text:
While flipping through some channels, I noticed that Encore TV was about to air a few episodes of one of my favorite '80s sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes. Since I am a socially media geek, I popped open Twitter and promptly commented on my discovery. My good friend Jeff Kolb and I ended up having a brief exchange.
To be honest, I had completely forgotten about that conversation until my Twitter feed started to blow up Sunday morning/afternoon.
Yes, it was a retort from Tom Arnold himself which started the onslaught.
Not much diff in 2015 except your observations/jokes R 25 yrs lamer. I've done 10 shows & U mock the one good one. https://t.co/1cvPLDvdbK
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) October 18, 2015
@TomArnold @Brad_Carlson @jpkolb first off, great one. Second off, True Lies. Third off, BDSSP.
— Sean Fleming (@SeanTheDestroyr) October 18, 2015
@TomArnold @Brad_Carlson @jpkolb Tom it's just assholes from Minnesota. Don't prop them up.
— Brady (@beckbud) October 18, 2015
@TomArnold @Brad_Carlson @jpkolb The dickish way he refers to Roseanne as "wifey" was the worst part😒 Grow up asshole
— Kristy Bousquet (@kristy_bousquet) October 18, 2015
@TomArnold @kristy_bousquet @Brad_Carlson @jpkolb prob lives in a basement somewhere, watching porn in Betamax, on a portable tv
— Dave Holmes (@CollinTaylorInc) October 18, 2015
.@Brad_Carlson has offended Tom Arnold fans, which apparently exist, and I am getting tagged in their angry replies. I love Twitter.
— Jeff Kolb (@jpkolb) October 18, 2015
@beckbud @Brad_Carlson @jpkolb there are a lot of really cool people in Minnesota and then there's these guys (Lived there 83-88 loved it)
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) October 18, 2015
To think this all spawned from a lazy Thursday evening where I partook in some really lame television show.


text:
Some universities produce more wealthy alumni than others. As it turns out, you'll find many of these institutions in the United States. … Read More
Columbia University
US Universities That Produce The Most Millionaires
Posted by ApplyBoard on | Featured
The 10 Best Universities in USA for 2020
Posted by ApplyBoard on | Featured
QS Top Universities has released its annual Global University Rankings and these 10 universities in USA are among the best in the world. … Read More

subset: commoncrawl


text:
cincyopolis works from the assumption that development should benefit everyone, making better all lives in the community. Two questions logically follow. First: what does "better" mean? And second: how do we make this happen?
We look forward to hearing answers from a broad collection of voices that reflects the rich diversity of our community. To get us started with the first question, we've done exactly what you would do. We turned to our friends.
Gretchen Mahan lives with her husband Dan and their two children on Elm Street in Over-the-Rhine. Today, professional citizen Kathy Holwadel sits down with Gretchen who tells readers about her experience moving into the neighborhood and what life has been like for her family.
- With a 14 month-old and a 5 year old, a lot of young couples would have moved to a more traditional neighborhood with well-manicured lawns and neighbors who all looked the same. Why did you decide to rehab a house in Over-the-Rhine?
Gretchen: Why not a traditional suburban neighborhood? The short answer is because I've been there, done that. And truth be told, I didn't really like it that much. I've lived in a small rural town, a suburb, a college town and a big city (in that order). Choosing downtown—and now, OTR—allowed us to combine some of the best elements of all of those locales: walkability, community, a sense of history and direct access to the most exciting things happening in the area.
- What did you learn from the process of buying a 150-year-old house, every single inch of which had to be redone, rethought, re-arranged?
When I really think about it, this process taught me faith. Buying this house was a leap of faith unlike any other I've ever taken. We put the money down on this house without ever having stepped foot inside…or even seeing pictures of the inside (which, I can assure you, looked even worse than the outside did). We signed the contract and handed over a 10% down payment based on the plans our architect drew up.
The process required faith in three things. Faith in our team—our architect, developer and contractors—to bring it to completion as close to the drawings and as on-time as possible. Faith in the neighborhood—that OTR would continue improving to become a safe place where we'd want to raise our family. And finally, we had to have faith in ourselves—we knew a lot of people would consider us out of our minds to do this.
To write this makes it sound like it was a breeze. Let me be clear: it wasn't. For me to learn and experience this kind of faith involved struggle. None of this happened without some pretty epic anxiety on my part.
- What's been the most positive surprise about your adventure in urbanism?
When I lived in the suburbs, I perceived city living as a very isolated existence—single people in apartments, bolting their doors, drawing the blinds—the streets empty at 5:30 p.m. It's not like that at all. As long as I've lived downtown, I've felt part of an incredibly vibrant community.
When Dan and I first met and started dating, we lived in apartments downtown and would spend our weekends walking around and exploring. That's what we did for fun. Learning more about our city and watching things change never failed to surprise. We got married downtown, had our children while living downtown. Now, we're 10 years married with two kids and we're still exploring our city.
- What's been the hardest thing to get used to?
People using the alley adjacent to our house as a toilet.
- You both grew up in very different environments (Mason and along the Ohio River). How will your sons view the world differently because of where you live?
I'm excited to open up opportunities for them to explore. Every day and every weekend, we can see and do things that can only be found here: Reds games, Lumenocity, Paddlefest, the Flying Pig Marathon, the Main Public Library, Museum Center, the Cincinnati Zoo, Findlay Market, amazing parks like Washington Park, Smale Park, Sawyer Point, restaurants and shops… I could go on and on.
When I think of living in the suburbs as a kid and teenager, I was interested in art and wanted to go to the Cincinnati Art Museum or the Taft on weekends. Even though it was only a 30-minute drive away, it felt so far removed. My "kid" modes of transportation—walking or riding my bike—wouldn't work to get me there. I felt unable to fully explore the things that really interested me. I'm excited to think that our boys will have opportunities and access to explore everything that they're interested in.
Beyond that, I'm hopeful that they will have an awareness and appreciation for the diversity, history and beauty that's around them every day. As they watch the city change, I hope that they will be accepting of change, even agents of change. I hope they'll be accepting of and compassionate towards others who aren't exactly like them. I hope they'll be street smart.
- We talked about how the neighborhood will get 'better' as more people move back to the urban core and then none of us could figure out exactly what 'better' means. Could you try to put words to that idea.
This question has stumped me more than any of the other questions you've asked. Instinctively, I want to say "safer" and maybe even "friendlier" than before.
At the start of the summer, there was an event that inspired me with a vision of "better." There was a dedication of the "Field of Greens" on Pleasant Street, just about a block away from our house. It consists of a wiffle ball field and some milk-crate planters of kale, tomatoes, etc. It was designed and built on an empty lot by DAAP students.
My family walked over and found a diverse group at the opening of this field: UC students, neighborhood kids, families, passers-by. A game of wiffle ball started up between two teams that included UC students and neighborhood kids. My 5-year-old asked to bat, and the teams gladly let him jump in during their game. It was a positive environment, creating a useful community space that would have otherwise been vacant or decaying. In this space, people in the community could safely gather and have fun. To me, this was "better."
The sidebar to this story is that, at the same time, just a few blocks away, there was a march for peace going on. Unfortunately, this peaceful march was interrupted by a homicide on Race and Elder and gunfire a few blocks east of there. When I saw the news about this the next morning, it crushed me a bit with the realization that we haven't yet achieved "better." There's still more work to be done.
- How often do you use a car?
I use a car daily during the work week. On the weekends, we do a lot of walking.
- Is it hard to meet other families? Do the boys have friends nearby?
It's amazing how many other downtown or OTR families have "emerged"—I feel like, in the past year, we've connected with so many other families who have kids our boys' ages, and we just never knew they were so close by. Our network of parents keeps growing organically via birthday parties, trips to the park and now, school. NextDoor.com has also helped foster connections with other parents.
- And the most popular question for all of us who live in the city center: Where do you buy your groceries?
I go to Newport Kroger at least once a week. There's usually a weekly Findlay Market trip and we rely on other downtown retailers (Vine St. Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, 1215 Wine Bar) for other fill-in-the-gap or need-it-now items.


text:
Cappuccino's - Crowne Plaza Dubai
2nd Level, Crowne Plaza Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, Trade Centre Area, Dubai
About Cappuccino's - Crowne Plaza Dubai
Come, sit back and enjoy a large variety of cakes & pastries, cold & hot beverages, sandwiches & salads and afternoon tea. The perfect place to hold a business meeting, catch - up on your emails or meet your friends for a relaxing lunch. Our Lobby lounge, Cappuccino's, is open everyday serving famous Caribou coffee with all coffee specialties, a large selection of the finest teas, delicious croissants, pastries, cakes and sandwiches with a take away service also available.


text:
Kendall Jenner Sports White Crop Top at 22nd Birthday Party With Hailey Baldwin & Blake Griffin
Kendall Jenner rocked a hot look for her 22nd birthday party!
The model was spotted arriving at her birthday dinner at Le Petit Restaurant on Thursday night (November 2) in Los Angeles.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Kendall Jenner
She wore a white crop tank top, ripped blue jeans, and a pair of dazzling silver heeled boots.
Kendall completed her look with gold hoop earrings and rings, styling her hair into an updo.
Also in attendance were Kendall's BFF Hailey Baldwin, who stunned in a furry black mini dress, leather jacket, and bold red lipstick, and Kendall's boyfriend Blake Griffin.
ICYMI, check out who else was at the party.
FYI: Kendall is wearing Levi's jeans.
10+ pictures inside of Kendall Jenner, Hailey Baldwin, and Blake Griffin at the party…


text:
As we sat huddled beneath the hastily constructedr flapping makeshift shelter and tried to consume the last of the extrememly well packed consumables, our interest soon turned to the view which demanded our immediate and fullest attention. Somehow the bracing vista steered us in the direction of appropriate musical accompaniment. My friend rattled off a list of woefully inadequate suggestions, suggestions which forced me to pull one of those expressions usually reserved for the reaction to such things as scratching one's nails down a blackboard. I however offered but one…this one. We sat sharing the experience and not uttering one word as the shifting notes danced beautifully across the darkening landscape before us. When it had finished, tears in her eyes…my friend turned to me and proclaimed "I didn't understand one word of it…it was perfect!"
'I only go out to get me a
fresh appetite for being alone'
Lord Byron
As we traverse the weather beaten days of January into the perilous abyss of twenty fifteen,
my mind is cast back to the sometimes balmy, sometimes bonkers days of twenty fourteen.
Most of the events simply blended into each other like a veritable eclectic stew of
mini happenings, non the less they still appear delightfully fresh albeit jumbled in my
seasonally affected mind of disorder.
Run silent, run deep.
A particularly foolish thing to do is to assume that if one rolls the legs of their
trousers up as high as they possibly can go it shall provide ample distance
from the icy waters of the river Teign....well!
As I cautiously stepped in holding my tripod aloft, the sandy bed fluffed up
around my rapidly cooling toes and wafted away in the silently moving
current. Thrilled with my progress I moved cautiously further out taking care
not to step on the rocks which were strewn across the bottom. Then it
happened. The 'safety gap' of two inches of skin that was there to keep my legs
dry suddenly....and I mean SUDDENLY disappeared. To be precise, about
twenty five inches above my 'safety gap', the surface of the crystal clear
water settled at approximately waist height leaving one of those comedy
expressions on my face which is difficult to replicate without the direct aid
of a freezing cold Dartmoor watercourse.
Let's go fly a kite.
Not just any kite, oh no...this one happens to be an airborne piece of weaponry
sturdily constructed from nylon and mesh with the prime purpose of stunt
performances and the ability to unceremoniously wrench the unwary operative
from terra firma at every opportune moment the wind happens to gust in an
aggressive manner. With hindsight Houndtor was probably not the best place
to play with such a hazardous item of destruction, a matter which became
more obvious as further groups of people turned up throughout the morning.
The wind had picked up by now and the 'blade of death' as we had christened it
was scything its way through the stratosphere with great haste and was becoming
particularly hard to control. A small group of 'rambling types' were cheerily
making their way in our direction up the grassy avenue from the carpark
when I suddenly lost all control of the kite which by now should clearly
have an ASBO slapped on it for its intrusion into rural calm. As it
spiralled groundwards out of control towards the once cheery group, it caused them
to scatter with great haste in a similar fashion to that of a herd of Wilderbeest once a
very hungry Cheetah is introduced into the equation. The 'they WERE there'
scenario was promptly followed by the 'and now they're not' as I could
just make out the brightly dressed individuals lying in the bracken
amongst the tangled carnage of tartan thermos flasks and shattered Kendal
mint cake. Apologies were made.
Ladies who lunch.
My friend's incessant whining as to how I am a defective human being due
to the fact that I don't possess the latest model of iPhone six, seven or what ever
it is as I truly, madly, deeply do not give a flying fishfinger about such complete
and utterly pointless things. As we sat there, she cradled the object of her desire
lovingly in her arms and was staring at it as if it were a newborn infant.
"Look it has finger print recognition" "I don't care"
"It has a better camera" "Can you stick a 70-200mm f4 IS L lens on it?" "No,
it has loads of apps" "I don't care" "It's thinner with a larger screen" "I'm
losing the will to live"....well this went on for quite some time. "This app.." she
started as she tapped the screen "This app tells me where the nearest Starbucks
is with regards to my location." The fact that we were sat in Starbucks at
that very moment made her claim somewhat redundant , a fact that I felt I just
had to point out to her before she started on how it is good for world peace
and its kindness towards children and the elderly. "Ok, look...Siri, where is the
nearest Starbucks to here?" She smiled through the uncomfortable silence.
"Siri...Siri, wait...hang on" Tap tap tappity tap. "Oh...Siri seems to have stopped
working and I don't appear to have a wifi signal" "Can I go now?"
And the winner is...
As I lay face down in the purple heather staring through the viewfinder at the
approaching evening sky, quite literally the largest gentleman appeared as if by
magic and stepped on my hair causing me to yell out. This in turn caused him
to jump upwards in a very camp style accompanied by "Oh I'm so sorry,
I didn't see you down there" It was a good photo. Trying to get the smell of tuna
out of the back of a Landrover after a particularly enthusiastic lunchtime treat
in the shadows of Bellevere forest. Losing a bacon sandwich in the early
morning mists of Belstone ridge. Almost...ALMOST falling head first
into the murky depths of Haytor quarry's pond when Moomin shouted across to
me that the 'owls aren't in the tree anymore" Playing chicken with road mounted
cows on Dartmoor's most haunted road....lots of cows, in fact I'm sure they had been
networking that very activity on their own cow based social media site. The delightful
family who saw me setting up my camera on a waterfall accompanied by my
courtesy call of "I am going to be exactly two minutes then it's all yours. No,
they couldn't wait for one hundred and twenty seconds and unloaded their ample
tat and various assorted children right in the middle of my shot completely
ignoring me with that 'pretend she's not there and hopefully she will go away' thing
that certain ignorant people do...which I did. I was left to remove the
entire family blood line from existence through the medium of photoshop
.....and their little dog too.
Wake now my merry lads! Wake and hear me calling!
Warm now be heart and limb! The cold stone is fallen;
Dark door is standing wide; dead hand is broken.
Night under Night is flown, and the Gate is....
I knew that it was going to be an interesting journey into Middle Earth once these words
were uttered across the plastic rendered battlefield that stood proudly in the centre
of the shop. Moomin's latest obsession with painting microscopic goblins, orcs
and fierce warriors had eventually drawn me in, certainly more out of curiosity
rather than involvement to join an epic quest into folklorish lands of far away and
times long gone....if they ever existed that is.
My sceptical and 'never in a month of Sunday's' approach didn't last. I had intended to
venture to the nearest coffee emporium whilst Moomin got down to the fiddly
painting activities but somehow I suddenly found myself sat at a well appointed
table with an inch high figure (a space marine by all accounts) gripped between my fingers
as I carefully daubed paint on him.
"Wow, you're really good at this, that's awesome" was suddenly aimed in my direction
causing me to look up and from side to side. "Oh you're down there" I replied on noticing
a very small warrior of about ten or eleven who seemed to be admiring my efforts.
I was then treated to the entire historic back catalogue about space marines
and although I would normally find myself not caring at this point....I strangely
found myself listening with interest.
"So what do you do?" came another voice, this time from someone with a
huge beard and very dusty glasses...let's call him a dwarf as he reminded me
of the one from Lord of the Rings. "Er, I'm a painter" I replied. "A-W-E-S-O-M-E" he
answered "so this must be easy for you then". I smiled politely and nodded. "Who's
a painter?" came yet another voice. Several people pointed in my
direction at this request. 'Awesome babe" was his reply.
Indeed being a painter is awesome although some of my recent clients have made my job
very, well let's say not awesome.
What seemed like an hour but in actual fact was the best part of an entire day,
we eventually left the citadel of battle games and went home.
So...picture the scene, my kitchen now has an obscene amount of these figures
which adorn most shelf space and flat surfaces implying that I may have joined the
ranks of the twenty first century knights of make believe. The strangest thing
is that this is a therapeutic way to unwind. After a long day of
creating artwork and such endeavours, there is nothing better than going down to
the kitchen to create and paint something else to apparently get away from
painting....now I'm confused.
His sword was long, his lance was keen.
His shining helm afar was seen;
the countless stars of heaven's field
were mirrored in his awesome shield.
I had a dream, which was not all a dream.
The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars
Did wander darkling in the eternal space,
Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth
Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air;
Disturbed slumber of the conversing sheep...
Well alright, Byron didn't actually mention anything whatsoever to do with 'conversing sheep" but my previous
excursion to a pre dawn Houndtor certainly provided me with that very scenario.
Picture the scene, the air was still and black, a damp and clammy aura shrouded the sleeping granite as
I made my way slowly towards the summit within the small dim arc of light which emanated from
my slight and woefully inappropriate torch. The unnatural stillness was apparent on reaching the
top of the rise which was now being slightly illuminated from the bright orange strip of light which had
appeared along the border of the eastern horizon.
I placed my tripod expectantly on the cold grass which bubbled up freezing dew around the feet
wetting the rubber tips. Similarly my own feet were now soaking up the moisture as I shifted
uncomfortably from one leg to the other and fumbled with the camera to place it into
the quick release plate. Once happy with the relevant settings to grab an image of the new day I
placed one eye to the viewfinder to set the composition.
"Achoo" came the sound somewhere off in the blackness behind me. I stood immediately bolt
upright and stared off into the darkness. Was I not alone?
I switched on my now struggling torch and waved it in the direction of the sound. Before
me the eyes of dozens of sheep were lit up from my beam, dazed and surprised as they
awoke from their evening 's slumber. "Oh.....sheep!" I whispered to myself and hurriedly returned to
my task at hand. Replacing my eye to the viewfinder there was in interesting development,
"achoooo............bless you!"
This time I span round so quickly it almost sent my camera crashing into cold
sodden earth. My torch again cast its beam amongst my wooly neighbours, but this time
I couldn't believe what I was witnessing.
The hundred or so sheep were standing...standing upright on TWO LEGS. As I strained my eyes to see
I noticed that most of them were holding cups and saucers, obviously very fine bone china
cups and saucers. A large black and grey sheep was walking amongst them with
quite literally the largest teapot that I have ever seen, a teapot with a picture of blue and
orange flowers on the side. "One lump or two.?..two?...there we go, the crumpets shall be
here shortly, I bid you good morning....one lump or two?"
I stood open mouthed not believing the sight which was unfolding before me when all
of a sudden....complete blackness descended, my torch had given up the fight.
What seemed like an eternity passed when the blackness was replaced with a warm glowing
light, the black and grey sheep was now holding a large red plastic torch and
was walking in my direction. "Pound shop?" he enquired...."eh?" came my feeble reply.
"Pound shop" he nodded towards my torch "batteries, usually a false economy
I might add, I normally buy good quality full strength ones as it saved an
unnecessary trip into town every five minutes......tea?"
I had a dream, which was not all a dream.
The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars
Did wander darkling in the eternal space,
Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth
Actually..........it was a dream.
Conspiracy of the Artisans
"I say...that's a nice camera" the man said. "Yes, yes...er, thank you" I hastily replied
to the inappropriately dressed gentleman as I tried to photograph the rapidly darkening
panorama which was visually fading before me. "Do you sell many?" he went on
"do you use art galleries to......." he tailed off. Turning, my narrow eyed hard stare reduced him
to inappropriately dressed stone as the very word caused me to drop my lens cap into
a muddy pool with a delicate 'splop'.
'Thank you Miss Vanstone for the disc of your work. You are very obviously talented and
have produced some amazing paintings , illustrations and photographs, however.........'
yes....HOWEVER. It is funny how galleries love to use the word however at approximately
half a paragraph or three lines in to their thoughtlessly written replies to my request to
exhibit within their hallowed walls. I have now concluded that there is some form of
conspiracy afoot when regarding such institutions of exposition.
'We consider that your work isn't exactly what we are looking for at the moment' came the
last reply. "Right then" I said to my friend and ally "let's go and have a look at what exactly
they do consider to be 'what they are looking for' with their current show."
As we walked into the very grand hall, the curator type person seemed to immediately
have issues with our...ahem, let's say appearance (the frosty up and down glance is
a dead giveaway). She smiled a half smile and then buried her head back into a copy of
Hello magazine probably hoping that the two lurking extras from a Tim Burton film will
very quickly go away.
I was immediately drawn to a very large canvas of a badly painted landscape in oils. The
accompanying literature showed a photo of the artist with a smug expression equally
badly painted across his face which rested on one hand whilst holding a
paintbrush in the other (just in case we failed to realise that he was an artist I imagine)
He was from some posh art school, apparently classically trained and a member
of a 'guild'....they are always members of 'guilds'. I just pulled a face and shrugged
at the inevitability of exhibiting such an inane and indifferent piece of artwork and
was just about to walk away...........then I saw the price. "Seven thousand pounds!" I yelled,
a yell that echoed around the large space, a yell which also prompted grumpy
curator lady to gaze back up from her magazine with a very surly "ssshhhhh."
"Don't you ssshhh me" I surprisingly found myself replying "art galleries are
meant for public viewing and therefor public criticism....I choose to criticise this by
Eventually the grumpy curator responded "you can't tell me that you dislike
Mr. ********s work, he's a genius". I went in for the kill "I am inclined to agree with you,
he is quite obviously a genius, I mean, it takes a genius to slap a price tag of seven
thousand pounds on a puerile, badly painted, self indulgent pile of rubbish such as that"
I went on "and furthermore, the gallery shows equal signs of genius as they stand
to make a tidy sum from commission once somebody with little taste and a large
bank balance purchases the horrid oil daubing". Again, silence.
"I think you two should leave"......."we're going anyway".
As I packed my tripod into the bag, the inappropriately dressed man was still talking,
"that's an amazing view, do you live locally?" I looked up from my activities "yes it
is and yes I do." By now he was showing visual signs of stage one
hypothermia "amazing, amazing....blimey it's cold isn't it?"
I smiled and replied "yes indeed it is amazing and bearing in
mind that this is Dartmoor, it's dusk, it's not quite Easter and you are splendidly attired in
shorts and flipflops, well yes I imagine that it is indeed very cold...well certainly
for your goodself.......goodbye!" and with that I walked back to my car.
Many harvests ago within the dark ages of forgotten time, King Arthur stood mighty and
defiant against the dark one...the very Devil himself. It was decided that in order to determine
just exactly who was the mightiest and most worthy of respect, a quoit throwing
challenge would be the order of the day. The Devil threw his huge metal ring which
skittered across the landscape eventually crashing through the ground, spewing forth
a colossal mound of rock from the depths of hell. Returning the challenge, Arthur hurled
his quoit with equal vigour similarly resulting in a gigantic monolithic stone warrior to punch
through the cold ground towards the sky. It was agreed to be an impressive draw and
both figures went on their way.
Now, many full moons later, the two weathered granite outcrops still stand as testament
to that memorable day, the two granite outcrops of Blackingstone and Heltor rocks.
Well it is the month of Yule and the Solstice rapidly approaches. This year is notable
as not a typical solstice, in fact an extinct south American civilization stated that on the
twenty first of this month of December 2012 we may have to collectively endure the
possibility of becoming a bit extinct ourselves. It certainly makes for lively debate with
cold callers trying to help us claim our PPI or sell us double glazing. In fact I really want
a cold caller to try selling me PVCU windows for my question shall be "are they fire,
brimstone and plummeting asteroid proof......and does that come with a written guarantee?"
I am thinking about the celebratory antics for that evening although bearing in mind
anything a little too extreme will still have to be explained away to mortified
neighbours and family members if the sun indeed decides to rise on the twenty second.
"I am deeply sorry for decapitating your garden gnomes with a croquet mallet
whilst under the influence of several bottles of vintage wine.....I thought the world was
going to end!" Albeit a grande excuse, in fact quite possibly THE best excuse ever,
it loses a lot in translation during the cold light of day.
I am now thinking about these distant echoes from our past...Arthur and the Devil....the
quoit throwing...those awfully astute Mayans with their calendar based prophecies of doom
and gloom.....GNOMES, and somewhere in the distance I can hear the phone
ringing. For once, I really do hope that it is someone trying to sell me something,
I may have some questions for them.
So, we'll go no more a-roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.
For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul wears out the breast,
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And love itself have a rest.
Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we'll go no more a-roving
By the light of the moon.
Dull, dull, dull. The surrounding prison walls seem to be laughing at me due to the
incarceration of my creative soul. This several weeks of a limited palette with the 'wet on
wet' technique of a highly structured and microscopically detailed attention to detail that
was laid down by the brotherhood of the Pre Raphaelites is really starting to
drive me slightly bonkers. But...and there is a but, these paintings are probably the most
exciting series of works that I have undertaken as I am not aware of any other
painters who are venturing down this path of subject, location or structure.
Due to this lifestyle of a rigid order, my numerous visits to the pool have now ceased which
has introduced the oversized spanner into the finely tuned workings of my fitness
regime again. As the gothically inspired mistress of the eastern fringes, it isn't
greatly known that my entire lifestyle revolves around being super fit....SHOCK HORROR...
t's not all absinthe, laudanum and eternal angst of a doom ridden poet, hell bent on
self destruction.
With that said, I have swapped the pool for a daily early morning or early evening run.
Being a fortunate soul who resides in one of the most stunning areas of the country, I
have some beautiful places to go too.
Ipod-check, water-check, Moomin-check. The best thing about running with Moomin is that
unleashed and insane canines tend to make a bee line for her as opposed to me, she seems
to exude dog pheromones or something
Another project of mine that seems to be travelling at a snails pace is a graphic novel...
no wait, let's call it a storybook of retro futurism and adventuristic journeys through
Edwardian England, 'The Diary of an Edwardian Country Automaton Hunting Lady'
Pretty much what it says really, a steampunk inspired storybook based on my
lovely but slightly unhinged friend Hospheria BC. Lavish, but lavish usually
means 'takes a long time to produce.'
Oh come on Halloween, I need a party to have a good excuse for the absinthe, laudanum,
cheese and pineapple on a stick and mini pasties.
Actually, sitting here it really isn't that dull at all. Kings of Leon have just come on the radio,
I have poured another cardio-threatening caffeine infusion into my
huge stripey mug and secured my hair inside a large knitted beret ready for service,
I love my job.
The cataclysmic events which brought me here were now but a distant memory
as I perched above the blackened void which presented itself before me. I had to
summon the courage to proceed and after what seemed like an eternity I finally
made the move. I took one step onto the cold and damp flagstone stairs that
disappeared below the ancient building into the impending bowels of hell. One
after the other my footsteps echoed around the inky blackness as I descended,
On reaching the base of my only means of escape I stopped and breathed the stale,
dank air of the crypt. Somewhere ahead in the darkness I could just make out the
faint 'skritch, skritch, skritch' that gently reverberated around the vaulted ceiling and
stone floor........there was someone there!
My vice like grip tightened around the roughly shaved wooden stake which rested in
the pocket of my greatcoat. With my other hand I fumbled with infantile coordination
for the crucifix that I knew was hanging around my neck on a piece of frayed twine.
My presence was noticed as the noise stopped abruptly and was followed by
a deafening silence. I could now just make out a figure crouching by the largest
of the stone memorials at the end of the chamber and without hesitation it
started to slowly move. The figure grew as it stood, it grew to well over six feet
in height as it straightened out until eventually it was clearly visible in the dim light.
I grasped at the crucifix and held it high as I shouted "Nosferatu...I see you!"
Again silence. The dark eyes of the figure were now looking directly at me and I
shouted again "Nosferatu....I...I see you!" The deafening silence was only matched
by the pounding heart in my chest. I could now hear the crunching of gravel
beneath the figure's feet as it slowly made its way towards me.
"Nosfer...Nosferatuthingy....oh he's up at Castle Drogo doing their septic tank,
I'm Dave and you have air in your radiators love.
An interesting series of events occurs at SX731774 The location is Bonehill Rocks, a
large scattering of granite boulders laid out over a hillside sat majestically high above
Widecombe in the Moor. It is here on most evenings, around the time that the golden
orb of life drops off the end of our fertile globe sending an explosion of billions of
shards of purple, red and orange light high into the darkening azure sky above.....they
congregate! When I say they, of course I mean the army of photographers who gather
around the rocks and point their tripod mounted lenses westward to capture THE shot
of the century. There must be a collective name for photographers, I don't know it
so I shall introduce the collective noun, a 'smugness' of photographers. The last
time that I pointed my camera in the direction of the rapidly failing sun, I was met with
a fairly frosty look filled with distain from the man with the biggest lens I have ever
seen. I could hear him discussing ISO settings and exposure compensation.....oo...
compensation, big lens...yes I see now. Needless to say I started clicking away and
captured some superb images. Big lens man was having issues as he clearly wasn't
clicking anything. The lens came off and I could hear his disapproval to the fact that
a huge amount of dust had become attached to his sensor.
Amelia's top tip no. IV When removing a DSLR lens from the body, make sure that
the camera is turned off as there is an electromagnetic charge that builds up inside
and will attract dust directly into the recess and ultimately directly onto the sensor.
Big lens man I am assuming didn't and as a result, it did.
I have recently been watching a large amount of vampyre films for no apparent
reason other than they happen to just be on. I must point one thing out though, not
the Twilight saga. My perfect reworking of the film would involve Buffy...well
you know what direction that would travel in. One late night Hammer Horror
also fell wildly short of its ability to entertain as I believe it must have been made very
late on a Friday afternoon when all of film crew were itching to go home. I sat
through the entire film without one chuckle of being entertained, I want
Christopher Lee back. And as I am on the subject, Mr. Burton's latest
celluloid extravaganza featuring one Mr. Depp that also had some location
shoots right on my doorstep, looks like it most definitely will entertain.
Amelia's top tip no. V When suspecting that a neighbour is actually Nosferatu,
a walker of the night, under no circumstances must you attempt to drive a wooden
stake through their hearts as it usually gets frowned upon by the local
authorities. Which brings me neatly into
Amelia's top tip no. VI I am not a vampyre so please stop throwing garlic at me,
I like garlic very much but not when it is launched in my general direction from
across the road when I am looking in the baker's window.
Since my last post which involved Moomin's wanton destruction of a starched linen
tablecloth through the medium of jam, we have since returned to the scene of the crime
where the ladies of the cake emporium were none the wiser. We entered recently and
purchased what can best be described as a wholly obscene and voluminous
pile of cake based objects that was accompanied by surely one of the largest teapots
in the south west that I have ever seen. We were also encouraged to take extra cake
home with us as they had clearly overdone the baking. This particular cream tea venue
has the strangest bathroom facilities that I had ever come across. It involved entering
through a huge studded door which led through a small panelled room.
As I perched above the blackened void which presented itself before me....
"So can you do it?" I had to think long and hard about the answer "I really need you for
this, you're the only person that I know who is a bit, well......odd....pleeeease!"
"Oh, alright" I replied.
Well then, that will be me modelling again in the not too distant future, for
my good friend's illuminating and fantastical display of nail sculpting and creativity.
My reluctance is fairly evident due to my previous visitation to the salon of all things
'pink and evil', where slightly over preened peroxide maidens pointed and
whispered as to the presence of the raven haired maiden who ended up shifting
uncomfortably in her seat for the duration of the experimental treatment that she
were to encounter there.
Not that I am adverse to the wonders of turning my badly chipped and damaged nails
into extremely gorgeous and perfect creations of feminine beauty, it's just that
my creative side tends to whisk me delicately through the air and deposit me
unceremoniously with a thump back at the drawing board once my hands become
involved with Dremel drills and such objects of destruction.
The other day, my hands were doing precisely that. At long last I have decided to
exhibit some of the photos from the Camera Obscura series, the chosen method of
display shall be the inclusion of Victorian style curio cases. These shall hold objects
which have a certain relevance towards the chosen subjects. One such case has
a ghostly floating dolls head.....actually, a dolls face that has been removed with
quite some exertion via the means of a very sharp serrated kitchen knife. During the
horrendous act where the toy doll and her face were quietly parting company, I had
to stop my sawing in mid saw. I viewed the scene as something quite awful
and horrendous, then I remembered the peroxide preen queens from the salon
after which I carried on sawing this time with some renewed enthusiastic vigour.
Remaining with the 'at long last' expression, the Vanstone 'construction' studio is
now occupied and enjoying the sounds of banging, crashing, music and also
providing yet another environment for me to mangle my nails in. I must admit that
the use of two separate studios, at times seems a trifle excessive but the battle
over land occupation between my artwork and shoes had come to a speedy and
fairly conclusive finale with the purchase of some very high, black strappy
heels that performed the same act as that of the proverbial straw with the
unfortunate camel's back.
For reasons unknown, various people have made it their mission to purchase
all sorts of oddities and weird toys for the inclusion in the up and coming show,
now it appears that I am becoming overrun with this random assortment.
I shall use this opportunity to bid you all an enormous thank you but......
please stop, I really couldn't justify the acquiring of Vanstone studio number three.
(On a completely random note, I had a delightful comparison made to me the other
day, apparently I reminded somebody of a younger Morticia Addams, this put a huge
grin on my face which unfortunately ruined the likeness as I can't recall if she
actually smiled or not.)
The very springlike feel on Dartmoor has me now waking from my winter slumber
and wanting to learn new things. Of course when I say learn, I really don't mean
learn as in 'I have learnt that Macbooks dislike gin and tonic' or 'I have learnt that it
is probably not a good idea to cut cardboard with a scalpel on the carpet' oh I could
go on, but no, I mean learn as in the ability to carve wood or advanced metalwork...
that sort of thing. The current series of work has left me with the burning desire to
discover how to use old fashioned crafts with real materials as opposed to
plastic.......I really dislike plastic. No doubt one of the reasons why the casual
telephonic sales caller who tries to sell me plastic doors or windows will suffer the
full wrath of Amelia as they try to talk me into discarding my two hundred year old
hand made oak framed windows for some identically proportioned windows made
recycled yoghurt pots of something similar.
I shall now be returning to the studio to separate more heads from the shoulders
of innocent, badly painted, straw haired dolls, all in the name of creativity. Thinking
about it, I could do exactly the same thing when my presence is required in the
'pink palace of beauty salon' later this month......well I can pretend.
I can just picture the pale and anaemic one who is the only person smiling to
herself as she mentally lops the heads off of the orange faced individuals.


text:
Hardiness Zone: 2-8 Height: 35-50 feet; 11-15 metres Spread: 25-35 feet; 7.6-11 metres Sun: Full sun to part shade Water: Moist to wet Wildlife: Catkins are early season food source for birds and mammals Tolerates: Temporary flooding Culture: Peachleaf Willow is easily grown in full to partial sun, wet to moist conditions, and soil that is loamy, silty, or slightly sandy. This tree is fast-growing, but short-lived Noteworthy Characteristics: Peach-leaf willow is a medium-sized, multi-trunked tree, with fine-textured, slightly weeping, branching orange-yellow twigs. Catkins appear before leaf emergence. The narrow, yellow-green foliage has insignificant fall color. The tenacious root system of this tree makes it very useful for preventing soil erosion along the banks of rivers. Both common and scientific names refer to the leaf shape, which sugges that of a peach leaf.
Please Inquire About Availability


text:
Sheet of UN-mounted rubber stamps.
Size is around 13 x 18 cm (5 x 7 inches).
Big butterflies, perfect for your mixed media projects or other crafty things.
(Our handmade samples may include stamps from other sets, too)
Our Small Grungy Butterflies work perfectyl with this set.
All butterflies are available as a single set with their little brothers/sisters in our Single Section.
Designed by Susanne Rose, ©Rubber Dance
18,90 €
Final price excl. shipping costs2
Free shipping to the following countries: Show more Show less


text:
I've been struggling for years to find the best 'catch-all' term to describe hospital cleaning or disinfection or both. And, after much thought, I've settled on a proposal to share with you, dear reader: "environmental hygiene".
hand hygiene
WHO is setting your IPC agenda
The World Health Organisation has updated its 2009 Guidelines on Core Components of Infection Prevention and Control Programmes. The report highlights eight 'core components' for IPC:
Do single rooms reduce HCAI?
An interesting review article examines the relationship between three related variables: the proportion of single rooms, the size of the patient room and patient proximity, and the availability of antiseptic hand rub, with various HCAI indicators. The bottom line is that both a move towards a higher proportion of single rooms and larger patient rooms are associated with reduced HCAI, and making hand gels more available improves compliance with their use (unsurprisingly).
Hand hygiene in healthcare (or the lack of it)
I had posted about Sanjay Saint's great TED talk. He now wrote an article for the general public – based on his talk: "Hand washing stops infections, so why do health care workers skip it?"
While I am a big fan of hand rubbing (we don't have the time to hand wash) I still feature his picture he included in his article. Have fun reading his article:
Hand hygiene – social norms and compassion
I just saw Sanjay Saint's TEDx UofM-talk and have to say that I was impressed. The message is clear, the characters portrayed recognizable, and the conclusion something we all have to agree with. I "love" his final thoughts (and if you watch the talk to the end you know why I used "love") and I share his views on compassion. Intentionally we branded our campaign for better infection control as "iCare".
Hope you enjoy Sanjay's talk as much as I did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3MtvvNjUR4&sns=em
Adapt to adopt | Didier Pittet | TEDxPlaceDesNations
Just as another way of sharing here the link to Didier's TEDx PlaceDesNations talk: http://tinyurl.com/AdaptToAdopt or click on the picture.
Reflections from Infection Prevention 2015 Part III: Thinking outside the box
For the third and final installment of my blog-report from Infection Prevention 2015, I thought I'd cover some of the more innovative approaches in and around the IPC sphere:
Part II: Improving the systems
Part III: Thinking outside the box
New technology to improve hand and environmental hygiene
I for one am pretty sick of seeing unrealistically high levels of hand hygiene compliance being reported from peer-to-peer manual auditing approaches. One way to get more realistic compliance data is through automated approaches to hand hygiene compliance, reviewed here by Drs Dawson (Warwick) and Mackrill (Imperial College London), who also presented their findings at the conference, and by another group here. Drs Dawson and Mackrill considered issues around product usage, self-reporting, direct observation, perceptions of technology (often viewed, unhelpfully, as a 'silver bullet'), and staff perceptions of need and benefit. They divided the technology into those that monitored product usage, surveillance systems that monitored individual performance, and systems that monitored both product usage and individual performance. Although automated surveillance systems will always be imperfect and involve a degree of inference, would you rather monitor the 5 moments sporadically / badly or have robust measurements of a smaller number of moments? Automated surveillance methods will not replace manual audits – at least for now – but it's time to take a long hard look at what is available.


text:
The rate of modern life imposes a man to the permanent psychological and intellectual overload. In these conditions, physical activity is a relatively comfortable and safe method of getting rid from aggressiveness and negative emotions. Any activity has inner motives. The total of such motives forms the motivational sphere of the activity. Motivation is a hierarchically structured system characterized by an orientation, stability and dynamic quality. Creation of the steady motives is the important condition of any activity.
It is important to select adequate methods and suitable tests for motivation and reasons study. I analyzed the methods of motivation study, determined the concept of the motivation phenomenon, the conditions of motivation formation, studied the rate of women's motivation to physical activity, and compared the existent methods of motivation estimating.
Let's study the concept «motivation». In modern psychology motivation is determined as the internal state of organism determining its behavior. Т. Е. Orlov and Н. P. Anikeeva (1998) considered motivation as the system of factors, determining behavior of a man, his orientation and activity.
The system of inner forces is subjected to the principles of dominant, hierarchy of structures and functions of co-operation of man. Changes and functions of this system depend on the ability of psyche to transform and integrate the actions of biological and social determinant of vital functions of man.
In the process of motivation the long-term and short-term needs of a person are estimated. Motivation has such functions, as:
For example, the cognitive basis is expressed in a capacity for a realistic estimation and rising of aims and choice of tasks on the basis of cognitive, cogitative processes. The past experience of a man is compared with the real situation and designs all possible turns of events. This function allows providing adequate behaviors of a man.
Aim-modeling function sets the aim which can satisfy the person's need taking into account the past, present and future of personality. Images become an aim when they acquire personal sense. Personal sense is the individualized reflection of reality. Reality expresses attitude of personality toward those objects in order to develop this activity.
The regulatory function of motivation is expressed in the directing the action of man on achieving of the person's aim.
According to B. I. Dodonova (1973) all activity motives can be divided into groups according to four motivational factors:
the final result;
the reward;
the subject behavior;
the attractiveness of the activity process.
Dynamic quality of motivational sphere is shown up in the change of force, both separate reasons and motivation on the whole. A dynamics of reasons can be both positive and negative in relation to efficiency activity. Stability of motivation can change. I have noticed that primary motives begin to show up only in certain conditions.
The dynamic quality of motivational sphere is related to the psycho-physiological features:
stability of reason
force and expressiveness
switching from one reason to other
emotional coloring.
Motives can be strong, middle and weak. High motivation of an achievement combines with an enhance able persistence. Force of motivation and efficiency of decision of task are a result of co-operation of three independent values:
subjective probability of success;
attractiveness of consequences of success or failure [9].
In connection with power of the motive it is necessary to consider such phenomena, as super motivation and frustration.
Super motivation arises in situations, when reason is so strong, that interferes with the action of man. Frustration arises in those cases, when reason is very strong, but there is an insuperable obstacle for it realization.
I think, motivation is the internal state of organism which stimulates it to behave in a certain way. The system of incentive forces is submitted to principles of domination, to hierarchy principle of structures and functions of co-operation of man. Changes and functions of this system depends on psyche ability:
To mediate
To transform
To integrate the actions of biological and social determinant of vital functions of man.
Force of reason, as index of insuperable aspiration of personality, is estimated on a degree, depth of realization:
Exactly understanding the necessity and reason on its intensity.
In the conditions of forming of motivation to physical activity supporting reasons are important. One of reasons of low physical activity is absence of optimal motivational complex. For optimal physical activity of personality adequate estimation of the forces, possibilities and difficulties is important.
For women motivation to physical activity differs from masculine on priorities. Sporting beauty and grace of motions, along with the harmonious state, here that interests fair sex.
As necessities and interests of women are closely related to the emotions, a large value has a psychological comfort, positive mood.
The positive attitude is formed with the help of emotions. The difference in meaningfulness of motives of sporting activity increases for the sportsmen of different sex and in the course of time. Formation of women's meaningful motives is supported by positive emotions.


text:
Reebok Pursuing Generation X
Reebok is a global, American inspired brand, in a highly competitive athletic and sportswear industry, committed to creating products and marketing programs that reflect the brand's unlimited creative potential (Reebok). The 2003 rankings place Reebok in third place of U.S. athletic shoe market share with 13%; Nike dominates at 36% while other athletic brands make up 26% of the U.S. market (Sporting Goods Intelligence). In 1982, Reebok was a main component in introducing a women's athletic shoe designed specifically for the latest trend in exercise known as aerobic dance. This, as we all know, was not a trend but rather an athletic revolution towards women's fitness and increase entrance into sports, which expanded the target market for the athletic and the sportswear industry. The acceptance of sneakers as an adult casual wear evolved in the 1980's as well as a market prediction that was a catalyst to the early success of Reebok as an athletic brand leader.
Since the 1980's, the market environment has changed dramatically and has proven to be a complex and highly competitive advertising arena. Print and TV ads of the past are no longer the premier marketing platforms as they once were. The athletic and sporting goods companies of today must bring to the consumers a compelling and gripping advertising campaign to earn the attention and revenue of today's technology driven consumer. Target markets are evolving from the baby boomer era to the Gen Xers and with that shift, comes a new consumer ideology and therefore new marketing strategies. The advertising mediums that companies utilize are challenged to reach an elusive target audience guarded by TiVo technology, mobile internet as well as personal philosophies seeking purpose and added value, even in product selection. This case outlined advertising challenges, as well as opportunities Reebok faced in an expanding digital media world and its players; Generation X.
Question 1: How would the team explain viral marketing to the class? Viral marketing wasn't made up out of thin air; it started before the birth of the Internet under another name known as word-of-mouth. There are many differences between the two strategies but the principle is identical: exchange information about an event, place, person or idea from one outlet to another. So, to understand how viral marketing works one must understand word-of-mouth.
Word-of mouth marketing is when a company provides consumers, a reason to bring up their company in normal conversation. This could be from an ad on the television, a flyer that you saw downtown in a deli, or maybe an advertisement that you heard on a radio station that caught your attention while you were driving. That sounds a lot like viral marketing, but a person only has so many hours in the day; so why would they ever think of calling all of their friends/family up to tell them about something they saw, previous to their conversation? Unless it was a catastrophic event or something that was deeply related to them personally, that's just not likely to happen. With viral marketing, there are two main components that are needed: a large audience, and a way to spread information exponentially, also known as the Internet. The first traces of Internet viral marketing were, according to "The Virus of Marketing", in 1997 when Hotmail attached ads to outgoing messages. It was rather astonishing the reaction that the public had after forwarding the ads to other email addresses, allowing users to reach thousands of potential clients in the matter of a few easy clicks. These were only the primitive years of viral marketing, and it has become one of the most valued marketing strategies of the 21st century.
The term 'viral marketing' is one that is used, both, on a regular and large scale. This is mostly due to the highly populated areas, such as YouTube and other social media outlets where video, music, photographs, ideas and other...
Please join StudyMode to read the full document


text:
Harbaugh to Edwards after critical tweets: "Come after me"
By CHRIS NELSEN
Associated Press
Tuesday, September 4
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The war of words between Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and former Wolverines receiver Braylon Edwards is heating up.
Harbaugh, upset Edwards posted a negative tweet about two U-M players during Saturday's 24-17 loss at Notre Dame, fired back at Monday's news conference.
Edwards, now a college football analyst, was suspended indefinitely Monday by the Big Ten Network for "a violation of the network's social media guidelines."
"I was disappointed that a member of the Big Ten Network would choose to attack the character of two of our players," said Harbaugh, whose program dropped its 17th consecutive road game to a ranked opponent, a streak dating to 2006.
"If somebody wants to attack the character of anybody on the ball club, come after me."
Edwards' tweet Saturday night, which was later deleted, was directed at U-M center Cesar Ruiz and transfer quarterback Shea Patterson: "Ruiz is weak, line is weak, shea is scared, (expletive) Michigan offense is so predictable…..Michigan football is sadly one thing……Trash," Edwards wrote.
On Monday, Harbaugh defended his players, both first-year starters for the Wolverines.
"First of all, it's not true. It's not factual," Harbaugh said. "There's nobody in our program who thinks those things about any player on our team, let alone the two players that he described. … Just so you know, that's not coming from anybody inside the program."
Edwards, one of the top receivers in Michigan history, still holds program records for career receptions (252), yards (3,541) and touchdowns (39).
After learning of his suspension from the Big Ten Network, Edwards fired off another tweet aimed at his alma mater.
"So funny that everyone is worried (about) my tweet as opposed to the real issue, 0-17 on the road against ranked opponents, 1-6 against rivals and the one win was against a 3-9 MSU. Last thing i will ask and really think about this before you get mad…is Michigan better than Iowa?" Edwards wrote Monday.
He apologized in part later in the day, saying he "should not have attacked Ruiz and Patterson that hard or period individually" but said Michigan "still needs to step up so no apologies there."
Michigan junior defensive end Rashan Gary, a likely first-round NFL draft prospect, said he didn't see Edwards' tweet Saturday night, though he was offended a former Wolverine would rip the program and current players.
"At the end of the day, we're college students, we're college football players and we love what we do," Gary said Monday. "We take it to heart. For someone to stab at somebody, I didn't see the tweet, but to take shots at a player and you're a grown man, I don't think that's cool."
Wolverines tight end Sean McKeon didn't address Edwards' tweet directly, but he knows how quickly frustration can build from the team's die-hard fan base.
"Coach Harbaugh says it's just us, all the coaches, all the players," McKeon said. "Outside noise doesn't have any effect on what we do. Yeah, I'm frustrated, too. You don't want to lose ever, but you can't change that. You just have to learn from it."
With a long season still ahead, Michigan players are trying to focus on Saturday's home opener against Western Michigan.
"It's a new week, we're still in control of everything we want to accomplish," Gary said. "Right now, it's Week 2 and we're focused on Week 2. We got to get this win and keep it pushing."
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Illinois tops Kent St. 31-24, extends home-opener win streak
By TERRY TOWERY
Associated Press
Saturday, September 1
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — As expected, Illinois showed up to play what many thought would be a nonthreatening Kent State team on Saturday. Unfortunately, its offense didn't arrive at Memorial Stadium until midway through the third quarter.
Nonetheless, the Illini rallied to hold off Kent State 31-24, avoiding an upset and extending its home-opener win streak to 21 games, the fourth-longest in the nation.
But the win didn't come easy for Lovie Smith's Illinois team, expected to easily turn around a 2-10 season from last year.
Following a lackluster first half that saw Kent State leading 17-3, Illinois quarterback AJ Bush showed the crowd of 31,898 why offensive coordinator Rod Smith called him a "dynamic, dual threat." Bush passed for 190 yards on 23 attempts, and rushed for 139 yards on 21 carries.
"Any team that judges us off this game will be in for a rude awakening, I promise you'" Bush said after the game.
"It's been a while since AJ played," Lovie Smith said. "He's a tough guy, he's mobile and he ran well. He also threw some good passes."
Reggie Corbin carried 10 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns for the Illini (1-0). Mike Epstein and Ra'Von Bonner added rushing touchdowns.
"Offensively, we knew we had a lot of weapons and I thought the offensive coaches gave the guys a chance to make plays," Lovie Smith said.
Woody Barrett, announced by first-year Kent State coach Sean Lewis as the starting quarterback at game time, was 28-of-41 passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He threw an interception late when Illinois linebacker Del'Shawn Phillips picked off a short pass into the end zone that would have tied it with less than three minutes remaining.
Barrett and sophomore Dustin Crum had battled for the starting spot since spring.
Barrett also was the leading rusher for the Golden Flashes with 18 carries for 117 yards and one touchdown.
Lewis saw much to be happy about on Saturday.
"For year one, game one, it's certainly something we can build on," he said. "Obviously, we need to finish stronger and there are going to be some things we need to look at."
Mike Carrigan rushed for 62 yards on eight carries and a touchdown for Kent State (0-1).
Before the game, Illinois announced the indefinite suspension of five players, including three starters: safety Bennett Williams, cornerback Nate Hobbs and tight end Lou Dorsey. Wideout Carmoni Green and defensive tackle Deon Pate also were suspended.
The loss of defensive backs Williams and Hobbs hurt the Illini, allowing Barrett to pepper the Illini secondary with passes early in the game, throwing for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Illinois tightened up in the second half. Losing Dorsey also hurt with backup Daniel Barker a nonfactor in the game.
The team said the suspensions were for "breaking team rules." No further information was available, nor was it certain how long the players will be out, although Lovie Smith indicated after the game it might be sooner rather than later.
"It's not a death sentence," Smith said. "And that won't be the case with these players."
With 2:11 left and Illinois up 31-24, Kent State drove to the Illini 2-yard-line. After being backed up to the 6, Barrett dropped back on fourth down. Carrigan had slipped to the left and was open briefly in the back of the end zone. Barrett fired the ball and Phillips leaped and snared the interception, ending the Kent State threat and securing the Illinois victory.
Illinois was expected to cruise to victory over a Kent State team picked by most to finish last in the Mid-American Conference. But Rod Smith's offense didn't awaken until midway through the third quarter, finally bringing the crowd to its feet as it struck twice in less than three minutes to tie the game at 24.
A few minutes later, Corbin punched his way in on a 1-yard carry to cap an eight-play, 55-yard drive that put Illinois up for good.
Illinois: Hosts Western Illinois on Saturday.
Kent State: Hosts Howard on Saturday.
Saban makes official what "everybody knows," it's Tua's job
By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer
Tuesday, September 4
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Nick Saban made official what anybody who watched No. 1 Alabama's opener likely assumed: Tua Tagovailoa is the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback.
The top-ranked Tide's coach didn't wait for the question to be asked Monday before saying Tagovailoa will start Saturday against Arkansas State, but even he acknowledged it wasn't much of a secret.
He said two-year starter Jalen Hurts will still play a role.
"I think everybody knows that Tua's going to start this game and we're going to use Jalen's skill-set in the future to help however we feel that he can benefit the team," Saban said. "I just want to be clear with everyone that I have done this in the past where we don't say who the starter's going to be for the first game and we give both quarterbacks an opportunity to play in the game, which is exactly what we did in this game. Not a whole lot different than what we've done in the past."
It was just amplified this time because of the circumstances. Hurts has a 26-2 record as a starter and has led the Tide to a pair of national championship games.
Tagovailoa was the hero of the title game against Georgia in January after entering for the second half, guaranteeing a quarterback battle during the offseason. The sophomore from Hawaii was terrific in his first start in a 51-14 victory over Louisville . He was 12-of-16 passing for 227 yards and two touchdowns while running for a third score.
"We make all of our decisions here based on winning," Saban said. "Whoever we feel will give us the best opportunity to go out there and win, that's who we're going to play. Obviously, it's how you practice, how you prepare. I said it at the beginning, who wins the team.
"In our opinion, the one player did a little better job of that so he got the opportunity to start and we got the opportunity to play both guys and look and see how they performed and we're going to continue to try to help both players improve and get better."
It had become a touchy subject for Saban after repeated questions about the starter leading up to the game. Saban got testy with an ESPN reporter following a postgame question about the decision.
Saban called sideline reporter Maria Taylor and apologized.
Taylor simply asked: "What answers did you have about your quarterbacks after watching them both play tonight?".
Taylor was part of the ESPN crew for Monday night's game between No. 20 Virginia Tech and No. 19 Florida State. She declined to comment when asked about Saban's remarks the past two days.
Saban is taking pains to avoid seeming critical of Hurts.
"If I get asked to vilify a player and make another one a crown prince publicly, I might not respond to that, and I need to learn a better way to respond to that," he said. "And I will in the future. And I pray every Sunday that I never get angry. But it was a time and circumstance thing for me. I was a little upset by the way we finished the game, the penalties we had, the mental errors that we had. So it was totally my responsibility and we apologize for it."
Saban said he hasn't made any decision on working to let Hurts take advantage of the NCAA's new rule allowing players who play in four games or fewer to redshirt. Hurts has two years of eligibility left and played significant time in the opener.
"I don't know how you can prepare when you pick and choose when you're going to play players," Saban said. "I don't know how you can do that. I mean, you have to get somebody ready to play in the game. So if you have any suggestions, I'd be glad to listen to them. But I don't know how you do that. I don't know how a player really can choose when he wants to play and have any respect for his teammates."
Associated Press writer Joe Reedy in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed to this story.
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Talented freshmen give No. 7 Oklahoma new look on defense
By CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer
Monday, September 3
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — New blood helped bring new results for Oklahoma's defense.
Freshmen Ronnie Perkins, Brendan Radley-Hiles, Justin Broiles and Ryan Jones were key contributors in the seventh-ranked Sooners' 63-14 victory over Florida Atlantic in the season opener Saturday. Oklahoma held the Owls off the scoreboard for the first 44 minutes and limited star running back Devin Singletary to 69 yards on 18 carries. It was a rousing start for a unit that has been criticized for failing to support Oklahoma's dynamic offense at times in recent years.
Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley was fired up about the role the freshmen played.
"Here, it's not about seniority," Riley said. "We respect, of course, our older guys and the guys who have produced. Here, it's about what have you done for that program lately — both players and coaches. That's the only way you get better."
Perkins, a 6-foot-3, 254-pound true freshman, had four tackles as a reserve defensive end.
"Perkins was what I would say one of the highlights as far as the young guys," Riley said. "As much as any of them, it looked like he belonged from the first snap. He got off some blocks, made some plays and was really close to making a couple of others. But with not playing a ton of snaps, he had an impact on the game."
Perkins will be needed since sophomore Addison Gumbs, a potential starter, was lost for the season with a non-contact knee injury last Friday. Perkins is listed behind Kenneth Mann on the depth chart, but defensive coordinator Mike Stoops expects him to play a significant role in the future.
"I think Ronnie Perkins' upside is pretty limitless," Stoops said. "I see the development of our overall skill at that position as we mature. We have some depth that we can lean on."
Radley-Hiles, one of the nation's top recruits, had three tackles on the first series of the game and finished with five as the starting nickel back. The true freshman has the mentality to match the hype.
"He just kind of is who he is," Riley said. "He's one of those guys that the situation just never seems too big for him, and he's been like that since the first day."
Broiles, a redshirt freshman, is the starter at strong safety. He had one tackle in the opener. Stoops said Radley-Hiles and Broiles didn't look like freshmen against Florida Atlantic.
"I think they were impact players," Stoops said. "You look at their recruitment, what they brought to the table as you recruited them —they're impact guys. Their personality, their athleticism tells you that. They're mature. Been impressed with the way both guys have handled everything."
Ryan Jones, a redshirt freshman, had two tackles. The Sooners first brought him in as a receiver, but he now has developed into a 6-foot-2, 236-pound linebacker.
"He's got frame, he's got physicality," Riley said. "I was excited to see him play. Looked like he did a good job. He takes up a lot of space out there and can really move, so he gives us a lot of versatility."
The youngsters will be tested again this week when the Sooners host UCLA and coach Chip Kelly.
"Knowing coach Kelly, his reputation offensively, they're going to continue to challenge you to play fast and put you in tough situations defensively," Riley said.
Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Little League champions return home to hero's welcome
HONOLULU (AP) — The 14 boys and three coaches who delivered Hawaii its first Little League World Series title in a decade received a hero's welcome on their return home.
The team was showered in lei, handed food and greeted by a roaring crowd upon their exit from the Honolulu airport Monday.
The team shook hands with Gov. David Ige, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho and other city officials. The Royal Hawaiian Band played for them as they entered a news conference.
"After the entire state was on edge with the close passage of Hurricane Lane, this team helped us celebrate something positive as we watched their prowess on the baseball diamond which resulted in the first shutout championship game since 2002," Caldwell said.
The Hawaii boys shut out the South Korea team in the 3-0 championship game Sunday in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The game marked the first time a Hawaii team has won the title since 2008. Hawaii is now one of seven U.S. states with at least three Little League World Series titles.
A parade in Honolulu to recognize the team is in the works, city officials said. Honolulu's city hall was illuminated Monday night with blue and yellow lights — the team's colors.
"What made everyone back home even more proud is seeing how these young men are true ambassadors of aloha and treated everyone they met with humility and respect," Caldwell said. "Governor Ige and I look forward to hosting a hometown parade for the team so that the entire state can celebrate with them."
Kerry Perry quits as president of scandal-hit USA Gymnastics
By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
Wednesday, September 5
USA Gymnastics turned to an outsider when it tasked Kerry Perry to steer the embattled organization through the fallout of the Larry Nassar scandal.
Perry, who had no background in the sport when she was hired as president and CEO last November, stressed her focus would be "on creating an environment of empowerment where all have a strong voice and we are dedicated every single day to athlete safety."
Yet too often during her nine months on the job — a brief tenure that ended Tuesday when Perry resigned amid pressure from the United States Olympic Committee — it was Perry's voice that was missing.
While the former marketing and communications executive spoke frequently in buzzwords — the use of "empowerment" during her introductory press conference was a sign of things to come during the rare occurrence when Perry did make a public appearance — she struggled to get a handle on the scope of the damage inflicted by Nassar.
As athletes spoke out about being sexually abused by Nassar — a former team doctor for both the women's program at USA Gymnastics as well as Michigan State University athletics — Perry couldn't seem to effectively articulate empathy for the survivors or offer a clear way forward for one of the U.S. Olympic movement's crown jewels.
Her tenure would follow a familiar pattern: a high-profile gymnast would come forward to outline her abuse at the hands of Nassar, now serving an effective life sentence after being convicted of federal child pornography and state sexual abuse charges, and USA Gymnastics would release an empty statement, usually without Perry's name on it.
The few significant moves Perry did orchestrate came only after substantive external pressure.
USA Gymnastics exited its agreement to purchase the Karolyi Ranch outside Huntsville, Texas, in January only after reigning Olympic champion Simone Biles said she was victimized by Nassar and questioned why she had to train in the same facility where she and others were abused.
USA Gymnastics also removed its board of directors in January, a decision it reached only after the USOC threatened the organization with decertification.
The final straw came last week during the botched hiring — and then firing — of its elite development coordinator.
The coach, Mary Lee Tracy, was an early supporter of Nassar when allegations against him began to surface two years ago. After the announcement of her promotion, Tracy made an attempt to reach out to six-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman — herself a Nassar victim — after Raisman called Tracy's hiring "a slap in the face for survivors" and proof that the organization had not changed.
USA Gymnastics responded by asking Tracy to step down. While the request was made in the interest of protecting USA Gymnastics legally — Raisman has filed a lawsuit against the federation — it also became another public relations pratfall.
Newly hired USOC CEO Sarah Hirshland had seen enough, saying in a statement on Friday that USA Gymnastics "is struggling to manage its obligations effectively and it is time to consider making adjustments in the leadership."
Hirshland said the USOC would reach out to USA Gymnastics' newly appointed board over the weekend to discuss possible changes.
The discussions ended with Perry being pushed out, forcing USA Gymnastics to search for its third president in 18 months. Steve Penny, Perry's predecessor, stepped away under pressure in March, 2017.
A management committee that includes USA Gymnastics chairman of the board Karen Golz, vice chair and secretary David Rudd and board member Kathryn Carson will oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization during the search for an interim president.
"In the wake of horrific events that have impacted our athletes and the entire gymnastics community, USA Gymnastics has made progress in stabilizing itself and setting a new path to ensure that the safety and interests of our athletes remains at the heart of our mission," Golz said.
How much impact Perry had on that progress is uncertain. USA Gymnastics was already in the process of implementing the more than 70 changes recommended by a former federal prosecutor when Perry was hired, a process that remains ongoing.
Though Perry made an attempt to visit some of the organization's 3,564 member gyms, some gym operators felt left in the dark.
"The communication from the top down has been really reactive and disjointed," Kim Ransom, who runs Pittsburgh Gymnastics Club in the eastern exurb of Braddock, told The Associated Press in August. "We get mass emails kind of bombed to us when there's a catastrophe in the news and it's sort of just feels very forced and contrived. … It feels like nobody is being real with us."
Perry fared no better connecting while speaking to a congressional panel. Asked what strides USA Gymnastics was making, Perry's answers were canned and offered little specifics.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday that Perry was "never transparent" and wasn't forthcoming about what she was doing to "change the culture at USA Gymnastics."
"There is still a lack of urgency behind addressing how we protect young people from physical and emotional abuse while maintaining the amateur status that allows young people to compete," Dingell said.
Biles addressed that lack of urgency before the U.S. Championships in Boston last Monday, taking Perry to task when asked if it was time for the head of the organization she competes for to speak up.
"It's her job," Biles said before winning her fifth national title.
Not anymore.
AP National Writer Eddie Pells contributed to this report.
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


text:
Pure Molybdenum is widely used for example for high-temperature heating elements, shielding, filaments, evaporation crucibles, rocket propulsions, radiation shields, X-ray anodes, welding electrodes, thermoses, coatings for wear protection, components and melting electrodes for glass fabrication, sputtering targets and others.
The molybdenum alloy TZM is a commonly used constructional material for high-temperature applications. It is well known that pure molybdenum and its molybdenum alloys develop a distinct subgrain structure and texture during hot deformation. These microstructural aspects have a significant effect on strength at elevated temperatures.
TZM alloy is commonly used as structural material in thermally loaded applications or as plate material in rotary X-ray tubes.
Compared to pure molybdenum, TZM exhibits a higher strength and creep resistance. Especially at elevated temperatures the primary strengthening mechanism was attributed to carbide particles.
Several types and grades of molybdenum alloys are available commercially. TZM wrought bar was selected as the most suitable material on the basis of its superior high-temperature tensile strength and a high recrystallization temperature (between 1400 and 1600 C). A high recrystallization temperature is particularly important as this eliminates the possibility of recrystallization during brazing welding causing a loss in ductility and strength.
By means of solid-solution and carbide-strengthening TZM features improved high-temperature strength up to 1400 °C and a higher recrystallization temperature, compared to pure Molybdenum.
Typical Applications of TZM: Components for heat treatment equipment, supports, fixtures, carriers, hot runner nozzles, casting molds, forging dies and others.


text:
Introducing the Future of Fish
What happens when you combine a powerful design process with entrepreneurial thinking in an attempt to solve one of today's biggest environmental challenges?
When Central, a process design firm, paired with Ashoka and the Packard Foundation to tackle the growing problem facing sustainable fishing, it began a unique collaboration; the outcome of which stands to impact billions of people—from the fishermen at sea, to the families who rely on fish for sustenance and livelihood, to the myriad individuals and companies in between.
This is the story of how the project was born, what progress the groups have made as they seek answers to fixing a broken industry, and the kind of thinking that goes into tackling such a monumental issue.


text:
MJ invited seven friends (only 6 could make it), and they each decorated seven cupcakes (one to eat at the party and six to take home). Before the cupcake decorating began they each decorated a cake box and thought about what name they would give their bakery if they owned one. They came up with some pretty cute ideas. They each received an apron to wear and take home, then the decorating began! They had a blast choosing which flavor of cake, which frosting and which of the many toppings to finish it off. We had sprinkles of every color, colored spray (kind of like spray paint for icing), chocolate chips, toffee bits, crushed Oreos, gummy worms and colored fondant. I think most of them tried to put a little of everything on each cupcake! I think they enjoyed being able to be creative though. They opened presents after that then enjoyed a little pizza picnic in the backyard for lunch. The rest of the time they played outside and in MJ's room. At the end of the party, they each enjoyed one of their cupcake masterpieces!
Later that evening, we had Josh's family over for a bbq and more birthday fun. It was also the BSU vs. Wyoming game. I finished decorating the rest of the cupcakes after all the friends had left the party, and made some blue and orange ones to celebrate the game.
All in all, I think MJ enjoyed her birthday weekend. Sunday was quite relaxing. After going to church, we came home, played outside and watched a movie together. It was nice to just hanging out as a family. Happy Birthday Sweetie! You are such a joy to us and we love you very much!