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National Adoption Month
7 November 2010
"Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption."--JI Packer
November is National Adoption Month, so many of my friends and acquaintances in the adoption community have been acknowledging this by using one of the first photos of their adopted child(ren) as their profile pictures on FaceBook. Me included.I have crystal clear recollection of where I was and what was happening and how I felt when I first opened these pictures out of an email.For weeks after receiving them, I was proud to show the first three to my friends and family.But the fourth one, the full body picture, well, I found it disturbing. I could barely put into words how I felt about this photo. I didn't want to look at it and I didn't want to inflict it on others. I couldn't bear to think about the suffering that brought this 18-month old child to this place in her little life. My heart failed me when I considered the mother of this child and the events that led her to finally surrender her rights to this beautiful, delicate, tiny life that was her daughter.Still today I want to scroll quickly past this picture. It's painful to look at. It hurts my heart to see it, much less think about it deeply.
But, I did have this picture as my FB profile for a couple days. And it hurt and I tried to always look past it until I couldn't stand it any more. But, one afternoon I was reading others' comments about it, so it was full screen. Pea came up to me and looked at the picture. I said, "Do you know who that is?" Her cheeks puckered slightly in that shy smile she gives when she is the center of attention. "That's me, when I was a baby." I said, "Yes it is." There was a long pause while she took in the photo and I watched her look at her former self.
"Mama? Why do I look like that?" A flood of possible interpretations flitted through my mind, so I asked, "What do you mean, Honey? Look like what?" "Sad. Why do I look so sad?" Tears are welling in my eyes as I write this just as they did that afternoon. I had to force my swollen heart out of my throat as I explained, "Well, Pea, when this picture was taken, you were very, very sick. And, you were in a new strange place. And, on top of all that, you didn't have a family just then. Your first mom knew that she couldn't keep you alive, so she brought you to this place so that you could find another family. And, we didn't know you yet. You weren't a part of our family yet." She nodded, but, though she's heard this many times before, I'm still not sure how much of it she understands. There was another pause as it sunk in.
I broke the silence. "That was one of the very first pictures I ever saw of you, Pea, before I knew you. Do you know how I felt when I saw that picture for the first time?" The corners of her mouth twitched a bit as that shy smile tried to overtake her again. "Love," she said. It wasn't a question. It was a sure statement. I gathered her up and said, "Yes, absolutely! I knew when I saw that picture, before I knew you, that I wanted you to be my daughter." We shared a smile. "How do you feel now?" I asked. "Do you still feel sad?" She smiled a real smile at me and said, "No. Now I'm happy!" And, having received another hug and kiss, she trotted off.
This morning at church, our message included the point that we can guard our hearts from discouragement and bitterness in part by remembering the fact of our adoption into God's family. It got me to thinking about those early pictures of Pea. I began to wonder if someone could have taken a photo of my spirit before adoption, what would I have looked like? Certainly scrawny and sick, but not nearly as beautiful as Pea was in her first pictures. Since the Bible says even our good deeds are like filthy rags to God, I can only imagine that I must have looked quite repulsive. But, somehow, He looked at me and loved me. Loved me more than I can even comprehend, passionately, devotedly, without reserve, wildly. Even now that I've been adopted and tasted that love, I still can't comprehend it. I don't even know the half of it.
It's amazing to look at Pea now and to consider what some good nutrition and love have done, and are doing for her. She's still developing, still struggling with the scars of wounds sustained before she could speak, still crippled by the early malnourishment, still overcoming deceptive thought patterns and lies Satan whispered to her in her vulnerability. She'll probably have "adoption issues" to one degree or another throughout her life. In some ways, her adoption will become more and more real to her over time.
I know that the nourishment of the word, the work of the Holy Spirit, the fellowship of God's family have certainly changed me. But there are still vestiges of the old life for me too. There's always the temptation to believe that I don't belong here. There's the temptation to believe that He doesn't really love me, that this adoption was somehow a less-than-best Plan B. There's a temptation to buck His parenting and try to take care of myself. They are ridiculous temptations when viewed from the proper perspective, but they are there nonetheless. They are the marks of my adoption and I think I'll probably struggle with them, to some degree, for the rest of my earthly life.
"Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption."--JI Packer I, for one, still feel like I'm barely scratching the surface.
lovin' Jesus,
the adoption experience
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I blog for myself and my kids and I would do it even if no one else cared, but I do like to hear from you (and think it's a wee bit creepy of you to voyeurize us without my knowing it). So, please leave a comment from time to time, or email me anytime at firstname.lastname@example.com. Much obliged, I'm sure.
Round Two Timeline
- 9/24/08 Home study update home visit for Ghana adoption
- 10/15/08 Dossier sent to AOHG
- 10/15/08 I600A application sent to USCIS
- 10/30/08 First heard about possible domestic private adoption
- 11/18/08 Last spoke with contact about possible domestic adoption; expected to hear back about meeting with birthmother
- 12/3/08 Withdrew application from AOHG
- 1/6/09 Found out another family had been chosen for possible domestic adoption
- 1/21/09 USCIS fingerprinting appointment
- 1/8/09 Received USCIS fingerprinting appointment notice
- 4/11/09 Sent Pre-Application to Covenant Care Adoptions for Domestic Infant Adoption program
- 6/8/09 Social worker visit to update home study from International to Domestic
- 7/24/09 Received completed home study update
- 8/25/09 Went "on the list" for birthfamilies to choose from
- 4/28/10 Found out a birth mom had chosen us
- 5/8/10 Met the birth mom
- 5/11/10 Got the call that birth mom changed her mind
- 5/19/10 Birth mom's scheduled c-section
- 11/30/10 Visit from DSS sw about foster parenting
- 11/30/10 Got the call that another birth mom had chosen us
- 12/21/10 Met with the birth mom
- 1/15/11 @1:42 PM BB was born!
- 1/19/11 ICPC (interstate) paperwork sent to GA for approval
- 1/31/11 ICPC Clearance Approved
- 2/10/11 Placement Ceremony and Pup comes home!!!!
- 8/3/11 It's Official! Pup's Adoption Decree was issued


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Ballad metre or ballad stanza is the usual form of the folk ballad and its literary imitations, consisting of a quatrain in which the first and third lines have four stresses while the second and fourth have three stresses. Usually only the second and fourth lines rhyme. The rhythm is basically iambic, but the number of unstressed syllables in a line may vary, as in this stanza from the traditional 'Lord Thomas and Fair Annet':
'O art thou blind, Lord Thomas?' she said, 'Or canst thou not very well see? Or dost thou not see my own heart's blood Runs trickling down my knee?'

subset: commoncrawl


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The product doesn't work for a single minute, and the customer service from Electrolux is the worst service i have ever met.
1. small, compact in size.
2. suitable for 2 -3 people or bachelors
3. keep cooling knob to lower to save electricity.
on time delivery from flipkart.
1. interior
very good product best for bachelor room, but one problem left back site leg does'nt match with the other leg, so that it was dancing while opening the door..Read More
1. Poor cooling
2. Poor built quality
3. Ineffective freezer
4. Noise issues
Given the chance of getting my money back, I may consider it and will buy a new normal size fridge.
What you pay is what you get. With this one, you get the noise for free. I have to write something more to make the review contain at least one hundred characters.Read More
With in one day they delivered Electrolux Refrigerator and packing is also so good. i am waiting for the Demo people.Read More
I ordered on 4th , date of delivery was 13th , they extended it to 15th Later, Finally they called me before coming on 10th for delivery, i was nt available so I received it on 11th.
So it
Nice product for office use , fully satisfied and also great delivery service.Read More
I was looking for a small refrigerator, just enough for one/two people and chose Electrolux EC090P 80 L on Flipkart. It was delivered the next day, which was superb. It was not damaged duringRead More
GoodRead More


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Well! Now a days Sex has been commercialized for the benefit of certain sadistic section of society & a few bundles of notes can buy you any girl you want in Twin cities. Women's trafficking due to commercialization of sex has been on rampant increase each year. Every year thousands of parents lose their daughter.
Most of them are from small villages unaware of this cruel world and how cunning people can be. Women are manipulated under false pretenses of marriage or jobs and sold to respective buyers to be introduced to the world of sex trade.
Time to time we all hear about the sex racket in twin cities and again in a similar incident, a sex racket group based in the city Cuttack was busted by the twin city commissionerate under a tip off in Nuapada.
With quick action the Madhupatna police was able to nab three people in totality among whom was the king pin of the racket namely, PremChand Rout along with two of his customers.
According to the reports presented by the police, this racket has been operational for the past couple of months in the Cuttack region. Two women were rescued during the process of raid among which was a woman from West Bengal. Multiple unfathomable objects were also seized during the raid, further details about the matter is still awaited.
Earlier this year in the month of April, the police commissionerate busted another racket operating from a hotel in college square, Cuttack. A special Malgodown team arrested two persons in the raid conducted on the hotel along with two women being rescued.
Be am aware citizen, whenever you see such heinous acts, report to the police immediately. Your effort can help save a daughter, a sister, a wife or a mother.
Help the police in curbing women trafficking and forced prostitution.


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sMc promo 2 from JBall on Vimeo.
Another way is to incorporate smooth healing music into your video...it seriously discounts anything that you're saying. And I'm sure that this dude is awesome, just getting the feeling that he has some great stories, but the instructional video is ridiculous & unnecessary - seriously, who's starting off clipless on their tarkcs?:
Thank goodness that there isn't much more out there, today. Too tired.


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United States > Labor and employment > Labor-management relations > Law firm and leading lawyer rankings
Index of tables
Labor-management relations
- DLA Piper LLP (US)
Jackson Lewis P.C.
Littler Mendelson, P.C.
Ogletree Deakins
- Baker & Hostetler LLP
- Bracewell LLP
Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.
- Greenberg Traurig, LLP
- O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Reed Smith LLP
- Steptoe & Johnson LLP
- Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
Vedder Price
- Winston & Strawn LLP
Hall of Fame
Leading lawyers
- Brian Easley - Jones Day
- Jonathan Fritts - Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
- Willis Goldsmith - Jones Day
- Bradford Livingston - Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Next generation lawyers
- David Birnbaum - Jones Day
- Daniel Bordoni - Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
- Joanne Bush - Jones Day
- Patricia Dunn - Jones Day
- Alan Feldman - Steptoe & Johnson LLP
A. John Harper III -
Littler Mendelson, P.C.
Find out which law firms are representing which Labor-management relations clients in United States using The Legal 500's new comprehensive database of law firm/client relationships. Instantly search over 925,000 relationships, including over 83,000 Fortune 500, 46,000 FTSE350 and 13,000 DAX 30 relationships globally. Access is free for in-house lawyers, and by subscription for law firms. For more information, contact email@example.com.
The 'top-rated' team at Jones Day is praised for its work in union-related issues. In Washington DC, Patricia Dunn 'provides excellent advice and is always extremely responsive'; she recently acted as lead negotiator for a media company in contract renewal talks with a union which resulted in the complete overhaul of her client's legacy labor contract. In Chicago, a team that included Brian Easley and David Birnbaum acted in a collective bargaining negotiation on behalf of Kraft Heinz. Meanwhile Michael Ferrell led the advice to Bulkmatic with regards to a union organising campaign. Willis Goldsmith and Doreen Davis are representing McDonald's in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) lawsuit alleging that franchise workers were retaliated against for participating in rallies that called for higher wages. Other names to note in New York are Daniel Hagen and Jessica Kastin. Houston-based Joanne Bush is also recommended.
The lawyers at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP 'are experts in their field supported by a deep bench of junior practitioners' and clients appreciate their 'amicable approach to union matters'. John Ring and Joseph Ragaglia jointly head the practice from Washington DC and Philadelphia, respectively. Other notable practitioners include Steven Wall and Daniel Bordoni. Jonathan Fritts 'takes the time to understand his clients and their unique needs'; he continues to lead the advice to a global transport company with regards to all of its non-class action disputes with the NLRB and labor unions. Elsewhere, Century City's Harry Johnson is known as 'a walking encyclopaedia' and successfully defended Chevron in an unfair labor practice action filed before the NLRB by the United Steelworkers.
The 'deep bench' at Proskauer Rose LLP is 'a world leader in the field' and 'provides a clearly superior service'. The firm's client roster includes heavyweight names in the sports, education and entertainment sectors - among others - who engage the group to intervene in the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, labor arbitration proceedings and unionization petitions. New York-based Neil Abramson and Bernard Plum are part of the team representing the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB) and Major League Soccer (MLS), while the 'fantastic' Paul Salvatore oversaw numerous mandates in the education sectors for clients such as Yale and Duke universities. The 'fantastic, smart, practical and responsive' Mark Theodore sits in Los Angeles.
At Seyfarth Shaw LLP response times and value are 'excellent', and advice from the 'outstanding' team is 'always measured and pragmatic'. Practice co-head Bradford Livingston 'provides sound solutions-based advice to satisfy business objectives' from Chicago, while San-Francisco-based Christian Rowley is known for his 'high degree of integrity and trust'. In recent highlights, the team successfully dismissed unfair labor practices claims, negotiated a successor collective bargaining agreement for an industrial manufacturer, and continues to represent a heavyweight telecoms entity in all its disciplinary arbitrations. Brian Stolzenbach and Joshua Henderson lead the department with Livingston from Chicago and San Francisco, respectively. Glenn Smith recently joined from Littler Mendelson, P.C..
DLA Piper LLP (US) recently added experienced litigator Mary Dollarhide to the San Diego office from Paul Hastings LLP. The team in Chicago represented United Airlines in the negotiations of joint contracts for its flight attendants ahead of the merger with Continental Airlines. Washington DC-based Harriet Lipkin handled Station Casino's response to a Culinary Workers campaign seeking voluntary 'card check' recognition, and the firm also assisted American Baptist Homes of the West in an appeal of an NLRB decision. In March 2018, Michael Sheehan left the firm for McDermott Will & Emery LLP, and not long after, in April 2018, a team including Ron Holland, Pankit Doshi , Marilyn Pearson, Ellen Bronchetti and David Durham made the same move.
Trusted Advisor - with Finnegan
IP specialist Finnegan detail how their collaborative approach makes for a unique culture which is designed to allow them to work with clients in a way which is cognizant of the challenges facing all companies today.
Jackson Lewis P.C. covers the full spectrum of labor issues such as union organization, 'card check' and neutrality agreements, corporate campaigns, and protected concerted activity. The practice is jointly led by Atlanta's Jonathan Spitz and New York's Philip Rosen. In one recent highlight, New Orleans-based Jeffrey Schwartz continues to work alongside New York's Daniel Schudroff to advise Murphy Oil on a longstanding dispute. The group also oversaw complex disputes involving significant regulatory changes, union elections and arbitration. Other key clients include ExxonMobil, the New York Yankees and Legends Hospitality. Laura Pierson-Scheinberg and Chad Richter are also names to note in San Francisco and Omaha, respectively. In February 2018, Gary Tocci joined in Philadelphia from Reed Smith LLP.
Littler Mendelson, P.C.'s Washington DC-based Maury Baskin and Joshua Waxman represented FedEx in appellate proceedings before the NLRB regarding the agency's decision that single-route drivers in Connecticut be considered employees rather than independent contractors. Also notable was Tanja Thompson and Stefan Marculewicz's advice to a leading manufacturer with regards to a large-scale union election. The team is led by Thomas Bender and Jeremy Roth from Philadelphia and San Diego, respectively. In Houston, A. John Harper III is a name to note.
Ogletree Deakins continues to advise clients in collective bargaining, labor-management disputes and arbitration proceedings, and on regulatory issues. Ron Chapman Jr led the team, including Indianapolis' Christopher Murray, which secured three successful appeals that considered whether employers can maintain a class action waiver in an arbitration agreement. In Phoenix, Mark Kisicki represented Banner Health in its challenge against the NLRB's decision that businesses cannot direct employees to keep an internal investigation confidential based on the nature of the issue being investigated. The firm significantly bolstered its labor and employment offering through the promotion to partner of 20 attorneys and the lateral hire of thirty partners across its national offices. Managing partner Matthew Keen leads the group from Raleigh.
The offering at Baker & Hostetler LLP covers a vast range of matters for clients across the transport, media and healthcare sectors, and under the leadership of Columbus-based Daniel Guttman continues to advise the administration of Ohio governor John Kasich on its unionized workforce. The group, which is jointly spearheaded by Washington DC's Jay Krupin and Orlando's Patrick Muldowney, also intervenes in collective bargaining agreements negotiations, arbitration proceedings and regulatory challenges.
Bracewell LLP advises clients in matters pertaining to collective bargaining, individual terminations in the context of white-collar crime allegations, and arbitration. Dallas-based Robert Sheeder acts as lead counsel to L-3 Communications across the full gamut of labor mandates, and, in San Antonio, James Kizziar continues to represent Adventist Health System in union organization matters and disputes before the NLRB. Of counsel J. Tullos Wells is a name to note and leads the firm's work for several entertainment and sports entities such as the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. In Houston, Rebecca Baker and Robert Nichols handled the labor aspects of several high-value corporate transactions in the energy space.
Headed by David Garland in New York, the labor and employment practice - with a particular niche in healthcare - is one of the founding pillars of Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.. In a recent matter led by Steven Swirsky, the team intervened in a campaign by a builders' union that sought to force a manufacturer to cease all dealings with a non-union maintenance contractor. On the non-contentious side, Los Angeles' Adam Abrahms secured a win for a not-for-profit when its employees voted down a well-known union in union elections. Jeremy Brown is the name to note in Newark.
In an example of its multi-disciplinary offering, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, under the leadership of practice co-chair Jonathan Sulds, is representing a major electric power utility in collective bargaining, healthcare insurance and other labor relations matters arising from the commencement of bankruptcy proceedings. Also in New York, Jerrold Goldberg continues to advise the NoMad Hotel on union grievances, employment issues and various discrimination charges, while Boston-based Terence McCourt acted for a client in contentious proceedings pertaining to the interplay of NLRB and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations.
O'Melveny & Myers LLP is 'the premier advisor to the entire airline industry as it provides unparalleled expertise regarding the Railway Labor Act'. Led by Los Angeles' Apalla Chopra the team has achieved 'extraordinary results' and represents clients such as Walt Disney, American Airlines, FedEx and Harvard University. In New York, Jeffrey Kohn assisted Mylan Pharmaceuticals in labor negotiations with the United Steel Workers, and Robert Siegel - also based in Los Angeles - successfully obtained a temporary restraining order for Spirit Airlines prohibiting its pilots from disturbing its operations. Mark Robertson is another key name to note in New York.
Under the leadership of Houston-based Mark Temple and Los Angeles-based Christine Kohler, Reed Smith LLP represents large employers, across a wide array of industry sectors. In Philadelphia, Karl Fritton led several collective bargaining negotiations, and in a separate matter the team secured a three-part victory for a package delivery company in a longstanding dispute with a Teamsters-backed employee. A number of lawyers recently left the firm, including Gary Tocci, while James Glunt joined the Pittsburgh office from Ogletree Deakins. Betty Graumlich is also a key name.
Steven Wheeless spearheads Steptoe & Johnson LLP's team from Phoenix and recently teamed up with Washington DC-based Alan Feldman to advise Walmart on a series of state trespass and nuisance actions arising from 'store invasions' coordinated by the United Food and Commercial Workers. The pair also defended Walmart in an unfair labor practice claim which sought to allow non-union employees the right to a representative during investigative interviews. Larry Katz intervened in the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement on behalf of BridgePoint Hospital. Of counsel Doug Janicik is also a key contact and worked alongside Wheeless to represent Adecco in its challenge of an NLRB decision pertaining to class waivers in employment agreements.
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP's practice is grounded in the public sector where it regularly represents labor unions. Co-managing partner Alan Klinger continues to work alongside special counsels Dina Kolker and Beth Norton to advise the United Federation of Teachers on arbitration, mediation and collective bargaining agreements. On the contentious side, the group acted for the 237 Local Teamsters Islip Welfare Fund in a claim by a rival union alleging an equitable interest by former fund participants. David Kahne was promoted to partner and is part of the team counselling the New York City Municipal Labor Committee on its long-term cost-saving goals of $4.3bn in healthcare services over a four-year period. All named attorneys are based in New York.
With clients across a range of industries, Vedder Price advises on the full spectrum of labor-management relations, including collective bargaining, disputes and union organizing. Under the leadership of San Francisco's Heather Sager, the group continues to counsel a national transportation group on state-wide wage-and-hour compliance and negotiations with several unions. In Chicago, Kenneth Sparks represented a regional hospital in an election petition and unfair labor practice allegations. In Chicago, Mark Stolzenburg was recently promoted to partner and Patrick Spangler took over Charles Wolf's practice following his retirement.
Winston & Strawn LLP's Joseph Torres is 'a real expert in the field', 'a great communicator' and 'able to cut right to the core of any issue'. Based in Chicago, Torres teamed up with Derek Barella to assist Caterpillar with its response to the United Auto Workers' 450-worker strong campaign at an Ohio distribution centre. In another recent highlight, Washington DC-based William Miossi represented Liberty Maritime in a dispute arising from the failure to renegotiate employee wages, benefits and other economic terms, and its disagreement with the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association over the need for arbitration.


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It was a dry and blistering August 15, 1977 at the Ohioan Big Ear Telescope. SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Radio Astronomer Jerry Ehman spent this afternoon laboriously examining the shelves of printed perforated paper that detailed radio signals emanating from the cosmos. Hours spent scrutinizing over every seemingly inconsequential signal led to him to come across an anomaly curiously inconsistent with the library of signal data. The 6EQUJ5 code circled with his red pen indicated a radio signal thirty times stronger than any other normal signal received and a frequency ominously identical to the hydrogen atom's resonance frequency. Ehmer's comment of the code – Wow! – modestly sums up the discovery. Was it first contact? Was it just an emission from celestial bodies like quasars, known for their violent ejections of electromagnetic energy? Alternatively, was it an alien races' misguided attempt at invading our planet by kidnapping the Earth's then "King", Elvis Presley, who coincidentally "passed away" the following day?
This 72 second supposed alien message has since chosen not to reveal itself after our scouring the skies for a signal with the slightest resemblance. Whatever the origin and cause, the "Wow! Signal" had become an iconic symbol for the SETI's goal, and by extension, humanity's evolution as a technological and cosmological species. The implications of such a discovery were subject to our imagination. As Carl Sagan, astronomer once said, "Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere".
The Drake Equation
An example of this use of imagination is the Drake Equation.
The Drake Equation, a mathematical equation created by astronomer Frank Drake in 1961, is used to approximate the number of detectable intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way, and by extension our chances of encountering them. As you can see, the equation involves a variety of variables:
- N = the number of civilizations in our galaxy with which communication might be possible
- R* = number of new stars born each year
- fp = percentage/fraction of stars with planets
- ne = average number of habitable planets per solar system
- fℓ = percentage chance a habitable planet develops life
- fi = percentage chance that life develops intelligence
- fc = percentage chance life can communicate across space
- L = the length of time for which such civilizations release detectable signals into space
If you notice, the type of information for each following variable becomes more and more specific; it calculates the approximation from a macro-perspective and narrows the specifications of the variables. Essentially, the equation is structured using the Multiplicative/Fundamental Counting Principle.
The chances of finding intelligent extraterrestrial life in our galaxy can either be extremely high or extremely low. We must understand that the Drake Equation presently exists to provide perspective, rather than calculate a specific number. With the level of technology and knowledge we have so far, we can accurately come up with values for the first three variables by observing the billions of galaxies and stars in the night sky. But the values for the remaining four variables is up to our own pessimism or optimism and are the ones scientists are searching for. The problem with trying to predict the chance that a planet develops life that becomes intelligent that achieves interstellar communication is that we have only one data point, and that is us on our pale blue dot.
However, the Drake Equation is not necessarily perfect, as there have been numerous refinements and abridgements to it. For example, the nr variable describes the percentage chance of new civilizations evolving from previously extinct civilizations. This is an optional variable for the equation as it takes into consideration the billion year lifespans most terrestrial planets possess.
Each variable is laden with assumptions; for example, the fp variable factors only the number of terrestrial planets rather than gas giants Saturn and Jupiter. This makes the assumption that gas giants are unable to host intelligent life, as far as we know.
If we look at the types of values that would be used in the estimate, the values R*, fp, and ne are closer to powers of 10 rather than 1. The fl, fi, fc factors would all be numbers less than 1 (
10^-1 or even smaller). If we multiply these values together we can approximately get a value of 1. Therefore, based on these crude estimates, the number of civilization in our galaxy with which communication might be possible, N, is approximately equal to L, the longevity of a civilization.
Probabilities of there being intelligent aliens, when it comes to something as infinite as outer space, has the potential of being extremely large. Because space is so large and the formation of planets and other phenomenon is seemingly random, there is undoubtedly at least one (apart from our own) planet with intelligent life. This is analogous to finding one's phone number in the digits of pi or any other transcendental number like e or phi. Because of pi's random digits, there exists a chance of finding any conceivable number permutation, based on the notion of infinity and randomness. Based on these assumptions, that the universe is in fact infinite (or just terribly large) and its processes are random in nature, intelligent life should exist elsewhere. The issue is whether we can contact them or not.
"Where are they?"
– was the big question asked by Italian Physicist Enrico Fermi. If Earth is considered an atypical planet orbiting an ordinary young yellow star like billions of other planets, there should be a multitude of civilizations in space – yet where are they? So far, we have not one strong piece of evidence supporting this assumption, just evidence of the contrary.
This idea is called the Fermi Paradox – "the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilization and humanity's lack of contact with, or evidence for, such civilizations".
There are numerous reasons for this being the case:
- The Universe is unimaginably large – the diameter of the observable universe (notice the word "observable") is 93 billion light years. Intelligent life can possibly exist anywhere.
- The Speed of Light is finite – the speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 299 792 458 m / s. It would take a photon of light 93 000 000 000 years to travel from one edge of the observable universe to the opposite end.
- The Universe is still expanding – as discovered by astronomer Edwin Hubble from observing Doppler shifts from neighbouring celestial objects, the Universe is still expanding after 13.77 billion years. Like ants on an inflatable balloon, they get farther and farther apart even if they stay still. Similarly, everything is essentially flying away from us, and shouting "come back" into the night sky won't help.
- Radio Transmissions never get to reach us – radio waves are just low frequency electromagnetic radiation or light. Light, in the presence of a large mass like a star or black hole, will have its path bent due to gravitational influence. Because of this, not only do the chances of alien radio transmissions reaching us slim, but our ability to accurately locate its source will reduce.
There are other explanations for this paradox:
- We are in fact alone – perhaps it takes extremely precise conditions for intelligent life to arise. This is known as the Rare Earth Hypothesis. This goes against the Mediocrity Principle – that Earth is like any other planet in the universe and thus the development of intelligent life is common. Proof against the Rare Earth Principle is the thousands of exo-planets that we have discovered that have Earth-like conditions.
- We're not looking properly – perhaps aliens are transmitting data on frequencies unknown to us, or have encrypted transmissions that we might pass for insignificant.
- Intelligent Life tends to destroy itself – perhaps developing as an intelligent species inadvertently killed them in the process such as by destroying the ecosystem or mutual assured destruction through war.
- Natural disasters eradicate Intelligent Species – perhaps earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, emerging viruses, or meteor impacts may have caused intelligent life to die out.
- We have not searched long enough to detect and comprehend interstellar transmissions
There are also other explanations that can be slightly 1984-esque:
- We are purposely not contacted – perhaps extraterrestrial intelligence has developed and has decided that we never contact them. This is known as the Zoo Hypothesis, where we would be the animals in the cage being observed. Their reasons for doing so? They might be conducting experiments on us. They might be waiting for us to reach a higher technological level before contacting us.
- The Alien Civilization does not agree with itself. The question of who speaks for Earth/Humanity might be similar to what other civilizations might undergo.
- It would be dangerous to communicate with other alien civilizations – perhaps alien civilizations have found out that contacting other civilizations might be disastrous, and so have decided to avoid us.
- They are here on Earth unobserved – We might underestimate their size or form. They could be microscopic or they have taken our own human forms. Perhaps they are here among us. Maybe its the bus driver, your neighbour, your teacher…
Calculating the probability of intelligent extraterrestrial life in the Universe is subject to numerous variables. Our chances of encountering them is largely determined by our physical constraints and perhaps extraterrestrials' decisions
As Arthur C. Clarke once said: "Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."
Works Cited
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10


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Video: 500 Miles in Five Minutes with the Mercedes GL320 BlueTEC
by KBB.com Editors | December 9, 2008 8:09 AM
Diesel. For many the word conjures up images of industrial-grade trucks with loud engines that billow acrid black exhaust. Diesels have a mixed reputation in America, so it may be surprising to some that modern diesel engines are actually part of the solution when it comes to limiting the environmental impact of vehicles. The big advantage of a diesel engine is 20- to 30-percent greater fuel efficiency than a comparable gasoline engine. Thanks to the mandated use of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and newer clean-diesel technologies, modern diesel engines offer excellent efficiency without the harmful emissions associated with older diesels. In this video, Kelley Blue Book's Micah Muzio explores the advantages of diesel by driving five-hundred miles in a Mercedes-Benz GL320 BlueTEC in under six minutes -- through the magic of time-lapse photography.


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Mold is a problem everyone faces and learning to get rid of it is very, very important. You will see the notorious black mold suddenly pop up in corners of the bathroom, inside your washing machine, and various other damp areas of the home. Very unsettling to see, and very dangerous if not taken care of, as it can cause serious health issues.
So how do you get rid of it? Imagine simply being able to spray something and have the black mold disappear for good! That's what can happen when you make your own spray, combining essential tea tree oil and some other items you probably already have. The Aboriginal people have been using tea tree oil for centuries as it has a ton of benefits to it.
Indeed it originates from Australia, obtained from leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia. Researches in Australia actually concluded that in comparison to antiseptic germicide, tea tree oil is 100 times more effective!
Other benefits include relieving sore throats, respiratory issues, cough, bronchitis, runny nose, asthma, and tuberculosis! Even more benefits of this amazing oil include skin condition relief, including healing burns and rashes.
So, yes, tea tree oil should be a household item!
To get rid of that mold, here's what you will need:
2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water
a cotton cloth
a bottle with sprayer
Here's how you do it:
In a bottle with a sprayer, mix the water with 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil. Shake it up, then, spray all over the house. Leave it alone to act for several hours.
Then you want to wipe the areas down with the cotton cloth. This gets rid of the mold and prevents it from coming back.
Share this helpful information with friends and family so they can also know the benefits of this mold-killing oil!


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Growing level of volatility in UK markets
Published 20 November 17
Global dairy markets have tended to follow a three-year cycle of prices, but do UK prices show the same trends?
Analysis shows that UK commodity prices have historically achieved a premium over global prices as well as benefiting from a level of protection from global volatility. However, it seems the protection and premium have now disappeared, and UK commodity markets are on a par with international counterparts.
Since 2007, the long-term return* from world butter and SMP prices has averaged 40¢ per litre, but with prices varying by +/- 48%. That means prices have fluctuated from 21¢ per litre up to 59¢.
In the UK, until recently, AHDB's AMPE was following a similar three-year cycle, with an average return of 27ppl. That cycle has been extended more recently, with a four-year gap between the peak prices in September 2013 and the most recent high seen in September 2017. The UK is also encountering an ever-increasing level of volatility. In 2007, AMPE prices swung by +/-36% but, since 2015, they have increased to match the world level of volatility at +/-48% or more.
A key source of the increasing level of volatility in the UK has been exchange rates. If the UK AMPE is converted into US dollars, the cyclical pattern is similar, but with a more constant level of volatility at around +/-45%. However, in US dollar terms, the value of AMPE has been trending downward, and is now sitting in line with the world average return of 40¢ per litre.
Comparing the two charts confirms the large impact recent devaluations in sterling have had in pushing UK market prices upward. It also shows that the UK has historically benefited from higher commodity prices (in US dollar terms) compare with the global marketplace. However, that premium has now all but disappeared, with the UK trading at global price levels.
* World butter and SMP prices from USDA have been converted into a milk price equivalent in US cents (¢) per litre based on AHDB's AMPE calculation. AHDB's AMPE is an estimate of the actual milk price equivalent of butter and SMP prices, taking into consideration an estimate of production costs and product yields. For more information, see here.


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Jimmy Rushing – Been Here and Gone
January 8, 2013
Back in the late 1960s, when Jimmy Rushing toured the UK, accompanied by Humphrey Lyttelton's band, he was sometimes seen outside venues – some of them demonstrably unsuitable in their towering Victorian splendour – greeting arriving fans. To say the least, it was unusual to see a visiting artist act in this way and I for one never forgot this heart-warming gesture. Years afterwards, in 1996 to be precise, with Little Jimmy long gone to the Great Jam Session in the Sky, I remembered the way that this superb artist had behaved and it inspired me to write a short story that was never published in print, although it did see life on my previous website. Coming across the story recently, I liked the memories evoked and decided to post this story here.
Bruce Crowther
(Copyright © 1996 Bruce Crowther)
He stood on the corner of the street; a man small in stature, huge in girth. His trousers hung wrinkled below a ballooning waistline, his jacket so big that it reached almost to his knees but not big enough to stretch to where he could button it at the front. He wore a shirt that strained at the collar and a tie with a knot pulled low to let him breathe easy. On his head was a porkpie hat, scrunched flat at the crown. He wore scuffed slip-on shoes; stooping to tie laces was one of life's unnecessary problems.
Men and women hurried past, early evening crowds on their way home. Some looked at him curiously. Not so much because of his shape or his dress but because, in 1968, in this particular European city, black men were yet uncommon.
After a while he moved, joining the crowds but remaining apart. He walked slowly, with weary dignity, finding his own tempo. He turned at some corners, walked on at others, randomly with the air of a stranger seeing the sights of a city he neither knew nor cared to know.
Eventually, close to the city's docks, he went into a cafe. Not much of a place, dark painted, over-lit, steamy, and noisy from a jukebox playing a song popular the year the records were last changed which wasn't recently. Half a dozen people sat at tables, eating not talking. It wasn't the kind of place where people went to talk. A thick-set man with tattooed forearms leaned on the counter reading an evening paper.
Apologetically, almost, the black man ordered a dish from a menu chalked on a board hanging from the wall behind the counter. And coffee. The tattooed man grunted, nodding his head towards a table. The black man sat down and waited patiently. The other customers treated him the way they treated one another; they ignored him. Curiously enough, he quite liked that. In an odd sort of way it appeared to make him one of them.
When the food came it was hot and there was a lot of it. The coffee was in a large thick-sided white pot mug. He ate slowly, chewing his food carefully, occasionally sipping his coffee, his eyes moving between his plate and the empty chair at the other side of the table.
When he had eaten he sat a while longer, finishing his coffee. Then he pushed back his chair, stood the mug and his knife and fork on the empty plate and returned them to the counter. Taking money from his pocket, he looked thoughtfully at the unfamiliar currency, then offered it all to the man who picked out two notes and a handful of coins. The black man studied the notes taken and added another of the same.
Outside it was growing dark and he slowly retraced his steps. There were still many people about but these were no longer men and women hurrying home, now they were heading eagerly for a night out.
Back at the corner where he had started, he looked across the street at a small canopied entrance, a touch of grandeur that was not backed up by the peeling paintwork. Picking his way through cars and people, he went into the club.
He had left his suitcase in a small room behind the stage and opening it he took out a clean white shirt, socks and underwear, and a bow-tie. His dress suit hung behind the door, most of the overnight creases dropped out now.
He undressed slowly, washed and shaved, using the cracked basin in the corner, peering at his image in a discoloured mirror. He then put on clean clothes, carefully tied his tie, and finally stepped into his dress suit. From the suitcase he took a small bundle of sheet music and studied the lead sheets. While he was doing this he heard music from the club's stage. He cocked his head, listening to the band. After a while he sighed and put away the lead sheets.
He sat, dozing, thinking unimportant, uncommitted, uncontentious thoughts.
A knock at the door and a shout brought him back to the moment. Standing, he brushed his hands over his jacket, smoothed his unsmoothable hair, and went out.
The club was more than half full, good for this early in the evening, and the band was playing loudly and with enthusiasm but not much else. They couldn't swing worth a damn but how often did the bands he sang with these days have that particular ability? Not often.
The band crashed to a stop and the leader introduced him, then stamped his foot in an approximation of the required tempo. He let the band play eight bars before walking out onto the stage. He acknowledged a scattered round of applause with a wide grin, and with snapping fingers brought the tempo under control before launching into his first song.
The musicians in the band were white, young and pliable and after half an hour or so he had molded them into acceptable shape. They might never play with an easy natural swing, but they were a hundredfold better than before he'd come on stage.
At the intermission he thought about going back to the dressing room but instead accepted invitations to join the band and some of the audience for a drink at the bar along the left-hand wall of the club. This was his third European tour but he still had difficulty mingling with customers in places where everyone else was white. That was not how it was done back home. Martin Luther King and those other fellows might hassle for changes to be made but there was still a long way to go. And, anyway, look what happened to Dr King just a few months ago. Still, for all his reservations, the people here seemed to truly like his music and their friendliness appeared genuine, even if it was pretty certainly only skin deep.
They didn't talk to him, though. At him sometimes, mostly around him. Not impolite; just unknowing and accordingly uneasy with the stranger in their midst. He didn't expect more. After all, to this audience, like most of his audiences these days, the blues was just music.
When it was time to go back on stage, he saw that the place was now packed. As usual, most of the vociferous audience seemed to be less than half his age. The second set was much better than the first. Some of the musicians were beginning to relax. Whether it was his influence or that of the booze they'd consumed in the past few minutes he couldn't tell. He hoped it was his. The influence of the booze would wear off. At the end the audience yelled for more and he sang a couple of encores but then the club owner gave the bandleader the high sign and they wrapped it up.
The smoky air buzzed with that combination of sound and excitement that only happens in places of entertainment, and then only when something special has gone down. He liked the feeling it gave him, knowing that for a couple of hours he had made people happy simply by letting them listen to his song. He shook hands with the band and some of the audience, autographed a couple of his albums held up by fans a little older than the average here tonight, then went backstage.
He didn't change his clothes but even so when he came back out of the dressing room the club was empty except for the owner, a bartender cashing up, and a sour-looking man stacking chairs onto tables. The owner handed him a bundle of notes, which he didn't count. Either the amount was right or it wasn't. If it wasn't, there was always a convincing explanation so why bother.
He carried his suitcase out into the street and walked a few paces along to the hotel and went inside, picking up his key from an old woman with arthritic hands and a cigarette stuck to her lower lip.
Upstairs in his room, he undressed down to his shorts, turned out the light, and lay on the bed staring at the ceiling watching the changing patterns as car headlights passed by.
Of all times, these were the worst. On a high, he needed to come down gently. Some guys did it through drink, others through pills or worse, some did it through sex, many through talk. He was a talker. Except that here, thousands of miles from home, there was no one to whom he could talk. Not that being in Europe made so much difference, not these days. These days he could be just a few hundred miles from home, or a few dozen, and there would still be no one around to share the down time. That's the way it was, touring as a single. That was why he missed touring with a band so much. With a band there was always someone to talk to. But he'd made his choice, nobody had twisted his arm. And, anyway, none of the handful of bands that still toured played his kind of music anymore. Not even Basie.
After a while he sat up and reached out to turn on the light. Opening up the suitcase he took out a lead sheet, turned it over and began writing on the back. He did this sometimes. Writing lyrics for songs he knew he would probably never sing and would certainly not record now that his kind of singing was out of fashion. He thought about the youngsters in the audience tonight. Encouraging, in a way, even if they didn't buy records at least they came along to the clubs.
He wrote until he was tired, then turned out the light again. He tried to remember where he would be tomorrow night and couldn't bring the name of the town to mind. It didn't matter, it was written down on his itinerary and he had a rail ticket in his wallet and that was all that really mattered. One thing he did know was that tomorrow night's hotel would be much like this one and so would the lonely meal in a cafe like the one tonight. Tomorrow night's club would be no different, except for the name, and neither would the band. And the night after that it would be the same thing all over again.
That was the way it was. He didn't complain. Why should he; he was doing what he wanted to do. Singing his song.
Once in a while, though, it would be nice to be able to talk to someone.
(Copyright © 1996 Bruce Crowther)
If you, too, are a fan of Little Jimmy Rushing, you will not need my urging to buy his records – but just in case you have yet to hear his wonderful singing, you might think seriously about buying one or more or all of the following albums, all of them coming from the period when Jimmy Rushing recorded with some of the best blues and mainstream players around.
He is backed on the Complete Vanguard Recordings, a double album, by instrumental soloists who include Emmett Berry, Clark Terry, Doc Cheatham, Buck Clayton, Vic Dickenson, Dicky Wells, Lawrence Brown, Earle Warren, Buddy Tate, Pete Johnson, Sir Charles Thompson and Sam Price. Also on hand are his old Count Basie stablemates, Freddie Green, Walter Page and Jo Jones. The songs are a mixture of Basie staples and those that were to become Jimmy's standbys in his late years, among which are Goin' To Chicago, Every Day I Have The Blues and Exactly Like You.
A special favorite of mine is Rushing Lullabies, also a double album. Here, one CD is the original LP of the same title, while the second started life as Little Jimmy Rushing And The Big Brass. On the former, he sings 'Deed I Do, Pink Champagne, and Russian Lullaby (of course), among 16 selections. On the latter, Mr Five by Five is escorted by a mighty big band, with charts by Buck Clayton, Jimmy Mundy and Nat Pierce, and solos are heard from Buddy Tate, Buck Clayton, Nat Pierce, Dicky Wells, Doc Cheatham, Urbie Green and Coleman Hawkins. The singer swings his way through Rosalie,June Night, Someday Sweetheart and I'm Coming Virginia, among eight sparkling performances.
Another fine album, this one offering on one CD two complete vinyls, is The Jazz Odyssey Of James Rushing Esq. Here, the singer visits in song the cities of New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago and New York. Accompanying him on the journey are Ernie Royal, Vic Dickenson, Budd Johnson and Danny Bank, with the powerful underpinning of Hank Jones, Skeeter Best, Milt Hinton and Jo Jones. Among the songs are Tricks Ain't Walkin' No More, Piney Brown Blues, Doctor Blues, and Lullaby Of Broadway. The second vinyl featured on this CD is Jimmy Rushing And The Smith Girls. Here, Jimmy pays tribute to blues singers Bessie, Clara, Mamie and Trixie, who shared a name but were unrelated. Jimmy sings Downhearted Blues, Trouble In Mind,and Gulf Coast Blues, among several fine tracks on which he is backed by Dickie Wells, Coleman Hawkins and Buster Bailey and other stalwarts.
Towards the end of his career, Jimmy Rushing's repertoire leaned towards the familiar, avoiding becoming over-familiar only through the verve and enthusiasm he brought to everything he did. The song selection on Every Day I Have The Blues varies the mixture more than somewhat with songs like Berkeley Campus Blues, Keep The Faith, Baby and Evil Blues that were not regular items in his repertoire, although some established favorites are there too. The accompanying musicians again include stalwarts such as Clark Terry, Dicky Wells, and Buddy Tate, alongside rhythm section soulmates who include Hank Jones, Dave Frishberg, George Duvivier and Grady Tate.
Dave Frishberg would, of course, be the instigator of Jimmy's final (and to my ears finest) studio recording, The You And Me That Used To Be. Yes, the voice is rusting but the integrity shines through. Again, the song choice is unusual, including as it does I Surrender Dear, When I Grow Too Old To Dream, Fine And Mellow, and Linger Awhile. Others in the band are Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Budd Johnson, Ray Nance, Milt Hinton and Mel Lewis. Wonderful music, beautifully performed – and not a hint that Little Jimmy Rushing had only about a year left of his full and generous life.
Any one of these CDs is worth having and for anyone unfamiliar with this fine singer's work the first two will provide admirable introductions to a giant of jazz and blues singing. As for that final studio date – as far as I am aware, it is no longer available on CD. That said, keep looking (Amazon is a good place to start) and if you should see a copy, CD or vinyl, run, don't walk – you will not be disappointed.
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I was tired of making the same old Chinese lanterns year after year with my students. You know the ones...you cut strips and fold them and glue them...like this?
I decided to find some different activities, so maybe these will be an inspiration for someone else to try during this Mid-Autumn Festival holiday time.
Jemilla created these lanterns by folding wrapping paper accordian-style and glueing down the top and bottom of each one. I like how she experimented with a few different shapes.
Here is another idea for Mid-Autumn Festival...paint your own mooncakes.
Lastly, this fantastic Hong Kong scene was created by one of my students. We purposely used Chinese newspapers which we cut and glued on the dark blue paper before stamping paint "lanterns" in the sky. (You can use a cork or sponge or circle stickers.) I added the black trim to give detail to the lanterns and skyscrapers.


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The Wildcat ID Card program offers a variety of card types to aid the campus with day to day functions.
The primary type of card issued is the Student (graduate/undergraduate) ID card used for items such as: door systems (dormitories) on campus, campus activities (check-in), library resource check-out, printing services, as well as making purchases on campus at various locations.
The campus offers Guest Cards and University Box Office Cards that may be utilized as gift cards.
Finally, the Wildcat ID Card program offers card types that can be used for campus employee badging and/or campus employee door access.
If you have questions about the type of card you require, please contact the Wildcat Card program by email or phone.


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Seriously, guys, this weekend is your very, very last chance to catch A Cripple Creek Christmas Carol (at least until, you know, next year, when they'll probably do a five-week run again). If you're into Victorian morality tales updated with folksy wisdom from local historical figures, this is your one-stop ticket to awesome. Plus, Bob Womack! Ha! Today's show at the Butte Opera House (139 E. Bennett Ave., Cripple Creek) starts at 2 p.m., and tickets are $11 for adults, $9 for seniors and $7 for kids under 12, proving that slots aren't the only way to make money off tourists. In any case, the show runs just through New Year's Eve, so be sure to visit cripplecreekchristmascarol.com for tickets or more information.
Kick off your freakin' weekend by motoring up to Martini Hut (209 E. Midland Ave., Woodland Park), where they're celebrating their grand reopening tonight in style. After some cold-weather pipe burst, the Hut's gettin' down tonight with a Rat Pack-themed pre-New Year's fte to introduce their new atmosphere, new food and new plumbing. They'll also be hosting fun on New Year's Eve. For more information, give 'em a jingle at 719/687-6700.
Ah, New Year's. While I'm in Montclair, N.J. tonight, hitting on Rutgers freshmen and sippin' on cognac, you're engaging in all sorts of Colorado revelry. Unless you're cold and dead inside, tonight you're seeing Super Diamond at the Paramount Theatre (1631 Glenarm Place, Denver). Fronted by Randy "Surreal Neil" Cordero this Neil Diamond tribute act is ringing in the New Year, Diamond-style. Here's hoping for "Coming to America." Tickets for the 10 p.m. show are $40-$50 and available at 16,000 Ticketmaster outlets, 520-SHOW and paramountdenver.com.
Happy New Year!
Here's your chance at vocal greatness, so don't screw up. Today, the award-winning Colorado Springs Chorale is holding auditions for membership at Colorado College's Packard Hall (5 W. Cache La Poudre St.). Auditions are by appointment only, so I strongly encourage you to listen to the 8 Mile soundtrack, realize you've only got one shot, and grab a time slot. Things are going on from 6:30 to 10 p.m. To make an appointment or find out more, call 634-3737 or visit cschorale.org.
It's kind of funny that when I Google Motiv8, the search returns consultant firms, 12-steppers' blogs and one right-to-life organization whose milieu seems to be rife with rainbows. Never fear, though, The Black Sheep (2106 E. Platte Ave.) tonight is hosting DJ Motiv8, not rainbow-lovin' clinic bombers. A member of the Black Eyed Peas, Motiv8 also has worked with Madonna, *NSYNC, Jurassic 5 and many more. The 9 p.m. show is $10. Find your tickets through ticketweb.com.
-- Aaron Retka


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Information-efficient spectral imaging sensor with TDI
United States Patent
|January 13, 2004
|View the Complete Patent at the US Patent & Trademark Office
|Sandia National Laboratories - Visit the Intellectual Property Management and Licensing Website
|A programmable optical filter for use in multispectral and hyperspectral imaging employing variable gain time delay and integrate arrays. A telescope focuses an image of a scene onto at least one TDI array that is covered by a multispectral filter that passes separate bandwidths of light onto the rows in the TDI array. The variable gain feature of the TDI array allows individual rows of pixels to be attenuated individually. The attenuations are functions of the magnitudes of the positive and negative components of a spectral basis vector. The spectral basis vector is constructed so that its positive elements emphasize the presence of a target and its negative elements emphasize the presence of the constituents of the background of the imaged scene. This system provides for a very efficient determination of the presence of the target, as opposed to the very data intensive data manipulations that are required in conventional hyperspectral imaging systems.
|Rienstra; Jeffrey L. (Albuquerque, NM), Gentry; Stephen M. (Albuquerque, NM), Sweatt; William C. (Albuquerque, NM)
|Sandia Corporation (Albuquerque, NM)
|09/ 356,809
|July 20, 1999
|STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH This invention was made with Government support under Contract DE-AC0494AL85000 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in this invention.


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Last Tuesday Dante had his recital for the Fort Bend Boys Choir Music Magic camp- and he was put FRONT AND CENTER!! We were lucky enough to take first row and get great shots of him- and as you can see in each picture he has changed positions or fiddling with something- and if you notice the other boys- they are all pretty still with their arms down. I can't tell you how many times the conductor tried to get Dante to put his arms down-- maybe that is why she put him in the center- so he would be good! Well- we decided- that he can sing- and he needs something else to do with his body- so BROADWAY- here we come! We are hoping to enroll him in the Humphrey's School of Musical Theatre for children - put on by Tuts- in the spring. He has already demonstrated to us that he can pick up dance moves and songs very easily. In fact-- (and as soon as he will actually let me video him- I'll have to put him up doing this) - but when we were at Christies in Galveston- I took along The Wizard of Oz for the kids to watch in the car and before bedtime. Well, as Christie and I were talking- while they were watching it- (and they have only seen it 3 or 4 times) I was telling her- how amazed I am at how quickly kids learn songs--- Like they know the 3 Amingos' song- and I said the Munckin song in the Wizard of Oz- and Dante overhears us- and walks over to the table and is like- OH- you mean "We represent the lollipopkins the lollipopkins, the lollipopkins... we welcome you to munchkin land." He did this along with everything IDENTICAL to those little munchkin men from the crooked faces- to the knee jerks to the giving of the lollipop and the scooting back and doing the handmotion----
Now- my sister and I were literally on the floor rolling and crying- it was HILARIOUS!! Because it was SOO perfect- and he was SOOO serious!! We actually tried really hard to conceal our laughing- I felt like Randy and Paula when they are hiding behind their papers laughing when a really bad singer is on. Since- we didn't do THAT good of a job holding back- poor kid won't let us tape him. But- I'll think of something- and then put it on here ASAP!!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Dante- our soon to be STAR o f BROADWAY!!
Posted by Bertie at 9:04 PM
1 comments:
- ~~Heidi~~ said...
That is so cute, and funny, can't wait to see it.
looks like he loves to sing.
- November 9, 2007 at 2:45 PM
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A small change in emphasis and language regarding video review of finishers at regional and sectional cross country meets was apparently already there in the 2012 rules interpretation presentation on the Illinois High School Association schools and officials web site, which was made available on December 13.
That presentation identifies a change in language from the National Federation of High Schools rule book clarifying the use of "electronic transponders" in producing the results for cross country races. The new language allows for the use of so-called bib chips, as well as mandating that if shoe chips are used, they must be used on both feet. But after presenting those changes, the rules presentation then explains that Illinois has an entirely different rule. Illinois continues to use the torso, not feet, even with chips on both feet, when determining the finish place. Therefore, it will rely, instead, on a video review of the cross country finish to determine finish places: "In Illinois, throughout the state series, meet management is required to provide some form of video review at the finish line. In regional and sectional meets, the video is used to determine the order of close finishes. When it becomes necessary to use the video to determine the order of close finishes, the torso will be used to determine final places, even when computerized chips are used. At the state final, computer chips are used as a timing device and the video review is used as the primary scoring tool."
But on Saturday, January 14, first in conversation with one of the state's top track and cross country officials and meet manager of the state track meet John Polka, and then reiterated in an officials meeting by state officials coordinator and rules interpreter Geza Ehrentreu and IHSA assistant executive director Ron McGraw, I learned that in the future the IHSA would require a video review of the finish at regional and sectional cross country meets, just as it does at the state meet. The change to require a video review at regional and sectional meets comes after significant problems arose at three sectional meets in the fall 2011 involving finish lines that used computer chips to record the finishes of the runners.
I wrote a long blog post about those problems in November, focusing particularly on the 2011 Niles West sectional meet. That post compared the language used in the cross country terms and conditions booklet about the use of video at the regional and sectional meets, on the one hand, and at the state meet, on the other. In the 2011 terms and condition, it states that at the regional and sectional meets, "Video review is not to be used as a primary method of determining the outcome of the race at the regional and sectional level of competition." At the state final, however, "Video review will be used to assist in scoring the meet."
As it was explained by Polka, McGraw and Ehrentreu, the new guidelines, which will presumably result in changes to that language in the terms and conditions, will essentially make the video review the definitive scoring tool for the regional, sectional, and final meets.
Polka and Ehrentreu discussed their experiences with the video review at the state meet, and Ehrentreu has further experience at NCAA championship meets, as well. At the state meet, a review of every single finisher in one state championship race takes between 15 and 20 minutes. While the emphasis is on reviewing the close finishes, which could be identified by looking at the chip timing results, Ehrentreu recommends a full review of the video for all finishers, even at the regional and sectional levels.
At the officials' meeting, there was discussion about smaller details. The meet referee at these meets should be involved in the placement of the video recording device and the instruction of the camera operators. The new language will apparently not mandate the number of cameras, but two cameras, McGraw seemed to agree, would be best. One camera could focus on capturing the bib numbers of finishers, but a second camera could look directly across or down the finish line to capture the finish of the runners' torsos. Ehrentreu seemed to feel that even one camera, placed appropriately, might be able to perform both tasks adequately.
The importance of the video review connected to another ongoing discussion. In the state series, runners are told to wear their numbers very high on their chests to help with the video review, obscuring the names which identify their teams. Spectators and even coaches have complained that they can't identify runners and their teams. Teams might consider redesigning their championship uniforms, it was suggested, to allow for identification below the numbers. A good view of the numbers is essential for the now all-important video review.
The discussion at the meeting noted that in addition to helping sort out close finishes, the mandated video review would solve the problem of phantom runners who cross the finish line but whose chips malfunction or somehow do not record a finish.
It also covers other kinds of chip problems that might arise. After I posted my blog on the events at Niles West, Jon Gordon, coach at Northside College Prep, sent me a link to a remarkable story from the Florida 2A girls state cross country meet. When girls on the New Heritage High School team mixed up their chips and created a problem with the chip-timed results, they were disqualified and their finishes erased from the team scoring results. As a result, they were not awarded the second place medals that they had earned on the cross country course. The happy ending was that the team that got the medals, perennial state power Bolles High School, subsequently presented them to the disqualified team in their own impromptu and emotional ceremony.
Because Illinois gives the video review primary importance in the determining of the finish result, overriding the chips, the Florida situation cannot happen in Illinois.
After the officials meeting at Oak Park, I introduced myself to Ron McGraw and spoke briefly. It is not my habit yet, which I suppose it should be, to identify myself as a blogger and alert people that we are talking on the record, so to speak. I had emailed McGraw in November with a long list of questions about the events at the Niles West sectional, running through the issues that I later wrote about in the blog. I also sent a second follow up email asking simpler and more direct questions. I did not get a response to either email. In subsequent emails and conversations with John Polka, I was told that I would not get a response because the IHSA simply stands behind the decisions made by its experienced officials at the Niles West meet.
On November 29, 2011, the IHSA advisory board for cross country held a meeting in which the problems at the chip-timed sectionals were apparently discussed, but there was not much comment about it in the published minutes after the meeting: "The committee reviewed the recommended procedures for evaluating the finish of state series events (special emphasis on sectional meets). IHSA Officials will be reminded that the final evaluation of all races is their responsibility. A camera at the finish line will continue to be mandatory. The Meet Referee has the option to use the images captured on the video to determine the order of finish as they deem necessary. The video is to be viewed only by the meet officials and meet management. Results are not to be posted by meet management until the meet referee has made them official by placing his/her signature on the written copy and giving permission to post."
I had sent my blog post to Gordon, who is a member of the advisory committee, and to Polka, who participated in the meeting, as well. But it was not clear to me after reading these minutes whether IHSA officials had fully understood the seriousness of the problems as I had tried to explain them.
Polka reiterated the basic position that the IHSA stood behind its officials when we talked for a long time in December at the seasonal Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association gathering of coaches held at Angelo's restaurant in Elmhurst. It strikes me again that I did not make it clear to Polka at that time that we were talking on the record, and to be fair I will consider his comments as off the record. But I pushed pretty hard with my basic argument that there is a serious problem with the open chip-timed finish lines which do not have a finish chute that puts runners in order when they finish. Even if an IHSA official made a call on the order in which runners had finished using their torsos, I insisted, with the open finish line there was no way to record that finish without a finish chute. The chips record the finishes of the feet, not the torsos; no one makes a record of the torso calls, and how could an official remember them? Require a chute, I had insisted, or get rid of the torso finish and turn the finish over to the chip timers officially.
Mandating the video review, which seems to be a change from the position announced in the advisory committee minutes, essentially addresses that problem with the open finish line with a simpler solution. The video tape will record the torso finishes of the runners, and the review of that tape will establish a definitive order of finish for all the runners in the race.
Whether my conversation with Polka or my blog or my emails had any impact on the new IHSA decision probably doesn't matter to anyone but me. I did not ask McGraw directly when I had my chance to do so whether my emails or my blog post had been helpful in any way. What I should be happy about, finally, is that I was part of a larger process which produced a change that should help with the situations that came up in the sectionals last fall. As a coach and as an official, I am much more confident about getting correct results at the high stakes sectional meets in the future by using the video review.


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Last week-end we headed to a destination about 2 hours away from our home to attend a hot rod weekend hosted by the Toowoomba Hot Rodders. We have been going to this event for several years and always have a great time. We stayed at our friends' place and here we are below heading off for breakfast at the show grounds with the rest of the group on Saturday morning.
Sunday morning we all headed into the city for the Show and Shine in the main street. Below are just a few of the cars on show. We had a lovely time catching up with our friends and checking out some new hot rods we hadn't seen before. The weather was beautiful, a wonderful end to our weekend away.
|Our car 1928 Model A Roadster
|1928 Model A Tudor
|Model A Pick-up Roadster
|1932 Tudor


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Special Admit K-10th / College Bridge 11th & 12th Program
What is the Special Admit K-10th / College Bridge 11th & 12th Program?
It is a program that provides an opportunity for High School students to earn college credit while in high school. High School students enroll in Cerritos College courses through this program and earn Cerritos College credit. High School students can attend classes in Summer, Fall, and Spring.
- In 2017, five students from Lynwood High School earned their Certificate of Achievement in Engineering Design and Production Technology. Read about their story.
- In 2016, one student from Lynwood High School earned his Certificate of Achievement at Cerritos College before graduated from High School. Read about Carlos Henriquez's story.
- In 2015, five students from Lynwood High School in the Special Admit/College Bridge program earned their Certificate of Achievements at Cerritos College at the same time they graduated from High School.
View our infographic about this program at: https://infogr.am/ametll___sacb-338
Eligibility Requirements:
Special Admit (K-10th Grade)*
- Max Units: 4 units each Fall, Spring, and Summer
College Bridge (11th & 12th Grade)*
New College Bridge students must take assessment tests
- Max Units: Spring & Fall 8 units, Summer 7 units
*If your high school has an articulation agreement for the PLTW course, it is recommended you take another course for the Special Admit K-10th / College Bridge 11th & 12th program.


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A few things you may want to know...
Clinton Edward began his dance training in Oklahoma City at the age of 7, receiving multiple scholarships at conventions as well as regional and national recognition as a competitive dancer under Connie Strimple at CSDance, Emily Carter Shock at Applause Studios, and Destini Rogers in Dare to Be Soul Dance Company. He danced in several of Silver Tree Productions' "Shows in a Box" and with the award winning "David Thomas Presents The World of Magic." His teaching experience spans creative movement with 3rd graders in New York City Public Schools, hip hop classes at California State University at Los Angeles, and teaching Contemporary Jazz at Steps on Broadway and Peridance Capezio Center in NYC.
Clinton has had the privilege of working with Jill Johnson, Andrea Miller, Sidra Bell, and Kyle Abraham at Creative Director Alexandra Wells' Movement Invention Project in 2009 and 2010, and was able to apprentice under Compagnie Marie Chouinard at Springboard Danse Montreal in the summer of 2010. He earned his BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City under the direction of Katie Langan, where he was thrilled to create three pieces for the bi-annual student choreography showcase, Dancers At Work, and perform works by Martha Graham, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, William Soleau, Takehiro Ueyama, Erick Hawkins, May O'Donnell, Alessandra Prosperi, Nancy Lushington, and Katie Langan.
Clinton began working with TAKE Dance while still attending Marymount and had the privilege of being a part of the Bessie Schonberg Residency at The Yard in Martha's Vineyard, MA, directly after graduating. There he helped create new works by Kate Watson-Wallace and Charlotte Griffin. Clinton has previously worked with Tania-Perez Salas Compania de Danza in Mexico City, Korhan Basaran and the Artists in NYC and Instanbul, and Nacre Dance Company in Saratoga Springs, NY. Clinton was proud to a member of the STEPS Repertory Ensemble where he worked with and performed works by Cherice and Aszure Barton (Aszure and Artists), Larry Keigwin (Keigwin + Co), Benoit-Swan Pouffer (Cedar Lake), Zvi Gotheiner (Zvi Dance), Nathan Trice, and Shannon Gillen (Vim/Vigor). Clinton was a part of BARE Dance Company's creation of Venomous and an original member of Mettin Movement.
Clinton was thrilled to be an original cast member of the Drama Desk Award winning Queen of the Night at the Paramount Hotel in NYC where he was both an assistant dance captain and understudy. He is currently working with PRIMME, an up and coming queer pop artist and is a core artist with LubDub. Theatre Co. who recently premiered The Doubtful Guest to critical acclaim in NYC. He is a co-founder of MinuteZero, an immersive events company and currently lives in Brooklyn.


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Season 2 continues to blow our minds with how crazy the plots are, and this week is a real doozy. When the Autobots are turned evil, they become… cool? Also, apparently the Autobot's computer, Teletraan 1 thinks that the Autobot symbol looks like this:
Listen to it here:
Download it here: Episode 26 Attack of the Autobots
Be glad that Kevin thought Rumble's escape via double transformation was the most Insane Moment this week:
And be EXTRA glad that Adam chose to gift the world with a gif of Optimus Prime smacking Bumblebee:
See you in two weeks (since we have to take an unscheduled week off)!


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Cannabidiol (CBD) oil – is it worth your intake?
How CBD oil is derived?
Recent times have seen an increasing demand for cbd oil and this guide talks about this oil from all the aspects. Cbd oil is derived from hemp seeds which are equipped with many anti-aging and anti-oxidizing properties. These hemp seeds are full of omega 3 fatty acids which helps the brain to work faster. Emotional wellness is also promoted with the help of omega 3 fatty acids and there are antioxidants as well which delay cell aging process.
Being rich in amino acid, cbd oil helps in promoting the healthy body functions. This oil also helps in promoting the digestive tract and with the help of globular protein it cuts down your digestive woes. If you are a vegan, go for this kind of oil which is well-suited for all your body needs. Vegans are devoid of lactose and animal protein and this makes them weaker. By regular intake of cbd oil, lactose intolerant can be dealt with.
Should you use CBD oil?
For the more obvious reasons, it is highly recommended to use cbd oil as it is equipped with some basic properties which can make your life much better and easier. Check out what the properties of cbd oil are and what its benefits are:
- As it is derived from hemp seeds, cbd oil is a rich source of nutrition which improves upon the culling of free radicals
- Being a rich anti-oxidant source, this oil helps in delaying the aging process thereby making you fit with time. Role of anti-oxidant sources are given prime importance because they can significantly cut down the growth of cancerous cell in the body. That is why many people have been including this oil in their regular diet.
- Miraculous benefit of cbd oil includes the fact that it helps in keeping you well-moisturized from within.
- This oil cuts down on inflammation and is basically an anti-ischemic which prevents the build-up plaque in arteries and saves your heart from any damage
- If you are more prone to vomiting, this cbd oil is going to work for you. This oil is an antiemetic that helps in providing nourishment to your cells internally.
- Its anti-spasmodic properties help in providing benefits in epilepsy and multiple sclerosis
Diseases which can be treated with cbd oil
When it comes to cbd oil, many diseases can be treated effectively which includes the following:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Arthritis
- Cancer
- Chronic pain
- Parkinson's disease
For more information about cbd oil, you can check the link http://verifiedcbdoil.com to understand the associated risks and concerns.


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Lone Star College-University Park welcomed more than 400 local middle and high school students for its third annual regional Science Olympiad competition this spring. The competition brought students from 12 high schools and 13 middle and junior high schools together for a daylong competition.
At least 50 faculty and staff members and 15-20 student volunteers managed the event, one of only nine such competitions in Texas that qualify teams for the state-level contest.
LSC-University Park President Shah Ardalan said the event is important for developing talent in science, math and related fields. "In just 18 months, we will open a new Center for Science and Innovation and we hope some of these bright young men and women become our future STEM students," he said. "We are building our community's college, not just a community college."
In the high school division, A&M Consolidated High School (College Station ISD) took first place, Cypress Ranch High School (CyFair ISD) second place and Harmony School of Advancement (Houston) Team A third place. Others finishing in the top half of the competition were Tomball Memorial High School in fourth place, High School for the Performing Arts & Visual Arts (Houston) in fifth place and Cypress Creek High School (CyFair ISD) in sixth place.
In the middle school – junior high division, Seven Lakes Junior High (Katy ISD) Team A took top honors. Aragon Middle School (CyFair ISD) came in second, and Seven Lakes Junior High School - Team B claimed third place. Others finishing in the top half of the competition were Kingwood Middle School in fourth place, Creekwood Middle School (Humble ISD) Team A in fifth place and Hopper Middle School (CyFair ISD) in sixth place.
Regional coordinator Allen Margoitta, LSC-University Park's department chair for natural sciences, says interest in the competition is growing. "The beauty of Science Olympiad is it hits many areas of science, and interest in Science Olympiad is big in this region. We had more students compete this year than ever before."
LSC-University Park hosted its first Science Olympiad in 2013 with only four middle schools and eight high schools participating.
"Each year we get a little bit bigger," he said. "We could have accepted one more school this year."
Teams represented schools in Tomball, Cy-Fair, Katy, Humble, Houston, Lamar Consolidated and College Station Independent School Districts as well as Harmony Public Schools and Second Baptist School.
Students tested their knowledge and skills in events such as Disease Detectives, Fossils, Meteorology, Reach for the Stars, Air Trajectory and Bridge Building.
"It exposes students to our College," Margoitta said. "They get a taste of science education from our adjunct and full-time faculty. We also use it as a tool to help expose local area students to our partner universities--they have tables that day."