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Browse Jewelry Categories
Simon G When it comes to making beautiful jewelry, no detail is too small to be ignored. All micro-set diamonds are hand set, and then inspected by an experienced artisan using a microscope. This ensures that they reflect light brilliantly, and that no one has to worry about losing a single stone. Each detail is sharp, and every piece has its own unique look and feel. The way Simon G sees it, making an heirloom takes a little bit longer than just making jewelry. SHOP NOW True Vintage View our True Vintage at Barnes Jewelers. SHOP NOW Frederic Duclos Frederic Duclos is an award winning French designer of contemporary sterling jewelry. Established in 1984, this family owned studio is based in Huntington Beach, California. The gems used in each piece of jewelry are carefully chosen, reflecting Frederic's paramount attention to detail while his contemporary designs showcase his artistry as a precious metal designer. SHOP NOW Rings View all Rings including Diamond Anniversary Rings, Mens Wedding Rings, Pearl Rings, Silver Rings, Diamond Fashion Rings, Colored Stone Rings, and Gold Fashion Rings SHOP NOW Bellarri The Mademoiselle Collection by Bellarri enchants and captivates the senses with its gracious style and majestic alignment of the world's finest multi color gemstones. You make the memories... Bellarri keeps them alive. SHOP NOW Diamond Engagement Rings View all Diamond Engagement Rings including Halo, Criss-Cross, Solitaire, Straight Line, Split Shank, Vintage, Free Form, Three Stone, and Bypass SHOP NOW Pendants View all Pendants including Diamond Pendants and Colored Stone Pendants SHOP NOW Ashi Ashi Diamonds offers a dazzling range of exquisitely crafted fine jewelry featuring their signature engagement rings and bridal sets as well as contemporary diamond and colored stone jewelry designs. Ashi's exciting collection includes a wide array of beautiful rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants and bracelets that are proven best sellers - and every Ashi jewelry piece exhibits our unparalleled attention to craftsmanship combined with superior design. SHOP NOW Kendra Scott Designer, CEO and philanthropist, Kendra Scott started her company in 2002. The foundation of Kendra's success has been her innate ability to utilize natural stones and custom designed shapes. Kendra has created collections of timeless pieces that have won over loyal fans, media and celebrities alike. Today, the company continues to design and operate out of Austin, TX with a focus on Family, Fashion & Philanthropy. In the past 12 months, the company donated $1M and 50,000 pieces of jewelry while working with over 1,000 local and national organizations. What Matters to You, Matters to Us. SHOP NOW Womens Diamond Wedding Bands View our Womens Diamond Wedding Bands at Barnes Jewelers. SHOP NOW Kendra Scott Jewelry View our Kendra Scott Jewelry at Barnes Jewelers. SHOP NOW Gabriel & Co Gabriel & Co. Bridal Engagement and Wedding Rings are among the finest in the world. Their exceptional craftsmen individually handcraft each ring with careful attention to detail and styling. Their diamond selection process guarantees superior quality, as each stone is thoroughly examined by an expert gemologist. Their bridal collections offer a variety of styles, as well as the flexibility to alter elements in order to create a unique heirloom. SHOP NOW Alex and Ani Alex and Ani's mission is to design products that adorn the body, enlighten the mind, and empower the spirit. Alex and Ani's collections reflect a design aesthetic that celebrates each wearer's unique essence. Owner and designer Carolyn Rafaelian believes it is her life's work to inspire her customers to relish what is unique and authentic about themselves. Alex and Ani's artistry lies in drawing out the beauty that resides within. VIEW COLLECTION Mens Diamond Wedding Bands View our Mens Diamond Wedding Bands at Barnes Jewelers. SHOP NOW Unique Settings Unique Settings of New York™ is proud to be one of the first GREEN jewelry manufacturers located in the United States. Known as the industry's 'Custom Jewelry Specialist,' Unique Settings helped set the industry standard in recycled metals and conflict-free stones. The company feels an extreme commitment to give something back by using only 100% recycled metals bought from earth-friendly refineries. Likewise, only Kimberley diamonds and colored gems from ethical sources are used to create their amazing Bridal and fashion pieces. VIEW COLLECTION Crown Ring The special moments in life that take your breath away are few and far between. That's why longtime friends Thierry Bellisha and Haimy Mann set out to celebrate these milestones by founding CrownRing in 1999: a collection of spectacular bridal jewelry that bring happily ever after to life. But what's in the name? The founders believe that when a couple gets married they are king and queen of their world, able to reign over their new life. Hence, the crown. SHOP NOW Watches View all Watches including Citizen Watches and Raymond Weil Watches SHOP NOW Citizen "Our customers demand world class design and cutting edge technological innovation," said Jeffrey Cohen, President, Citizen Watch Company of America. "We are pleased that we are able to provide the watches they want with the powerful benefit of environmental sustainability," VIEW COLLECTION Raymond Weil RAYMOND WEIL brings together all the elements of excellence of the Swiss luxury watchmaking industry. Precision, quality, reliability, nobility and technical nature of the materials are many standards that Raymond Weil combines to create its models. Raymond Weil takes great care of the design of its watches in order for them to combine ergonomics, refinement and modernity. This aesthetic pursuit results in distinctive and identity-marked models. SHOP NOW Lafonn Jewelry Lafonn offers extravagant handcrafted designs in sterling silver, handset with the worlds finest simulated diamonds. Unsurpassed quality and dazzling perfection are the foundation of Lafonn's brilliance and fire. As a design house and manufacturer with over 30 years of experience in the art of fine jewelry, Lafonn is proud to offer our collection of couture sterling silver jewelry. The moment you touch and handle our jewelry, you will experience the difference. Lafonn products give the opportunity to own a beautiful, well made piece of jewelry at a price that is within reach. SHOP NOW Vintage Estate & Antique Jewelry View our Vintage Estate & Antique Jewelry at Barnes Jewelers. SHOP NOW Le Vian The Le Vian saga spans centuries, from ancient royalty to todays red carpet! The trendsetting fashion house of fine jewelry, Le Vian offers its innovative trend forecast for 2018 by revealing its mastery of colors in the language of LOVE - Le Vianese. Discover Denim Blues and Neutral Nudes along with Blueberry Sapphire - the Gem of the Year. Le Vian is the only company on earth to sell Chocolate Diamonds, delivering originality and value in its exclusive collections. NO ONE COLORS YOUR WORLD LIKE LE VIAN. SHOP NOW Gold Wedding Bands - Men's View our Gold Wedding Bands - Men's at Barnes Jewelers. SHOP NOW Triton Triton is the ultimate Source For Men's Rings. Specializing in Contemporary Metals, such as Tungsten Carbide (TC850 is the originally patented formulation and only available at authorized retailers), Titanium, Black Titanium and Stainless Steel, Triton designs are Bold, Strong and Masculine - perfect for today's active man. Triton, Where Art Meets Engineering. VIEW COLLECTION Bracelets View all Bracelets including Diamond Bracelets, Colored Stone Bracelets, Pearl Bracelets, Gold Bracelets, Men's Fashion Bracelets/Necklaces, and Silver Bracelets SHOP NOW Pandora PANDORA is a universe of jewelry. Each piece of Danish design is handcrafted in sterling silver or 14K gold. Many pieces incorporate pearls, semi-precious and precious stones. PANDORA's modular design allows the wearer to change the beads for an elegant look, or change the bracelet for a casual wear at a moment's notice. PANDORA also offers a whole collection of earrings, rings, and necklaces that coordinate with the most popular bead designs. Create your own PANDORA wish list and make your own bracelet online by visiting www.Pandora-Jewelry.com. U.S. Pat. No.7,007,507. VIEW COLLECTION Earrings View all Earrings including Diamond Earrings, Colored Stone Earrings, Pearl Earrings, Gold Earrings, and Silver Earrings SHOP NOW Necklaces View all Necklaces including Diamond Necklaces, Silver Necklaces, Colored Stone Necklace, and Pearl Necklace SHOP NOW


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Drunk By Noon Card
Greeting Cards
Use this card to:
- celebrate a friend's birthday
- spend the holidays away from family (with a group of close friends)
- justify treating yourself to a nice day of wine and shopping
Card details:
- Blank inside
- A6 size
- Professionally printed on 120# uncoated paper
- Comes with a yellow envelope
Returns Policy
Customers may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a refund minus a 10% restocking fee. The customer will be responsible for return shipping unless the return is a result of our error or a manufacturing defect.
Customers should expect to receive a refund within four weeks of return shipment, however, in many cases the refund will be issued more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive the return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process the return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes the bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
We reserve the right to deny a refund if the returned item is not in resellable condition. In the event a return does not meet our criteria, we will contact the customer to resolve the issue.
To return an item, please contact us via email for return instructions and authorization.
We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations. International customers are responsible for paying any taxes, tariffs, or customs fees that may apply. These fees are not included in the shipping cost listed at check out.
We strive to ship all in stock items within 1-2 business days. If there is an issue with your order that will cause a delay, we will notify you as quickly as possible. Any items that are designated as Pre-Order will ship according to the details in that item's description.
Whenever possible, we will ship your item with a carrier that provides tracking services. You will be notified of the shipment of your item by email, which will also include a tracking number if available.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Yellow cake mix gets a boost of banana, brown sugar and cinnamon, and is topped with a quick caramel icing and chopped pecans.
Easy Banana Cake with Quick Caramel IcingThis cake came about when I saw a from scratch, two layer banana cake that was just gorgeous and looked so darned good with a yummy butter and cream cheese icing and dotted with chunks of walnuts. I even bought the bananas with the intent of making it, but for some reason every time I thought about making it, I would look at the recipe and put it off. It seemed a bit daunting to me and I'm not a great layer cake baker.
Well, as bananas do, they were soon calling to be used, and knowing that I did have a couple of cake mixes in the pantry, I pulled out my trusty copy of the The Cake Mix Doctor and sure enough, there lay a recipe that I could shortcut! Yay!
I'll get around to a homemade banana cake when I'm in the mood, but for now this worked well and was excellent. I really love the caramel icing - very similar to my peanut butter icing in method, this would be a great frosting to liven up several kinds of different cakes.
Here's how to make it.
Recipe: Easy Banana Cake with Caramel Icing©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 55 min | Yield: About 12 servings
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- Quick Caramel Icing
- 1 cup of chopped pecans
Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with Baker's Joy non-stick spray. In the bowl of your mixer, add the cake mix, brown sugar and cinnamon and whisk to break up clumps.
In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, water, oil and eggs until mixed together. Add to the dry ingredients. Beat on low for about 1 minute, stop scrape down the sides, and beat another 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake another 25 to 30 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Place on a wire rack to cool in the pan. Pour icing over the still warm cake and sprinkle the pecans on top while the icing is still warm. Allow the cake to set for at least an hour to fully cool.
Variation: Make this an applesauce cake by replacing the bananas with 1 cup of applesauce. Thanks Lori!
Adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor
Source: http://deepsouthdish.com
Requires Adobe Reader - download it free!©Deep South Dish
☛ Are you on Facebook? If you haven't already, come and join the party! We have a lot of fun & there's always room for one more at the table.
Homemade Butter Cake with Pineapple Filling
Fresh Apple Cake
Sour Cream Lemon Poppy Seed Cake


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School cafeteria lunches are often unhealthy and less than tasty, and for vegetarian kiddos, the options might be limited to french fries and cookies. But bringing lunch from home doesn't mean your child needs to be stuck with a PB & J sandwich everyday. If you have a few spare minutes, you can prepare some simple and satisfying vegetarian lunch options that will surprise and delight your tot when he opens his lunch box. Read on for healthy, homemade lunches so delicious, your kids won't even be tempted to make a lunch hour trade.
Inside Out Pita Pizza
Leftover pizza (especially the kind loaded with veggies) is a great lunch option. But just as easy are pita pizzas. We like the idea of making them into pizza pockets to minimize mess. Spread tomato sauce on the inside and then add whatever cheese, veggies, or other toppings you like. Bake in the oven until cheese melts or microwave until heated through. Choosing a whole wheat or sprouted wheat option for the pita bread is a great way to make sure kids get maximum fiber benefits . You can also make the pita pizza the more traditional way by simply topping the pita bread with sauce and other goodies before heating. As long as your kid is okay with cold pizza, these transport perfectly in a lunch box.
Quesadillas are an easy, satisfying vegetarian option. I love it as a mom because the cheesiness (we are addicted to Daiya vegan cheese at our house) is also a great disguise for anything else that I want to sneak in there. Currently, I've been spreading a protein-packed, mild black bean hummus on the interior sides of the tortilla before adding the cheese. Or stuff the quesadilla with some ground veggie meat, slices of avocado, chopped tomatoes, even a spinach puree. Top with salsa or provide some for dipping on the side.
Pasta Salad
Just because summer is over doesn't mean the barbecues have to stop. This BBQ pasta salad is tasty and filling and can be endlessly varied to include different types of beans, baked tofu or tempeh, or other veggies. Best of all, it tastes delicious whether heated or chilled.
To make 2-3 servings, boil 1 cup of pasta, such as mini shells or wagon wheel-shaped, until al dente. Meanwhile, mix together 2 Tbsp ketchup, 1 1/2 Tbsp mustard, 1 Tbsp mild-tasting oil, 3/4 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp molasses, and 1/2 tsp cumin. In a pinch, you can also substitute prepared BBQ sauce. While pasta is still warm, add ½ cup of pinto beans, ¼ cup chopped red pepper, and 1 shredded carrot. Spoon a few tablespoons of the BBQ sauce over mixture and mix, adding more sauce as necessary. Pasta salads are a great option for a lunch that can be made earlier in the week and then munched on for a few days afterward.
Elvis Sandwich
Some kids are sandwich obsessed and would happily chomp on PB & J every day of the week. Add some variety to their diet by introducing some equally tasty PB & J alternatives. Try swapping the type of bread you use for example – maybe whole wheat one day and then rosemary with flax seeds another. You can also try some variations that won't rock the boat too much – like adding avocados to a grilled cheese sandwich or making a vegetarian Elvis sandwich. Spread nut butter on one or two pieces of bread. On one piece, add slices of banana. Drizzle with honey and add the other slice. If you've got a Panini press, now's the time to use it! The traditional Elvis sandwich also included slices of bacon, so you can substitute some veggie bacon for adventurous eaters.
Yogurt Parfait
Yogurt is a popular lunchtime choice, but it is not usually enough to fuel your tot for the rest of the day. That can be easily remedied by making a yogurt parfait. Choose one of the unsweetened (or less sweetened) options out there, such as So Delicious's Plain Cultured Coconut Milk Yogurt. Then add fresh fruit such as bananas and blueberries. Add a layer of granola on top (and on the bottom if you like), preferably one made with nuts. My favorite homemade granola version (from Vegan Soul Kitchen) uses coconut oil and almonds, which both contain healthy fats to keep your child's hunger satisfied.
Veggie Sushi
Vegetable sushi is available at most grocery stores now, but you can personalize it with your child's favorite veggies at home (and it's also a lot less expensive than store-bought versions). Making hand rolls is especially easy. Another fun option is inari, which is simply a soybean wrapper stuffed with rice. For those mornings when assembling and rolling sushi is not happening, have the makings of a deconstructed sushi bowl on hand. The night before: prepare some rice and toss with a minimal amount of sesame oil or brown rice vinegar to keep rice from sticking and clumping together. Cube some seasoned tofu, and thinly slice carrots, cucumbers, red peppers, and any other veggies your child will chomp on. Throw it all in a container and drizzle some teriyaki sauce on top along with strips of nori.
Sometimes we find ourselves without a lunch centerpiece, or what we call an "Odds and Ends Lunch." On those days, declare your child's lunch tapas-style. Kids love finger foods and being able to pick and choose, so give them a little sampling of some delectable treats. Try containers of chopped olives, hummus, cucumber and carrot spears, sun-dried or regular chopped tomatoes, and a dinner roll, pita chips, or part of a baguette. Kids will get a kick out of assembling their own foods, and they also can nibble some of the offerings as a snack if they can't wait until lunchtime!


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Wolters Kluwer Health, The Altos Group Highlight Long-Term Impact of Change Management on Sepsis Mortality Rates among California Hospital Cohort
Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information for healthcare professionals and students, announced today that nine California hospitals have maintained a 50% sepsis mortality rate reduction two years after participating in a change management study. The company has integrated key elements of the study, which was designed and led by its strategic partner, The Altos Group, into a ground-breaking sepsis mortality reduction program.
As part of the California study, which was profiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), participating hospitals adopted four common approaches: 1) sepsis screening of all patients, 2) a fast-track workup to confirm the diagnosis, 3) initiatives to promote adherence to protocols that call for prompt initiation of appropriate treatment, and 4) ongoing monitoring. The result was a 54.5% reduction in average mortality rates within three years of the study's launch in December 2008.
In December 2012, all nine hospitals reported continued declines in mortality rates. Additionally, the overall cohort-wide mortality rate was down 49.8% relative to the baseline. The same change management model was also studied for its impact on medication error rates. The resulting 89% improvement was also maintained years after the active phase of the program ended.
"These results demonstrate the validity of a change-management approach to sepsis reduction," said Julie A. Kliger, MPA, BSN, President and CEO, The Altos Group. "Equally important, these outcomes were maintained over a significant period of time. That is vital in healthcare, where sustaining improvement is as desired as it is elusive."
Wolters Kluwer Health's sepsis mortality reduction program focuses on early detection and applying best practices to treating the septic patient. In addition to reducing overall patient mortality, costs and lengths of stay, the goal of the program is to identify and address the top healthcare-associated infections (HAI) that drive sepsis mortality. This will be accomplished through a three-pronged approach that couples mobile software with actionable content supplemented by change management consulting services. The program is driven by Wolters Kluwer Health's trusted brands including UpToDate®, Lexicomp®, ProVation ® Order Sets, and Sentri7®.
"Efficacy and sustainability are powerful motivators for clinicians who are being asked to adopt new clinical practices and workflows. Physicians want to make sure that the things they are being asked to do actually improve patient care," said Linda R. Peitzman, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Wolters Kluwer Health, Clinical Solutions. "Though change management represents just one element of our sepsis mortality reduction program, this demonstration of its long-term impact is validation that an approach to disease management that looks at multiple aspects of both the system and workflow is the right path to follow."
Hospitals are currently being enrolled to serve as pilot sites in the program. Interested facilities should contact Andy Strunk, Innovation Lab Program Director, at (650) 224-4463 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
About The Altos Group
The Altos Group's mission is to improve patient outcomes by creating highly trained, motivated and engaged frontline practitioners. Our work has produced results that directly correlate to a significant reduction in overall sepsis mortality and medication errors. In addition to improved patient outcomes and satisfaction, our clients have witnessed improved staff satisfaction, retention, recruitment and professionalism.
The Altos Group works with healthcare providers to create programs that are specifically designed to improve clinical, as well as operational, outcomes. Our proven programs are results-oriented, creating a culture of learning and accountability that translates into better patient outcomes, a professionally fulfilled staff and improved financial performance.
About Wolters Kluwer Health
Wolters Kluwer Health (Philadelphia, PA) is a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Serving more than 150 countries and territories worldwide, Wolters Kluwer Health's customers include professionals, institutions and students in medicine, nursing, allied health and pharmacy. Major brands include traditional publishers of medical and drug reference tools, journals and textbooks, such as Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; and electronic information providers, such as Ovid ®, Medknow, UpToDate ®, Medi-Span ®, Facts & Comparisons ®, Pharmacy OneSource®, Lexicomp ® and ProVation ® Medical.
Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company. Wolters Kluwer has 2011 annual revenues of €3.4 billion ($4.7 billion), employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide, and maintains operations in over 40 countries across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.


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My Brand Is Simply Jan
A brand is the simplest, most memorable part of yourself you can give.
I hate the word. I really do! It's bandied about all the time – a catchphrase of moment. Throw it in a sentence along with "platform" and you'll fit right in with everyone in the marketing, advertising, writing, and promotion businesses. Imagine my dismay when I learned the 15 Day Challenge for today was to work on defining my brand.
I mulled it over all afternoon. What is my brand? My brand used to be "Preacher Mom." When I first started blogging years ago, almost everything I wrote tied in directly with my role as a preacher, my role as a mom, and how those two roles fit together – or sometimes didn't fit together. I began moving away from that "brand" when I moved away from the Upstate three years ago. I finally started a whole new blog – Simply Jan. I wrote about my reasons for this change back in January.
At some point in time I made the unconscious decision that my identity would be tied primarily into just two aspects of my life: my life as a pastor and my life as a mom. I poured everything I had and everything I was into those two things. That isn't totally a bad thing. I love being a pastor and I love being a mom.
But what about Jan? Who am I, both apart from these other identities and in relation to them? If I was no longer a pastor and/or if my children were no longer living in my house, who would I be?
That's the journey I've been on all year. I decided to drop my defining roles and search for the voice of my self – my integrated, non-role-playing self. A close friend who has known me for a number of years does not like my blog title, Simply Jan. He thinks I'm reducing myself, selling myself short. He claims I'm anything but simple. I appreciate the sentiment. I'm even a bit flattered by it. But the fact is, who I want to be most is simply Jan. Me. Not a role that I'm playing; not an expert in a particular field; not the fulfillment of someone else's expectation of who I should be. Just me – a little flawed, a little adventurous, a little scattered, a little creative, a little rebellious, a little strange . . . and a lot loving.
The kids and I went to dinner and a movie tonight to celebrate Mia's return home after being away two weeks. We went to see the movie Brave.
It's the story of Merida, a princess who is being groomed to fill the role of future Queen. This is a demanding role, one that comes with many expectations of how she should talk, how she should act, how she should dress, what her hair should look like, and what she should do (and refrain from doing). All of this comes at the expense of her self, her true essence. She refuses to submit to a tradition that allows a young man to "win" her hand in marriage. She wins her own hand, quite literally. She is amazing! (Or as my 20-year-old describes her, a total bad-*ss.) She does learn along the way that there is a place for tradition and expectations, but only on terms that don't require her to sacrifice her self. Interestingly enough, those who love her – the ones who were forcing those expectation on her – also come to that same conclusion. No one should have to change who they are in order to please someone else or just to play a particular role to perfection.
Merida is my newest hero. I think there is a little of her in my writing – the part of me that wants to escape the stereotypes of a single mom, who doesn't want always "dress the part" of a dignified pastor. who wants to be a good mom without giving up being myself, who wants to be accepted and respected by the important people in my life, even if I don't always please them or meet their expectations. I understand the place for tradition and expectations, but I'm learning to put them in their place – a place that doesn't require me to sacrifice my self.
So what's my writing brand? I'm still working on that one, but so far I guess I would say it's just as my blog name implies. I'm Simply Jan – writing to share what life looks like through the eyes of my true self. And maybe to honor the bad*ss Merida in us all.


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HSBC is urging its online bank customers to download a free security app it believes can protect them from the predations of banking Trojans, phishing and keyloggers.
The application in question is actually Trusteer's Rapport browser plug-in, which protects a user's browsing sessions while visiting specific websites.
The plug-in embedded its own default selection of banking institutions (including HSBC and Alliance & Leicester in the UK), but the user can add additional ones as they choose, although this limits some security features.
When visiting one of these sites, Rapport blocks any attempt to take control of the session by malware, which could include keylogging and screen capture, session hijacking, and DNS redirection hijacks.
Other invisible layers of protection include secure DNS via Trusteer's site - a block on redirection attacks - and a secure internal store for all data worked on during an online banking session.
Bank IP addresses are verified and communication to and from the bank site is encrypted, a feature Trusteer points out is also useful when using open public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Users can monitor and configure the app using a green (on) or grey (off) icon which installs itself on the browser toolbar.
'Surpassing our most optimistic expectations'
"Download rates have surpassed our most optimistic expectations," said HSBC's digital security manager, Nick Staib.
"Rapport is software that I use myself and I am happy recommending to friends."
The app allows for some nice features such as receiving a weekly report on different types of security and browsing events, and there is also an optional feature to allow Trusteer to remotely collect data on any attacks encountered.
It is worth noting that any bank or site not embedded within the app will face some limits on the security features it can access.
Rapport does not support full traffic encryption for added sites (only for passwords on these sites), screen grabbing protection will not work, and fraud and transaction tracking, which requires bank involvement, is obviously turned off.
Rapport is really the thin edge of a slowly growing movement, that of whitelisting. The principle behind this is that a user does not know which sites are malevolent but does know the few sites that are not.
Focusing on securing access to these is the conceptual strength of its design.
Unlike some past attempts at securing browsers through plug-ins, rapport is also pleasingly low-key. Installation happens in seconds, requires no browser reboot, and seems to consume almost no memory.
Turning the app off involves entering a CAPTCHA.
Supported browsers include Microsoft's IE, Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome, and works on Windows 7, Vista and XP, as well as Apple OS X Tiger.
The application is free as long as the number of protected websites (including those already embedded) does not exceed 100.
Anyone not downloading the app through a supported partner should visit the Trusteer website.


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Lunch Box: Make-Ahead Spicy Green Bean Salad with Sesame-Lime Tofu
Get the Recipe
A simple baked tofu recipe is what I always recommend to friends who are skeptical of the wobbly bean curd, but would like to try cooking it nonetheless. Baked tofu won't dry out the next day or become sad and shriveled like fried tofu can. It does require a little time to properly squeeze out the extra liquid, but otherwise it's incredibly easy. Tofu can be a flavor sponge, soaking up anything you season it with and giving it right back to you, without disappearing into stronger flavors. Here, I just went with lime juice and black sesame seeds. I stuck my tofu under the broiler to yield a crunchy, chewy crust, bolstered by a thick coating of the seeds.
The green bean salad is a straightforward, refreshing accompaniment, and can be mixed and matched with whatever's in your fridge.
Get The Recipe!
Make-Ahead Spicy Green Bean Salad with Sesame-Lime Tofu »
About the Author: Suzanne Lehrer is a writer and recipe developer in New York and a recipe editor for Cooking Channel. When not curating her budding hot sauce collection, she puts her French Culinary Institute education to good use in kitchens all around town. Follow her recipes and cooking adventures at TheSuzChef.com and on twitter @the_suzchef.
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.


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"We Win": Conservative Media Celebrate Public Misconception That Climate Scientists "Falsified" Data
After relentlessly pushing the false claim that the so-called "Climategate" controversy showed climate scientists deceitfully manipulating data, conservative media are celebrating a Rasmussen Reports poll finding that a majority of Americans believe "some scientists" have likely "falsified research data" to support "their own theories and beliefs about global warming."
Right Wing Media Celebrate Rasmussen Poll Results
Rasmussen: "69% Say It's At Least Somewhat Likely That Some Scientists Have Falsified Research Data." A July 29-30 Rasmussen Reports survey asked, "In order to support their own theories and beliefs about global warming, how likely is it that some scientists have falsified research data?" From the Rasmussen Reports write-up of the results:
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 69% say it's at least somewhat likely that some scientists have falsified research data in order to support their own theories and beliefs, including 40% who say this is Very Likely. Twenty-two percent (22%) don't think it's likely some scientists have falsified global warming data, including just six percent (6%) say it's Not At All Likely. Another 10% are undecided. [Rasmussen Reports, 8/3/11 [1]]
- Polling Experts Question "Vague" Survey Wording. Scott Keeter, the Director of Survey Research at Pew Research Center said via email that "the question says 'some scientists' - which is so vague as to be nearly meaningless." Mark Blumenthal, Huffington Post Senior Polling Editor similarly said: "Have 'some' scientists falsified data? That's a low bar. It's not asking about 'most' scientists or about whether most findings about global warming itself rest on falsified data." [Email exchanges, 8/4/11]
Limbaugh: "I'm Going To Take Credit" For Poll Results; "We Win." Citing the Rasmussen poll, Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show:
LIMBAUGH: "While a majority of Americans nationwide continue to acknowledge significant disagreement about global warming in the scientific community, most go even further to say that some scientists are falsifying data to support their own beliefs." I'm going to raise my hand and I'm going to take credit. This has been one of my pet peeve issues for as long as I've had this show
And 69% of the American people now say it's likely scientists have been lying about their own research. We win. [Premiere Radio Networks, Rush Limbaugh, 8/4/11 [2]]
Fox Nation: "Majority Think Global Warming 'Scientists' Lie." Fox Nation promoted the Rasmussen poll with the headline "Majority Think Global Warming 'Scientists' Lie."
[Fox Nation, 8/4/11 [3]]
Hoft: 69% "Believe The Junk Scientists Behind" Climate Change "Made It Up." Jim Hoft promoted the poll through his blog, Gateway Pundit, writing that "69% of American voters believe the junk scientists behind climate change made it up." [Gateway Pundit, 8/4/11 [4]]
Climate Depot Connects Poll Results To "Climategate." Climate Depot promoted the poll results with the following image:
[Climate Depot, accessed 8/3/11 [5]]
JammieWearingFool: Poll Shows "We're Winning" And "Science Is Settled" Against Climate Change. JammieWearingFool wrote in post titled "Obvious: 69% Think Global Warming Hysteria Is Likely BS":
We're winning [1].
The science is settled. It's up to the scaremongers to prove their junk science.
Good luck with that.
Meanwhile, warm-onger Al Gore has moved on to calling for an American Arab Spring [6]. If he was coherent enough to understand public sentiment, he might find himself in a locked cage [7], [JammieWearingFool, 8/4/11 [8]]
Multiple Investigations Into "Climategate" Found No Falsification Of Data
Independent Review: "Their Rigour And Honesty As Scientists Are Not In Doubt." The Independent Climate Change E-mails Review chaired by Sir Muir Russell found:
Climate science is a matter of such global importance, that the highest standards of honesty, rigour and openness are needed in its conduct. On the specific allegations made against the behaviour of CRU scientists, we find that their rigour and honesty as scientists are not in doubt.
In addition, we do not find that their behaviour has prejudiced the balance of advice given to policy makers. In particular, we did not find any evidence of behaviour that might undermine the conclusions of the IPCC assessments.
But we do find that there has been a consistent pattern of failing to display the proper degree of openness, both on the part of the CRU scientists and on the part of the UEA, who failed to recognise not only the significance of statutory requirements but also the risk to the reputation of the University and, indeed, to the credibility of UK climate science.
On the allegation of withholding temperature data, we find that CRU was not in a position to withhold access to such data or tamper with it. We demonstrated that any independent researcher can download station data directly from primary sources and undertake their own temperature trend analysis.
Regarding CRU's global temperature records, the review panel concluded:
Any independent researcher may freely obtain the primary station data. It is impossible for a third party to withhold access to the data.
It is impossible for a third party to tamper improperly with the data unless they have also been able to corrupt the GHCN and NCAR sources. We do not consider this to be a credible possibility, and in any case this would be easily detectable by comparison to the original NMO records or other sources such as the Hadley Centre.
The steps needed to create a global temperature series from the data are straightforward to implement.
The required computer code is straightforward and easily written by a competent researcher.
The shape of the temperature trends obtained in all cases is very similar: in other words following the same process with the same data obtained from different sources generates very similar results.
By performing this simple test one determines easily that the results of the CRUTEM analysis follow directly from the published description of the method, and that the resultant temperature trend is not significantly different from the other results regardless of stations used or adjustments made. The test is therefore sufficient to demonstrate that, with respect to the declared method, the CRUTEM analysis does not contain either error or adjustments which are responsible for the shape of the resultant temperature trend. [The Independent Climate Change Emails Review, July 2010 [9], emphasis original]
FactCheck.org: "Quotes That Skeptics" Point To Do Not Show "Falsifying" Data. FactCheck.org stated on December 10, 2009:
E-mails being cited as "smoking guns" have been misrepresented. For instance, one e-mail that refers to "hiding the decline" isn't talking about a decline in actual temperatures as measured at weather stations. These have continued to rise, and 2009 may turn out to be the fifth warmest year ever recorded. The "decline" actually refers to a problem with recent data from tree rings.
Other quotes that skeptics say are evidence of "data manipulation" actually refer to how numbers are presented, not to falsifying those numbers. [FactCheck.org, 12/10/09 [10]]
AP: U.K. Investigation Found "No Evidence" That CRU Scientists "Had Tampered With Data." The Associated Press reported:
The first of several British investigations into the e-mails leaked from one of the world's leading climate research centers has largely vindicated the scientists involved.
The House of Commons' Science and Technology Committee said Wednesday that they'd seen no evidence to support charges that the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit or its director, Phil Jones, had tampered with data or perverted the peer review process to exaggerate the threat of global warming two of the most serious criticisms levied against the climatologist and his colleagues.
In their report, the committee said that, as far as it was able to ascertain, "the scientific reputation of Professor Jones and CRU remains intact," adding that nothing in the more than 1,000 stolen e-mails, or the controversy kicked up by their publication, challenged scientific consensus that "global warming is happening and that it is induced by human activity." [AP, 3/30/10 [11], via CBS; House of Commons, 3/31/10 [12]]
Independent Panel Found "[N]o Evidence Of Any Deliberate Scientific Malpractice." An independent panel commissioned by the University of East Anglia and led by former industry scientist Lord Oxburgh examined 11 publications produced by CRU and found "no evidence of any deliberate scientific malpractice in any of the work of the Climatic Research Unit and had it been there we believe that it is likely that we would have detected it. Rather we found a small group of dedicated if slightly disorganised researchers who were ill-prepared for being the focus of public attention." The report said of CRU's temperature records:
In detailed discussion with the researchers we found them to be objective and dispassionate in their view of the data and their results, and there was no hint of tailoring results to a particular agenda. Their sole aim was to establish as robust a record of temperatures in recent centuries as possible. All of the published work was accompanied by detailed descriptions of uncertainties and accompanied by appropriate caveats. The same was true in face to face discussions. [Panel report, April 2010 [13]]
Penn State: "[N]o Credible Evidence" That Michael Mann Engaged In Actions "With An Intent To Suppress Or To Falsify Data." Penn State conducted an inquiry, led by a panel of department heads and scientists, into whether scientist Michael Mann -- based on alleged evidence in the emails -- manipulated data or destroyed records. Among its conclusions:
After careful consideration of all the evidence and relevant materials, the inquiry committee finding is that there exists no credible evidence that Dr. Mann had or has ever engaged in, or participated in, directly or indirectly, any actions with an intent to suppress or to falsify data. While a perception has been created in the weeks after the CRU emails were made public that Dr. Mann has engaged in the suppression or falsification of data, there is no credible evidence that he ever did so, and certainly not while at Penn State. In fact to the contrary, in instances that have been focused upon by some as indicating falsification of data, for example in the use of a "trick" to manipulate the data, this is explained as a discussion among Dr. Jones and others including Dr. Mann about how best to put together a graph for a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report. They were not falsifying data; they were trying to construct an understandable graph for those who were not experts in the field. The so-called "trick"1 was nothing more than a statistical method used to bring two or more different kinds of data sets together in a legitimate fashion by a technique that has been reviewed by a broad array of peers in the field. [Pennsylvannia State University, February 2010 [14]]
Following Email Release, Media Advanced Falsehood Of Data Manipulation
Conservative Media Asserted That CRU Emails Showed Scientists "Cooking The Data." When the news of the CRU emails broke in November 2009, conservative media repeatedly claimed without evidence that the emails showed scientists tampering with data to exaggerate global warming. For instance:
- Limbaugh: Emails Showed "A Lot Of Evidence Of Substantial Fraud." [Premiere Radio Networks, Rush Limbaugh, 11/20/09 [15]]
- Fox's Varney: Emails "Sugges[t] Scientists Are Fudging Data To Make Their Case For Global Warming." [Fox News, Your World with Neil Cavuto, 11/24/09 [16]]
- Limbaugh On "Climategate" Emails: "Now We've Got The Hoax Fully Exposed." [Premiere Radio Networks, Rush Limbaugh, 11/24/09 [17]]
- Wash. Times: Emails Are "Revelations Of Fudged Science" In Support Of "Unproven Theory." [Washington Times, 11/29/09 [18]]
- Fox & Friends: Stolen Emails Show Scientists "Fudging," "Doctoring" Data. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 12/2/09-12/3/09 [19]]
- Hannity: Scientists "Were Certainly Fudging" Data. [Fox News, Hannity, 12/3/09 [20]]
- George Will In Wash. Post: Emails Reveal "Some Scientists' Willingness" To "Massage Data." [The Washington Post, 12/6/2009 [21]]
- Chris Wallace: Emails Showed "Some Of The Climate Scientists Were Apparently Fudging The Numbers." [Fox Broadcasting Co., Fox News Sunday, 12/6/09, via Nexis]
- Palin In Wash. Post: Emails Show Scientists "Manipulated Data To 'Hide The Decline' In Global Temperatures." [Washington Post, 12/9/09 [22]]
- Fox Reporter: Emails Suggest "Scientists" Who "Believe" In Climate Change "Were Trying To Manipulate The Data." [Fox News, America's Newsroom, 12/10/09 [23]]
- Huckabee: "A Lot Of The Scientists Were Cooking The Data In Order To Reach A Political And Not A Scientific Conclusion." [Fox News, Huckabee, 12/13/09 [24]]
Mainstream Media Outlets Uncritically Reported Unfounded Allegations Of Data Manipulation. Despite the fact that nothing in the email showed that the scientists had doctored data to exaggerate global warming, mainstream media outlets uncritically repeated the allegation:
- NBC: Critics "Say These Emails ... Show Climate Scientists Massaging Data." [NBC Nightly News, 12/04/09 [25]]
- CBS: The Emails "Seem To Show" That Scientists Decided To "Manipulate Some Research That Didn't Help Prove Global Warming Exists." [CBS Evening News, 12/8/09 [26]]
- ABC: Email Referencing "Trick" Is "Damning." [ABC World News, 12/9/09 [27]]
- CNN: Emails "Suggest Some Scientists Faked Data To Support The Argument Of Global Warming." [CNN.com, 12/7/09 [28]]
Conservative Media Have Continued To Feed Myth That CRU Emails Showed Doctoring Of Data
Fox Guest Borelli: Scientists Are "Trying To Ram The Data To Force-Fit" Their Conclusion. On January 15, 2010, Glenn Beck guest host Eric Bolling and guest Tom Borelli, senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research used a grant awarded under the stimulus bill to climate scientist Michael Mann to revive debunked claims about emails stolen from the Climatic Research Unit at East Anglia University. Borelli claimed "these emails that they're all looking at, it seems like the scientists themselves don't believe there's such a consensus because they have their conclusion that man's causing it, and now they're trying to ram the data to force-fit it. It's the round peg in the square hole." [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 1/15/10]
NewsBusters: Mann Was Involved In "Attempt To Exaggerate And Manipulate Climate Data." In a January 14, 2010, NewsBusters post [29], associate editor Noel Sheppard referred to Mann's purported "involvement in an international attempt to exaggerate and manipulate climate data in order to advance the myth of manmade global warming" in stating that he "can identify absolutely no media coverage concerning" the grant. [Newsbusters, 1/14/10 [30]]
Hoft: Mann And Other "Junk Scientists...Knowingly Perpetrated A Fraud." In a January 14, 2010, post [31] on his Gateway Pundit blog, Jim Hoft called the grant "Unreal" because "Climategate Junk Scientist" Mann "was implicated in the global warming email conspiracy." Hoft added that the stolen emails "prove that the junk scientists behind the global warming movement knowingly perpetrated a fraud on the global community." [GatewayPundit, 1/14/10 [30]]
On Earth Day, Fox's Hannity Claimed Scientists "Manufacture, Distort The Data To Advance Their Agenda." From a April 22, 2010, interview with Brian [32] Sussman [33]:
SEAN HANNITY: In his new book "Climategate," Brian Sussman asserts that the global warming hype is really just a form of communism rooted in the principles of Karl Marx. Now Sussman argues that the communist tenets of moral relativism, the belief in science over God, and the idea of de-developing successful nations to fill the needs of underdeveloped countries all describe the global warming movement.
Climate-gate, he argues highlighted these principles by showing that the scientists were purposely hiding information that would prove their theories wrong and knowingly deceiving people by manipulating the science.
HANNITY: How are scientists corrupted in this process? In other words, that they would manufacture, distort the data to advance their agenda? How did that happen? Why were they willing accomplices here?
SUSSMAN: That's because the record, the temperature record of the earth is clearly rigged. So you get Phil Jones at the CRU in the U.K. I mean, he's pulled in $19 million for his organization in research grants. The temperature has got to be warming, Sean, otherwise he's not going to get the grants. [Fox News, Hannity, 4/22/10, via Nexis]
On Earth Day, MRC's Bozell Claimed "There Were Campaigns To Manipulate the Data In Their Favor." After Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Media Research Center's Brent Bozell what his "take" was on "some of the problems" with global warming this year, Bozell said "we find from leaked memos that there were campaigns to manipulate the data in their favor. There was a campaign to destroy evidence that would go against them -- to manipulate that evidence." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/22/10 [34]]
Glenn Beck: "It Has Become Crystal Clear That Scientists Fudged The Data." On the May 11, 2010, edition of his Fox News show, Glenn Beck said:
BECK: One year after lamenting my crazy stand on global warming, it has become crystal clear that scientists fudged the data, lied about the numbers, gone out of their way to exaggerate the problem. And yet tomorrow they will introduce the cap and trade bill in Congress.[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 5/11/10 [35]]
Hannity: "E-mails That Show Manipulation Of Data Were Very Incriminating." From a special August 27, 2010, edition of Hannity titled "The Green Swindle," which dedicated a significant amount of time to "climategate":
HANNITY: E-mails that show manipulation of data were very incriminating. But the written discussions about destroying records proved to be most damning.
HANNITY: When Climategate broke, the e-mails went viral and five investigations were launched while the scientists were cleared of any wrongdoing critics called these investigations a sham.
MCKITRICK: All of these inquiries have been a disappointment. In a sense, the documentation is there and the record is there. We are still waiting for a real inquiry to be formed that will get to the bottom of --
HANNITY: While the culprits claim innocence they are still trying to rewrite history. In a recent interview with the VDC, Mann said this about the hockey stick graph.
PROFESSOR MICHAEL MANN, EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE: I always thought it was somewhat misplaced to make it a central icon of the climate change debate.
HANNITY: While the, quote, "investigations" turned up nothing, the impact of Climategate is clear. [Fox News, Hannity, 8/27/10, via Nexis]
Hannity: "Climategate" Showed "That They Artificially Altered The Science To Hype Global Warming." From the November 19, 2010, edition of Hannity:
HANNITY: Today is the one year anniversary of climategate, where we discovered that they artificially altered the science to hype global warming, which I say -- and others -- doesn't exist.
HANNITY: If the science was so incontrovertible, why did the scientists have to alter it? [Fox News, Hannity, 11/19/10 [36]]
Fox Guest Suggests Climategate Showed "The Science Is Not Quite Science In Many Cases." Discussing greenhouse gas regulations on Fox Business, conservative columnist Jedidiah Bila said:
JEDEDIAH BILA: I do not think it will go through as a result of Climategate and so many things that have happened. I think people are well aware that the science is not quite science in many cases. [Fox Business, America's Nightly Scoreboard, 12/27/10, via Nexis]
Beck: "Do I Believe Scientists? No. They've Lied To Us About Global Warming." On the January 6 edition of his Fox News show, Glenn Beck discussed his distrust of media and experts and said: "Do I believe scientists? No. They've lied to us about global warming." [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 1/6/11 [37]]
Fox's John Gibson: Scientists Were "Cooking Up Bad Information For A Long Time For Political Purposes." From the June 21 edition of Fox Business' Follow The Money:
ERIC BOLLING: This East Anglia University that came up with the faulty numbers that they were basing some of the global warming trends on, what do you think about CRU
BILL KIRK, WEATHER TRENDS INTERNATIONAL: Again, again, it was, for instance, the hockey stick. We've cooked the books of the past. And that's the sad thing about data. We are corrupting the data forever. We're all about data, at WeatherTrends360.com, it's all about data (inaudible). So yeah, there definitely is some fraud there.
BOLLING: Quickly, last thought, sir?
JOHN GIBSON, Fox News Radio Host: East Anglia is a scandal the global warming people just don't want to admit to. Those scientists were cooking up bad information for a long time for political purposes.
BOLLING: Political and monetary. They sought to -- they got a lot of funds based on some of that science. [Fox Business, Follow The Money, 6/21/11 [38]]
Fox's Crowley: "A Lot Of This Data Has Been Falsified, Fraudulent, Made Up Out Of Thin Air." On the June 22 edition of Fox Business' Follow the Money, Fox News contributor Monica Crowley stated, "We've seen over the last year or so that a lot of data has been falsified, fraudulent, made up out of thin air." Crowley added that "in fact, we may be cooling." [Fox Business, Follow The Money, 6/22/11 [39]]
Fox's Stossel: CRU Emails "Revealed That Some Scientists Were Manipulating Data To Support Their Alarmist Position." From the July 7 edition of Fox Business' Stossel:
JOHN STOSSEL: Continuing with "The Road to Serfdom", is the Green Movement putting us on the road to serfdom? Yes says James Delingpole. He's one of the journalists who broke the "Climategate" scandals.
He published some of those e-mails that revealed some scientists were manipulating data to support their alarmist position on global warming. [Fox Business, Stossel, 7/7/11, via Nexis]
Wash. Times: "The Climategate Scandal Showed That Scientists Manipulate Data To Bolster Their Stories Of Impending Doom." From a July 25 Washington Times editorial:
During the past several years, the Climategate scandal showed that scientists manipulate data to bolster their stories of impending doom. That, combined with the absence of actual temperature elevations, has soured the public's acceptance of Mr. Gore's central article of faith that human activity is heating the planet. [Washington Times, 7/25/11 [40]]
Fox Has Leveled Other Baseless Accusations Of Doctoring Data
Fox News Baselessly Accuses Scientists Of "Doctoring" Sea Level Data To "Exaggerate" Global Warming. FoxNews.com and Fox Nation trumpeted the baseless claim that scientists at the University of Colorado are "doctoring" sea level data to "exaggerate the effects of global warming." In reality, the scientists used a standard and transparent procedure performed by other research groups around the world, and even the climate skeptic cited by Fox News objects to the implication that the group engaged in scientific wrongdoing. [Media Matters, 6/20/11 [41]]
Fox's Hannity Trumpeted Claim That Britain Had "Tampered With" And "Rigged" Data. On his Fox News show, host Sean Hannity falsely claimed that a "major Russian climate change organization dropped a bombshell" report claiming that "much of its climate data was tampered with by a leading British research center" and that "any of their data that could help disprove global warming was simply ignored." In fact, the Moscow-based Institute of Economic Analysis (IEA) is not a "climate change organization"; it is an economic and social policy think tank headed by Andrei Illarionov, an economist, climate skeptic, and fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute; moreover, the report was not about "their" data -- it simply purported to analyze how the UK Met Office used data from Russian meteorological stations. [Fox News, Hannity, 12/18/09 [42]]
- Posted In
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- Fox News Channel [45], The Washington Post [46], CBS [47], NBC [48], ABC [49], Premiere Radio Networks [50], The Washington Times [51], Media Research Center [52], Fox Business [53], FoxNews.com [54], NewsBusters [55], Fox Nation [56], Gateway Pundit [57]
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- Sean Hannity [58], Rush Limbaugh [59], George F. Will [60], Glenn Beck [61], Steve Doocy [62], Brian Kilmeade [63], John Gibson [64], John Stossel [65], L. Brent Bozell [66], Monica Crowley [67], Stuart Varney [68], Gretchen Carlson [69], Mike Huckabee [70], Eric Bolling [71], Marc Morano [72], Sarah Palin [73], Anne Thompson [74], Jeff Glor [75], Jim Hoft [76], Kimberly Dozier [77], Amy Kellogg [78], Washington Times [79], Jedediah Bila [80]
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- The Rush Limbaugh Show [81], FOX & Friends [82], Your World w/ Neil Cavuto [83], ABC World News Tonight [84], CBS Evening News [85], NBC Nightly News [86], Glenn Beck show [87], America's Newsroom [88], CNN.com [89], Hannity [90], Huckabee [91], JammieWearingFool [92], Stossel [93], Follow the Money with Eric Bolling [94], Climate Depot [95]


text:
FBI Agent Drew Northern to Give Talk at Wab• September 21, 2012 Share:
Wabash College will present a talk by Drew Northern, the FBI's Chief Division Counsel/Supervisory Special Agent in the Indianapolis Field Office. He will give his talk at 7:30 p.m., Monday, September 24, in Lovell Lecture Room in Baxter Hall. The title of Northern's presentation is "Cradle of Civilization and Chaos: The FBI Major Crimes Task Force and the Lost City Iraqi Antiquities Operation."
Northern is a 1989 graduate of Wabash College and majored in political science. He has a law degree and served in the U.S. Navy's JAG Corps.
Northern describes the presentation as follows: "Iraq 2007: As the United States continued operations in Iraq, the FBI Major Crimes Task Force in Baghdad was working with Iraqi law enforcement officials to restore the rule of law. The Cradle of Civilization had devolved into a Cradle of Chaos in which sectarian violence, public corruption, and lawlessness threatened the stability of the Iraqi government and the safety of the Iraqi people. The FBI Baghdad Major Crimes Task Force conducted an operation which helped shut down a major antiquities smuggling pipeline, recovered stolen and counterfeit artifacts and locate a valuable archaeological site in dire need of cultural protection. FBI Supervisory Special Agent Drew Northern was the coordinator of this task force and the case agent on the Lost City Iraqi Antiquities Operation."
His talk is free and open to the public.


text:
By Monica Mattioli, '77
Executive Director of Alumni Operations
Fr. Ross Chamberland has resided on campus throughout this academic year in the capacity of "friar intern." Internships occur at a stage of Franciscan formation that provides exposure to the many available aspects of Franciscan life. We are blessed by Fr. Ross's choice of St. Bonaventure University as an intern experience. I recently asked to meet with him to pose 10 questions that will help introduce him to our community. Always with a ready smile and wink, Fr. Ross graciously agreed.
MONICA: Why did you choose to become a Franciscan friar?
FR. ROSS: I had been considering a vocation and was quite familiar with diocesan priesthood, but not community life. I asked a sister friend for her opinion and she indicated that she could see Franciscan attributes in me. When I pursued this and met the friars, I knew I wanted to be one. They are dedicated, committed, kind, and happy guys. I knew that would be the right place for me.
MONICA: When did you enter the process?
FR. ROSS: I started formally in 2005.
MONICA: Where are you from?
FR. ROSS: I am from New Hampshire, right on the Massachusetts line. You might detect a little Boston in my speech. I spent some time in "Southie" along the way.
MONICA: What has been your academic preparation?
FR. ROSS: I earned a bachelor's degree at Emmanuel College in social justice and urban life. I developed this major myself, after having earned more than 100 undergraduate credit hours at other colleges. Now this is a formal program at Emmanuel, consisting of rigorous courses in religious studies, sociology, and education. I hold a master's in theological studies from Washington Theological Union, and an additional master's in pontifical theology from Catholic University.
MONICA: What has been your work prior to coming to St. Bonaventure?
FR. ROSS: I came to St. Bonaventure directly from St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland, which is adjacent to Holy Name College, where St. Bonaventure has held alumni events. The parish population there reflects a worldwide mix of cultures. I was on the board of directors for a Blue Ribbon Catholic School and taught RCIA to high school and college-aged students. Prior to that, I taught religion in Brooklyn and led the Boston Catholic Youth Connection — a collaboration among diocesan parishes addressing gang activity. This was a peace advocacy activity where I got to know many gang members and was able to bridge between them, their communities, police, etc. I spent many nights in rough neighborhoods, on ride-alongs, and generally out helping in the city.
MONICA: Has St. Bonaventure met your expectations so far?
FR. ROSS: Yes! I was very interested in higher ed ministry, and I've been exposed to many aspects of that here. I've done everything from teaching a Clare College class to University Ministries work to assisting with advancement events. St. Bonaventure impresses me most in terms of the culture – steeped in tradition so much that I can really feel it. That struck me right away. When I meet with students, I often ask them why they chose St. Bonaventure and they tell me their experiences when they visited compelled them to come. I can relate to that.
MONICA: Describe one thing you've gained from your experience at SBU.
FR. ROSS: I have observed Franciscan life in its many forms. I have lived in community with friars. I have witnessed professors and staff living out Franciscan lives. And, I see our students developing their Franciscan values in their own lives. All of those show me how to be a better Franciscan in the future.
MONICA: You have expressed a special interest in alumni and advancement activities. Have you had any opportunities to be involved in those?
FR. ROSS: Yes, shortly after I arrived I attended the Devereux golf outing at Holiday Valley. I met some wonderful people there and had a great time. I've also attended athletic events, the Meet the Deans program in Rochester, was involved in the social gathering in Silver Spring, and went on the New York Harbor cruise. I'm looking forward to many more.
MONICA: What do you like to do in your spare time?
FR. ROSS: I enjoy music, arts, and movies. Generally, I love any live performance. I enjoy the chance to see a Broadway show or hear a concert. I recently saw Robert Redford's "All Is Lost" – it was outstanding!
MONICA: Name one unique fact about you that people would not expect.
FR. ROSS: Among my academic credentials is a diploma from Boston Bartending School. I've found this to be a useful social skill, and it helped to support me through my other academic pursuits.
Application forms, procedures and additional information
There are many ways to experience
St. Bonaventure for yourself
Learn more about the programs that interest you


text: HKSS.com | Community > Discussion Forum > View topic - HKSS.com has been shut down for a re-design Home Community Superstars Music | What's New | Help HKSS | Search* Discussions | HKE Chat | Reflections of Life | Virtual Cards | Member Galleries Please excuse our mess. HKSS is currently under re-construction and some links/sections don't work yet. What's New: Latest updates | Member Galleries | Music | HKE Chat | About HKSS.com Community Discussions HKE Chat Reflections of Life Member Galleries Virtual Cards* Play Music Superstars Profiles* Galleries* Reviews Gossip & News Other Privacy Policy Terms of Use Link to HKSS* HKSS.com What's New About Contact* Advertise* Help HKSS Links YesAsia yuenStudios Do you like HKSS? My Watched Topics | My Favorites | My Profile Private IMs Register Log in Help | Stats | Members | Groups Search Forum HKSS.com has been shut down for a re-design HKSS.com Forum Index -> Announcements/ What's New? View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message Mikey_Life is good. Be inspired.Joined: 04 Oct 2003Posts: 1322Location: Fountain Valley, California (USA) Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 7:04 pm Post subject: HKSS.com has been shut down for a re-design Effective January 1, 2005, HKSS.com was shut down for a re-design and upgrade. The following sections will continue to be available until the new site is up. However, errors and layout issues may appear. Entertainment - Discussion Forum - Main Page - Superstar Profiles - Superstar Galleries Mail - HKSS.com Free Mail - IMPORTANT: Due to abuse and spam, this free service has been discontinued. As such, no new mail will be delivered. Be sure to log in to your account and move all your existing mail to a new provider. I sincerely apologize for this as I know that this is a GREAT inconvenience for many of you. Perhaps this service will be re-instated in the future once more effective anti-abuse/spam mechanisms have become available. Virtual Postcards - Send/Pick up an All-Yours card - Send/Pick up an 123 Greetings card I'd like to thank you for your patience while I re-design the website. HKSS.com was launced September 23, 1996 and through the support of trillions of hits and the generous donation of a few loyal visitors, this site has been able to stay free. Please check back the What's New section often for updates. Thank you, Michael Yuen HKSS.com Creator Back to top Mikey_Life is good. Be inspired.Joined: 04 Oct 2003Posts: 1322Location: Fountain Valley, California (USA) Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 4:04 am Post subject: Here is a preview of what HKSS v5.0 may look like... Any comments/feedback are welcome, of course. MichaelLast edited by Mikey_ on Sun May 15, 2005 11:17 pm; edited 2 times in total Back to top Mikey_Life is good. Be inspired.Joined: 04 Oct 2003Posts: 1322Location: Fountain Valley, California (USA) Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 12:13 pm Post subject: And some banners to advertise HKSS in the future... Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First HKSS.com Forum Index -> Announcements/ What's New? All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Entertainment----------------All EntertainmentReviewsGossip and NewsIdol DiscussionsMusicMoviesTV Shows Non-Entertainment----------------General DiscussionsNew MembersFun and GamesReflections of LifeHobbies, TravelFood and CookingHelp!Websites HKSS.com----------------Announcements/ What's New?Help HKSS.comFeedback/ Contact HKSS.comWishlist You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Back to top Copyright © 1996-2014 HKSS.com™. All Rights Reserved. About | Link to HKSS.com | Advertise | Contact | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Information and images accessed from this site are protected by international copyright and/or other intellectual property rights. You may infringe these rights if you download, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, or exploit such content without the explicit consent of HKSS.com. > Site design by yuenStudios.com (2006)


text:
Urination video investigation cites discipline lapses
WASHINGTON — A breakdown in leadership and discipline contributed to an elite team of Marine snipers urinating on the bodies of dead insurgents in Afghanistan in June 2011, according to an investigative report released Wednesday.
The lengthy Marine Corps investigation is a case study in the importance that leadership plays in maintaining discipline amid the chaos of war. It also highlighted the role of snipers, who are critical in Afghanistan because of their ability to strike targets precisely across great distances.
"Because snipers are so independent, lack of discipline in their ranks was a legitimate concern that was regularly discussed" by the top commanders, the investigation said.
The report concluded that "while certain members of the battalion held the scout sniper platoon in high regard, others believed that the snipers thought very highly of themselves and were not held to the same discipline standards because they were 'doing great things.'"
The number of kills racked up by the snipers "became equated with the battalion's success," the report said.
The incident became explosive when it surfaced on the Internet in January 2012, prompting fears that it would trigger anti-American violence and risk American lives in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Muslim world.
The videotape was made on July 27, 2011, during a patrol consisting of 20 troops, including six members of a sniper team.
The video, which spread widely on the Internet, showed four Marines urinating on three dead insurgents. The maltreatment of dead bodies is considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.
But the report highlighted a number of other disciplinary lapses during the patrol. The Marine Corps emphasizes the importance of small unit leadership and discipline throughout its training.
A boy walking with the insurgents was seriously injured during the shooting that killed three insurgents. The Marines on the patrol did not call for an immediate evacuation despite the seriousness of his wounds.
The investigation said the Marines should have aborted the patrol and called for a helicopter medical evacuation. He was later brought back to a U.S. base where he was treated and later recovered.
The report also cites an incident in which Marines entered a village and cut a rope used to hoist water from a well and attempted to puncture a tractor tire. The investigation also concluded that the team provided inaccurate reports of enemy killed.
Marines also fired their weapons and tossed grenades for the benefit of cameras they were carrying, according to the report.
The report was released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The report was released because disciplinary actions in connection with the case have been completed.
On Wednesday Navy Secretary Ray Mabus upheld a board of inquiry recommendation that Capt. James Clement be honorably discharged from the Marines. Eight other Marines have previously been disciplined in connection with the case, including a number of noncommissioned officers.
Clements has said he was unaware of the video at the time, but was accused of failing to step in and prevent unprofessional actions during the patrol.
Clements' civilian attorney, John Dowd, decried the decision, saying his client "engaged in no misconduct...and that his service for six years was honorable."
Follow @jimmichaels on Twitter.


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I'm running Clozure CCL downloaded and installed from the Mac app store (on a Mac - obviously:) It has the Hemlock editor built in, and this fits my needs. For various reasons I do NOT consider any of the Emacs flavors an option for me.
I want to add some my own functions to make some minor changes. Hemlock has a user guide which describes the built-in functions and how to create plugins etc. BUT I haven't seen where Hemlock looks for user defined functions. Do I define them in the ccl-init.lisp file in my home directory? This feels wrong because that file is used by the REPL. Does Hemlock have its own init file?
Thanx - Charlie


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Please give a warm welcome to Leah from AnyTrip.com who is guest blogging on JNSQ this week! Just want to take a second to let readers know that AnyTrip is giving away several trips to Paris, and you still have time to participate! Just Like them on Facebook to enter! Good luck and thanks to AnyTrip for these great tips!
|© flickr Moyan Brenn
Cheap accommodations – Hostels are fine if you are just looking for a place to grab a shower and snooze but if you want to savor the atmosphere of a Paris neighborhood, check out weekly apartment rates or room rentals where you can cook and hang close to home to keep your out of pocket expenses low.
Learn the language – Don't aspire to speak French like a native, but valiant efforts to address locals with articulate French phrases give you a chance of not being pegged as an uncouth tourist and therefore avoid the price gouging that goes with the label. Of course, learning how to understand their response is the second part of the equation…
Hit the outdoor markets before closing – Any good bargain hunter knows that vendors drop their prices drastically when it is time to pack up, so if you can refrain from shopping until closing time, you will be surprised how much more you'll have for less money.
|© Flickr Dimitry B.
Paris Visite Pass – Spare yourself the trauma of Paris' notoriously wicked traffic by hopping aboard their excellent metro system with a Parise Visite Pass. The traveler's card entitles you to unlimited rides for a single price for a set amount of time – but note the passes are divided into zones so city-wide excursions require multiple passes. What's really cool is that the pass automatically qualifies you for discounts in stores, restaurants, and sightseeing venues as well as the many seasonal events.
Cheap dining - Learning to eat cheap in Paris requires a bit of discipline but with fortitude you can indulge decadent food fantasies without facing sticker shock. The street vendors have rock bottom prices for crepes and pizzas while the cost of sit-down restaurants like Chartier, Chez Gladines and Au Petit Grec comes as a pleasant surprise.
Luggage and bags – Keeping track of your stuff is tough enough when you travel, but Paris is notorious for pick pockets and purse snatchers, so arrange your attire so you carry your valuables close to your body and just have purses and bags to carry incidental items. Simple but sturdy luggage with locking zippers is the best idea; anything too flashy just makes a juicy target.
|© Flickr Aitor Escauriaza
Ask for advice - It is surprising how people love to share their insider knowledge of bargains, so by asking the right question at the right time you could well land a sweet deal. Be alert for opportunists, but don't be shy about relying on the kindness of strangers.
Buy your own booze – Drinking cocktails and buying bottles of wine with dinner can jack up the bottom line in no time. By keeping your own supply tucked in a handy flask you can catch a buzz for a fraction of the price.


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President Obama has announced the US is sending "about 100" armed military advisers to Central Africa to assist government troops fighting a vicious insurgency whose leaders are international war-crimes fugitives.
Read the President's Letter to Congress HERE.
The Lord's Resistance Army is a quasi religious armed movement headed by Joseph Kony. The 20-year-old insurgency has been condemned for its horrific violence, including the murder, rape, kidnapping and mutilation of tens of thousands of men, women, and children across Uganda, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, reports Reuters.
Obama made clear the troops would serve as trainers and advisers in efforts to hunt down rebel leader Joseph Kony and would not engage in combat except in self-defense. In a letter to Congress, Obama said the first U.S. forces arrived in Uganda on Wednesday and would be deployed to South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo "subject to the approval of each respective host nation."
Obama's decision commits U.S. forces to help confront a rebel group that has drawn international condemnation for decades of chilling violence, including hacking body parts off victims and the abduction of young boys to fight and young girls for use as sex slaves.
The LRA, which says it is a religious group, emerged in northern Uganda in the 1990s and is believed to have killed, kidnapped and mutilated tens of thousands of people. Kony has been indicted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
LRA commanders have been operating in the wild and largely lawless border regions of the DRC, Central African Republic and Sudan in recent years. Although now thought to number just a few hundred fighters, the LRA's mobility and the difficulties of the terrain have made it difficult to tackle. Attempts to negotiate peace failed in 2008 after Kony refused to sign a deal to end the killing.
The troops were dispatched "with the consent" of Uganda's government and President Yoweri Museveni. The military effort will be conducted in tandem with "enhanced" diplomatic and intelligence efforts, adds Think Progress Security.
This will help generate a quicker response to LRA attacks on civilian populations, encourage greater and more effective collaboration between regional militaries, and hold these militaries to a higher civilian protection standard.
The regional militaries involved in LRA operations — primarily Uganda, with some assistance from Congo and South Sudan — suffer from a lack of technical capacity and insufficient resources. If we're honest, they have also suffered from discipline problems — which makes partnering with them tricky business, a dilemma of which the administration is well aware.
"Since 2008, the United States has provided over $40 million in critical logistical support, equipment and training to enhance counter-LRA operations by regional militaries," reports the State Department.


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Hi everybody, Janis here (Shaniqua's husband).
The nutshell story is that our son, Julius John Stipins, was born a week ago today. He is very healthy, Shaniqua is recovering well, and we're getting settled into a decent rhythm at home. It's perfectly fine to stop reading now. :-)
We have hesitated until now to send you all a birth story. For casual acquaintances and distant relatives, it's fine to send out a "Hey, it's a boy!" email, omitting the difficult and frightening parts. For our fellow travelers from the birth class, though, we didn't feel right giving you a sanitized version of the story. At the same time, we haven't been in a good enough place to feel like sharing the truth with anybody until now. So here it is, and hopefully it will be helpful in some way to some of you.
First of all: Shaniqua never went into labor naturally. We had considered and planned for many different eventualities, but this was not among them. I don't even remember it being mentioned in our class as a thing that happens, although possibly I wasn't paying attention. Our midwife, Maria Iorillo, says that she sees about two cases a year of a woman going until week 42 without going into labor. Shaniqua had plenty of Braxton-Hicks contractions, but still had not gone into labor by Dec 29, which was two weeks past our "due date". (A phrase worthy of irony-quotes, to be sure.)
Here is some information that we probably knew at some point, but did not have at the top of our heads when it became relevant:
- At least with our midwife, once the pregnancy extends to 41 weeks, it is recommended to get two non-invasive tests done at a hospital. The first is a non-stress test, which makes sure that the baby's heart rate is not crashing, and that he is moving often enough to indicate good health. The second is an amniotic fluid index, which makes sure that the baby has enough fluid around him in the uterus. These tests need to be repeated every few days starting with week 41. The idea is that the pregnancy can continue safely if the tests look good; otherwise induction is recommended. Our tests looked excellent on Dec 22, 24, and 27.
- We had established care at St Luke's and at UCSF. St Luke's is closer to us, and so we went there for the first two test dates. However, St Luke's will not induce labor past 41 weeks 4 days, so our test on Dec 27 was performed at UCSF, which is better equipped for neonatal intensive care.
Nobody likes a pregnancy to extend past 42 weeks, regardless of how good the test results look. If it is fair to call 40 weeks the "due date", it's probably fair to call 42 weeks the "induction date". This is a perfectly reasonable thing; it's just not something we were really conscious of until we zipped past week 41 with no labor.
Here is one of my opinions that I mentioned in class, but which bears repeating:
- If you accompany someone you care about into a hospital, prepare to be an advocate for that person. Question everything until you are satisfied that you understand what is happening, and do not feel obliged to accept someone's recommendations. Everyone who comes into your room has an agenda --- not a malicious one, but one which may not be aligned with your own goals. For a simple example, after each of the three testing sessions, we had to fend of a different well-meaning hospital employee hellbent on performing a cervical sweep. They each had to be turned down multiple times before finally accepting Shaniqua's decision. (Our midwife is not a fan of sweeps in most situations, including the situation we were in.)
Anyway, back to the birth story. With our midwife's guidance, we made the decision to check into UCSF for an induction on Dec 29. The appointment was made for 8pm, with the understanding that the first step of labor induction would be a drug called Cervidil, which is designed to ripen the cervix gradually, over a period of 12 hours or so. The idea was that Shaniqua would check into the hospital, they would give her this medication, she would get a good night's rest, and then on the morning of Dec 30 they could begin further induction if necessary (read: Pitocin).
That's not how it happened.
By the time Shaniqua had been checked in to the admittedly nice Labor Room 3, and her cervix had been roughly examined twice (and likely swept, in her estimation), and the Cervidil was inserted... it was 2am. OK, fine; she and I would get some sleep there, and we'd see what the morning would bring.
Forty-five minutes later, Shaniqua started having real, painful contractions. She had one real, painful contraction every 60 seconds from 3am until 11am, when the force of the contractions caused her body to eject the Cervidil. This is during the time that she had planned to be resting, based on what we had been told by the doctors. The doctors were surprised at how effective the Cervidil was, which was little comfort to Shaniqua.
Even though this is the non-sanitized version of our birth story, I am going to fast forward through the labor now, if for no other reason than that I lack the ability to communicate the profundity of what transpired in Labor Room 3 that night and day and night. Some day I will try to write it into a worthy story. For now, this is the email I sent to friends and relatives on 12/31/2010:
Hi everybody,
This is Janis writing from Shaniqua's email account, announcing that our son, Julius John Stipins, was born today at 7:42am at UCSF hospital. For those keeping records, he is 9lbs 8oz and 23" long. He's also very cute, due to looking a lot like his mom. :-)
We were planning a home birth, but Shaniqua still hadn't gone into labor two weeks after the due date. So we went in to the hospital on the evening of Dec 29, so that they could give Shaniqua something to induce labor. It worked surprisingly well, and by 3am Dec 30 Shaniqua was in labor. She labored for 28 hours, making incredible progress, and astonishing the doctors, the nurses, our midwife, her mom, and me.
Let me interject here that I am not claiming that any one way of giving birth is right, or wrong, or better than another. But I will tell you Shaniqua's way, which will surprise none of you who know her: she labored for 28 hours, on her own, refusing assistance from any doctors or nurses, and keeping her own counsel about every step she took with her baby. She made astonishing progress, the likes of which our doctors, nurses, and midwife had never seen, to say nothing of her awed husband. She breathed; she walked; she bounced on the fitness ball; she spent time in the tub. She did not take so much as a Tylenol for 23 hours, and then she only took something because she felt she needed to sleep for a bit. Still, as time went on, her vital signs got a little worse, and it became clear that it would be medically necessary to deliver by C-section, and she accepted that (probably because she knew she had done 120% of what any normal person could expect to do). Even so, 27 hours in, she still refused assistance in getting in or out of bed. In a nutshell, Shaniqua was able to bring Julius into the world exactly how she wanted to, if not how we originally planned. Having that kind of say was what we wanted out of a home birth in the first place, so it was a big success after all.
Anyway, the procedure went perfectly, and right now baby and mama are recovering together nicely in the hospital. I'm home, sending a few announcement emails before taking a shower, sleeping a bit, and heading back in.
If any of you feel compelled to offer congratulations, please give at least 99% of them just to Shaniqua. I'm looking forward to being one of two great parents that Julius has, but the successes up until today belong to her.
For this more specialized audience, I will give some of the technical details that I omitted from the included email:
- Shaniqua was 0cm dilated at 2am.
- She was 5cm dilated when her water broke at 1:30pm.
- She was 7cm dilated at 9pm, and did not dilate further than that, despite the addition of Pitocin from 1am-5am on 12/31.
Some more details:
- Shaniqua had severe preeclampsia and HELP syndrome.
- Her blood tests showed rapidly declining liver and kidney function, and her platelet count had dropped by 50% between checking in to the hospital and 9pm the next day.
- At 7:30pm her blood pressure was 190/105.
- At 7:35pm, her husband cleared all medical personnel out of the room so that she could work in peace with Maria and Nova.
- At 9pm, her blood pressure was 120/80.
For this more specialized audience, I will give some of the spiritual details that I omitted from the included email:
- Shaniqua told me, afterward, that she knew in her gut weeks ago that this baby would come via C-section. She feared for the child's loss of the oxytocin rush he was supposed to get as he passed through the birth canal, and she decided that she would labor naturally as long as humanly possible, so that her child would have the benefit of as much oxytocin as she could generate. I do not have sufficient words to comment further on this point.
- I personally had never witnessed nor imagined anything as powerful and profound as Shaniqua's labor. I worked with her through much of it, and advocated fiercely for her as well as I could so that the doctors would leave her to labor the way that she needed to; but the part that transformed me was between 10pm and 1am:
Shaniqua lay in the hospital bed, nonverbal, deep in her labor. She was having powerful contractions, strong enough to alter radically the shape of her belly, every few minutes. Shaniqua experienced these contractions as perfectly as any woman could hope to: she was fully present in each second of time, falling immediately into rest as each one passed, meeting the next one head on and riding it as it surged, moaning, breathing, shaping, visualizing, but never wasting one moment looking forward or backward, never stopping to reflect on the magnitude of the previous surge, never fearing the start of the next.
Meanwhile, Maria sat by the bed in a glider chair, her hands folded over her belly, sleeping between surges, and waking to coach Shaniqua through each. I can see the scene still, with Maria's face lit by the glow of the computer monitors in the dark room, an expression of perfect calm and understanding as she watched over Shaniqua, guiding her through the creation of our family.
I watched from a few feet away, attempting to rest on a couch, but unable to let my consciousness slip from the scene before me. Here were two archetypes of womanhood, walking the boundary between life and death, night and day, one life and two. One of the women had never made this journey before, but went on fearless and confident and undaunted, trusting herself never to misstep; the other had guided many along similar paths, knew exactly what guidance to offer and when, and knew also that success or failure, life or death, was ultimately beyond her control. Together they worked, while I watched; and I like to think that I learned something about life and death and womanhood from being there.
- Our birth story definitely has a touch of bad-to-worse, at least when you consider that our original goal was to have a vaginal birth at home. Had Shaniqua broken down and cried; had she bemoaned her fate; had she indulged even once in the slightest form of self-pity or fear or frustration, I would not have thought one iota less of her as a person. But she did none of those things. She spent every bit of her energy on laboring with her child, letting nothing distract her, nothing dissuade her from reaching the finish line on her own. Her determination and focus inspired me through the whole experience, and saved me from falling into negativity and fear of my own. I was in awe of her, and I remain so.
OK, end birth story.
I'm running out of energy here --- my fault for writing so much --- so let me just give a brief outline of what happened from the birth until today.
- C-section babies don't get the amniotic fluid squeezed out of them by passing through the birth canal. This means that when Julius was measured at 9 lbs 8 oz, he was weighted down by at least three bellyfuls of fluid that he vomited up the first night. This was not "spitting up", he covered Shaniqua's chest with fluid each time. He also blew out four diapers with meconium in the first 24 hours. Together with the fact that Shaniqua and Julius were plumped up with three boluses of saline from the labor, the kid dropped 9.8% of his weight by the next morning.
- Despite the fact that this weight loss was entirely understandable, the hospital has a policy of watching closely any baby that loses 10% of his birth weight. We got watched carefully. Whee.
- Breast milk comes in later after a C-section than it does after a vaginal delivery.
- Kid was "underweight". Mom was waiting for breast milk. Not a good situation.
- We met some very kind people in the hospital, but also some very clueless and frustrating ones. Shaniqua was in the middle of processing a tiny fraction of what she had gone through during the labor, when a 26-year-old OB doc fresh out of med school comes in to do rounds. She'd never met Shaniqua before, but when Shaniqua made the mistake of crying in front of this doc, next thing we know... social worker knocking on the door! Whee.
- Think very carefully about whether having her mom around for the labor is what you want to do. I spent a nontrivial fraction of my energy during the labor in a battle of wills with my mother in law, who was convinced I was killing her daughter by preventing unwanted medical interventions. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't an important conflict; but some moms don't really want to see their daughters go through this kind of experience.
- We finally got out of the hospital on the night of Tuesday, Jan 4. We only managed this by feeding the kid some formula to boost his weight enough for the hospital to let us go. Feeding formula to the kid was an extremely emotionally charged decision.
- Sleep is very, very important. Not just a little important. Postpartum stress/exhaustion/emotions can look a lot like postpartum depression or psychosis after severe sleep deprivation. Moms: please eat and sleep as well as you can, for everybody's sake. Dads: same advice.
- After meeting with Maria on Wednesday, we got on a schedule intended to help Shaniqua's milk come in, while getting the kid's weight back up a bit. It worked on both counts: Julius gained back 15 oz in less than 48 hours (!), and as of today Shaniqua is starting on-demand breastfeeding, which was her original intent.
Anyway, I'm gonna go ahead and stop now. :-) Please forgive my meandering attempt to capture some of our birth experience to share with you all.


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|Ryan Graves (Val-d'Or Foreurs)
Graves did not score as he was a +1 on 1 shot but the stats that matter the most in looking at defensemen as PIMs and Hits as Graves who plays a physical brand of hockey had 3 hits and no PIMS. Graves has been solid on the defensive end which is why Val-d'Or made the trade for him at mid-season.
I keep hearing how the Ranger prospect pool sucks and yet I am watching a kid who has NHL size 6'4 225 at age 18 and he has been a huge part of the reason the Foreurs jumped from the middle of the QMJHL pack to the final 4 in the playoffs. Yes of course Graves still needs development work but again remember he doesn't turn 19 until the end of next month.
In the meantime Graves is playing Top 2 minutes for the Foreurs.
Graves joins fellow defensive prospect Troy Donnay (NYR 2013 UFA) in advancing to their league's final four. Oh and let us not forget Brady Skjei (NYR 2012 1st) who yes had a bad game in the NCAA finals but he remains a solid bet to be a Top 4 NHL defenseman in a couple of years.
People please the next time an "expert" wants to tell you how the Ranger prospect pool sucks ask the person who is writing the article if they make the effort to watch the prospects play. In today's world it isn't hard as you can watch any CHL game on the web and these days the same can be said for the NCAAs thanks to the expanded coverage of college hockey.
Stats don't always tell the whole story remember that.


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FarSight Studios has announced Pinball Arcade, which is coming to PSN for PS3 and PlayStation Vita.
On the PS Blog, FarSight Studios Lead Designer Bobby King announced that Pinball Arcade is coming to the PlayStation Store on April 10th for both PlayStation 3 and PS Vita. The game will be available to purchase for $9.99, but is trial to buy, meaning the initial download is free and players will be able to play all of the tables up until they reach a certain score. At that point, they'll be asked to buy the game or quit to the main menu. Gamers who buy one version of the game, though, will automatically get the other version for free — which extends to downloadable content as well.
Pinball Arcade has four tables in the main game "running on the most accurate pinball physics engine ever developed." The PS3 version will run at 60 frames per second.
On PlayStation Vita, the game will use the handheld's front touch screen and rear touch panel. King said in the comments that he's "pretty sure" that the Vita version also runs at 60 frames per second.
Each table in the game has two Silver Trophies and one Bronze Trophy.
Fans of FarSight's previous game, Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection, will be glad to know that most (if not all) of the tables from that game will be re-released in Pinball Arcade.
The game's first downloadable content will be the Medieval Madness and Bride of PinBot tables. Two table DLC will initially be $4.99. King said that FarSight's plan is to release two tables per month.
To view screenshots of the game, click on the Media Gallery below:
Will you be picking up Pinball Arcade? Let us know in the comments below!


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[[Projects/Usability/Case_Studies | Case Studies]]
[[Projects/Usability/Case_Studies | Case Studies]]
The KDE Usability Project aims to improve KDE usability and user experience through:
Learn more at the KDE Usability Project website.
If you have questions about guidelines or want to request a missing guideline or change to a guideline, please put it on the HIG Questions page. We will refer to this page during the Season of Usability KDE4 HIG project.
The purpose of this template is to provide a place to document an application's user research information for reference during development. Top level items are information everyone in the project should be aware of. Some of the details in the lower sections may take some work and discussion within the project to complete.
Project User Research Template
These projects have been called to work on their user research profiles: