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- Mountain pine beetle
Mountain pine beetle Adult mountain pine beetle
Dendroctonus ponderosae
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Family: Curculionidae Subfamily: Scolytinae Genus: Dendroctonus Species: D. ponderosae Binomial name Dendroctonus ponderosae
Hopkins, 1902
The mountain pine beetle (MPB) Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central British Columbia. It has a hard black exoskeleton, and measures about 5 millimeters, about the size of a grain of rice.
Mountain pine beetles inhabit ponderosa, lodgepole, Scotch and limber pine trees. Normally, these insects play an important role in the life of a forest, attacking old or weakened trees, and speeding development of a younger forest. However, unusual hot, dry summers and mild winters in central British Columbia during the last few years, along with forests filled with mature lodgepole pine, have led to an unprecedented epidemic.[1]
It may be the largest forest insect blight ever seen in North America.[2] Climate change is said by some to have contributed to the size and severity of the outbreak, and the outbreak itself may, with similar infestations, have significant effects on the capability of northern forests to remove greenhouse gas (CO2) from the atmosphere.[3]
Tree infestations
Mountain pine beetles affect pine trees by laying eggs under the bark. The beetles introduce blue stain fungus into the sapwood that prevents the tree from repelling and killing the attacking beetles with tree pitch flow. The fungus also blocks water and nutrient transport within the tree. On the tree exterior, this results in popcorn-shaped masses of resin, called "pitch tubes", where the beetles have entered.[4] The joint action of larval feeding and fungal colonization kills the host tree within a few weeks of successful attack (the fungus and feeding by the larvae girdles the tree, cutting off the flow of water and nutrients). When the tree is first attacked, it remains green. Usually within a year of attack, the needles will have turned red. This means the tree is dying or dead, and the beetles have moved to another tree. In three to four years after the attack, very little foliage is left, so the trees appear grey.[5]
As beetle populations increase or more trees become stressed because of drought or other causes, the population may quickly increase and spread. Healthy trees are then attacked, and huge areas of mature pine stands may be threatened or killed. Warm summers and mild winters play a role in both insect survival and the continuation and intensification of an outbreak. Adverse weather conditions (such as winter lows of -40 °C) can reduce the beetle populations and slow the spread, but the insects can recover quickly and resume their attack on otherwise healthy forests.
Life cycle
Beetles develop through four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Except for a few days during the summer when adults emerge from brood trees and fly to attack new host trees, all life stages are spent beneath the bark.[6]
In low elevation stands and in warm years, mountain pine beetles require one year to complete a generation. At high elevations, where summers are typically cooler, life cycles may vary from one to two years.
Female beetles initiate attacks. As they chew into the inner bark and phloem, pheromones are released, attracting male and female beetles to the same tree. The attacking beetles produce more pheromones, resulting in a mass attack that overcomes the tree's defenses, and results in attacks on adjacent trees.
Natural predators of the mountain pine beetle include certain birds, particularly woodpeckers, and various insects.
Management techniques
Management techniques include harvesting at the leading edges of what is known as "green attack", as well as other techniques that can be used to manage infestations on a smaller scale, including:[7]
- Pheromone baiting - is luring beetles into trees that have been 'baited' with a synthetic hormone that mimics the scent of a female beetle. Beetles can then be contained in a single area, where they can more easily be destroyed.
- Sanitation harvesting - is removing single infested trees to control the spread of beetle populations to other areas.
- Snip and skid - is removing groups of infested trees that are scattered over a large area.
- Controlled, or mosaic, burning - is burning an area where infested trees are concentrated, to reduce high beetle infestations in the area or to help reduce the fire hazard in an area.
- Fall and burn - is cutting (felling) and burning beetle-infested trees to prevent the spread of beetle populations to other areas. This is usually done in winter, to reduce the risk of starting forest fires.
The US Forest Service tested chitosan,[8][9] an ecofriendly biopesticide, to pre-arm pine trees to defend themselves against MPB. The US Forest Service results show AgriHouse's EPA-registered ODC Collodial Chitosan elicited a 40% increase in pine resin (P<0.05) in southern pine trees. One milliliter ODC chitosan per 10 gallons water was applied to the ground area within the drip ring of loblolly pine trees. The application was repeated three times from May through September in 2008. The ODC chitosan was responsible for eliciting natural defense responses of increased resin pitch-outs, with the ability to destroy 37% of the pine beetle eggs.[10] Dr. Jim Linden, Microbiologist, Colorado State University, stated the chitosan increased resin pitch-outs to push the boring pine beetle out of the tree, preventing the MPB from entering the pine tree and spreading blue stain mold.[11]
Aggressively searching out, removing, and destroying the brood in infested trees is the best way to slow the spread of mountain pine beetles; however, it may not protect specific trees. Spraying trees to prevent attack is the most effective way to protect a small number of high-value trees from mountain pine beetles. Carbaryl (Sevin SL and XLR, and others), permethrin (Astro, Dragnet, and others), and bifenthrin (Onyx) are registered in the United States for use in the prevention of pine beetle infestations. Carbaryl is considered by the EPA to likely be carcinogenic to humans. It is moderately toxic to wild birds and partially to highly toxic to aquatic organisms. Permethrin is easily metabolized in mammalian livers, so is less dangerous to humans. Birds are also practically not affected by permethrin. Negative effects can be seen in aquatic ecosystems, as well as it being very toxic to beneficial insects. Bifenthrin is moderately dangerous to mammals, including humans; it is slightly more toxic to birds and aquatic ecosystems than permethrin, as well as extremely toxic to beneficial insects.[12]
Spraying is very effective at protecting the pines, but is not recommended for large-scale use due to ecological and financial reasons. Pines should be sprayed before the beetle flight in July, so May or June will yield the best results. Spraying one's own trees requires both spraying and safety equipment; a licensed applicator is highly recommended.[13]
Verbenone is the main compound for the anti-aggregate pheromone for the mountain pine beetle. This compound is produced by three companies: Contech, Synergy Semiochemicals Corp. and Hercon Environmental. Verbenone is a behavior-modifying pheromone that tricks the pine beetle into believing the tree is no longer useful to more beetles and they will leave the tree alone. It is useful in campsites and places close to creeks and rivers where spraying cannot be used. Verbenone does not kill the insects; it simply pushes them away to another tree or area. It has been fairly successful in areas with low beetle populations, but has not been very successful in areas with higher populations. It is only useful in small-scale operations.[14]
Colorado's forests are much more densely wooded, making them much more susceptible to the beetles. Current legislation is in place to help with the growing beetle problem. Colorado Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet announced that Colorado will receive $30 million of the $40 million dollars being diverted by the U.S. Forest Service to fight the millions of acres of damage caused by the mountain pine beetle in the Rocky Mountain region.
Timber quality
Wood from beetle-affected trees retains its commercial value for eight to 12 years after the tree has died. This so-called 'shelf life' is dependent on a number of factors, including economic and stand site conditions. The trees remain commercially viable longer under drier conditions. In areas where it is wetter, the trees tend to rot at the base and fall faster, especially if they are larger.[15] The blue stain fungus has no effect on the wood's strength properties.
The timber can be used for anything from standard framing lumber to engineered wood products, such as glue-laminated (glulam) products and cross-laminated panels. The epidemic in British Columbia is also creating opportunities for the emerging bioenergy industry.
Fire Hazards
The long-held belief that beetle infestations and resulting deadkill lead to more devastating forest fires is currently being challenged. Ongoing NASA studies have shown that beetle kill may actually reduce available small fuels and consequently limit the effect and reach of fires.[16]
Current outbreak
The current outbreak of mountain pine beetles is ten times larger than previous outbreaks.[17] Huge swaths of central British Columbia (BC) and parts of Alberta have been hit badly, with over 40 million acres (160,000 km2) of BC's forests affected.[18] Under the presumption that the large areas of dead pine stands represent a potential fire hazard, the BC government is directing fuel management activities in beetle areas as recommended in the 2003 Firestorm Provincial Review.[19] Harvesting affected stands aids fire management by removing the presumed hazard and breaking the continuity of the fuels. These fuel management treatments are specifically designed to reduce interface fire threats to communities and First Nations located in the infestation zone. The interface is the area where urban development and wilderness meet.
The mountain pine beetle has impacted more than 900 miles (1,400 km) of trail, 3,200 miles (5,100 km) of road and 21,000 acres (85 km2) of developed recreation sites over 3,600,000 acres (15,000 km2) in Colorado and southeastern Wyoming. The US Forest Service is working on a hazard tree removal strategy, prioritizing high-use recreation areas, such as campgrounds, roads and National Forest Service lands adjacent to vulnerable public infrastructure such as power lines and near communities.[20]
A lodgepole pine tree with a pitch tube
A lodgepole pine tree infested by the mountain pine beetle, with visible pitch tubes
Invaded pine tree forest on the slopes of Chancellor Peak in Yoho National Park, Canada
Pine beetle damage in E. C. Manning Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada, as of August 2010
Effect on carbon cycle
Researchers from the Canadian Forest Service have studied the relationship between the carbon cycle and forest fires, logging and tree deaths. They concluded by 2020, the pine beetle outbreak will have released 270 megatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from Canadian forests. There is yet to be an accepted study of the carbon cycle effect over a future period of time for North American forests.[17]
Effect on water resources
Hydrologists from the University of Colorado have investigated the impacts of beetle-infested forests on the water cycle, specifically, snow accumulation and melt. They concluded that dead forests will accumulate more snowpack as a result of thinner tree canopies and increased snow sublimation. These thinned canopies also cause faster snow melt by allowing more sunlight through to the forest floor and lowering the snowpack albedo, as a result of needle litter on the snow surface.[21] Augmented snowpack coupled with dead trees that no longer transpire will likely lead to more available water.
Biofuel/alternative energy production from beetle-killed trees
The huge number of beetle-killed trees poses a substantial risk of devastating forest fires. Forest thinning to mitigate fire danger is expensive and resource-intensive (Kumar 2009). Attention is turning to ways to turn this liability into a source of cellulosic biofuels.
Leaders in western U.S. states and Canadian provinces have promoted legislation to provide incentives for companies using beetle-killed trees for biofuel or biopower applications. Sellable commodities resulting from MPB damage can help subsidize the cost of forest thinning projects and support new job markets. Colorado's Department of Energy recently provided $30 million toward construction of the state's first cellulosic ethanol plant, to convert beetle kill into ethanol. Lignin, a byproduct of the process, can be sold for applications in lubricants and other goods (MacLachlan).
See also
- Biopesticide
- Chitosan
- Community Economic Diversification Initiative (CEDI) an important component of Federal Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) Program provided by Western Economic Diversification Canada
- US Forest Service
- ^ Natural Resources Canada Mountain Pine Beetle
- ^ Petit, Charles (2007-01-30). "In the Rockies, Pines Die and Bears Feel It". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/science/30bear.html?ref=science. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ "Mountain pine beetle and forest carbon feedback to climate change". 2008-04-24. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v452/n7190/abs/nature06777.html. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
- ^ Colorado State University Fact Sheet: Mountain Pine Beetle
- ^ Natural Resources Canada Mountain Pine Beetle
- ^ US Forest Service Forest Insect and Disease Leaflet Mountain Pine Beetle
- ^ Government of British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Mines and Natural Resource Operations
- ^ Mason, M. (1997), Defense Response in Slash Pine: Chitosan Treatment Alters the Abundance of Specific mRNAs, US Forest Service, http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/5322
- ^ Klepzig, K. (2003), Cellular response of loblolly pine to wound inoculation with bark beetle-associated fungi and chitosan, US Forest Service, http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/5322
- ^ O'Toole, Erin (2009-09-10). "Solution for Pine Bark Beetles May Help Front Range Trees". NPR Morning Edition - KUNC 91.5 FM Greeley, CO. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kunc/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1552856/Regional/Solution.for.Pine.Bark.Beetles.May.Help.Front.Range.Trees.
- ^ Porter, Steve (2009-09-11). "Arming trees against pine beetle invasions". Northern Colorado Business Report. http://ncbr.com/article.asp?id=102064.
- ^ Colorado State University Spraying Trees to Protect Against Mountain Pine Beetle: Common Questions for Landowners to Consider
- ^ http://www.csfs.colostate.edu/pages/documents/Thoughts_on_spraying_trees-version2_final_April_2009.pdf
- ^ http://www.csfs.colostate.edu/pages/documents/Thoughts_about_Verbenone_April_2009.pdf
- ^ Naturally:wood
- ^ "NASA Satellites Reveal Surprising Connection Between Beetle Attacks, Wildfire". http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/beetles-fire.html.
- ^ a b "Beetles may doom Canada's carbon reduction target: study". 2008-04-23. http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Beetles_may_doom_Canadas_carbon_reduction_target_study_999.html. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
- ^ "Mountain Pine Beetle - Ministry of Forests and Range - Province of British Columbia". http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle/facts.htm.
- ^ BC 2003 Firestorm Provincial Review
- ^ US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Bark Beetle Management
- ^ Science Daily
External Links
- Death and Rebirth, Mountain Pine Beetle, Pesticides, Carcinogens, Cancer -David Chernoff, Manual For Living
- The Falldown Documentary- A look at the devastating impact of the beetle on British Columbia and Canada's Economy
- Trees targeted by beetle
- Canada's Forests Beetle Attack - The Economist
- Deaths of trees 'catastrophic' - Rocky Mountain News
- Washington Post article: 'Rapid Warming' Spreads Havoc in Canada's Forests
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range Library - Bibliography of Mountain Pine Beetle Publications
- British Columbia Forestry Ministry - Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan, information and FAQ
- British Columbia Ministry of the Environment Mountain Pine Beetle FAQ
- Provincial aerial survey of MPB 2006
- Flickr MPB image pool
- The TRIA Project: Mountain Pine Beetle System Genomics
- Disposal of trees affected by the MPB
- A nonprofit organization, working in conjunction with universities, to develop new technologies using pine beetle
- Natural predators of the pine beetle kill for reclamation and energy needs
- Woodboring beetles
- Curculionidae
- Beetles of North America
- Insect pests of temperate forests
- Animals described in 1902
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
mountain pine beetle — noun : a bark beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) of the western United States that is extremely destructive to stands of lodgepole and sugar pines … Useful english dictionary
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve — IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area) Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve … Wikipedia
Beetle — Beetles redirects here. For the band, see The Beatles. For the car, see Volkswagen Beetle. This article is about the insect. For other uses, see Beetle (disambiguation). Beetle Temporal range: 318–0 Ma … Wikipedia
Bark beetle — The unrelated sawyer beetles (Monochamus) and some other wood boring beetle taxa (especially Cucujoidea) are sometimes called bark beetles too. Bark beetles Mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae … Wikipedia
Colorado Beetle Kill — Contents 1 Background 2 Statistics 3 Uses of Beetle Kill Wood 4 Prevention 5 Works cited … Wikipedia
Whitebark Pine — Taxobox name = Whitebark Pine status = VU status system = iucn2.3 image width = 240px image caption = A stand of Whitebark Pines regnum = Plantae divisio = Pinophyta classis = Pinopsida ordo = Pinales familia = Pinaceae genus = Pinus subgenus =… … Wikipedia
Lone Mountain State Forest — is a state forest in Morgan County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. The forest consists of convert|3624|acre|km2 managed by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.Lone Mountain is a detached ridge like mountain rising to an … Wikipedia
Vetter Mountain — Fire Lookout Tower Elevation 5,908 ft (1,801 m) NGV … Wikipedia
Lodgepole Pine — Taxobox name = Lodgepole Pine status = LR/lc status system = iucn2.3 status ref = IUCN2006|assessors=Conifer Specialist Group|year=1998|id=42351|title=Pinus contorta|downloaded=12 May 2006] image width = 240px image caption = Pinus contorta subsp … Wikipedia
black hills beetle — noun Usage: usually capitalized B&H Etymology: from Black Hills, mountains in So. Dak. and Wyo. : a bark beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) of the Rocky mountain area that feeds chiefly on mature ponderosa pine destroying the cambium and causing… … Useful english dictionary


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Category Archives: George Orwell
A Year Of Waiting on Obama
I didn't vote for Barack Obama either time he ran for President. In fact the first time he ran and won the election I wrote to him explaining why I didn't vote for him and wouldn't if he ran again either. It was my hope,at the time, that I might be giving him a heads-up so he could possibly go on to surprise me. It was my feeling at the time, and still is, that one or two years in the US Senate was not enough experience to be President of the United States. At the time, I went on to explain that had Joe Biden topped the ticket, and Obama ran as Vice-President, I would probably have voted for them. Well, unfortunately, that was not to be!!
Here we are eight years later, a year since I've added to this blog, and I have just had my fill. In my opinion Obama is simply getting worse with time. The title of "Worst President Ever" doesn't come close to describing Barack Obama's incompetency.
I don't blame Obama for his "Executive Orders" since the US House has proven themselves to be record-setting useless. In fact, I've often wondered why he didn't use his Executive Order pen much more than he has. Rather, I blame Barack Obama for not doing more to help and safeguard the US when it is so desperately needed.
A prime example is the Illegal Aliens flooding into this country from South American countries. I have nothing against Legal Immigration, I am the product of immigrants. Barack Obama has refused to activate every National Guards person in this country to shut down that southern border. What exactly is he thinking, or is Obama thinking at all?? Is Barack Obama waiting for the next September 11 terrorist group to come sauntering into this country?? That may be exactly what he gets if he doesn't do something and do it quickly!! What if that indeed happens, what if it can be shown that terrorists got into this country while Obama was in office?? What if those same potential terrorists pull off another September 11, or something even worse?? Should Barack Obama not pay a very dear price for his refusal to do anything to secure that southern border??
In my home I have a right to shoot to kill if someone breaks into my home uninvited. Why doesn't that same rule apply at the border of all our homes??
The other issue that just galls me to no end is the mess we've been made aware of at the Veterans Administration, concerning the care of our sick, wounded, and disabled Veterans. We ask so much of our Veterans and yet we allow them to come home to even less than sub-standard care. Since when is that fair?? There are non-Veterans in this country on limited incomes who apparently get much better medical care than some of our Veterans do. Why?? What is Barack Obama doing to correct this picture?? Voice support for present Veteran Administration staff?? Why have all upper level VA Staff members not been fired to be replaced with dedicated medical and administrative personnel from around the country?? Don't our Veterans deserve at least that much and so much more??
There is a very easy solution to all this mess at the Veterans Administration. All we need do is reinstate the draft in such as way that even the richest of the rich cannot avoid the draft. Then watch anything and everything involving our Veterans improve and improve quickly.
I could go on and on but I'd better stop here. After all the society we live in today would make George Orwell's "1984" seem like something a child dreamed up.


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Performance MKTG needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 14 designs submitted by 5 freelance designers.
My Landing Page needs a fresh new look. Something I could use for multiple pages and just insert content. I require the PSD, as it will be html based.
This landing page is something I made fairly quickly. I need it to have a fresh new look. There needs to be a very obvious call to action (a button to get grocery coupons), animated would be preffered. Perhaps a picture of a woman shopping with a shopping cart, or something related to grocery shopping. I'd prefer to use Orange and Blue as the colors, since thats the color scheme used on the page the customer ends up on. I'm open to most anything else, I dont have a really good idea as to what I want, just something fresh that looks cool and has an obvious call to action.
- Fresh New Look
- Orange and blue color scheme
- A picture of at least one person
- Grocery Related pictures and theme
- A spot for a newsletter signup
- Demographic
is mainly women, stay at home moms, coupon clippers, etc.
- Anything ugly
- Anything too busy or confusing
- Headings will be text-based so don't use
fonts that aren't "web-safe"


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Framework: RB015 – RB015_0201_v4
2 - Primary or Horizontal Divisions
1 - Secondary or Vertical Divisions
Part of series: RB015 Ribbon Flow 015 – Intersection
Series Keywords: parallel process, intersection, transfer, review, hand off, consolidation, integration, review, events
This series is used to show parallel processes with intersections. The intersections can mean a transfer, review, consolidation, integration, etc. These frameworks can help you show simple and complex processes with intermittent events.
There are lots of variations in this series. There are 1-, 2-, and 3-intersection variations, sets with and without intersection circles (contained in each download), 2- and 3-flow variations, and variations with segments that can be color coded based on what side of the intersection they reside (they've been cut at the midpoint). And for each of these variations, there are two styles. Choose a style and stay with that style for your presentation.
The series example is a hybrid of one of the downloads. The pieces are easy to mix and match, providing even more layout options. Review the tutorial for information about how to use, format, and animate these frameworks.
Key search words: parallel process, intersection, transfer, review, hand off, consolidation, integration, review, events


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Related Topics:
In some cases, conventional bolts are used to secure workpieces to subplates for machining. However, installing and removing these bolts can be time-consuming. Plus, protruding bolt heads often interfere with the cutting tool, preventing it from accessing all workpiece areas that require machining. This can lead to multiple setups and operations to complete parts. As a result, Mitee-Bite has developed its "headless bolt" Loc-Down system so users can quickly attach and remove workpieces from subplates. Not only does this system enable faster workpiece change-overs compared to conventional bolts, but there's less cutter interference thanks to its compact design.
The Loc-Down system was originally developed to locate and secure aerospace parts for high speed machining operations. However, it is just as effective securing workpieces ranging from thin plate to large blocks. The individual, threaded Loc-Down units are made of heat-treated stainless steel and feature a simple ball-lock mechanism to fix workpieces to a subplate. Users simply drill and tap holes to a specified depth in the subplate and install the units. (Multiple units are often required depending on the application.) Next, a mating through-hole with a special-geometry internal groove is machined in the workpiece. Mitee-Bite provides an end mill to create this groove. Once the workpiece is loaded onto the subplate, users tighten each Loc-Down unit to secure it for machining. Each unit generates 100 pounds of force for every foot-pound of torque.
The Loc-Down system offers the flexibility to fixture a variety of parts and is well-suited for both production and job-shop environments. It also can be combined with the company's locating pins and liners to create an affordable quick-change system for fixtures used on tombstones and pallet changers.


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Craig Moore needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 124 designs submitted by 32 freelance designers.
We are looking for a WEB 2.0 style logo to proudly present our company to potential customers. In our marketplace there are a many competitors, we seek a logo that will allow us to stand out in the crowd.
We will build great web applications and websites for real estate professionals. Our clients are looking for web marketing solutions that will give them a competitive edge.
The company in 1 sentence:
AgentExcel specializes in providing real estate professionals the web tools that bring them new clients and help them to retain existing ones.
The company in 4 words:
Realestate Agent Web Solutions
- Our values are:
• Marketing Solutions
• Innovative
• Superb Customer Service
• Collaborative
- Format art: Must be in Adobe Illustrator
- Colors: we are open
- Drab logos -- this should not be ordinary, we are an innovative web marketing company.
- Nothing generic
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Comments on The Rules of Digital Engagement
21 Reader CommentsBack to the Article
Interesting article.
Where I work we communicate almost exclusively via chat, even though we have a shared workspace (it's so we don't have to take our headphones off), while with my own usually non-technical freelance clients I find that many of them end up breathing a sigh of relief when I finally get around to picking up the phone and calling them.
I work daily with designers and developers across the US, and truth be told, I have a much easier time working on challenging projects when there *is* a geographic split.
I've noticed a tendency of people to over-communicate (in a good way) through very concise bursts of information when there are a few states/timezones splitting up the team. When the entire group is under one roof there is a tendency to schedule excess status meetings, or make possibly false assumptions regarding who is working on which parts of a given task - e.g. _I saw the presentation deck up on Kevin's screen, so he must be working on it._
Since line of sight can't be established, folks tend to send out more informal, more helpful status updates. It seems like the quantity of <3 minute iChat video conferences and the quality of SVN comments on file commits skyrocket when I am not sitting within earshot of the person I am working with. There is still certainly a time and a place for groups to huddle together in a room and slug through big projects, but through the glories of telepresence I don't think it is required quite as often as it once was. I think the requirement for a successful project is clear and open communication, not physical face-time.
Maintaining contact between all team members is so important. In past projects I've seen team members go dark for days only to come out of their cave with either not much done or they took something in the wrong direction.
Leverage the tools that are out there => "Campfire":http://www.campfirenow.com , IRC, IM, or whatever.
Where I work we have a combination of communication. Ichat, email, face to face, phone. It seems to me like the best is always face to face to get a point across, although raw information always works better in a text format for me. Probably because I can save it and come back to it later if needed.
I don't think that relationships in virtual team needs to be that tight (e-mails every day, VOIP all day). That sounds absolutely wrong. I work on client's accounts every day communicating over Basecamp or Campfire approx. once a week. You don't need to communicate that often when you keep it all logged. And as far as deliverables are met, it is OK to keep in touch once a week. It is very important to setup clear performance targets and stick to the deadlines.
In fact I do SEO and off-site marketing. I'd imagine that "campfire once a week" + "monthly reports" wouldn't work for graphic design.
Depends on the project, but I don´t think that it is necessary to have contact every day. It is important to spend more time to unexperienced team members or with lower skills to meet the goal of the project.
It is important that teams distributed along the long corridor are not virtual but real. Real people, real roles.
I always find it good to have one or more audioconferences to establish the reality of other team members.
Communications are then dictated by the roles. Leaders may need to contact some individual members regularly, collaborative authors may collaborate on a wiki with regular but asynchronous communication, others may prefer to work in isolation but regularly update the team leader.
Nice article it highlights a problem we are all just feeling our way through.
I find that the appropriate frequency of contact has a few variables. The first is the time line and phase of the project. Projects with a longer time line tend to need less contact, especially in the middle stages, after the initial flurry of organizing the project has died down. The contact frequency usually increases towards the end. Increased contact is often needed around project milestones, or phases that involve a lot of integration.
The second variable is the nature of the work of the team members. This is often difficult to manage as team members who tend to need more contact such as graphic designers, sometimes have trouble relating to those writing long-form content, who seem to need much less. There is a real art to structuring communication channels so they provide useful feedback for those that need it, and space for those that don't.
Finally there is the communication style of the individual worker, and finding a balance between their personal comfort and that of their team members.
I live and work in europe. I have spent many years working with people in the US, far-east and other parts of the world. One thing that has not been mentioned, but is critical to a team's understanding is that people are NOT instantly available. If you're in LA, but the time you start work on friday I have already "gone home" (metaphorically - i.e. I won't communicate with you) for the weekend. On my monday morning I'll pick up your "this is an emergency: I've got to have your input within the next hour" email or voicecomm. Similarly, if your colleague in Tel-Aviv needs to get in touch, well tough - you don't share any common "office hours" so every communication will take a day to turn around.
Having said that, the time differential can be leveraged. If I am working on a problem during the day, I can pass it on to someone in Calif. when I knock off. Likewise they can pass it on to someone in Islamabad after their 8 hours and I'll get it back from pakistan when I come in. That's 3 shifts, all following the sun.
It takes a lot of flexibility and planning. You also have to take into account national holidays (I work on July 4 and thanksgiving, but don't expect to hear for me on 8 other days - up to 16 if I was spanish)
And don't even get me started on cultural differences: siesta? Grrrrr.
I agree that communication is key in any facet of life, work, home, where ever. The majority of the conflict I've seen has been due to a simple mis-communication. When you don't have conversations you can disconnect from the individual and are less likely to be receptive to an idea (in my opinion).
"Simply saying "I hear you"? or "I understand"? can work wonders, even if that's all you offer, in the end, to solve the problem."
I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement, when I'm working with a project manager and have a problem I don't want to hear "I understand" or "I hear you". I'd like to hear "What can we do about this?".
While venting can do a world of good, from what I've found, it only puts off the conflict for a little longer as it builds; which may be fine on a short project. I would especially have a problem if the project manager was placating the whole team with things like "I hear you", really never taking a stand for anything. Maybe because I picture it being said in the midst of work with a head down, not really paying attention… that's probably why.
Good article though, I like the idea of having a meeting in the middle of a long project just to see how things are going and the postmortem one afterwards
my2cents..well, maybe 3
bq. Sometimes I multitask, holding an IM conversation while writing an e-mail or talking on Skype.
You might be interested in this article, "E-mails hurt IQ more than pot":http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/22/text.iq/index.html . The statement that shocked me was:
bq. He found the IQ of those who tried to juggle messages and work fell by 10 points—the equivalent to missing a whole night's sleep and more than double the 4-point fall seen after smoking marijuana.
If you read the actual report you'll find that the act of reading an email message while talking on the phone reduces your IQ. If you don't read the email, you have a higher IQ.
I schedule when I read email to two or three times a day. This allows me to concentrate on my work and get more done. I do use IM to contact co-workers when I need information from them, but often ignore IMs from co-workers until I have a break. I find that I can't go a week without some contact, but I think that may be different for each person.
The system has conditioned us to long wait times and music while we wait for telephone interaction. It seems as if we almost don't know how to handle interpersonal interactions anymore especially on the telephone
this is a very interesting read , thanks
Enjoyed the article very much because I just started a photography company with two friends of mine who are photographers and I'm the web developer. So we decided to put our professions together to start up the company and after reading your article that a lot of what is said is things that we have implemented or that we will now start implementing. I love this type of work enviornment the virtual workspace.
and designers are sometimes completely different people. They can be odd and difficult to work with, but you have to have an understanding of the tedious things they do in order to function well with them.
I'll thank you for writing the article! We got in business just a few weeks ago - a dozen of designers, web developer and marketing professionals as a team. Your aspects can be used in our daily work to organise the group and to meet with success. Every human has a different point of view and that's the interesting thing to work with.
i WOULD OF LIKED TO PLAY AROLE IN A ADULT MOVIE SOMETIME , SOON .


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Sunday, May 25, 2008
This is the kind of weird email I receive on my Birthday
5 comments:
don't rule it out. You've had the ambition to be a diplomat and this isn't that far off from that skillset.ReplyDelete
Good call. Let's see where I am in 15 years.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous26 May, 2008 09:48
Hey Joe, happy birthday, though belatedly perhaps? Take care!ReplyDelete
Thanks man, you're only a day late but who's counting?ReplyDelete
Happy B.Day Joe!ReplyDelete
Pappillon welcomes your comments and encourages your participation. However, in commenting, you agree that you will not:1) Post material that infringes on the rights of any third party, including intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights. 2) Post material that is unlawful, obscene, defamatory, threatening, harassing, abusive, slanderous, hateful, or embarrassing to any other person or entity as determined by Pappillon in its sole discretion. 3) Impersonate another person.


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LAS VEGAS >> Jordan Adams, Zach LaVine and Bryce Alford all scored 18 points to lead No. 19 UCLA over Northwestern 95-79 on Friday night in the final round of the Las Vegas Invitational.
The Bruins (7-0) made 13 of 17 attempts from 3-point range to finish 4-0 in the round-robin tournament for a share of the Invitational crown with Missouri.
Tournament MVP Kyle Anderson added 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as the Bruins shot 64 percent from the field.
Alford, who hit all four of his 3-point tries, set a career high for points.
Steve Alford became the first UCLA coach to win his first seven games. Hall of Fame great John Wooden started his Bruins stint 6-1 in 1948-49.
JerShon Cobb led Northwestern (4-4) with 22 points. Kale Abrahamson added 19 and Tre Demps 15 for the Wildcats, who went 2-2 in the Invitational.
Northwestern's leading scorer, Drew Crawford, did not play due to back spasms.
Crawford is averaging 14.3 points and 6.9 rebounds. He played only 12 minutes Thursday against Missouri, scoring two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
The Bruins made 76.5 percent of their 3-pointers, falling just short of the school record. They shot 76.9 percent (10 for 13) from long range at California on Jan. 21, 1990.
The first half was a scoring fest for the Bruins, who went 19 of 25 from the field — including 9 for 11 from beyond the arc. They jumped out to a 12-1 lead and never trailed.
UCLA was up 51-32 with 2 minutes left in the first half and the Bruins had their largest lead of 25 with 4:56 left in the game.
The Wildcats went 12 of 32 from 3-point range and 21 of 27 at the free-throw line.
The tournament's championship format was changed to round-robin this year to accommodate the wishes of UCLA and Missouri that they not play twice this season. They meet at Missouri on Dec. 7.
The Bruins, who host UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday before traveling to Missouri, nearly reached 100 points in three consecutive games. The last time that happened was during the 1971-72 season.


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lipo, workouts, diet, and steroids?
Jul 11, 2006
Like many others, I have gigantic veins in my arms and legs from lipoatrophy and have chosen to cover myself (even in summer) with long sleeves and pants so as not to draw attention to what I think of as "the look" of some with HIV (yes, sadly we have gossip queens in my town and social stigma that contributes to isolation and discrimination, rather than compassion). But that's another topic.
In addition to the loss of subcutaneous fat from my arms and legs, I've also lost some of the fat from my butt and found it again under my abdomen. My face is only just beginning to show mild signs of fat loss, but not enough yet to warrant facial fillers. Been poz for 20+ years and am doing excellent in my labs (save for triglyceride madness). I am 45 years old and have been on Sustiva and Combivir since they were in trials.
Since I've also lost some muscle mass from my arms and legs as well, my doc has recommended workouts at the gym.
My first set of questions are: 1) WON'T WORKING OUT JUST MAKE THE VEINS ON MY ARMS AND LEGS EVEN WORSE THAN THEY ARE NOW?
My doc has also recommended omega 3 supplements with 500mg of dha once a day in order to try to bring down the triglyceride numbers.
Second set of questions are: 3) IS THIS THE PROPER DOSAGE? SHOULD I BE TAKING MORE? WITH FOOD? 4) SHOULD I ALSO BE EATING MORE FRESH FISH? HOW MUCH? WHAT KIND? WHAT ABOUT MERCURY AND PESTICIDES? 5) IS THERE A RECOMMENDED DIET THAT I SHOULD BE ON TO STOP OR SLOW DOWN THIS WORSENING METABOLIC MESS?
Someone suggested that I should consider anabolic steroids to help build muscle mass, but I'm nervous about going that far and am leaning toward conservative measures at the gym. 6) IS THERE ANY PROVEN MERIT TO ANABOLIC STEROID USE IN DEALING WITH LIPODYSTROPHY AND/OR BUILDING MUSCLE MASS? 7) AREN'T STEROIDS ADDING AN ADDITIONAL RISK OF CARDIAC COMPLICATIONS OVER AND ABOVE THE HAART MEDS?
And finally, I've noticed that I sometimes have a stinging pain that follows the pathway of the largest veins in my legs. 8) HAVE YOU HEARD OF ANYONE ELSE WITH PAIN ALONG A LARGE VEIN LIKE THIS? WHAT COULD BE CAUSING IT? COULD IT BE RELATED TO ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH LIPO?
thank you for this site and for reading/responding to this message. Your wise words have always been a heartfelt encouragement (and sometimes even witty and fun which is much appreciated) to all of us that are dealing with health issues surrounding living with HIV.
Response from Dr. Frascino
You have quite a number of questions related to lipoatrophy. To answer them all in detail would require a very extensive response. Rather than type that out, I'm going to suggest you visit the new "Lipoatrophy Resource Center." You can access it easily under the Quick Links listed on The Body's homepage. Reading through the information there will address all (well, almost all) of the questions you pose in your post. There is even a live pod cast with yours truly available on the site. If after reviewing all that information you still have questions, write back and I'll address that much shorter list of concerns, OK?
Be well.
Dr. Bob
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Most Earned
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Discounts on Fallout 4, Sunset Overdrive, Ryse: Son of Rome, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Battlefield 1, Watch_Dogs and more
Posted 8 months ago by Rich Stone, 131 comments
Check out NBA 2K18 and/or Destiny 2 this weekend for free for those with Xbox Live Gold memberships. Both games will be available at discounted prices should you decide to want to continue with either or both games.
Posted 9 months ago by Ashley Woodcock, 7 comments
Discounts on Grand Theft Auto V, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Watch_Dogs, Battlefield 1, Gears of War 4, Tom Clancy's The Division and more
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Discounts on Battlefield 4, Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Worms Battlegrounds, Call of Duty: WWII, Call of Duty: Ghosts and more
Posted 10 months ago by Rich Stone, 74 comments
It's the start of Spring and to celebrate Microsoft have just kicked off a Spring Sale, with loads of great content available at big discounts. The discounts are available until the 10th April 2018.
Posted 1 year ago by Jack Watling, 80 comments
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Awards the Expat Website Has Won
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Selected Site - April 2004
Most Useful Website
in Indonesia from djakarta! magazine
Practical Information | Expat Forum | Site Map | Search | Home Page | Contact
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DScott72 needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 62 designs submitted by 26 freelance designers.
Looking for a clean design. The design will be used on the web as well as print media. Would like some color but not a lot of different colors. If you would to vary the color, perhaps different tones of the same color or some shading.
Professional Certification Institue
Looking for a design feature that connects to or integrates Professional Certification Institute. The words Professional Certification Institue does not have to be embedded or connected but can be if is clean and neat. Not looking for something busy, simple but eye catching.
Professional Certification Institute
This logo will be placed on print media such a brochures, advertisement, CDs and possible book covers.
We certify professional through training, giving them ability to obtain licenses for their profession such real estate or securities license. We are an education center for many different professional disciplines.
Me: practical and straight forward
- Item 1...Open to the creative process - be creative...
- Item 1...One or two different colors at most. Don't want a lot of different colors.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Opinion: Crude Delivery
Columnist Kim Strassel on why transporting oil via pipeline is safer than via rail. Photos: AP
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... back to Opinion Journal I'm Mary Kissel ... last week America had two major oil spills ... but the media and environmentalists only seem to care about one of them why ... watch columnist Kim straw soul joins me on the line now from Washington can ... on the one he knew that in all the Exxon Mobil pipeline near Mayflower Arkansas ... on the other you've got a train derailment near a small town in western Minnesota ... what's the difference between the two ... although far as the one that's getting all the attention and getting the attention for very obvious that political reasons that ... this pipeline an Exxon Mobil has ... happened to be carrying crude from ... the oil sands in Canada down the taxes now this is the kind of crude ... that the Keystone XL proposed pipeline ... would also carry and so the environmental community in a lot of immediate highlighted highlighted ... this pipeline still saying look this is what's going happen if we accused on this and getting other reason not to let the practical for what ... you think and I I take the wide viewers that there might not realize that a lot of its crude has to be transported by rail ... because we don't have enough pipeline capacity is now right ... and that's why the actual far more interesting still wasn't that the one that happened a few days earlier ... I in western Minnesota a train derailed ... and quiet about this Mary is that ... this oil what we understand what we know is that this oil is going to get extracted one way or another there's a market for its in plentiful supply ... and it's going to have to be moved ... now you can deal with the pipeline which is purpose built it moves oil faster it has fewer leaks per mile ... than any other mode of transport or you can do it ... by putting on trains which is what we've been doing because we have outstripped that the supply of oil has outstripped pipeline capacity in this country so I whereas in two thousand and eight you go back a few years we were moving about nine thousand ... Up Oil train car carloads of oil on a rail system the year ... I did this last year was two hundred and thirty four pounds ... and of course when every Harlem or the EU and ... you had increased the ad at potential for there to be a derailment and allows the yen as it happens Warren Buffett a friend of the administration is making an awful lot of money ... on the train lines transporting the crude because Keystone is being built ... on the spot a couple new pulls up by few to show where public opinion is ... on the Keystone XL pipeline overall ... sixty six percent of Americans support the pipeline twenty three against when you break that down ... by party ... even more interesting figures here a full seventy percent of independents ... support ... Keystone can ... be our these numbers majority Democratic support way majority independent ... and Republican support is not moving the White House and all ... we just don't know I mean that you think that there is a great if you're out there among the environmental community that the White House is ... high in the still open to the idea of green lighting this project and ... not a surprise that the White House in your headline sensitive as this light has his ... eye he saw losses in part because Americans ... understand and like sheep energy they also see this as a jobs project ... and I think the pressure is going to increase on the White House to leave We continue to move in the spring as you know and we have all seen gas prices are going up ... on and so there is a lot of public support for moving on something like that and there's a lot of Democratic support in the Senate to craft ... that's right and you saw that demonstrated the eye and with the letters that they had sent that ... there had been some votes ... on their heads for certain when many members of the president's own party in support ... of going ahead with his pipeline so that when you see that ... the White House's delayed insulated baking they wanted to punch it past the election is can be harder for them ... to ignore it and I think it is very interesting question is whether or not things like these ... this oil spill that I plan also would likely not celebrating the grand scheme of things and that's enough to actually convince the White House that they should stop this project what is going to convince the White House to move ahead on Keystone ... second question Potomac watch columnist Kim straw sleepy near every week in a newspaper ... thank you so much for being with us ...


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International News
Rwandan First Lady Kagame Hosts HIV/AIDS Vaccine Roundtable
June 18, 2008
Rwandan first lady Jeannette Kagame last week at the United Nations in New York hosted a roundtable discussion about HIV/AIDS vaccine research and development, Rwanda's New Times reports. Kagame, who also serves as the high representative for the African AIDS Vaccine Programme, said that the "recent setbacks in HIV vaccine trials should not discourage our efforts." She added that a "preventive vaccine is the only long-term sustainable solution to combating HIV." Participants in the roundtable discussion included Seth Berkley, president and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative; Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise; Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization; and Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS.
Back to other news for June 2008
This article was provided by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. It is a part of the publication Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. Visit the Kaiser Family Foundation's website to find out more about their activities, publications and services.


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WWE announced Monday that WrestleMania XXVIII, based on preliminary estimates, set the company record for pay-per-view buys, garnering 1.3 million buys for the event, which was headlined by the "Once in a Lifetime" match between The Rock and John Cena.
The show was held April 1 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, home of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins.
The number, which WWE announced in a press release, breaks the previous record of 1.25 million buys set at WrestleMania 23 in Detroit. That show was headlined by the "Battle of the Billionaires" which saw Umaga face Bobby Lashley with either Donald Trump or Vince McMahon's hair on the line. Lashley won the match and McMahon's head was shaved. Also on that show, John Cena defended the WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels and Batista defended the World Heavyweight Championship against The Undertaker.
WWE says WrestleMania XXVIII garnered more than $67 million USD in worldwide gross sales. The in-stadium announced attendance was 78,363.
The show also featured another highly-anticipated match as The Undertaker defeated Triple H in the "End of an Era" Hell in a Cell match with WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee.
In the main event, The Rock defeated John Cena with a Rock Bottom, electrifying the massive crowd in Miami. In other action, CM Punk defended the WWE Championship with a submission win over Chris Jericho and Sheamus defeated World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan in a record 18 seconds to capture the title.
WrestleMania XXIX, also expected to feature The Rock, will be held April 7, 2013 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Matt Bishop can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Please include your name and hometown. Click here to follow Matt on Twitter. Should be a good one!.


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John Carmack Resigns from id to Focus on Oculus
While the world was distracted by shiny new systems and the games that launched with them on Friday, id Software's John Carmack resigned from the company he helped found.
According to Polygon, Carmack is abandoning id Software, known for its revolutionary properties like Doom and Quake, to put all of his efforts into his work with Oculus VR.
"John Carmack, who has become interested in focusing on things other than game development at id, has resigned from the studio," said Tim Willits, studio director at id Software in a statement. "John's work on id Tech 5 and the technology for the current development work at id is complete, and his departure will not affect any current projects. We are fortunate to have a brilliant group of programmers at id who worked with John and will carry on id's tradition of making great games with cutting-edge technology. As colleagues of John for many years, we wish him well."
Earlier this year, Carmack was named chief technical officer of Oculus VR. At the time, Carmack maintained his role with id, but has since decided his duties with Oculus demand too much of his time to be split between the two companies.
We've reached out to Oculus for a statement, and will update when and if they respond.


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Earn 10 Together Rewards points on this item
Scrolls Clear Stamps - Pack Of 6
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 A fantastic set of 6 clear stamps in banner designs, perfect for adding a personal touch to your homemade cards and gifts.

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Your child seems so small and defenseless that it can be hard to see him get so many shots. Many parents wonder whether their young child would be better able to handle the immunizations and weather any possible side effects when he's a little older and his immune systems is more developed.
Rest assured, there's no evidence that children are more likely to have a reaction to a vaccine when they're younger. Also, children under 2 are at higher risk than older children for contracting some of these diseases and are more likely to have serious complications if they're infected.
Recent studies at the University of Louisville concluded that infants receiving multiple vaccines are no more likely to have long-term problems with developmental delays or autism than children who received just a few vaccines in the first year of life. In fact, no studies have ever demonstrated any long-term developmental side effects from any vaccine.
Researchers have weighed the risk to young children of having a reaction against that of catching one of these serious illnesses and concluded that the benefits far outweigh the risks. For example, when your child gets the DTaP vaccine, he has about a 15 percent chance of experiencing side effects such as fever or irritability for a day or two. If you decide to wait until he's a little older, he has the same risk of having a reaction, but in the meantime he could be exposed to whooping cough (pertussis) at an age when he's most vulnerable.
The incidence of whooping cough is on the rise and has increased tenfold in the last few years. Young children are most susceptible to its effects. Thousands of children are hospitalized each year and some even die – usually the youngest patients. This is why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that your child get his first DTaP shot at age 2 months.
The Hib vaccination protects babies against bacterial meningitis, which can lead to deafness, intellectual disability, and even death. When I started my training, I saw about a case a month of bacterial meningitis, and now I rarely see any cases at all, thanks to Hib. Other vaccines that protect against common – and sometimes very serious – early childhood illnesses include the pneumococcal conjugate (PCV) and the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Some people prefer to delay certain immunizations, such as the varicella (for chicken pox) or hepatitis A vaccinations. If you feel strongly about postponing some vaccines, talk to your doctor about which ones you could safely delay for a few months or more.
I know it's hard to see your little baby receive so many shots, but it is worth it. It would be so much worse to see your little one in the hospital with whooping cough or meningitis.


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The University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team is playing in its first NAIA World Series. While they compete in Lewiston, Idaho, the Sand Sharks are sharing their experiences with Bluffton Today through a daily diary.
Sunday, we heard from pitcher Colton Rudd at the end of an off day for USCB. The Sand Sharks are taking on Point Park (Pa.) this afternoon. Rudd is a senior from Ft. Pierce, Fla.
LEWISTON, Idaho -- We've had a blast here, just playing ball and having fun. The people here are very nice, that's for sure. Everybody's very friendly, and it's just a great environment for the World Series.
I've had a chance to pitch in our first two games, and the adrenaline was definitely pumping, that's for sure. You have to treat it like just another game, but it is a little bit different in the last stage. You just have to try to stay focused and keep your mind straight.
We had a day off Sunday, so we had a barbecue out at the river and went on a boat ride. The barbecue was great, and I really enjoyed the food and the time with family and friends. The boat ride was fun and exciting. We got to see some deer and some rams. We were really hoping to see some bears, but we never did. It was a long ride, and it was exhausting, but it was fun.
We'll get back on the field Monday morning against Point Park (Pa.), and it will just be business as usual. The guys are excited, and we have that refuse-to-lose attitude, but we're not pressuring ourselves. We're staying focused and staying humble.
It's been a roller coaster ride for the past four years, and I never could have imagined we would be here today. We started out high, and we've had our downs, but we're definitely at our top point now, and we're going to try to keep going up.


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Crohn's Disease
Crohn's Disease Quotes
People with Crohn's disease know that life isn't always sunshine and roses - but it's also not always as "crappy" as it sometimes feels. Take comfort in the bright, humorous, and inspirational side of life with Crohn's. Share these clever images, raise awareness, and get a good chuckle out of these true-to-life-with-Crohn's graphics. And remember, you ARE greater than Crohn's!
Written by Tracy Rosecrans


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Linda Hardman brauchte ein neues Logo Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 124 Designs von 39 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
I desperately need a fresh company logo for our web site and overall branding. It needs to be upbeat, fun and reflect the innovative nature of the work that is undertaken by the business. It needs to demonstrate the ever changing nature of the Internet in all it's glorious facets as well as showing that this business is capable of delivering what clients need. Some of the comments I've been getting are suggesting that the designs look like they may be for a garden centre rather than an internet consultancy business - therefore I think the design needs to include the strapline as well - helping you plant the seeds of internet success or something similar!
Grow A Better Business - http://www.growabetterbusiness.co.uk
This design will be used primarily on our website, however, it also needs to be used on stationery, booklets, books and possibly CD's as well as within other marketing materials such as business cards. It will need to be scalable up and down to a large degree and have the opportunity to be used within banners for other items as well.
The business provides Internet consultancy and mentoring services to businesses in the South West of England (UK). However, the primary purpose of the work is to give business owners the skills to make relevant choices about how to implement the various aspects of the Internet for themselves. I don't do the work for them, rather I show them, demonstrate and help them apply the tools and techniques to do search engine optimisation, internet marketing, email marketing and online publishing primarily for themselves. It is about making the Internet an easier environment for them to do business their way.
- Fun, friendly empowering, innovative but professional!!!!.
- Needs to be upbeat with fresh colours - preferably lots of colour to make it stand out.
- I would like it to have a white background if possible and I like simple, easy to understand images
- Bold, chunky font that makes a statement about what it is to have the ability to make choices
- Strong sense of the individual with a funky theme
- I like the idea of something that grows, perhaps flowers - because this business is run by a woman after all
- I had a logo from a project I ran at the end of 2001 which was a flower with the petals made up of computer mice - don't know how that would stand up these days but willing to take another look and view.
- the current tagline is 'helping you plant the seeds of internet success' - but open to alternative suggestions.
- I'd like it if you can show me the format you intend to deliver as well please. Preferably a vector format so that I can amend it as necessary in Photoshop.
- anything too fussy
- anything overly male, masculine
- rainbows - would annoy me intensely
- too many colours
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text:
Oshchima: the story of a small village in Western Macedonia
Risto Stefov Publications, 2003 - History - 384 pages
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Table of Contents
History of the Village Oshchima
Family life in the Village Oshchima
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Matsumoto, Japan, October 30, 2010 – A slick performance by Thailand brought them their first win of the FIVB Women's World Championship on Saturday, 3-1 (25-16, 25-18, 20-25, 25-16) against Kazakhstan at Matsumoto City Gymnasium.
Onuma Sittirak was the most productive of four Thailand players in double figures as she managed 18 points, followed by Wilavan Apinyapong and Malika Kanthong on 14 and Pleumjit Thinkaow on 13.
For Kazakhstan, Inna Matveyeva and Olga Drobyshevskaya finished with 18 points apiece including three and four blocks respectively. The eastern Europeans had a 14-10 advantage in blocks but Thailand scored with 11 aces from the service line against only one from their opponents.FIVB Women's World Championship Japan 2010 official page
After Kazakhstan moved into an early lead through a couple of spikes by Drobyshevskaya, Thailand's strategy of feeding power hitter Onuma began to pay dividends. The Kazakhs did not help their cause with a couple of receiving errors and Thai captain Wilavan delivered a pair of powerful hits as the Asians took eight out of eleven points to build a 16-10 lead by the Second Technical Timeout (STT).
Olessya Arslanova did her best to keep Kazakhstan in the set with a good block on Onuma and two spikes, but the Thais were not just spiking well but also defending with admirable energy. Pleumjit brought setpoint with a clever angled spike and Olga Nassedkina then planted her serve into the net to put the Asians 1-0 up.
Thailand remained strong early in the second set. Nootsara Tomkom showed her class as a setter, particularly with one brilliant improvised reverse set for Pleumjit. But after taking a 6-3 lead, Thailand's big hitters ran into a rejuvenated Kazakh block and the scores were quickly reversed, Nassedkina landing successive spikes as her team moved into a three-point lead.
Unfortunately for Nelli Chsherbakova, Kazakh errors allowed Thailand to regain the advantage. Blocks by Pleumjit and Onuma gave Thailand some breathing space and two good hits and a block by Amporn Hyapha moved them into a six-point lead at 22-16. A receiving error by Sana Jarlagassova from a Nootsara serve brought up setpoint and Onuma's spike put Thailand 2-0 up.
The Thais went off the boil at the start of the third set and were 8-4 down at the First Technical Timeout. Coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai called a timeout with his team 11-5 behind to try and get them back on track but despite a massive thump from Onuma, Kazakhstan moved eight points ahead. Cue another timeout. Malika Kanthong and Onuma came up with two great blocks afterwards, but Kazakhstan were still ahead at the Second Technical Timeout (STT).
Although Malika produced two more big shots, as well as a fine block, it was in a losing cause. With Drobyshevskaya and Matveyeva supplying the offensive firepower, Kazakhstan had the set in their sights. A great drive down the line by Matveyeva brought setpoint and another spike by the same player made the score 2-1.
Both sides looked tired at the start of the fourth set as both committed a series of errors. The Thais were 8-6 up at the FTT and further Kazakh errors forced coach Chsherbakova to call a timeout with her side trailing 11-7. It did not appear to help Drobyshevskaya much, though, as she committed three more errors in succession. Matveyeva revived Kazakhstan's hopes with three straight spike points, but the Thais were still four ahead at the STT. Wilavan delivered three bombs and after a long shot by Drobyshevskaya brought up matchpoint, Onuma finished off the contest with a resounding clout.


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Sep 14, 2010
The Muppets Kitchen Serves up Some Fun!
Don't believe me? Head on over to the official website and see for yourself! What you're sure to see is classic Muppet fun at its best. There are currently four regular episodes of the show available, each around seven minutes each with a short commercial after the first part. Also available are five "Hasty Tasty Cooking Tips" segments with Cat Cora, Pepe, and new Muppet chef Angelo.
The other videos offer appearances by Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Foo Foo, The Swedish Chef, Bunsen and Beaker, Animal, Penguins, Rats, Chickens, and, I'm not kidding, Rowlf the Dog! We also get a brand new Bear On Patrol segment, Kermit in his reporter get-up, and Bunsen and Beaker do Frankenstein! What's not to love?
So far, I'm extremely impressed with this new web show. The Muppets are in top form here and they keep you entertained throughout the seemingly boring premise of a cooking show with Cat Cora. The only remotely debatable aspect here, I think, is the inclusion of Angelo. I personally think he serves his role well and understand why The Swedish Chef couldn't fit in there as easily. He is slightly bland and another Muppet character might have suited him well, and it's hard for me to picture him appearing anywhere else outside of this, but he works well here.
All in all, The Muppets Kitchen is a rollicking good time with classic Muppet humor, classic Muppets, and a lot of fun. Now if you'll excuse me... I have a chicken picket line to join.
The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier
5 comments:
Hey Ryan, Mindset and Muppet People,ReplyDelete
I love this show and think it's A. amusing and B. education and C. Cat Cora...
So, I hate to be the one to throw this out there, but honesty this show should have a warning about using sharp knives and hotplates...Especially as kids may be watching, due to its having Muppet content. Maybe just something on the website somewhere? Was rather disturbed by the image of Cora using a really large sharp knife chopping herbs with no warning about fingers!
Love ya!
-Health and Safety
Why isn't she cooking with the swedish chef? and who is this new chef muppet guy? has he replaced the swedish chef!? as the swedish chef would say "Wat Der Hey?"ReplyDelete
No, Angelo is not a replacement for everyone's favorite Swede.ReplyDelete
Angelo is there because they had to have a more articulate character (ie: someone who does not have some sort of "speech impediment") to have co-hosting the show with Ms. Cora.
Just read the entry and you'll have a better understanding.
Also, Angelo shows proper respect for the chef. He explained in an interview today that the Chef taught him everything (and so he got night classes). I love Angelo. I think the main reason they are using him rather than Swede is because now that the Swedish Chef is married he has commitments and couldn't make it from Scandinavia for the grueling hours of filming necessary.ReplyDelete
This comment brought to you by the confirmation word: calimb as in, "Calimb everya mouantain, forda everya straeem."
As a chef, I'd like to point out that I love that Antonio (is that his name?) is wearing Crocs, which chefs totally wear like all the time! That attention to detail is great.ReplyDelete


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JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS -- JSC-2002-E-11030 -- Official portrait of astronaut Piers J. Sellers, mission specialist. (Photo Release Date: 03/05/2002 )
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Re: NY Times: Chasing B1G sports, Rutgers stumbles into vat of red ink. -- West End Hokie 03/13/2017 11:00AM
NY Times: Chasing B1G sports, Rutgers stumbles into vat of red ink. -- HOO86 03/12/2017 12:24PM
The article makes for a great laugh and..... -- 2hhoop3 03/13/2017 10:53AM
How are your predictions about Maryland going? ** -- chuckd4vt 03/12/2017 6:18PM
I don't know that I made a prediction. But it's turning out as I expected. -- HOO86 03/12/2017 6:38PM
UMD fans -- Vippie1 03/13/2017 09:09AM
I live in MD and I was unaware that the B10 tourney was in DC... -- Mr. Touchdown 03/14/2017 09:16AM
Re: UMD fans -- 2hhoop3 03/13/2017 10:08AM
WRONG. UMD made money yr before last (link). -- chuckd4vt 03/13/2017 9:11PM
Nope (link) -- daveinop 03/14/2017 09:06AM
Not wrong according to reports filed .... -- 2hhoop3 03/14/2017 08:52AM
Show me some sort of proof disputing the numbers. -- chuckd4vt 03/14/2017 09:05AM
Dave already beat me to it..... -- 2hhoop3 03/14/2017 09:19AM
Not what Dave's article suggests. They will pay off back debt by 21. -- chuckd4vt 03/14/2017 09:48AM
Re: Not what Dave's article suggests. They will pay off back debt by 21. -- 2hhoop3 03/14/2017 10:31AM
Explain why it's primarily ACC and Pac12 schools requiring subsidies? -- chuckd4vt 03/14/2017 10:43AM
Re: Explain why it's primarily ACC and Pac12 schools requiring subsidies? -- 2hhoop3 03/14/2017 11:24AM
Don't let your ignorance of the past mislead you. -- chuckd4vt 03/14/2017 12:26PM
All ACC schools have individual Tier 3 deals ** -- daveinop 03/17/2017 09:02AM
Not even close but.... .... -- 2hhoop3 03/14/2017 2:01PM
Understand fully. You feel Swoff & Co. are OK. I do not. -- chuckd4vt 03/14/2017 2:10PM
By that logic, all ACC schools should be choking in debt. ** -- daveinop 03/17/2017 08:59AM
You continue.... -- 2hhoop3 03/14/2017 2:35PM
Sorry. Don't get paid to do that. Look at the numbers in an objective way. -- chuckd4vt 03/14/2017 3:21PM
Here's your answers.. -- 2hhoop3 03/15/2017 10:49AM
SO, you have no answers for the financial disparity. -- chuckd4vt 03/15/2017 11:21AM
I gave you the answers -- 2hhoop3 03/15/2017 11:47AM
It's a combo of factors is not an answer. -- chuckd4vt 03/15/2017 12:29PM
O.R.? The school with the larger enrollment makes more. -- daveinop 03/16/2017 8:44PM
Now THAT's a reasonable theory. -- chuckd4vt 03/17/2017 3:22PM
It's why the B1G and SEC make more...jmo ** -- daveinop 03/17/2017 6:43PM
But SO much more? And whatabout TV markets? -- chuckd4vt 03/17/2017 7:10PM
One ex. ACCCG (5.33M viewers) and B1GCG (9.19M) ran head to head this year ** -- daveinop 03/18/2017 09:10AM
Horrible example. B1GCG was a 6 versus 7 matchup w/ a 2.5pt. spread. -- chuckd4vt 03/18/2017 11:29AM
Where was your example that made your point? -- daveinop 03/18/2017 6:05PM
It's common sense. Unaffiliated viewers will usually watch best matchup. -- chuckd4vt 03/19/2017 01:23AM
It was a rhetorical Q...back to the point, the ACC does not draw -- daveinop 03/20/2017 08:19AM
I disagree. As your chart suggests, the ACC schools do well in comparison. -- chuckd4vt 03/20/2017 09:51AM
Something you've pointed out before and I think is true... -- daveinop 03/17/2017 8:46PM
You are correct. The information in the Dept of Education -- RJHokie 03/15/2017 10:42AM
Not labor intense; just back up your claims or be labeled a blowhard -- daveinop 03/15/2017 08:08AM
The article you linked suggested they would be out of debt in 21. -- chuckd4vt 03/15/2017 11:37AM
This post is a textbook example...UMCP attendance DROPPED 11percent in 2016 -- daveinop 03/16/2017 4:19PM
Re: The article you linked suggested they would be out of debt in 21. -- 2hhoop3 03/15/2017 12:01PM
YOU show me some numbers then. -- chuckd4vt 03/15/2017 11:22AM
You should be more careful. Dave's article was about 13-14. -- chuckd4vt 03/14/2017 10:39AM
You should take your own advice..... -- 2hhoop3 03/14/2017 11:05AM
Chucks posts are -- RTFC 03/15/2017 12:43PM
Funny how an extra $10-$20 million/ yr helps w/ money problems. Who knew? ** -- chuckd4vt 03/14/2017 12:38PM
See my link above ** -- daveinop 03/14/2017 09:07AM
I almost never see or hear about MD on TV anymore... -- RTFC 03/14/2017 01:07AM
Prepare for losing seasons then. 17 yr old kids don't think like that. -- chuckd4vt 03/14/2017 09:06AM
The attendance comparison at the Verizon Center isn't close. ACC v B1G. -- HOO86 03/13/2017 09:37AM
VT had as many fans for the 2nd round last year on a Wednesday as UMD had -- jmanatVT 03/13/2017 10:27AM
From what I have read, a lot of their fans miss the ACC. -- RJHokie 03/12/2017 8:12PM


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David Gibson puts together a useful analysis of the media's handling of an apparent divergence of opinion between the U.S.C.C.B. and the Catholic Health Association on the health care reform package (see Jim Martin's previous post on this) and the possible use of federal money to pay for abortions it may or may not be allowing. Are the CHA and religious orders which administer hospitals breaking ranks with the bishops or is the NY Times blowing the division out of all proportion to reality? Yes, says Gibson:
So which is it -- division or distortion? . . . There is . . . a bit of the 'good cop, bad cop' routine going on . . . with the bishops tending to pursue the perfect over the good and criticizing any compromise as 'deficient' and unworthy of support from Catholics. . . . On the other hand, the CHA and the religious orders of nuns that generally operate Catholic hospitals tend to be more pragmatic, weighing particular problems with the greater good that can be achieved and focusing on the political process as a way to resolve any problems either now or through future legislation. It is a difference one often sees between pastors who often deal with people where they are and bishops who often deal in abstractions and whose priority is to defend principles from erosion. Both can be effective approaches in political negotiations. But there is also little doubt that Keehan and the Catholic hospitals, like many Catholic activists promoting the church's social justice teachings, are far more supportive than the hierarchy of Obama's agenda and see the prospect of health care reform as representing a major, albeit imperfect, advance in the common good.
Who's being honest here? Sister Keehan's statement on December 17 contained the following:
"[N]ow that a public health insurance option is no longer on the table, we are increasingly confident that Senator Casey's language can achieve the objective of no federal funding for abortion. . . . It is our understanding that the language now being written would prohibit federal funding of abortion," Keehan said.
The problem for Keehan is that the only groups who agreed with her view of the Senate bill were Catholics United, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, and Catholic Democrats. They are all organizations that have repeatedly demonstrated their allegiance to the Democratic Party and the Obama White House by subordinating the non-negotiable life issues to political success.
"The principle of the Hyde Amendment, which restricted federal funds from paying for abortion, is now seen as an acceptable, 'abortion-neutral' position for the pro-choice party. How did the most significant anti-abortion legislation in history become a moderate compromise?"


text:
(CNN) -- Back in September, it was going to be "Silver Linings Playbook."
Then it was "Argo."
Then "Les Miserables." "Zero Dark Thirty" picked up some steam. "Lincoln" got raves.
Then back to "Les Miz." Over to "Lincoln." And, finally, the buzz settled on "Argo."
This year's Oscar race has been anything but predictable.
As festival chatter has given way to box office tallies, critics' honors and guild awards, the perceived leaders for best picture have changed almost as often as the country's top-ranked college basketball team. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences further muddied matters when it failed to nominate the directors of four best picture nominees -- "Argo," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Les Miserables" and "Django Unchained" -- for best director.
Bad for the conventional wisdom. Good for competition.
"I love all the suspense this year," said Oscar watcher Tom O'Neil, who runs the GoldDerby.com awards blog. "There are a lot of precedents being set."
For example, he observes, usually the film with the most nominations is the front-runner for best picture. This year, the most-nominated film is Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," which earned 12 nods. But the movie that's shown the most staying power at the various awards ceremonies since then -- including the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and the Producers Guild -- has been Ben Affleck's "Argo," making the latter film the front-runner for the big prize Sunday night. "Argo" is up for seven Oscars.
Moreover, Affleck's picture has dominated despite being snubbed by the academy in several categories, most notably best director. (In fact, among the Big Six categories of picture, director, actor, actress, supporting actor and supporting actress, "Argo" has just two nominations, three fewer than "Lincoln," despite a top-notch cast.) In the entire history of the Oscars, just three films have won best picture without a directing nomination. The most recent was 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy," which won the top prize despite director Bruce Beresford getting shut out.
Unlike Beresford, however, Affleck received the support of his peers at the Directors Guild of America, which awarded him its top prize a few weeks ago; Beresford didn't even make the DGA cut in 1989.
Is the rank-and-file trying to send the academy a message?
O'Neil believes they are.
Years ago, he points out, a situation like Affleck's Oscar snub would have been noted and then forgotten in the face of a much-nominated film such as "Lincoln." Today, with social media and blogs constantly debating the Oscars' merit, the argument isn't over until PricewaterhouseCoopers finishes tallying the votes.
"That's evidence of how different the Oscars are today," he said.
In addition, the DGA award is about the many over the few: The DGA is voted on by more than 14,000 members of the directors' guild -- a group that includes assistants, TV specialists and other forms of helmers -- while the Oscar nominees for best director were selected by the roughly 370 members of the academy's directors' branch, a more homogenous group, said O'Neil.
Clayton Davis, who oversees AwardsCircuit.com, has another theory: that "Argo" is everybody's alternative. Given the way the Oscars are tallied, with voters ranking their picks from favorite to least favorite, a film with a lot of twos and threes will do better than a film that some people love and others loathe.
"You'll find your haters for 'Lincoln,' you'll find your haters for 'Zero Dark Thirty,' you'll find your haters for 'Les Miz.' But everybody, for the most part, at least says 'Argo' was good," he said. "So in a preferential balloting system 'Argo's' not likely to have a lot of No. 9 votes. And in a preferential balloting system, two, three and four can easily make up the winner."
Lifetime achievements and new faces
This year, at least, almost all the best picture nominees have a rooting interest. As opposed to recent years, when many nominees struggled to crack even $50 million domestically, this time all but three of the nine best picture films -- "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Amour" and "Zero Dark Thirty" -- have topped $100 million at the North American box office. Some have established financial benchmarks: "Django Unchained" is Quentin Tarantino's highest-grossing film ever, and "Silver Linings Playbook" is tops among David O. Russell's films.
And though the Oscars are Hollywood-centric, the global market is always in studios' thoughts. In that respect, "Life of Pi" has been a juggernaut, making almost $600 million worldwide since its release.
"Life of Pi," in fact, may sneak into the winner's circle if the "Argo" bandwagon slows. One academy voter interviewed by CNN said "Pi," directed by Ang Lee, was his favorite film among the nominees; "Argo" didn't make his top three. (Neither did "Lincoln," for that matter.) Davis adds that anybody voting for Spielberg will likely vote for "Lincoln," and because "Lincoln's" momentum has halted he suspects Spielberg will lose best director to Lee or Russell. Lee, whose film was a special-effects marvel, may have the many members of the technical branches behind him.
"If Spielberg wins director, he's going to have three director wins, but only one of his films ('Schindler's List') will have won best picture in his career," he said. "That would be a little crazy. So I think Russell and Ang Lee are coming up strong."
O'Neil agrees. "Life of Pi" also has the second-most Oscar nominations this year, it received 11, and "its back story is extraordinary," since Yann Martel's best-selling 2001 novel was long considered unfilmable, he said.
Best picture isn't the only category without a shoo-in. In fact, with the exception of best actor, which has been Daniel Day-Lewis' race to lose since the "Lincoln" trailers first hit the Web, the other contests are still anybody's guess.
Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook") was long considered the front-runner for best actress. She fits several of the academy's biases -- she's young and rising, she's box office gold (both "Playbook" and "The Hunger Games" were box office successes) and she's a critical darling. Past examples of her type include Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon.
But there's also a tendency for the academy to offer "lifetime achievement awards," giving Oscars to veteran performers who have been overlooked in the past. (See Jessica Tandy and Geraldine Page.) If that's the way things are going, and O'Neil is seeing movement in that direction, expect 85-year-old Emmanuelle Riva to take home the golden statue.
"There's been a real surge among academy members. She suddenly has the cool factor," O'Neil said.
After wins for Lawrence and Jessica Chastain ("Zero Dark Thirty") at the various industry get-togethers, Riva suddenly burst from the pack with a win at the BAFTAs, the British Oscars. Her exposure wasn't hurt when the Hollywood Reporter put together a 2,000-word profile on the famed French actress, perhaps best known in the United States for Alain Resnais' inscrutable 1959 classic "Hiroshima, Mon Amour" and the "Blue" chapter of Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Three Colors" trilogy.
On the other side of the age spectrum is "Beasts of the Southern Wild's" Quvenzhane Wallis, who was just 6 when she filmed the little indie. (She's 9 now and still the youngest best actress nominee ever.) Though some commentators have raised questions about whether a 6-year-old can actually act -- or is, essentially, just being herself -- there's no question the academy loves honoring youngsters: usually with just a nomination, but sometimes more. Just ask Tatum O'Neal and Anna Paquin.
A first for James Bond?
Similarly, though Anne Hathaway ("Les Miserables") has been close to a lock for best supporting actress, there's an outside chance that Sally Field ("Lincoln") could take the prize. It's her first nomination since she won best actress for 1984's "Places in the Heart," which prompted her famous "You like me! Right now, you like me!" speech.
But the race hardest to predict is probably best supporting actor. All five nominees have won before; all five have arguments in their favor.
The sentimental favorite is probably Robert De Niro, who's made more heartfelt guest appearances on behalf of "Silver Linings Playbook" than he has for any number of his other recent films. Besides, as "Playbook's" studio head (and always shrewd Oscar campaigner) Harvey Weinstein told CNN, "Bob De Niro hasn't won an Oscar in 32 years." (Yes, it's true: "Raging Bull" was De Niro's last win.)
But don't count out Alan Arkin ("Argo"), Tommy Lee Jones ("Lincoln"), Christoph Waltz ("Django Unchained") or even Philip Seymour Hoffman ("The Master"). Arkin is "Argo's" only acting nomination; the film's bandwagon could carry him to victory. And Jones, Hoffman and Waltz have all won trophies during this awards season.
Davis' money is on Waltz. The actor won both a BAFTA and Golden Globe for his performance as a 19th-century bounty hunter, and he's seen as more appreciative than Jones or Hoffman, neither of whom gave speeches when they won their honors, said Davis.
Other awards, the ones that pay off in everybody's Oscar pool, are also up for grabs. Will best film editing go to "Argo," the taut minimalism of "Zero Dark Thirty" or the careful rhythms of "Life of Pi"? Will animated feature honor the Pixar masters behind "Brave" or the off-center, long-gestating Tim Burton project "Frankenweenie?" Will Adele's James Bond theme "Skyfall" win best song, or will it go to this year's host, Seth MacFarlane, for his "Everybody Needs a Best Friend"?
Don't rule out MacFarlane; his co-writer is Walter Murphy, who once turned Beethoven's Fifth Symphony into a No. 1 pop hit. On the other hand, no James Bond theme -- not "Goldfinger," not "Live and Let Die," not "Nobody Does It Better," not even anything by Matt Munro, A-ha or Madonna -- has ever won an Oscar, so 007 is overdue.
The uncertainty will make for some surprise winners, both in the Dolby Theatre (formerly the Kodak) and in wagering living rooms across America.
"I've spoken to several academy members, and they're all over the place, too," said Davis.
It's no wonder that the nominees have been modest and circumspect about their chances, nobody more so than Affleck. Though he's a producer of "Argo," which means he'll get to accept a best picture trophy if the film wins, he's attracted far more attention for being ignored for best director than he ever would have for being nominated.
"I just feel so incredibly honored to be nominated as a producer for this movie, to be here at the big party," he told reporters at the Oscar luncheon in early February. "I don't get into worrying too much about who got what and who didn't get what. I mean, I've had many, many, many, many, many, many years watching from home."
But despite some observers already instructing Affleck to prepare yet another list of thank-yous, don't assume "Argo" the movie will reign as triumphant as its risk-taking characters, said Davis. Sure, it's good. But best picture? That's something else entirely.
"I'm hearing a little bit, that when 'Argo' started winning everything, some people started scratching their heads," he said. "'Really? That's what I'm supposed to be picking?'"
The 85th Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday on ABC. The show will air from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.


text:
Jewelry Heist at Cannes, and More
What's News: Jewelry is stolen at Cannes film festival. IRS Chief blames "foolish mistakes" made by agency employees over targeting of conservative groups. Bloomberg taps Sam Palmisano to review data policies. Joanne Po reports. Photo: Getty
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
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