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HIV/AIDS News
Starting Antiretroviral Therapy Earlier Yields Better Clinical Outcomes : Interim Review Leads to Early End of Clinical Trial in Haiti
Starting Antiretroviral Therapy Earlier Yields Better Clinical Outcomes
Interim Review Leads to Early End of Clinical Trial in Haiti
A clinical trial has demonstrated that HIV-infected adults in a resource-limited setting are more likely to survive if they start antiretroviral therapy (ART) before their immune systems are severely compromised.
On May 28, 2009, an independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) met to conduct an interim review of an ongoing clinical study known as CIPRA HT 001, which is being conducted in Haiti. The DSMB found overwhelming evidence that starting ART at CD4+ T cell counts - a measure of immune health - between 200 and 350 cells per cubic millimeter (mm3) improves survival compared with deferring treatment until CD4+ T cells drop below 200 cells/mm3. In light of these results, the DSMB recommended that the trial sponsor - the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health - end the trial immediately, before its scheduled conclusion. NIAID agreed with the DSMB recommendation, and all study participants who have fewer than 350 CD4+ T cells/mm3 will be offered ART.
The study investigators say this new finding has the potential to change the standard of care for HIV infection in dozens of countries around the world where ART is initiated only when CD4+ T cell counts drop below 200 cells/mm3. Like the results of several recent epidemiologic studies in developed countries that examined the optimal time to begin ART, the new finding underscores the importance of identifying people who are HIV-infected earlier in the course of their infection and starting ART earlier.
"The public health community now has evidence from a randomized, controlled clinical trial - the gold standard - that starting ART at CD4+ T cell counts between 200 and 350 cells/mm3 in resource-limited settings yields better health outcomes than deferring treatment until CD4+ T cell counts drop below 200 cells/mm3," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.
"The number of people who meet the medical criteria for receiving ART likely will grow as treatment guidelines are revised as a consequence of this finding, challenging the global community to supply antiretroviral drugs to all who need them," adds Carl Dieffenbach, Ph.D., director of the NIAID Division of AIDS. "Today, only 30 percent of HIV-infected individuals in low- and middle-income countries who need ART are receiving it."
The clinical trial CIPRA HT 001 began in 2005. It is funded by NIAID through the Comprehensive International Program of Research on AIDS (CIPRA) and is being carried out by the Haitian Group for the Study of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Immune Deficiency Disorders (GHESKIO) Centers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The principal investigator is Jean William Pape, M.D., the director of the GHESKIO Centers and a professor of medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
The trial enrolled 816 HIV-infected adults ages 18 and older with early HIV disease and CD4+ T cell counts between 200 and 350 cells/mm3. Half of the participants were assigned at random to begin ART within two weeks of enrollment, and the other half were assigned to defer treatment until their CD4+ T cell counts dropped below 200 cells/mm3 or they were diagnosed with AIDS. This deferred treatment is in keeping with the standard of care in Haiti and the current guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). The first-line treatment regimen consisted of the anti-HIV drugs zidovudine, lamivudine and efavirenz.
At the time of the DSMB interim review, six participants in the early treatment group had died, while 23 participants in the standard-of-care group had died - nearly four times as many. The DSMB also found that, among participants who began the study without tuberculosis (TB) infection, 18 people in the early treatment group had developed TB, while 36 people - twice as many - in the standard-of-care group had developed TB. These results were statistically significant.
In light of these results, the DSMB recommended that NIAID end the trial immediately and that the study team offer ART to all participants in the standard-of-care group who have fewer than 350 CD4+ T cells/mm3. The DSMB also recommended that the study team continue to follow all participants for another year and make every effort to ensure that participants receiving ART continue their therapy. NIAID concurred with these recommendations.
The study investigators are notifying all participants and have notified institutional review boards and national ethics committees involved with CIPRA HT 001 as well as the Haitian Ministry of Health about the findings of the DSMB. Investigators also have shared the information with WHO, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
For more information about CIPRA HT 001, see Questions and Answers: The CIPRA HT 001 Clinical Trial (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/QA/CIPRA_HT01_qa.htm).
For more information about HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and research, go to www.aids.gov .
NIAID conducts and supports research - at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide-to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The Nation's Medical Research Agency - includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.


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UPDATE: To show R29 readers even more love, Reformation has extended their online-only sale just for you. Now, get to shoppin'.
We've long been fans of Reformation's mix of vintage-then-old-then-new again threads. Walking in there empty-handed is cool, but walking out without something, well, that's nearly impossible. And, with the opening of their brand-new Soho flagship, it just got even more difficult to resist reforming ourselves. The large shop opened their doors on Wednesday night to a host of eager (and well-dressed!) shoppers... of course we've got the snaps! But, better yet, we've got an exclusive 20% off just for you guys! Pick what you love on the website, use the promo code Refinery20, and watch that price-tag drop.
Reformation, 23 Howard Street (between Crosby and Lafayette streets); no phone. Photo: Owen Kolasinski/BFAnyc.com

subset: commoncrawl


text: The video for Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's newly released song starts by re-creating the conditions of his captivity during the 81 days he was held in police detention in 2011, and later dissolves into a dystopian nightmare. Courtesy Ai Weiwei hide caption toggle caption Courtesy Ai Weiwei Opinion Parallels China's Artist Provocateur Explores New Medium: Heavy Metal May 22, 2013 In 2011, police detained Ai Weiwei for 81 days. Now, he's released a song that's turned the experience into a heavy metal protest song, along with a dystopian nightmare video. The lyrics are explicit and angry. Ai says his music is for the many political prisoners who remain jailed. China's Artist Provocateur Explores New Medium: Heavy Metal Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/186008930/186085519" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript


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Ester Peres necesitaba un nuevo diseño de banner publicitario y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 65 diseños de 15 diseñadores freelance.
ThinkCash provides short term installment loans to cover life's unexpected expenses with one thought in mind – the customer.
This campaign is intended to promote our installment loan product, ThinkCash, on various sites including social networks.
Social network users ages 35-54
A set of flash banner ads (open and unlocked) and back-up static banners of the following sizes:
728x90, 468x60,120x600, 160x600, 200x200, 250x250, 300x250, 336x280
For Flash creative, please insert the following click tag –
on (release) {if (clickTAG.substr(0,5) == "http://www.thinkcash.com/?gcid=RLTC002") {getURL(clickTAG, "_blank");}}
The ad copy should read:
Get $250-$1000 as soon as tomorrow!
Choose your own payment plan.
Apply online, answer in seconds!
The static should read:
Get $250-$1000 as soon as tomorrow!
- Please include our logo (attached)
- Fonts, color scheme and images should complement the site and logo look & feel, keeping messaging consistent cross-platforms (attached)
- Be creative but keep in mind we tend to prefer the clean look
- Please use standard fonts, Arial or Verdana
- Flash version CS3 or less


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Latest Weather Blog
High winds moved across north Louisiana
NEW ORLEANS - A line of severe thunderstorms packing high winds moved across north Louisiana, causing damage to several homes and downing trees and power lines. No injuries have been reported.
The National Weather Service says most of the damage occurred along the Interstate 20 corridor late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.
A tree fell on a home in Union Parish and winds caused damage to a home and barn in West Carroll Parish.
Trees are down in Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Bienville, Lincoln, Jackson, Ouachita, Morehouse and Richland parishes.
The weather service says trees took down power lines in several of those parishes.


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Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
| Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program is discontinued. It has been replaced by Cub Scout Belt Loops. (See Discontinued awards.)
Those who earned it before it was discontinued may still wear it, but it can no longer be earned.
|The Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program was discontinued in May 2015. On 01 Jun 2015, with the reorganization of the Cub Scout program, new belt loops have gone into effect.
Cub Scout Academics
Cub Scout Academics was a great way to help fulfill the aims of Scouting--building character, developing citizenship, and encouraging mental and physical fitness. Through the subjects offered in the Cub Scout Academics program, a boy could stretch his mind--exploring the wonders of science, learning to better appreciate the arts, improving his sense of responsibility, and understanding and valuing his heritage. Cub Scout Worksheets were available for each beltloop and pin, although they've since been superceded by the Cub Scout Belt Loops and Nova Awards.
Cub Scout Academic Belt Loops
Cub Scout Sports
The Cub Scout Sports program provided Cub Scouts with the opportunity to become acquainted with and participate in all kinds of sports--summer and winter sports, indoor and outdoor sports, active and less-active sports, and team and individual sports. When implemented properly, the program was an active physical fitness program for Cub Scouts.
A Cub Scout may have participated in Sports activities in his unit, in his community, or by himself. However the boy participated, he would have fun learning a new sport, developing new skills, competing with his peers, and being recognized. Throughout his experience in the program, the Cub Scout was encouraged to learn and practice good sportsmanship, and to do his best.
Cub Scout Sports emphasizes participation of the family by involving an adult partner. The pack would introduce the boy and his family to habits that may carry through many years, although these activities have since been superceded by the current Cub Scout Belt Loops.
Cub Scout Sports Belt Loops
Individual Sports
BB-Gun Shooting
Horseback Riding
Ice Skating
Physical Fitness
Roller Skating
Snow Ski and
Board Sports
Table Tennis
Team Sports
Flag Football
Recognitions for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program
|— Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program Guide, 2003 Revision (BSA Supply No. 34299B)
Belt Loops
Belt loops are awarded to boys who complete the three belt loop requirements in an academic subject or sport. Participation can take place individually or with the family, in the den or pack, or in the school or community. Academics belt loops are gold, and Sports belt loops are silver, with the exception of Archery and BB Shooting, which are copper colored.Belt loops may be worn with the Cub Scout uniform on the Cub Scout belt. Webelos Scouts who have chosen to wear the khaki uniform may still wear the blue Cub Scout belt so as to display the belt loops they have earned.
PinsTiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts may choose to continue their involvement in an Academics or Sports area and earn the pin. Pins may be worn on the Cub Scout Academics and Sports letter.
Earning Loops and Pins multiple times
|— Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program Guide #34299B, 2003 Revision, p.4 & Cub Scout Leader Book, p. 31-1.
Academics and Sports LetterThe Academics and Sports letter ("C", No. 00805)) is available to boys for displaying Academics and Sports pins that Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts earn. The letter, representing "Cub Scouts," can be worn on a sweater or jacket, or displayed or framed. It does not go on the uniform. There are no specific requirements for earning the letter, as it is designed merely to display pins.
Pocket certificateThe Cub Scout Academics and Sports pocket certificate (No. 33711A) is available as immediate recognition for boys involved in the program.
Activity medalsMedals come with blue and gold ribbons and are available in gold (No. 00936), silver (No. 00935), and bronze (No. 00934). Pack leaders may choose to award medals to boys for special recognition in the program.
A trophy for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program is available for presentation to boys, dens, or families at events such as pack and den tournaments. There are no specific requirements for the trophies.
Participation emblemThis emblem (No. 00803) is available to all boys and adults who participate in the Academics and Sports program. Individuals may purchase them, or packs may decide to award them to everyone involved.
External links
- Boy Scouts of America: The Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program
- Academics and Sports page at the U. S. Scouting Service Project
- Cub Scouts Academics and Sports Pocket Certificate, Sheet of 8
- Cub Scouts Academics and Sports Pocket Certificate, Single
- Cub Scouts Academics and Sports Guide
- Cub Scouts Belt Loops Display


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What Do Mormons Believe?
Deseret Book Company, 1992 - 118 Seiten
"Few religions have grown more rapidly in recent years or attracted as much notice as the Mormon Church. Yet despite the growth and attention, most people know little about that church, and misinformation about its beliefs abounds. [This book] succinctly introduces the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the official name for the Mormon Church). Rex E. Lee, president of Brigham Young University and former Solicitor General of the United States, explains what members believe and why, from the viewpoint of a believer."--Dust jacket flap.
Im Buch
5 Seiten stimmen mit dem Suchbegriff "tithing" in diesem Buch überein.
Wo ist der Rest dieses Buches?
Ergebnisse 1-3 von 5
Was andere dazu sagen - Rezension schreiben
LibraryThing ReviewNutzerbericht - dele2451 - LibraryThing
Written by an LDS church member to explain the faith to those who are not LDS. The author's intent is not to convert the reader, but to provide a useful reference for those who are curious about this ... Vollständige Rezension lesen
Saved by Faith or Good Works?
Häufige Begriffe und Wortgruppen
Acts Alma ancestors apostles and prophets baptism baptized basic Bible biblical bishop Book of Mormon called chapter Christ of Latter-day Church leaders Church members Church of Jesus commandments consists divine Doctrine and Covenants earth earthly efforts Ephesians Equal Rights Amendment eternal faith fast offerings foundation of apostles gospel heaven Heavenly Father Holy Ghost home teachers important individual Jaredites Jesus Christ John the Baptist Joseph Smith keys Lamanites Latter-day Saints Lehi lives Lord Lord's Matthew Melchizedek Priesthood mission missionary modern-day Mormon Church Mormon missionary Mormons believe Moroni Moroni's promise Moses Nephi Old Testament Oliver Cowdery organization Paul performed person Peter positions priesthood authority principles purpose Quorum reason receive religious repentance responsibility Restoration resurrection revelation Sabbath sacrament meeting salvation Savior sins Smith and Oliver spirit stake president teach things tithing true truth understanding unto ward welfare women


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Saturday Mornings 9am-10am for children 3 YEARS AND YOUNGER. Playfit opens for general admission at 10am. Guests are welcome to stay past 10am if they like. Regular admission rates apply. Subject to change or end without notice.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: March 10Parents' Night Out!
Later Event: March 13We are OPEN!


text: Find represented in our member websites men from around the world, in any occupation (albeit entertainment is overrepresented!) of any age, living or no longer living, who are considered, at least by a few and maybe by many, hunks! What is a hunk? That's up to you! To this ring manager, beauty is as beauty does. Pictured on this page: Martin Shaw as Raymond Doyle in "The Professionals"; on the NavBar: Scott Bakula as Samuel Beckett in "Quantum Leap."


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Dharma Talk
Of What Does Your Life Speak?
In the Japanese film After Life, people who have recently died are asked to select one memory from their lifetime to take into eternity a moment that sums up their life. What one memory would you choose? This question has led me to other questions: In the so-called end, what really matters in this life? Of what does my life, as I am living it, speak?
In considering these questions, we Zen students might slip into glib Zen-speak: every moment is just this! We might utter rote renderings of the one and the many. We might evade the question altogether by wondering what happens after we die. Or perhaps fear arises that we have not experienced even one moment of intimacy, and we are overcome with regret and sorrow. Still others will emerge with a determination to plunge deeper into their life.
In reflecting upon the common denominator of the memories that were selected by the characters in the film, it seemed that people sifted through their lives searching for a moment of connection, of intimacy. A moment without gap. A memory of a time when they did not feel alienated and separated, when they felt a part of something or were something.
There is a story of a devout woman who chanted Namu Amida Butsu (Be one with Amida Buddha) everyday. When she died, all of her chants were reviewed. Each one that had not been chanted with her entire being was discarded. Despondently, she watched as thousands upon thousands of her chants were thrown out. Finally, only one chant was left. Luckily, this last chant had been chanted as her entire being her one moment and she was saved.
Imagine that each moment of your zazen was examined to see if you were truly doing zazen, and moment after moment ends up being thrown out because you were not truly embodying zazen. What does it mean to embody zazen? We could say this: zazen zazens zazen. In other words, it is not a matter of I am doing zazen, or even a matter of zazen is doing me, but rather any solid sense of I or me has dissolved into zazen zazening zazen.
There are over 80 of us who are enrolled in the course of committing to one hour of zazen a day for one hundred consecutive days. Most of us approach this practice from the viewpoint of how am I going to fit one hour of zazen into my busy schedule? At some point we shift to how can my busy schedule be arranged around an hour of zazen? Then, we begin to ask: what is zazen? Is zazen just sitting on my cushion in cross-legged position? Perhaps I can sit while on the airplane or while waiting at the doctors office. Perhaps on some days I can sit ten minutes here, fifteen minutes there. We begin to experiment and loosen up around what zazen should look like. And we become inquisitive about what zazen is. We begin to develop the patience to experience ourselves.
. . . I am a part of
In Chapter 7 of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha tells of Daitsu Chisho Buddha who sat zazen for ten kalpas in the meditation hall and the Buddhadharma did not appear. In Case 9 of The Gateless Gate, a monk reading the Lotus Sutra is struck by this statement. Why, he asks Zen Master Seijo, did the Buddhadharma not appear? This monks question is our question. We fear that the Buddhadharma will not appear to us. We will not attain Buddhahood, no matter how hard or how long we sit. After all, we can barely manage to sit an hour of zazen a day! What if we sit for ten kapas and nothing appears? What if at the end of this life, we cannot find one true moment?
Daitsu Chisho Buddha is our name. Dai means great, without boundary. Tsu means to go through or pass freely, without obstruction, from one place to another. So daitsu means with complete or total freedom to go anywhere. Chi means wisdom and sho is the best. The best wisdom does not depend on any particular teaching and yet responds appropriately to each situation. This is our nature: functioning freely and appropriately, without obstruction. Can you settle into this? If you say no, then what is lacking? To even think that you lack something is to miss the essential point of what your life speaks.
Why did the Buddhadharma not appear to Daitsu Chisho? What a splendid question, Master Jo replied to the inquiring monk. What is the nature of this splendid? Master Jo is declaring, Daitsu Chisho is who you are! Splendid! Splendid! It is very straightforward: You yourself are the Way. Your zazen itself is Buddhas zazen. The one who is asking the question is already what you are seeking. It is not a question of appearing or finding or becoming. Have this appreciation of what you truly are! But the monk misses and asks again, Why did he not attain Buddhahood? And Master Jo replies again, Because he didnt. You cannot become what you already are.
Daitsu Chisho sat in the meditation hall for ten kalpas and the Buddhadharma did not appear. The meditation hall is not just a room with walls, floor and ceiling. The meditation hall is your very body, the streets of Los Angeles, the world everywhere. Literally everywhere. How long is a kalpa? As we know, it is a very, very long time. But, in fact, a kalpa is just now. We do not need to worry about the so-called after life. There is just now everytime. And what is zazen, this sitting? It is literally everything, all the activities of your life.
Perhaps you are thinking that Daitsu Chisho Buddha should look or feel a certain way. Buddha looks like you. Buddha feels like you. Buddhas life is your life. Accept it. Be willing to be yourself. You are already you. Zazen will not make you become something other that what you already are. Awareness of this is not demanding something other of you. Rather, it is a deep appreciation of what your life is. You are Daitsu Chisho Buddha. Daitsu Chisho Buddha is you. We do not need to be afraid of this reality.
One of the characters in After Life, dead for many, many years, has been unable to find one defining memory. Finally, he comes to a startling realization: I am a part of other peoples happiness. Does your life speak of this? Is zazen zazening zazen? What does your life speak of who you are?


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Last month, my Prop Zero counterpart, Joe Mathews, blogged about a study in San Diego that shows struggling students can be helped when given more time to read.
Specifically, these were middle-school aged kids who took extended length reading classes and made big gains in their reading scores. This month, a new report from the non-profit organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California suggests the long term solution to special education classes and crime in the state should start in preschool.
The report states that for every $1 spent on preschool today, $16 could be saved over the long term. State Senator Mark DeSaulnier (D-concord) agrees -- and he should know. He's the Chairman of the Budget Subcommittee for the Department of Corrections. "California spends $225,000 per year on each incarcerated juvenile," he says.
You know how California is granting early releases for some prisoners due to overcrowding? Seems this could be a long-term fix.
Some local law enforcement officials are encouraging legislators to support more education for preschoolers in order to save millions of dollars on crime in the future. According to Pleasant Hill Police Chief Pete Dunbar, "children who attended preschool where 43 percent less likely to need special education services.
In a Utopian type society we'd have just figured out a simple way to reduce crime in the long term. Real Orwellian kind of stuff. But Utopia this isn't. It's the state of California in 2010 where the budget is 70 days overdue and the red ink totals $19 billion.
Even if the study is true and accurate, would the state really commit more money to the cause? Would the legislature be willing to sacrifice in the short term for a long term crime reduction plan? Probably not. Elections are always around the corner and a promise that won't come to fruition for 15 or 20 years would be ill advised.
For now all we can do is consider the data. Parents of very young kids should at least take note and give their little ones a head start. Who would have thought that crime could have it's roots, and a partial solution, in preschool? Just goes to show what one little book has been saying all along. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.


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Empowering the Audience Since 2005
Metabeam conceives, develops and promotes new forms of entertainment with unprecedented audience control and ease of use. Hollywood has chose Metabeam to enhance a diverse set of titles including blockbuster THE HUNGER GAMES, Academy Award® winner CRASH, science-fiction classic TERMINATOR 2, THE EXPENDABLES, SAW, KICK-ASS and many others.
Simplify Your Technology
The METAMENU and METABEAM brands represent best-practice usability for common user scenarios in digital media. Metamenu modules are rigorously tested and iteratively designed to maximize viewer usability and satisfaction in multiple networked personal media environments.


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New Hampshire at 2 a.m.
The breaking news staffer for Northern New England can be reached in Concord, N.H., at (603) 224-3327. For technical problems, please call (800) 882-1408.
To reach the photo department, call 617-357-8106. AP stories, along with the photos that accompany them, can also be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. Reruns also are available from customer support at 877-836-9477.
CONCORD, N.H. � A Boston lawyer says he is working on a settlement with the staffing agency that sent David Kwiatkowski (kwiht-KOW'-skee) to New Hampshire, where the traveling hospital technician is accused of infecting patients with hepatitis C. Dominic Paolini sued Nebraska-based Triage Staffing for negligence in July, shortly after Kwiatkowski's arrest. He told The Associated Press on Monday that the case is being dismissed and he is meeting with the agency's lawyers next month to negotiate a settlement instead. By Holly Ramer.
CONCORD, N.H. � In a largely symbolic move, New Hampshire is adding to its books Jan. 1 its second law limiting abortion � the state's only such law affecting adults � a ban on partial-birth abortions. It is the only survivor of five major abortion-related bills acted on by the outgoing House and Senate, where Republicans enjoyed supermajorities. By Norma Love.
MONTPELIER, Vt. � At the Lakefront Express Mart in Island Pond, Vt., owner Bob Dexter says he's hopeful about a winter of good snow, good snowmobiling and strong business. Many of northern New England's rural communities depend on snowmobilers to keep stores, restaurants, motels and gas stations going strong, and they've seen a sudden increase in traffic thanks to the snows of recent days.
BOSTON � It was a year when a bear vacationed on Cape Cod, a third-grader dodged jury duty, and police briefly pursued a monster in Boston. Weird news grabbed lots of headlines in New England in 2012. By Bridget Murphy.
� MOUNTAIN RESCUE � New Hampshire conservation officers and other rescue crews are searching for a Quebec man and a hiking companion who may be lost on Mount Lafayette in Franconia.
� HOUSE-SEATING � New Hampshire House Speaker Terie Norelli is shaking up the traditional seating arrangement in the chamber to promote bipartisanship.
� FIRST NIGHT-NH � New Hampshire communities are preparing to usher in the New Year with fireworks, parades and other First Night festivities. Portsmouth and Wolfeboro will both offer indoor and outdoor activities and entertainment.
� SWANZEY ROBBERY � Police in New Hampshire are looking for a suspect who wielded a knife and a gun during a robbery in Swanzey.
� GAS PRICES � Gas prices are up in New Hampshire. The website gasbuddy.com says the average retail price for a gallon of regular gas rose 3.5 cents per gallon in the past week, to an average $3.38 a gallon.
� PEASE EXPANSION � Officials at New Hampshire's Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth say 2013 looks like it's going to be a banner year.
� HIGHWAY DEATHS � The head of New Hampshire's highway safety agency says a warm spell back in March contributed to an increase in traffic fatalities this year.


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Erin's Pavilion at Southwind set to open this fall
Developers rely on "team approach" for park's plans
Before developers installed the children's playground at Edwin Watts Southwind Park, they spent an entire day discussing their options with representatives from United Cerebral Palsy Land of Lincoln, Sparc and the Hope Institute for Children and Families.
Diane Mathis, a lead developer for the new 80-acre "all-abilities" venue near the intersection of Interstate 55 and Toronto Road, says the
playground she initially pegged as last on the list emerged as the special task
force's top choice.
"We just don't know everything," Mathis says. "Instead of us thinking that we do, we've reached out to groups that work with individuals with disabilities. That's how we're doing everything — from a team approach."
Due to developers' meticulous planning, plus months of rainy weather, Mathis confirms that they'll open Southwind Park in spring 2010. The park, which caters to children with extreme physical and mental disabilities, was originally scheduled to open in August.
The park district already allocated $8 million to the project through special
recreation tax funds and general obligation and revenue bonds, says executive
director Mike Stratton, but now the cash-strapped organization can save an
extra $144,000 in operating costs due to the opening date change. Plus, he
adds, more amenities will be ready for public use by next spring.
In the next two months, Mathis says, they'll finish the 2.5-mile urban pathway, color-coded in four different colors so people with cognitive disabilities can navigate through the park; the sports courts, which include bocce ball, shuffleboard and horseshoes; the picnic shelters; the lakeside gazebo; and irrigation and plantings for the sensory gardens.
Other park features in the works include an outdoor amphitheater, a children's museum, an indoor recreation/sports complex, three fishing piers, and an accessible treehouse.
Erin's Pavilion, the park's 15,000-square-foot welcome center, is scheduled to open in November. The
pavilion will exceed Americans with Disabilities Act standards for
accessibility and achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Platinum certification for its renewable-energy efforts. It's been a challenge, Mathis says, but they hope the finished product will serve
as a national model in both arenas.
"We want to see this function," Butch Elzea, the park's other lead developer, agrees. "The whole reason we're building this isn't to look at it, it's got to function."
In addition to rental space, the building features a 3,000-square-foot terrace, four program rooms, family locker rooms with showers and special calming rooms for children with disabilities. The combined use of solar panels, a wind turbine and a geothermal system will pay for at least 80 percent of the pavilion's energy costs, Mathis says.
Developers estimate that the Southwind Park project will cost $16 million. In
addition to park district funding, Mathis says, they've secured more than $1 million in cash donations, $3.5 million in grant awards
and more than $2.5 million in in-kind contributions.
Leslie Sgro, the park board president, says Mathis and Elzea have moved the park
along at an impressive speed. They started from the ground up in 2006 [see "How to build partnerships," Aug. 7, 2008] with the installation of water, sewer and electric and have
committed themselves to Southwind Park's success ever since.
"We've set a lot of very ambitious targets, and we're making them," Sgro says.
Contact Amanda Robert at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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They're back. Raise your hand if you and your girlfriends are kicking off your bachelorette party with the new SATC2 movie.
Right, everyone.
Yay! SATC2! More of Carrie & Co.,more of Mr. Big, and AIDAN!
Sorry. I'm pretty pumped about Aidan.
Honestly, when I first saw the trailer for the new SATC movie during the previews of Valentine's Day (yeah I know. I went for Julia, NOT Taylor Swift, who I hate now because she stole my TV boyfriend, and butchered her duet with Stevie Nicks. Stop flipping your hair around and sing little girl, sing! She can't. It's not her fault.)
I digress.
Anyway… when I saw it, I told you, 100 women gasped at once and sucked all the oxygen out of the room, and the men let out a collective groan. The only thing I came away with was, "WTF are they doing on camels?"
BUT NOW… it's getting closer. It's like jumping on the October baseball bandwagon when the Red Sox actually make it to the World Series! Do it! I can't help myself. That, and I walked by Bergdorf's today on my way to work, and OMG. I can't wait!
As Rachel Zoe would say, "oh my god… I die." And I did.
So if you're planning a SATC party to welcome back the ladies, here's some fun plans to kick it off. First, from one of my super fav blogs Hostess with the Mostess, SATC printables! Napkin rings, cupcake toppers, perfect for the cosmos cupcakes! See below… delish.
And if those cupcakes weren't enough, check out these adorable Lily-inspired cupcakes from Jen over at Second City Soiree. These are too cute. You know in the trailor, when Lily turns and lays her red frosted fingers on Charlotte's white skirt… GASP. These are just too cute for words. Oh, and Jen has super cute SATC2 printables on her site too. Check them out!
And finally… what's a party without some cocktails. The ladies of SATC2 would more than likely get carried away with cosmos, but why not some bubbly? Check out these super fun character inspired champagne cocktails from Jeanne Benedict over at Celebrations.com. If you're not into the bubbly, check out Charlotte's Chocolatini, Samantha Stinger, and Carrie's Wedding White Cosmo
Whatever you decide to do, wear something fabulous and enjoy being with your best girl friends, while we wait and see what the fab four are up to in the second SATC2 installment.
Just a little something to get you even more excited then you already are!


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Oakwood and Drake Hall inmates working in prison call centres
Convicted criminals in the West Midlands are being paid to work in call centres inside their prisons.
Inmates at HMP Oakwood, near Wolverhampton, and Drake Hall, in Staffordshire, carry out market research for insurance companies.
The Centre for Crime Prevention said the project was "incredibly naive".
But the Ministry of Justice said it was a pilot scheme which may be rolled out further if it is successful, and added the prisoners have risk assessments.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said: "We do not want prisoners sitting idle in their cells when they should be working towards their rehabilitation.
Sensitive information
"We prepare offenders for work inside prison so they can get a job after release - this reduces the chances that they will reoffend in the future, meaning lower crime and fewer victims.
"All prisoners working in call centres are risk-assessed and stringent security measures are in place, with calls supervised and recorded."
She said the small pilots are being monitored and would only be increased to other prisons if they were deemed successful.
She added the workers cannot see sensitive information about the people they are calling, such as addresses.
The phone numbers of customers are also protected as all calls are routed through a computer.
"At no point can they ask the value of items, record data outside of the secure systems or deviate from a carefully-worded script," she added.
The spokeswoman could not say whether any other prisons have similar schemes, nor which companies run the ones mentioned above.
She confirmed the work is taking place within the confines of the prisons.
On their websites, both facilities say work opportunities are available for inmates.
'Risk assessed'
Alex Hewson from the Prison Reform Trust said they supported the scheme.
"We encourage this type of scheme because it develops skills that may prove to be useful for the workplace generally, and gives prisoners a greater chance of getting employment on release," he said.
"I can understand why there may be concerns but the scheme is risk-assessed and I think it's really important those people get opportunities to help them resettle."
A statement from G4S, which runs HMP Oakwood prison, said: "The call centre at HMP Oakwood is one of many partnerships we run with businesses, and enables prisoners to work towards apprenticeships and industry-recognised qualifications.
"All the prisoners are carefully security checked and interviewed before working in the centre, calls are made remotely by computer, and every conversation is closely monitored by supervisors. No information from the calls is stored and there is no way any personal information can be used for any criminal purposes."
Oakwood is a male prison and Drake Hall is for female offenders.


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300 YA Advanced Teacher Training
During this 300 hour Spiritual Evolution program, be prepared to have 'all of you' show up! No labels, just love people! Love for the shadow that has gotten you to this point in your life that you are ready to transform and transcend. Give yourself a big hug, because there is no exclusion....love for all parts of self! There's no candy coating, no sugar plum fairies, no rocks to hide under...be prepared to get spiritually real! Uma


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Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Book of Genesis, the first-created man and woman. In the Septuagint (though not in liturgical texts or icons), Adam's wife is identified with the name Zoe ("life").
Adam and Eve are primarily remembered in the context of the Fall. They are remembered for the suffering which they share together because of their sin: eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam is traditionally identified as the one ultimately responsible for the introduction of sin into humanity, but in the creation accounts of Genesis, both Adam and Eve are listed as having been created without any sense of subordination of one to the other. Thus, Adam's place is not as a lord over Eve, but rather as the representative of the family. As such, he is her equal, but the introduction of human sin is placed at his feet.
In terms of their place in theology, Adam and Eve are the starting point for anthropology, which is the doctrine of the nature of mankind. Additionally, in terms of soteriology, Adam and Eve are seen as types of Christ and of his mother, the Theotokos, who are the New Adam and the New Eve, respectively.
Though the couple are remembered most for their sin, many icons of the Resurrection depict Christ raising Adam and Eve out of their tombs. In many icons of the All Saints type, they are depicted as worshiping at the throne of God, and the traditional nimbus (halo), signifying holiness, is around each of their heads. There are also many liturgical references to Christ's redemption of "the first-created." Therefore, the Church's tradition could be taken literally to indicate that they are among the saved. However, Adam and Eve are also quite often used to indicate fallen humanity collectively, especially in contrast to Jesus Christ, the new Adam. This figurative use leads many to see them as literary devices to describe a reality lost in prehistory but essential to the self-revelation of God in Christ.Forgiveness Sunday, the final day of pre-Lent. The faithful are given the opportunity to consider man's fallen state which is our inheritance, the benefits of fasting which our first parents ignored by breaking the fast, and the consequences of disobedience which are spiritual death and destruction.


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At some point over the summer I want to make the website more... gooder. This includes sizing down existing images to make it more dial-up friendly, as well as making the images better looking (new title image, new "archives, news, art, etc", new What Was, What Is, Look Back, Look Ahead, all that stuff).
Other ideas include breaking the art section into two new pages, Fan Work (to include any non-art by fans if I ever get it) and My Art (just stuff by me). I also was thinking about making the title image rotate between random characters, somewhat like what my current "Like PD, You'll like:" thing.
I don't plan on going back and fixing spelling errors on everything, but might give a few pages a look through for that.
Anyhoo, if anyone has suggestions this is where to post them. Changes to current pages (website pages, not comic pages, mind you), ideas for new pages, etc. I'm looking for ideas.


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This is handy if you get arrested for driving after drinking too much, uh, coffee.
The coffee cup sleeve is an ad for Brandon's Bail Bonds.
"You have to come up with new and unique ideas," owner Brandon Drake said. "Everybody does the flashlights, matchbooks, coasters, stuff like that."
That might work with your ordinary knave, ruffian, skel and other criminal element.
"With this economy, we're finding a lot of decent folks are making bad decisions, such as kiting checks," Drake said. "There's a whole new market needing a service of this kind. What better way than coffee?"
It also gets in the hands of potential cosigners to take liability for the bond. "Folks who are employed," he said. "That's usually who goes to the coffee stands."
Coffee cup ads are an economical way for businesses to tout their brand. Drake said he paid $100 per 1,300 recycled cardboard sleeves with his logo and slogan: "If the Devil made you do it, I'll get you through it."
He supplied sleeves to about six stands in Snohomish County, including 13 Buffalos Coffee Company on Rucker Avenue near his agency in downtown Everett.
For Buffalos owner Elizabeth LaCasse, the free sleeves are a perk.
"Anything to offset costs these days is great," she said. "It probably saves me $25 a week."
Still, she's selective. She previously took sleeves from firefighters promoting CPR but turned down a sketchy repair business. Her best supplier was a casino's coupon worth $10, but that ended when some entreprenuerial types started selling the sleeves for $5 each in the casino parking lot.
Drake and his staff frequent LaCasse's stand. "Otherwise I might have been kind of iffy about throwing a bail bonds out there: 'Hey, we serve coffee and we know people who will get you out of jail,'" she said.
The sleeve isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card. It's not even good for $10 off. Bail bonding is cut-throat business.
"This industry has a touch of evil to it because you're dealing with money and everybody wants a piece of the pie," Drake said.
He got entangled in one of his cases in 2011 when he accepted a riding mower as bail collateral, and it turned out to have been stolen, according to court papers.
Drake has an active state license as a bail bondsman, as do a few dozen other agents in Snohomish County.
Courts and state law dictate the protocol and procedure, so it comes down to marketing to set one bail bondsman apart from the next. Bail bond offices often use garish signs and catchy slogans to stand out.
Jail Sucks Bail Bonds, a statewide company with an office in Everett, has a becausejailsucks.com domain with merchandise that includes "My grandma was Inmate of the Month" T-shirts.
Drake's shirts have to be earned. "We used to do punch cards: Four bails and you get a free T-shirt," he said.
He didn't get any business from the first week of coffee sleeve promotion, but he's optimistic. "I can't imagine something can't come out of it," Drake said.
You never know, though. It could backfire.
"Maybe it will make people think twice," said Buffalos barista Serenity Lundquist.
Andrea Brown; 425-339-3443; firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Events Calendar
Lecture: David Cay Johnston
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and best-selling author David Cay Johnston present his lecture, "The Role of Media in 2019 America." The lecture is free and open to the public.
Date: April 3, 2019 - April 3, 2019
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Cleary Family Auditorium, Kearney Hall
Hosted by the Department of Media and Communication
Lecture Summary: The role of journalism in informing our democracy faces a host of new challenges, high among them a breakdown of the four century old model for financing news with advertising, the persistent and unprecedented attacks on journalism from the White House, and the rise of "fake news" spread by mendacious websites, cable "news" shows and radio broadcasts, as well as foreign intelligence services, which have found news manipulations are a cheap way to undermine democracy in America and Europe. In addition we live in an era when the calculated murder by a foreign government of a Washington Post journalists draws only shrugs from the White House.
About David Cay Johnston: For 46 years David Cay Johnston has written critically of his trade, journalism, often rankling peers and his own editors. He is the only journalist whose work forced a broadcast chain — one of the nation's most profitable -- to shut down after he exposed news manipulations and blackouts.
Johnston is a Pulitzer Prize winner, a former president of the 5,700-member Investigative Reporters & Editors, a former Columbia Journalism Review columnist and the co-author of guides on how to cover the police and nonprofits. He has lectured journalism on every continent except Antarctica.


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Dependable Comfort
Relax and unwind in our outdoor pool
Wake up each morning to free 8-item SuperStart breakfast and a free copy of USA Today. Use our free WiFi to plan your day. Work out in our onsite gym, or unwind in our outdoor pool. Our hotel features guest laundry facilities, suites, accessible rooms, and free parking for your car, truck, or RV.
Real Local Experiences
Watch a race, catch some football, or see cowboys in action
See the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Head to Zero Gravity Thrill Park, or catch a race at Texas Motor Speedway. Watch cowboys drive cattle through the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, and mosey over to Billy Bobs Texas for live music, live and mechanical bull riding, and line dancing. We are within six miles of Sundance Square, downtown Fort Worth, and the Fort Worth Convention Center.
Meetings and Events at Our Super 8
With 600 square feet of event space, our hotel features 1 meeting room, which can be arranged to accommodate 70 conference guests or 64 banquet guests. Plan your next meeting or special event with us. We also arrange great rates for groups — large or small.


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VW/Audi tuner Abt Sportsline has launched its hotted-up version of the 4.2-liter V8-powered Audi Q7, giving it a boost to 500 horsepower. Such extra juice gives the Audi Q7 bus a 0-to-60 time of 5.9 seconds and new top speed of 162 mph. Ok, so it's not a rocket ship, but we just had an idea. How about a kind of Craftsman Series that pitted German full-sized SUVs against each other on the oval? Maybe it could be called the Kraftwerk Series. Who's with me?
Abt AS7-R und Abt AS7 - Die besondere Variante des Performance SUV [Abt]
Abt Pupil: Tuning Volkswagen's Jetta TDI [internal]


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Let's take a rocket to a galaxy of brightly colored planets and meet some friendly aliens and robots along the way. Create your own Outer Space scenic mural with this set of repositionable wall stickers. Jump on board the spaceship of your choice and explore the universe... all on your walls! And whenever you're ready for a new adventure, you can move the designs around and start all over again. This product is printed on clear material for a "stenciled" look. White or light colored walls are recommended for best results. 35 decals on 4 - 10" x 18" sheets. Decals range from 9.25" x 9.25" to 1.25" x 1.25". Made in the USA.
- Item #: 5-RM-05


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Gareth Haslip, managing director, Global Head of Insurance Strategy & Analytics is responsible for delivering customized investment solutions to (re)insurers to achieve their objectives within the risk, regulatory, capital, and accounting environment of their business. Gareth is a qualified investment actuary with 15 years of industry experience and holds a PhD in Actuarial Science from Cass Business School.
(All sites are in English)


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DAXKO necesitaba un nuevo diseño de impreso o envases y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 64 diseños de 18 diseñadores freelance.
DAXKO, a dynamic provider of software for non-profits, is looking for a distinctively designed template for print collateral – specifically 1-page, two-sided sales sheets (design will also be used in creation of business cards, PowerPoints, etc.). Design should convey our positioning and unique culture, described below.
DAXKOis a leading provider of Software as a Service to the non-profitsector. Primary positioning points for the company are Trust,Innovation, and Results. Primary positioning points for DAXKO'ssoftware and services are Efficiency, Growth, Visibility, Security, andAccessibility. Our competitive differentiators are our innovativePeople, our smiling Services, our Software-as-a-Service Delivery, ourinvolved User Community, and our customer-focused Product Vision. Wehave a unique culture: we work hard; we laugh hard. We have meetings;we have marathons. We create opportunity; we welcome responsibility. We stand together to face challenges, and we run over each other whenthere's cake in the kitchen. To get a better feel for the company,visit us on the Web, Facebook and Flickr.
Another thing to keep in mind: DAXKO is always all caps.
- Template for print collateral – specifically 1-page, two sided sales sheets - Icons to represent the positioning points:Efficiency, Growth, Visibility, Security, and Accessibility - Ability to apply design look and icons in other media, e.g., PowerPoint, website, etc. - IKEA-like colors - Environmental feel (sky, leaves, grass, water), without looking like an environment advocacy group - Clean and professional (our audience does not wear a suit, but they do mean business) - Friendly and fun (we like to have fun and so do our customers) - 2.0 Edge
- Thedesign needs to emulate the website, not imitate it. In other words,while we don't want the website to drive and/or limit your ideas, we dowant someone who receives our collateral and then goes to our websiteto feel they are still at the same company. - No cheesy stock images - Nothing too buttoned up - Not too busy – white space is good


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The catering business is a whole new world altogether, which demands a combination of great knowledge about food and people's skills along with marketing sense to succeed. Success doesn't depend on any sort of magic recipe – it takes hard work, honesty, humility and also the ability to evaluate one-self. And, if in case you fail to view your catering business objective, then you will also fail to understand the areas, which need improvement too. So, here are 5 secrets to ensuring success of your catering business.
Try and Be Humble
The first thing that every person in business should admit is that you always don't know everything. This is the major secret for any sort of business and also the hardest obstacle to overcome for some people in any line of business. And, the sooner you admit this, sooner you will see skilled people around you as strength and in return your business will benefit.
Be Specific
Be very specific about your needs, while you hire your staff. Never forget that every person you hire is somehow going to represent your company in the outside market. And, if that person fails, you can be sure that your business is going to suffer too. It might be a little pricey to hire qualified people and competent professionals but in the longer run, it will totally be worth it. Make sure that you hire capable and intelligent people who might add strengths to your company by letting it grow bigger.
Act Professional
There are many points that can be included here. However, the major criterion of building good reputation is to do things exactly the way you promised your clients. Also make sure to be early with your work as there is nothing more painful than worrying about the arrival of the caterer. Also, never be too greedy and book several events at the same time that all the things fall out of places. This will not just disturb your business but it will also drive you insane with the increasing stress.
Network Is Crucial
Most of the people in the catering business and restaurants are good and at some point in your life, you will be working with them. Hence, it is important to build good relationships with them and this can be done by scheduling few networking sessions so that everyone in this business line gets to know each other. They might be your competitors but what you must not forget is that they are your peers too.


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Farwater Conch
Zai the Outcast - Farwater Conch [edit]
Error retrieving item info
15% chance to drop from Zai the Outcast.
Zai the Outcast[edit]
- Other drops include: ilvl 430, rare quality Bracers. Nine in all. One for each spec.
- Has a chance to also drop Small Bag of Goods
- 2,442,384
A tall drink of Jinyu[edit]All Jinyu rares have the same set of abilities.
Water Bolt is interruptable, but the damage is negligible in comparison to Torrent. Players should save interrupts for Torrent.
Torrent is a channeled spell with a cast time. This spell does 28% of a players health in damage per second, so it should be interrupted during the cast.
Rain Dance is a Jinyu Rare's most deadly ability, capable of one-shotting an equal level player if hit. It has a cast time and channel and is immune to interrupts, but can be stopped by stuns or knockbacks. Players should save these until after the Jinyu has completed the cast and begun the channel, or it will just start casting the spell again after the effect wears off. If no stuns are available players should slowly side step around the Jinyu while he is casting, staying ahead of where his Rain Dance water droplets fall.
Was this guide helpful?


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Fixed Income: Emerging Markets Debt
Emerging Markets Debt
Our emerging market debt strategies seek to provide clients with greater return potential and the ability to boost their income and yield by investing in diversified portfolios of emerging market debt securities issued by governments or companies (in both U.S. dollars and local currencies).
Emerging market debt provides investors with opportunities to diversify portfolios and boost long-term returns.
We believe that our multi-dimensional, disciplined emerging market debt investment process can help generate strong risk-adjusted returns for clients. We seek to achieve this in our emerging market debt strategies by combining macroeconomic research with fundamental country and credit analysis.
This approach allows us to offer strategies covering emerging market corporate debt, and hard currency and local currency sovereign debt, as well total emerging market portfolios combining equity and debt allocations.


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Ed lover & Maino Speak On The State Of N.Y Rap Game! "Its Time For NY Niggas To Stand Up For NY"
Maino & Ed Lover Talks About State Of The NY Rap Game @ His Meet-n-Greet
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


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Welcome to the latest issue of Byways, featuring our annual Great American Roads edition. In this issue we feature a number of Great American Roads, including the Lincoln Highway, America's first transcontinental highway.
Our coverage also includes Dutchess, the Heart of New York's Hudson Valley. Learn about this amazing place, just 90 miles from New York City!
Click here or the cover the begin reading the latest edition of Byways.


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Reminder that May's Virtual Tasting takes place on Thursday May 27th. The wine is the 2006 Kiona Lemberger. Read more about it here.
A round-up of stories on Washington wine from May 15th to 21st.
From around the country…
The Anchorage Daily News makes Hedges 2008 CMS White their wine of the week.
The Wall Street Journal (blog) writes about Kyle MacLachlan.
The Boise Weekly writes about Washington red blends.
Wine Spectator writes about Washington looking for more visitors.
The Memphis Daily News writes about Hogue's 2007 Red Table Wine.
From the blogosphere…
Paul Gregutt writes about aMaurice. He also writes about volcanoe wines and a Frescobaldi visit to Walla Walla.
Drink Nectar writes about the upcoming #WAWine event. Josh also looks at a couple value wines and writes about local coverage of HR5034.
Woodinville Wine Update writes about winners of the WBC-or-Bust competition. Shona also writes about the Iron Vintner Challenge.
Wine Predator writes about a whirlwind wine trip.
The Terroirists write about the 2006 Browne Family Cabernet. They also do a video post on Viognier.
Wine Library TV writes about #WAWine and offers up some wines for sale for the event.
Yak Yak Wine writes about Rattlesnake Hills. He also offers WBC attendees a chance to make a deal.
Through the Walla Walla Grapevine writes about Wine Press Northwest's Insider's Guide to Walla Walla. Catie also writes about the upcoming WAWine event.
AvalonWine.com writes about Abeja.
The Oregon Wine Blog writes about King's Estate. They also write about the upcoming Washington wine event - #WAwine.
Hollywood Hills Vineyards writes about Spotted Winged Drosophila.
WAWineman writes about Challenger Ridge Tempranillo. He also writes about the 2006 Arbor Crest Chardonnay, Hollywood Hills Vineyards 2009 Estate Chardonnay, and Columbia Crest 2006 Zinfandel.
Wine Peeps writes about a Washington Syrah dinner. They also write about the Columbia Winery Syrah.
Write for Wine writes about #WAWine and the Seattle Wine Awards.
Wine and Beer of Washington State gives a Seattle Wine Awards preview.
Cork'd writes about the increase in wine sales in April.
AgInfo.net writes about Walla Walla Spring Release.
Northwest Wine writes about Columbia Crest.
Purple Café interviews Derek DesVoigne.
Wine Foot writes about the 2005 OS Ulysses.
750ml writes about WBC-or-Bust.
Wine Chick's Guide to Inexpensive Wine writes about Chateau Ste. Michelle.
The Wine Cask Blog writes about Maryhill's 2006 Sangiovese.
Cellar Door writes about Efeste.
NW Wine and Real Estate writes about Forgeron Cellars.
NW Totem Cellars writes about the art of blending.
From the locals…
Writing for the Seattle Times, Paul Gregutt writes about spring wine tasting.
The Columbian writes about new winery rules.
The Seattle Times writes about U.S. wine, including Washington, trying to make inroads in Hong Kong.
Washington State Department of Natural Resources writes a media advisory about a project on Red Mountain.
Washington State University writes about combatting Spotted Winged Drosophila.
The Olympian writes about a vineyard helping to fund Washington State schooles.
That's all folks!
Miss something? Leave a comment or email me at firstname.lastname@example.com and I'll include it in the next round-up under the leftovers section.
Washington Wine Round-up May 15th to 21st
Reminder that May's Virtual Tasting takes place on Thursday May 27th. The wine is the 2006 Kiona Lemberger. Read more about it here.
1 Responses to Washington Wine Round-up May 15th to 21st
Anonymous Says:
Dude, there is O2 contained in the liquid wine which will cause prmature oxidation faster than then any remaining O2 in the evacuated headspace of the container. Don't waste your money on this piece of crap. A bota bag will accomplish the same thing.


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A quarter of the way through the season, we have five undefeated teams -- and a new No. 1.
@Harrison_NFL if you even think about ranking Denver 2nd next week under Seattle there will be widespread riots in Colorado.â Brian Lamers (@BrianLamers) September 29, 2013
Well played, Brian. I recently watched a Star Trek episode about a planet on which there was rioting in the streets at 6 p.m. every day because of a super computer. Thankfully, Kirk and Spock were there to outsmart it. Considering they are both 82 years old now, I figured I'd better handle this myself. Thus, the Broncos are No. 1 in the Power Rankings. Oh, and also, they're simply blowing out teams. How about the special teams Sunday?
Meanwhile, several other clubs are less than special, making the bottom of these rankings ugly. Three Sunday losers moved up just by being competitive, but then there's one 0-4 team that isn't even staying in games. Otherwise, the No. 6 through 27 spots are completely up for grabs -- and that's where we figure to get the disputes. Per the usual, feel free to share your opinion ... @Harrison_NFL is the place.
Let the dissension commence ...
(Note: Arrows reflect change in standings from last week's Power Rankings.)
PREVIOUS RANKINGS: Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
The Broncos are averaging 44.8 points per game, 13 more than the next closest team. Only the 1966 Dallas Cowboys scored more points (183) through the first four weeks of a season. That team featured a little-known 22-year-old tailback who tied for the league lead with 16 total touchdowns. His name? Dan Reeves. Yes, that Dan Reeves, the one who took the Broncos to three Super Bowls as a coach -- the very pinnacle to which Denver aspires this season. How's that for historical symmetry?
Denver's dominance calls for the Seahawks to drop, despite the Seattle win. Close call in Houston, but once again, there was Richard Sherman. Did Matt Schaub provide a gift? You bet. But you have to make plays when they present themselves. Next up: at Indy. Should be a good one.
This space received hundreds of comments and tweets last week regarding the
Patriots being "too high" at third, many calling New England's defense overrated. Cool.
So did anyone catch the game Sunday night?
We haven't seen anything like Drew Brees' line Monday night -- completing 30 of 39 passes for 413 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions -- since "QB Bills" was slinging it around in Tecmo Super Bowl. That was another impressive showing from the Saints' defense, by the way.
That's the NFL these days: The
Chiefs go from 2-14 to 4-0. So was Romeo Crennel that awful as a head coach, or is
Andy Reid the chubby
The answer: Probably neither. The difference between good and bad teams is so slim that turnarounds consisting of a 6-8 win improvement -- à la the Colts last season -- happen. It helps when Alex Smith converts nine third downs and runs for 37 yards, as he did for Kansas City on Sunday. He's now scampered 30 times for 151 yards on the season.
Nice recovery after a mediocre first two weeks for
Andrew Luck and the
Colts. Granted,
Sunday's win came against the Jags, but 37-3 is 37-3.
So you want an idea of how big a threat this Indianapolis football team truly is? We'll see what happens when the Seahawks come to town this weekend. Let's hope Luck doesn't channel his inner Schaub.
Would you believe the Lions, losers of their last eight games of 2012, are 3-1 and in FIRST place in the NFC North? For all the love being thrown the Chiefs' way -- and deservedly so -- Detroit has made a comeback almost as strong as Kansas City's. The key here is that while the Chiefs probably won't topple the Broncos in the AFC West, the Lions have as good a shot as the Packers or Bears to win their division. We'll learn a lot Sunday at Lambeau.
Let's not overreact. The Dolphins lost to an undefeated Saints team, in the hostile Superdome, with multiple guys hurting on defense. Of course, it's pretty tough to win with four turnovers, too.
A lot went wrong for the
Bears on
Sunday in Detroit. What stuck out most was
Jay Cutler's maddening tendency to just flick the ball, often inaccurately. While aiming never works for a pro quarterback, proper footwork does. Note
Tom Brady. Note
Peyton Manning.
In a key early sequence against the Lions, Cutler missed an open Martellus Bennett in the end zone, then failed to get the back-shoulder fade high enough for Alshon Jeffery. And we're not even getting to Cutler's three interceptions.
49ers seem to use so many ball-carriers that their running back committee has its own sub-committees. (It's why nothing gets done in Congress.)
Frank Gore,
Kendall Hunter,
Anthony Dixon,
LaMichael James and
Bruce Miller all got playing time for San Francisco
last week.
Miller, by the way, is a beast. He made several big blocks, like on this play. And he can catch the football, too. Old. School.
Some narratives just won't go away.
Andy Dalton might look effective in practice or on "Hard Knocks,"
but not in games. He's still not producing the big plays downfield for the
In 42 attempts Sunday, Dalton threw for 206 yards -- not even 5 yards per attempt. After passing 148 times this season, Dalton has accumulated just 1,003 yards, or less than 7 yards per throw. That won't win many games, unless the defense bails him out (as it did in Week 3). Maybe Cincinnati can swing a trade with Cleveland for Brian Hoyer.
Packers drop slightly after their bye week, only because the 3-1
Lions (who won another game) and the
49ers (who
already beat Green Bay) leapfrogged them. Week 4 was an appropriate time for a bye, as Green Bay has several injuries to contend with, starting in the backfield.
Here's something for all you franchise historians out there: Did you know that the Packers were the subject of the first game NFL Films ever shot? If you missed it when it aired on NFL Network, be sure to find " A Football Life: Steve Sabol." It's excellent.
Titans would have gotten a much bigger boost if they hadn't just
lost their starting quarterback for three games.
Jake Locker's hip injury spoils Tennessee's 3-1 start.
In other news, the Titans' defense recorded five sacks and four takeaways against the Jets on Sunday, allowing 13 points and scoring a touchdown, courtesy of Karl Klug. Not bad. Karl Klug: You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him. Enjoyed hearing Terry Bradshaw call him "Klawg." That's always fun.
Don't have an energy drink in Buffalo on Sundays; you just might flat-line.
Holy cow, these guys' games are stressful. First, there was the loss to the Patriots on a last-second Stephen Gostkowski field goal. Then the Bills beat the Panthers with two seconds left in Week 2. In Week 3, Buffalo overcame several injuries to darn-near pull off an unlikely comeback versus the Jets. On Sunday, they had to pick off Joe Flacco a fifth time with a minute left. Oh, and that was with three starting defensive backs out.
"Reports are slowly trickling in that the Ravens are considering running the ball once every 10 minutes, a stunning departure from Baltimore's winning formula of 'Pass, pass, pass, pass, sack, interception, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, sack, run, pass.' We'll try to get more information from one of our NFL Insiders, next on 'NFL Total Access.' "
You might not know this -- that is, unless you're a
Texans fan -- but
Matt Schaub has a rare streak going: He's thrown a pick-six in three straight games. That's like a pitcher giving up grand slams in three straight starts.
With upcoming games against the 49ers, Chiefs and Colts -- teams that won their Week 4 matchups by a combined score of 103-21 -- Houston hardly can afford more Schaub turnovers.
You've got to tip your hat to
Philip Rivers. No quarterback -- save maybe
his opponent last Sunday -- has received more disrespect over the past couple of years, and yet Rivers is playing well. The 10th-year vet completed 35 passes
against a much-improved Dallas defense on a day when his club needed it.
There's a huge difference between 2-2 and the abyss of 1-3. San Diego certainly can play with Kansas City in the AFC West.
Hate to say it, but coaching failed
the Cowboys on Sunday in San Diego -- which, considering all the cheering going on for the visiting team, actually felt more like Dallas. But we digress.
First, the Cowboys failed to adjust on defense; Bruce Carter and Sean Lee were consistently left to cover Antonio Gates, who caught 10 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. Jason Garrett's decision to attempt a 56-yard field goal on grass (rather than punt or go for it on fourth down) midway through the second quarter was an equally significant mistake, as Dan Bailey's miss gave the Chargers premium field position and, ultimately, a field goal of their own. Those three points loomed large at the end, when the Cowboys were scrambling for two scores instead of just pushing for one.
The 1-3
Falcons are still one of the league's better teams, but this is not the
same team that started 2012 with an 8-0 record.
The Atlanta defense was chasing a lot of jerseys in the second half of Sunday night's loss to the Patriots. Yes, that happened at times last season. But there's a key difference: Receiver Roddy White clearly is not healthy, which means opponents can single-cover him. Thus, Julio Jones often faces a defensive back over the top and underneath, and the offense is forced to go through tight end Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez obviously can make ridiculous plays in coverage, but it's tough to win that way.
Unlike the
Packers, the
Panthers did
not have their bye week at an optimal time. Who would want to go on a break after
routing the Giants, 38-0?
Check out this upcoming schedule: at Cardinals, at Vikings, vs. Rams, at Bucs ... there's a chance the Panthers could go from 0-2 to 5-2 in time for their Nov. 3 home matchup with the Falcons. #justsayin'
Great team win for Cleveland.
"Hoyer-to-Cameron" is starting to resemble "Fouts-to-Winslow", "Sipe-to-Newsome" and "Anyone-to-Gonzalez." Don't you wish the
Browns would decide to tank it
every year? This is fantastic.
Next up: Buffalo Bills on "Thursday Night Football." We'll be covering it on NFL.com/Live at 8 p.m. ET.
Hand it to
Patrick Peterson and that
Cardinals defense. After allowing an early touchdown drive Sunday, Arizona's defenders tightened their chin straps and
kept it close on the road.
Peterson intercepted two balls in the last three minutes and change -- the first to set up the Cards' first touchdown, the second to seal the deal. Watch the first pick again; that was a big-time play, the way he established position on Vincent Jackson. Then he completed the catch. #clutch
All the enthusiasm sparked by that
opening-night win and the prospect of
Chip Kelly changing the NFL is starting to wane now. That's what happens when the defense is, uh, less than viable. This is a point
we raised early on, and it will be relevant until the
Eagles prove they can hold the fort.
Coming into last Sunday's matchup in Denver, Philadelphia ranked 31st in the NFL in forcing three-and-out drives, doing it on just 10.5 percent of opponents' possessions. Safe to say that number didn't improve much against the Broncos.
The Jets resumed "Campaign 2013: Ugly Football" in Tennessee with some of the same mistakes that made their Week 3 win over the Bills too close for comfort. Lost in the aftermath of Sunday's mess is the fact the Jets can play on defense, particularly against the run. Of course, when the offense turns the ball over four times ... well, you get the point. A little ball security and some healthy receivers would make a huge difference for this New York team, which is not as bad as everyone thinks (or as it looks).
Here's resilience: You're 0-3 and your franchise quarterback doesn't look right. You're on the road, and you go three-and-out on the first series. You go three-and-out again. Then, the ensuing punt gets blocked for a touchdown, and just like that, you're down 7-zip. Washington fans were slipping into panic mode when that happened
Sunday at Oakland. But the players didn't.
Rookie defensive back David Amerson stepped up, and that franchise QB we mentioned spread the ball around in a quiet, efficient showing. Believe it or not, Robert Griffin III and the 1-3 Redskins are just one game back in the NFC East. #NotYourFathersNFCEast
Minnesota is back in the win column and -- thankfully -- Greg Jennings is back to being involved in an NFL offense. Jennings has been so absent this season that your hack of a writer nearly dropped him from his fantasy team. Jennings' line from London was stellar: three catches for 92 yards and two scores. That's a lot of bang for the buck -- something the Vikings hadn't been receiving from the $17.8 million they guaranteed Jennings back in March.
There's not much hiding the fact that St. Louis has been outscored by 48 points over the past two weeks. What's particularly embarrassing is the complete lack of a running game. Gaining 35 yards on 12 carries against Dallas certainly was bad enough, but running 19 times for just 18 yards at home against the Niners? Rams fans must be pretty frustrated.
Re-watching the end of Sunday's matchup between the Buccaneers and Cardinals, I began to wonder if Josh Freeman would have put up more than 10 points for Tampa Bay ... Nope, we're good. Carry on, Mike Glennon.
After yet another loss for Pittsburgh, let's go positive. Forget about Le'Veon Bell's numbers, which were modest (16 carries, 57 yards, two touchdowns) in his debut on Sunday. There's no way you can watch the guy and not think he's three steps ahead of the three-headed Astro van that is Jonathan Dwyer, Isaac Redman and Felix Jones. Yes, the Steelers have a player in Bell, who is explosive, unafraid to run between the tackles and possesses excellent balance.
Against the Redskins on Sunday, we saw why the
Dolphins took a pass on
Matt Flynn in the spring of 2012, why
Russell Wilson beat him out for the
Seahawks' starting job last August, and why Oakland rolled with
Terrelle Pryor this year. Flynn doesn't have the mobility to evade a lot of sacks or make plays on the run, and he doesn't exactly make up for it by being careful with the football. The pick-six collected by
David Amerson was the result of a horrible decision by Flynn, and it changed the complexion of the game.
I'll tell you what, though: This Raiders defense has potential. The unit was not the reason this team fell Sunday.
We agonized over the
Giants' position. Considering this essentially is the same group that won
Super Bowl XLVI and went 9-7 last season, New York would have to be 29th or 30th, right? Nope, can't do it. The
Giants -- who have been outscored 69-7 over the past two weeks -- HAVE to be 31st.
Perhaps throwing over two-thirds of the time isn't working. The running game showed a little juice Sunday at Arrowhead. We know David Wilson has his fumble problems, but right now, giving the offense a different look by putting the ball in his belly would be worth the risk.
OK, Power Rankings peeps, we've tried like heck to find something wonderful to write about the
Jaguars, which is like attempting to write a glowing review for
"2012", John Cusack notwithstanding. That said, can the
Blaine Gabbert experiment end now?
On Sunday, he made his 26th career start for Jacksonville, and there apparently has been zero development in his game.
Forget the three interceptions versus the Colts. Gabbert's career passer rating is well below 70, and yet he's out there starting. Now, back to those three interceptions. The coaching staff told Gabbert to play more "loose." Well, he did. Jags fans deserve a better product than this.
Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter @Harrison_NFL.


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Designed by Nicolas Rapp, with Anne Vandermey (@Vandermy), Job Growth at the 100 Best Companies is a companion infographic for the Fortune feature article, 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Fat paychecks, sweet perks, fun colleagues, and over 70,000 jobs ready to be filled — these employers offer dream workplaces. Like Google, which reclaims the top spot this year to become a three-time champion. Meet this year's top 100, network with the winners on LinkedIn, and more.
In the latest issue of Fortune Magazine.
This is a great Bubble Map visualization that shows the reader three different dimension of information: Job growth (or loss), total company employees and total job applications over the course of the last year.
I do wish that all of the bubbles had been identified in the infographic. There are many company bubbles unmarked, but the reader assumes they are a part of the Top 100 list. Just my personal preference, but I would have used the company logos instead of text to identify the bubbles too.
Head over to Nicolas' site to see the full-size version:


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Not long now till MLS Cup final then. Houston fans just got to town and are spending Friday night partying in Redondo Beach; LA fans I've spoken to are planning on staking out their territory for Saturday's tailgating and partying at 7am that morning; the players and coaches are patiently answering the same question, framed 50 different ways, about the shape of the ball; and the media are exploring the catering and wifi provisions...
And somewhere at their computers, our usual cast of experts for each of the competing teams are missing all of this, as they bring you the final fan preview of the season.
You'll be hearing from some of them again in next week's end of season reviews, but for now, see what they have to say, have your own say in our comments section, and continue to check back for more Cup coverage - and of course join Steve for the live MBM on Saturday night.
I'll be at the game. If you're going, say hello. I'll be the furtive looking guy with his pocket stuffed with cookies.
LA Galaxy
Josie Becker, Editor, LAG Confidential, Los Angeles:
Things should go well for the Galaxy on Saturday considering how well things have been going lately. They were the best MLS club through the second half of the 2012 season, and that hot streak has continued through the playoffs. The offense with David Beckham sitting back and Robbie Keane running around up top with Landon Donovan is producing a bevy of goals, and having options makes the Galaxy one of the tougher teams to defend.
Omar Gonzalez on the other end of things has shored things up for the Galaxy, so long as they aren't playing on that carpet Seattle calls a pitch. A.J. DeLaGarza has been moved up from out to questionable, and it looks like he's gonna give it a go. If he can run he deserves the start, and the Galaxy need a player who can keep up with speedsters in the back. It hurt them in the back leg against Seattle, when LA didn't have someone who could keep up with Eddie Johnson.
2-1 is the universal pundit cop out score when one wants to pick a winner but doesn't want to actually imagine how the match might go. I've seen a lot of 2-1 LA Galaxy scorelines in the predictions out there, but I'm gonna go with 2-0 Galaxy. Houston has performed much better offensively at home than on the road through the playoffs. LA has too much riding on this one emotionally for Houston to make a meal of this Cup.
Robbie Keane will be the key for the Galaxy. His runs up top get defenders out of position and result in goals at a fairly high clip. For Houston, Brad Davis has a chance to make a great impact, with the Galaxy either going with a rookie defender, or someone who hasn't played in months.
Josh Guesman, founder, The Section 108 blog, co-host of Corner of the Galaxy podcast, LA:
For the Galaxy to complete their resurrection from last place in the Western Conference to hoisting the cup, they will need to play much like they did in their dominating playoff performances against San Jose and Seattle. And while the Galaxy must rely on the defense of Omar Gonzalez and the offensive finesse of Robbie Keane, they also know that limiting Houston's chances provides them with the best option for success.
In order to attack these areas the Galaxy will look to create wing play from Mike Magee and Christian Wilhelmsson. Their attacking prowess and their ability to find Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan for quick link ups on the ground will hopefully be enough to find one or two gaps in the very good Houston defense. And while Wilhelmsson may on occasion make vertical runs to try and breach the left side, also look for him to turn inside and allow Sean Franklin to make his way forward. But ultimately the finishing of the Irish Captain will be what separates these teams from each other.
On the other side of the ball stands Houston's Ricardo Clark. While it won't be argued that Boniek Garcia is extremely dangerous, Clark is the "quarterback" of this team. His link up play with Brad Davis can quickly lead to goals by Will Bruin that punishes unsuspecting defenses.
In the end, the Galaxy end up winning this game by a goal. Whether the score is 1-0 or 6-5 is anyone's guess, but a fourth star will be placed upon this LA club when the final whistle blows.
Brian Lynch, Angel City Brigade, Los Angeles:
The Galaxy come into the final at almost 100%, FINALLY! It should go extremely well for us considering when we do play all our starters they usually come away with a win. Hopefully they can pull away and give some younger guys some playing time in a big game. My prediction is 3-1 Galaxy and absolute pandemonium. Apparently this is the last game for a Galaxy player.
The key player for the Galaxy will most likely be Omar Gonzalez. If he can disrupt the Dynamo's crosses and set pieces effectively it will make life a lot easier for Josh Saunders. For Houston the key will be Brad Dav...I mean Tally Hall. He made some huge saves against DC United and will have to again in order for the Dynamo to win. If he has a great night Houston steals the Cup from LA.
Houston Dynamo
Zach Woosley, Dynamo Theory, Houston:
I really feel the Final will go well for the Dynamo. This is a better team that the one that nearly upset the Galaxy last season and there's no question that the Galaxy have more weaknesses this year. Having both a healthy Brad Davis and the addition of Boniek Garcia are a big deal. The return of Rico Clark patrolling the midfield is a big deal too. There's experience, there's confidence and there's zero fear of the Galaxy. It's still going to be a tough game, but it's one the Dynamo can win. I'm thinking 2-1 Dynamo.
Key player? Mac Kandji or Calen Carr, basically whichever forward starts along side Will Bruin. Odd pick? Maybe, but we all know how important guys likes Davis, Boniek, Clark, Boswell and Hall are and we know they'll do their jobs. A huge difference maker will be the guy who is up front with Bruin, attacking the Galaxy defense. The better our second forward plays, the better the Dynamo's chances of winning will be. As for the Galaxy, from a Dynamo perspective, it's all about Robbie Keane. There's still plenty of threats beyond Keane, but he's been ridiculously good in the playoffs. Shutting him down will be important.
Mike Porter, Texian Army, Houston:
This year should be different as there is a better Dynamo team on the field. A healthy Brad Davis, a dynamic Boniek Garcia, and solid defense will make the difference this year for Houston. A prediction....2-1 Houston for their 3rd MLS cup, with Garcia, scoring 1st, followed by Will Bruin punching in another as LA pushes numbers forward, a late goal by Donovan but Tally Hall will shut down those last chances for an equalizer and dominate the box. Could Keane light us up? Yes, but I feel that Houston is better at reacting to turnovers and haven't given up any counterattack goals in quite some time. Vamos Dynamo! We want the cup!


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Archive for the 'Henry James' Tag
I recently read Charles C. Mann's 1491 and it's no exaggeration to say I was profoundly impacted by it. First published in 2005 and subtitled New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, the book was truly revelatory for me. Attempting to gather all the current knowledge about pre-Columbian life in the Americas into one accessible but thoroughly researched volume, Mann has created a work that reads like a novel but carries the perspective-altering power of Jared Diamond's similarly weighty tome Guns, Germs and Steel.
Mann's stated goal with the book, other than the obvious one of painting a portrait as accurate as possible of what life was like before European contact, is to redress the annihilation of Indian history. Even those sensitive to the rights of indigenous people, he argues, tend to neglect their contributions to history. The fallacy of the "noble savage" endures to this day in the widespread belief among well-meaning liberals (especially environmentalists) that Indians were "one with nature," living in a primeval wilderness, free of the constraints of society, in a timeless time. While it's true that their societies were a good deal more egalitarian than European ones at the time of contact, this naïve view actually damages our ability to consider the Indians as agents of their own destinies, with civilizations, philosophies and technology that were in many cases on par with or more advanced than European ones at the time. More importantly, most historians now believe the Americas were much more populated than previously believed. There may have been as many people in Mesoamerica alone as in all of Europe in 1491. The "Aztec" capital of Tenochtitlan was, when Cortés arrived there in 1519, bigger than Paris – and much cleaner too, considering it had a functioning sewage system and Paris did not. The Inka empire that stretched for thousands of miles along the Andes Mountains of South America was the largest on earth at the time.
Much of the book is concerned with demonstrating the ways Indians tended the land and shaped their own environments, something the one-with-nature idea doesn't give them credit for. There are fascinating indications that much of the North American "wilderness" was one gigantic public works project – something like a national park, except it covered the entire continent – carefully cultivated and maintained with controlled burning, so that Indians could farm and hunt according to their needs. (Incredibly the same might be true of the Amazon rainforest.) The reason the continent seemed empty when Europeans began to push westward – a perception that led to the myth of Manifest Destiny – is that most of the native inhabitants, up to 90% of the population, had been wiped out in a series of apocalyptic plagues of measles, smallpox and influenza – diseases that were brought over from Europe and spread like wildfire, killing millions of Indians that had never seen a white person. The "primitive" hunter-gatherers of the plains and the west coast that we've always assumed were charming relics of the stone age were actually post-plague refugees; the "primeval" wilderness (romanticized by Thoreau and others) was actually a post-plague wasteland, overgrown after years of neglect.
I've been wanting to talk about this book here, but not sure where to begin – there's so much in it, so much to cover, it's hard to type up a summary or rview without getting excited and overdoing it. But the Fourth of July seemed like a natural opportunity to share the below excerpts, which concern the crucial contributions of Indian culture to the American notions of liberty and independence. Though I'm very happily an expatriate living in Australia now, distance has given me perspective and a new appreciation of what it is to be American. Mann's unabashedly bold hypothesis that Indians invented the modern ideal of individual freedom – which more or less forms the conclusion of his book – made me so proud and excited I wanted to punch the ceiling.
Fleeing the Nazi conquest of Europe, the writer Vladimir Nabokov took a ship to the United States in the spring of 1940. Although Nabokov was the scion of a noble Russian family, he detested the class-bound servility ubiquitous in the land of his birth. He was delighted when the lowly US customs officers on the Manhattan dock failed to cringed at his aristocratic bearing and pedigree…. Their straightforward, even brash demeanor, with its implicit assumption that everyone was on the same social level, enchanted him.
Nabokov was hardly the first emigré to be surprised by the difference between Americans and Europeans – a cultural divide that Henry James, like many others, attributed to the former's "democratic spirit." As has been widely noted, this spirit has consequences both positive and negative. The sense that anyone is as good as anyone else fuels entrepreneurial self-reliance, but can lead to what outsiders view as political know-nothingism. For better and worse though, this spirit is widely identified as one of America's great gifts to the world. When rich stockbrokers in London and Paris proudly retain their working-class accents, when when audiences show up at La Scala in track suits and sneakers, when South Africans and Thais complain that the police don't read suspects their rights as they do on Starsky & Hutch reruns, when anti-govenment protesters in Beirut sing "We Shall Overcome" in Lebanese accents – all these raspberries in the face of social and legal authority have a distinctly American tone… To be sure, apostles of freedom have arisen in many places. But an overwhelming number have been inspired by the American example – or, as it should perhaps be called, the Native American example, for among its fonts is Native American culture, especially that of the Haudenosaunee ["Iroquois," or Five Nations].
…Compared to the despotic societies that were the norm in Europe and Asia, Haudenosaunee was a libertarian dream. [Mann cites evidence that the Haudenosaunee had one of the oldest forms of representative governments on earth, a great council that relied on consent of the governed – including powerful women clan heads – and may have influenced the US Constitution.] …As Benjamin Franklin and many others noted, Indian life was characterized by a level of personal autonomy unknown in Europe. Franklin's ancestors may have emigrated from Europe to escape oppressive rules, but colonial societies were still vastly more coercive and class-ridden than indigenous villages. The Haudenosaunsee, colonial administrator Cadwallader Colden declared in 1749, had "such absolute Notions of Liberty that they allow of no Kind of Superiority of one over another, and banish all Servitude from their Territories."
Indian insistence on personal liberty was accompanied by an equal insistence on social equality. Northeastern Indians were appalled by the European propensity to divide themselves into social classes… The Baron of Lahontan, a 17th-century French adventurer, wrote that Indians could not understand why "one man should have more than another, and that the Rich should have more respect than the Poor… They brand us for Slaves and call us miserable Souls, whose Life is not worth having, alleging that we degrade ourselves in subjecting ourselves to [a king]…"
Indians who visited [16th-century] France [wrote the essayist Montaigne], "noticed among us some men gorged to the full with things of every sort while their other halves were beggars at their doors, emaciated with hunger and poverty. They found it strange that these poverty-stricken halves should suffer such injustice, and that they did not take the others by the throat or set fire to their houses."
"When an Indian Child has been brought up among us," Franklin lamented in 1753, "taught our language and habituated to our Customs, yet if he goes to see his relations and makes one Indian Ramble with them, there is no persuading him ever to return. But when white persons of either sex have been taken prisoners young by the Indians, and lived a while among them, though ransomed by their Friends, and treated with all imaginable tenderness to prevail with them to stay among the English, yet in a Short time they become disgusted with our manner of life… and take the first good Opportunity of escaping again into the Woods, when there is no reclaiming them."
In the most direct way, Indian liberty made indigenous villages into competitors for colonists' allegiance. Colonial societies could not become too oppressive, because their members – surrounded by examples of free life – always had the option to vote with their feet. It is likely that the first British villages in North America, thousands of miles from the House of Lords, would have lost some of the brutally graded social hierarchy that characterized European life. But it is also clear that they were infused by the democratic, informal brashness of Native American culture. [Elsewhere Mann argues that the town hall meeting, that quintessential feature of New England life, was a democratic innovation borrowed from the Indians of the region.] That spirit alarmed and discomfited many Europeans, toff and peasant alike. But it is also clear that many others found it a deeply attractive vision of human possibility.
A plain reading of their texts shows that Locke, Hume, Rousseau and Thomas Paine took many of their illustrations of liberty from native examples. So did the Boston colonists who held their anti-British Tea Party dressed as "Mohawks." When others took up European intellectuals' books and histories, images of Indian freedom exerted an impact far removed in time and space from the 16th-century Northeast. For much the same reason as their confreres in Boston, protesters in South Korea, China and Ukraine wore "Native American" makeup in the 1980s, 1990s and the first years of this century.
So accepted now around the world is the idea of the implicit equality and liberty of all people that it is hard to grasp what a profound change in human society it represented. But it is only a little exaggeration to claim that everywhere that liberty is cherished – Britain to Bangladesh, Sweden to Soweto – people are children of the Haudenosaunee and their neighbors. Imagine – here let me now address non-Indian readers – somehow meeting a member of the Haudenosaunee from 1491. Is it too much to speculate that beneath the swirling tattoos, asymmetrically trimmed hair and bedizened robes, you would recognize someone much closer to yourself, at least in certain respects, than your own ancestors?
I love the last bit of imagery – the tattooed, freakish-looking Indian as the soulmate of the modern lover of liberty. It calls to mind punk rockers and Occupy protesters, and makes me think that indigenous styles must have influenced us over the years as much as their philosophies. Maybe we're only now coming to grips with how deep that influence runs.


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|By Cloud Access Security
Article Rating:
|March 6, 2012 04:58 AM EST
As we introduced Intel Cloud SSO Beta last week at RSA conference, Steve Coplan, Senior Analyst with the 451 Group Enterprise Security Practice wrote a report on Intel's solution.
Few highlights from the report:
- Intel's cloud access broker strategy, predicated on the convergence of authentication and federation with API governance, as well as roadmap integration of McAfee security functionality, makes for a compelling vision.
- Intel is looking to make a splash by providing bundled pricing for application connectors, federated single sign-on (SSO) and authentication.
- As we outlined some three years ago, by introducing a new network topology, cloud computing establishes the need for a new network device that we refer to as a cloud access gateway. As the API revolution takes hold, security and access management for the cloud is a stepping stone to solidifying Intel's ambitions to addressing the opportunity.
You can read the complete 451 Group research report here.
Read the original blog entry...
- Intel Cloud SSO Is Live
- Intel Cloud SSO Goes from Private Beta to Public
- New! Cloud Identity Buyer's Guide
- OpenId SAML bridge - Paypal login into Salesforce
- 2-factor authentication and SSO to Salesforce and Force.com apps
- Our SaaS CloudSSO – par excellence
- Trusted Client to Cloud Access
- Cloud Access 360 2.0 version released
- OpenId SAML bridge – Paypal login into Salesforce
- Providing fine grained access to SalesForce and Google Apps