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Woodstock wake held for The Band's Levon Helm
WOODSTOCK, N.Y. -- There was a reunion, of sorts, at Woodstock on Thursday.
Musicians, friends and fans gathered in the board-and-batten barn where Levon Helm staged his Midnight Ramble concerts to remember the influential singer and drummer for The Band, who died of throat cancer last week at age 71.
Nearly 2,000 people attended his wake, not far from where The Band played at the Woodstock gathering in 1969, said a spokesman for the school bus company that shuttled mourners from the village to the wooded grounds of Helm's home and studio.
Helm's closed casket, in the second-floor studio of the barn, was surrounded by flowers and flanked by his drum kit and a piano.
"He was so down to earth," said Roland Mousaa, a folk musician who performed with Bob Dylan and other artists at Woodstock.
Sporting long gray hair, sequined sunglasses and a tie-dye shirt under a funereal black topcoat, Mousaa said, "The greatness of Levon Helm was the impact he had on people."
Visitors greeted family members and walked down a corridor lined with photos and memorabilia, including Helm's Grammys in a lighted case. Upstairs, they filed silently past the coffin and glimpsed a family photo slideshow before security staff urged them toward the back exit.
"He was an icon, but also the guy next door," said Al Caron, of Woodstock. "The Rambles were like a revival meeting. There was just a sense of euphoria from the minute you arrived at his home and he will be missed."
Helm, Danko, Garth Hudson, Robbie Robertson and Richard Manuel's first album as The Band was 1968's "Music From Big Pink." That album and its follow-up, "The Band," remain landmark albums of the era, and songs such as "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Up On Cripple Creek" are rock standards.
Early on, The Band backed Dylan on his electric tours of 1965-66 and collaborated with him on the legendary "Basement Tapes."
"He was my idol," said Dan McCabe, a college student pursuing a career in music production who played in a jazz band at one of Helm's Rambles.
The son of an Arkansas cotton farmer, Helm was just out of high school when he joined rocker Ronnie Hawkins in 1957 as the drummer for the Hawks. That band eventually recruited a group of Canadian musicians who, along with Helm, would join Dylan and ultimately become The Band.
The Band bid farewell to live shows with "The Last Waltz" concert in 1976. Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Dylan were among the stars who played the show, filmed by Martin Scorsese.
Helm recorded "Dirt Farmer" in 2007 and "Electric Dirt" in 2009. Both albums won Grammys. He won another this year for "Ramble at the Ryman."
"He used his fame for good," said Pat McCabe, Dan's father. "He took time to give benefits for schools all over the area. He had a level of humanity over and above a mere rock star. Plus, he was a hell of a musician."
After a private funeral Friday, Helm will be buried in Woodstock Cemetery next to Rick Danko, The Band's singer and bassist, who died in 1999.


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This b-roll from WAVY shows an Aston Martin Vantage sitting on High Street in Hampton, Virginia about to succumb to flood waters from a Nor'easter fueled by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Let's stop this trend. Someone go save it!
Seriously, turn around don't drown, though. Look for more advice on how not to die from flood waters soon.
(Hat tip to Travis for the tip!) [WAVY]

subset: commoncrawl


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Make a girl fall in love with you in thirty days (or...
Daughter of a Police Man66612119241
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My name is Sadie Claire and I am 17 yrs old. My life sucks. I can't go anywhere like parties, hanging out with friends, ect. I'm always stuck in my house. I only have me , myself and I.
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Clear questions and runnable code
get the best and fastest answer
(jcwren) Re: (2): Best part of Thanksgivingby jcwren (Prior)
|on Nov 25, 2000 at 20:14 UTC ( #43315=note: print w/replies, xml )
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Excuse me?
Nations don't have viewpoints, people have viewpoints. While a large group of people may tend to exhibit a certain characteristic as a class, to say that "America's egocentric vision as a nation" is a load of crap.
If I live in Australia and put up a poll saying "What's your favorite part of the Outback?" am I suddenly suddenly part of an egocentric Australian nation? I don't think so.
And if vroom wants a poll about how people feel about a particular American holiday, that his business. Maybe next week he'll ask what you favorite part of Passover is. If he fails to put an option "I'm not Jewish", does that suddenly make him part of an egocentric religion? I don't think so.
Polls and writings reflect the viewpoint of the writer. To make an idiotic statement that one poll is suddenly representative of an entire nation sounds to me like the person who made that statement has a problem, not the poll writer, or the nation of the poll writer.
Most people have little time or reason to think outside of their region. They're busy living *their* day to day lives, trying to make ends meet, feed the kids, pay for school, the house, the car. While we may live in a global economy, it rarely effects the average citizen at a day to day level. If Canada goes out of business, I still have to make my monthly car payment. So, naturally, I'm more concerned about what occurs near me, than anything happening 3600 miles away (unless you're planning a nuclear war).
A poll I saw not that long ago asked Russians how often they thought about American during the cold war. The answer was (not so surprisingly) infrequently. They were too busy trying to find food, heating oil, spying on each other, and the like. In fact, a number of them mentioned that the only time they thought about it was when they heard news on the radio.
I'm all for cultural awareness, global participation, blah blah blah, but until my house payment is made, I'm not going to worry about changing the way you perceive America. If you have enough time and money on your hands to worry about such things, more power to you. Wish I had your job.
By the way, all these sites that end in .NL and don't have English text on them really annoy me. How dare you publish web pages that cater only to Dutch speaking people. I think that just goes to show what an egocentric nation you Netherlanders are.
In Section Past Polls


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For Sale: United States of America
Absentee owner wishes to sell two hundred and thirty nine year old country. This is a turn-key opportunity to own what was once the most powerful nation on earth. All politicians have been bought and paid for, but ongoing cash infusions will be necessary to maintain the status-quo. The country has been owned outright not long after the assassination of John F Kennedy, and his brother, Bobby Kennedy, after their collective push to end the Federal Reserve. It may be necessary to carry out an assassination or two to maintain order. Continue reading
Posted in Editorial Page Tagged Absentee owner, Amazon, bilderberg, binary, Bitcoin, Bobby Kennedy, central banks, coalescing, conference, Corporate and lobbyist kickbacks, corruption, Crowdfunding, dollars, emotional issues, euros, Federal Reserve, For Sale, general manager, Gold, graft, Hollywood, Illusion of prosperity, John F Kennedy, Military, novels, Personal and corporate taxation, pigeon hole, Politicians, pound sterling, precious stones, president, revolutionary force, silver, small businesses, speaking engagements, spectator sports, Status-quo, Turn-key, twenty million dollars per year, United States of America, writing career, yen Leave a comment


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White House
Cayman account dogs Jacob Lew, Obama's treasury pick
President Barack Obama's pick to head the Treasury Department faces a tough grilling Wednesday from Republicans looking to spotlight his time at Citigroup, the troubled financial institution rescued by taxpayers.
Jacob "Jack" Lew spent less than two years at Citi, from 2006 to 2008, but his time there has now provided fodder for administration critics. They're especially focused on Lew's disclosure filings from 2009 showing he'd been invested in a fund headquartered in the offshore tax haven of the Cayman Islands.
Here are some answers to questions likely to come up at his Senate Finance Committee hearing.
Q: Did Lew hide the fact that he had money in offshore tax havens?
A: Lew did not hide nor advertise it. In his prior confirmation hearing to become director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Lew disclosed that among his investments was a Citibank employee investment fund called Citigroup Venture Capital International Growth Partnership II. The fund's name sounds innocuous enough, but its address on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission is what's riled the GOP.
Q: What's significant about the Cayman Islands address?
A: Citi's employee investment fund is listed at the Ugland House, listed by more than 12,000 companies as their place of business. In a statement Friday, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, noted that Obama himself lambasted offshore accounts in 2009 and cited Ugland House as an example of what's wrong with our tax system. "The irony is thick," Grassley said.
Q: Does Lew still have money in the Cayman Islands?
A: The most recent disclosure filings provided to Senate Finance Committee suggest not. The White House said last week that Lew had $56,000 tied up in the fund and sold his stake for a loss of about $1,500 in 2010.
Q: Democrats hit presidential candidate Mitt Romney for unpatriotic offshore tax havens. Isn't this the same thing?
A: Lew's investment isn't something he directed, it was an international fund established for employees of Citi. That's a different scenario than establishing your own company in the Cayman Islands for investors in order to skirt U.S. taxes, which was the unproven allegation against Romney.
Q: What did Lew do at Citi and how'd he get the job?
A: This is likely to be a theme of interest to Republicans. Lew was recommended for a managerial job of at Citi by Robert Rubin, a storied banker, Citi board member and former treasury secretary in the Clinton administration.
Lew first served as chief operating office of Citi's wealth management division and later as head of an alternative-investments division, collecting a nearly $1 million bonus in 2009. It's that latter unit that was involved in the complex mortgage securities that nearly sunk the U.S. financial system. Critics are likely to press him about exactly what he did in a division whose errors helped necessitate a nearly half-trillion-dollar taxpayer bailout of Citi.
Q: Did Lew make the bad calls at Citi?
A: The errors predated Lew's arrival. During his budget director confirmation hearings, Lew said he was not an expert on financial matters, begging off questions about the true cause of the 2008 financial crisis. Senators are sure to ask how an admitted non-expert on financial matters is now nominated to head the Treasury Department.
Q: Anything else that could trouble Lew's confirmation?
A: By law, when Medicare's finances are imbalanced, the director of the Office of Management and Budget is required to send Congress a plan to fix matters. Lew did not do that, and some Republicans suggest he's violated the letter of the law. However, that's something that happens routinely in the federal budget process. Past presidents have sent a proposed Medicare fix, but these are ideological documents and not an actual blueprint for legislation.


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IBM FRU - CD-ROM 24X (LG) CD-ROM Ultrabay 2000 Drive - Option 27L4300 - Sub 08K9545, IBM 27L4301.
* We have limited quantity of 27L4301 in stock. Our inventory changes constantly and quantities listed are based on available stock. This item comes with our 100% Money-Back Guarantee.
I purchased a battery for my Gateway cx2610 laptop from Code Micro. I was very happy with the produ...
Jason G.
Great NorthWeb
Our department needed two discontinued drive modules for our servers. Code Micro delivered on time. ...
Mark E.
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Moderator: Big-Will
*307* Cat Orgy
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No really.I swear that I'm that little cat of Cartmen's.
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"i like girls with big fat titties, i like girls with deep vaginas" - kenny
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Check my Fanarts!
Death will take us so don't fight it. Become it and lean to win.
Re: *307* Cat Orgy
I watched the episode again, and I remember it. I started remembering when Cartman started singing his Cowboy song.
It was a pretty funny episode. I thought it was hilarious, though when the cat starting snorting the cat nip like cocaine. Haha. That episode is definitely a classic.Well I'm a badass cowboy livin' in the wild wild west whicky whicky bang bang...
Re: *307* Cat Orgy
Wicky wick wick wicky wick
Are you ok Salma Hayak?
Yes, but I need to get out of here and eat some tacos and burritos.
Kid at CartmanLand: Daddy Daddy, can I go on the rocket?
Cartman: G*d D*mmit get the f*ck outta my way!!
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mostly good...mostly
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I ship: Stan/Cartman <3
Stan: MMOOMM!!
Sharon: What is it honey? (gasp!) My baby's killed again!
Haa, I love that line.
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Sanctum 2 - Live Action Launch Trailer
The Road to Elysion DLC for Sanctum 2 is now available on Steam.
The Road to Elysion DLC for Sanctum 2 is now available on Steam.
Sanctum 2 takes the enjoyable tower-defense-meets-fist-person-shooting style of its predecessor and expands upon it with new weapons, towers, levels, and more.
When walking-alien-brains attack a lab, a scientist gets surgical with his shotgun.
Soldiers team up on two maps to take down aliens and a barrier-destroying boss.
Aliens get all the way to the core.
Armored Heavies are extra bothersome, but nothing a few well-placed rockets can't fix!
The bad guys never stood a chance against the combined arms of rockets, shotguns, and turrets.
Take another look at the gameplay featured in Sanctum 2.
Check out Dust 514, Anomaly 2, Metal Gear Rising: Blade Wolf, Sanctum 2, and Metro: Last Light.
Maxwell shows off his first person tower defense skills, or lack thereof, in Sanctum 2!
Check out the first gameplay trailer for Sanctum 2.
Get a sneak peek at the alien world called LOEK III in Sanctum 2.
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Change in approach benefiting Marlins' farm
MIAMI -- A return to the basics has the Marlins once again focused on building around pitching and defense.
It's a change of direction from a year ago when the organization went on a spending spree, only to wind up disappointed. The Marlins signed high-priced free agents at a time their Minor League system was running dry. The end result was a last-place finish in the National League East and a short-handed farm system.
MIAMI -- A return to the basics has the Marlins once again focused on building around pitching and defense.
It's a change of direction from a year ago when the organization went on a spending spree, only to wind up disappointed. The Marlins signed high-priced free agents at a time their Minor League system was running dry. The end result was a last-place finish in the National League East and a short-handed farm system.
So through the Draft and several trades, the organization acquired pieces that, in time, will be part of a foundation for a brighter future. Although Miami is experiencing growing pains right now, a number of high-end prospects are currently developing at the Minor Leagues.
Some promising pitching is starting to migrate upward in the system. The Marlins' biggest prize -- 20-year-old Jose Fernandez -- already is in the big leagues. The hard-throwing right-hander has the makings of a future ace. Some other quality arms may reach the Majors by the All-Star break. Adam Conley, Brian Flynn and Sam Dyson are in the rotation for a stacked Double-A Jacksonville squad. Class A Jupiter also has a couple of pitchers worth following in Justin Nicolino and Anthony DeSclafani.
where to watch
|Jose Fernandez
|Christian Yelich
|Jacksonville (DL)
|Jake Marisnick
|Jacksonville (DL)
|Justin Nicolino
|Andrew Heaney
|Jupiter (DL)
|Adeiny Hechavarria
|Marcell Ozuna
|Jacksonville (DL)
|Adam Conley
|Derek Dietrich
|Zack Cox
|Rob Brantly
|J.T. Realmuto
|Jose Urena
|Avery Romero
|Extended ST
|Noah Perio
|Kolby Copeland
|Austin Brice
|Chad James
|Extended ST
|Jesus Solorzano
|Brian Flynn
"I think pitching is one of our strong suits," vice president of player development Marty Scott said. "If you had asked me that question last year, there were just a couple of guys. Fernandez is now in the big leagues, and we have Conley, Flynn and Dyson."
Pitching -- especially starting pitching -- is tough to find. It's also costly. Established free agents are expensive, and trading for a starter usually comes at the price of parting with top talent.
So in redirecting, the Marlins are concentrating on drafting and developing pitching. Some of the moves the team made, including their blockbuster 12-player trade with Toronto in November, brought in some young talent.
"We have an abundance of good, young arms," Scott said. "You're not going to hit on all of them. But the more you have, the higher percentage of good pitching you're going to have. I think it's definitely a bright spot for us."
Fernandez is the reason for the most hope. Born in Cuba, he defected to the United States at age 15. Fernandez became a star in high school in Tampa, and he now ranks No. 7 on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospect list.
Miami also has one of the top position-player prospects in the game in outfielder Christian Yelich, a pure hitter. The Marlins' first-round pick in 2010, Yelich rates 13th on MLB.com's Top 100 list. Yelich is part of a loaded Double-A Jacksonville team.
With the Minor League season now under way, fans can keep track of the Marlins' top prospects throughout the season on MLBPipeline.com and Prospect Watch. And get scores, stats, news, schedules, tickets and more for all the clubs on MLBPipeline.com/marlins.
Stacked squad
Heading into Spring Training, team officials were semi-jokingly calling Double-A Jacksonville the "Dream Team." The projection then was to have Fernandez as the ace, surrounded by an outfield that included Yelich in left, Jake Marisnick in center and Marcell Ozuna in right field.
What actually transpired is what makes projections so unpredictable. Fernandez was called up to the big leagues, while Yelich, Marisnick and Ozuna each started the season on the disabled list. Still, there is plenty of talent at Jacksonville, including Derek Dietrich, J.T. Realmuto and Conley.
Once the outfield is healthy, the Suns promise to be one of the most entertaining teams in all of the Minor Leagues.
Debuts and draftees
It took just six games into the Marlins' season for their No. 1 prospect to make his big league debut. Due to injuries to Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez, Fernandez made the leap to the big leagues without pitching above the Class A level. The 20-year-old became the youngest pitcher to debut for Miami, and he struck out eight in five innings in a no-decision at the New York Mets.
The decision to promote Fernandez, the 14th overall pick in 2011, was based on need. It's not a trend the team is expected to follow with some of its other rising prospects.
Next in line appears to be Yelich, the 23rd overall choice in 2011. The 21-year-old out was arguably the team's best player in Spring Training. But because he hadn't played above Class A, it was decided to give him a couple of months to develop. But first he has to get healthy, after opening the season on the disabled list with a stone bruise to his left heel.
At the earliest, Yelich would arrive sometime around the middle of June. The same may hold true for Marisnick, Toronto's third-round pick in 2009.
Defensively, Marisnick has Gold Glove Award potential. It will be a matter of how quickly he shows he can hit. But like Yelich, Marisnick has started the season on the DL, where he is recovering from a broken left hand.
New kids on the block
The November trade with Toronto alone greatly upgraded the Marlins' system. Marisnick, Nicolino and Adeiny Hechavarria rank, third, fourth and sixth, respectively, on the team's Top 20 Prospect list. As part of that deal, Miami also acquired shortstop Yunel Escobar, who was swapped a few weeks later to Tampa Bay for Dietrich, the organization's ninth-rated prospect.
Teams on TV
As interest in Minor League Baseball grows, so has the ability to follow the Marlins' affiliates. Triple-A New Orleans and talent-rich Jacksonville are among the teams whose games are available on MiLB.TV. The 2013 MiLB.TV package streams more than 3,500 Minor League games.
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. He writes a blog, called The Fish Pond. Follow him on Twitter @JoeFrisaro.


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Rolando McClain cleared waivers as expected Monday, making him an unrestricted free agent. It doesn't sound like he'll be out of work much longer.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Monday on "NFL Total Access" that McClain already has received three offers from interested teams, according to a source close to the player. Two additional teams are said to have interest.
Rapoport said the pursuit is expected to end fairly quickly. The free-agent process was fast-tracked because Pat Dye, McClain's agent, was allowed to talk to interested teams when the Oakland Raiders were attempting to trade the linebacker.
McClain was a massive headache for the Raiders, who can thank McClain for $11 million in dead money on their salary cap this season. Still, McClain is a former eighth overall draft pick who's just 23 years old. He flashed ability with the Raiders when he wasn't getting in his own way.
It won't be a surprise if the offers McClain has in hand all are cost-effective, one-year contracts with incentives. McClain has lost the benefit of the doubt, but he's going to get a second shot.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.


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Substance abuse among America's soldiers is increasing and the Department of Defense isn't doing enough to address the problem, according to a new report.
released today by the
found that the military health system TRICARE doesn't cover the best treatments for alcohol and drug abuse. The system also does not permit long-term use of certain medications to treat addiction and requires treatment in a specialized rehab center.
The report, conducted at the request of Congress, calls for updating TRICARE coverage, including allowing for outpatient treatment.
Congress asked for a review because of the rising rate of prescription drug abuse among the military ranks.
About 20 percent of active duty soliders said they engaged in heavy drinking in 2008, the latest year for which data are available, according to the report. Binge drinking increased from 35 percent in 1998 to 47 percent in 2008.
The rate of medication misuse is also increasing. Two percent of active duty personnel reported misusing prescription drugs in 2002 compared with 11 percent in 2008.


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Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
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OMG .........the Jerry one is funny to me because I really think of him as a dirty old man, hes touchy and feeley but, I think he gets away with it because of his age and no one suspects except for me and my dirty mind
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Hi Cinci- grr- back to work- what a bummer- I am sure Aubrey is in excellent hands and, though she misses you, I'm sure, she'll do great.
I am not sure what to do- I wanted to go back to school in January, but I have no idea where to even start to find someone to look after Pulman, or how much it might cost. I may end up deferring for the semester and take it from there.
Suga- I have a sleep wedge with adjustable position sides that seems to work well for him- perhaps this would work for the girls to get them back to bed instead of seats - it is about a 3" wedge, and perhaps you could even prop it a bit more, then slowly lower it once they get adjusted to the cribs again.
oops- got to go!


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Capcom has revealed new details on the story elements and 'Fight Money' that will be included in the upcoming Street Fighter V.
The latest iteration of the world's most popular fighting game is out on February 16 with the usual hype and excitement in tow.
Capcom says players will get the chance to play through individual character stories that provide important background information on each of the characters, their roles in the game, and their relationships with other fighters.
The character stories have a recognisable throwback art style created by Bengus, a famous Japanese illustrator who has worked on a variety of past Street Fighter projects.
The stories serve as a prologue for the Street Fighter V cinematic story expansion, which will be released in June 2016 as a free update to all players.
The story takes place between Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter III and bridges the events that happen in between the two.
SFV will also, for the first time in franchise history, allow fans to play through the cinematic story experience.
There are also rewarding incentives built into the new game.
By completing the character stories and other single-player content at launch, SFV gamers can earn Fight Money to purchase a new character and possibly more depending on skill level.
Capcom is timing the release of the in-game store to coincide with the first post launch content drop in March, giving players plenty of time to accumulate Fight Money through the various single-player modes prior to the store opening.
The game developer has also confirmed that a fourth and final Street Fighter V beta will run today and tomorrow (January 30-31) as a bonus to all fans and supporters.
And don't forget SFV will offer cross-platform play that will unite PS 4 and PC players for the first time ever.


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Chinese photojournalist Lu Guang stands in front of his winning story on the 'Dalian Oil Spill' at the World Press Photo Exhibition, Oude Kerk, Amsterdam. Lu Guang was commissioned by Greenpeace in July 2010 to cover the Dalian oil spill, China. During his assignment Lu Guang photographed the death of firefighter Zhang Liang attempting to fix an underwater pump during oil spill cleanup operations. The set of photographs resulted in a 3rd prize award in the Spot news category from the World Press Photo 2011.
© Greenpeace / John Novis
1 - 12 of 1173 results.


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Navarrette: Marco Rubio's balancing act
SAN DIEGO - One of the latest lines about Marco Rubio -- concocted on the left and picked up by the media -- is that the de-facto leader of the Gang of Eight is supposedly losing enthusiasm for his own immigration bill.
I follow the immigration debate closely, and I communicate with Rubio's office. If there is a loss of enthusiasm, I can't detect it. The only thing that Rubio seems to be losing is his patience -- with those who keep playing politics with this issue.
You can't blame him. The Republican joined seven other senators from both parties to negotiate the most sweeping immigration reform proposal in more than a quarter-century, and he was told by his colleagues -- as we all learn from news reports -- that this was just a rough draft. Don't worry, they said. There will be plenty of time to debate any amendments, they said. So Rubio not only signed on but went out front as the face of the bill at the risk of alienating the immigration restrictionist wing of the GOP.
Then, the reformers changed the rules. Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wanted to fast-track the legislation. And every time Rubio argued for more debate or suggested tougher language, other members of the gang accused him of undermining the bill.
That's absurd. Rubio isn't undermining the bill. He is trying to save it.
This should be clear to anyone who can count to 60. That's the number of Senate votes that the reformers need to overcome a possible filibuster. They don't have anywhere near that many.
Never mind the spin from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said recently that getting 60 votes for the bill would be no problem. Sen. Charles Schumer went even further and restated his goal of reaching an even more bullet-proof 70 votes. Reid and Schumer appear to be raising expectations so that, if the bill fails, they can blame Republicans for the letdown.
Meanwhile, Rubio is trying to keep it real. He said recently that he didn't think the bill had the 60 votes yet. But he is increasingly confident it could get there.
Rubio wants to help the bill's chances. But it doesn't help when, in trying to have it both ways, he tells different audiences different things or falls back on discredited GOP talking points.
First, Rubio has swallowed whole, and now parrots, one of the major falsehoods advanced by conservatives -- that the secret to avoiding future flows of illegal immigrants is strengthening border security. Higher walls, stronger fences, more drones, tighter surveillance, additional Border Patrol agents, etc. Simple as that.
Not quite. We'll always have illegal immigrants as long as American employers are waiting eagerly to hire them. That's where the crackdown needs to take place. We need more employer sanctions, the kind that conservatives always find a reason to oppose.
Also, Rubio is mixing his messages as he switches between English and Spanish. For the last few months, whenever he has spoken publicly, and in English, about the Gang of Eight bill, he has stressed the need to secure the border first -- before illegal immigrants are given permanent legal status. But on a recent Spanish-language interview on "Al Punto," Univision's Sunday talk show, Rubio said that, if the bill passed, "first comes the legalization. Then come the measures to secure the border."
The right wing went ballistic. Yet if you listen closely to the interview, it appears that Rubio was talking about the very first thing that would happen after the bill passed -- i.e., illegal immigrants would get temporary protective status so they couldn't be deported. He was mistaken when he referred to it in shorthand as "legalization," which confused those who use that term to describe permanent legal status, or a green card. This is something that Rubio has agreed should not be available until after the border is secured.
Still, when you're trying to bring together people at opposite ends of the immigration debate, you have to be careful, candid and clear. In the "Al Punto" interview, Rubio was none of those things. As that debate kicks into high gear in the Senate in the next few weeks, he'll have to do better.
If not, we might get to the point where we won't be discussing whether Rubio has lost enthusiasm for his immigration bill. We'll be too busy talking about why so many in the immigration reform community have lost enthusiasm for Rubio.
We're revamping our Comments section. Learn more and share your input.


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Chuck Close, 65 1/2" x 54 1/4", edition of 80
|History / Background:
|Artist Chuck Close was born in Monroe, Wash., and attended Everett Junior College. He earned his B.A. from the University of Washington and his F.F.A. and M.F.A. from Yale University. Chuck is the recipient of numerous prestigious grants, fellowships, awards and honors. His solo exhibitions include the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Smithsonian Institution; Seattle Art Museum; and Musee National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France. He currently resides in New York City.
|Installation Date:
|August 2002
|Funding Source:
|Donated by the artist and Pace Prints, Inc., New York


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pamela necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 186 diseños de 63 diseñadores freelance.
To create a logo for a company in the railway leasing, recycling, components business that repects the conservative nature of the industry but also the modern nature of the two business owners that have over 40 years of experience
RB Railway Group
NOTE: We only need a logo for (RB Railway Group) but, keep in mind that they have 3 sub-divisions called:
- RB Leasing
- RB Recycling
- RB ComponentsRB Railway Group is a newer company (started in Jan 2008) formed by two gentleman that have over 40+ years experience in the railway business - they sold one company and created this one in the same industry - there is no website today (it is in-progress)
- The company is a family run business
- Teamwork and "we" are important to them
- The R and B are initials of the 2 guys
- "Railway" represents the industry and "Group" is because they consder their team critical to successThe railway business is old, traditional, often family-run operations and conservative but, these guys also like to look at the future and not just the past. The new site will have more of a modern-day feel with photos of locomotives and freight cars like they buy, lease and refurbish. They also recycle metal from these cars and resell components as a full service shop.
- A "statement logo"
- Somthing classy that would work on both a business card or on the side of a locomotive
- Their colors are Green and Black - no preference how or where they are used in the logo
- They have a previous logo where the R and B are offset and are different colors (one green / one black) with a half moon black line that wraps around the R and B that they like or would like variations of it but are not married to it - open to new designs
- No tagline with the logo
- Logo can be on 1 or 2 lines
- Logo can be all upper case or just the first letters and RB capitalized - either one - have fun!
- Fonts need to be easy to read and strong
- We are open to an icon idea beside the name - either the line half moon I mentioned or something else or it can be just text
- Examples of some competitors are: http://www.progressrail.com/index.asp
- We can't go too crazy with weird things considering the industry
- Rainbow colors
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Taylor Swift Opens 2013 Grammys as the Ringleader With 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,' Disses Harry Styles
Taylor Swift opened the 2013 Grammys as the master of ceremonies and the ringleader, dressed all sorts of fabulous in a white top hat, suit, majorette boots and skirt.
She ditched the hat and skirt about a minute into her specatacle of a show, as she danced, surrounded by rabbits, stilt walkers and ballerinas dancing with fire. We think she may have gotten in a little dig towards her ex Harry Styles during the performance, as well.
First things first. It was certainly quite a production from T. Swizzle. It reminded us of Barnum & Baileys dosed with a little 'Wizard of Oz.' It was cute, whacky and held our attention from start to finish, since there was so much going on.
Did anyone else besides us notice that Swift delivered the "So he calls me up and tells me, 'I'm sorry, I still love you'" lyrical part in a British accent? Could that have been a nod to her most recent high profile ex, Mr. Styles of One Direction? It sure sounded like it to us.
She altered the lyric a little, saying that she aren't getting back together since she is too busy opening up the Grammys. Zing. Living well is the best revenge, Tay!
Score: Taylor, 1. Hazza? A big, fat goose egg.


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Ivory Latta has been a winner all of her life.
A high school All-American, she is still the leading scorer in South Carolina prep basketball history -- boys and girls. At North Carolina, she won nearly every award out there, including ACC, ESPN.com, Basketball Times and USBWA Player of the Year honors in 2006. She's even got her own day (Jan. 10) in her hometown of York, S.C.
After growing accustomed to success, it's tough for Latta to stomach losing. And lose she has. Her Tulsa Shock won just three games last season and are 9-59 in the last two years. The team began last season under GM/coach Nolan Richardson, who resigned in July after a 1-10 start. Teresa Edwards took over as coach, but Tulsa never found its way, losing a WNBA-record 20 straight games.
"It was really stressful," Latta said of last year. "With all the coaching changes and management changes ... it was kind of like a dark cloud over us. We needed more structure. We needed more discipline. And with this new coach, we're definitely gonna have it."
That new coach is Gary Kloppenburg, who has experience in the college, international, NBA and WNBA ranks. Latta has been emailing with Kloppenburg throughout the offseason and is convinced he has what it takes to turn things around in Tulsa.
"I can truly say he's the first WNBA coach I've had that actually told me what he expects from me, what he wants and how he wants his team to be run," Latta said. "His passion and the way he wants to turn around the Shock; we have no choice but to give our arms, legs, whatever to play hard for this guy."
Kloppenburg has been busy since accepting the job, acquiring Tameka Johnson through a trade with the Mercury and adding three more former first-round picks in Chanel Mokango, Jene Morris and Scholanda Dorrell. He also selected Tennessee's Glory Johnson and Vicki Baugh, Miami's Riquna Williams and Maryland's Lynetta Kizer in the draft.
Latta is excited about Kloppenburg's moves so far.
"We added Tamika, she won a championship in Phoenix," she said. "We added Scholanda, she's won a championship before. We re-signed Amber Holt, who plays on both ends of the court. [Kloppenburg's] got a nucleus and he's just adding and adding. He sees something in this group that other coaches didn't see. He's gonna make it work."
When training camp opens Sunday, Latta says her focus will be on leading the team into a new era of winning.
During most of the offseason, Latta was focused on helping win another battle. She serves as an ambassador for the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, helping to raise awareness of a disease that has touched her family. Both her father and paternal grandmother suffer from Parkinson's.
"My dad has had it for some time now and he kinda had it when I was in college but they didn't tell me until two years ago," she said. "My dad is my best friend, he's my buddy, he's my bro-dog. When they told me, they knew that I was going to be hurting. My whole life I've seen him as my hero. Now to see him like this, it devastated me."
Latta used to act as a ball girl for the semipro baseball team her father owned, the Charlotte Bombers. The youngest of seven kids, she says she got her love of sports from her dad and her tough love approach to life from her mom.
"My mom would not let my dad be negative about [his Parkinson's]. She's like 'I'm not having any of that, so you need to get yourself together right now!'"
After initially struggling to come to terms with her dad's condition, Latta has gotten stronger and wants to help others become more aware. At the end of March she hosted a charity event in Atlanta, drawing fellow WNBA stars, NFL and NBA players to Midtown Bowl for a Bowl-A-Thon to benefit the Parkinson's Disease Foundation.
"I made a promise to my father," Latta explained. "While you're still here, while you're living, I'm going to make people aware that this is a serious disease."
The same strength and determination she's shown in her fight against Parkinson's is evident on the court and in the locker room. Energetic and endearing, Latta takes great pride in keeping her teammates and coaches smiling and laughing, even during the worst of times.
With that energy, Latta hopes to lead Tulsa into contention this season.
"Our goal is not to win seven games or just win more than last season," she said. "That's not a good goal at all. We want to make the playoffs. ... This is going to be a turnaround year for the Shock."


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About Jeff Masters
Cat 6 lead authors: WU cofounder Dr. Jeff Masters (right), who flew w/NOAA Hurricane Hunters 1986-1990, & WU meteorologist Bob Henson, @bhensonweather
By: Dr. Jeff Masters , 3:23 PM GMT on August 13, 2013
Category 2 Typhoon Utor is closing in on Southeast China, where it is expected to come ashore near 08 UTC (4 am EDT) on Wednesday, about 150 miles southwest of Hong Kong. Widespread heavy rains are already falling across much of Southeast China, as seen on Hong Kong radar and China radar. Satellite imagery shows that Utor is a large typhoon, and will dump torrential rains capable of causing deadly flash floods and mudslides over much of Southeast China and Northern Vietnam over the next three days; a wide swath of 6+ inches of rain is predicted over a 24-hour period for Southeast China using satellite estimates of the typhoon's current rainfall intensity. Unfortunately, the heaviest rains will fall just south of an area of extreme drought responsible for $6 billion in damages so far in 2013 (Figure 2.) Utor has drawn in some dry air and is slowly weakening, and should make landfall as a Category 2 storm.
Figure 1. Radar image of Typhoon Utor from August 13, 2013 taken at 17:12 local time (10:12 am EDT.) Image credit: Meteorological Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality.
A rough summer for extreme weather in China
China has already experienced five billion-dollar weather disasters so far in 2013. This is the most of any nation, according to insurance broker Aon Benfield. Utor is likely to the be sixth such disaster. The five Chinese billion-dollar weather disasters have all hit this summer:
1) Drought, Central and Eastern China, 1/1 - 7/31: $6.0 billion
2) Flooding, nationwide, 7/7 - 7/17: $4.5 billion
3) Flooding, Sichuan Province, China, 7/7 - 7/11: $1.6 billion
4) Flooding, China, 6/29 - 7/3: $1.4 billion
5) Flooding, China, 7/21 - 7/25: $1.4 billion
The most expensive of the these disasters, the $6 billion drought that hit Eastern China, helped intensify a remarkable and historic heat wave that assaulted Eastern China in July and August. In his latest post, wunderground's weather historian Christopher C. Burt writes:
Virtually every possible heat statistic has been broken for most sites in eastern China (as well as central and southern Japan, and South Korea). I cannot think of any other heat event that has affected so many people for so long (including those that plagued the U.S. in the mid 1930s, Russia in 2010, and Western Europe in August 2003). Obviously, the Chinese authorities are keeping the fatalities from this ongoing event under wraps.
The Eastern China heat wave moved northwards and eastwards over Korea and Japan over the past few days, and brought Japan its all-time national heat record on August 12, 2013, when the temperature peaked at 41.0°C (105.8°F) at the Ekawasaki site in Shimanto. The previous record of 40.9°C (105.6°F) was recorded at Tajima and Kumagaya on August 16, 2007. the record heat wave also brought stiflingly hot weather to Tokyo, which on August 11 endured its warmest daily minimum temperature ever recorded: 30.4°C (86.7°F). This was also the 2nd warmest minimum on record for Japan.
Figure 2. Widespread drought over Eastern and Southeast China has caused at least $6 billion in damage, according to Aon Benfield. Image credit: Beijing Climate Center.
The Philippines clean up after Utor
The Philippines are cleaning up after Typhoon Utor powered ashore on the northern Philippine Island of Luzon on Monday near 3 am local time (3 pm EDT Sunday), as a Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds. At least 3 deaths are being blamed on the storm, and 54 people are missing, mostly fishermen. Damage was heavy in Casiguran (population 24,000) near where the typhoon made landfall, with 80% of the infrastructure of the town reportedly destroyed.
Utor is a Marshallese word for squall line, and has been used for three tropical cyclones in the Western Pacific--in 2001, 2006, and 2013. Utor reached super typhoon status with 150 mph winds on Sunday, making it the strongest tropical cyclone globally so far in 2013. Earth's previous most powerful tropical cyclone of 2013 was Typhoon Soulik, which reached Category 4 strength with 145 mph winds on July 10. Soulik weakened to a Category 2 storm before hitting Taiwan on July 12.
Figure 2. Typhoon Utor approaches the Philippines in this 375 meter-resolution IR image taken by the VIIRS instrument on the Suomi satellite at 04:34 UTC August 11, 2013. At the time, Utor was a Category 4 storm with 135 mph winds. Image credit: Dan Lindsey, NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research, Fort Collins.
Caribbean tropical wave may develop when it reaches the Gulf of Mexico
A tropical wave in the Central Caribbean is kicking up disorganized heavy thunderstorms over Jamaica today, and this activity will spread westwards into the Cayman Islands by Wednesday, and into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Western Cuba by Thursday. Wind shear is a very high 30 - 40 knots over the the wave, making development very unlikely through Wednesday. However, once the wave reaches the Western Caribbean on Thursday and pushes into the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, the wave will find a region with lower wind shear, and a strong tropical disturbance capable of becoming a tropical storm could form. If a tropical depression or tropical storm does form, and its circulation extends high above the surface, a trough of low pressure over the northern Gulf of Mexico would likely steer the storm northwards to a landfall between Eastern Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. This is the solution presented by the Navy's 00Z run of the NAVGEM model, which shows a landfall on Saturday of a moderate-strength tropical storm. The other reliable models for genesis--the GFS, European, and UKMET--do not develop the system, or show very weak development. The European model takes much of the wave's moisture west-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend, but the other models show the main moisture heading northwards into the Southeast U.S. Soils across the Southeast U.S. are already saturated, and tropical moisture from this storm system will be capable of dumping a large area of 4+" of rain, potentially causing significant flooding over the weekend. In their 8 am EDT Tuesday Tropical Weather Outlook, NHC gave the system a 30% of developing by Sunday, and a 10% chance of developing by Thursday. The Hurricane Hunters are on call to investigate the system on Thursday.
Figure 4. Predicted precipitation for the 7-day period ending on Tuesday, August 20, 2013. Tropical moisture flowing north and northeastwards over the Southeast U.S. is expected to create a broad swath of 4+ inches of rain, capable of triggering damaging flooding. Image credit: NOAA/HPC.
Resilience to Extreme Weather panel discussion being livestreamed today (Tuesday)
The 6th annual National Clean Energy Summit is today, Tuesday, August 13, and will be livestreamed here. Of particular interest may be the 6pm EDT panel on Resilience to Extreme Weather, featuring:
- Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce, Oceans and Atmosphere and Acting Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Maria LaRosa, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel
- Patricia Mulroy, General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority
- Chris Taylor, Executive Director, West Coast Infrastructure Exchange
Jeff Masters
The views of the author are his/her own and do not necessarily represent the position of The Weather Company or its parent, IBM.
Cat 6 lead authors: WU cofounder Dr. Jeff Masters (right), who flew w/NOAA Hurricane Hunters 1986-1990, & WU meteorologist Bob Henson, @bhensonweather


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Experts were baffled after video footage emerged of a glowing "alien-like creature" swimming in Bristol harbour.
Stunned eyewitnesses filmed a mystery luminescent, tentacled being, which was flashing a variety of colours, floating close to the top of the water.
Videos of the strange marine object in the city's historic docks were posted on Youtube and Twitter with many claiming to have seen an alien.
Marine biologists admit they are baffled, but claim the footage could be a marine salp which had drifted off course by the weather.
Dr Steve Simpson, senior lecturer in Biosciences at the University of Exeter, said: "It's very intriguing, I don't really know what to make of it.
"There is a possibility that it is a special type of jellyfish or a marine salp. It's very unusual and I haven't really seen anything like it before though.
"What makes it even more unusual is that fact that it showed up in the middle of a really busy area.
"There are various marine animals that have biological illuminating abilities and they are able to make themselves flash.
"It is entirely possible that it is a marine creature which has been brought into the harbour because of the storms or maybe it was trying to shelter from the stormy seas.
"We are currently experiencing spring tides too which may have dragged whatever this is in from the sea.
"This is either a very interesting animal or someone's very cool interpretation of a marine creature.
"It looks really cool - it's incredible. I don't know if it will make a return tonight but I'm sure if it does it will be met by an eager crowd."
It is not known what the creature was and whether it was alive or not.
Dozens of people were left mystified after spotting the creature and capturing it on camera.
Alex Gordon-Lennox, 22, said: "It was just floating down the harbour. I've never seen anything like it before.
"I only noticed it because it was flashing and was so bright. I was out with some friends that night so we watched it travel down the water a bit and then it just seemed to disappear.
"It looked a bit like a jellyfish or a squid or something. It was amazing."
Andrew Spooner, a software engineer from Bristol, tweeted a photo on Tuesday night and wrote: "Some weird craziness swimming around in #bristol harbour. Looks alien..."
He said: "The creature looked very organic, and it moved fluidly through the water as if it were a creature rather than say a machine that someone had made to look like Jellyfish.
He added: "I had just been for dinner with a few friends when I saw a group of about a dozen people huddling next to the waters edge.
"When I wondered over, I saw the glowing creature which was pulsating and after about 20 seconds, it stopped glowing and disappeared."
What could it be?
A rare type of marine salp: these are barrel-shaped marine animals which feed on algae and form into long chains with other salps. They look very primitive, like jellyfishes, but their biological make-up is actually closer to fish and vertebrates.
A jellyfish: there are a huge number of different jellyfish species across the globe, many of which carry luminescent and fluorescent genes
An alien: a number of passers-by who spotted the squid-like creature likened it to a creature from another world
An art installation: some marine biologists are unconvinced the 'creature' seen in the harbour was a living thing. The curator of the Bristol Aquarium, Daniel De Castro, said he believed it was "entirely artificial".
A Banksy work: some people have suggested that Bristol street art legend Banksy might be behind the mystery sighting. Despite conceding it might a marine creature, Dr Steve Simpson, senior lecturer in Biosciences at the University of Exeter, said: "I'm still waiting for Banksy to own up."
A prank: someone thought it would be entertaining to get tongues wagging about an alien invasion in Bristol but, if it was a prankster, they have done a very professional job. Mr Di Castro said: "It's really clever the way they've done it."


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The chair flew across the room - followed by a stream of expletives.
"I hate this @$%@#$%$% school!"
Books and papers were swept to the floor.
"I $%@%$#$ hate this place!"
The teacher was surprised. Such outbursts, once common, had become rare and had trailed away to almost never. Until today.
Once such behaviours had been common – almost daily events. "Matty" was known to have issues – but not a diagnosis. His unwillingness to co-operate in the school setting had become legendary and his refusal to co-operate with the school psychologists and support staff had resulted in the lack of even a label to describe his behaviours. His physical issues were also obvious – but he would not co-operate with the optometrists either so the glasses he clearly needed could not be obtained. He was on the case list of many departmental officials – but on the case load of none.
That changed when he met this year's teacher. She made contact – more than that – she established a relationship with his parents. She tactically ignored the "small stuff". She differentiated his experiences in the classroom – and ensured that other staff did too. When things went wrong – and they did, frequently – she was unblinking in her defence of him. She disregarded rumours and insisted of facts. When he did wrong he got the same consequence as anyone else – but no worse. She insisted that departmental staff revisit and find other ways to help this child. She did not want a diagnosis, or a label, she just wanted techniques that would help him. She even provided him with food when he was hungry.
Slowly, step by pain staking step, progress was made. "Matty" learned first the letters of his name and then how to write them – a massive step that had not been achieved in the previous years of his schooling. He learnt to recognise the basic numerals and then how they indicated numbers – which he began to learn to manipulate. He learnt to recognise money – and how to use it. He still did not have a meaningful score on any recognised test or assessment – but he was able to demonstrate that he was capable. In fact, he occasionally stunned staff with some of his efforts – such as when he made a cave in the classroom and angled a reflective surface precisely so that it provided natural light inside his cave.
But thoughts of his progress were blown away by this latest unexpected outburst. It was nearly the end of the school year and he had made so much headway – and now this. What had prompted it?
"I'm not going to $%$%@#$% grade 5!" he screamed. "I'm not @$%#@$% going!"
And then the answer became clear.
"Why not mate?" his teacher quietly asked. His answer brought a tear to her eye.
"No-one is going to love me there."
I would have loved to have been present when he found out who was going to teach him again the following year. A most perceptive principal had recognised the relationship and the two – teacher and student – would again share a classroom the following year. And I don't know who was happier about it – "Matty" or his teacher.
"Matty" may never learn as much as his peers. He may never even get a score on a formalised test. But it seems to me that he already knows what is truly important in life. I just hope we have the wisdom to learn from him.
Image via Google images - here.


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One of the big reasons Apple's stock has been demolished since September is concern about iPhone sales.
There have been a multitude of reports saying Apple slashed its Q1 iPhone parts orders significantly. The Wall Street Journal blamed the cuts on "weak demand."
This suggests Apple is going to have an atrocious iPhone quarter for the January-March period.
Here's some mild relief for concerned investors. There's a new report today that says it won't be atrocious, but it won't make anyone feel better about the iPhone business.
DigiTimes says suppliers estimate they will ship 37 million iPhones this quarter. Of that, 20 million will be iPhone 5s. DigiTimes was one of the first places to report Apple's iPhone order cut. It's generally pretty plugged into the supply chain.
If this is accurate, and it holds, it's about in line with what people are expecting. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says investors are expecting about 37.5 million iPhones for the first quarter.
If Apple sells 37 million iPhones, it's 5% year over year growth, which is not strong. In last year's March quarter, iPhone unit growth was 88%. (iPhone unit growth is expected to be ~30% on a year over year basis for the holiday quarter.)
This is the big concern for Apple. Pacific Crest recently issued a report saying the market for the iPhone as Apple currently sells it is reaching a saturation point. Only so many people around the world can afford the iPhone. If growth falls to 5% it would confirm the biggest fear of investors.
Don't Miss: Verizon May Have Just Told The World Apple Is Going To Sell A Boatload Of iPhones In The Holiday Quarter


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Keeping things from descending into complete chaos (as they undoubtedly would have had Louis Tomlinson been left to his own devices for too long), Scott commentated on wrestling matches, observed world record attempts, and basically hung out with the 1D boys for an entire 7 hours.
So when we caught up with Scott at Cosmopolitan's Ultimate Women of the Year Awards in London last night, there was only one thing we wanted to know: "WHAT WAS IT LIKE AND GIVE US SOME BACKSTAGE GOSSIP PLEASE."
Despite confessing that the whole thing was all a bit of a blur, actually, Scott did reveal that there were some celeb guests hanging out behind-the-scenes. *Hint* think the letter 'K'.
"I saw some Kardashians, which was interesting," he told us. " I think we all know which one I might have seen... she was just hanging out."
Just hanging out. As if it weren't no thang. Someone would have had to scrape us off the floor after we exploded with excitement had we been just chilling backstage at actual 1D day, but there you go.
So was said Kardashian (Jenner) "hanging out" with any particular member of One Direction? "I wish I could tell you that was the case but they were all so busy all of the time... there was hardly any breaks," said Scott.
"But they did each have a people carrier outside in case they wanted to have some alone time. Not that he did do that. I didn't see that," he added.
WELL. Watch all this and everything else Scott had to say in the video below.
More One Direction:
12 Signs You're Definitely A Directioner!
Check Out The Boys' Hair Evolution!
Originally posted on Sugarscape.com.
From: Sugarscape


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To place it really, Medical Malpractice is negligence on the part of a doctor that contributed to trauma. Medical Negligence situations could result from misdiagnosis of the illness, breakdown to offer suitable solution for a identified condition, or silly wait for treating a disorder. The parties involved in a Malpractice case would be the Complaintant, the Malpractice Lawyer or attorney, the Defense, and Expert Witnesses. Risarcimento danni Milano
The Injured party is often the affected individual, despite the fact that an manager or executor of the property can also act as Injured party if the patient died due to the damage. Well before a patient might submit a Medical Negligence case they should be capable to confirm how the doctor or treatment service provider failed to supply enough care and that failing was the primary source of the damage. The Plaintiff also must current evidence of damage for example no matter if there are actual or mental damages.
- To get it just, Medical Malpractice is recklessness by a healthcare provider that resulted in.
- Risarcimento danni inquinamento.
- Risarcimento danni Milano.
This is basically the obligation in the Medical malpractice Attorney to analyze every one of the facts offered from the Injured party to protect yourself from filing a frivolous suit. If your judge decides that there is absolutely no authorized merit to statements produced by the Injured party then your court could enforce penalties for both the Malpractice Lawyer as well as the Complaintant for tying up the courtroom. In the event the Defendant can feel he/she is the patient of the frivolous court action they could counter sue the Injured party to recover their court fees and might also seek out punitive injuries. Risarcimento danni malasanità
Well as the Complaintant
Usually Defense consists of a medical doctor, but occasionally a registered nurse can be referred to as as being a defendant depending on his/her contribution with the individual. The Protection can also be able to call skilled witnesses to assist their scenario as well as the Legal professional is generally given through the medical facility or service that uses the practitioner. Each Lawyers for the Complaintant and Safeguard are needed to share information and facts before the court time, and also the parties might want to resolve from judge by means of negotiations on terms.
The court time and
Skilled witnesses should be very carefully screened prior to trial. Commonly a determine will get in touch with a seeing and hearing prior to the test to determine in the event the "expert's" testimony is trustworthy and relevant to the case. Some concerns the judge will consider are if the hypothesis and/or approach proposed from the see can be evaluated, and if it really has been analyzed what the rate of problem was for the results. Someone can not be deemed an Expert in the Medical Malpractice case because they have a university education. All Professional witnesses need to confirm they may have adequate knowledge or experience with the precise location involved ahead of the courtroom takes into consideration them dependable.
Hypothesis and or approach
Each express has established Medical Negligence statutes and it is very important come to be familiar with these laws and regulations before filing a Medical Negligence scenario. With regards to Florida Malpractice circumstances, the injuries awarded towards the Complaintant will likely be lowered for the way a great deal of the injury was the Plaintiff's problem. In case a Injured party is set twenty-five percent accountable for their damage, compared to the injuries accorded to them will only be seventy-five percent the first quantity. Risarcimento danni ambientali
Regards to Florida Malpractice circumstances the injuries
A Florida Medical Malpractice Legal professional may only collect thirty percent in fees around the initial $250,000 given on the Complaintant and merely 15 pct on portions higher than this. On the other hand, a Massachusetts Medical Negligence Attorney service fees are limited to 40 % of your very first $150,000 granted and only twenty 5 percent of problems awarded over $500,000. There is generally a statute of restrictions that needs Medical Malpractice states be submitted within a couple of years from the time the injury transpired, or inside two years from the time the damage should have been discovered.
Ahead of spending your proper care to particular medical doctor you can check the physician's backdrop for before Medical Malpractice instances. This info can be obtained from your Doctor's place of work, the neighborhood healthcare facility where the physician is employed, or perhaps an HMO the doctor participates with. Also you can consult with the American citizen Medical Relationship to ensure physicians education and certification status. Risarcimento danni incidenti
An HMO the doctor
- Usually the Protection consists of a physician, but in some circumstances a health care.
- To get it merely, Medical Negligence is carelessness by a doctor that resulted in injuries..
- Risarcimento danni ambientali.


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Unless they've been living in a cave, women these days KNOW that breastfeeding is better for their babies. They just do.
So why isn't every new mom getting on the train to lactation station? Sure, some have had surgeries or other medical problems that preclude them from the task, but for most? I theorize it's something totally different altogether…
Deep down, many women cannot disassociate breastfeeding from SEX.
There, I said it.
Don't believe me? These are all actual quotes from my subscribers:
- "I just can't breastfeed. I have been conditioned throughout my entire life to see breasts as nothing more than an erotic, sexual objects."
- "I grew up as a Baptist in the south. My mother thinks that breastfeeding is disgusting, perverted & selfish. I'm sure she's praying that I'll fail [at it]."
- "The thought of having an innocent little baby sucking on my boob seems so sexual that it makes me feel dirty and perverted."
- "When I told my boss I had to go pump, he said, "that's disgusting, your baby's gonna be a perv. Why can't you just bottle feed like everyone else?""
- "My husband has a major issue with it. He had my breasts all to himself until baby came along and now he's jealous!"
People don't like to talk about this particular issue; it's awkward, personal, icky.
You're much more likely to hear a woman say something like "my breasts belong to me and are not for sharing." Ok, fair enough… but what's really going on is something deeper.
Shameful, yet… verrrry sexy
Breasts connote two things in America: shame and S-E-X.
As girls growing up, we are taught to always hide our breasts. My friend Ashley laughs as she recalls what her mom taught her, "Later on, all the boys will try to touch them. Don't let them. They are your PRIVATE parts."
Any mention of milk? Sustenance? Feeding a baby, errrr… anything like that? Nope.
Janet Jackson has a costume malfunction and OH MY GAWD, we're never letting our kids watch the Superbowl ever again! That was one powerful nipple.
And boobies take center stage when it comes to sex appeal in the media. I don't think you need any convincing on this point. Just look at any billboard or magazine.
So it's no wonder that some women are aghast when they are confronted by the concept of "shoving their fun bags into their baby's mouth", as one reader described it.
For nearly everyone else in the world, boobs really aren't a big deal. Ever seen a Hooters in Spain? No way.
Sadly, something has been lost in this country. We must re-brand the breast in America.
Your Turn, Hollywood
Whether we like it or not, we are deeply influenced by what we see in the media. When is the last time you saw a woman breastfeeding in a movie, TV show, or commercial? Probably never.
However, we're now seeing celebs coming out in support of the cause.
Let's hope these displays of support help us reach the tipping point of acceptability in the mainstream culture.
The Full Picture
Recent research has revealed new benefits to breastfeeding – namely, reduced rates of cancer in baby AND mom. Who knew?


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Brussels, 7 September 2009
"It is time for Europe to turn over a new e-leaf on digital books and copyright". Joint Statement of EU Commissioners Reding and McCreevy on the occasion of this week's Google Books meetings in Brussels
Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media, and Charlie McCreevy, Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, today made a joint statement setting out the important cultural and economic stakes of book digitisation in Europe. To face the daunting task of digitising Europe's books, of which there are tens of millions in Europe's national libraries alone, the two Commissioners stressed the need for fully respecting copyright rules to ensure fair remuneration for authors, but also welcomed public-private partnerships as a means to boost digitisation of books. They highlighted the need to adapt Europe's still very fragmented copyright legislation to the digital age, in particular with regard to orphan and out-of-print works. The statement of the two Commissioners comes ahead of a series of workshops and meetings between the Commission, cultural institutions, right holders, IT companies and consumer organisations, which start today with an information hearing on the US class action settlement on Google Book Search. Under this settlement, agreed between Google, authors and publishers in the United States (which still requires validation by a US court), authors could receive 63% of the online revenue generated by Google with digitised books. As of today, no equivalent solution is available in the EU. This week's hearings and meetings at the Commission will help develop a European response to the challenges of books digitisation. Both Commissioners believe that the challenge for EU policymakers is to ensure a regulatory framework which paves the way for a rapid roll-out of services, similar to those made possible in the United Sates by the recent settlement, to European consumers and to the European library and research communities. Following this week's meetings, the Commission will report back and share its preliminary findings with the European Parliament and the Council.
The text of today's Joint Statement by Commissioners Reding and McCreevy is as follows: "This week, we and our services will discuss the challenge of digitising books in Europe with right holders, libraries, IT companies, consumer organisations and with every other party that takes an interest in finding the best solution."
"Europe is facing a very important cultural and economic challenge: Only some 1% of the books in Europe's national libraries have been digitised so far, leaving an enormous task ahead of us, but also opening up new cultural and market opportunities. A better understanding of the interests involved will help the Commission to define a truly European solution in the interest of European consumers. We believe that such a European solution should breathe fresh life into this issue and could give every citizen with an internet connection access to millions of books that today lie hidden on dusty shelves. Our aim is to blow away stale stereotypes that hindered debate in the past and focus on finding the best approach that today's technology will allow us to take in the future, while giving a new boost to cultural creation in the digital age."
"Digitisation of books is a task of Herculean proportions which the public sector needs to guide, but where it also needs private-sector support. It is therefore time to recognise that partnerships between public and private bodies can combine the potential of new technologies and private investments with the rich collections of public institutions built up over the centuries. If we are too slow to go digital, Europe's culture could suffer in the future."
"It goes without saying that digitisation of copyrighted works must fully respect copyright rules and fairly reward authors, who could be the biggest winners from better access to a Europe-wide online audience. However, we also need to take a hard look at the copyright system we have today in Europe. Is the present framework still fit for the digital age? Will the current set of rules give consumers across Europe access to digitised books? Will it guarantee fair remuneration for authors? Will it ensure a level playing field for digitisation across Europe, or is there still too much fragmentation following national borders? What could be the contribution of Europeana, Europe's digital library, when it comes to working on a European response to digitisation efforts in other continents? Is Europe's copyright framework modern enough when it comes to digitising orphan works and out-of print works? These books represent the vast majority of European libraries' collections (around 90%) . In our view, these books must be recovered and given a new lease of life".
"In the coming weeks, the European Commission will discuss these questions with stakeholders, the European Parliament and the Council. We believe that the result of these deliberations could become a good starting point for the new Commission to present proposals for the modernisation of Europe's still far too fragmented copyright system to Parliament and Council, with a focus on finding an online family for orphan and out-of-print works. If the EU succeeds, we could lay the foundation for a new generation of cultural growth in Europe."
Following requests of the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, the Commission is organising today and tomorrow meetings on the digitisation of books in Europe against the background of the Google Book Search settlement in the US. Today, an information hearing for stakeholders on the Google Book Search settlement is being held by the Commission's Directorate-General MARKT to collect, following a request of the Competitiveness Council, the requisite facts and figures to comply with this mandate. Tomorrow, Commissioner Reding will receive, at their request, representatives of libraries, publishers, consumer associations and Google.
The Google Book Search agreement, concluded on 28 October 2008, attempts to settle a lawsuit brought, as a class action, by US authors and publishers against Google, claiming that Google violated their copyright by digitising their books and making parts of them available through Google Book Search. As part of the settlement (which is limited to the US territory and still has to be approved by a US court), Google will compensate right holders whose works were scanned. It will also pay right holders 63% of revenues earned from the commercial uses Google makes of the books, and pay for the creation of a Book Rights Registry.
The Commission supports the digitisation and online accessibility of Europe's cultural heritage through Europeana , the European digital library, through which 4.6 million digitised books, maps, photographs, film clips and newspapers can be accessed today. On 9 July, Commissioner Reding called for a modern set of rules to encourage the digitisation of books in Europe ( SPEECH/09/336 ). On 28 August, the European Commission launched a public consultation on this issue, which is open until 15 November ( IP/09/1257 ).
Side Bar


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Much has changed in the gay world since the early 1980s, when Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman collaborated to turn Jean Poiret's play "La Cage aux Folles" into a musical of the same name.
This is most readily illustrated by the song, "I Am What I Am," which seemed to begin life as a defiant manifesto of liberation. Now, it seems more of an anthem of pride and victory when it is performed by Albin (Peter Del Fiorentino), the star performer at La Cage aux Folles, the French drag club operated by him and his partner, Georges (Dan Kapler) in the Contra Costa Civic Theatre production of the show.
There are other details — underplayed, really — that pay homage to the way things were 30 years ago, most notably the almost painful lack of public displays of affection between Albin and Georges. But what remains in the musical, and shines bright as ever, is the sweetness and sense of family that becomes the root of the story when Georges' son Jean-Michel (Daniel Quezada) returns home with an announcement.
The home, an apartment above the club, decorated in mid-20th century homoerotica, explodes with joy when Jean-Michel announces he plans to marry the lovely Anne (Melissa Heinrich). That joy turns to panic and disbelief when Jean-Michel tells Albin and Georges that Anne's family will be coming over for dinner soon. And, he adds quickly, her father Edouard Dindon (John Sellen) is a leading candidate for a conservative political party, running on a platform that includes closing all the drag clubs and other sin spots around town.
Not surprisingly, it is an extremely difficult dinner as the gentlemen recount all their differences in the arena of sex. It ends happily, but not without some delightfully timed comedy, which unites the two families in a wild scene that climaxes on the club stage, where everyone, including Edouard, gets into the act.
The acting in the show is terrific throughout. Del Fiorentino and Kapler are excellent as the club-owning couple, and are especially hilarious in a scene where Georges teaches Albin to walk and talk like a man, and the patrons at the cafe, men and women, dive in with masculinity suggestions.
Quezada and Heinrich effectively play the young couple, often the only voices of pure reason on stage. They serve not only to create the romantic interest, but as compelling connection between the two families.
And then there's Sellen, who looks vaguely like Dick Cheney, and Sue Claire Jones, as his long-suffering wife. They are pitch-perfect in their roles and serve as the flame that ignites the frenetic and wildly funny conclusion to the show.
All of this is augmented by a fine supporting cast, including a crew of drag performers who surround Albin's Zaza stage character, creating some amazingly well-performed drag show moments reminiscent of San Francisco's posh Broadway drag night club Finocchio's, which closed in 1999.
Director/choreographer Christina Lazo directs the play with a fine hand, not only pacing the show well, but creating tension in scenes where it's needed to enhance the comedy. And she has created some remarkable, realistic drag show numbers.
Contact Pat Craig at email@example.com.
By Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein, presented by Contra Costa Civic Theatre
Through: July 21
Where: Contra Costa Civic Theatre, 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito
Running time: 2 hours,
30 minutes
Tickets: $16.50-$28.50, 510-524-9132 or www.ccct.org
More reviews: To see reviews of "Macbeth" in Pleasanton and "Taming of the Shrew" in Livermore, go to www.mercurynews.com/theater.


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European Commission
Press release
Brussels, 31 July 2013
EU Trade deal with Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama becomes operational
As of 1 August 2013, the EU – on one side - and Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama - on the other - will start applying the trade part of an Association Agreement signed in 2012. The agreement will open up markets and create a stable business and investment relation with our Central American partners.
The aim of this agreement is also to reinforce economic integration and promote sustainable development in the region. The EU looks forward to the moment when provisional application will be effective with all six Central American countries.
'This Association Agreement is another proof of our interest and involvement in Central America,' said EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht. 'It will further cement our strategic alliance based on common values and mutual respect. The benefits are not just economic: as European unification has shown, economic integration has a positive impact on political integration, so this agreement should bring more stability to the region. I am glad that Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama are now taking a step in this direction and I am looking forward to seeing other partners in the region joining in very soon.'
The comprehensive trade part of this agreement will open up markets for goods, public procurement, services and investment on both sides. This will create a stable business and investment environment based on predictable and enforceable trade rules which, in many instances, go further than the commitments the parties have made in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The agreement also sets up institutions to tackle trade related issues and provides a transparent way to settle trade disputes. The trade part of the agreement includes far-reaching provisions guaranteeing the protection of human rights, as well as commitments on labour standards and environmental protection that will underpin sustainable development.
The benefits of the agreement at a macroeconomic level are expected to be considerably more tangible for the Central American countries. This is due to the relative size of the economies involved with Central American GDP representing less than 1% of the European GDP. Central America's economy is expected to grow by over two and a half billion euros annually once the agreement applies to the entire region.
The EU is Central America's second largest trading partner. In 2012, the total trade flows in goods amounted to €14 billion, including almost €1.4 billion worth of trade with Honduras, €1.2 billion with Panama and €0.4 billion with Nicaragua.
The Central American countries export mostly agricultural and fisheries products (coffee, bananas, pineapples, sugar and seafood) as well as some industrial products (microchips, medical and optical instruments). The EU exports mainly pharmaceutical products, petroleum oil, cars and machinery.
The Association Agreement contains three pillars - political dialogue, cooperation, and trade - aimed at supporting economic growth, democracy and political stability in Central America. Pending the completion of ratification procedures by the 28 EU Member States, only the trade pillar will apply. However, during the period of this provisional application, companies can already benefit from all the trade preferences set out in the agreement.
For more information
Full text of the Trade Agreement
MEMO: Highlights of the trade pillar of the Association Agreement between Central
America and the European Union
On EU-Central America trade relations
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One of your kids is terrified of fireworks but you don't want the whole family to skip Fourth of July festivities. What to do?
Parent advice:
Both of our kids loved fireworks; both of our grandsons hated them. It became evident that the actual problem was the noise. A pair of commercial earplugs for each of them solved the problem, and fireworks are now an integral part of our family's Fourth of July itinerary.
— Michael P. Gleason
We faced this concern with our then-nearly 3-year-old son. He liked the pretty colors in the sky, but the previous year was frightened of the noise and the crowds. I checked out a DVD from the library featuring fireworks ahead of the event. We watched it together, talking about what would happen, why you feel the noise in your belly and why it was so high in the sky. He was able to control the noise level by muting and unmuting the TV. The night of the event, we gave him a pair of industrial ear protectors and found a spot far from the crowds. He did great! On another occasion, when we did not have the ear protectors, we parked our car so we could all four sit in the front seat and watch from inside the car.
— Jennifer Johnson
Expert advice:
Ah, the things that delight adults and scare the daylights out of children: Santa, life-size Disney characters, fireworks.
If your child is old enough to have a discerning conversation, start by asking what he or she doesn't like about fireworks, suggests clinical psychologist Gerald Koocher, co-author of "The Parents' Guide to Psychological First Aid: Helping Children and Adolescents Cope With Predictable Life Crises" (Oxford).
"Is it the noise, the flashes of light, the fact that watching may involve being among a crowd of strangers at night, or something else?" he says. "Another question to consider is whether the child is generally fearful or anxious, or if fireworks is a unique fear."
Then you can formulate a solution.
"Suppose the child reports flashes of light and noise as the problem," Koocher says. "Consider asking, 'How about going to the local drugstore and getting you some earplugs and sunglasses? We can test them out at home before we go.' If darkness is a concern, add a small flashlight to the mix. If the younger child has a favorite blanket or plush toy that acts as a security object, let him or her bring it."
A slightly older child may want a security object of a different sort.
"Bringing the portable PlayStation and earphones can become a focus rather than the fireworks," he says.
If the child is too young to put words to his or her fears, think about what usually provides comfort.
"You have no doubt observed them get through a scary situation and probably have some idea what worked," Koocher says. "You can reflect that observation back to them, and use it. 'Remember when we went to see the Snow White movie and you got scared by the wicked witch? We held hands (or you sat in my lap) and that made you feel better. Want to do that at the fireworks?'"
Of course, you could draw straws and assign one grown-up to sit out the fireworks with the child.
"Letting the child stay home, or engage in an alternative activity elsewhere with another adult, is certainly a valid option," says Koocher. "However, that would still leave the parent clueless about what the child is actually worried about. Asking the right questions first and giving the child the opportunity to participate in a family activity by creative problem-solving would be my preferred option. If that won't work, the alternative activity is fine."
Got a solution?
Your daughter is fielding some rude comments at school. Should you teach her to be rude right back or turn the other cheek? Email us your thoughts at email@example.com. Find "The Parent 'Hood" page on Facebook, where you can post your parenting questions and offer tips and solutions for others to try.
One of your kids is terrified of fireworks but you don't want the whole family to skip Fourth of July festivities. What to do?


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CHAPEL HILL – Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina announced Friday it will close its headquarters, off 15-501 in Chapel Hill, electing to move its Triangle operations to a central campus in Durham.
Though the move won't be complete till sometime next year, town leaders like Dwight Bassett, Chapel Hill's Economic Development Officer, are anticipating the economic impact the relocation will have on the area.
"I do not think it's a positive for our economic climate. We are glad that they are staying in the there area. There will still be some benefit, but it does mean that Chapel Hill will technically will not have those 900 plus jobs inside our corporate limits any longer," Bassett said.
BCBS spokesperson Lew Borman says this move won't result in any lay-offs—saying it might result in additional hires.
Mayor Pro Tem Ed Harrison says BCBS is the largest private employer in Chapel Hill and he still considers it a loss.
"We like having large private employers and jobs in Chapel Hill. We like having people to spend money while they are here,' Harrison said.
The building's value estimated at $35 million. BCBS pay the town a base property tax of $174,800 a year, with an additional payment $12,000 in storm water fees, according to Bassett. He says if another company were to purchase the property, tear down the existing office, and rebuild, the property value would most likely go down temporarily.
But Bassett says the move didn't come as a shock.
"We've know for several years that they were evaluating their options—that was a part of them selling their offices in East Town Park and we knew that they were looking for space that was more energy efficient and more functional for their needs," Basset said.
Bassett along with Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, and Town Manager Roger Stancil have been meeting with BCBS for several years to talk about the company's future with the town.
The company had voiced its frustrations with the facility, saying it was not cost or energy efficient.
"Listening to the issues that BCBS has with the building, I would think there would be a limited ability for adaptive re-use unless there was just one company that liked the iconic structure and would like to keep it," Bassett said. "But still there are a lot of issues that come with that scenario."
Bassett anticipates the facility will likely be torn down, due to its high operating costs. Looking at the current demand in the market, he says they don't plan to target the area for retail or office development—rather they feel the best use for the land would be medium to high-density housing.
In the next coming years, Harrison says Chapel Hill 2020 will have a land use study that would include the BCBS property, as well as land along 15-501, up to I-40. The study will solicit public feedback about the use of that area.


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Liberty News
Alumna manages Wisconsin congressional campaign
In the United States, democracy provides citizens with the privilege of influencing the outcome of political elections. This election season, Liberty alumna Krystal Tucker ('09) has come to value the voting process even more. She is managing the congressional campaign for Republican Reid Ribble's bid for the 8th District seat in Wisconsin, a daunting task she didn't foresee in her future.
After graduating from Liberty with a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership, Tucker was slated for a career in the field of gerontology; however, she says the Lord had other plans for her life.
"I love a challenge and adventure, so I wanted to take the job," she said. "To move to somewhere where I never thought I would live and do a job I never thought I would do, it was exciting.
Krystal Tucker (center) poses with Republican congressional candidate Reid Ribble and some supporters after a St. Patrick's Day parade in New London, Wis.
Tucker was inspired to take a different career path by Ribble, who is also new to politics. Ribble sold his small roofing business in Wisconsin to enter the political arena and fulfill a need for politicians committed to upholding values — a step Tucker felt led to emulate.
"Reid chose to run for office because he is concerned about the future of America for his grandchildren," said Tucker. "When I saw the care and concern in his eyes, it awakened a sense of responsibility in me about my role as an American."
Through her work on Ribble's campaign, Tucker has found herself challenged to explore and solidify her own political views, something she says every citizen should embrace.
"You have to realize that the decisions the government make affect every area of your life," she said. "Those decisions affect your job and even what you buy at the store."
Tucker encourages voters to claim their right to be a part of our country's political system and vote for candidates who support values during the 2010 elections.
"Look at your life and the things that matter to your family, and start realizing that there is someone who is supposed to be a voice for you in Washington. Then give yourself a voice by voting for the right candidate who is going to make the right choice for America," she said.
In addition to facing heated political debates and arduous days on the campaign trail, Tucker faced an even greater challenge while working on Ribble's campaign — adjusting to the frigid Wisconsin winter.
"I live on a lake here and it freezes entirely and becomes a city of its own," Tucker said. "That is so foreign to me growing up in the South."
Icy temperatures aside, Tucker has enjoyed new experiences, established new skills, and cultivated a personal sense of ownership in the political process.
"I have seen parts of the country and met people that I never would have otherwise," she said. "Each of those experiences has enriched me more and more every day."


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Joy to the World
SUPPLIES: Cardstock: (Vintage Cream, kraft) Papertrey Ink Rubber stamp: (frame from Encompassed Grace set) Unity Stamp Co. Clear stamp: (sentiment from Signature Christmas set) Papertrey Ink Dye ink: (Brown Sugar, Vintage Photo) Ranger Industries; (Real Red) Stampin' Up! Accent: (brown buttons) Papertrey Ink Finished size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
1 Make card from cardstock; ink edges.
2 Cut cardstock panel. Stamp frame and sentiment.
3 Ink panel edges and adhere to card with foam tape.
4 Adhere buttons.
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Winter's change is the cruelest of all, for me. It is frozen and dark and offers no glimmers of hope, except those that twinkle reflecting off the frozen tundra, mirages in the desert of our lives holding out the distance sparkle of solace where the reality is that there is none to be had, and it is cold, and there is a long way to go before there will be warm, golden light.
Everyone is writing their end of the year posts this week. The best books they've read, the coolest places they've traveled to, the best pictures they've taken, the best goals they can think of for themselves in 2013 - this is the week that pretty much everyone looks in the rear view mirror, checks their blind spot, and changes lanes along the highway of their lives. People woke up on Tuesday - maybe refreshed, maybe hungover, maybe pregnant, and stared down a new day and a new year with the determination to do/be/write/love/act better.
More. Bigger. Differently. Something.
These are the moments for which I hold my breath and wait for time to pass. These are the days I pray for forgetfulness or distraction. These are the times I wish I wasn't, and didn't, and won't.
My year isn't ending yet. My year ends on January 7th when my entire world did. It ends again on January 25th, when the new house of cards I'd spent 17 years meticulously building up came crashing down. My year isn't restarting yet. It begins anew on January 9th, just like it has every year since 1992 when I was shoved headfirst through an airplane jetway and into a brand new life.
January marks the days of my mother - the day I lost her, and the day I left her forever. January marks the day I lost my husband and decided in my heart, if not my head, to leave him forever, too. January is not the month I reset or recharge or realigned; it is the month I die over and over again. January is a month of resignation, of giving in - letting go and letting whatever the hell will make this easier.
But I am trying to change that.
This year will be the first calendar year that I live start to finish intentionally, for myself, not in a way that I feel like someone else is making me live but in the way that I chose to live. I ended this year entirely too far over the edge of the precipice to let anyone pull me back into that old cycle, that old life that I keep setting myself up to live through and die from over and over again.
I'm learning - no, I've always known, I'm trying to accept - how much of everything that has transpired is my own fault. I didn't make my husband drink-and-everything-that-comes-with-it, but he certainly didn't make me stay, either. I perceive requirements that don't always actually exist and customize my life around them, because I am a highly skilled, professionally groomed enabler, and that is what we do best. I've been so afraid of change that I found a near exact replica of my relationship with my mother and entered into a legally binding, contractual, lifetime relationship with it.
Every January I mourn these losses that are in fact gifts. Twice in my life I have held my nose and stood tippy-toes-over a precipice, waiting and hoping for something, someone, god will anything just come shove me over? because I certainly have never had the courage to leap on my own accord. Twice in my life I have been given exactly that which I have wished for.
And it is a gift. These weights I cling to are actually disguised wings. I just have to figure out how to use them to fly.


text: The Washington Demon baseball team kicks off the season today as they go on the road to face Pekin. There is a call for rain in the forecast so it's hopeful they can get it in. Demon Head Coach Nathan Miller says rain disrupted things last year. They started and were only able to get about three innings in before the rain came. Tonight is scheduled to be a JV-Varsity doubleheader. The Demons have a couple of golfers in Kaleb Rich and Jake Redlinger, who will be playing in the state tournament Friday and Saturday. Consequently neither one will bat. Rich will start on the mound but will be limited to a pitch count and neither will play a fielding position. You'll be able to hear the varsity game right here on the one to count on KCII. We'll be on the air around 7:15.