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"In January of 2012, Pat Hendricks was the recipient of a 7th dan ranking from the
Aikikai, one of few women (or men!) worldwide to have been elevated to this level."
The early days
Back in 1975, an attractive young blond woman joined my aikido class in Monterey, California. From the very start, she attended class religiously and displayed an uncommon enthusiasm toward training. I immediately noticed she was very athletic and quick to pick up techniques and falling skills. She insisted on being treated on a par with male students, was afraid of nothing, and approached practice with a laser determination. I wondered how far she would go along the aikido path. I had seen enthusiastic students before, some who continued training for years, only to slowly drift away from the art. I needn't have worried, for this was Pat Hendricks.
Pat dedicated herself over the next couple of years to improving her martial skills and participated in classes and workshops all over northern California. Women in aikido were just coming into their own at this stage, and Pat forged many friendships with some of the top female instructors in the area that continue to this day.
First trip to IwamaBy the summer of 1977, I had relocated to Japan and immersed myself in training at the Iwama Dojo under the tutelage of Morihiro Saito Sensei. For her part, Pat was pursuing her practice at the Oakland Institute, also learning the Iwama style of aikido. One day, later in that same year and to my great surprise, Pat strolled down the path leading to the Iwama Dojo. She had taken a tremendous leap of faith deciding to leave her life in the States and journey to the source of aikido, O-Sensei's country dojo in Iwama.
Possessing virtually no Japanese language skills, but full of determination, Pat immersed herself into Japanese life as an uchideshi of Saito Sensei. Typical of her character, she threw herself headlong into her training, and quickly earned a reputation as a promising up-and-comer and a favorite uke of Saito Sensei. Almost daily, Pat could be seen inside the Iwama Dojo taking impressive high falls, her blond hair tied up in a pony tail whipping from side to side. The dojo was full of strong young foreign students and practice was vigorous.
During her first stay in Japan, Pat made the effort to study Japanese and calligraphy with the same ardor that characterized her aikido training, alsa something that most foreign visitors to Japan never get around to doing. In the process, she endeared herself to the Saito family, and with the passage of time, became a "sempai" to newly arriving foreigners helping them with the transition to the arduous dojo life in the countryside.
Establishing a dojo
In 1979, Pat returned to Oakland, California to pursue a college education at the University of California at Berkeley while of course continuing her aikido training. At a crossroads career-wise, she had the foresight to realize that a formal education in Japanese would create a wide arrary of work opportunities for her future. Upon graduation with a degree in Oriental language studies, she landed a job with the Japanese consulate in San Francisco and entered the diplomatic world. As fate would have it, after two years, Pat decided against this life of government service and determined to make her career in aikido, her first love.
Soon thereafter, events accelerated for Pat Hendricks as she embarked upon her aikido teaching journey when she opened a dojo in San Leandro, California in 1984. Little by little, she made progress in developing an aikido community and built a devoted student following. Never one to do things in a conventional way, Pat continued to make regular, extended visits to Iwama to continue polishing her aikido skills and preserve close contact with Saito Sensei and Iwama. Back and forth between California and Iwama she would travel, her feet in two worlds while she somehow managed to keep her dojo going at the same time.
All during this period, I was living and working in Japan as I continued my research into the life of the Founder Morihei Ueshiba and the publication of Aiki News and Aikido Journal. As Pat made regular visits to Iwama, we saw each other periodically and maintained our close link. I'll always remember the occasion when she shared the stage with Saito Sensei at our Aiki News Friendship Demonstration in 1988 in Tokyo.
Traveling and interpreting for Morihiro Saito Sensei
As the years passed, Pat's frequent trips to Japan, her superb aikido skills, and Japanese-language speaking ability, earned her a place in the inner circle of Saito Sensei's senior students. She would often serve as Saito Sensei's interpreter, especially when he conducted seminars in the USA in the late 1980s and 1990s. One of the highlights of her association with Saito Sensei took place in 1992 in Tokyo when she served as his uke at the All-Japan Aikido Demonstration in front of thousands of spectators. This was a first for any woman, and one of her most cherished memories.
Later after my return to the USA, Pat was kind enough to support me by participating as a guest instructor at the Aiki Expo events I organized in 2002, 2003, and 2005 in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. On those occasions, she gave memorable demonstrations and workshops alongside some of the top martial artists in the world.
During the nearly 30 years of operation of her dojo Aikido of San Leandro in northern California, Pat has produced scores of black belt students, many going on to open schools of their own. Today, she is one of the leaders of the California Aikido Association, heading the Iwama Aikido division of the organization which maintains ties with the World Aikido Headquarters in Tokyo for purposes of ranking.World travels and 7th dan award
Pat's nearly 40 years of training and close assocation with the Saito family have not gone unnoticed. As a result, she is kept very busy on the seminar circuit. In fact, Pat's schedule is filled with teaching engagements that take her all over the world. Over the years she has taught seminars in more than 30 countries!
In January of 2012, Pat Hendricks was the recipient of a 7th dan ranking from the Aikikai, one of few women worldwide to have been elevated to this level. Following her promotion, she traveled to Tokyo to receive her certificate directly from the hands of present Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba.For the past decade, Pat and I have seen each other every year or so, usually at seminars conducted by Saito Sensei's son, Hitohiro Saito Sensei, in some part of the USA. We do speak frequently over the phone and update each other on the latest happenings in the aikido world and our lives.
Contemplating the future of aikido
As the years roll by and we advance in age, Pat and I often find ourselves discussing the future of the art we both love and have devoted our lives to. We find ourselves agreeing on many issues due to our common background. One of them is the fact that the techniques and philosophy of Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei's have somehow become lost in the today's aikido world and regrettably have left only a faint trace. Since our teacher, Morihiro Saito, was one of O-Sensei's closest and most talented students, our views on this subject are heavily influenced by his teachings.
We have often talked about what we could do personally by joining forces to remedy this situation, and bring O-Sensei's universal message and superlative art to the attention of a broader number of aikido practitioners. Recently, Pat and I have come up with an idea of a concrete course of action to work towards this end.
Through a simple interface, you'll have the ability to quickly access over 500 empty-handed and weapons techniques via 1,100 links to videos and technical explanations in book format. This is the most extensive technical reference on aikido ever compiled!


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A Melbourne, Florida woman thought she was helping out a severely disabled man by feeding him and changing his diapers for three months, but it turns out she may have just been catering to a weird guy's baby fetish.
Janet Schulte was hired through Craigslist to care for a man's adult brother with a diminished mental capacity in exchange for $600 dollars per week.
Schulte bottle-fed the man and changed his adult diapers for several weeks, but always gave an excuse when she asked to meet his brother who had hired her.
But when payments started coming in late, Schulte and her husband became suspicious, and after looking into the matter, figured out the disabled man and his brother were the same person.
The worst part for Schulte is that even though the man lied, he didn't technically commit a crime, so he can't be charged.
It wasn't the first time the man sought out special care. He was convicted of felony fraud in 2006 for getting emergency room care under assumed names, according to floridatoday.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Tennessee's best for auto glass replacement and repair.
At Auto Glass of America we pride ourselves on providing our customers with the highest standard of quality service. Our trained and certified technicians have the experience to assist you with any automotive glass issue you may have from windshields to side windows, as well as back glass replacement and side view mirrors. Outstanding service combined with the best products and materials in the industry has quickly made us the #1 choice for insurance companies, fleets, dealerships and retail customers throughout the East Tennessee Region. We use only OEM approved and crash-tested adhesives which meet and exceed all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Rock chip repairs are also available. Our service will come to your home, office or job site in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Johnson City, Morristown and all surrounding counties. So don't delay your safety; call the location nearest you today for a quick repair or come visit us at one of our convenient locations covering all of East Tennessee.


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Billabong was founded in 1973 by Australian surfers. The brand was simply a board short line that the two creators produced in their basement. Surfing is much more than just a hobby; it's a passion that should be shared with family and Billabong understood this early on.
We are pleased to refund or exchange your unworn and unwashed merchandise in its original condition within 45 days of purchase upon presentation of the original receipt. The item must be in the original condition and packaging, and with the price tags still attached.
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Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve Its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence Everywhere
Share your pictures, videos, and stories from your visit to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on our social media. We might even feature you in one of our promotions!
Add some city flare in "Giants Country" when you place this New York Giants Stop Sign in your home or office!


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Creating a 24-Bit Per Pixel Subregion of a 24-Bit Per Pixel Bitmap
Desktop-as-a-Service Designed for Any Cloud ? Nutanix Frame
Subregion of the original bitmap
Environment: VC6
This article shows you how to create a portion of a 24-bit/pixel bitmap at runtime. In order to do this, you must add a 24-bit/pixel bitmap to your resources in VC++, decide what portion of the bitmap you wish (specified by the x-y coordinates of the upper left corner and the horizontal/vertical size of the portion), and what .bmp file you want the new portion of the bitmap to be store. The .bmp file created can be used at a later time, but in addition the bitmap of the subregion can be retrieved and used, for example, in your OnDraw function.
In the following code sample, we create a portion of a huge bitmap. The subregion is 416 by 224 pixels, but the original bitmap is well over 100 times this size.
CBitmapSubRegion bsr; BOOL bSuccess; // IDB_BITMAP_SCHUMACHERCAR is a 24-bit/pixel // resource ID added to VC++ bSuccess = bsr.SetResourceID(IDB_BITMAP_SCHUMACHERCAR); if (bSuccess) { bSuccess = bsr.SetFileNameOfResourceBitmap( CString("SchumacherCar.bmp")); if (bSuccess) { // Want to create a subregion which starts at // (x,y) of (259,317) and is 416-pixels wide by // 224-pixels tall bSuccess = bsr.SetSubRegionOfBitmap(259,317,416,224); if (bSuccess) { //Set where to store the new bitmap bSuccess = bsr.SetFileNameForNewBitmap( CString("SuhumacherCarSubRegion.bmp")); if (bSuccess) { bSuccess = bsr.CreateBitmapOfSubRegion(); if (bSuccess) { m_pBitmapSubRegion = bsr.RetrieveBitmapOfSubRegion(); } } } } }


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2017 US Nationals
These are photos from the senior and junior ladies' events in Kansas City. Senior ladies' medalists were Karen Chen, Ashley Wagner, Mariah Bell, and Mirai Nagasu. Please do not reproduce these photos.
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Saw this on The Basketball Jones and it cracked me up. I could only watch the 1st third of the video, because I'm still in season 3 unfortunately. Hope there's nothing offensive in the last two thirds of the video. JR 5/20/2010 04:22:00 PM Tweet Edit
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On this day in 1974, Smallwood's Store was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Seminole women pictured here represent members of a family camped near Smallwood's Store on Chokoloskee Island in southwestern Florida. Their style of clothing and beads indicate that the photograph dates to the early 20th century, probably between 1900 and 1920. The archival record for this photograph identifies "Lena's mother" on the far left, with "Frank Charlie's mother" to her right. This photograph can be found at the State Archives of Florida in the Bedell collection.
Deaconess Harriet Bedell was an Episcopal missionary who worked with Native American tribes, including the Florida Seminoles. She established the Glades Cross Mission in Everglades City, Florida, which was active between 1933 and 1960.
Seminoles visited Chokoloskee Island as early as the 1880s to trade at the store owned by C. G. McKinney, opened for business sometime after he arrived on the island in 1886. Ted Smallwood succeeded McKinney in 1906 and established Smallwood's Store, which catered to a thriving business with the Seminoles in alligator skins and otter pelts.
Seminole families camped on a beach near Smallwood's Store while visiting the island, trading animal commodities for sewing machines, cloth, canned goods and other necessities. They built temporary chickees ("home" in Mikasuki), made sofkee ("corn gruel"), and supplied locals with venison and other wild game.
Other stores in the area frequented by Seminoles in the early 20th century included George Storter's and Charlie Tigertail's, both in the vicinity of present-day Everglades City. Charlie Tigertail's store was the first Seminole-owned trading post in south Florida.
Visit the Florida Photographic Collection to learn more about the Bedell collection and to view historic photographs of the Florida Seminoles and Chokoloskee Island.


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The forefoot can develop painful deformities that can impair function and restrict mobility.
These deformities can result from many causes including improper fitting of shoes and normal aging.
Dr. Francisco can offer surgical and non-surgical treatment of these disabling conditions.
Contrary to what most people believe, bunions are not just a "bump" growing on
the inside of your big toe. Bunions are actually an angular deformity of the foot that
develops from an imbalance of the muscles and ligaments around the big toe.
Bunions can develop for various reasons. It can result from poor shoe wear (i.e. high heels).
Genetics can also play a role where often parents, grandparents, siblings have suffered
from the same problem. Patients with neuromuscular disease can also develop them.
In most cases we never really know what caused a bunion to develop.
Pain can develop from irritation of the "bump" from shoes rubbing on them and/or
the change in alignment of the forefoot from what is "normal." Patients often have
trouble finding the right shoes that fit them and cause the least amount of discomfort.
Some of the ways to treat bunions include various toe spacers, night splints, and orthotics.
Shoe wear modification is the most important aspect of non-operative treatment.
If these do not provide any significant relief, then surgery may be indicated.
Before thinking about having surgery for your bunion, think about what bothers you the most about it.
Is it the pain or the deformity? Are you looking to go back into high heels or narrow shoes?
The best indication to have bunion surgery is pain. Having surgery mainly for cosmetic reasons
can be disappointing in the end. Many bunions after surgical correction can come back to some degree,
but in most patients this happens with very little pain, if any.
Going back into high heels should not be part of your expectations.
There are four basic ways we treat bunions surgically.
The first way is with soft tissue correction or realignment.
Here we release the ligaments/tendons on one side of the toe and tighten them on the other side.
The second way is by cutting the bone to help realign the toe.
The third way utilizes both soft tissue and bony procedures to realign the toe.
The last procedure involves fusion of the toe into a corrected position.
This procedure is mainly reserved for those with associated arthritis.
Depending on the type of procedure performed, post operative recovery involves at least four
to six weeks of protected weight bearing. Return to normal activity can be expected anywhere
from three to six months, depending on the procedure chosen.


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Jens Baumgarten
Jens Baumgarten is a Senior Partner with Simon-Kucher based in Frankfurt/Main. His consulting work focuses primarily on Value Management, Strategic Pricing and Sales Optimization. He has carried out national as well as international projects for clients in the US, Europe and Asia. Besides financial services, his industry experience covers telecommunications, automotive and utilities.
He has published numerous articles on strategy, marketing, sales and pricing in the financial services sector in Germany, the US and the UK. Jens is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars where he covers topics in the areas of strategy, marketing and pricing.
Prior to joining Simon-Kucher, Jens studied business at the University of Augsburg in Germany, where he specialized in Marketing, Management & Organization and Business Psychology. In addition, Jens holds an MBA degree from the University of Dayton.


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Hi there
Just to let everybody know that I have started working on the New Low Moor railway station in the Bradford area.
Please check out my first go on a layout so far.
Still lots to do but at least the 1m flexi tracks are in place.
Are now working on getting some more town houses and filling the area as it is lacking in buildings.
I also have to scratch build my own Lift towers and bridge and now working on the steps to connect the car park to the station via foot ways.
If anyone needs more information please post on and i will let you know in due time.
Now on with scratch building some more warehouses and work buildings.
I will post on pictures of how i am getting on as well.


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What I'm going to do in this post is explore this dynamic in detail. I will try to dive into the heads of both sides in the hope that we can better understand each other. At no point do I intend to make excuses for anyone's unprofessional or unkind behavior-- I'm just trying to sort out the dynamic that creates that kind of behavior, the best I can. And disclaimer: it's going to be long. Bring snacks.
This author-reviewer relationship has never been simple, but nor has it ever been quite this complicated, because of the Internet. Now the reviews are not isolated to newspapers and magazines, they are on blogs, tumblr, facebook, twitter, Goodreads, and more places than I can really count. Anyone can review books as long as they love reading and dedicate themselves to talking about it, and that means that more people are doing so.
A Business Relationship; Not A Business Relationship
Book reviewers (with the exception of those who do it for a job-- right now I'm not referring to those reviewers, though) are not paid to write reviews; they are providing a free service. It is a hobby in the best sense of the word, because they are dedicated and consistent, they have well-designed and well-organized blogs, they form a community, they put on events like the Debut Author Challenge or the YA Heroine Tournament, they go to conferences, they do interviews. I think it's pretty fantastic that people love books so much they would do all those things for no pay, in addition to their day jobs or studies.
In any case, book reviewers are not paid, so this is not quite a business relationship. However, sometimes they pay for books (as opposed to getting ARCs), so they are contributing to an author's salary. Still, there isn't the kind of balance we typically see in business relationships.
Authors, however, are paid for writing books, even if it's just from book sales. So in that sense, this is a business relationship-- when an author reads a review of their book, they are at work, and that requires a certain type of behavior.
So, to recap, this is NOT a business relationship, because book blogging is not a business. Yet it IS a business relationship, because authors are paid, and they are often paid by book reviewers' purchases.
A Personal Relationship; A Not Personal Relationship
Reviews are not personal, because they are the assessment of a product. If I assess an Apple product on the Internet, is that a personal attack against Jonathan Ive, head designer at Apple? Certainly not. Do some reviews include personal attacks against authors? Yes. And regardless of whether you agree with that sort of review tactic (I don't), I still don't think an insult on the Internet is personal. If a reviewer calls an author a jerk, they are probably not saying that based on any experience of that author as a real human being. Anyone could have written the book and they would have called the author a jerk. Even insults are not personal on the Internet. Now, it may still bother the author, and I would argue that they are well within their rights to be bothered, but it's something to keep in mind.
Yet to say that reviews are not personal ignores the simple truth of this industry, which is that authors pour their hearts and souls into their work. They carefully construct stories over a period of a year or (in most cases) more. Their characters fill their waking moments and enter their dreams. As with any art, books are personal, and any time someone bashes an author's work, it feels like it is the author himself or herself who is being bashed. As much as we say that shouldn't be the case, it is unavoidable, and I would argue that making book-writing completely impersonal would be to the detriment of books everywhere.
The Public/Private Space
So this business/not business relationship, which is both personal and not personal, all takes place in a place that blurs the public and the private space. The Internet is a strange place from the perspective of the author, because of how it changes. A few years ago, I was on Facebook and Twitter and Blogger as a private citizen. If you read my earliest blog posts, they were personal and open in a way that they aren't now-- because no one was watching. Fast forward to the book release, and I don't have a private Facebook page anymore, I've deleted most of my personal blog posts, and I don't tweet the same things anymore. I don't discuss even huge events in my personal life (graduation! Marriage! Etc!), because for me, the Internet now feels public. And I know a lot of people who are totally okay with keeping their personal lives separate (I am one of them).
But there are many authors who are either dismayed by the loss of their private Internet space or, more likely, don't quite realize that it's gone. For some reason, they tell themselves that if they remove their Author Hat and put on their Reader and Human Being Hat, everyone will notice the change and be forgiving.
That is absolutely not true. When you become an author, everything you do under your author name on the Internet is work. And you are required to be professional always.
That doesn't mean "don't have a personality," but it means authors are required to respond to negative reviews--even those that include personal attacks--with maturity and, in most cases, a closed mouth. If a person works in retail with frustrating customers, he or she would have to do it there, too. Plenty of people have jobs where they have to deal with difficult feedback on a daily basis, and they do it admirably.
In my mind, there are no exceptions to this rule. You must always respond publicly with maturity. I don't care what you say to your family or to your dog, but when you are on the Internet, or at a work event: always maturity and professionalism.
Reviewers, too, sometimes struggle with the private/public dynamic. So many exchanges that sound like private conversations take place in a highly public environment, like Goodreads. And this is not necessarily because the reviewers want to stir up drama; it's because many of their friends exist in that public space with them, and they don't want to have to create a separate forum to have those often not-all-that-close relationships. And if the cameras are always on you, eventually you forget they're there. That is not to say that the content of those conversations must change-- that is entirely up to the people having those conversations-- but that the people participating in them should be constantly aware that they are public.
This is yet another difficulty, because while reviewers are free to express their emotions and opinions about a work or about particular situations in the forums that are natural to them, authors must restrain themselves within the forums that are natural to them. Goodreads, for example, is a place where authors and readers collide, but authors are not allowed to be readers there. And sometimes, when the reviewer insists, "I'm allowed to express my opinions, whatever they may be!" the author begins to think, "well, shouldn't I be able to do that, too? Don't I have the same right to be emotional and opinionated in public?"
Think again.
There is a difference, and it is this: 98% of the time, the reviewer is expressing opinions about a book, and if an author expresses his or her opinions about a review, they are always saying something about the reviewer. A review is a personal opinion, and it's hard to critique an opinion without insulting the one who holds it. I haven't seen it done well in this situation. The author is always, even if inadvertently, calling the reviewer stupid, or ignorant, or a jerk.
And also, keep in mind that this is not the reviewer's job. A hobby is something people do for enjoyment, and you wouldn't critique them if they were playing basketball or harmonica or something, because that wouldn't be in the spirit of the hobby. You don't get to critique a reviewer's job performance, because that's not what it is.
Where Authors Are Coming From
Authors, particularly YA authors, are expected to have an Internet presence, and to be responsive in that presence. So, authors are expected to respond to at least some e-mails, tweets, tumblr questions, etc. That means that authors spend a large portion of their days in the public space. And that, in turn, means that they must act calm and professional for a larger proportion of their daily life than people working traditional jobs, unless they want to get off the Internet (which some choose to do).
Now, many people rant to their co-workers after work, or even at the office while the boss isn't around. An author's co-workers, though, occupy the same space as reviewers and readers, so they can't communicate with them easily or with the same freedom that you would over a drink with your peers at an office. Additionally, authors rarely get to know each other in the same way that you would get to know a co-worker at the office, because our profession is so isolated. Therefore, exchanging private e-mails or starting private forums seems awkward and uncomfortable in a way that inviting your co-worker out for drinks does not.
On another note, as much as people insist that reviews are for reviewers, not for authors, the @ messages in our twitter feeds suggests otherwise. I don't read reviews, and I don't Google myself, and I don't have any Google alerts set up, but I still see reviews, sometimes just when I'm browsing fun websites that I always check, sometimes when people send them to me, or when they tweet comments to me, or when they e-mail me negative reviews with a well-intentioned "don't worry, you'll do better next time!" note. It is impossible to completely avoid reviews.
All this is to say, the thought running through our heads is something like this: I must be on the Internet, where I am constantly being criticized, but I must also be perfectly professional at all times. Sometimes it feels like standing in a circle of fire, and whenever you so much as twitch, you get burned, but you can't show any reaction to the pain. Some authors find ways to deal with this. Never have I had the desire to engage with a reviewer. But I don't think it's that difficult to understand when some authors have trouble.
Where Reviewers Are Coming From
The problem is, when authors have difficulty navigating this strange and often difficult dynamic, they often call for reviewers to change their reviewing style. Some reviewers go for the straightforward, polite book review. Some go for humorous rants involving .gifs. Some go for not-so-humorous rants. And sometimes authors want to say, I'm okay with negative reviews, but you can write them the first way, because that's the easiest kind to take.
Here's the thing: that is not at all fair. If someone told me I had to write in the beautiful, lyrical style of Laini Taylor, I would say, "...but I can't DO that. That's just not how I write!" As writers, we should know that style is hard to change, and that if you try, you sometimes won't enjoy writing anymore. Reviewers have different styles, that cater to those who love heated debates, or to those who love to poke fun at things, or to those who prefer straightforward analysis-- in other words, reviewers are writing what their readers respond to, just like we are. And we don't get to tell them they have to change that style. We can debate about where the lines between personal attack/libel and review are (and I'm not going to do that here), but we don't get to say "these kinds of reviews are not okay."
But some authors have said that, and they've said it a lot, sometimes in shockingly unkind ways. An environment now exists in which reviewers are extra sensitive to authors' reactions to reviews, and that is wholly unsurprising. Reviewers are giving an awful lot to authors. They are giving us hours of time and effort. They are giving us pieces of their paychecks. Sometimes they fly across the country to go to conferences and meet us. And here's the thing: even if these reviewers give us negative reviews, they are still doing us a service.
I know there are times when someone reads a critical review and decides not to pick up a book. Those times are far outweighed by the incidences in which someone reads a review, positive or negative, and decides, based on that review alone, that they will give a book a try. Most people are aware that opinions about books and movies and television shows vary widely, and they will try to make up their minds for themselves. The worst thing for an author is NOT someone hearing your book is bad, it's someone not hearing about it at all.
Something's Gotta Give
As far as I can see it, that is the situation we are in. We are all trying to figure out how to make our way through this business/hobby, personal/impersonal, public/private relationship. We are going to screw it up-- all of us. As far as I can see it, the best way to deal with these conflicts is to understand where people are coming from-- understand what you are saying when you say, you should always act professionally, authors (so true! But God, that becomes hard, and we will make mistakes), or you shouldn't review that way ("I, with my Important Author Hand, will suppress your free expression, Person Who Buys My Books!" Um, no).
But even more important than understanding is forgiveness. Forgiveness does not mean that you say something is okay when it isn't. Actually, it does the opposite. An act doesn't need to be forgiven if it's not wrong to begin with, so forgiveness calls things exactly what they are.
And then, in a feat that is certainly not easy for the person who has been wronged, forgiveness lets those things go. (Especially when there's an apology involved.) It doesn't harp on them for years to come, or mention them at every opportunity. It doesn't make plans to sabotage their stats on this or that site, or put them on some kind of mental blacklist if they get a book deal. Forgiveness pretty much says, screw this giant line between us. We are working together for the good of books and reading, and if you mess it up, I'll get over it eventually.
Not saying it's easy. But maybe it's worth a try.
(Note: if I have left out some aspect of anyone's perspective, feel free to add it in the comments in the interest of fully fleshing out this issue. That said, this isn't a place to name names or make accusations, so please...don't. Thank you.)


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Hello everyone and welcome back to another fun filled drawing lesson on a really cool sports tutorial that I know you will all love. Today I will be showing you "how to draw a baseball", step by step. The baseball is used in the bat and ball game of baseball and every baseball player on each team uses this sports object to throw at one and other to score outs, bases, and home runs. A baseball is made to be nine to nine and one fourth inches in circumference, and it weighs at least five ounces. The material used to make the filler of the baseball is either cork, rubber, or a combined mixture of the two and may even sometimes contain twine or wool. Once the mold is made it is then covered with two pieces of cut shaped leather and it is usually stitched together using a total of one hundred and eight stitches of waxed cotton thread that is usually red in color. With this tutorial you will learn how to draw a baseball step by step. I added some additional features such as a trail of flames to express how fast a baseball can be thrown by a very talented pitcher. Some baseballs are thrown at record speeds from 100-107 miles per hour. No matter how you look at the sport it is an extremely fun game to get into and watch. I hope you sports nuts out there enjoy this lesson on "how to draw a baseball". The instructions are simple to read and the steps are easy to follow. I will be back in a bit with more drawing fun so stay tuned.
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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Sunset Pictures from Kerala – Cochin, Allepey, Kumarakom – (Jan' 2010)
Last week visited Kerala and it was an awesome experience. Haven't missed sunset for 5 consecutive days and it's truly an amazing sight. Sharing some of the pictures taken in Ernakulam Beach, Allepey Backwaters, Allepey Beach & Kumaraom.
Click pictures to view in large size


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Daniel Sturgis born in 1966, lives and works in London. Sturgis is an abstract painter.
Boulder Shifts I is a unique pair of paper works in a series of 4, Boulder Shifts I - IV. The paper works are acrylic paint on original Roberson's paper. The paper works are part of a wider series titled the boulder paintings. Boulder Shifts are full of flat geometric shapes arranged in such a way that could have been of their own making. The weight of balance in the shapes yield a tension of suggested movement. Of the pair one is populated with small red dots, typical of a Sturgis painting. The dots have a strong anthropomorphic quality that imbue them with a humour and sense of movement, a slight tilt and they could simply roll away. Shapes become sentient agents. It is at this meeting place of divergent references from art, contemporary culture, abstraction and design that Sturgis finds new and exciting forms of abstraction.
Sturgis recently selected the Indiscipline of Painting an international group exhibition of abstract painting at Tate St Ives and Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre. Recently exhibited at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London and Gallery Hollenbach, Stuttgart.


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George Zimmerman's mother-in-law charged with DUI
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – Volusia County deputies arrested George Zimmerman's mother-in-law for suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription pills.
Drivers on State Road 415 near Osteen were in a panic, and can be heard in 911 calls begging deputies to pull over the swerving car.
"Oh, he just ran off the side of the road. Now he's back on. Now he's in the other lane. Oh my God, there's traffic coming!" a 911 caller said.
That caller was right in front of the weaving car, that deputies said was driven by Machelle Smothers Dean, 53, of Lake Mary. Local 6 has learned Dean is Shellie Zimmerman's mother and George Zimmerman's mother-in-law.
Some drivers swerved, others slowed down or pulled over to avoid crashing into an out of control car, reported the callers. Witnesses said the reckless car they spotted on Aug. 8 was going nearly 60 mph, almost hit construction cones and a pedestrian. Frantic, some decided to take action and stop the driver.
The women who drove behind her and saw everything also called 911 and told the dispatcher: "There is a car swerving all across the lane. She's about to wreck into a semi!"
That's when the two women driving in the car behind Dean, boxed in her car when it stopped in a driveway. The family took her keys, waited for authorities, and may have saved lives.
"God put us behind her to save everybody's life that day," said Brittany Biefeldt, who was sitting in the passenger's seat and called 911.
Although her baby was in the backseat with them, Biefeldt and the driver, Jessica Osteen, felt the driver was too dangerous to stay on the road without someone intervening.
According to the police report, Dean told deputies she took two hydrocodone pills before she got behind the wheel, but is also prescribed Xanax and another sedative.
Biefeldt and Osteen had no idea who they stopped that night, but when they learned the driver is related to George Zimmerman, Biefeldt said, "She obviously was not thinking and being under a lot of stress and her daughter being in trouble now too. She I guess wanted to forget about it."
Copyright 2012 by Post-Newsweek Stations. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed


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In order to get gold camo for the crossbow, one of the challenges is that you need to get a bloodthirsty medal using only the crossbow.
A bloodthirsty medal is obtained by getting 5 kills in a row, without dying.
I have been trying to get this for a long time. Attempting to use the crossbow without the tri-bolt attachment to get the medal is extremely difficult. I instead have been trying to use scavenger with the tri-bolt attachment. I still have had no luck.
What is the easiest way to complete this challenge?


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Yoshikane Hammer Finished, Western Handle
Nothing Currently Available
Yoshikane knives, made by the Yoshida family, are highly treasured. They make both single bevel and double bevel knives. Mr. Tsuneo Yoshida is a 3rd generation bladesmith; his grandfather started to make kitchen knives in 1919. Mr.Tsuneo Yoshida was born in 1948 and has made kitchen knives since he graduated from high-school at the age of 18. His nephews, Kazuomi Yamamoto (born in 1973) and Masashi Yamamoto (born in 1976), work beside him, making each knife by hand. Each day, they begin their work early - at 6:30 in the morning.


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Just moments after our Toyota Landcruiser safari vehicle negotiated a series of steep downhill twists and turns through dense undergrowth, suddenly two heavily armed men dressed in khaki camouflage suits came into view.
Despite our initial alarm, we were assured by our driver Solomon that they were there to protect 11 critically endangered Black Rhinoceros from poachers on the vast Stanley & Livingstone Private Game Reserve.
The majestic three tonne beasts share the 2,500 hectare reserve with other members of Africa's 'Big Five', but since it was completely fenced off in 2000 and an intensive Black Rhino monitoring programme put into place, security has been very much tighter.
"Black Rhino are solitary animals," said Solomon. "We now have eight adults and three youngsters, but our big male is to be sent to another park as we don't want him mating with his daughters."
The armed animal protection came about following widespread poaching and the slaughter of both rhino and elephants in the area for their horns and tusks.
"Since then we've had very few incidents of poaching," he said proudly. "However a few years ago several men were caught and jailed for poaching but it's so crazy, as rhino horn is made of ceratin which is just like your hair and fingernails."
Solomon also said that severe of the reserve's rhinos have had their horns either removed of trimmed, thus making them safer.
The Stanley & Livingstone reserve falls within the recently-declared KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area which is part of the largest conservation area in Africa. And that area now extends across the boundaries of five countries – Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Angola – while its aim is to achieve sustainable ecotourism in the area.
The Zimbabwean reserve is located just a 30 minute drive from Victoria Falls town centre and, apart from the endangered rhinos, there are numerous elephants, several prides of lions, many secretive leopards and a large herd of buffalo.
Driving around in the high-sided Toyota, we immediately came across zebra, springbok, impala, bushbuck, eland, kudos, sable and warthogs while the reserve's vast bird life is quite spectacular.
There are simply hundreds of colourful species: from stunning rollers and sunbirds, ungainly hornbills, industrious weavers, noisy guinea fowl and their smaller francolin cousins. Meanwhile high above we spotted large raptors like Egyptain vultures, African fish eagles and the huge crested Marshall eagle.
With the reserve intent on preservation and conservation, the vegetation and fauna characteristics are similar to that of other national parks and safari areas while there is a large forested area made up of low scrub and imposing Zambezi teak trees.
A large dam has been built across the Masuwe River which flows through the reserve and joins the nearby Zambezi and, as dusk fell, we witnessed many animals coming down to drink.
The reserve allows local villagers to fish the large lake behind the dam and that has also helped protect against poaching. As Solomon explained: "At one time they were probably the ones who did the poaching but since we fenced the reserve off, the fishermen now alert us to any unusual activity and our rangers are very quick to respond."
As there are no direct flights between the UK and Zimbabwe, we flew into the Victoria Falls International Airport via Johannesburg and stayed at the three-star Rainbow Hotel on the outskirts of the town.
Obtaining our US$55 entry visas at the airport, Zimbabwe's currency situation remains in a state of limbo. With the Zimbabwe dollar having been dropped many years ago after the numbers of zeros simply grew and grew, President Robert Mugabe's Government has now issued bonds although almost everybody continues to use the US dollar. We also noticed that every ATM machine in the Victoria Falls area were empty!
From our hotel's rooftop we could see the spray rising from the falls which was a mere 15 minute walk away. And as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Victoria Falls themselves are absolutely breathtaking.
Formed by a huge gaping cataract, the falls straddle two counties – Zimbabwe and Zambia – and are constantly fed by the mighty Zambezi, Africa's fourth largest river after the Nile, Congo and Niger.
It also means that the nearby rain forest receives a constant spray, 24 hours and day seven days a week and although the Zambezi's level was lower than usual as Southern Africa awaits the spring rains, it meant we didn't get to see that famous 'rainbow halo'.
However we did see the statue of David Livingstone, the 19th century Scottish missionary and pioneer who reputedly discovered Victoria Falls and in November 1871, met up with Henry Stanley who utter the immortal quotation: "Dr Livingstone, I presume".
We enjoyed several hours at the falls – having paid our US$30 Government entry fee! – while we also witnessed the world's highest bungee jump platform from which several daredevils plunged the 111 metres down towards the raging Zambezi from the arched bridge which spans the gorge.
For our final evening in Zimbabwe we opted for a Zambezi evening cruise… and what an experience that turned out to be!
With the sun beginning to drop below the horizon and with gin and tonic in hand, we watched two huge male elephants plunge into the water before making the 300 metre crossing from the Zimbabwean bank to climb out on the Zambian side.
We also sailed past numerous hippos wallowing in the shallows, our boat's captain being conscious that a big male might charge if we got too close. And with several large crocodiles catching the last rays of the sun on the riverbank and numerous species of water birds dashing for cover as we approached, our Zimbabwean adventure came to a memorable end.


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Our new fountain is self-contained, so it does not require plumbing or a drain. To power the pump, we ran an extension cord rated for outdoor use into a grounded outlet in the atrium, and then tucked it out of sight behind a bamboo hedge.
The total cost for our 'frugal fountain' project surprised us—and made us proud. We came in at $63—$4 less than the Bermudes inspiration!
Photos: David Toerge, JC Miller, Marc Treib, Michael Greene; and courtesy Royston Hanamoto Alley & Abbey Archive, Elysian Landscapes, Tim and Carol Bermudes, Margaret Chester.
Special thanks to Renee Adelmann of marinmodern.com for location assistance.


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Late nights are going to get a bit busier for Seth Meyers.
The "Saturday Night Live" alum and his wife Alexi Ashe welcomed a baby boy on Easter Sunday, his rep confirmed to People.
While the couple hasn't revealed the name of their newborn just yet, viewers can expect all the details when "Late Night with Seth Meyers" returns from Easter break this Tuesday.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
In the weeks leading up to the special delivery, Meyers chronicled his journey to fatherhood with clever Instagram posts.
In fact, the comedian recently learned just how tricky it is to build a bed for a young child. "This box contains a crib. I am now going to attempt to build it," he wrote on social media. "My wife has already scheduled for her brother to come build it tomorrow. This is my one chance to salvage my dignity!"
Spoiler alert: The crib was built and the family dog approved.
Throughout Ashe's pregnancy, Meyers has been able to pull off some impressive dates with his leading lady. Whether enjoying a night out seeing "Hamilton" on Broadway or traveling to Patagonia, this pair stayed close together as they eagerly waited for their first child's arrival.
"I'm most looking forward to seeing who it looks like, that's the first thing out of the gate," he recently told People. "Although ... a lot of people have said my wife and I look alike, so I think that's the one thing we know, is that the child will look like us. If not, there's a real problem."
As Meyers and his wife, a human rights lawyer, get used to life with a newborn, one thing is certain: There's still going to be some laughs all around the house.
"My wife is sillier than I am so that makes me laugh a great deal. I make her laugh, too. But I also make her not laugh and that's when I know it's time to retire something," Meyers said during an interview with Your Tango. "I had a sense that she was the closest I'd ever met to someone who I could see myself with. Pretty much right away."
PHOTOS: Couples we love and admire


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Bogalusa High (BHS) Class of 1942 Alumni List
Help us Update the Bogalusa High 1942 Class List by adding any names missing from the list below:
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Reunions and Bogalusa High School News
More 1942 alumni from Bogalusa HS have posted profiles on Classmates.com®. Click here to register for free at Classmates.com® and view other 1942 alumni.
If you are trying to find people that graduated in '42 at Bogalusa in Bogalusa, LA, check the alumni list below that shows the class of 1942.
Bogalusa High School alumni can relive their experiences from high school by sharing memories and pictures, reconnecting with those alumni listed, and more.


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New Blog Feature: UConn Awards, Plus the Awards from October 3rd-9th
So, after just posting about three Huskies that won awards, I've decided to add a new feature to this blog: Awards. They will be given out to one UConnplayer and one UConn team (both can be of either sex) every … Continue reading
UConn Sports Roundup for Sunay, October 9th
Yom Kippur is now over. Here is what happened Friday and Saturday and what you can expect today. Women's Soccer: The Huskies defeated the USF Bulls 1-0 on Friday night, thanks to a Devin Prendergast goal in the 78th minute. … Continue reading
Posted in commentary, Field Hockey, football, Men's Ice Hockey, Men's Soccer, Sports Roundup, Women's Ice hockey, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball Tagged #1 ranking, #1 soccer, Alicia Angelini, Allison Angula, Allison Angulo, Andre Blake, Army Black Knights, Bad Defense, Big East women's soccer, Blowout, Bowling Green Falcons, Brant Harris, Chloe Hunnable, Clarkson Golden Knights, Devin Prendergast, Fordham, Geno Smith, Hoyas, Johnny McEntee, Marquette, Morrone Stadium, Narrow loss, New England, Notre Dame, Princeton Tigers, Providence Friars, school record, scoreless draw, Sherman Family Sports Complex, shutout, shutout streak, St. John's women's soccer, Virginia Cavaliers, West Point, West Virginia just scored again 1 Comment


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Hamlin Holds Off Truex To Win At Kansas Speedway
Truex Settles For Second Place
It seemed as if Denny Hamlin was out for a Sunday afternoon drive at Kansas Speedway, hanging around the leaders most of the day but never really giving anybody too much reason to worry.
Turned out that Hamlin was playing possum, just as he did at Phoenix earlier this year.
His team kept making slight adjustments on every stop and had his Toyota dialed in late in the race when Hamlin charged past Martin Truex Jr. for the lead. He then held off Truex's last-ditch move with two laps remaining to win for the second time this season.
"It felt a lot like Phoenix in the sense of we kind of hung around the top five all day," said Hamlin, whose best finish at Kansas had been third last year.
"At the end we just kind of make our charge, make our run, and there were some things that had to happen the last run really for us to work out, and those things happened."
The victory gave his Joe Gibbs Racing team some momentum heading to Richmond, where the Virginia driver has won twice before -- and where he certainly won't sneak up on anybody.
"We've had good cars, we got the win at Phoenix, and we've had consistent good performances," crew chief Darian Grubb said. "All these details are starting to add up."
Jimmie Johnson was third for Hendrick Motorsports, which has failed in 14 tries to win the team's milestone 200th race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne also finished in the top 10.
"I was just watching from the third spot, hoping those guys would give me an opportunity," Johnson said. "I just wish I was closer to those guys to race for it."
Long green-flag runs on Sunday gave Hamlin the chance to sit back and watch as the race unfolded, never pressing for the lead until it mattered. When that happened, his team had made enough right decisions that he powered to the front as the sun finally broke through.
"They didn't panic," team owner J.D. Gibbs said. "They paced themselves, and I'm glad the sun stayed out a little at the end."
Truex dominated most of the afternoon, leading a race-high 173 laps, but had to settle for second place. It was his third top-five finish of the season, but he's yet to win in 175 races.
"Sorry guys, I lost this one for you," a despondent Truex radioed to his team.
"Hey man, you did a great job," came the reply. "They know we were here."
Truex said his final set of tires cost him. He was the loosest he'd been all race, and that allowed Hamlin to charge into the lead. Truex rallied within a car length, but he couldn't make a final move on the bottom side stick, allowing Hamlin to pull away.
"I guess if we can be this frustrated with second, it tells you how close we are as a team," said Truex, who hasn't won since Dover in 2007. "The race car was really good. I'm just not really sure what to think about that last set of tires. I was just wrecking-loose that last set."
Truex called the performance a statement moment for Michael Waltrip Racing.
Hamlin is starting to have a statement season.
He won this year at Phoenix, started on the pole at California, and led 31 laps a couple weeks ago at Martinsville before finishing sixth. He was 12th last week at Texas.
"It's hard to analyze your program by a one-week performance," he said. "There are always areas that we need to work in. We feel like we've identified those areas and we've gone to work on them. So right now I feel like we're bringing better race cars to the track."
Matt Kenseth finished fourth despite having a wild afternoon trying to get into the pits, often sliding across the line at the start of pit road. Greg Biffle followed up his victory last week at Texas with a fifth-place run, though he didn't have the car to contend at Kansas.
"It was a tough day," Biffle said. "We were back and forth all day, and we were off just a bit. When the track had a lot of grip the car was unbelievable."
Kevin Harvick was sixth, followed by Earnhardt and Kahne, giving Hendrick Motorsports at least three cars in the top-10 for the second straight week.
Jeff Gordon had engine trouble late in the race and finished 21st.
The 14-race drought for Hendrick is its longest since going 15 races without a win during the 2002 and '03 seasons. The streak began after Johnson's win last October at Kansas.
"Everybody here needs a win for one reason or another," Earnhardt said. "We're all working really hard, but I'm not really focusing on homing in on that too heavily. You've got to think about what your car's doing and what you need to do to help your car.
"Make your car faster, then the wins eventually take care of themselves."
The pressure will continue to mount on the four-car team, though. And when Johnson was asked whether he'll be relieved when someone gets the win, his reply came through unvarnished: "More than you could ever imagine," he said.


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Last October I shared a perfect 50-mile ride with my cousin, Dan, and some coworkers and about a thousand new friends. It was the inaugural rendition of a ride we dubbed the Fall Classic—an event we put together to celebrate our 50th anniversary with readers out on some of our favorite local roads. The weather wasn't textbook perfect—though it would have been a fine morning for a Belgian Classic—but everything else was ideal. I talked with scores of readers and enjoyed some quiet miles on undulating country roads, and pedaled the whole thing alongside my cousin.
Dan came from Connecticut to do the Fall Classic. I was a bit surprised how many people had driven out to Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley from Philadelphia, New York, Maryland, and beyond—I know the trip is relatively short and the cycling here is world class, but I also know how busy peoples' lives are, and to roll up on a misty October morning to see hundreds of cyclists was an amazing way to start a day.
Of course, the finish was even better. The Fall Classic began and ended at the famed T-Town velodrome in Trexlertown, and Dan and I finished our three-hour joyride with a couple of victory laps. Actually, I did two and Dan did a bunch more because he'd never pedaled on a track before, so I pulled up to the wall and watched him circle the banked concrete oval with a big smile on his face. Every minute or two, another group of cyclists would enter the velodrome at the end of their ride, and more laps and smiles would ensue. I'd always imagined a Roubaix-style finish to the event, but I hadn't dared to dream that the weather would be so cooperative.
Afterward, we all changed out of our kits and ate a hearty organic meal and listened to a band and drank a beer and debated our favorite roads on the course. Readers pulled me aside to say hello and talk about the magazine. Everyone was walking around saying how great the whole thing was, saying that we should do it again.
So we are. The Fall Classic is back—and I humbly submit that it will be way better than last year's. We added a longer, 90-mile loop and reworked all the routes to hit more of our favorite roads. No other ride in America can promise you Amish farmland, a stop at an authentic mountaintop pagoda, tunnels of foliage, a velodrome finish, and an organic lunch. Nearly all of the editors of the magazine, as well as our most popular columnists—including Bill Strickland, Colin McEnroe, Bike Snob, and ProTour racer Ted King—will be there. We'll have timed climbs, a demo team fleet from Specialized, hot showers, and cold beers. Whether you're looking for an easygoing meander, a few hours of solid and social miles, or a hearty epic, I am certain you'll find it on Sunday, October 7. If you are a fan of this magazine, you've undoubtedly seen pictures and read stories about the great riding in our backyard—and this is your chance to see it for yourself. If you want to learn more about the event, check out maps of the 10-, 25-, 50-, or 90-mile routes, or sign up, just go to bicycling.com/fallclassic.
I'm delighted to report that Dan is making the trip down again this year. We were friends as kids but drifted apart after college. We lived far from each other and didn't seem to have much in common. But in the past five or six years, Dan has discovered riding and lost a bunch of weight and gotten pretty strong, too. If we're lucky, we get to share a couple long rides a year now, and I really enjoy the conversations we have on and off the bike. The truth is, we never really stopped having a lot in common; we just needed a nudge. Cycling can do that—break down barriers and create bonds and memories and give people a terrific excuse to share barbeque sandwiches and a pale ale on a Sunday afternoon. That's a key part of what makes events like the Fall Classic so special—they connect us with a community that is at once about cycling and something larger.
I know October 7 is right around the corner. But consider yourself invited.


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Passionate about reducing the impact of modern living on the environment, we actively promote a sustainable and organic approach to producing food.
Whether large or small, having your own edible garden provides you with quality fruit, veggies and herbs that are tasty and healthy. Let us share our passion and knowledge with you to assist in creating an edible garden to meet your needs. We can provide ongoing support such as weeding and pruning, to ensure that you can enjoy the proud, satisfied feeling of sitting down to eat your home grown, freshly picked, organic produce.
Based in Burwood, we offer gardening services to support veggie patches, balconies, backyards and courtyard gardens all over Melbourne.
Leaf, Root & Fruit, supporting households to explore sustainable living through growing their own food.
"Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden?" (Robert Brault)