 2005
No...the deck chair really belongs over here.
Do they understand they are coming even closer to proving Tom Frank right? Probably not, since none of these half-evolved slime trogs (warning: offensive content) seem to have much in the way of analytical abilities. Or, more upsettingly, they understand their audience and Tom Frank is right AND they know their audience doesn't read Tom Frank.
For those unfamiliar with Frank's thesis in What's the Matter with Kansas?, Frank argues that the Republicans have successfully redefined elitism from a economic-based analysis to a cultural analysis: for instance, while old-style Populism championed the small farmers and labor against the giant corporations and financial institutions ("Mankind shall not be crucified on a cross of gold" etc), the new cultural conservative populism sees the elites not as the bankers and multinational corporations who control the economy, but rather the elite are the Volvo driving "latte liberals" who denigrate "real people" who believe in God, watch NASCAR, and eat meat.
It's pretty sad, but as the working poor and shrinking middle class vote for these unrealized and often unrealizable cultural goals, they vote for their own very often realized economic annihilation. As an example, Frank points out that cultural conservatives have railed for decades about the debauchery coming out of the television and movie theaters, yet all their lofty minded smutsmacking representatives have failed to do anything about this sin -- in fact, television and movies are more permissive now than when the decency crusades began.
It's an oft-told story: When asked, "What sort of government have you given us?" Ben Franklin replied, "A Republic, if you can keep it." I wonder how we're doing.
21 June 2005
From Sea to Shining Sea
One of my friends, who has since left this Washington for the Pacific Northwest Washington, recently came back to town for a short visit. About two hours. Then she was off with another friend on a cross-country auto trek -- not the Jack Kerouac "balling that jack" bullet across America, but rather the meandering John Steinbeck "Travels with Charley" trip. Okay, maybe not that slow and aimless.
Still I was happy to see her and though we talk only sporadically on the phone, her visit had a warmth and ease that made it seem like she was just stopping by on her way from Dupont to Mount Pleasant instead of making an appearance that may not be recreated for another year or two.
Two days later, she called from the road. After a brief trip to Connecticut to put some family business in order, she was on I-80 near Clarion, Pennsylvania, on the first day of an indirect journey to the west coast. Her goal is to see all those crazy roadside attractions that the freeway system has all but rendered obsolete.
20 June 2005
Father's Day
After lazing about the house a bit and cutting the grass (cutting the grass takes about five minutes, so it's not heavy work), we eventually headed out to the Waterfront to buy some fish. I had no idea that place was such a scene on weekends. First off, it's a bunch of crummy old fake boats that they sell fish from. There's nothing to see. But there we were stuck in traffic trying to get into the parking lot of the place.
On a side note, I don't think there's anything as obnoxious as a Hummer urban tank. So far I've restrained myself, but everytime I see one I want to have a sledgehammer handy.
Having secured the fish and some of what turned out to be the most pathetic mussels I've ever had in my entire life, and having wasted about an hour, we got out of there, returning home to ice the fish, and headed out to the park to enjoy the late afternoon.
[Really I'm still trying to figure out at what point someone's development has to be arrested that he or she would find driving a Hummer cool. They scream tacky classlessness. As much as I find BMWs insufferable, they are ten times -- maybe even twenty times -- more classy. People who drive Hummers simply scream, "I am an emotionally stunted egotistical selfish shitbag." Or as Shrek would say, "Do you think he's compensating for something?"]
Had some good salmon, some good wine, and some really terrible mussels. They were dirty, first off. Really dirty. Then they were tiny. Little tiny fingertip sized. Many were simply not there, or at least not there in recognizable form. Note to self: do not buy mussels at the Waterfront any more.
19 June 2005
Maybe they'll finally burn all Detroit down...
I'm trying to think if any other professional sport is more debauched than the NBA. I'm not talking about the behavior of the athletes, since that's been happening forever in all sports. I'm talking really about the fact that in most major pro sports, they change the rules to make the game harder: the NFL makes you get two feet in instead of one; MLB makes you use wood bats and has huge stadiums. Only in the NBA do they loosen the rules to make it easier on the offensive end. Refusing to call walks, giving players five steps, and continuation cheapens the game so much. Likewise, it's only in the NBA that you know pretty regularly the first three quarters of the game don't really matter; it's all phoned in until the fourth quarter.
I think I love basketball too much to like the NBA.
17 June 2005
I'm Making a List, Checking It Twice.
Downing Street Memo. Finally, someone in Congress shows a little bit of fortitude and decides to go inquire into an official British government document alleging that BushCo was cooking the books on Iraq, much like his buddy Ken Lay cooked the books at Enron. Birds of a fucking feather my friends. Only problem is, no one seems to care about this outrage that has cost, to date, 1700 U.S. armed forces lives, not to mention the other forces of the "coalition" and the countless Iraqi civilian lives. In the mainstream press (the one that's supposedly so liberal), the story remains secondary to other news (such as being linked to the Bolton nomination) and is even downplayed by "liberal" apologists. Where the hell are Woodward and Bernstein when you need them?
2. U.S. pressures G8 to strip language on global warming. The biggest question here is why on earth did the other 7 go along with this discredited administration's bullying? The Bush administration has brought with them the biggest pseudoscientific quacks this side of a Scientology rally. Here's the choicest bit from the Post's story:
Last week, the New York Times reported that a senior White House official had
altered government documents to emphasize the uncertainties surrounding the
science on global warming. That official, White House Council on Environmental
Quality chief of staff Phillip Cooney, left the administration last Friday to
take a public relations job with oil giant Exxon Mobil, a leading opponent of
mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
Quack-Quack-Quack-Quack, Quack Quack.
3. Senator/Physician Bill Frist contends he wasn't making a medical diagnosis on Terri Schiavo. A transcript of what he said back on March 17th is available on the crypto-fascist National Review website. He claims he is speaking "more as a physician than as a United States senator." Hmmm. Sounds like he's bringing his medical expertise into play here. He quite clearly invokes his specific medical background as a "transplant surgeon," which apparently has some bearing on Terri Schiavo's case of brain damage. After yakking on interminably using lots and lots of hedging words -- "maybe," "from what I've heard," etc. -- and repeating over and over the misleading assertion that somehow this whole Schiavo fiasco was the result of one judge acting alone with one neurologist acting alone with one husband acting alone to terminate this woman who would be vibrant and healthy again if only she could get some physical therapy, he finally gets around to the basis upon which he determines that Terri Schiavo is not in a persistent vegetative state: "I question it based on a review of the video footage which I spent an hour or so looking at last night in my office here in the Capitol." Now that the autopsy has shown Frist up as the charlatan he is, Frist is trying to weasel out by saying he didn't make any diagnosis on the Senate floor. Hmmm. I guess when he says he's speaking as a physician he's not making a diagnosis. What a goddamned fraud.
But back to my car. I had to drive out into Arlington to drop the car off. OK, no problem. I drive out over the Roosevelt Bridge, take Spout Run to 29, take 29 a mile or two and drop the car off. It's quick. Then the dealership shuttle takes me to the Ballston Metro. Ballston metro? I drove about five minutes and now I'm coming in on the Metro from the friggin boondocks? I had to watch out for all the banjo picking extras from Deliverance. But I jest, my dear VA friends, so don't get your knickers in a twist.
14 June 2005
To Those Who Bemoan Political Correctness...
Jacques Lacan states that the unconscious is structured like a language. Language is central to the ways in which we understand the world: our grammar, our vocabulary, our syntax. Language is also descriptive and formative: if we describe an object as slimy, eventually that descriptor forms a powerful association in our culture (e.g. lawyers). It doesn't take a genius to understand that centuries of racist thought formed powerful associations in the way the dominant culture of the United States looked upon minorities, in particular Black minorities. What descriptors attached themselves to Blacks through language: lazy, smelly, unintelligent, child-like...the U.S. had a fine tradition of the "minstrel show" that operated on these overdetermined qualities.
Of course, Blacks aren't alone in having been hated minorities. They just are lucky enough to be long-standing and continuous targets. In their time, the Irish were also seen as sub-human, and in the early 20th century, one of the greatest threats apparently facing our nation was the influx of nasty Italians. Especially those from southern Italy. All you have to do is read any of the several books Lothrop Stoddard published through the 1910's and 1920's to understand the leverage gained by bringing the language of science to bear on racism. Stoddard was no fringe figure -- he was central to a powerful eugenics movement that helped push through the Immigration Act of 1924, which was aimed largely at non-Western Europeans:
The new law cut the quota for northern and western European countries by 29
percent, but slashed that for southern and eastern Europe by 87 percent. Italy's
quota, for example, was reduced from 42,057 to 3,845 persons.
Stoddard's own descriptors of these supposedly loathsome immigrants are found all through his work. Dig around.
However, at some point -- long before the term "PC" ever came into existence -- it became a bad thing in polite society to use terms like "wop" or "nigger." As a society, we began to see these terms as indicative of institutionalized and condoned racist thought. Likewise, the people who used such terms were understood to be either ignorant or racist or both.
PC is a term co-opted to counter anti-racism and movements to provide equal access in society. It is a way to turn the focus away from the bigots and onto false grounds of "thought police," "speech nazis," etc.
How many people remember the old apologist's saw that the Civil War was fought over States' Rights? Sure, technically it's correct to argue that the South was upset by the prospect that the North might get powerful enough to pass federal laws contravening their state laws, but only a moron would overlook the fact that these laws had to do with slavery. Slavery was the cause of the Civil War and the cause of every damn compromise from 1820 on. Hide behind the states' rights argument all you want, the fight was over whether our nation could continue to hold other human beings as domestic animals.
PC is bullshit.
Cleveland Park Old Boys Club
Some people laid into him for his actions at the security checkpoint. The Senator came to his defense, but then he got laid into. Capo made matters worse by defending himself in some questionable language, stating the following:
I grew up in South Florida. "Warrantless" searches were reserved for greasy
Colombians and other denizens of blow-producing South American counties, not you
or your grandma.
Now he's just called all citizens of Colombia greasy; or maybe he's talking about unbathed as opposed to bathed Colombians. Either way, he's also saying that all residents of drug-producing South American countries deserve the treatment that he so abhors. Maybe he didn't mean that. Maybe he meant only drug dealers should get shaken down (although this would imply a priori knowledge of drug dealers by TSA), and several posters rushed to his defense, mistakenly interpreting the comment as only applying to drug dealers. Unfortunately, my command of the English language doesn't allow me such a generous interpretation. Just like the San Francisco 49ers "training video" revealed a bit more than it should have about team culture, so too did yesterday.
Paging Dr. Freud.
12 June 2005
Whirlwind Tour of I-95 Corridor
We were running up to New York City to meet a friend and eat some lunch. Oh yeah, and buy a bag. Going to Manhattan is always incredible and it energizes me to be in that city. Unlike DC, which I love by the way, New York will never be accused of shutting down after five p.m. (yeah, I'm aware there are pockets of clubs that are open late, but don't even try to compare DC and NYC street scenes after midnight). Hung out a bit in Tompkins Square Park.
However, the real reason we headed up north was to go to a birthday party out in New Jersey Saturday evening. So like a glutton who can only afford an appetizer, we headed out of the big big city for the suburban green of Scotch Plains, New Jersey. The birthday girl, who is pregnant (lotsa fun carrying a kid around through the summer by the way), and her husband may be my most interesting friends, largely because they took so long to settle down despite being among the first in my crowd to get married. For about ten years after college they moved around following their dreams. Their dreams didn't exactly come true, but they also didn't disappear into bitterness and remorse. Now one writes mortgages and one teaches school. And they're going to have a kid.
It was a great time and there were other children there for our son to run around with. Our infant daughter on the other hand had to content herself with being ogled by various party-goers and sleeping. She held up well.
Unfortunately, we had to get up early the next day to get home for the Washington Nationals' game. When I first agreed to go to the game with a friend, I had no idea when it started. I thought foolishly it would be an evening game, but the game started at 1 p.m. We got into DC at 12:00 p.m. and were at our friends' house by 12:45 p.m. and only missed the top half of the first inning.
I was exhausted by the time my son and I headed home on the 96. What a weekend.
10 June 2005
Haterz Unite!
That last one in particular makes a whole lot of sense. Because anytime anyone objects to something, it must be because it's true. For instance, when people protest the KKK, it's obviously because what the KKK says is true. I'm not sure I follow that logic, but I got a pretty good dose of it from reading a recent post on another blog. Here's what one sparkling wit had to say: "Keep it up DCB. All the hating means you're on to something." Uh-huh. On planet Earth, where I come from, generally a huge groundswell of protest means you're barking up the wrong tree.
Or try this little gem on for size: "People who hate on a blog need to get a life…it's not like this is scientific fact finding - it's just opinion and commentary!" Obviously this observer, who goes by the name Asian Mistress and blogs for the Butterfly Network, doesn't understand the power of blogs to affect public opinion. Dan Rather, though, does. Even little local blogs that are read by 10, 50, 500 people have an affect. The reach of the web, especially through search engines such as google, make it attractive for even the looniest people to have websites. Racist nutcases have websites in which they state their opinions and commentary. Simply because a blog is composed mainly of opinion and not of research-based science does not protect it from public excoriation.
If you put your opinion out there, you can expect to find some disagreement.
It'd be nice if the people who agree with you come up with better support than "Haterz are just jealous." Yawn.
Half the fun of some blogs is reading the hater comments anyway. This was true of the Washington Socialites blog, especially in its sad last months.
Those who hate the haterz need to come up with better comebacks.
Five years ago yesterday my life changed forever.
These are the little things that make sleepless nights and countless re-watchings of The Muppet Movie worth it. Not that there's anything wrong with The Muppet Movie; it's just that watching it seven times over a weekend might tire anyone.
Double-digit movie viewings:
Every Pixar film.
Wizard of Oz.
The Aristocats.
Kipper videos.
Thomas Tank Engine videos.
The Big Lebowski. (ok - that's not because of my kid)
Lilo and Stitch.
Mary Poppins.
So people out there don't think all we do for our kids is turn the TV on, let me say right now, we don't have cable. Therefore, if PBS isn't showing children's shows, a video is the only viewing option.
08 June 2005
Maybe we aren't descended from apes, but are evolving into them...
The Tulsa Park and Recreation Board voted 3-1 on Tuesday in favor of a display
depicting God's creation of the world in six days and his rest on the seventh,
as told in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. [CNN]
Coming soon: Noah's Ark and the explanation for why unicorns are now extinct.
File Under: No Shit Sherlock
This so-called compromise can be summed up by the following analogy: on the playground, Billy threatens to punch Andy in the arm if he doesn't give him his lunch money; Andy decides to make a scene in hopes to attract attention; Billy and Andy then compromise: Billy removes his threat so long as Andy doesn't make a scene and gives up his lunch money peacefully.
Let me repeat for all Democratic Party Operatives who monitor my statements so closely: You are all morons if you think you can negotiate with extremists. George Bush is looking to dismantle as much of the common good as he can, and he only has 8 years total to do it. If you keep acting as you have been, by 2008 we will be looking at a rollback in history to pre-Teddy Roosevelt days. Environmental laws? Gone. The Middle Class? Gone. If you goddamn idiots want the two Americas to consist of exclusive gated communities and dilapidated scrapheaps, then keep it up.
Here's a juicy tidbit from dear Judge Brown:
"Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates. . .
. When government advances . . . freedom is imperiled, civilization itself [is]
In other words, the rule of law means shit. Or more fully, laissez faire and damn the 95% who don't own everything.
As I've said before, what these libertarian morons don't understand is that government is what ensures the existence of civil society -- without government there is no social contract, there is no belief -- true or false -- in an impartial arbiter of the common good. As Willy Yeats said, "Things fall apart, the center cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world." These idiots think they're living in some kind of market utopia, where the losers will obviously bow to the logic of the market and go quietly to their graves. Sorry, Milton, but it won't work this way.
Rain Cloud
But Cloud is no Jaleo or Zaytinya, the city's first-class purveyors of small
plates. Cloud's barbecued shrimp are good by themselves, but they're served with
an avocado dip that tastes as if it had been poured from a jar. A Caesar salad
has zero anchovy flavor and what smacks of Miracle Whip in its overthick
dressing. And a dish of hummus contains raw bits of garlic. When I start to look
around, I notice a few other things that diminish dinner here. Foil-wrapped
butter looks out of place in this clubby venue, and the selection of wines by
the glass approaches that of your typical frat party
Ouch. Frat party. But for a place where it's more important to be seen than to be substantial, that makes a whole lot of sense.
Then again maybe I'm just a hater who doesn't have one thread of shiny fabric in my wardrobe...
07 June 2005
Walking in the Heat
Yesterday afternoon, though, in the sticky heat, I trudged up New Hampshire to Dupont Circle because I wanted to pick up some photos at MotoPhoto. Somewhere between 20th/New Hampshire and Q/Connecticut, my jeans decided to cling to me, which made every step annoying. But that's sort of beside the point. I was listening yesterday afternoon to Malkmus's debut "solo" album...full of gems like "Black Book" and "Jenny and the Ess-Dog."
So the iPod is getting some use. Today I was smart enough to bring a pair of shorts to change into after work.
06 June 2005
Untimely Meditation: The Anti-Jumbo Slice
Let me tell you, friends, the jumbo slice is no friend of yours.
There used to be only one jumbo slice on 18th and it wasn't the pizza boli joint. The Pizza Mart had the first and at that time thankfully only jumbo slice. It was nice because when the health inspectors came around and shut it down, no drunks left jumbo slices on your front yard or car overnight.
A few people at least understand the repulsiveness of the so called jumbo slice: noting a recent health code closing at Pizza Mart, Rock Creek Rambler properly questions whether the stuff they sell is even pizza. Yes, the February 2005 closing of Pizza Mart was hardly a first, although I have to admit they've closed less frequently than they used to. However, a search of the DC website reveals some older closings: September 2000 for, among other things, "Evidence of rodents inside of premises." Yum yum. I wonder if that's a premium topping. And a month before that, in August 2000, Pizza Mart had been closed yet again for, you guessed it, "evidence of rodents inside of premises." Yet the idiots still line up to eat their rat fur and shit.
But I don't want to pick only on Pizza Mart. Pizza Napolis also received some health department attention. They were closed in September 2003 (the same week by the way as O'Nasty right around the corner on Columbia). Both establishments received $1000 fines for "Evidence of rodents inside of establishment" among other things like "basic inadequate sanitation." And of course, the aforementioned Pizza Bolis couldn't keep their mugs out of the Health Inspector's blotter: they were closed down in May 2004 for "improper temperatures of potentially hazardous foods" among other things.
Folks, lay off the jumbo slices, please. Maybe they'll go away then.
Paik it in.
a giant, swirling, maelstrom capable of filling most any venue with lush,
textured soundscapes, at volumes that let the listener stand briefly in this
trio's shoes, and feel the truth and honesty from which their music
There's so much wrong with this assessment. I will begin with the idea that it's a "giant, swirling, maelstrom." Swirling implies movement. Maybe not interesting movement, but some sort of movement. A maelstrom implies power, an uncontrollable natural force. In Paik's case, we're talking about a guitar, a bass, and drums playing heavy droning chords that sound like nothing so much as slowed down Black Sabbath. And without vocals mind you, which means you have to rely on the music alone to get any sense or feeling. There is no feeling to be found.
But let me continue: "lush" and "textured" are utterly out of place with what I witnessed on Saturday evening at the Black Cat. Both terms imply that the music is deeper than some guitarist masturbating with his instrument while the drummer pounds out a heavy beat and the bass player looks both bored and underused.
"Truth and honesty"? Are you kidding me? The truth, to be honest, is that I could sit in my basement with two friends and get the same results, only it'd be more fun because we'd all be getting drunk at the time. Jesus, I could sit on the toilet and produce something more lush and textured than Paik.
05 June 2005
Malkmus at Black Cat: Post Game Report
Malkmus was his usual sardonic self and the band was tight. I gotta get to bed right now because I'm mighty tired and will get no chance to sleep in. He tossed some nuggets to the local crowd with name checking on Gilbert Arenas and also a short reference to the Nationals. It would have been nice if he'd have tied that one into a Jicksified version of Pavement's "Major Leagues," but no such luck.
I merched out: new CD and shirt. Saw the members of Paik manning their own merch table and I avoided eye contact. Christ they were awful. Really, I may need another post just on how thoroughly shitty they were.
03 June 2005
Let me remind you that the government of the United States is still "of the People, by the People, and for the People." Mark Felt's duty to the People of the United States overwhelms any so-called loyalty to a criminal scumbag like Nixon. Mr. Nixon sought to deceive the People and subvert the political process. No government official owes any loyalty to a leader such as that.
Nixon's own taping devices caught him and his cabal plotting the cover-up among other dirty tricks and utterly racist speculation. They also reveal that he controlled Felt's superior, L. Patrick Gray, so STFU on crap about how he could have worked within the FBI:
During the confirmation hearing Gray defended his agency's investigation,
however, during questioning he let it be known that he had handed over the files
on the investigation to White House Counsel John Dean, in spite of the fact that people with strong links to the White House were being investigated. [Answers.com]
Watergate was not some illicit extramarital affair, fools. It was a serious crime that threatened to subvert the American political process, and it involved burglary, wiretapping, breaking and entering, and bribery. Not to mention Nixon used his position to appoint toadies like L. Patrick Gray to authoritative positions so they could squelch or corral any problems. Ever hear of the Saturday Night Massacre? Serious, serious abuse of power.
Get real, freaks, and try to keep straight who it was that ordered the break-in and subsequent cover-up in Watergate.
02 June 2005
Back out of the Saddle
My wings, indeed, have been clipped.
Speaking of prescription drugs, I took one of my muscle relaxants last night and I think it affected me all day. As far as I can tell, these things are just mislabelled sleeping pills. Knocked me right out, and I woke up groggy, stumbling down to the bathroom, and then stumbling right through the day.
Tomorrow is Friday. Be careful out there.
Looking forward to Saturday
In preparation, I watched Slow Century and have put the Pavement/Jicks stuff in heavy rotation. Back in '94 I caught Pavement at the HFStival; they were the first act and the stadium was about 1/8th full, if that. This is a band I drove to Cleveland to see, and discovered that ticket prices are much better in Cleveland. Malmus's solo/Jicks stuff has been a bit hit or miss, and I don't have the new album yet, but still I'm pretty excited to see him again.
Memorable shows I've seen at the Black Cat: Superchunk probably 6 times, Social Distortion, Rancid, Sleater-Kinney (a brilliant show), several Make Up shows -- never a dull one, SeBaDoh -- memorable mainly for all the times Lou Barlow stopped to tune his guitar.
This month it's a feast of good music: Pixies on the 13th, Bloc Party on the 16th, Ted Leo on the 23rd, Sleater-Kinney on the 25th, Wilco on the 26th. I wish I could go to them all. Or even one more of them.
Well, at least I'll get to this show. I wonder what beer is selling for these days at the Black Cat.
01 June 2005
Washington Post: You Call This Media Liberal?
I couldn't believe I was reading the Post, which likes to portray itself as sophisticated, cosmopolitan, and urbane; it seemed I was reading the W.Times or some publication of the John Birch Society. Pearlstein begins with this little dig against "non" voters: "otherwise intelligent and cultured people think Polish plumbers, Turkish chambermaids and American hedge-fund managers are the reasons their pay is stagnant, their children are unemployed and their health and welfare systems are fraying at the edges" [italics added]. Apparently this opposition to so-called free markets has something to do with xenophobia, Pearlstein implies. Certainly, France has plenty of xenophobia to go around (although to the best of my knowledge they don't have "minutemen" patrolling their borders), but Pearlstein just displays his ignorance when he ascribes the defeat of the EU Constitution to this cause.
It gets worse, though, with Pearlstein asserting that the French, and Europeans in general -- oh yeah, with the exception of England -- are lazy and unambitious. Somehow he forgot to throw in that they smell funny and the women don't shave their armpits.
Pearlstein did a "live online" today in which he resorted to pathetic name-calling when faced with challenges to his snide column. Here's an example:
good deal, but it is a fantasy -- it is unsustainable: You mean, of course, that its utterly unsustainable by having a near total trade balance, and very limited
govt. debt. I totally agree. Our "muscular free market capitalism" is so much
more sustainable, especially with those ever so sustainable huge debts and trade
deficits! We're doing fab! We can keep this up forever!
Spare me. I'd buy your argument if you'd bother noting that our supposed "free market" system was in even worse shape than the Euros are in. Between our huge debts, and our addiction to SUVs and gas guzzling, we're far more likely to go down than they are.
Who's kidding themselves?
Steven Pearlstein: Maybe you should move to
the eco-socialist paradise of Finland or Sweden.
Wow. Take that. America, love it or leave it.
And so it went for the live online chat, which I read after the fact. When confronted with evidence that free market capitalism had structural issues and also relied on heavy (if hidden) subsidies from government, Pearlstein consistently retreated to name-calling and redirection. Not what you'd expect from a seasoned reporter.
As an example of Europeans' supposed laziness, Pearlstein gets on his high horse about their paid holidays: "If the French and Italians aren't serious enough about reform that they can give up one of their dozen paid holidays every year..." [WP]. 12 paid holidays? The sloths! I hope Pearlstein realizes that here in the hard-working U.S. of A., it's fairly common for workers to have 11 or 12 days paid holidays a year. In fact at GWU right here in the District of Columbia, employees are granted an astounding 12 days! The damn Francophiles. I mean, what is his point?
Are the massive national debt and the long-running trade deficit seen as "sustainable"? At what point do we collapse under the weight of our debt?
"Is he Catholic?" Nixon asked. Told by Haldeman that Felt was Jewish, Nixon
replied, "[Expletive], [the bureau] put a Jew in there?" To which Haldeman
responded, "Well, that could explain it."
Contrary to their belief, Felt is not Jewish. [from the WashPost]
Ah, feel the love. Being Catholic or Jewish can explain a lot...I suppose Nixon was speculating at first that Felt may have been acting on orders from the Pope, but Haldeman nipped that in the bud by revealing he was obviously an agent of Israel.


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Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
More economic issues
No Currency Left to Buy the Big Lies
By John Cusack
No more money left to pay off the debt, the wreckage in the wake. The orgy of excess has drained every bottle, smashed the furniture and left the cupboards bare. All that's left is derivative debts -- bets between liars and lies. Trillions of dollars. It turned capitalism into a Ponzi scheme for trading worthless paper. Continue
Eurozone edges towards recession: The worst financial crisis for generations has driven the European economy to the brink of recession and economic growth will come close to a standstill in 2009, the European commission has warned.
Spain Lets Jobless Postpone Half of Mortgage Payments : Spain will allow unemployed workers to put off paying half their monthly mortgage payments for two years, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said today, part of a series of measures aimed at softening the impact of a shrinking economy.
The Fed as a central bank to the world: While the French President dreams of global economic cooperation ahead of the G20 summit in Washington, the Fed is quietly becoming central bank to the world, backed by the full might of the U.S. Treasury and a teflon-coated greenback.
Effectiveness of AIG's $143 Billion Rescue Questioned: "What we see now are a lot of games by the government to keep these institutions going with a lot of cash," she said. "This is to fill holes in companies' balance sheets, and they're trying to hold at bay the charges that our financial system is insolvent."
Manufacturing activity at 26-year low: Business research group says its index fell to recessionary level. - Employment in the manufacturing sector fell for the third month in a row
Circuit City to shut 155 U.S. stores to preserve cash: Struggling electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc. said Monday that it's shutting 155 U.S. underperforming stores, reducing future store openings and aggressively renegotiating certain leases to help preserve cash after its liquidity deteriorated and its vendors tightened the company's payment terms.
Debt linked to huge buyouts is tightening the vise: "There's absolutely going to be a lot of pain to go around," said Josh Lerner, a professor of investment banking at Harvard Business School. "The big question is how apocalyptic it will be."
Gas Drops To $2.45 Gal - Oil Down To $63 Barrel
Looting Continues - Middle Class Doomed
More From The Financial Crisis Front Lines
Russia Says US Behind Financial Crisis
Pension Fund Grab Cost Brits $450B
HBOS, RBS Show Massive Asset Losses
Intl Trade Slowed 'Savagely' By Credit Crisis
Commerzbank Accepts £.2B State Funding
Seoul To Pump Eextra $11B Into Economy
Global Markets End Oct - Worst Losses Ever
The End Of Economic Prosperity
Global Financial Matrix Disintegrates
Goldman UK To Give $14B Salary/Bonus Package
Brown Takes IMF Begging Bowl To MidEast
Germans Freeze £30B Property Funds


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Thursday, September 25, 2008
Lack of sleep
It has now been a week with a total of 8 hours sleep for the the entire week. My doctor gave me ambien last night and I slept 4 of the 8 hours. I am so wide awake it is scary. I'm way past the "fun" stage. I guess they haven't quite got the meds right yet. At least I not depressed. :) "big happy face." The first few night I went out and did stuff,but I have been making my self stay in bed the last few days. Anyone have any sleep time suggestions?
Posted by Wanda's Wings at 2:07 PM 8 comments:
Thursday, September 18, 2008
I just got out of the hospital after ten days. I had sever depression after a manic phase. They did some medication adjustment and I'm feeling better. The medicine is making a bit tired however. I'll try to get around to everyone blog and catch up on what has been happening soon. Missed everybody.
Posted by Wanda's Wings at 3:42 PM 14 comments:
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text:
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text:
Off The Post - Playoff Foesby Deborah Lew / Los Angeles Kings
*Editor's Note: LAKings.com staff writer Deborah Lew will boldly seek to satisfy the burning curiosity of fans by using current events and thought-provoking creativity to get a comprehensive off-the-ice look at the boys who've captured our hearts and our attention span 82+ nights every year. Each edition will feature two questions: 1) The "Shot," which will relate to the player giving the answer; and 2) The "Pass," which will ask the player to name a teammate. Keep checking back for new exciting editions of "Off the Post!"
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
It's the time of year when stitches find homes, ice packs make their way out of the depths of the freezer, and walking boots work in tandem with hockey skates.
It's also the time of year when screaming voices have a little more power, the bar tab gets a little higher, and ordinarily dependable friends go MIA for two months.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs have begun.
If you're a hockey fan, whether your team is in the playoffs or not, you know the feeling, and your personal schedule has already been cleared until mid-June.
But, as any hockey player will tell you, injuries aside, it's also the most exciting time of the year for them. The adrenaline, the passion and the stakes are higher than ever, and everyone is competing for one thing…a ring.
As your LA Kings embark on their fifth consecutive playoff journey, and look to eliminate the San Jose Sharks for the second year in a row, before the series your favorite players took a moment to reflect on playoffs past, and what they hope will never be a playoff future!
Game 2 is in San Jose on Sunday at 7 p.m. Watch it on FOX Sports West and listen to it on 1150 AM The Patriot.
The Shot: Who is the most difficult player you've ever played against in the playoffs?
The Pass: Which of your teammates would you never want to face in the playoffs?
Shot: Not physically, but Scott Niedermayer was pretty difficult to play against.
Pass: Jonathan Quick
Shot: Chris Pronger
Pass: Quickie
Shot: Peter Forsberg
Pass: Jonathan Quick
Shot: When I was in Calgary I played against Brayden Schenn a few times and he was pretty dominant in those series.
Pass: Kopi
Shot: Steve Yzerman
Pass: Quickie
Shot: Henrik Sedin
Pass: Quickie
Shot: They're all hard to play against, it's playoff hockey, there isn't one particular person.
Pass: Jonathan Quick
Shot: Jonathan Toews
Pass: Justin Williams
Shot: Probably Nicklas Lidstrom. Faced him in 2004 and he's such a smart player. As a defenseman we're sometimes we're coming out trying to block his shots on the power play and he would almost always shoot it past you and look past you and make plays. He was just a very difficult guy to play against.
Pass: Jonathan Quick
Shot: Marian Hossa
Pass: Drew Doughty, he's obviously one of the most skilled guys in the League, but he's also very competitive.
Shot: Any goalie! They're usually pretty good.
Pass: Quickie
Shot: Duncan Keith
Pass: Dustin Brown
Shot: I've only played one game, so I'll go with Joe Thornton
Pass: Robyn Regehr
Shot: Duncan Keith
Pass: Jonathan Quick
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The LA Kings are proud to announce 5 Playoff Presenting Partners: McDonald's (Regular Season Presenting Partner), TOYOTA, San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino, Mercury Insurance Company and Travel Alberta. Along with McDonald's, all were season-long partners and will add to their playoff presence with this commitment. Elements of the presenting partnerships include tags in all Kings marketing efforts, increased in-arena exposure, logos on all in-arena giveaways, and a significant on-line presence.


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This weeks challenge was to make something new in your store. I just finished up a 2 page layout calendar. I have always wanted to create one as I know there are many people who like the 2 page layout vs the 1 page layout. I have started this project many times but never finished. I am so happy to have this done and I hope it will help people organize their daily life. You can grab it in my store HERE!
Dare To Dream - TPT Challenge Week Two
This weeks challenge is to blog about our dreams for our TPT stores. Before I share my dreams I first need to give you some background. I started my store less than a year ago. A friend of mine told me about the site and her store. She was making quite a bit of money her first few months. She told me I should start a store because all my forms that I create would be great to help teachers stay organized and all my digital scrapbooking skills would come in handy making cute stuff. I was curious so I headed over to TPT to see what it was about.
I am currently 3 classes and 12 weeks of student teaching away from becoming a teacher and instantly fell in love with the sight. I also was a bit upset that I had not found the site sooner....it would have really helped inspire me to write some lessons and units for my classes.
I am a planner, list maker, organizer type of person. I work better when I am organized and when I have a plan. I find my time is wasted away if I don't have a to do list everyday. This mentality trickled over into my job (I work as a DUEA working with autistic children). I began creating forms that I would use in the classroom. The teacher I worked with loved the forms! I stated thinking about what my girlfriend said about me starting a store and jump right on in.
So now on to my goals for my TPT store. I will dream big but I need to start small with achievable goals. So my goals are simple, find a focus for my store, grow my client base, and increase my sales by 20% this year. Starting with these goals will help to reach bigger goals in the future!
TPT Challenge - Week One
I jumped on the bandwagon and joined the TPT Seller Challenge. I have a boat load on my TPT to do list and was feeling overwhelmed where I should start. Insert TPT Seller Challenge here and I have some focus! So week one was to revamp something in your store. I have already had requests about creating a 2015-2016 calendar like last years 2014-2015 calendar. So I started there, keeping in mind some of the feed back I received on it.
Here is the 2014-2015 Calendar:
And here is the 2015-2016 Calendar:
I am happy with the way it came out. The best part is it is FREE!! So head on over and grab it HERE!
Here is the 2014-2015 Calendar:
And here is the 2015-2016 Calendar:
I am happy with the way it came out. The best part is it is FREE!! So head on over and grab it HERE!
2015-2016 Calendar Is Ready!!
I had so many request to re-do my calendar from 2014! I am so glad so many of you love it! The new calendar starts in August 2015 and runs through 2016 (for the teachers). You can grab it HERE. Enjoy!
Summer To Do List
6 more days of school then I am out for the summer! Of course with that being said I started to think about all the things I wanted to get done before I have to go back to work next school year. When I have to do work it makes it a little easier if I have a cute "to do list" to look at so I whipped this one up and put it up in the store. Click the link below to get yours. Half this paper is already filled up with cute things I want to make for the store so look for that soon! Happy Summer teachers!
Anniversary Card
My parents have been married 46 years! So I wanted to make them a fantastic card! I love doing these box cards but work, school, family, and life has really taken time away from scrapbooking, adding more to my TPT store and blogging. This card came out so stinking cute I just had to share.
Ever start working on a project and it just does not come together? That's how this card started. I made the birds in the nest first and then found they were not gonna work. Moving on to plan B, I started to make the flowers. I knew I loved the papers and the colors in the papers. Then like magic it started to come together and all of a sudden the birds in the nest found a home among the flowers!
I always live by the motto that things happen for a reason, so remember if you are working on a project and everything is going wrong or things are not working it's because it's not supposed to go that way and the outcome will be better than you expected.
Happy Scrapping!
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Edmund D. Pellegrino
Edited by H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., and Fabrice Jotterand
Edmund D. Pellegrino has played a central role in shaping the fields of bioethics and the philosophy of medicine. His writings encompass original explorations of the healing relationship, the need to place humanism in the medical curriculum, the nature of the patient's good, and the importance of a virtue-based normative ethics for health care.
In this anthology, H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., and Fabrice Jotterand have created a rich presentation of Pellegrino's thought and its development. Pellegrino's work has been dedicated to showing that bioethics must be understood in the context of medical humanities, and that medical humanities, in turn, must be understood in the context of the philosophy of medicine. Arguing that bioethics should not be restricted to topics such as abortion, third-party-assisted reproduction, physician-assisted suicide, or cloning, Pellegrino has instead stressed that such issues are shaped by foundational views regarding the nature of the physician-patient relationship and the goals of medicine, which are the proper focus of the philosophy of medicine.
This volume includes a preface ("Apologia") by Dr. Pellegrino and a comprehensive Introduction by the editors. Of interest to medical ethicists as well as students, scholars, and physicians, The Philosophy of Medicine Reborn offers fascinating insights into the emergence of a field and the work of one of its pioneers.
"In this valuable collection of Edmund Pellegrino's essays, we witness a major, creative, and challenging mind at work in forging a philosophy of medicine. The carefully selected essays show Dr. Pellegrino in action, working to articulate his guiding vision as well as draw out its implications, always at the same time tying his speculations to clinical experience. There simply is no one else who has been doing this at anything like the intellectual level of Dr. Pellegrino's writings, nor over a similar duration." — Jorge L. A. Garcia, Boston College
"After a long period of dormancy, philosophy of medicine has blossomed with new life. The single most important physician-philosopher in that rebirth has been Edmund Pellegrino. His contributions to virtue theory, the concept of beneficence, the dispute over the internal and external sources of a morality for medicine, and the role of the Hippocratic tradition are all critical. The essays collected in this volume have changed the history of the philosophy of medicine. He shows that philosophy of medicine can be done with both passion and compassion." — Robert M. Veatch, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University
"Edmund Pellegrino's words have helped medical students, faculty, scholars and patients address the challenges they encounter in medicine and medical practice. His personal support has also been critical for many of us in developing programs in medical ethics and philosophy of medicine in our universities. Dr. Pellegrino combines the wisdom of a great physician with those of a great philosopher to produce a body of writing that will continue to inspire us all. This volume contains some of his best and most influential work." —*Loretta Kopelman, The Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University*
"Edmund Pellegrino has been a leading light in the philosophy of medicine for a generation. He was instrumental in the birth of bioethics, founded one of the leading journals, and provided able leadership in organizing early activities of the profession. He has served as department chairman, dean, and university president. Most recently, he chairs the Presidents Council on Bioethics. In all this, first and foremost, he has been a physician. Those who are ill and suffering make a claim upon him. To respond to this claim, Pellegrino creatively brings together the worlds of science and of the humanities. For him, that is what medicine is about, making it the most scientific of the humanities and the most humane of the sciences. Fortunately for us, Pellegrino brings these worlds together in thought, as well as in practice. In this selection from his writings, Engelhardt and Jotterand have captured the heart of Pellegrino's project, both in depth and breadth, so we can also hear that claim of the ill and so we can see what worlds must come together if we are to respond in the appropriate way." — George Khushf, University of South Carolina
"Pellegrino's work is both a treasure and important for understanding bioethics. His work in philosophy of medicine addresses the crucial questions that are so important to understanding the practice of medicine and the ethics of health care." — Kevin Wildes, President, Loyola University
The Philosophy of Medicine Reborn: A Pellegrino Reader is the inaugural volume in a new Press series called Notre Dame Studies in Medical Ethics under the series editorship of David Solomon.
472 pages
"This remarkable book summarizes Edmund Pellegrino's writings by extracting several meaningful essays from his voluminous bibliography. These point to the dearth of humanities requirements for medical training and highlight the poverty of ethical considerations in medical decision-making. . . . Agree or disagree, this book needs to be read by all physicians, especially those whose education was devoid of philosophy. The editors have done an excellent job of offering a sage's viewpoint in an accessible form." — Journal of American Medical Association
"Pellegrino believes bioethics should not be restricted to specific topics such as abortion, cloning, or physician-assisted suicide. In this collection of nineteen essays from across his career, Pellegrino describes the philosophical foundations of medicine and of the medical profession, the healing relationship, virtue and medical practice with the physician as moral agent, the humanities in medicine, and the Hippocratic tradition." — Book News
"This volume is composed of a selection from Dr. Pellegrino's corpus of writings on medical ethics. To date, these essays have been unavailable in one work. . . . This reader provides essays on philosophical foundations of medicine, the medical profession, physician-patient relationship, physician as moral agent, humanism and the Hippocratic tradition." —Issues in Law & Medicine, vol. 24, no. 1, 2008
"Editors H. Tristam Engelhardt, Jr. and Fabrice Jotterand have carefully selected, organized, and interpreted the writings of Pellegrino, making them more accessible to students, scholars, physicians, and anyone generally interested in medical ethics. In almost a lecture style, the editors present an overview of each article, emphasizing the important developments in each, which will make this volume particularly useful as a teaching tool for a journal club or seminar course, or for anyone outside the field of bioethics looking for guidance on what to read." — Quarterly Review of Biology


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9 Quick Question: Worst chore ever?
>> Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Let's face it. Certain around-the-house chores are what nightmares are made of. For me, it's cleaning kitty litter. As much as I love these perfect paws—or should I say, purr-fect? I know. Take it easy, Cara—scooping their leftovers scrapes the bottom of my want-to-do list.
Picture my misery this morning while giving the litter boxes their weekly tidy up. Stinky smells…Gritty litter…This less than happy kitty mom was contemplating opening the front door and looking the other way while her furry felines shimmy into suburban wilderness. Don't judge. Take a scoop or two from a littler box frequented by a cat named Tooty and let me know your initial thoughts.
Now it's your turn to vent. What's your least favorite chore? Don't skimp on me people! I want all of the terribly icky, germ filled details.


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Title: Out In the Blue
Author: Kelly Jensen
My Rating: A
Genre: Contemporary Romance (m/m)
Series: Dreamspinner Press 2015 Daily Dose
Main Characters: Jared and Fin
Release Date: June 2015
Publisher: Dreamspinner
Links to Purchase:
Goodreads (will have buy links)
Sexual Intensity: hot
It's time to get out there.
On the first day of a five-day hiking trip, he meets Finley Macrae, a younger, seemingly brighter man. As they inch together in halting steps, Jared learns he's not the only one lost out in the blue—Fin's good cheer hides a turbulence deeper than Jared's midlife crisis. Maybe together they can find the trail to happiness.
A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2015 Daily Dose package "Never Too Late."
My Review:
I truly loved this story. It's short...will only take about an hour to read, but it's packed full of depth and emotion. A lot of things hit my "YES" buttons for this one...the characters are hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail...I also loved that they're more mature and dealing with mid-life stuff...Jared-his inner voice kept me giggling and smiling. As someone who's almost 45, I could relate to him even if I'm not a guy.
So this book...the premise is that it's a hiking tour for gay men...five days on the Appalachian Trail. Each man has their own reason for being there. For Jared, this is part of his mid-life crisis. He's 45 and just had a shock at work which has kind of left him spinning, wondering how he got to this point in his life and if there's some way to change all that?
The entire book is told from Jared's point of view and I really loved him. I don't really think it's so much that he's dissatisfied with his life. Rather he's lost in a web of "is this all there is for the next 45 years?" Flat out, he's lonely, but doesn't make connections well or easily.
On the opposite side of that is Fin, Jared's hiking buddy and roommate. He's 36 and teaches high school students. He's always happy and personable, but that's not all there is to him. He has a valid, emotional reason for being on this trip too.
The trip is only five days so you would think this is an insta-love book...it's not. There's a slow build-up between the guys. Though they both are unsettled with where they are, that doesn't mean they're willing to jump into something with one another with both feet. I really loved the way their relationship developed. It felt real and true.
And mixed in with all this was the hiking. Kelly Jensen did a gorgeous job integrating those outdoor senses and scenery seamlessly into the story. I feel like I've been on a trip this morning and I never left my couch. It was just an all-around really good read. I highly recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.


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I've spent most of my life being told in great detail everything that's wrong with the way I look, and a lot of the time, I was the person telling myself those things. I can remember spending afternoons with my childhood friend, Siria, discussing ways to improve our bodies. We would eat carrots, list the body parts we felt needed improving, then pop in her VHS copy of MTV's The Grind Workout and shake our 10-year-old rumps until they burned. To this day, the very thought of host Eric Nies' shit-eating grin as he crunched his oiled-up abs makes me want to eat a hot dog and punch a hole in a wall.
This obsession with weight followed me into my teens. At 5-foot-4 and 105 pounds, I saw myself as a total heifer. I ate exactly half of what was on my plate at dinner, then retired to my room to tightly wrap my stomach in saran wrap and do sit ups, sweating out all those horribly fattening nutrients my body needed to survive. Admitting that is not only embarrassing; it's also kind of heartbreaking.
Funny thing is, I was a subversive teenager, especially with regard to beauty standards, yet I focused so much energy on making myself look a way I thought was good. It makes no sense.
I can't remember what provoked it, but one day in my senior year, I gave up and ate my first bag of chips in years. I savored each and every crispy, cheddar-and-sour-cream-flavored flake. I lit candles, threw on H-Town's "Knockin' da Boots" and mouth-fucked the shit out of those potato chips.
When I woke up from my chip-banging coma, I realized that it didn't matter how little I ate or how much I worked out—I'd never be skinny enough. I was Sisyphus pushing a rock of cellulite up a mountain of insecurity.
Most of all, I was ashamed to have wasted so much time worrying about my double chin when I could've been learning piano or tap dance or any other productive thing. Since that glorious, chip-dust-filled day, I vowed to never go back, but it hasn't been easy.
Fourteen years later, it's still a daily fight to maintain a sense of empowerment and self-possession over those body issues. Hell, I own multiple girdles and use them regularly. It doesn't help that I come from a culture that seems to value being thin, beautiful, light-skinned and chesty over being educated and independent. We can't all look like Sofia Vergara, assholes!
My mom, as supportive as she is, regularly offers to pay for liposculpture surgery. My sisters and eldest nieces are brutal on themselves and others: Every beautiful actor in a magazine has something ugly about her; compliments come wrapped in harsh criticisms; my dinner plate gets a judgmental look if it has more than a toddler's food intake on it; they discuss plastic surgery incessantly. It's infuriating and exhausting.
So, I decided that it's time to finally K.O. these issues. I'm not a teenage girl anymore; I'm a grown-ass woman. I'd rather be called "smart" or "funny" than "hot." I have meat on me, and I like it. I love nachos. Pizza is awesome. Anyone telling me I should feel otherwise on any of these matters can eat a diet, caffeine-free dick.
I called San Diego Art Department and asked if I could serve as a nude model for its figure-drawing class as a way to confront these issues head on. I was welcomed to come in that very evening.
As soon as I hung up, I immediately got sweaty and anxious. My eyes welled up with tears. People are going to see my boobs—not just the cute, perky one but the other, slightly more saggy one, too. I would be completely exposed. And, oh holy Jesus, what if I had to fart?!
Luckily, I have amazing and supportive friends who know how to rouse a girl from a pit of insecurity in the funniest way possible. Best people ever.
Standing in the bathroom of the San Diego Art Department, I took off all my clothes, looked in the mirror and said, "You got this, bitch. Oh, and, seriously. Don't fart." I put on my robe and walked out to meet the class.
The instructor put me at ease, letting me know that nudity is no big deal and then gave me some suggestions on a few poses. I walked over to the makeshift chaise lounge, put myself in a kneeling position, took a deep breath and dropped the robe.
No one gasped. No one projectile-vomited onto their canvas. No one ran out screaming, "Dear God! Her abs look like cookie dough! Why, God, whyyyyy??!!!" They just sketched quietly.
Women are so used to being scrutinized. We do everything we can to shield ourselves from those harsh dissections of our flaws. We cover our face in makeup, dye our graying hair, wrap our bodies in Spanx and lift our breasts with gel-filled push-up bras. I don't think wearing makeup makes me any less a feminist, but, at some point, I stop myself and ask who I'm doing these things for. I don't always like the answer, but it's important to keep asking.
Sitting there naked without the aid of a girdle to cinch my waist, I had to give in. It's impossible to suck in my stomach for longer than two minutes, and there's no reason why I should. I let it hang, and it was freeing.
The artists picked apart my body in a way I wasn't used to. They were there to learn its shape and contours and, in a way, honor it through their art. In that moment, I felt it was time to start truly honoring it myself. Soon I was falling confidently into my poses and resting into my body. It felt good to stop caring. I made a mental note to stop caring with my clothes on.
Write to email@example.com. You can also bug her on Twitter.


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I was speaking with a friend today who was reluctant to ask for a much-deserved freebie. "I grew up poor," she said, "and I always lived in fear that people would find out how poor my family was. So I didn't want to ask for things."
My wife also grew up in a not-wealthy family, and is similarly reluctant to make waves.
On the other hand, I grew up as a child of (relative) privilege, and I never hesitate to ask for freebies. In fact, I often tell telemarketers, "I'm a cheap bastard, so I never buy anything." I sign up for all those free children's book clubs, and then cancel and keep the free gift.
I think it's quite ironic that those who most deserve our praise and admiration are reluctant to ask for favors, while those (like me) who have already gotten all the breaks expect and ask for the world.
Maybe I should hold selfishness seminars for those of modest means!


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- Felix Asamoah†,
- Artemisia Kakourou†,
- Sangeeta Dhami,
- Susanne Lau,
- Ioana Agache,
- Antonella Muraro,
- Graham Roberts,
- Cezmi Akdis,
- Matteo Bonini,
- Ozlem Cavkaytar,
- Breda Flood,
- Kenji Izuhara,
- Marek Jutel,
- Ömer Kalayci,
- Oliver Pfaar and
- Aziz Sheikh
†Contributed equally
Clinical and Translational Allergy20177:25
To undertake a systematic overview of the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and safety of AIT for the treatment of allergic asthma.
We searched nine electronic databases from inception to October 31, 2015. Systematic reviews were independently screened by two reviewers against pre-defined eligibility criteria and critically appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme quality assessment tool for systematic reviews. Data were descriptively and thematically synthesized.
We identified nine eligible systematic reviews; these focused on delivery of AIT through the following routes: subcutaneous (SCIT; n = 3); sublingual (SLIT; n = 4); and both SCIT and SLIT (n = 2). This evidence found that AIT delivered by SCIT and SLIT can improve medication and symptom scores and measures of bronchial hyper-reactivity. The impact on measures of lung function or asthma control was however less clear. We found no systematic review level evidence on the cost-effectiveness of SCIT or SLIT. SLIT had a favorable safety profile when compared to SCIT, particularly in relation to the risk of systemic reactions.
AIT has the potential to achieve reductions in symptom and medication scores, but there is no clear or consistent evidence that measures of lung function can be improved. Bearing in mind the limitations of synthesizing evidence from systematic reviews and the fact that these reviews include mainly dated studies, a systematic review of current primary studies is now needed to update this evidence base, estimate the effectiveness of AIT on asthma outcomes and to investigate the relative effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and safety of SCIT and SLIT.


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by Chris
(Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii)
Am I to old to teach ESL in Japan?
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BlogPoll Released
BlogPoll -- Week One (also viewable in Ye Olde Sidebar ---> )
It's not just the poll, of course. Brian hands out the first round of awards and dubious distinctions, which I can already tell is going to make for some good times over the course of the season.
All submissions are viewable here. The pre-season BlogPoll is not without its "huh?" submissions, so maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on that N&O guy. But giving him a break wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.
I like how the poll came out, although in a few cases it varies a lot from my ballot. NC State garnered more respect from the BlogPoll than from either of those other polls, and I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who voted for the Wolfpack.
Twelve voters (including me) gave NCSU a spot on their ballots, typically in the 23-25 range. Sporting Fools went so far as to rank NC State 17th; I'm hoping they look brilliant by late September or thereabouts.
I felt a little guilty throwing NC State in at #24, but then I saw The Enlightened Spartan's ballot, which shamelessly ranks Michigan State 17th, three spots above rival Michigan. He gets the Joe Giglio Award for feloniously ignoring reality.


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Fire destroys home in Hebron
Officials: No one hurt
Fire destroys home in Hebron
Officials: No one hurt
A cloud of black smoke was sent billowing into the air Friday evening as flames tore through a home in Hebron.
Officials say the fire started at around 6:40 p.m. at a house on Indian Point Road.
The home was under construction. Crews say they faced difficulty putting out the flames because there was no water supply in the area.
No one was hurt, but the home is a total loss.
At this point, it is still unclear what caused the fire.


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Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first AL.com user to add photos or videos of Bloom James P DDS & Associates
No Down Payment, Braces
Northwestern University Dental School, Columbia University Orthodontics, 18 Years Teaching Uab Dental School


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The mission of Let's Say Thanks is to provide a way for individuals across the country to recognize U.S. soldiers stationed overseas. By submitting a message through this site you will send a free personalized postcard greeting to a deployed soldier.
The postcards, depicting patriotic scenes and hometown images, were selected from a pool of entries from children across the country.
All you have to do is click on your favorite design and write a personal message to a soldier. The postcards are then printed on the Xerox iGen3 Digital Production Press and mailed in care packages by military support organization Give2TheTroops.
To date, more than 12,000 postcards have been mailed to soldiers. With the launch of www.LetsSayThanks.com, more soldiers can expect to receive messages from home.
Xerox is committed to helping people across the nation express their gratitude to our troops overseas. The launch of this program is aimed at reminding the soldiers how much Americans appreciate their service."
Let's Say Thanks
Digitally Implanted by Mme.BlueWolfess at 8:03 AM
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