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The JFK Assassination Debates: Lone Gunman Versus Conspiracy
University Press of Kansas, 2006 - 280 pages
Who killed JFK? Ever since that fateful day in Dallas, theories about President Kennedy's murder have proliferated, running the gamut from the official "lone gunman" verdict to both serious and utterly screwball conspiracy theories. Michael Kurtz, a distinguished historian who has plumbed every crevice of this controversial case for more than thirty years, now sums up and critiques four decades of debate, while also offering provocative new perspectives.
Kurtz presents an objective accounting of what we actually know and don't know about the assassination, underlining both the logic and the limitations of the major theories about the case. He then offers unique interpretations of the physical and forensic evidence and of existing areas of controversy, leading him to new conclusions that readers will find hard to dismiss.
Kurtz shows how the official investigation's egregious mishandling of the crime-scene evidence—related to virtually every aspect of the case—is largely responsible for the lone gunman/conspiracy schism that confronts us today. Those responsible for that investigation (including the Dallas police, the FBI, and the Warren Commission) failed so miserably in their efforts that they would have been laughed off the air if they had been portrayed on any of TV's popular CSI series.
One of the few experts writing on the subject who actually met Oswald, Kurtz also provides new information about the accused assassin's activities around the time of the assassination and about his double life, analyzing Oswald's ties to the intelligence community, to organized crime, and to both anti- and pro-Castro Cuban activists. Mustering extraordinary documentation-including exclusive interviews with key figures and extensive materials declassified by the Assassination Records Review Board-he both confirms and alters much previous speculation about Oswald and other aspects of the case.
Who really killed JFK? Forty years later, most Americans still feel they don't know the truth and that their own government isn't telling them the whole story. This book offers a corrective to even the most recent "final verdicts" and establishes a sound baseline for future research.
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LibraryThing ReviewAvis d'utilisateur - funkyplaid - LibraryThing
While my section of books on the murder of JFK could easily mark me as a conspiracy theorist - a term which Kurtz defends strongly with the delineation of every political murder of the past two ... Consulter l'avis complet
The JFK assassination debates: lone gunman versus conspiracyAvis d'utilisateur - Not Available - Book Verdict
Of the numerous books on JFK's assassination, many are dogmatic, speculative, or swamped by numbing detail. Fortunately, Kurtz (history, Southeastern Louisiana Univ.,Crime of the Century: The Kennedy ... Consulter l'avis complet
Table des matičres
The Evidence
The Case for the Lone Assassin
The Case for Conspiracy
Droits d'auteur
7 autres sections non affichées
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The JFK Assassination Debates: Lone Gunman Versus Conspiracy
Michael L. Kurtz
Aucun aperçu disponible - 2006
Expressions et termes fréquents
American anti-Castro Cuban ARRB Assassination of President autopsy photographs ballistics Bouck Carlos Marcello claimed Committee on Assassinations conspiracy theorists Cuba Cubela Dallas police David Dealey Plaza Depository building entrance wound evidence exit wound Fidel Castro forensic fragment Frazier front Governor Connally Guy Banister Henry Hoffa HSCA HSCA Hearings HSCA Report Humes Ibid investigation Jack Ruby JFK Assassination John F Kennedy assassination Kennedy's head kill Leake interview Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Oswald limousine lone assassin theorists Mafia Mannlicher-Carcano Mantik Marina Mexico City Morris interview motorcade murder nedy November organized crime Orleans Parkland Hospital pathologists Posner President John President Kennedy rear Richard Helms Robert Kennedy Roselli Russo Santos Trafficante saw Oswald scene Secret Service Shaw shooting shot single bullet theory sixth floor southeast corner window Soviet struck telephone testimony Texas tion Tippit told Veciana Warren Commission Warren Commission Hearings Warren Commission's Warren Report York Zapruder film
Références ŕ ce livre
The Bay of Pigs
Howard Jones
Aperçu limité - 2008
Unsolved Celebrity Mysteries
David Southwell,Sean Twist
Aperçu limité - 2007


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3M reflect on why CAVs need lines and signs
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Sterling's initial allure is its impressive atmosphere, the upscale eatery's "it" factor is thanks to a trifecta of stand-out elements that includes equally appealing masterfully crafted cocktails and creative comfort cuisine.
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Thursday, March 27, 2008
The Most Important Article You Probably Didn't Read This Week
The most important article you probably didn't read this week appeared in the Wednesday edition of the Wall Street Journal, Section C, page 10 (in our edition), buried in "The Property Report" next to a Caldwell Banker advertisement.
Now, it is true that the most important article you probably didn't read contains all the usual hair-raising things you'd expect to see about the real estate market, including "developers under siege," "signs of weakness in key markets," developers "slashing prices," and the head of a major builder advising "that people wait three to four years before purchasing a new home."
But the most important article you probably didn't read is not about real estate markets in Naples, Florida, or Sacramento, California.
It is about China.
Tables Turn Quickly on Chinese Developers
After Buying Up Land, Firms Can't Raise Enough Cash to Build
By JONATHAN CHENGMarch 26, 2008; Page C10
HONG KONG -- Just six months ago, Chinese property developers were on a shopping spree, dipping deep and borrowing heavily to snap up more, and more expensive, pieces of land.
How quickly things have changed.
Three months into 2008, China's property developers are under siege. Property prices are showing signs of weakness in many of the country's key markets, and capital markets have all but seized up for these -- and other -- offerings. The Chinese government is on a high-profile campaign to clamp down on new bank loans, hoping to curb inflation, rising at its fastest clip in a decade.
There follows fourteen more paragraphs with some of the most graphic detail on the currently imploding Chinese real estate market that has yet to appear in a major business publication, and most likely you didn't read it.
At least, we assume you didn't read it because the article didn't make the top 10 "Most Viewed" or even the 10 "Most Emailed" in the online version of the Wall Street Journal, thanks to its being buried in a bunch of boring real estate ads on Page C-10.
If we here at NotMakingThisUp ran the joint, the story would have been the entire front page, under a banner headline on par with the Apollo Moon Landing, Dewey Defeats Truman, and Hillary Dodges Bullets in Bosnia.
How the Journal's front-page editors missed breaking the greatest new story of 2008 is beyond us. Maybe Rupert Murdoch doesn't want to upset his friends in China, what with the Olympics coming and Tibet trying to escape Chinese suppression and all.
In any event, we urge you to stop reading this and head straight to the Journal's web site. Read the article carefully and then print it out for your files.
Yesterday's article will be "Exhibit 1" in what will become, we suspect, a very fat file on the impending Chinese Real Estate Implosion.
Jeff Matthews
I Am Not Making This Up
© 2008 Not Making This Up LLC
The content contained in this blog represents the opinions of Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews also acts as an advisor and clients advised by Mr. Matthews may hold either long or short positions in securities of various companies discussed in the blog based upon Mr. Matthews' recommendations. The commentary in this blog in no way constitutes a solicitation of business or investment advice. It is intended solely for the entertainment of the reader, and the author.
13 comments:
- Stupid PF Tricks said...
Somehow this article seems to utterly lack relevance in the life of the average working class American.
- Tahoe Kid said...
It's not just happening in China:
Mumbai's Land Sale Signals Prices May Dip, Credit Suisse Says
By Sumit Sharma
March 19 (Bloomberg) -- India's developers will begin to lower prices after commercial capital Mumbai failed to attract bids at a land auction for the first time in 13 years, signaling a dip in property demand, Credit Suisse said.
Mumbai's metropolitan authority received no bids for the sale of two of five plots at Bandra-Kurla Complex, and sold another site to the sole bidder yesterday. The city's development authority collected 13.2 billion rupees ($326 million) from the sale, 31 percent lower than the minimum 19 billion it expected.
A global equity sell-off and the subprime crisis in the U.S. have reduced investor appetite for real estate stocks and may herald an end to a four-year property rally. Prices of offices in Mumbai have risen more than three times in the past four years, according to Cushman & Wakefield Inc. data, as the economy averaged 8.6 percent annual economic growth during that time.
``A slowdown in real estate prices has been talked about for some time, and now appears eminent,'' analysts Anand Agarwal and Musaed Noorani said today in a note to clients. ``It seems like only a matter of time before developers begin to cut prices.''
Unitech Ltd.'s development on a 127-acre plot near the Bandra-Kurla Complex may face weaker margins because of the response to neighboring sites at the government auction, the analysts said.
The BSE Realty Index, which doubled from August to January, fell 47 percent since its Jan. 14 peak. Unitech, the second biggest developer, declined 49 percent since its Jan. 2 peak, while DLF Ltd., the biggest developer, fell 40 percent this year.
`Lack of Appetite'
``It clearly indicates lack of appetite for commercial property at higher prices,'' said Pujit Aggarwal, managing director at Orbit Corp. in Mumbai. ``Prices could fall by up to 20 percent in Mumbai's suburbs. Prices are also declining in the rest of the country with increasing supply and slowing sales.''
Unitech fell 3.6 percent to 267 rupees at 3:30 p.m. in Mumbai, while DLF Ltd. fell 1.9 percent to 623. Indiabuls Real Estate Ltd. traded 1.8 percent lower to 443.25 rupees. The benchmark Sensex index was trading 1.4 percent higher at 15,037.85.
Jet Airways (India) Ltd., the nation's biggest domestic carrier, was the sole bidder for one commercial plot in the Bandra-Kurla Complex, home to a stock exchange and diamond bourse. The offer by Jet Airways was 33 percent lower than the highest bid in November for a similar plot, Credit Suisse said.
Mumbai has been developing Bandra-Kurla Complex as an alternative financial center to the main business district of Nariman Point and has already attracted Citigroup Inc., the National Stock Exchange, ICICI Bank Ltd. and other financial service companies.
To contact the reporter on this story: Sumit Sharma in Mumbai at email@example.com
Last Updated: March 19, 2008 06:36 EDT
- cadamyale said...
Such is the nature when one buys properties at lower cash flow yields than the rates at which they obtain their financing.
- jpmist said...
Hey, I read it.
But you're right, it sorta washed over me. "Hmm, things are starting to suck over there too. . ." But then China stocks have been trending down for months now and our own financial crisis looms a bit larger than anyone elses.
But I get it. The first shoe of what is going to be a really interesting collapse. I doubt China's leaders have the chops to manage spiraling inflation, a strengthening yuan, an economic slowdown, political unrest, and an embarrassing Olympics where people in the back row can't see the athletes because of the smog.
- buckeye1 said...
China has been "stepping on the breaks" for a decent time period now, raising interest rates and reducing credit availability. College students in China in the past few years have been graduating and then moving on to speculate on the stock market and real estate. The question in my mind is whether this translates into a major commodity market bust, as RE development in China and other emerging markets start to potentially fall off a perverbial cliff.
- Dave said...
To me this looks like the rest of the world has learned from the American "flip-this-house invest $5k in a crappy sub-par quality kitchen to add $40k to the price tag" and make a quick buck without having to work a real job. You can only flip a house so many times adding 15% to its value before you realize that there are too few people with the wage increase to keep up. I'm glad this happened here, a house should be bought to lived in and as I look at all the half-built condos here in Chicago with 'For Sale' signs everywhere they can't even sell enough to build the darn thing and it adds to the eye-sore and makes it look like bombed-out London during WWII. That's a lot of lost labor and materials spending. All of the laborors I know here are busy working on fixing up multi-million dollar mansions in the suburbs and are happy to do it for a fraction of the cost just to get some work.
- Sean said...
College students in China in the past few years have been graduating and then moving on to speculate on the stock market and real estate
buckeye1: Who on earth do you know in China that's doing this? How many college students could afford the 30% down for mortgages? How many could also afford the non-ARM payments? Where have you heard about this happening outside of tycoon kids?
- Anonymous said...
to cadamyale:
I wonder whether investors factored their financing on an assumption that cap rates would go lower based on rising real estate prices?
to dave and stupid pf tricks:
You both might want to take a look at this article from Jonathan Karp at WSJ on Corus Bank's investment in condo development (you'll need a subscription to wsj.com to read the article).
The "relevance" here is that if lenders are over-leveraged to commercial properties declining in value both here and in China, you have to wonder whether those same lenders will "close the credit window" to ordinary Americans like your kids when they want to buy their first home but can't because not enough credit is available to do so?
Just wondering, and I could be wrong in my analysis.
BTW, Jeff, in your last post, you mentioned Van Morrison. I was thinking of a popular Van Morrison tune with a catchy title that neatly summarizes the problems going on in credit markets for lenders tied to real estate - it's this.
- Phillip Charles said...
Keen observations, as always. It does seem most odd that a story of such significance would be tucked away on C10. I mean, at that point why even run it? I know by the time I get halfway through section A, that sprightly Personal Journal has won over my affections. If it is all fluff, then I usually peruse B or C, but only if there is a creative caricature drawing on page one.
As an aside, I think the Olympics, as an international event, have drastically lost whatever panache they used to exhibit. Does anyone really care or watch anymore? The IOC completely screwed the pooch when they staggered the Winter and Summer, I think.
- S Sams said...
Jeff, fundamentals of the chinese real estate market are not the same as the US. The US market is mostly mature and consequently the boom in pricing could only occur with an artificial stimulus. The Chinese market by contrast continues to exhibit the same fundamental drivers for demand that were in place five years ago. That is not to say that it will not undergo a cyclical downturn in sync with the general economy. It is also not to say that there are areas that are overheated and due for correction. To draw more profound comparisons between the Chinese market and US, is simply mistaken, although I realize everyone wants to look smart by trying to call the next bust...
- Michael said...
Wait a minute...so China's oppressive totalitarianist government has rendered the economy's budding capitalist roots unstable? What, with all the currency manipulation, inflation capping and monk-beating, I lost track of how the heck those guys could EVER lose money!
I guess this means the days of printing money just by chain-belching the words "China etf, baby" aren't going to cut it anymore.
Ok. So, where's the last outpost for no-due-dilligence-necessary investmenting...hmmmm. Oh wait! I know! Commodities here we come! Those things always go up..."commodities etf, baby."
- buckeye1 said...
Sean, to answer your question, I will ask another. How were construction workers and taxi drivers with $20,000 incomes in the U.S. buying and flipping real estate in the U.S. regularly? I have spoken with several different people who either live in China or know it well (ie traveled there several times) who have told me specifically it was quite ordinary for young Chinese to be speculating on real-estate and buying and selling houses or condos as their full-time job. The stock market phenomenon has been well documented, with several WSJ articles talking about barbers and taxi drivers in China putting all their money in the Chinese stock market, sometimes because the name of the company or ticker "sounds lucky." I also remember a datapoint that something like 1/4 or 1/2 (someone tell me if they know the number) of earnings from Chinese companies have been from stocks these companies own with corporate funds.
- Tom said...
Jeff (or anyone), what have you heard about Dubai? One can only think that Dubai will come down much harder and faster.


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4BETTER OR WORSE- The week in review
Biggest, loudest closing: The Downtown Mall crossings at 2nd and 4th streets shut down to traffic March 29 through April 30 for the mall rebricking.
Biggest withdrawal: UVA law prof and former Albemarle planning commissioner Jon Cannon removes himself from consideration for the number two slot at the EPA, saying scrutiny of use of federal funds by the nonprofit America's Clean Water Foundation, for which he once worked, would be a distraction, according to an AP story.
Biggest fish kill: Hundreds of dead gizzard shad cover the banks of Totier Creek near Scottsville, WCAV reports. The Department of Environmental Quality believes a drastic change in temperature, to which the shad are susceptible, is the culprit.
Latest for Jayne McGowan's murderers: William Douglas Gentry Jr., 23, one of the two men charged with killing the young woman November 8, 2007, in her St. Clair Avenue residence, is sentenced to two life terms in prison without the possibility of parole March 30 in the capital case. His cousin and alleged co-killer, Michael Stuart Pritchett, goes to trial in June.
Latest slap to the UVA Pep Band: The Cavalier Marching Band gets a swank, $10.7 million rehearsal hall, courtesy of marching-band lovin' Hunter Smith, who, with her late husband Carl, funded the marching band in 2004, providing the death knell for the Pep Band's participation in football games. Construction on the facility is expected to begin January 2010.
Latest layoffs: The Daily Progress cuts six employees; Klockner Pentaplast in Louisa adds 38 to the unemployment rolls.
Worst place to tie one on: Louisa Middle School teacher Kathleen Bernard pleads guilty to drunk in public after she's arrested at school in January for being under the influence, according to WCAV. Her alcohol possession on school property charge is dropped.
Most independent: State Farm employee/PVCC student Andrew Williams, 22, tells the Progress he's decided to run for City Council as an independent in the Dem-dominated town.
Most pornographic: Scott Ernest Forrester, 40, of Stuarts Draft, gets 100 years March 26 after he pleads guilty to 98 charges involving videos of a three-year-old relative and a 15-year-old girl.
Worst gaffe: A UVA Sikh student allegedly is denied entrance to an Indian Student Association party at X-Lounge early March 27 because he wouldn't remove his religiously mandated turban, according to the Cavalier Daily. The restaurant bans headwear after 9pm, and a manager reportedly told the student he couldn't tell whether the turban was for "religious or gang use."
Best get: Former Black Panthers poster girl/current University of California-Santa Cruz professor Angela Davis headlines an April 16-17 symposium, "The Problem of Punishment: Race, Inequality and Justice," and spends a week in residence the Carter G. Woodson Institute.
Best news for voters: On the heels of the General Assembly passing legislation to protect free speech at the polls, Madison County drops charges against Leigh Purdum, the only person criminally charged following last November's election when she wore a John McCain t-shirt to vote.
Biggest meat heist: Two men are arrested March 30 when they're stopped for speeding in Staunton and $1,500 worth of steak, pork, seafood, and beer is found in the back seat still bearing Rowe's Family Restaurant on its packaging, the News-Virginian reports. James E. Blakey, 52, and Ronald Hobson, 38, are charged with burglary and grand larceny, and Blakey picks up a possession-of-burglary-tools charge.
Most overused lyric in UVA's future: "I left my heart in..." after Washington State's Tony Bennett is hired to lead the men's basketball team.


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Another rock act on Broadway
This is for all non-EC or peripheral-EC topics. We all know how much we love talking about 'The Man' but sometimes we have other interests.
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Another rock act on Broadway
I heard that The Flaming Lips are planning to bring Yoshima Battles the Pink Robots to Broadway. Is this true?
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think that you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt
- M. Twain
- M. Twain
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Over the next week, I plan to write some followup blog posts to go a little deeper into the process that I used to solve the case.
Some of the topics will include:
- Using Secondary Sources - How Much Can You Trust Them?
- How Exactly Did I Find Nathan's Parents in Swansea, MA?
- How Much Time and Effort Does It Take to Do This Level of Research?
- Use a Professional or Do It Yourself?
- What Records Did I Use in My Search?
I will also be posting gravestone photos over on my other blog - The Symbolic Past - so be sure to check for those.
Thanks to everyone who attended the webinar yesterday. If you missed it, you can still see it online (for free) in the archives at Legacy Family Tree until November 14, 2011. (You'll have to scroll down to the "Listen to our archived webinars" header.)
Looking forward to hearing what other questions you may have!


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Library Catalogs and Other Servers BSW
From Wess
WESSWeb > British Studies Web > Library Catalogs and Other Servers
General UK
- Bodelian Library
- BUBL Information Service
- COPAC, a new national Online Public Access Catalogue of some of the largest university research libraries in the UK and Ireland. (U. Manchester)
- EARL: The Consortium of Public Library Networking
- LibWeb: Library servers in Great Britain and Ireland via WWW
- Poetry Library Online
- British History Research Guide. Resources from Columbia University.
- British Studies Resources. From Northwestern University.
- British Library.
- London School of Economics and Political Science Library (London School of Economics)
- LibWeb: Library Servers in England
Northern Ireland
- Archives Council
- Cardiff University Libraries
- Libweb: Directory of Libraries in Wales
- National Library of Wales
The Republic of Ireland (Eire)
- Centre for Irish Genealogical and Historical Studies
- Libweb: Directory of Libraries in Ireland
- National Library of Ireland.
- OPACS in Britain and Ireland (maintained by the National Information Services and Systems)
Note: For more listings of European libraries, please go to the Libraries & Other Information Resources page.
The COPAC and the British Library Catalogue can also be searched simultaneously via the Karlsruher Virtuelle Katalog (KVK) .
WESSWeb > British Studies Web > Library Catalogs and Other Servers
The editor for the British Studies Web is Gordon Anderson
( University of Minnesota). We welcome contributors.
Comments and further suggestions may be sent to: ganderso @ umn.edu".
The British Studies Web is one part of the Western European Studies Section Web of resources for Western European studies.
We would like to thank the libraries of Brigham Young University and University of Minnesota for providing assistance and
resources that make this national endeavor possible.
URL: http://wessweb.info/index.php/Great_Britain_(British_Studies)
These web pages do not necessarily represent the views of the participatinglibraries nor of their sponsoring institutions.


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Well it's been a while since I've had the desire to build another project. I stumbled up Need4Reebs sale thread where he had the Stormwalk frame and Phoenix body. I always considered the frame kind of cool, but yet it looked heavy and cumbersome. Something about it caught my eye but I just wasn't pleased with how it looked. I decided I wanted to clean it up a little and looked into getting some machine work done. Heres a pic of how it was when I received, bone stock:
I only wanted to remove the extra metal near the trigger and front LPR housing area. I also considered a new set of front panels to cover the extra air input hole.
I asked around with the airsmiths online and everyone was pretty tied up with other projects so I looked locally to me for a gunsmith. I found a guy not 20 minutes from me that agreed to cut out the piece for me. He used a manual mill to get as much as he could then he resorted to a hand file. He beveled the edges like the original was and tied it together nicely. It was just a small piece to remove but to me it cleaned up the look just right. With the piece left in there it just looked like a bridge support to me. I really like how it looks opened up. I haven't gotten new panels yet as it seems they are quite a bit of work to produce a one off pair. The local gunsmith was also busy but he had the part back to me in 10 days. Heres a pic:
And of course as it goes, while waiting for the frame to be done I started looking at the body and thought about having it milled also. I wanted the windows in the back over the top of the valve cut larger to expose more of the valve. Heres a pic to show what I wanted:
I sent the pics to CS900 from PBN. He agreed to cut the windows larger and I sent him the body. Within 3 days he got back to me with a CAD drawing for approval. Once I approved he made the cuts and shipped back to me. All this took only one week. Quite impressive turnaround time with great communication and quality work. More pics:
So here's how it sits now. It still needs to be sent out for some sort of finishing. I am contemplating several different ideas. I want something out of the ordinary to compliment the milling work that was done.
Well its time for an update as I have made some progress. I found the barrel I wanted to use , which completed the list of parts that needed to be sent out for finishing. I thought long and hard about what I wanted and I decided to give powder coating a shot. I found a guy in Maine that has 30+ years experience and I felt more than comfortable with his ability and he has a great selection of colors. Heres a few samples of the color I am going with:
And heres a video that he posted on Facebook for me to see before he coated my parts.
I will have pics in the next day or so of the completed parts.
The powder coating guy is also very aware of the tolerances on paintball guns and he took a lot of time talking with me to make sure he masked the proper areas. Heres some pics of the body after he masked it off.
Well I got the parts back today and did some final assembly. Well sort of. I haven't yet decided if I'm leaving it as a mech or putting the pneumatics in it. I also have not picked up the new asa I ordered from my local shop. Heres a few pics and a video is being uploaded right now. Its really hard to capture the amount of color change with a pic but the video looks better.
And heres the video:


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Dec. 28, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Time wasn't quite on Yale's side Sunday night against Alabama. After trailing by 18 points early in the second half, the Bulldogs rallied to cut the deficit to one twice in the final minute. The Crimson Tide, though, made seven of eight free throws down the stretch, and when time expired Alabama had escaped with a hard-fought 66-63 victory before a crowd of 8,814 at Coleman Coliseum.
It was a seven-minute stretch that spoiled Yale's bid for an upset. Alabama (8-3) led only 26-25 with 3:01 left in the first half but scored the final 10 points of the half and opened the second half with a 9-2 run to go up by 18, 45-27, with 15:45 left.
The Bulldogs then started their comeback, which was spearheaded by a switch to a 1-3-1 defense. Jordan Gibson's three-pointer cut the deficit to nine midway through the half. Gibson hit another three-pointer three minutes later to make it a six-point game, 55-49, with 6:15 left.
"It [the defense] gave us some energy," said James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Men's Basketball. "We turned them over a little bit and got some easy baskets. We had been struggling in our half-court offense."
Ross Morin's jumper pulled Yale within two, 59-57, with 50 seconds remaining. After Alabama's Alonzo Gee made a pair of free throws, Alex Zampier hit three free throws to cut the deficit to one, 61-60, with 13 seconds left.
Ronald Steele's two free throws gave Alabama a three-point lead with 11 seconds remaining. The Crimson Tide then fouled deliberately to keep Yale from attempting a three-point shot. Two more free throws from Zampier made it 64-63 with four seconds left, but Senario Hillman answered with two free throws with 2.3 seconds left. Zampier was then fouled deliberately again with two-tenths of a second remaining, but he missed the front end of the one-and-one, and the final buzzer sounded.
Morin and Travis Pinick, who returned to the lineup after missing one game with an injury, combined to score 37 points and grab 17 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Morin had 20 points and Pinick added 17 points and 11 rebounds, his first double-double of the season.
"Having [Travis] healthy makes a big difference for us. He is capable of doing this every night," Jones said. "Ross was solid. He really held his own down low."
Zampier finished with eight points, all of which came from the free throw line. He was limited to 21 minutes because of foul trouble. Gibson also scored eight points and added five rebounds. Garrett Fiddler contributed six points and six rebounds. Chris Andrews had five assists and four steals in 21 minutes off the bench.
Yale's bench outscored Alabama's 12-2 in the game.
Gee led the Crimson Tide with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Hillman added 18 points and Steele had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Yale (2-7) committed only two turnovers in the second half, and outscored Alabama 38-30.
"We took care of the ball, and I thought we did a great job of finding each other in our offense," said Morin of the second-half performance.
This was the first meeting between Yale and Alabama, but the two coaches were familiar with each other. Jones and Alabama's Mark Gottfried served as assistant coaches to Villanova's Jay Wright for the 2007 USA Basketball Men's Pan American Games Team. Gottfried, who is in his 11th year guiding the Crimson Tide, was impressed with the Bulldogs.
"They did a terrific job," he said. "I thought they executed their offense really well."
Yale continues its road trip on Tuesday, playing at Hampton. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
"There were a lot of positives tonight," Morin said. "Hopefully we can learn from this and continue to get better."
Report filed by Tim Bennett, Yale Sports Publicity


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lmjb1964 wrote:Trying to get caught up post-coma. So exciting to see stuff happening!StratPlayer wrote:I'm off to Jury Duty and will think of this the whole time. "Yeah, yeah. They're guilty. Can we go home now???"
hahaha. I know, stuff finally starts happening when you get called for jury duty.
MurphysRandall's Law.jjjdavidson wrote:Well, there's no brim to her hat, so she's certainly not Madeline.
That's who I was thinking of, but I guess it doesn't really look like her:42isall wrote:Anyone else feel like part of the audience from the Truman Show? We're just kind of watching these characters evolve and have made up an entire community around them, while they just go about their day unaware.
I hadn't thought of that comparison, but I like it.
Ok, gotta keep reading. Oh, and maybe do some Outside work here and there...
...so which shot's the hero shot?
"and if I don't see you, good mid timeframe, later timeframe, and precoma-timeframe.


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Projects Blog Home »
One of our Strategic Plan visions is to have World-Class Facilities. Our Capital Plan fulfills this vision by renewing existing facilities and increasing housing available to the UCSB community. We expect new and upgraded facilities that will set a 21st century standard for residential living. During this time of growth, information pertaining to new construction and facility improvement projects will be updated here regularly.
All Projects Blog posts
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Veterans Services Office
Veterans Services Office
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How do I apply for my Veterans Educational Benefits?
Applications are available in Cloud Hall, room 333 at the CCSF Ocean Campus. Any member of the office staff can assist you, or you may apply on-line at the VA web site www.gibill.va.gov. If you do so please download a copy.
Q2: What documentation do I need to provide to apply for my Veteran's Educational Benefits?
Chapter 30 Montgomery G.I. Bill: Application form 1990 and a copy of form DD 214 discharge paper (member 4 copy only) that indicates an honorable discharge. Or a copy of the Certificate of Eligibility.
Chapter 33, Post 9/11 GI Bill: Students are required to bring in a copy of certificate of Eligibility, and a copy the DD 214 member 4 that indicates an honorable discharge.
Chapter 35 for Dependents of Disabled or Deceased Veteran: Spouses need to submit a copy of their marriage certificate. Dependant children need to provide a copy of their birth certificate if completing an application in our office, or a copy of the Certificate of Eligibility with the full VA File Number as issued to the student from DVA.
Chapter 1606 Selected Reserve: Students are required to bring in a "Notice of Basic Eligibility" (NOBE) that can be obtained from their reserve or National Guard unit. They must be signed up for a six year commitment, or a copy of the Certificate of Eligibility.
Chapter 1607 (REAP): National Guard members and Reservists who have served on active duty for 90 days or more in a contingency operation after September 11, 2001 need to bring in a copy of the DD 214(member 4 copy) and the "Notice of Basic Eligibility" (NOBE). These military reservists will be informed by the Department of Veteran Affairs what their benefit package will be. They will be eligible for this benefit as long as they continue to be in the Active Reserves.
Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP): The VRAP offers 12 months of training assistance to Veterans who: Are at least 35 but no more than 60 years of old
- Are unemployed on the date of application
- Received an other than dishonorable discharge
- Are not eligible for any other VA education benefit program (e.g., the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Assistance)
- Are not in receipt of VA compensation due to unemployability
- Are not enrolled in a federal or state job training program
Special note about transcripts: All of the above recipients who have completed courses at other post-secondary institutions MUST submit official transcripts from those schools. All Air Force veterans will need to also bring in an official copy of their transcript from the Community College of the Air Force.
Q3: How long does it take for an application to be processed by the VA?
Once an application for educational benefits is sent to the Department of Veterans Affairs Processing Center it usually takes four to six weeks before the certificate of eligibility is sent to the student. The certificate of eligibility needs to be brought into the CCSF VA office as soon as it is received by the student.
Q4: Are ALL City College courses certifiable for educational benefits?
No! Before a student can receive payment for the educational benefit, they must meet with the CCSF Veterans Counselor and establish an educational plan based on their educational goal (such as transfer to a university, associate degree or certificate program). Only courses required for these programs are certifiable for VA educational benefits. This process will be explained in detail during your counseling appointment.
Q4: How long does it take to get payment for educational benefits from the Department of Veteran Affairs?
After all of the admissions and application steps have been completed as mentioned above and you have requested certification, the VA can take up to six to eight weeks to process a payment. (Depending on the time of year, processing time may vary).


text: Changes produced to your 3D design are routinely updated in the drawings. Easily deal with modifications and revisions to your product with automated flags on drawings that should be reissued. Deliver structural style and design documentation Produce structural design and style paperwork including needed ideas and elevations which have been used to… Read More


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From grass roots to international super-teams, rugby forms the sporting backbone of New Zealand, and Kiwis are proud and passionate rugby fans.
Rising from cities, small towns and country paddocks, no part of New Zealand's landscape is quite complete without a set of Rugby goal posts. There are signs of the sport at every corner, whether it's a young boy perfecting his kick at the park or a proud supporter wearing his team's shirt to the mall, you can't help but be captivated by the game.


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Zero Motorcycles/Scot Harden Recipient of 2014 American Motorcyclist Association Award
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (March 4, 2014) – Zero Motorcycles, the global leader in the electric motorcycle industry, was recently awarded one of the American Motorcyclist Association's (AMA) 2014 Special Recognition Awards. Zero Motorcycles and Scot Harden, Vice President of Marketing and AMA Hall of Famer, have received the AMA Bessie Stringfield Award which is given in honor of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Bessie Stringfield and recognizes efforts to introduce motorcycling to new or underserved markets. Zero Motorcycles and Scot Harden were specifically recognized for their continued efforts in the field of electric motorcycles and the positive impact and message they have sent to both the mainstream media and potential new consumers entering the market. Zero Motorcycles recently launched their 2014 model line-up with the longest range production electric motorcycle, the Zero S.
"The American Motorcyclist Association does a tremendous job protecting rider's rights and advocating for the sport we love so much. It's a thrill and an honor to be recognized by such an esteemed organization. Our passionate and dedicated team at Zero Motorcycles continues to work towards building the best electric motorcycles ever conceived," said Scot Harden, Vice President of Marketing, Zero Motorcycles. "The Zero design and engineering team have developed a line of all-electric motorcycles that are great looking, economical to own, easy on the environment and most important of all a blast to ride. The motorcycle industry is always growing, always advancing and I am thrilled to be a part of a team that is making such positive impact."
The 2014 AMA Awards recipients were chosen by the AMA Board of Directors based on their contributions to the motorcycle industry and promotion of the motorcycle lifestyle. Zero Motorcycles was recognized for their work towards the continued advancement and innovation in the electric motorcycle sector and ever growing product line-up. The new 2014 model line represents an evolution of an already cutting edge product line with several new features of the 2014 model line largely revolving around refining general motorcycle componentry and design.
Propelled by the most advanced technology in the industry, the 2014 Zero Motorcycles line offers several fully electric motorcycles including the Zero S, Zero DS, Zero FX, and new for 2014, the Zero SR. The new line features newly designed bodywork elements, neatly integrated componentry, improved braking and better handling on account of new larger diameter forks and triple clamps. Also new for 2014 is a new Z-Force® Power Tank accessory that allows riders to travel up to 171 miles in the city or 88 miles on the highway. Zero's entire model line offers a liberating ownership experience with its maintenance-free powertrain, penny per mile 'fuel' cost and powerful acceleration.
About Zero Motorcycles
Zero Motorcycles is committed to transforming the motorcycling experience by bringing to market highly innovative electric motorcycles that offer exceptional value and performance. Zero is powered by innovation, driven by passion, guided by integrity and measured by results. Through extensive research, insight and experience, Zero combines the art and science of motorcycle development to create and manufacture products that excite consumers and inspire brand loyalty. Every model is designed and built in California. Zero is determined to be the pre-eminent global electric motorcycle company.
Follow Zero Motorcycles on Twitter @ZeroMC, become a fan of Zero Motorcycles on Facebook and check out what Zero is doing on YouTube at www.youtube.com/zeromotorcycles.
Media information: Phone: (951) 719-1040 / Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Videos, photos and more press related info: http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/press/
For more information on Zero Motorcycles or to learn more about its complete motorcycle line including the Zero S, Zero DS, and Zero FX motorcycles, visit: http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/


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Texas SBOE have found a friend in Northern Ireland:
If you haven't been following, Culture Minister Nelson McCausland is pushing for museums in his country to promote creationism along side displays illustrating scientific theories of origins. One of his constituents shared a letter to McCausland with me, and also granted permission to use it at the AE blog. So, without further introduction, here is a reprint of that correspondence:
Mr McCausland
I am writing this letter out of concern, not out of religious intolerance or to force my own agenda. The concern is due to your letter to the National Museum trustees about the possibility of inclusion of alternative views of creation. I hope that you will take the time to read this to understand exactly why this is a mistake and hopefully to shed a little light on a few things you seem to be mistaken about.
Firstly I would like to highlight the fundamental flaws of creationism and the so called 'scientific proof' of it. I am not sure if you are aware of the Kitzmiller/Dover Trial in America 2005 when concerned parents took out a lawsuit against a public school district that required the presentation of intelligent design/creationism as an alternative to evolution as an explanation of the origin of life. Creationist 'scientists' were invited to the trial to show their evidence and prove that it was scientific, and they faced off against accepted science and scientists. It is worth mentioning that the scientist charged with defeating the creationist/intelligent design camp was a devout Christian (Kenneth Miller) and that the judge was also a devout Christian (Judge John E. Jones III) and a right hand man of George Bush.
It is not mere hyperbole to state that this was the most important moment in the defense of science. It was to much relief and satisfaction that the court ruled emphatically against the creationist/intelligent design position. In his 139-page decision Judge Jones took the creationist case to task and I find this point most relevant:
"ID's backers have sought to avoid the scientific scrutiny which we have now determined that it cannot withstand by advocating that the controversy, but not ID itself, should be taught in science class. This tactic is at best disingenuous, and at worst a canard. The goal of the IDM is not to encourage critical thought, but to foment a revolution which would supplant evolutionary theory with ID." (Page 89)
It is clear that when asked to come forward and put their case and all their evidence on the table they didn't just fall short, they had nothing. It would be hoped that this would have put this situation to rest but it is still thriving in the United States and apparently in our home country. I recently visited a creationist seminar in a local church, and it disturbed me at what was being taught to the congregation as 'fact', I feel that people in the position of talking and administering to the congregation/public have a responsibility of being honest with what is fact and not bending evidence to fit the worldview they have.
To say that the world is 4,000-10,000 years old is nothing short of irresponsible, you have in a single statement infused doubt in people's mind of the accuracy of geology, paleontology, chemistry, physics, biology, morphology, genetics, molecular biology, cosmology, biogeography and so on, all of which help each other positively in the proof of age of the earth. There is no mere speculation here, we can put the evidence on the table and show you how these things work and how they prove what accepted science is. I would hope that you have at least researched behind the claims of creationist science before publicly claiming them as a viable alternative but I feel you haven't as you would have quickly seen that the so called proofs are nothing short of pseudo-scientific speculation.
Christianity is not negated by accepting the big bang or evolution; the scientific evidence can be seen as the method and not the reason. In fact there is a wide acceptance of these matters throughout the Christian community and I would urge you to read some of the American Scientific Affiliation's work who are a fellowship of Christians in science. Science is not out to disprove god, and I would dare say it can't, so there is really no need to want to put a faith-based position alongside science in a museum.
We have a responsibility in this world to operate within what we know, what we can observe in our shared reality. What we cannot do is subvert overwhelming evidence for the sake of a faith position, which is a dangerous path to put a society on. If we do this where would we stop? Would we also delve into pagan creation stories? If you want to open a display talking about religious creation mythology which covers the scope of all religions in our community I would be absolutely behind it but only if it was all inclusive and not running alongside scientific displays.
You made the point that the majority of this country is Christian and that this is somehow a justification for including creationist myth and I just want to say that it is a completely logical fallacy to assume that 'might makes right.' Science is in no way a democracy; it's constantly scrutinized, re-evaluated and goes where the data takes us not where we want to take it. It is worrying to hear an elected minister talk in such a way and I'd hoped that our country would be able to be more religiously progressive given the past we have had, but this is in fact a severe step back whether you can see it or not.
If you feel strongly about this, as I am sure you do, then perhaps you could push for a public forum where we can get creationist science and accepted science to debate their cases. I assure you that it is not intellectual elitism or over-confidence when I say that it would become apparent very, very quickly that there is no case or evidence for creationist science and it would leave a lot believers confused as to why the people in power have been misleading them.
If religion is to survive in any meaningful context in this society it is necessary that it accepts reality, this in no way takes away people's beliefs but will hopefully enrich their view of the world around them.
I look forward to your reply,


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Wills and Kate probably have a banging sex life. That's the conclusion we're drawing based on body language expert and Cosmo contributor Lillian Glass's analysis of their balcony kiss last Friday.
The first kiss was perfunctory and really just part of a script, but the second one (and the fact that there was a second one at all!) revealed just how into each other they are, says Glass. The number one clue that the newlyweds are totally in love is the forehead-on-forehead contact.. "Their foreheads are pressed together, which means they're like-minded and very into each other," she explained. And while there wasn't tongue [insert sigh of disappointment], Glass added that the way Wills and Kate's lips were perfectly lined up as if their mouths were a mirror image signifies a whole lot of passion.
Many people took the couple's lack of an embrace to mean neither of them were enthusiastic about the kiss, but Glass assured us that their feelings are anything but tepid. "They knew they had to keep their bodies facing the crowd. So what's more important to look at is how their bodies lean in towards each other and how they stood shoulder to shoulder, signs they are equal partners and very in love."
And check out the way they're both smiling. You don't need us to tell you that grinning during a kiss equals a happy couple, but what you may not know is that the fact that their facial muscles are matching speaks boatloads. "It literally means they are in harmony," said Glass. "They're definitely soulmates."
What do you think of the balcony kiss? Do you agree that Wills and Kate are a great couple?
Want to become an expert at reading guys' body language? Check out Lillian Glass's Cosmo column, The Real Story!
And click here for our genius Body Language Decoder.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images


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Cat Implementation
I have released several Cat interpreters as public domain code, which you can use and modify as you wish. The primary implementation of Cat is an open-source C# interpreter (www.cat-language.com) that performs type checking, type inference, and some basic optimization (function inlining and partial evaluation). It also has several extensions such as named parameters and MetaCat rewriting rules. The Cat language website provides an embedding of Cat in Scheme and an online Cat interpreter written in JavaScript. The JavaScript and Scheme implementations are a bit out of sync with the language specification and are intended only as demonstrations, but feel free to redistribute and/or modify them. I have also written a basic Scheme-to-Cat translator, in Scheme.
Cat has potential applications in many domains. I can envision a place for it in embedded devices due to its compact and expressive nature. I also believe that Cat would be useful in a computer-science curriculum as a tool for explaining the rudiments of computer programs. The immediate feedback you get viewing the stack after each instruction can be useful for instruction. My intentions are to use Cat as an intermediate language for translation and optimization for my other computer language projects, and as a language for teaching programming.
If you are interested stack languages and aren't familiar with Forth, a fun primer is a fully documented bootstrapping compiler by Richard W.M. Jones (www.annexia.org/forth). I also recommend Manfred von Thun's writings on Joy, even if you never plan on using stack languages. Some up-and-coming stack languages are Factor (www.factorcode.org) by Slava Pestov and Ripple (ripple.fortytwo.net) by Joshua Shinavier, a stack language designed for the Semantic Web.
Thanks to the members of the concatenative mailing list (tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/concatenative), the Cat mailing list (groups.google.com/group/catlanguage), and the Lambda-the-Ultimate.org programming language blog. In particular, I want to thank William Tanksley, Joshua Shinavier, Frank Krueger, and John Nowak.


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Ultimate Support AX48 Pro APEX Keyboard Stand
The APEX Series Keyboard Stands represent over two decades of research and development and are used all over the world by gigging keyboard players and touring musicians. The AX48 Pro offers everything keyboard players loved about the original APEX keyboard stand while offering sleek new designs and updated features that support a whole new generation of keyboards and workstations. The AX48 APEX is the finest looking keyboard stand on the market, and is intended to shine the spotlight on keyboard players, while securely supporting their prized instruments. Ultimate Support AX48 Pro APEX Keyboard Stand Features


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'Modulated Drones' by Corenforce is a fine mixture of one-shot samples waiting for your unlimited tweaking. This pack also boasts a number of fresh audio loops, which have been crafted, modulated and effected by the modern software samplers to give you endless inspiration. Frequency modulation strikes back!
'Modulated Drones' offers nine groups of one-shot samples like artificial drums, feedback effects, filter sweeps and FM guitars, mingled together to deliver the sample loops locked on at 120 and 130 BPM. There are simply no limits in further creative processing.
All one-shot samples of the 'Modulated Drones' pack have also been categorised and mapped to be used in the popular Reason NN-XT Sampler in the form of ReFill.
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- 76 One-Shot Samples
- 60 Samples at 120 to 130 BPM
- 1 Reason Refill with 9 NN-XT patches
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Simply click "Add to Cart" BUY COMPLETE or "Add to cart" BUY SINGLE LOOPS. When you finish your order, click "checkout". If you are a new costumer you need create an account, if you are a returning costumer only fill up the form. Your Download Link will be sent in you account in Loophunter immediately after your payment has been received.
For any problem send a email firstname.lastname@example.com
*Note: The previews are low resolution MP3s. The quality of the files you will receive will of course be much higher, uncompressed WAV-AIFF, stereo, 44k, 16-24 bit.
Producer: Corenforce


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Secret Agent X #28: Horror's Handclasp
Unabridged Audiobook
Written By: G.T. Fleming-Roberts
Narrated By: Milton Bagby
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC
Date: October 2016
Duration: 3 hours 33 minutes
They called Secret Agent "X", the Man of the Thousand Faces. Armed with his irresistible gas gun, wearing impenetrable disguises, "X" infiltrates the darkest corners of the Underworld to crush all crime czars! The enigma of enigmas, Secret Agent "X" has been deputized by a high government official to battle the darkest, most diabolical enemies of America before they sink their poisonous fangs into the nation's healthy core. Faceless and unsung, "X" infiltrates these threats in a bewildering array of disguises. A past master of disguise, he infiltrated the Underworld to crush crime in all of its hideous manifestations. Here, Secret Agent "X" takes on Horror's Handclasp.


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A 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl whose plight for a new pair of lungs spurred a national debate about organ transplants is going home Tuesday, her mother said Monday.
In a posting on her Facebook page Janet Murnaghan wrote "WE ARE GOING HOME TOMORROW!!!!!!"
Her daughter Sarah Murnaghan, who has end-stage cystic fibrosis, received two lung transplants this summer at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia after a federal judge intervened in her parents' lawsuit challenging national transplant rules that put her at the end of the waiting list for adult lungs.
The news Monday capped days of upbeat progress reports from Murnaghan, of Newtown Square.
On Sunday, she said her daughter was taken off oxygen, although she still gets support from a machine that helps her to breathe, and had started to walk with the aid of a walker, even venturing outside.
"My sister pointed out that today is our Mom's birthday — she died 11 years ago," Janet Murnaghan wrote Saturday on her Facebook page. "And today is the first day Sarah has not needed any supplemental oxygen. Miracles from heaven!!!"
Family spokeswoman Tracy Simon said Sarah's recovery is now focused on building her muscle strength so she no longer has to use a breathing tube. She said Sarah recovered from a case of pneumonia that stemmed from the tube.
Sarah's first set of adult lungs failed after a June 12 transplant. A second set was transplanted three days later.
Her parents sued to change a national transplant policy that put her at the bottom of the adult list for patients 12 and older. After the federal judge intervened, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network — the private nonprofit group that manages U.S. organ allocation — added Sarah to the adult list.
The case raised questions among some health specialists and medical ethicists about how organ donation rules are developed and under what circumstances they might be disregarded.
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Today I had to wait 2 hours to find out if I had Thyroid cancer. Those were some of the worst 2 hours of my life.
After waiting those 2 hours I went into my Doctor's office and he said he is "extremely confident" that I do not have cancer. I can't tell you the overwhelming joy I felt when those words came out of his mouth.
I am going in for a thyroid ultra-sound in an hour to see if there are any growths on my thyroid. They believe it is shutting down. My sister Marissa had half of her thyroid removed a few years ago and has had no problems since, so let's hope I am in the same boat as her.
I just had to post and say how grateful I am. Some days are extremely hard and I have been pretty sick lately, but I am so grateful that my illnesses are not going to make me leave this earth anytime soon. I am also grateful for my amazing boss, my amazing husband (who changed his flight to come home early from a work trip as soon as I called him and told him that I might have cancer...he is ALWAYS so good to me, but it's times like this that I am reminded of his devotion to me...and of mine to him), for my Megs...she takes more stress & pain from me than I probably even know...and for my cute Mom who has the busiest life & doesn't have a moment for herself, but she is always willing to drop ANYTHING to be by my side.
I am overwhelmed and grateful.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Today I had to wait 2 hours to find out if I had Thyroid cancer. Those were some of the worst 2 hours of my life.
Posted by Chels at 12:16 PM
4 comments:
- Meg said...
Well I'll just get choked up about that post! I am SO grateful everyday that the Lord is mindful of you, and even more grateful to him that he gave you to me! I LOVE YOU MY TWIN! I don't know what I'd do without you!
- September 23, 2011 at 2:34 PM
- Codi said...
Yay to no cancer! But I am sorry that you are feeling so terrible lately. I hope they can get your thyroid figured out and things start looking up soon! I am glad that you are still on this earth too!
- September 23, 2011 at 5:17 PM
- Angela Hansen said...
I thought I read that you had Thyroid cancer and my heart dropped. I re-read it and was so grateful that it looks like it is not that. It makes me sad that you have to endure so much, I am so happy that you have such a great support system. You are so strong and a great example to me.
- September 23, 2011 at 9:33 PM
- Perschon Family said...
Chels....I am SO glad you do NOT have cancer and that you have such great support!!!! I hope everything goes ok with figuring out more about your thyroid!!! I'll be thinking of you!!!
- September 27, 2011 at 3:23 PM


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I think one of the things that bugs me not just about religion, but also about the spectrum of irrational beliefs that people can hold, is that they mask the true fragility of all of life and culture.
I believe that this insistence on finding often fallacious outside (eternal, rock solid, unchanging) reference points for morality, ethics and human behavior (as well as industrial and political policy) present a sort of foundational challenge to the prospect of our long term survival as a species.
It is the most basic truism of measurement: everything we humans measure is measured relative to something else, from the original royal "foot" to our modern "light years". But somehow, when it comes to human morality we violently resist the notion that our measurements are at all "relative". No. "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it" sort of sums up the absolutist stance. But even when one claims to have found a true North Star of morality in God, adjustments are always made in the actual application of that morality.
We all know and understand this on a civic level (this is why we have jury trials where context and intention influence the findings of guilt or innocence). But we also understand it on a personal level: nearly everything we do that affects other people is done with an awareness of the potential social cost or benefit — to us.
We humans know from long centuries of experience that we need rules to keep ourselves and society functioning smoothly, and yet we all bend — or break — the rules in a multitude of different ways. When done to extremes, these infractions are punished by the civil authorities (our elected tribal leaders). But in our day-to-day lives there is a truth that many are loathe to recognize: though we may want to believe in an absolute standard of right and wrong that exists outside of our physical world, we are yet ever thankful that we get away with cutting the moral corners that we do dozens of times a day.
Our religions, then, have as part of their appeal the absolute impossibility of the faithful application of their moral dictates to our lives: no one can live up to the law (be it civic or divine). And so we find ourselves in constant rebellion against that which we ourselves most desire. In short, we insist on a God we can never completely obey.
For we all wobble across those lines — even the most righteous (for they, too, pick and choose which precepts of their God-given religion are the most important). It's human nature.
Why is this? We know why we want God to be there: to lend our lives a sense of purpose and transcendent meaning. So why the impossible-to-obey-rules? Perhaps this makes God "better" than us in a way that re-enforces his "other" status (but conveniently in a form that is able to "look the other way" when we need him to!) But what about the rules themselves?
Well, one of the problems with rules and laws is that they can reach a point of diminishing returns, where their capacity to influence behavior starts to weaken. There are never enough cops (or angels, apparently) to enforce them, so it is left up to us to sort of collectively decide which rules matter the most. (This is most clearly seen in popular mass media, where public outrage over this crime or that criminal ebbs and flows, even as the attention of the public moves on from one favorite outrage to the next. If enough people are angry, a law can suddenly be applied with the full vigor of civil force. If enough people cease to care that much, then laws just as much "on the books" are easily ignored. It happens all the time).
And yet we persist in supporting the myth of a divine law that is immune to a collective human relativism. There is no such thing. We humans are the ones who make — and break — the rules.
We humans seem to be natural utopians. This can be hard to spot as it can take almost any ideological form. And so those of us that believe in the social value of a strong central government can easily fall into the trap of passing ever more laws to feel like we're doing something (altering human behavior) that we're actually not . While libertarians and anarchists have their own utopian vision built from the extremely silly view that no laws are better than too many.
There is, lurking in between these views, perhaps some sort of "zone of effectiveness", or "sweet spot" to aim for.
What most upsets society is unfairness. Not so much because we care a great deal for others as we don't want our own societal sacrifice to be greater than anyone else's. This is where the reality of the power of perception becomes critical. (Members of the TEA Party, for example, are convinced that they are paying far higher taxes than they actually are and that their "hard earned money" is going straight into the pockets of lazy minorities).
We are quick to criticize those who govern us for paying too much attention to the polls (or "political" reality) when in truth they are making the same kinds of calculations that you or I make in our own daily actions, albeit on a much larger scale. Make no mistake: there are things citizens simply won't stand for. This is not cynicism — this is reality. (Adding God to the mix, or putting up the Bible's ten commandments in every courthouse just sort of muddies up the waters without adding much of use).
For unlike God, we humans have to balance out justice and mercy in the real world of our day to day interactions with each other in a way that maintains some semblance of personal integrity while also seeing to our own personal comfort and safety. The fact that we (generally) selfish humans care for each other as much as we do is one of the saving graces of our species.
Maybe it's best not to question the myth of morality's divine origin. Perhaps we're better off to let that sleeping dog lie. But somehow I don't think society will unravel once we see this divine "Emperor" naked, because he was never the one making us behave in the first place. And maybe — once we realize that — we will begin to see civil society as the delicate and vulnerable phenomena that it is, and treat it with a good deal more care and kindness than we currently do, and thereby finally take full responsibility for our malleable human morality.
t.n.s.r. bob


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Rennes have confirmed they received a 'big offer' from England for Arsenal and Manchester United target Yann M'Vila during the closing days of the summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old French midfielder is seemingly destined to leave the Route de Lorient after a number of eye-catching displays for club and country alerted some of Europe's top clubs.
Arsenal have been consistently linked with M'Vila, and Arsene Wenger has even been outed as a fan of the combative midfield maestro.
Previous reports have also suggested Sir Alex Ferguson has explored the possibility of bringing M'Vila to Old Trafford.
Whether or not Arsenal or United formalised their interest in M'Vila as the transfer dealine approached remains unclear, but a Barclays Premier League club did make an offer for his services.
"He's a player of very high technical value and therefore his economic value is also high," Rennes chief Jean-François Creachcadec told TMW.
"In the summer we received a big offer from England, but it arrived too late."
Creachcadec also gave Arsenal and United hope that a possible agreement for M'Vila could be reached at the end of the season.
"Next summer we will be ready to consider reasonable proposals," he added.
"Italy? No one can afford him, for figures and value."