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If you've been with me for awhile, you'll recognize my "calling card", a digital banner I created when I was on the Gecko Galz design team. The digital tickets are from Ginas Designs.
My bow was made using the Craft-Dee BowZ maker which I won during their December 2014 Blog Hop. The black tea towel stripe ribbon was a win from The Ribbon Girl.
I love the digital labels from Wings of Whimsy. I took her idea of folding the labels in half and using them for page tabs. I was able to type the months directly onto the labels before printing.
You will recognize the picture wheel and pen nib as Tim Holtz products and the red netting from Stampin' Up.
My color palette is kraft and black with a pop of red. Hence the red flower on the cover. Here is how I incorporated the colors inside the back cover of my calendar book. I hate to say this, but all the bits and pieces used in this project didn't even make a dent in my stash.


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2016 AARP Nevada Voter Retirement Security Survey
The 2016 AARP Nevada Voter Retirement Security Survey was a telephone survey about retirement security issues among 1,000 registered voters age 35-64 in Nevada who are currently employed or looking for work.
Most Nevada registered voters age 35-64 who are in the workforce hope to retire someday (86%), but many do not feel financially prepared for retirement. More than eight in ten (86%) wish they had saved more money for their retirement years.
Nearly three in four support a ready-to-go state retirement savings plan that would help Nevada residents save for retirement through a public-private partnership. Voters of all political parties also support such a state plan; Republicans (69%), Democrats (83%), and Independents (67%). Most respondents favor a portable plan that follows people from job to job and that has a low cost for participants.
Interviews for the this telephone survey were conducted November 11 through December 4, 2016 among 1,000 registered voters age 35-64 in Nevada who are currently employed or looking for work. The sample was drawn from a registered voter list. For more information contact Terri Guengerich at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Suggested Citation:
Guengerich, Terri. 2016 AARP Nevada Voter Retirement Security Survey. Washington, DC: AARP Research, May 2017. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00166.001
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The YOU REVIEW feature: All YOU REVIEW features are complete and unedited written reviews independently submitted by followers of the Peter Cushing Appreciation Society , it's website and Facebook Fan Page. The opinions here in, are solely the authors and are shared here with the purpose and intent of providing a guide to dvd's and blu rays recently released featuring the work of Peter Cushing. All viewing equipment used for the reviews is domestic and typical of the range of players and tv monitors used in a domestic viewing environment.
THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN: Part of a TWO Hammer film package, with The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, released on blu ray by Mill Creek Entertainment September 2016. Mill Creek's double feature is currently the only way to own these films on BLU RAY: They can be purchased HERE
First. The technical to get it out of the way. First expectations. In my opinion, these are bargain basement blu-rays. Make no mistake that they have not been restored or remastered in any way whatsoever. The Revenge of Frankenstein uses an older HD encode carried over from the DVD release (I believe) of 2002. Both Revenge and Curse of the Mummy's Tomb are crammed onto a single 25GB blu-ray. Since there's no special features, or even subtitles or audio options), and since both movies are relatively short, this would've been okay had Mill Creek used a 50GB blu-ray disc. Instead, a large amount of compression exists in order to fit both movies onto the smaller sized disc. What does this mean for picture quality? Nothing good, I have to say.
I'll preface that my tv is probably 10 years old. It's a 46" 1080p LED Samsung tv 240Hz. The picture still holds up as crisp and lifelike with newer movies where action is fluid (and where proper care has been taken to provide an adequate transfer). I also sit probably 10 feet away, so I'm not on top of the tv looking for blemishes or distractions. In the case of The Revenge of Frankenstein, I noticed that in some scenes when people are walking across the screen, such as when Frankenstein is holding the knife to Hans, there's a fair amount of compression artifacts right behind him as the image struggles to keep up with the actor's fluid motions. It's distracting and shouldn't be happening in 2016, 10 years into this HD format.
Colors are mostly good, but nothing really *pops*. The famous Hammer red blood isn't any more rich now as it was on the DVD years ago. Flesh tones are ok but some scenes lean a little more to the red side while other scenes show actors a little paler. I did notice that some of the outside night scenes were a little more difficult to see than I was used to. What was perhaps most distracting is the sheer amount of scratches, blemishes, dust, and vertical lines throughout the movie. This is a movie that is dying for a remastering effort, although not as heavily as The Curse of Frankenstein, which has its own problems.
As for the sound, it's rather tinny I'm afraid. Bass isn't booming, voices and high ranges sound thin, as does the music. I had forgotten how much music is in this particular Frankenstein film, probably more than any other Hammer Frankenstein. It's used to great effect to show how Karl is a rather sympathetic 'monster' and his infatuation with Miss. Conrad. There was no hissing or audio blips that I could hear, but it could definitely use some oomph.
To sum up, I paid about $8 for this combo, so about $4 for The Revenge of Frankenstein. Sadly, that's probably all they're worth. To top it off, Mill Creek misspelled The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb on the spine as "The Curese..." I have yet to watch that movie. For the other double pack release with the Gorgon, they misspelled it as "The Gorgan." That gives you an idea of how much thought and care went into these movies.
The Revenge of Frankenstein: Codec: DISC: MPEG-4 AVC Resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1, 1.66:1 Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1, 2.35:1 AUDIO: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (448 kbps) PACKAGE: Blu-ray Disc Single disc (1 BD-25) ADVERTISED REGION: Region A
OVERALL SCORE: 2.0 from a possible 5.0
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Why, How and When to use the Cloud to Drive Business Growth
Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) has traditionally required significant investment in computing resources and software. This includes high-end workstations for modelling and visualization (pre- and post-processing) and high-performance compute nodes to solve increasingly more complex problems. This investment can create a struggle to balance CAE workflow efficiency against rising IT costs associated with software, hardware, maintenance and support.
Today's engineering teams need to deliver more robust and innovative products at an ever-increasing pace. This requires the exploration of multiple scenarios and can be limited by the availability of compute resources. Organisations need on-demand access to high-performance computing (HPC) and data management that can be supported with minimal IT burden. To address these business challenges, companies are utilising cloud computing to augment or replace existing IT Infrastructure. The sheer flexibility, scalability and cost-effective nature of cloud computing are attracting consumers from a wide range of industries.
This seminar will showcase how cloud computing can provide easy access to a high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure and how leading companies are able to run larger scale jobs faster, providing better solutions, foregoing the IT expense of scaling and supporting internal HPC infrastructure to meet a fluctuating and peak operational demand.
Join us to see how Altair's computing solutions provide visibility and control of the entire engineering and simulation lifecycle - delivering ease of access to applications, remote visualization, data management and analytics, secured workload management solution and cloud-friendly licensing.
Cloud solution benefits:
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Engineering staff of every organization looking to harness cloud computing, enabling CAE teams with unlimited possibilities:
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- Learn how to tackle the challenges of CAE on the Cloud and the freedom to truly explore the designs.
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- Understand how to define and meet your organisation's IT priorities.
Analyse case studies from leading companies that have successfully embraced cloud technology.
Event Type: Seminar
Location: Coventry United Kingdom
Date: February 21, 2018


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They were one of Hollywood's longest-running couples, but after 18 years together, and months of speculation on the status of their relationship, "Mad Men" actor Jon Hamm and actress/screenwriter Jennifer Westfeldt have confirmed that they are no longer together.
The couple released a statement to People magazine, "With great sadness, we have decided to separate, after 18 years of love and shared history. We will continue to be supportive of each other in every way possible moving forward."
The couple began dating in 1997, but never got married and have no children. Hamm completed a stay in rehab for alcohol addiction earlier this year and publicly credited Westfeldt for supporting him. They were last seen together at the afterparty for "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp" in late July.
From Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner after 10 years, to Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale after 20 years (13 of them married), Hamm and Westfeldt are just the latest in a rash of long-term Hollywood couples calling it quits, which makes us wonder: Can any celeb couple really stand the test of time?
RELATED: Best Celebrity Divorce Announcements
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The Rock to the Rescue


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Last night was the group show at Mosaic, in aid of Envirofest. For a gloomy Thursday evening, attendance was healthy.
Some grand moments to commit to memory, the number of people who sought me out, to tell me how much they admired my work, was humbling. The camaraderie with my fellow artists at these events which far outweighs any remuneration, but I was most delighted when one of my pieces was won at auction by this lovely lady. Thank you Jenni, and thank you everyone, you spur me on.
Also catching my wings was the confirmation yesterday that I am to be one of the artists featured in the next issue of 'I want your skull'
As soon as it becomes available, I'll post details on how to order a copy.


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5. The ethics of peace: why sustainability must be the basis
Is there a real risk of human extinction?
The third chimpanzee
The norm of extinction
The contingency of human evolution
The brevity of human existence
The myth of "progress to complexity"
The anthropic cosmological principle
Is there intelligent life elsewhere?
Carter's doomsday argument
The risks of extinction
Why have we failed to modify our behaviour despite the awareness of these risks?
The myth of rationality
The true nature of humans
The myth of the cultural basis of human violence
The failure of existing ethical svstems
Is there as scientific basis for a new ethics for peace?
Human evolution will not occur again
This planet is all we have
All species have a purpose
Does natural selection operate at the species level?
Is there a cultural evolution in addition to genetic evolution?
What are the implications from science for a new system of ethics?
Some other possible implications of a system of ethics based on evolutionary biology
It is still legitimate to say that an acceptable scholarly interpretation of the basis of human conflict is the most urgent first step in the elimination of war (Burnet M., 1971)
After more than two decades of involvement in the peace movement, I have become increasingly convinced that we have been dealing with the symptoms of the disease (warfare) rather than with the disease itself or its causes. The medical part of the peace movement has been, surprisingly, as guilty of this error as all other groups. Getting rid of one class of weapons of mass destruction will do little to reduce the risk of human annihilation unless we eliminate the underlying causes of conflict. As a biologist, my particular interest is human behaviour, particularly those aspects of behaviour which are causing destruction of other humans and also of the environment. In this essay I am trying to begin to answer the following questions which I will discuss in turn:
1. Is there a real risk of human extinction in the near future?
2. Given that there is a considerable awareness of a threat to human civilisation, why don't humans modify their apparently suicidal behaviour?
3. Is there a scientific basis for an ethical system that would facilitate peace and sustainability?
4. Would such an ethical system be useful as the basis of bio-ethics?
Is there a real risk of human extinction?
The third chimpanzee
There is nothing special about the species Homo sapiens that will protect us from extinction. We evolved from our common ancestor with chimpanzees about 4.5 million years ago into Australopithecus, known as woodland apes, from which developed Homo erectus about 2 million years ago, Homo sapiens about 200,000 years ago and modern humans about 100,000 years ago. We now know from DNA studies that we differ from chimpanzees by only about 2% of our genetic material and that we are closer to chimpanzees than they are to the other great apes (Wrangham, 1996,p.42; Diamond,1991, pp 16-18). We are certainly made more in the likeness of chimpanzees than in the likeness of God.
The norm of extinction
Of all species that ever lived on this planet, more than 99% are now extinct. There is, therefore, no reason to believe that this isn't the fate in store for humankind. The difference between humans and other species is that we are the first to be aware of this possibility and theoretically could take steps to delay it. Paradoxically, we look likely to be one of the species with the shortest evolutionary appearance if we continue our current suicidal behaviour.
The contingency of human evolution
An understanding of the process of evolution suggests that human extinction on this planet would almost certainly mean the end of Homo sapiens. From cosmology, we now know that our sun, about 8 light minutes away from the earth, is one of 400 billion in a galaxy 90,000 light years wide. Despite the 100 billion galaxies in the universe, the highly improbable chance of human evolution means that it is extremely unlikely to ever be repeated. The universe has been in existence for 20 billion years and our planet for 5 billion years before the evolution of humanity, which came about only because of a freak combination of chance events. These include:
the combination of amino acids to form molecules able to replicate.
the fact that our ancestors were among the few survivors of the radiation of multicellular life in the Cambrian explosion 530 million years ago. This was an extraordinary period during which all the phyla now in existence, the chordates, annelids, arthropods, echinoderms, etc, evolved within as little as 10 million years in what E.O. Wilson, describes as a "period of wild experimentation during which basic body plans never seen before or afterward were invented and discarded" (Wilson E.O., 1992 p.180).
the sudden extinction of the dinosaurs, without which mammals probably would never have developed beyond rat sized. Mammals and dinosaurs had coexisted for 100 million years prior to this extinction, which is thought to have been caused by the impact of an extra-terrestrial body.
the evolution of consciousness.
The brevity of human existence
It is hard to comprehend our irrelevance in the history of the planet which began 5 billion years ago. Multicellular animals appeared only in the last one-sixth of this evolutionary history, while Homo sapiens appeared in the last 0.004% of this period. Gould tells a lovely story which he attributes to the American writer John Mcphee (Gould, 1990, p.5) which dramatically describes the brevity of human history. If we consider the history of the Earth to be as long as the old measure of the English yard, which is the distance from King Henry the Eighth's nose to the tip of his outstretched finger, then one stroke of a nail file on the third finger would wipe out human history.
The myth of "progress to complexity"
As a species, we behave as though we are at the pinnacle of an evolutionary process that is progressing in a direction of ever increasing complexity, but in fact the process has been both chronologically patchy and chaotic, marked by numerous mass extinctions. Moreover, there is little evidence of any progression towards complexity (Gould, 1996).
Most evolution has involved simple organisms, with bacteria being the most diverse, the most numerous and the ones least likely to become extinct (there are more E. coli in the gut of one person than there have ever been people on the planet).
The anthropic cosmological principle
It is difficult to understand how unlikely is the possibility of human evolution occurring again on this or another planet. The argument is commonly made that the complexity of human anatomy and physiology, together with the narrow margin of environmental conditions required for human life, suggest that human evolution is the end result of a grand design. This is the fallacy known as the anthropic cosmological principle, which is complex but worth the effort to understand. Invented by the mathematician Brandon Carter, the anthropic principle can be defined as " what we can expect to observe must be restricted by the conditions necessary for our presence as observers" (Leslie J., 1996, p.189). Basically it is the fallacy we incur by not realising that our evolution and, therefore, our ability to ask these questions has no relationship to the chance involved. The fact that we are here means that certain environmental and other highly unlikely circumstances occurred. It doesn't mean that they are ever likely to occur again.
Is there intelligent life elsewhere?
What about other solar systems and other galaxies? Is there a likelihood of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? This seems unlikely for several reasons. Firstly, there is simply the enormous complexity of environmental conditions required and the impossibly low chance that a similar combination would occur again or that evolution would take the same path, much of which occurred by chance. Secondly, we have received no radio or other evidence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Some argue that this suggests that civilisations destroy themselves as soon as they reach a certain complexity, at which point their technological development has gone beyond their moral development. Along with the radio goes other technology, including the means of mass destruction and environmental degradation.
Carter's doomsday argument
Brandon Carter points out that even on probability grounds alone it is unlikely that human civilisation has an extended life. In his "doomsday argument" (Leslie J., 1996, pp 192-7), Carter points out that if human extinction were to occur in the next generation, we would be among the last 10% of humans who ever lived. If, on the other hand, human civilisation were to continue for another thousand generations, we would be amongst the first 0.01% of all humans who would ever live. On probability grounds, it is much more likely that we are among the last 10% than the first 0.01%.
The risks of extinction
All this would be merely theoretical, however, unless there were real threats to human survival. Some of the issues that seem to represent a significant risk of extinction are:
Continuing population growth: We already use about 40% of the Earth's net productivity i.e. the net energy captured from sunlight. With the world's population doubling every 40 years, we will soon reach the biological limit to growth.
The rising inequality between rich and poor, which will increase the desperation of both groups. The rich will increasingly live in walled enclaves protected by private militia, while the poor live in their ghettos, increasingly involved in the drug trade and organised crime.
Deforestation and land degradation: Tropical forests cover 6% of the world's surface but contain about half the species that exist. Each year we destroy rainforest equivalent to the area of Florida. By the middle of the next century, the only remaining large tracts of tropical rainforest will be in parts of Zaire and the Amazon Basin.
Nuclear war: In 1982, WHO predicted that a major nuclear war would kill half the world's population. While there has been some progress towards nuclear disarmament, the world's plutonium supply has increased to 2000 tonnes, ten times as much as that tied up in warheads.
We have been on the brink of nuclear war at least a dozen times, including the Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam war, Israeli threats in the Middle East and clashes between India and Pakistan (Leslie, 1996,pp 31-2.)
Biological warfare/terrorism/criminality: In 1994, the US claimed that 25 nations were developing biological weapons despite the 1975 Convention. Now with genetic engineering, harmless bacteria can be made to produce lethal toxins. Verification is almost impossible given the small size of the production plants required.
Atmospheric pollution. Including the greenhouse effect and ozone layer destruction
Species extinction: At the current rate of extinction, most of the world's species will be extinct or endangered within the next century. We depend on many of these species for our life support.
Why have we failed to modify our behaviour despite the awareness of these risks?
The standard answer to this apparent conundrum is to question the extent of general awareness of the perilous state of human civilisation . There is undoubtedly a high level of denial and also a widespread belief that technology can solve any problems that arise.
The myth of rationality
I believe that there may be biological reasons for our inability to translate our knowledge of our predicament into sensible behavioural change. I have argued above that our position on the evolutionary tree is not as we have come to believe it to be. We perceive humanity as a highly evolved species with a highly developed cognitive capacity. The real position, however, is that our primitive brains , the seat of our emotions such as fear and hate which have provided survival value throughout evolution, continue to influence our behaviour, often overcoming rational decisions. The relative sizes of the limbic system (the source of the emotions) and the neocortex are the same for apes, monkeys and humans (Armstrong, 1991). No differences in cellular architecture or neural connections have been observed between humans, Old World monkeys and apes.
It has also been shown that the same paralimbic areas, and presumably the same neural connections, are involved in normal human emotions as in pathological emotions (Reiman et al.,1989.) Stimulation of the same areas in non-human primates produces a syndrome consistent with an emotion apparently identical to that in humans.
The true nature of humans
In any attempt to analyse the causes of human violence, it is vital to realise that much of modern human behaviour reflects our evolutionary history. We now know that human violence is not an aberrant behaviour but a manifestation of our nature that has evolved over the last four million years. Chimpanzees, our closest species, demonstrate the same intraspecies violence, with death as a goal rather than an unfortunate consequence as it seems to be in other less closely related species. Chimpanzee violence towards other neighbouring groups is different from that of other primates in that the aim is to kill, whereas other primates are content to see the other group flee. It is clearly not a coincidence that humans and chimpanzees seem to be the only two species who fight to kill.
In addition, chimpanzees and other apes practice rape, infanticide and battering as means to gain and maintain power and to ensure maximum fertility. Rape is particularly common among chimpanzees and orangutans, and among the latter accounts for between one third and one half of all copulations. Rape seems to be the way in which smaller males, who could not otherwise compete with the larger males, have a chance to spread their DNA.
Male gorillas kill infants so that the mother will become fertile again. About one infant in seven dies in this way. Lions also carry out infanticide on a large scale for the same reason.
It is clearly no accident that most violence is committed by males, mostly young males at the height of their fertility. In the US, men are 9 times as likely to murder, 78 times as likely to commit rape and 10 times as likely to commit armed robbery as are women. Overall, males are 8 times more likely to commit violent crime, but similar gender differences occur in non-violent crime, with males exceeding females by a factor of 13 in cases of fraud, 10 in burglary, 8 in vandalism and 7 in drunk driving.
The myth of the cultural basis of human violence
One of the most unfortunate mistakes we have made in the search for peace is to maintain the myth that humans are not by nature violent. The Seville Statement prepared on behalf of UNESCO by an international group of scientists in 1987 pronounced warfare to be a "peculiarly human phenomenon", that "does not occur in other animals". Warfare, therefore, is a "product of culture" having only a minor biological connection. "Biology does not condemn humanity to war" which means that we can unlearn our propensity for violence.
Human history and anthropology suggest that violence is very much part of human nature. In his book, The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee, Diamond lists some of the genocides that have occurred throughout human history. The pattern has varied little in the last 500 years, but the means of genocide have become more powerful. Violence is not a phenomenon that has been introduced into human culture by urbanisation. Global assessment of the ethnographies of 31 hunter-gatherer societies found that 64% engaged in war once every two years, 26% less often and only 10% rarely or never.
Lorenz says that the problem is that we did not develop powerful instinctive inhibitions against killing because throughout most of human evolutionary history, we did not have the tools for easy killing and there was no survival value in such an inhibition. Weapons of mass destruction have upset this balance. The fact that we can kill people without facing them also removes any weak inhibitions.
The failure of existing ethical systems
The final problem that I wish to discuss is that we profess loyalty to a system of ethics and behave in an almost diametrically opposite way. The Bible says we must not kill, but to turn the other cheek, yet we kill in the name of God. The Koran says that the killing of one man is equivalent to the killing of all mankind, yet the Islamic jihad is genocidal. Buddhists are meant not to harm any living creature and yet almost one-third of Cambodians have been slaughtered this century.
It is difficult to know whether the Judeo-Christian religions are losing adherents, but what is clear is that even those who still profess belief lead lives based on motives that bear little relationship to the teachings of Jesus. Despite massively increasing inequalities of wealth, there is little doubt that compassion is diminishing for the meek, the poor, the disadvantaged, and other "failures" in the greed and growth economy. There is now not even a pretence towards reducing inequalities, and socialism has been officially declared "dead".
The religions which are clearly gaining adherents are the fundamentalist sects and other cults that benefit from the emptiness of the lives of the "haves" and the desperation of the "have-nots". This growth has occurred despite the blatant greed, corruption and occasional mental illness of their leaders and gurus.
It is my thesis that there is an urgent need for a new system of ethics based on principles that can gain universal support. I think there may be a scientific basis for such a system.
Is there a scientific basis for a new ethics for peace?
If we examine the scientific evidence from cosmology, evolutionary biology and ethology, it seems to me that we can conclude the following:
Human evolution will not occur again
If human extinction is allowed to occur, it is highly unlikely that our species would ever evolve again, either in our solar system or elsewhere in this or other galaxies.
This planet is all we have
Discussion of colonising another planet ignores the problem of what we would do when we reached there. We may be able to harness enough energy and even grow enough food but what would we do for work, for leisure and for all the other things that are essentially human?
All species have a purpose
It seems, therefore, a matter of the greatest urgency to persuade humankind that there is a scientifically valid purpose for our species, which is both our biological responsibility and our unavoidable fate to pursue and fulfil. This purpose must offer an alternative to the religious view that this life is a preparation for an afterlife and to the existential view that life is absurd and has no inherent meaning.
Evolutionary biology tells us that the purpose of life is genetic replication and that the force behind natural selection can be best defined as inclusive-fitness-maximisation. This means the perpetuation of the organism's DNA, either by the reproduction of that organism or by the reproduction of a related organism sharing all, or a proportion, of the DNA. To provide the scientific foundation for a purpose for Homo sapiens, however, we need to prove that natural selection operates at species level.
Does natural selection operate at the species level?
The currently accepted wisdom is that natural selection operates basically at the level of the gene, despite the fact that evolution has clearly selected genes that have formed into organisms, and organisms that have formed into groups of animals and plants. The question is whether inclusive-fitness-maximisation operates at species level as well as at the individual or small group level. Although natural selection operates mostly at the level of the individual organism, there are animals such as the Portuguese man-of-war, where the individual is a colony of animals. The social insects are another variant on this theme.
Most animals live in groups because it facilitates survival by reducing the risk of predation, because it is unprofitable for individuals to harvest their food source, and because the localisation of some resources forces animals to group together. Humans similarly live in groups because of the resultant increased prosperity and protection against invaders. These human groups are cemented together by cultural adhesives called beliefs, values and laws.
Now that humans live in groups of largely unrelated individuals who have a common purpose and who have gained the capacity to manipulate the environment, one can argue that there is a cultural evolution (or cultural change) that has superseded genetic evolution. Dawkins calls the cultural unit of replication a "meme." One example of a meme is God, a concept which has flourished, although in many mutated forms, because it offers survival value. There is clearly a cultural "evolution" operating in human societies which is absent from most animal groups. Human culture evolves rapidly when compared with the complex behaviour of social insects, which has persisted unchanged for millions of years.
Is there a cultural evolution in addition to genetic evolution?
Comparing cultural evolution to genetic evolution, it can be argued that:
culture is inherited through learning
culture is mutable through mistakes, discoveries, inventions and planning
some aspects of culture survive while others do not
there may be a correlation between cultural change and inclusive-fitness-maximising
Culture can be seen also as a vehicle for genetic replicators by providing the climate for survival. For example, the basis for the incest taboo has changed from genetic relatedness to the fact of being reared together. Evidence for this may be found in the kibbutz, the communal settlements of Israel, where the marriage of unrelated children reared together is almost unknown. In Thailand, marriages between betrothed infants who are raised in the same household do not fare as well as marriages between infants who are raised in different households.
Now that humans can manipulate the environment, one can reasonably argue that genetic selection has been almost entirely replaced by cultural evolution. In view of the fact that successful management of the environment requires the co-operation of all nations, this cultural evolution can be said to operate at species level. Moreover, environmental control is vital if we wish to prevent mutations which would displace us (and our DNA). We clearly have an interest in preventing the development of an environmental niche which would favour the survival of a genetic variant. This would be likely to occur if there were a major environmental disruption such as a nuclear war or climate change.
The school of evolutionary biology, called Sociobiology, pioneered by E.O. Wilson, has promoted the hypothesis that human behaviour has an evolutionary basis and that this has ethical implications. In his book, On Human Nature, Wilson argues that behaviours and cultural beliefs as diverse as altruism, religion and hope can be explained by evolutionary biology. Many of the examples of altruistic behaviour where one animal seems to sacrifice itself for the survival of others is now thought to be due to "kin selection", a variant of natural selection. This is the term given to the behaviour of an animal which favours the survival of another animal that shares a proportion of its DNA. Thus, a parent may sacrifice for an offspring "knowing" that the offspring shares half the DNA and has only to have two children to make the sacrifice genetically worthwhile. Similarly siblings share 50% of their genes, nephews and nieces have 25% and so on.
Kin selection seems to explain much of what Wilson calls "hard-core altruism". This includes the song-call of birds to warn others of the presence of predators, that would seem to put the singer at risk. It includes the curious stotting of gazelles, whereby one will jump into the air to warn the troop of an approaching predator. Colonies of the social insects which are divided into one reproducing queen, reproducing males and non-reproducing worker females presumably also rely on the fact that the queen's DNA is identical to that of the non-reproducing females. Closer to home, the adoption by chimpanzees of orphans of near relatives is the prototype of much human "altruistic" behaviour.
In addition to this " hard-core altruism", Wilson argues for a "soft-core altruism" on the basis of reciprocal advantage. This explains behaviour that seems to offer little immediate genetic survival value but seems more like an insurance policy against later possible risk.
Such reciprocal altruism seems to be evident in the behaviour of apes but becomes most significant in the behaviour of humans. Blood donations are the classic example. Human sacrifice for others not genetically related does not always occur in circumstances where the deed will be recorded so that praise and status will be accorded to the family of the altruist.
It is my view that, despite the above discussion of a possible biological basis for altruism, evolutionary biology has poorly prepared us for the problems we face on an overcrowded planet, on which technological developments seem to have outstripped our moral development. Evolutionary biology does, however, offer an insight into human nature which must be understood if social systems are to be established to reduce aggression, greed and nepotism.
What are the implications from a science for a new system of ethics?
We can argue from evolutionary biology, cosmology and palaeoanthropology that:
1. The early extinction of humans is a real risk if we continue our current behaviour.
2. Human extinction on this planet would mean the end of Homo sapiens.
3. The biological "purpose" of any organism is the perpetuation of its DNA.
4. The increasing importance of cultural evolution for Homo sapiens suggests that the "purpose" of humans is now the perpetuation of the species rather than of the individual.
5. Aggression, nepotism and greed are not aberrant, culturally derived, human behaviours but rather are inherited from our evolutionary past. Rapacious dynastic families and murderous inter-clan wars are not aberrations; they are just examples 0f the way our ancestors have behaved for four million years, behaviour which has been genetically transmitted because of its survival value.
The problem is that we now have the technology to cause mass genocide and environmental destruction. Behaviour which previously offered survival value to individuals and families is now threatening the survival of the species and the Earth's ecosystems. Any ethical system must take into account the true nature of humans and provide appropriate outlets for aggression, such as sport, and appropriate sanctions against socially unacceptable aggression, consumption and nepotism.
6. Sociobiology may indicate that altruism is also a part of inherent human nature, bequeathed from our evolutionary past.
7. If the purpose of humanity is the perpetuation of the species, then sustainability must be the basis of a new ethics for peace. This means the preservation of the ecosystem on which the existence of Homo sapiens depends. I distinguish this system of ethics from deep ecology, as proposed by Arne Naess and reflected in the philosophy of Peter Singer, which is based on the equal rights of all species. Such a view has no basis in evolutionary biology and, realistically, seems unlikely to obtain the support of more than a tiny minority of people. I believe, therefore, that the development of a system of values based on the sustainability of the planet is the most urgent social need we have today. Some cynics may argue that Earth will disintegrate in ten billions years or so anyway but this seems hardly a rationale for acquiescing in our imminent extinction.
Any successful ethical system will need to accept the natural biology of humans. Natural passions, which facilitate the survival of our species, such as sexuality, need to be acknowledged and not denigrated or forcibly sublimated. Natural passions such as violence and self-interest, that do not facilitate the survival of the species, need to be acknowledged but controlled by social programs. Successful control programs will never be developed if we continue to pretend that the propensity to violence is an aberration.
We need to stop oppressing the weak and minorities, not because each person is of equal value in the eyes of some mythical higher power, but because people fighting for survival are unable to care for the environment and have no concern for sustainability. Moreover, they may become desperate enough to wreak major environmental damage through the use of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction.
Sustainability will require concessions from both developed and developing countries. People in affluent countries will need to reduce their consumption of energy which will require a change, if not a simplification, of lifestyle. In poorer countries, people will need to curtail some of their consumption aspirations, particularly those involving increases in the use of fossil fuel and environmental pollution. This level of global cooperation will only be possible with a major reduction in world tension and an increase in true aid and technology sharing. The arms trade must be radically curtailed, not only because it is a major cause of tension but also because it is extremely wasteful of energy, natural resources and human potential.
In Australia, land regeneration and sustainable land use ought to be accorded the highest priority, while the growth of urban areas needs to be controlled so that food growing land is not further alienated. The elimination of wasteful consumption will remove the need to clear our old growth forests and allow massive replanting.
It is useful to compare the basic principles underlying the ethical systems of green capitalism (sustainable development), deep ecology and sustainability:
|Green capitalism
|Deep ecology
|Natural diversity is valuable as a resource for us
|Natural diversity has its own intrinsic value
|Natural diversity is essential for the ecosystem
|It is nonsense to talk about value except as value for humankind
|All species have the same value as humans
|Human depends on acknowledging the common interests of all species
|Plant species should be saved because of their value as genetic reserves for human agriculture and medicine
|Plant species should be saved because of their intrinsic value
|Diversity of plant species is essential for planetary survival
|Pollution should be decreased if it threatens economic growth
|Decrease of pollution has priority over economic growth
|The rate of production of pollution should not be greater than the rate of removal
|Third World population growth threatens ecological equilibrium
|World population at present level threatens eco-systems especially those in developed countries.
|Everybody has the right to live at the same level of resource use that is globally sustainable
|People will not tolerate a broad decrease in their standard of living
|People should not tolerate a broad decrease in quality of life but in the material standard of living in over-developed countries
|The desirable standard of living for all humanity is one which is globally sustainable if practised by all.
|Nature is cruel and necessarily so
|Man is cruel but not necessarily so
|Violence has been part of the evolutionary struggle but now needs to be suppressed
Some other possible implications of a system of ethics based on evolutionary biology
1. Evolutionary biology may suggest that there is an optimal size for human cohabitation. This is likely to be considerably less than that of a major city.
2. Of all the many human civilisations throughout history, one of the few that have lasted for more than 1000 years is that of Australian Aborigines. They are clearly the most successful in terms of living in harmony with their environment. Lessons for us here?
3. Evolutionary biology suggests that much of our behaviour is instinctive or learned during our formative years. The implication is that parents and other role models need to provide children with clear values and guidelines for behaviour. If we fail to teach children the values of a compassionate, sustainable, peaceful global community then, in their confusion, they will turn to other sources of values available in modern society. These sources include television, with its diet of violence, greed, self-interest and exploitation. They include the messages of the Far Right, fundamentalist religions, cult leaders and the growing mass of gambling operatives who exploit the vulnerable.
4. Acknowledging the tendency inherent in the (male) human animal to be aggressive, one essential component of all communities is the provision of an adequate range of facilities to allow all young people to give expression to their natural need for physicality and aggression. At present communities in the Western suburbs of Sydney lack such facilities, the cost of which is manifest in intra-community violence and self-destructive behaviour.
5. Evolutionary biology suggests that young people (including most politicians, given the global trend towards younger people in politics) are unlikely to be motivated to provide the solutions and guidance we need. Younger people are preoccupied with finding a mate (or spreading their DNA more widely) and with chasing goals of status, power and material acquisition. Some older people understand that these goals are both illusory and dangerous and have the wisdom, motivation and time to provide leadership. This author believes that there is an urgent need in our society to reconstruct the "council of wise elders" that our ancestors would have had throughout evolutionary history.
Armstrong E., 1991, "The Limbic System and Culture: an allometric analysis of the neocortex and limbic nuclei". Human Nature, 2:117-136
Burnet M.,1971, Dominant Mammal: The biology of human destiny. Penguin Books. Victoria
Diamond J.,1991, The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee. Random House, London
Ember C.R., 1978, "Myths about hunter-gatherers". Ethnology, 27: 239-448
Gould S.J., 1990, The Individual in Darwin's World. The Second Edinburgh Medal Address, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London.
Gould S.J., 1996, Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin. Harmony Books, New York, NY
Leslie J., 1996, The End of the World: The Science and Ethics of Human Extinction, Routledge, London
Lorenz K., 1963, On Aggression. Methuen, London
Reiman E., Fusselman J., Fox P. and Raichle M., 1989,"Neuroanatomical correlates of anticipatory anxiety". Science, 243:1071-3
Wilson E.0.,1978, On Human Nature. Harvard Uni Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Wilson E.0.,1992, The Diversity of Life. Penguin Books, London
Wrangham R. and Peterson D.,1996, Demonic Males: Apes and the origins of human violence. Bloomsbury, London


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Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter (MVMC) is a Microsoft-supported, stand-alone solution for the IT pro or solution provider who wants to convert virtual machines and disks from VMware hosts to Hyper-V hosts and Windows Azure or alternatively convert a physical computer running Windows Server 2008 or above server operating systems or Windows Vista or above client operating systems to a virtual machine running on Hyper-V host.
MVMC can be deployed with minimal dependencies. Because MVMC provides native support for Windows PowerShell, it enables scripting and integration with data center automation workflows such as those authored and run within Microsoft System Center 2012 Orchestrator R2. It can also be invoked through the Windows PowerShell command-line interface. The solution is simple to download, install, and use. In addition to the Windows PowerShell capability, MVMC provides a wizard-driven GUI to facilitate virtual machine conversion.
New Features in MVMC 3.0
The 3.0 release of MVMC adds the ability to convert a physical computer running Windows Server 2008 or above server operating systems or Windows Vista or above client operating systems to a virtual machine running on Hyper-V host.
Standard Features
- Converts virtual disks that are attached to a VMware virtual machine to virtual hard disks (VHDs) that can be uploaded to Microsoft Azure.
- Provides native Windows PowerShell capability that enables scripting and integration into IT automation workflows.
- Supports conversion and provisioning of Linux-based guest operating systems from VMware hosts to Hyper-V hosts.
- Supports conversion of offline virtual machines.
- Supports the new virtual hard disk format (VHDX) when converting and provisioning in Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012.
- Supports conversion of virtual machines from VMware vSphere 5.5, VMware vSphere 5.1, and VMware vSphere 4.1 hosts Hyper-V virtual machines.
- Supports Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 as guest operating systems that you can select for conversion.
- Converts and deploys virtual machines from VMware hosts to Hyper-V hosts on any of the following operating systems:
- Windows Server® 2012 R2
- Windows Server® 2012
- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
- Converts VMware virtual machines, virtual disks, and configurations for memory, virtual processor, and other virtual computing resources from the source to Hyper-V.
- Adds virtual network interface cards (NICs) to the converted virtual machine on Hyper-V.
- Supports conversion of virtual machines from VMware vSphere 5.5, VMware vSphere 5.0, and VMware vSphere 4.1 hosts to Hyper-V.
- Has a wizard-driven GUI, which simplifies performing virtual machine conversions.
- Uninstalls VMware Tools before online conversion (online only) to provide a clean way to migrate VMware-based virtual machines to Hyper-V.
- Supports Windows Server and Linux guest operating system conversion.
- Includes Windows PowerShell capability for offline conversions of VMware-based virtual hard disks (VMDK) to a Hyper-V–based virtual hard disk file format (.vhd file).
For complete, up-to-date information as well as a download link, please see the following:
Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter 3.0 – http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42497
J.C. Hornbeck | Solution Asset PM | Microsoft GBS Management and Security Division
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Hello Elisabeth Bell Friends~~~
Oh yes it is Feb 25th and time for another wonderful and fun
Create anything by following the Sketch below and remember to use an EBell image!!
AND here is the prize
Made a Mother's Day card
Image is from WOJ~~Blooming Spring Stamp Kit
Copic colored~~skin E21,00,000,R20....hair E37, 35, 33, 30....bouquet G05, YG03,01, R85, jelly roll white pen....Outfit BG18, 15, 13, 11 10, 0000. Cut out with SB mega oval and matted on SB labels 6 using foam tape
Tools used...SB tear drop circle, MS doily, Joy crafts butterflies, Cloud 9 dp's and Paper Co CS, Whimsy notables 2 die with SU teeny tiny wishes sentiment, MS lace, and TH vintage photo ink
Dimensional View
Inside of card--Whimsy Doily die and Joy craft butterfly :)
Entering these challenges~~
Totally Gorjuss #172~~Happy
Inky Chicks #4~~Mother's Day or Birthday
Bunny Zoe~~Flowers and pearls
So glad you stopped in and hope you join in the fun!!!


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When Google announced back in mid-2012 that they were bringing a brand new gigabit fiber internet service to Kansas City, Missouri, we had a feeling that local expansion would happen rapidly once the initial infrastructure was built out. Sure enough, Kansas City, Kansas - right across the the Missouri River - got wired up, followed by Kansas-side suburbs Olathe and Shawnee.
Tonight Google announced an expansion back on the Missouri side of the Missouri river, with the Board of Aldermen of Grandview, Missouri, approving a Google Fiber rollout in their municipality of 25,000. As with the rollouts in Shawnee and Olathe, as well as out-of-state Google Fiber projects in Provo, Utah. and Austin, Texas, there's no public announcement for when exactly residents can expect Google to be running fiber optic lines to their house. Either way, exciting news for the residents of Grandview, Missouri.
And if you happen to be living in one of the Kansas City suburbs that hasn't been confirmed for a Google Fiber expansion, we'd start calling your councilmen and aldermen right away and demanding they approve some gigabits for you too. Come to think of it, we don't live anywhere near any of the announced Google Fiber communities, but that's not going to stop us from nudging our municipal governments to make it happen.
Source: Google Fiber Blog
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text: Are you looking for something to spice up your relationship but can't see yourself going shopping every month at a toy shop or not knowing what to order from an online adult toy store? PashPack is one couple's passion for love and sex that was made into a monthly adult subscription box containing an assortment of sexy adult products delivered right to your doorstep. Every month you will receive an arsenal of potions, lotions, sex toys and bedroom accessories picked by industry experts to ensure quality and spice. You tell them what you like by answering a short quiz and they will pick products they know you will love, leave out the ones you won't, and send you some other things that you might have been too afraid to try in the past! The box is available for Women, Men, or Couples.


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Whether you need someone to execute a project from the very get-go or takeover an existing project, we're always here to help. To get us onboard simply give us a call or request a quote and we'll get back to you faster than you can say, "Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis".
If you're an existing client, the button below answers the age old "What's the url where I can view the stuff they showed us the other day?" question.
Who is Dottystyle? We're glad you asked as this section isn't called 'More about us' for nothing. Read below to find out a little bit more about who we are, where we work, what we're up to and what we do in our spare time.
Our experienced team will work closely with you to make sure your idea is executed to the nano-pixel. From the earliest planning and wireframing to prototyping and build, we make sure the site not only works, but is responsive and user-friendly on both desktop and mobile platforms. We also actively engage with you and your production manager, designers, tester and engineers at every stage of the project.
The best, most reliable web applications are ones built using the right technology. Which is why we help you select an Open Source solution that will best fit your technical requirements and budget. We have in depth working knowledge of out of the box CMS solutions like Wordpress, Joomla!, Drupal and e-commerce platforms such as Magento and Shopify. And if your projects requires bespoke systems, we can build applications for you using PHP frameworks like ZEND and CodeIgniter.
While it may not be our core focus, we love games and we've created applications with gamified components for both iOS and Android. To get a bit technical, we use PhoneGap and Adobe Flex to build singular game code that can be rolled on multiple mobile operating systems. We're also very social and we have a lot of experience building all kinds of Facebook apps for client campaigns.
We don't need to tell you how large a role HTML emails now play in engaging consumers with the campaigns. We take EDMs very seriously. All our campaigns are built to industry standards and vigorously tested. We can also create responsive EDMs depending on your idea and need. We use Email on Acid to test across major email clients and integrate custom templates to email campaign management tools like Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp.
While we're always looking for new ways of doing things on the web, some things just work best. This is why we use the "classic" Adobe Flash and HTML5 to create high-end, rich media banner executions. We can also assist you in dispatching campaigns to publishers such as MediaMind (the artist formerly known as Eye Blaster) and Google DoubleClick.
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Today Julie Isaac (aka WritingSpirit on Twitter) asked: "As a writer, do you see yourself as an artist, an entrepreneur, or a bit of both?"
Aha! I could talk about this! I found my answers wanting to take up much more room than 140 characters, and had to stop myself from venturing Elsewhere on the rabbit trails that presented themselves. So here I am spreading out a bit.
First let me talk a little bit about why I decided to go to grad school for my MFA. One of the biggest reasons was because I knew if I went to school for writing … I would have to write. No excuses. No laziness. My hope was that, in addition to learning about craft, I would acquire habits that I would carry away with me. They would be ground into my life by the heel of academic scheduling and be permanently stuck, and I would write every day and no longer carry around this guilt about not writing, this doubt about calling myself a writer when I wasn't living the life I pictured writers living.
I tried to write the summer before my first semester started–a few paragraphs here, a few there, all in different word documents. I felt pretty inadequate coming into grad school. I wondered: Who else here hasn't really written much in years? How long until they discover my acceptance, my funding, my being here is all a mistake?
I could go on for some time on my insecurities as a writer, but I've only given a glimpse of them here to show what I saw coming to grad school as–a commitment, a dedication, a consecration. This was it, whether I was ready or not.
My grad level workshop was taught by Fiona Cheong. On the second day of class she showed us a documentary on Seamus Heaney (which I *think* was called Out of the Marvellous). It spoke to so many things I was dealing with and experiencing as a writer; but one of the things that stayed with me most was this:
"I have always had the notion that you earned your living and that poetry was a grace."
Heaney also mentioned how long it took for him to think of himself as a poet, because letting himself be called that was like a consecration.
Yes. That was my soul's response to everything in this documentary: Yes.
Overall, that workshop with Fiona was exactly what I needed. I did learn about craft; I felt affirmed as a writer; but I learned very much about the writing life, and that was most valuable to me. The door started to open that let me think of myself as an artist.
My undergraduate degree is in Creative Writing. This caused me a lot of stress in my senior year, because you know, you can't really get a *job* with it. Now granted, it came out pretty well for me in the end–at least for now. I do sometimes wonder what I'll do after the MFA. The funny thing is, people still ask the same question they do in undergrad: "What are you going to do with that degree?"
Well, I am going to write. I am learning a craft, and I shall practice it. Education is not all about utility, and its value cannot be measured simply by economic viability. The crazy thing, to me, is that this is my job right now. I am getting a paycheck. And yet when I'm asked such questions, I still feel pressured to *justify* what I'm doing. And it seems that justification is always expected in terms of money. With varying degrees of seriousness, teasing, enthusiasm, or sarcasm, they say, "Maybe you will be a best-seller. Maybe you will be the next J.K. Rowling. Maybe you will be famous."
Maybe. I highly doubt it. I'm not sure it's what I want.
I used to daydream about it, of course. Up until more recently than I care to admit in public. But now I feel that the writing itself must matter more than any result of it.
Because in thinking of myself as an artist–in thinking of my writing as an art–it can't be a utilitarian thing. Not that I'm opposed to making money or think that writers don't deserve compensation for their work! But the purpose of art, I have come to believe, is to reveal or search for truth. (Fiction is a medium of truth–it allows us to *experience* it, to see it; or it lets us understand it through metaphor or symbol.) In fact, I don't even think writing or art in general is about self-expression, though of course if you commit yourself to writing you pour your self into it; if you search for truth, you can only do so through your own eyes. Perhaps you will discover a truth about yourself or something you have experienced. But therapy and art are different things.
Another reason I don't believe art is just about self-expression is because, if that were the whole of it, why would we even dream of fame, of having thousands of thousands of readers? Writing is an act of communication. It is meant to be read. This is part of the art of it. And I think this is where I stand in terms of WritingSpirit's question. The business aspect of writing, the entrepreneurship of it, is meant to serve the art of it. To get it out there to readers. But it should not shape it.
Art involves craft, and the craft of writing involves making something that can be read and appreciated for what it is. But that "what it is" part is important.
I have come to the conclusion that I am okay if I need to get a job after I get my degree, whether it be as a teacher or something else. If my writing supported me, that would be a dream come true. But in the end, it is more to me than a career. And it is even worth enough to me that I would learn the business aspects of it to get it out there and read.
For those interested, WritingSpirit's question and some of the responses can be found here.
In other news! Break is wonderful. But it needs to be a week longer. I have been doing almost nothing but read, which while arguably unproductive, is very, very wonderful. I've taken a break from Jack London's Sea Wolf to devour Waking Rose by Regina Doman in two days, and am now reading G.K. Chesterton's The Ball and The Cross, which I am enjoying immensely!


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Moisture Chamber for dry eyes provide a chamber to ease the pain for dry eye sufferers and those with Bell's Palsy providing protection for both eyes. Dry Eye Moisture Chamber Goggles will protect eyes from air movement, dust, smoke, sprays and other particulates. Also, the Dry Eye Moisture Chamber Goggles retain moisture helping to keep the eye lubricated.
Moisture Chamber for dry eyes combat symptoms of dry eye such as stinging, burning or scratchy sensation in your eyes that can be cause by Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca, Allergic Conjunctivitis, Chronic Blepharitis, Chronic Meibomianitis, Vitamin A Deficiency, Sjogren's Syndrome, Estrogen or Androgen Deficiency, and LASIK Surgery or Radiation Treatment.
People who suffer from dry eye can often benefit from protective moisture chamber for dry eyes. This type of eyewear can help you by keeping in moisture, reducing tears evaporation and protects your eyes from irritants in the air such as dust. Sometimes, when we have dry eyes, it can be painful to open our eyes in the morning upon awakening. If you are using a moisture chamber for dry eyes during the night you can greatly reduce or eliminate this pain in the morning and reduce at the same time the redness of your eyes.
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text:
Write a story based on a man or woman obsessed and carrying a flyswatter.
The Day of Small Things
"10-4, Karen. I'm at the door now. Over." Pete heard the dispatcher reply and the comforting buzz of other officers in the two way strapped to his shoulder. He knocked on wooden part of the screen door. It looked weathered and original to the woodframe house. In spite of the overgrown bushes, the porch was immaculate. He looked through the gray sheers of the bay window and saw a shadow moving toward the door.
The front door opened and the woman stood with a flyswatter in her hand. It had a white, metal handle with a blue plastic screen that was torn and frayed in the middle.
"Hi, Deb. What seems to be the matter?" Pete looked with concern at the woman staring back at him through the screen. "May I come in?"
The woman pushed the door open and as if on cue, began to cry. The front room was immaculate and inviting; not a lamp or coffee table book was out of place. She sat down on her couch, held her head with one and sobbed. The other hand clutched the swatter white-knuckled.
Pete left her and walked into the kitchen. The cabinets were dangling loose on their hinges, the window was cracked like a windshield. Floors, the counters, the stove and refrigerator were as spotless as the rest of house. As he grabbed a paper towel, he heard a buzz. He noticed a black fly and watched it land, black on the white stove top.
"Deb, that's quite a fly you got in your kitchen. Do you know it circled around me twice? Here." Pete handed her the papertowel and sat on the matching chair opposite the sofa. Deb looked up in horror, wiped her face and stood up.
"Pete, you have to get out of here. Now. Leave. They know you now." Deb ran to the door as she looked toward her kitchen.
"Deb, come on, hon. You can talk to me. We've known each other since high school. You're friends with my wife. It's ok. I'm your friend." He walked to go outside but kept his eyes focused on her.
"Pete, please. Come outside. Please. Outside." Deb whispered hoarsely and wiped her nose. She kept her gaze at the kitchen and opened the door. She walked out but kept never looked at Pete. He walked past her and immediately she shut the door behind them.
"They're here, Pete. It's not a fly. It's--" Deb grabbed his upper arms, the flyswatter near her face. He gently freed himself from her grip.
"Put that thing down, Deb; it's right by my face. Come on. I'll take you over to Dunkin Donut and get you a cup of coffee."
"It doesn't kill them. No. A machine can't be killed, Pete. It disables the ship for a minute so you can get a hammer and crush them. It's the only way. What are we going to do, Pete? We have to call the National Guard. They're here. There are so many."
"Deb. I'm going to call Jim and see if he can get off work a little early. Geez, you're not even dressed. Why don't you throw something on and we'll go. Come on, Deb."
She opened the screen door and stood between the doors as she looked through the window in her door. "Pete, I know it's gonna sound crazy, but you have to listen to me. It's not a fly at all. It's a ship. I've gotten 20 of them. I stun the ships with this flyswatter. I thought they were flies, Pete. I thought I'd hit 'em and that would be the end. They'd just fly circles around you over and over. When you sleep, you can hear them." Her voice deepened. Her eyes looked old and tired. "If you stun them, you can smash them, Pete. But there's always two to take their place."
He took her by the arm and led her to the adirondack chair on her tidy porch.
"Deb. Honey, Caroline has been going through moods like this. It comes with the age. I'll get you the name of her doctor. Since she's been on that bio-identical pill, she's back to her old self, ok? In the meantime, how about I go in and get that little fly for you."
For a moment, he thought that Deb would come at him, but she just stared. She rose up, wiped her nose one more time and straightened her back.
"I'll do it, Pete. Just come in with me and watch."
"Officer Brennan, do you copy?" The operator sounded loud and sane.
"10-4, Karen."
"Pete, Joe's requesting you over on Clifton Park Ave. "
"10-2, Karen. I'll be done here in a sec."
"10-2, Pete." The only other person in the room with any sense clicked off with a button. Pete was moved with pity and sorrow at his friend's delusions. He followed her back in the house and straight to the kitchen.
Deb's flyswatter was up in the air as she ran in her kitchen screaming.
The black fly sat on the white stove top. Deb approached it and smashed the blue net hard on top.
"No more problems, Deb, see--"
"Wait for it."
They stood for a couple of minutes. When Pete would object, Deb would raise her hand to silence him. Out of pity and respect, he waited but nothing more happened.
"Deb, come on. I'm going to call Jim right now. This isn't good. Does he know what's going on?"
Deb began to cry. "Look, Pete. Look at it. I hit it square on. It should be dead. And look. No wings." The black fly quivered and fly directly at Deb. She screamed and swung, but missed. It landed high on the ceiling and then flew at her again, this time land on her hand. She flung it away from herself and it flew out of their sight for a moment. Her hand had begun to swell.
"Deb, let me get you some ice."
"No. No. We have to get them first. Pete, grab the hammer. By the dishwasher, in the drawer."
Pete sighed and got the hammer as the fly circled around his head. He brushed it away with his hand but it came back.
"It is pretty agressive." Pete watched her run around the room and chase the little black speck. She smashed the swatter on the cabinets, then the counter, then back to the cabinets. She was getting more frustrated and hysterical when she finally got nailed it near her phone. Deb grabbed the hammer out of his hand and smashed the fly violently and repeatedly.
Pete took the hammer from her as she stared at it and panted.
"Flies don't bleed, Pete. Flies aren't oily when you kill them. Look, Pete. It's metal. You have to go now. They know you." Pete examined it and tried not to laugh at her face. It was flat as a nailhead with a little bit of liquid that oozed near. Surely a fly has body fluid.
"Deb, come on. Get dressed and you come over. Call Jim and he can pick you up from our house. Ok?"
"Deb, please do not argue with me or I'm going to have to call the paramedics. Do you understand? Take a shower. I have another call and I'll come back. You can have a nice visit with Caroline. Get the doctor's business card. You'll see. I'll give you some time to get ready. Ok?" He looked at her and saw she was ready to cry. "Deb, do you understand?"
"I do, Pete. Please. You have to go. They know you now."
"Ok. I'll be back shortly. Get cleaned up. Caroline will be glad to see you. Karen," Pete said as he walked out the door. "10-2, do you copy?"
"10-2, Pete. Proceed to Clifton Park. I'll patch in Joe." The dispatcher signed off with a couple of staticky clicks and he descended the porch stairs. For the sake of their friendship, he would not say too much about Deb on the report.
"Pete, 10-2, do you copy?"
Pete got into his car and closed the door. There was a fly that buzzed around his head. He didn't
remember them being in there when he got out of the car.
"10-2, Joe. What's up?"
"Can you give me a hand? I have a resident who's pretty disruptive. Says the black flies are alien spaceships. It must be a full moon." The officer on the radio paused for a moment and said, "Now they're bothering me."
"I know what you--" Pete swatted his fly and got it with his newpaper. He opened his window and shook it off. When he looked at the paper, it was clean. "I know what you mean. 10-2, I'll be there shortly." He pulled the car away and noticed ablack fly perched on his paper.
Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved
It's pretty sad when I've been thinking about what to write using this particular prompt.


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(831) 373-2911
2041 Fremont Street Monterey 93940 USA
Facilities Travellers can enjoy a pleasant stay in one of the 22 rooms. Wireless internet access in public areas allows guests to stay connected. Those arriving in their own vehicles can leave them in the car park of the hotel. Rooms Each of the rooms is appointed with air conditioning. A balcony is included as standard in most rooms, offering additional space for relaxation. A double bed ensures a good night's sleep. Cots are available for younger travellers. Additional features include a fridge, a microwave and a tea/coffee station. Other features include internet access, a telephone and WiFi. The establishment offers non-smoking rooms. Sports/Entertainment Guests can enjoy a varied leisure programme thanks to the range of sport and entertainment options available. The accommodation features a pool and an outdoor pool. Meals Bed and breakfast is bookable. It is also possible to order breakfast.


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St. Scholastica will host 375 high school students for Northern TRIO Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.
Federal TRIO programs provide services for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO programs include the McNair Scholars program, Student Support Services, Talent Search, Upward Bound, and Upward Bound Math-Science. Participating students receive mentorship and guidance to attend college and graduate school.
On Feb. 24, 1986, Congress designated a "National TRIO Day" to commemorate the annual achievements of the Federal TRIO programs in communities across the country. Every year since then, the fourth Saturday in February has been observed as National TRIO Day - an opportunity to focus attention on "the needs of disadvantaged young people and adults aspiring to improve their lives if they are to become contributing citizens of the country, and to the talent which will be wasted if that investment is not made."
Organizers of Northern TRIO Day expect to attract students from across the region, as far away as Bemidji. The theme of the day is "Think, Do, Be: Positive." Activities will begin with a traditional Native American drum ceremony, welcoming remarks from St. Scholastica Monastery Sister Lisa Maurer, who is a volunteer kicking coach with the Saints football team, and video messages from Mayor Emily Larson and U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken. St. Scholastica Dean of Students Megan Perry-Spears will give remarks aimed at inspiring the students to strive for greatness in their future academic endeavors.
The day's schedule will include a presentation from improv Comedy Sportz (CSZ Twin Theaters), blood donations through Memorial Blood Centers, Zumba classes, workshops on wellness, academics, and financial literacy, career development breakout sessions, and professional development for TRIO staff members. Students have the opportunity to take part in breakout sessions covering a variety of topics (listed below). These sessions will be held from 1 to 1:45 p.m. and from 1:55 to 2:40 p.m. MNTRIO President Kelli Stegall will provide closing remarks.
Breakout session topics:
-Keep Calm, I'm (Almost) a Nurse: Attend this session to learn about nursing and meet with a current St. Scholastica nursing student to get some tips about being successful in nursing school.
-Understanding 911 (help us help you): Get a glimpse into how the 911 emergency communication system works.
-The Game of Life: Learn about different ways to pay for college, average student loan tuition payment, and scholarships and grants.
-The Best Workshop Ever on Graduate School: Many advanced careers require graduate school. What does this mean?
-Being You: Unleash the fun and creative power of being true to yourself.
-Escape Room: Breakout EDU is the classroom version of the popular "escape room" entertainment trend. Participants will have 30 minutes to "break into" a locked box.
-There is no "I" in Group Work: A session to learn best practices for group projects.
-Medical Knowledge that is Shockingly Interesting: Learn about using an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).
-The Story of Saffron and Grey: Two small-town sisters in business together.
-#AltFacts. Lies. Mistruths: Learn how students find success during their first year at college. Explore the ups and downs of the "W Curve." Hear colorful anecdotes of college life.
-Fire Chief Dennis Edwards will present on, "Do you have what it takes to be a firefighter?"
For more information, contact Northern TRIO Day co-chairs Stephanie Sklors at 218-723-6748, email@example.com or Lisa LaCore 218-723-6675, email@example.com


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Table inspection:
After completion of production, each item is rigorously inspected on a table to locate any remaining defect. Item without defect is passed while defectives are rejected. Defectives are however, repaired if possible. Table inspection is the mainstream inspection method. It is also called "End of the line inspection system". It is the most original inspection system the civilization has discovered in garment industry. Table inspection is done after the inline quality inspection.
|Fig: Table quality inspection
The inspector who is trained must be equipped with the following tools and environment.
2. A measuring tape; another measuring tape fixed on the table.
3. Good quality scissors.
4. Required gummed paper arrow sticker to display location of defects etc.
5. Inspector must have a worksheet /P.O. sheet along with size spec.
6. Inspector must have special buyer instructions, if there is any.
7. For each style there should be an approved sample in close proximity to the inspector.
8. If your factory has a quality manual approved by buyer, check with major & minor defects as per that manual.
9. In absence of factory quality manual, should be use made of buyers manual where enlisting major & minor defects of garments.
Inspection procedure for table quality in the apparel industry:There are some inspection procedures these are following to maintain for table quality inspection in the apparel industry.
- Keep your table and hands clean.
- Take the garments and put it spread on the table keeping the most important zone (Zone-A) in front of you.
- Locate any defect in this zone. If you identify any major defect, mark it and keep the garment in the Reject basket.
- If you identify the minor defects on the zone-A, mark them s major defects. Reject them and keep them in Major defect basket.
- Check zone-II & III or B & C of the garments and identify defects as per buyer's instruction/ manual.
- Quality supervisor or Quality Manager will check major defect basket & Reject basket to check for repairable.
- Repairable garments will go to rework in a separate basket (Properly marked on the basket)
- They will be rigorously inspected separately.
- Garments remaining after sorting out of repairable garments from Reject basket & Major defect basket will be treated as rejects.
- Reject garments shall be kept in reject basket (Properly inscribed on the basket) and they will be under the full care of the quality manager until the shipment of the consignment.
- Garments passed by the inspectors shall be kept in baskets inscribed "Passed Garments". They will flow on wards for lot pass.


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Have you ever been thrown in at the deep end?
Well, it could be literally, like into the deep end at a swimming pool or more commonly and metaphorically, into a new situation with no preparation, particularly, a new job.
Here's the opening episode of a high quality drama series from way back in 1971.
It combines a swimming pool, called public baths at the time, and a very green, new guy on his first day at work.
Take a look too at urban England in 1971 and listen to Cat Stevens singing the title song. There's a lot to enjoy in:
The Deep End!


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Use these websites to complete the tasks on the sheet.
Website 1
Website 2
Website 3
Website 4
Website 5
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Acute and chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in pregnancy complicated with preeclampsia.
Chrisoulidou A., Goulis DG., Iliadou PK., Dave JR., Bili H., Simms C., Redman CWG., Williamson C.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cp) infection is more common in women whose current pregnancy is complicated with preeclampsia (PE) as compared to pregnant women without PE. METHODS: Thirty pregnant women with PE and 30 pregnant women without PE were studied between 29 and 30 weeks of gestation. The presence of an acute or chronic Cp infection was determined by the estimations of serum IgG, IgM, and IgA Cp antibodies. RESULTS: None of the women were diagnosed as having acute Cp infection. Prevalence of chronic Cp infection was 53 and 66% in the PE and control groups, respectively (X(2), p = 0.068). CONCLUSION: Chronic Cp infection is not more common in women whose pregnancy is complicated with PE as compared to pregnant women without PE. Therefore, no association between Cp infection and PE can be established.


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Tale of Tails: Tino and the Surprise Visitor
One of my more scary stories of Tino has to do with a trip we took many years ago. We are not big travelers and we like to take the dogs with us whenever we take a vacation. Frequently we rent a cabin on Big Bear Lake and it's a great relaxing time swimming, boating, hiking. We also like traveling north to Santa Barbara and Ojai.
One summer when Sally and Tino were young, we rented a home in the hills of Ojai for a long weekend. We planned to relax, do some hiking, visit with some friends who lived there and lounge by the pool the house offered watching the beautiful 'pink' sunsets of Ojai. (Since Ojai is lined up with an east-west mountain range, it is one of few towns in the world to have a "Pink Moment" occur as the sun is setting. The fading sunlight creates a brilliant shade of pink for several minutes on the Topatopa Bluffs, over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) above sea level at the east end of the Ojai Valley)
Steve got stuck at work, and since it was only an hour drive, I drove up in the afternoon with the dogs. The place we rented was maybe a 5 minute drive outside the main street in a sparsely populated section of Ojai. The valley is surrounded by the TopaTopa and Sulphur mountains and is really a beautiful area.
I arrived with the dogs, unpacked the car and set out to explore the acre property. It was supposed to be fully fenced so that I could comfortably let the dogs roam, although I wanted to check the fence line and ensure their safety. The property was very wooded with a small open space by the house and pool. There was a path leading down away from the house, so the dogs and I set out to wandering our temporary home.
There was a neighboring house that I could see through the trees and I figured that's where the fence line was, so we aimed in that direction. Tino was usually the 'scout' on our off-leash walks, out in front seeing what there was to see, scouting. Sally usually wandered slowly behind me taking her time. As we were walking, Tino and Sally were off sniffing and exploring having a grand time. I was enjoying the quiet and solitude. And then I noticed a dog walking parallel to us – he seemed to be walking along the fence line because it was a bit farther down the hill. I knew if Sally and Tino saw him, they would run off to play with their new found friend.
I called to both of them so I could put them back on their leashes. They both started back, but then I saw the dog running and started to get a little nervous. It wasn't running towards us, just parallel to us, but I knew the movement would attract Tino's eye, and sure enough he saw it and rather than come back to mom, he decided to go check it out.
I called to him again as I grabbed Sally. I was keeping my eye on the dog so I could judge it's size and demeanor – it looked like a larger dog – maybe 90lb and maybe a Lab/Pyrenees mix. And then I watched as this dog ran up a tree.
I paused and thought, wait a minute…what…what kind of a dog is that? And then it hit me, that's not dog, it's a mountain lion.
I freaked. I had Sally on the leash, but Tino was on his way down the hill to investigate. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't go after Tino with Sally, so I ran back to the house, screaming for Tino as I went, but he was in the prey zone and going after whatever that was he just saw. I put Sally in the house and looked around for some kind of weapon. The best I could come up with was a broom. I grabbed it and went tearing out of the house yelling and screaming not knowing what I was going to find when I got back down the hill.
I was watching the trees overhead and the ground below looking for Tino. Luckily I saw him down the hill, sniffing around the very tree that I'd seen the mountain lion run up. He as excited beyond belief…like he would have taken that lion (fat chance). I grabbed him, leashed him up and ran back to the safety of the house as quickly as I could. I saw no sign of the mountain lion…did I imagine it, was it just a cat? No, I couldn't possibly mistake a cat for a big Lab…
I called Steve, told him to get his butt up there quickly because I was afraid to leave the house now. Then I called my friends who lived in Ojai and they told me that seeing a mountain lion is supposed to be a sign of strength & good luck, so I should consider myself lucky…right. They did talk me in off the ledge though and to say this put a damper on our weekend would be untrue. I settled down pretty quickly and realized that the mountain lion was probably long gone after an hour or so. I was able to sit outside by the pool – with a big glass of wine – and watch the beautiful sunset. And we got another adventure to add to our list of Tino's Tales.
How about you – ever had a run in with a predator? What did you do?
We are joining the Monday Mischief Blog Hop hosted by Snoopy's Dog Blog, Alfie's Blog, Luna Dogs Life and My Brown Newfies
29 Comments
Yikes! Never had a mountain lion encounter – that would freak me out, too! Good thing it was more scared of Tino, than Tino of it.
Jen K recently posted…Monday Mischief 17: Calgary Blue Itself
Exciting story, though I'm sure I would not have find it exciting if I were in your shoes. Glad it turned out fine. 🙂 No chance of us meeting anything dangerous over here… 🙂
weliveinaflat recently posted…Cat at 12 o'clock obstructing the road! =^._.^=
I've seen coyotes but thankfully never when Mr. N is with me. And birds of prey. Have to worry about those too.
Tenacious Little Terrier recently posted…Monday Mischief #9 – World of Octobers
Oh my gosh, that is terrifying! Good on you for getting back out there broom in hand! Do you get mountain lions often through populated areas? Here in Australia the only big thing that can get you are crocs – it's mostly snakes we have to look out for on the trails!
Wow what a way to welcome you. The thing that makes me nervous at the cabin is the wildlife we might run into when airing the dogs at night. There are coyotes and occasionally black bear in our area. We always take the dogs out on leash, but when they start watching something in the dark, it is time to hurry back to the cabin. 🙂
2 brown dawgs recently posted…Monday Mischief–Tail Chasin'
Deer and coyotes but that is about it. I hear that there are wolves and an occasional bear around but we have never run into those, thankfully! Glad you did not get hurt or lose a dog, but it would be neat to see in the wild if the dog was safe.
emma recently posted…Just Say Boo to Poo | GBGV | #ScoopThatPoop
Wow! I would of been scared too!
We get deer, coyotes, foxes and recently a bobcat has been spotted in the area, but the closes encounter has been with deer. They don't seem as timid as they use to be!
Jen recently posted…10 Dog Related Things I've Asked For And Didn't Get
Holy crap! You had my heart rate up! I encounter hawks somewhat regularly, but that's a little different. Actually, hawks have killed two of my girls. We chased off two large black hawks just yesterday.
I'm glad it all ended well with you. 🙂
Flea recently posted…Funny Bone Monday, 45
I'd have freaked out, too! Glad everything turned out the way it did and you're now able to look back on the experience with a smile!
Callie, Shadow, and Ducky's Mom recently posted…National Pet Wellness Month at Our House
I'm not sure what to think now…if it was around here I might have said a bear, but that wouldn't ease your mind much either…Tino sure had an adventurous life…Your 'pink sunset' is like the green flash we get at sunset down in Key West
GizmoGeodog recently posted…All the News That's Fit to Scoop With #PoopBuddy – Plus a Giveaway
Good gravy! I can't believe you kept a cool enough head to do everything you did! It's interesting to me that in those situations where I've run into a rattlesnake that was rattling or a coyote following us – since I've gone through the scenarios ahead of time in my head, I seem to react in a more appropriate way than if I encounter something completely unexpected. I'm going to have to add mountain lion to my hypothetical situations to think about.
On a lighter note – that mountain lion probably heard you hollering and saw the broom and bolted for a safer place! 😉 So relieved things turned out well.
Blueberry's human recently posted…Friday Night Hike
Holy crap was my heart pounding reading this. So glad nothing happened and I bet Tino thought why are you freakin out.
Sand Spring Chesapeakes recently posted…Monday Mischief~Rehab Warrior
Scary! We used to run in a canyon that had mountain lion warning signs, but luckily we never saw one. We often saw coyotes there, but always had the dogs on leash.
Been meaning to go check out Ojai. Except for the mt. lion part, it sounds nice! (We get the green flash here too. You just need to be watching the sunset on a flat horizon – like the ocean. Saw it for the first time a couple of years ago – so pretty!)
Jackie Bouchard recently posted…Monday Mischief: Even More in Awe of Betty White Now
You should go to Ojai, it's really beautiful. Very artsy too with lots of galleries and artisans. The Inn is fabulous too!
Slimdoggy recently posted…Black and White Sunday – Post Run Bond
OMD a mountain Lion! That's craaazy scary. So glad you survived the encounter!
Misaki recently posted…Broom attack!
oh wow! That is quite the encounter….rarely do you get to see a mountain lion! We usually carry bear spray on our hikes "just in case".
A Husky Life recently posted…Training Thursday: How To Teach a Dog To Use a Treadmill
I was tensed up just reading the story….I can only imagine how frightened you must have been! I would have been totally freaked out also. We had a black bear outside our house one night, and I had just let our dog Shelby out when my hubby yelled from the other side of the house that a bear was on our deck. Thank goodness Shelby had no interest….she in fact came running back around and into the house quite quickly after seeing it!
Jan K recently posted…Tuesday's Tails – Adopt Bosley