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Francis on hypocrisy:
"Beware of bad leaven, that of the Pharisees.' And what is that? It's hypocrisy. Be on your guard against the Pharisees' leaven which is hypocrisy."
Hypocrisy, the Holy Father pointed out, is when we invoke God with our lips, but our hearts are distant from Him.
Spiritual Schizophrenia
"Hypocrisy is an internal division. We say one thing and we do another. It's a kind of spiritual schizophrenia.."
Spiritual schizophrenia? Such as exhorting other Bishops to be patient while failing to practice patience yourself Francis?
Saying one thing and doing another: The way of Francis.
Who's "non-Christiano"?
Related reading here
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Francis: An authority on spiritual schizophrenia
2 comments:
Judge not less you yourselves be judged. Looks like Mr. Bergoglio is eating his own words.
If he wants to meet a spiritual hypocrite, he need not look far. Everyone following him is a hypocrite, and he can look at himself in a mirror.
He preaches patience and screams at Catholics, even brothers in the episcopate. He tells is to practice "mercy" but he fails miserably to practice it himself by not offering us the wheat of truth but rather the chaff of error.
Don't look to him. Look to Christ Jesus and the glorious popes we have been blessed 28th like Pope Saint John Paul II The Great and Pope Benedict XVI.
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Radio telescope
A radio telescope is a form of directional radio antenna used in radio astronomy. The same types of antennas are also used in tracking and getting data from satellites and space probes. In their astronomical role they differ from optical telescopes in that they operate in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum where they can detect and collect data on radio sources. Radio telescopes are typically large parabolic ("dish") antennas used singly or in an array. Radio observatories are preferentially located far from major centers of population to avoid electromagnetic interference (EMI) from radio, TV, radar, and other EMI emitting devices. This is similar to the locating of optical telescopes to avoid light pollution, with the difference being that radio observatories are often placed in valleys to further shield them from EMI as opposed to clear air mountain tops for optical observatories.
Early radio telescopes
The first radio antenna used to identify an astronomical radio source was one built by Karl Guthe Jansky, an engineer with Bell Telephone Laboratories, in 1932. Jansky was assigned the job of identifying sources of static that might interfere with radio telephone service. Jansky's antenna was an array of dipoles and reflectors designed to receive short wave radio signals at a frequency of 20.5 MHz (wavelength about 14.6 meters). It was mounted on a turntable that allowed it to rotate in any direction, earning it the name "Jansky's merry-go-round". It had a diameter of approximately 100 ft (30 m) and stood 20 ft (6 m) tall. By rotating the antenna on a set of four Ford Model-T tires, the direction of the received interfering radio source (static) could be pinpointed. A small shed to the side of the antenna housed an analog pen-and-paper recording system. After recording signals from all directions for several months, Jansky eventually categorized them into three types of static: nearby thunderstorms, distant thunderstorms, and a faint steady hiss of unknown origin. Jansky finally determined that the "faint hiss" repeated on a cycle of 23 hours and 56 minutes. This period is the length of an astronomical sidereal day, the time it takes any "fixed" object located on the celestial sphere to come back to the same location in the sky. Thus Jansky suspected that the hiss originated well beyond the Earth's atmosphere, and by comparing his observations with optical astronomical maps, Jansky concluded that the radiation was coming from the Milky Way Galaxy and was strongest in the direction of the center of the galaxy, in the constellation of Sagittarius.
An amateur radio operator, Grote Reber, was one of the pioneers of what became known as radio astronomy when he built the first parabolic "dish" radio telescope (9 metres (30 ft) in diameter) in his back yard in Illinois in 1937. He was instrumental in repeating Karl Guthe Jansky's pioneering but somewhat simple work at higher frequencies, and he went on to conduct the first sky survey at very high radio frequencies. The rapid development of radar technology during World War II was easily translated into radio astronomy technology after the war, and the field of radio astronomy began to blossom.
The range of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum that makes up the radio spectrum is very large. This means that the types of antennas that are used as radio telescopes vary widely in design, size, and configuration. At wavelengths of 30 meters to 3 meters (10 MHz - 100 MHz), they are generally either directional antenna arrays similar to "TV antennas" or large stationary reflectors with moveable focal points. Since the wavelengths being observed with these types of antennas are so long, the "reflector" surfaces can be constructed from coarse wire mesh such as chicken wire.[1] At shorter wavelengths "dish" style radio telescopes predominate. The angular resolution of a dish style antenna is determined by the diameter of the dish expressed as a number of wavelengths of the electromagnetic radiation being observed. This dictates the dish size a radio telescope needs for a useful resolution. Radio telescopes that operate at wavelengths of 3 meters to 30 cm (100 MHz to 1 GHz) are usually well over 100 meters in diameter. Telescopes working at wavelengths shorter than 30 cm (above 1 GHz) range in size from 3 to 90 meters in diameter.
The increasing use of radio frequencies for communication makes astronomical observations more and more difficult (see Open spectrum). Negotiations to defend the frequency allocation for parts of the spectrum most useful for observing the universe are coordinated in the Scientific Committee on Frequency Allocations for Radio Astronomy and Space Science.
Some of the more notable frequency bands used by radio telescopes include:
- Every frequency in the United States National Radio Quiet Zone
- Channel 37: 608 to 614 MHz
- The "Hydrogen line", also known as the "21 centimeter line": 1420.40575177 MHz, used by many radio telescopes including The Big Ear in its discovery of the Wow! signal
- 1406 MHz and 430 MHz [1]
- The Waterhole: 1,420 to 1,666 MHz
- The Arecibo Observatory has several receivers that together cover the whole 1–10 GHz range.
- The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe mapped the Cosmic microwave background radiation in 5 different frequency bands, centered on 23 GHz, 33 GHz, 41 GHz, 61 GHz, and 94 GHz.
Big dishes
The world's largest filled-aperture telescope (i.e., a full dish) is the Arecibo radio telescope located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, whose 305 m (1,001 ft) dish is fixed in the ground. The antenna beam is steerable (by means of a moving receiver) within about 20° of the zenith. It is also the world's largest planetary radar. The largest individual radio telescope of any kind is the RATAN-600 located near Nizhny Arkhyz, Russia, which consists of a 576-meter circle of rectangular radio reflectors, each of which can be pointed towards a central conical receiver.
The largest single-dish radio telescope in Europe is the Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope near Bonn, Germany, operated by the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, which also was the world's largest fully steerable telescope for 30 years until the slightly larger Green Bank Telescope was opened in West Virginia, United States, in 2000. The third largest fully steerable radio telescope is the 76-meter Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, England, completed in 1957. The fourth largest fully steerable radio telescopes are six 70-meter dishes: three Russian RT-70, and three in the Goldstone network.
A typical size of the single antenna of a radio telescope is 25 meters. Dozens of radio telescopes with comparable sizes are operated in radio observatories all over the world.
China officially started construction of the world's largest single-aperture radio telescope in 2009, the FAST.[2] The FAST, with a dish area as large as 30 football fields, will stand in a region of typical Karst depressions in Guizhou, and will be finished by the end of 2016.
Radiotelescopes in space
Since 1965, humans have sent 3 space-based radio telescopes. In 1965, the Soviet Union sent the first one called Zond 3. In 1997, Japan sent the second, HALCA. The last one was sent by Russia in 2011 called Spektr-R.
Radio interferometry
One of the most notable developments came in 1946 with the introduction of the technique called astronomical interferometry. Astronomical radio interferometers usually consist either of arrays of parabolic dishes (e.g., the One-Mile Telescope), arrays of one-dimensional antennas (e.g., the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope) or two-dimensional arrays of omnidirectional dipoles (e.g., Tony Hewish's Pulsar Array). All of the telescopes in the array are widely separated and are usually connected using coaxial cable, waveguide, optical fiber, or other type of transmission line. Recent advances in the stability of electronic oscillators also now permit interferometry to be carried out by independent recording of the signals at the various antennas, and then later correlating the recordings at some central processing facility. This process is known as Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). Interferometry does increase the total signal collected, but its primary purpose is to vastly increase the resolution through a process called Aperture synthesis. This technique works by superposing (interfering) the signal waves from the different telescopes on the principle that waves that coincide with the same phase will add to each other while two waves that have opposite phases will cancel each other out. This creates a combined telescope that is equivalent in resolution (though not in sensitivity) to a single antenna whose diameter is equal to the spacing of the antennas furthest apart in the array.
A high quality image requires a large number of different separations between telescopes. Projected separation between any two telescopes, as seen from the radio source, is called a baseline. For example, the Very Large Array (VLA) near Socorro, New Mexico has 27 telescopes with 351 independent baselines at once, which achieves a resolution of 0.2 arc seconds at 3 cm wavelengths.[3] Martin Ryle's group in Cambridge obtained a Nobel Prize for interferometry and aperture synthesis.[4] The Lloyd's mirror interferometer was also developed independently in 1946 by Joseph Pawsey's group at the University of Sydney.[5] In the early 1950s, the Cambridge Interferometer mapped the radio sky to produce the famous 2C and 3C surveys of radio sources. An example of a large physically connected radio telescope array is the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, located in Pune, India. The largest array, LOFAR (the 'LOw Frequency ARray'), is currently being constructed in western Europe, consisting of about 20,000 small antennas in 48 stations distributed over an area several hundreds of kilometers in diameter, and operates between 1.25 and 30 m wavelengths. VLBI systems using post-observation processing have been constructed with antennas thousands of miles apart. Radio interferometers have also been used to obtain detailed images of the anisotropies and the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background, like the CBI interferometer in 2004.
The world's largest physically connected telescopes, the SKA (Square Kilometre Array), are planned to start operation in 2024.
Astronomical observations
Many astronomical objects are not only observable in visible light but also emit radiation at radio wavelengths. Besides observing energetic objects such as pulsars and quasars, radio telescopes are able to "image" most astronomical objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and even radio emissions from planets.[citation needed]
See also
- Aperture synthesis
- Astropulse Distributed computing to search data tapes for primordial black holes, pulsars, and ETI
- List of astronomical observatories
- List of radio telescopes
- List of telescope types
- Radio astronomy
- Schumann resonances
- SETI Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence using radio telescopes (among others)
- Telescope
- ↑ CSIRO video transcript - The Dish turns 45 "So chicken wire surprisingly works brilliantly at wave lengths of a metre or so"
- ↑ "China starts building world's largest radio telescope", People Daily
- ↑ gps.caltech.edu - Microwave Probing of the Invisible by Duane O. Muhleman
- ↑ Nature 158 pp 339 1946
- ↑ Nature 157 pp 158 1946
Further reading
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Radio telescopes.
- Rohlfs, K., & Wilson, T. L. (2004). Tools of radio astronomy. Astronomy and astrophysics library. Berlin: Springer.
- Asimov, I. (1979). Isaac Asimov's Book of facts; Sky Watchers. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. Page 390 - 399. ISBN 0-8038-9347-7

subset: commoncrawl


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Most Adorable Renewable Energy Video Project Ever (VIDEO)
Carrick McCullough, photo via Our Renewable Nation
Our Renewable Nation is possibly the most adorable project ever conceived to advocate renewable energy. It's an eco-video project helmed by the McCullough family, who are traveling across the country in a vegetable oil powered VW Beetle. They're visiting wind farms, solar installations, talking to companies developing sustainable technologies, and documenting all their interviews and travels on video.
Each of the videos stars 9-year old Carrick McCollough, the cutest kid to campaign in the name of renewable energy. And it's effective. Don't believe me? Just watch the video after the jump, where Carrick implores grownups to not blow it for him and his generation. How can we say no to this?
Damon Weaver might have himself some competition on the most-adorable-child-reporter-ever front—Carrick is great as the interviewer, narrator, and star of the videos. So far, he's talked to a school principal that's installed a wind turbine, discussed the potential of alternative energy, and explained why we should all be using reel mowers.
The goal of the project is to distribute the videos to schools across the country for free, where they'll be used as learning materials that might inspire other youngsters to recognize the importance of renewable energy and living sustainably. It's a fine idea, a great cause, and packs a ton of potential--who better to relate sustainable ideas to kids then someone like Carrick?
Watch the rest of the videos on Our Renewable Nation's YouTube channel, and subscribe to their feed to follow along with the family's eco-friendly travels.
More on Renewable Energy Videos:
Renewable Energy Info in Bite-sized Video Chunks
CES 2009: Hymini Debuts New Renewable Energy Products Video


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As many of you know, we were forced to reschedule last month's Bridal Vision Workshop in Washington, D.C. due to the Jonas Blizzard. Well, not to fear because we've confirmed a new Bridal Vision Workshop date and added even more exciting vendors to help you plan the wedding — and marriage — of your dreams! [Read more…]
(Not Quite) Tie the Knot Tuesday – Venus and Malik
Couple: Venus + Malik
Engagement Session Locations: Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School and The National Mall, both in Washington, D.C.
Wedding Date: October 18, 2014
Wedding Location: Tysons Ballroom (Sheraton Premiere) Tysons Corner, Virginia [Read more…]
Tie the Knot Tuesday – VaShonda & Kyle
Couple: VaShonda & Kyle
Wedding Date: March 17, 2012
Wedding Location: (ceremony) St. Stephen Baptist Church, Temple Hills, MD; (reception) Marriott Hotel, Crystal City, VA
Children: Kyle Junior (aka KJ); two months old
Today's Tie the Knot Tuesday meets Marriage Matters features the nuptials of NFL cornerback Kyle Arrington of the New England Patriots and his lovely wife VaShonda (who he affectionately simply calls "V")!
Destination Wedding Alert – Loudoun County, Virginia
Shortly after launching Triple B, one thing became abundantly clear…A whole lotta you guys reside in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and/or Northern Virginia (DMV) areas. I'm not quite sure why or how this happened since I'm based in the Big Apple but that is indeed the case. Thus when I learned that Louduon County was an under the radar yet pretty darn fab location for destination weddings, I was extra excited! Filled with wineries, vineyards and plush lanscapes, this quiet southern oasis is ideal for a modern wedding with classic touches and is just a short drive from D.C. [Read more…]
Not Quite Tied the Knot Tuesday – Jennifer & Jeffrey
Today's featured couple hasn't made it down the aisle yet…but their engagement photos are fun, stylish and personable so I wanted to share them with ya. Plus — like every (honest) couple — they have a story to tell. I hope to tell more of their story when I feature their wedding in Tie the Knot Tuesday later this year (no pressure to the couple though, ahem). These lovely images were captured by Washington, DC-based photographer Leonard Poteat. Enjoy and be sure to let me know which pic is your favorite!
[Read more…]


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HOUSTON -- San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he'll speak to Kawhi Leonard on Tuesday when the team returns home following its 109-93 loss to the Houston Rockets. It's expected the club could gain some clarity about the star forward's potential return to the lineup.
"I'll see Kawhi [Tuesday]," Popovich said. "We'll see how he's feeling, and see how ready he is, and see how ready I think he is. And we'll go from there."
The team reportedly had targeted a home matchup on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans as the date for Leonard's potential return, but Leonard will not play Thursday, as first reported by Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday and confirmed by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
The Spurs (37-30) have lost 11 of their past 14 games and fell to the 10th spot in the Western Conference standings with Monday's loss.
Popovich was asked on Saturday about the report of Leonard's return, and said, "Well good for them. I'm glad they're reporting that. I don't know what they reported. I don't hear. I don't worry about reports."
Leonard's pending return date hasn't changed, and is barring a setback from a right quad injury, sources told ESPN. Leonard said last week he planned to return "soon" from the injury, which has kept him out for all but nine games this season.
A two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Leonard played in those nine games after missing the season's first 27, but returned to the sideline after playing against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 13.
Leonard said he has been riding a stationary bike and participating in 3-on-3 drills to simulate the physical contact of games, but he has done so with Spurs staff members, not teammates.
Leonard admitted that the only way to work himself into proper cardiovascular condition is to actually play in games.


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Overlooking 25 acres of freshwater lakes and adjoining what is quickly becoming one of the city's most fashionable residential neighborhoods, this unique, 200-acre mixed-use development is attracting upscale consumers from throughout the region. The Waterfront master plan includes over 250,000 square feet of retail, including Wichita's most popular collection of restaurants, 550,000 square feet of office (Wichita's largest concentration of class A space), a Hilton Homewood Suites, and approximately 60 acres of single-family homes.
The Waterfront is Wichita's newest and most upscale destination to live, work, play…and shop. Unparalleled quality, walkable amenities and serene setting are all reasons why many of the area's most prestigious businesses and over 1,000 professionals already call the Waterfront "home."


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Summer Shack
Food is Love.
149 Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02140
The Summer Shack in Cambridge is our flagship location, our inspiration, our heart and soul. Specializing in fresh seafood and New England-style dishes the Summer Shack is perfect for all types of celebrations and gatherings. World-renowned Chef and Cookbook Author Jasper White's restaurant design offers the pure, raw classic look of coastal clam shacks with delicious food and friendly service. Check out our patented Lobster Line, which allows us to prepare our lobsters and clambakes perfectly for very large groups. With a fun and casual atmosphere, this shack is like a big party every night. For non-seafood eaters the fun corn dogs and famous fried chicken do not disappoint. Brown-paper tablecloths double as drawing paper. The philosophy behind Jasper White's Summer Shack is 'Food is Love' and proof is in the dishes.
Of Note:
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Meals Served: Lunch, Dinner
- Amenities: Accessible Facilities
A statewide collection of 24 diverse works of art, from oil paintings to taxidermy frogs…
Search All Listings Here.


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|Extracellular Matrix News 8.20 May 25, 2017
Shifting the Optimal Stiffness for Cell Migration
Scientists present a cell migration simulator that predicts a stiffness optimum that can be shifted by altering the number of active molecular motors and clutches. This prediction was verified experimentally by comparing cell traction and F-actin retrograde flow for two cell types with differing amounts of active motors and clutches: embryonic chick forebrain neurons and U251 glioma cells. [Nat Commun] Full Article
(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)
Integrin-Linked Kinase Signaling Promotes Cyst Growth and Fibrosis in Polycystic Kidney Disease
Periostin promotes cell proliferation, cyst growth, interstitial fibrosis, and the decline in renal function in polycystic kidney disease mice. Researchers investigated the regulation of these processes by the integrin-linked kinase, a scaffold protein that links the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton and is stimulated by periostin. [J Am Soc Nephrol] Abstract
The Matrix Protein Tiggrin Regulates Plasmatocyte Maturation in Drosophila Larva
Scientists report that Tiggrin, a matrix protein expressed in the lymph gland, is a specific regulator of plasmatocyte maturation. Tiggrin mutants exhibited precocious maturation of plasmatocytes, while Tiggrin overexpression blocked this process, resulting in a buildup of intermediate progenitors expressing prohemocyte and hemocyte markers. [Development] Abstract
TRPV4 Mediates the Calcium Influx Required for Flightless-Non-Muscle Myosin Interaction and Collagen Remodeling
Investigators examined how Ca2+ controls the generation of cell extensions and collagen remodeling. They found that Ca2+ influx through transient receptor potential vanilloid-4 (TRPV4) channels regulates flightless I with non-muscle myosin IIA interactions, which in turn enabled the generation of the cell extensions essential for collagen remodeling. [J Cell Sci] Abstract
Expression and Characterization of Membrane-Type 4 Matrix Metalloproteinase (MT4-MMP) and Its Different Forms in Melanoma
Researchers analyzed several human cancer cell lines as well as tissue homogenates using Western blotting and quantitative PCR for the expression of MT4-MMP. They found the MT4-MMP highly expressed in human melanoma cell lines as well as skin and melanoma tissue samples. Three forms of MT4-MMP with molecular masses of 45 kDa, 58 kDa and 69 kDa were detected. [Cell Physiol Biochem] Full Article
Matrix Replenishing by BMSCs Is Beneficial for Osteoarthritic Temporomandiblar Joint Cartilage
Investigators explored whether matrix replenishment is the primary requirement for osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage. They found that scavenging the degraded matrix and replenishing the fibrosis-developmental matrix were the primary requirements for the repair of OA cartilage. [Osteoarthritis Cartilage] Abstract
Yersinia Pestis YopK Inhibits Bacterial Adhesion to Host Cells by Binding to the Extracellular Matrix Adaptor Protein Matrilin-2
Researchers demonstrated that Yersinia outer protein K (YopK) inhibits bacterial adherence to host cells by binding to the extracellular matrix adaptor protein matrilin-2 (MATN2). YopK bound to MATN2 and deleted the amino acids 91–124 disrupting binding of YopK to MATN2. [Infect Immun] Abstract
Glycated Collagen Stimulates the Differentiation of Gingival Myofibroblasts
Scientists evaluated whether collagen glycation by methylglyoxal may affect the phenotypic properties and remodeling capacity of human gingival fibroblasts. Methylgloxal-treated collagen did not affect cell viability or apoptosis. In addition, methylglyoxal did not induce significant changes in the morphology or mechanical properties of the collagen matrix. [J Periodontol] Abstract
Exogenous Proline Stimulates Type I Collagen and HIF-1α Expression and the Process Is Attenuated by Glutamine in Human Skin Fibroblasts
The authors investigated whether proline (Pro) supply affects collagen biosynthesis in human skin fibroblasts. Treatment of the cells with millimolar concentrations of Pro for 24 and 48 hours contributed to increase in α1 subunit of collagen type I expression in both cells and culture medium. However, the effect was more pronounced in glutamine-free medium. [Mol Cell Biochem] Full Article
Cell Type–Specific Extracellular Matrix Guided the Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells in 3D Polymeric Scaffolds
Scientists established a series of three-dimensional (3D) composite scaffolds containing extracellular matrices (ECMs) derived from different primary cells isolated from a single animal species and assessed their impact on the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Their results showed that ECM derived from chondrocytes cultured in synthetic fiber mats promoted the chondrogenic differentiation of hMSC in the presence or absence of soluble inducing factors. [J Mater Sci Mater Med] Full Article | Graphical Abstract
New Intracellular Activities of Matrix Metalloproteinases Shine in the Moonlight
The authors highlight current knowledge of subcellular location and activity of "moonlighting" matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Intracellular roles herald a new era of MMP research, rejuvenating interest in targeting these proteases in therapeutic strategies. [BBA Mol Cell Res] Abstract
Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the extracellular matrix research field.
Spheroids of Human Autologous Matrix-Associated Chondrocytes
The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product Spherox, intended for the repair of certain cartilage defects of the knee. [European Medicines Agency] Press Release
Catalent Biologics Announces Collaboration with Therachon, Switzerland, to Advance Clinical Development of Innovative Protein Therapy for Achondroplasia
Catalent Pharma Solutions announced that it has signed an agreement with Therachon AG to support preclinical and clinical development of TA-46, a novel protein addressing achondroplasia, which is the most common form of short-limbed dwarfism. [Catalent Pharma Solutions] Press Release
FDA Approves First Cancer Treatment for Any Solid Tumor with a Specific Genetic Feature
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to a treatment for patients whose cancers have a specific genetic feature (biomarker). This is the first time the agency has approved a cancer treatment based on a common biomarker rather than the location in the body where the tumor originated. [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] Press Release | Editorial
Fund to Curb Outbreaks and Chronic Disease on the Chopping Block
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stands to lose 12% of its budget through proposed cuts in the American Health Care Act. [Nature News] Editorial
Colombian Biologist Cleared of Criminal Charges for Posting Another Scientist's Thesis Online
A Colombian biologist who faced a criminal trial for posting another scientist's thesis online has been cleared of copyright violation — an offence that, under Colombian law, might have brought him a jail sentence. [Nature News] Editorial
Academies Calculate How Much Brexit Will Cost U.K. Researchers
Some academic fields in the United Kingdom (U.K.) will have major funding holes to fill once the country leaves the European Union, according to new research commissioned by four U.K. academies. [ScienceInsider] Editorial
Vaccine Could Soon Be Enlisted in the Fight against Ebola in the DRC
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has moved a step closer to using an unlicensed vaccine to battle an Ebola outbreak that began last month in a remote northeastern part of the country. The country's government submitted a formal vaccine trial protocol, developed with Epicentre, the Paris-based research arm of Doctors Without Borders, to an ethical review board. [Science Insider] Editorial
NEW Advances in Modeling Cancer in Mice: Technology, Biology, and Beyond
Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Proteoglycan Remodeling (University of Alberta)
NEW Postdoctoral Research Fellow – GPCR and Wnt Signaling (Yale School of Medicine)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Tendon and Connective Tissue Biology (Weill Cornell Medical College)
Project Research Scientist – Tumor Cell Biology (The Francis Crick Institute)
Postdoctoral Associate – Molecular and Cell Biology (Stony Brook University)
PhD Position – Extracellular Matrix in Cancer Progression (University of Copenhagen)
PhD Position – P2X7 Receptors in Cancer Cells (University of East Anglia)
Biomaterials Scientist – Tissue Engineering (VitroLabs Inc.)
Research Fellow – Functional Roles of Stem Cell Derived Extracellular Vesicles (Mayo Clinic)
Postdoctoral Fellow – Scarring (SUNY Upstate Medical Center)
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Last week when I was sick I didn't get much writing done. Instead I tried to cram ALL of the books in my brain at once.
In no particular order of the books I'd totally rec are:
Payoff and If It Drives by Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt from the Market Garden series from Riptide Publishing:
This series isn't just about rentboys. It's sexy and funny and heartbreaking at times. Sure, the main characters sometimes involve their professions as an integral part of the story but each story is its own recognizable story.
Payoff is the conclusion to the story arc following the couple, Tristan and Jared two employees of Market Garden and their evolving relationship when Tristan figures out he wants more. Enter Rolex, their sexy john and things are further complicated.
If It Drives is BDSM themed. Cal is wealthy divorcee James' driver. But Cal isn't just his driver, he wants to be everything for James. With the help of Nick, one of the former rentboys at Market Garden he tries to be everything James could possibly want. Shoulder to lean on, Dom and driver but the lines blur between the roles leaving Cal reeling.
You can find Payoff at http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/payoff and If It Drives at http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/if-it-drives.
Misbehaving by Tiffany Reisz from Harlequin's Cosmo Red-Hot Reads Line
Good lord I love a witty and fast paced romantic comedy. In erotica where plots tend to only focus on the smut, which don't get me wrong? I really enjoy a down and dirty smutpiece. But the ability to weave humor and a fast paced story with romance and still keep it sexy without the banter and dialogue weighing it down is an art form.
Sex blogger Bea has every woman's dream job. Well, at least my dream job. Who wouldn't want to get paid to blog about sex toys and sexuality? When she gets stuck having to write a book review during her sister's wedding she needs a willing and ready volunteer. Who better to help her out then her one upon a time love interest that never really panned out, Ben.
If you're a fan of Tiffany's Original sinners you'll love the joke at the end.
Misbehaving releases tomorrow but you can pre-order at Amazon here.
Bonds of Denial by Lydia Aicher from Carina Press
Bonds of Denial is Book 5 in Lydia Aicher's Wicked Play series. I loved the first four books but audibly squeed when I found book 5, the first M/M title of the series on Netgalley. Rockford and Carter? Ermagod. I loved Carter. He just was all kinds of sexy and self assured. Rock? I wanted to smack upside the head then hug the shit outta him. Together they have to figure out how to make the relationship between rentboy on a contract Carter and Rock's ingrained closeting work.
You can find Bonds of Denial here: http://ebooks.carinapress.com/1603B61E-8FF1-442D-B1D5-C575673D4643/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=C3E00577-BB2A-44A9-AF5B-882B181CF01E
That's all for now, folks. Keep on smutting.


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Its been a crazy year for Beckham fanatics this past year. From leaving his L.A Galaxy saga for PSG, to bringing the heart breaking news of his retirement. So many wonderful memories to be told for years on but, may there still be more to Beckham's athletic career than we thought? For those not lucky enough to see him on the soccer field they just might be able to see him again in action but, on the football field? Yes, for those of you who live outside of the United States we mean the American, full contact sport of pig skin football.
Rumors have gone around that Beckham has been ask to attend a tryout to be a placement kicker on said roster. Although everyone is wondering, the interested team has not been disclosed to the public.
Now we have heard of an NFL player playing in the MLB and vice versa but, a world wide soccer icon?
Now that is what I call a great Marketing promotion. My guess is its either Green Bay Packers, who has Mason Crosby, the worst kicker in the league last year with a 63 FG% or even the New York Jets. Although after last years stunt with Tim Tebow, the last thing they need is to bring in a retired soccer player of that magnitude to distract, the already struggling team that they are today.
Now, I have nothing against Beckham getting a trial as a placement kicker in the NFL. He was a god at dead spot free kicks from all sorts of distances. His accuracy and power could easily compete with professional kickers in the NFL today.
The only problem is the guy is 38 years old and although there are some old place kickers; David Akers being one of the elite, they have had years of NFL experience. Beckham's ability to transfer over his kicking technique of the soccer ball to the football is crucial. Not to mention the guy has never been hit by a 350 lb lineman, if that were to ever happen. That would be the last thing Mrs. Beckham would want to see.
Personally I believe this would be the coolest thing an NFL team has done in awhile. Not just for the entertainment aspects but for the history of sports in itself. Beckham could help bring in a whole new market of viewers. With the new NFL in London expansion combined with Beckham's attempt to kick in the NFL, it could make a huge impact in England and Beckham fans all over the world.
Related articles
- David Beckham was offered American Football trial by NFL scout (mirror.co.uk)
- 5 Ways to Brand Yourself Like David Beckham (soshitech.com)
- Beckham to Retire, Ending Riveting Soccer Journey – ABC News (abcnews.go.com)


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Instead of watching dancing cheerleaders on a plasma screen, we watched dancing flames in a fireplace. Instead of yelling at referees about miscalled fouls, we conversed amiably about all sorts of other things. And instead of eating buffalo wings and nachos…well, okay, we did eat nachos.
I'm not going to start bashing football, but I wonder if I really missed much. I mean, I already heard Beyoncé sing at the presidential inauguration (it was her voice, whether she lip-synched or not), so I could skip the halftime show. And I don't watch enough television to be a connoisseur of finer commercial breaks, so the special advertisements would have been lost on me. And I didn't watch any pre-bowl football this year at all, so I couldn't even legitimately pick a team to root for.
I am intrigued, however, by what I found online about "Super Bowl Monday," and the push to make the day following Super Bowl Sunday a national holiday. Apparently the premise is that many of the millions of Super Bowl celebrants will not feel up to going to work on Monday, so in honor of this nationwide hangover, we should all be able to take the day off. There is even a petition floating around to encourage the president to declare such a holiday. An article at Buford.patch.com states that as of today, there are about 13,000 signatures out of the 86,665 required to have the petition considered.
I guess I wouldn't mind having another paid (it would be paid, right?) holiday. I wonder what Hallmark would do for cards. Maybe you would open the card and out would pop a couple of Alka Seltzer tablets. You certainly wouldn't want noisemakers or party poppers. It would have to be a rather subdued holiday, I would think.
In the event that the petition goes through, maybe I should prepare to cash in on this, come up with some Super Bowl carols to copyright. Let's see… what rhymes with quarterback?
Saddle pack, cul-de-sac, cataract, knick knack… this may take a while.


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Had a lovely crafting day with a friend yesterday, as I didn't want to do anything too complicated or requiring a lot of thinking whilst talking, I decided to see how many cards I could make with the Mosaic Mood Designer Paper. It's such a gorgeous paper that it didn't require a lot of accessories to make some lovely looking cards. I ended up making nearly 20 cards, basically all with the same type of design just mixing it up here and there with colours and layouts. Very happy to have stocked up my stash of cards.
Author: Karen
There is some lovely designer paper in this years release, and I really wanted to showcase that in this card. This was made using the Woven Threads Designer paper, it's a lovely shabby chic type of designs using some of this years In Colours. This is just a simple design that can be customised depending on the sentiment you choose to use.
I also added some of last season's laser cut paper, these are very delicate designs that you can colour to match your project.
Material Used
Colours: Blackberry Bliss, Rocco Rose, Purple Posy, Sahara Sand
Stamp Set: Wish For it All
Sailing Home
Being a very avid cruiser, totally my preferred holiday, I just had to get this set. I usually don't get set's like these, they don't inspire me for some reason. But this one, I have plenty of different ideas on what I can do with it. I will put a different design up this week sometime.
Sweetly Swirled
There are times when I make a card that I want to take a while, the measuring, cutting and planning are the most relaxing way to spend some time. Closing the door, listening to Spotify and creating something new is a great way to de-stress. Other times, when I have a few minutes I just need to do something quick and simple. This was one of those cards. Easy, quick and simple. One layer stamping with the new Sweetly Swirled set with some matting. Simple colours that go well together brings out a lovely looking card.
Daisy Lane
This is another new set for this year. It's just delightful, a good all round floral set. It's quite easy to whip up a quick generic card with this set, there's a matching punch for the small daisy so no fiddly cutting by hand 🙂
I'm happy with the colour combination too, It's been a while since I dragged out the Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie. Two of my favourite colours that Stampin' Up! have.
Materials Used
Stamp Set: Daisy Lane
Colours: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Layering Circle Dies, Daisy Punch
Geared Up Garage
Another new set from the new Catalogue. I quite like this one, making my own patterned background for this was very cool too. Plenty of options to customise this set for a birthday, thank you or Fathers Day. Or just a generic card for anyone that likes, gears, cogs and cars.
Materials Used
Stamp Set: Geared Up Garage
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Merry Merlot
Ink: Soft Suede, Merry Merlot
Thinlits: Garage Gears
Everything Amazing
New catalogue time. Therefore new fun stuff to play with. Not making any promises that I can upload new cards regularly, I doubt anyone even looks or cares that I do lol. But I am doing it for me 🙂
I love her versatile this set is, this is the first go at it and I went with a birthday theme. I'll see what theme I can do next time.
Stamp Set: Everything Amazing
Colours: Terracotta Tile, Seaside Spray, Pretty Peacock, Whisper White
Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Dies, Gray Granite Textured Weave Ribbon


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I've decided to try to record all the books found in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
So, using the wiki for reference, I've gone for it! Enjoy!
A Tragedy in Black
Ancient Tales of the Dwemer, Part X: The Dowry
Ancient Tales of the Dwemer, Part XI: Azura and the Box
Cabin in the Woods
Chance's Folly
Flight from the Thalmor
Ghosts in the Storm
Gold Ribbon of Merit
Night Falls on Sentinel
On The Great Collapse
Watcher of Stones
The Woodcutter's Wife
The Wraith's Dowry


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What is the resource? The UDL Wheel is a digital resource that provides an overview about UDL, an overview of the three principles, and information about each of the nine guidelines as well as links to other helpful resources. Place your mouse on the outer ring, hold down your mouse or pad to "select", and drag the outer wheel until the guideline you want to read is at the top. Release your mouse and move your pointer to the window.
Why is it valuable? The UDL Wheel is an easy-to-use tool that provides clear, understandable language about UDL.


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At Genesis Recovery in San Diego, we treat a dynamic set of addictions concerning alcohol and drugs. Many of the patients that we see are addicted to a combination of these substances, and our treatment options reflect this possibility. We hope to offer adaptable methods of treatment that can target any combination of addictions whether they be multiple drug addictions or drugs and alcohol. Prescription drug addiction is one of these addictions that we focus on here at Genesis Recovery as it is one of the leading forms of addiction in the world today.
What is prescription drug addiction?
Addiction of any kind is the inability to function without consumption of the substance, but prescription drug addiction is an unintentional medically assisted type of addiction. Prescription drugs become the center of the brain's focus and are often sought out through any means possible. Addiction can tear apart relationships and completely unravel financial responsibility, among other things. Addiction can reorder a person's life completely and make it difficult to perform the necessary steps required in a functional and healthy lifestyle.
Prescription drug addiction becomes a disease of the brain because these prescription specific drugs are often associated with rerouted neurological function and altered sensory perception. Often those who are affected by prescription drug addiction are those patients that suffer from severe pain after a traumatic injury, those who are chronically depressed, or those who have difficulty sleeping.
Types of Prescription Drugs
The types of prescription drugs that correspond with those vulnerable to addiction are summed up in the form of anti-depressants or CNS drugs, Opioids, and stimulants such as diet pills. There are other types of prescription medications an individual can develop an addiction to, but these are some of the most common classifications we see at Genesis Recovery.
The Most Addictive Prescription Drugs
Of these specific prescription drug types above, the most addictive drugs by name are the following:
- Vicodin
- Xanax
- Adderrall
- Prozac
- Ritalin
- Ambien
- Klonopin
- Ativan
- Codeine
- Fentanyl
- Morphine
- Methadone
- Oxycodone
- Percocet
- Dextromethorphan
- Pseudophedrine
There are many restrictions set in place, and many new rules within medical facilities are being put into effect soon to prevent the availability of these prescription drugs. Purchasing cold medicine, sleep tablets and behind the counter allergy medications require an identification log before purchase. These drugs are prescribed every single day, and more and more people are finding out ways to work the system to get a hold of these drugs.
We understand that previous illness, trauma, and mental health issues can be a precursor to developing these addictions, and want our clients to know that the availability can make this addiction one of the most difficult to break away from. We offer supportive and all-encompassing prescription drug addiction treatment, that provides all clients with the essential tools they need to avoid relapse. We also educate our clients on their particular addictions and want them to deconstruct their desire for these drugs and physical or emotional triggers that lead to abuse over time.
Signs and Symptoms of Prescription Drug Addiction
Because of the availability of various types of prescription drugs, and the reasons people start taking them, can make it difficult for us to see addiction begin to form in our close friends and family. These addictions can slowly become difficult to see within ourselves as the reasons for beginning drug therapy for an injury, sleep disorders, mood disorders and weight management can become overwhelming. The dependency on these drugs may come as a surprise until our addiction is well under way.
Noticing these signs and symptoms within ourselves as we make use of these prescription drugs can save us years of lost time so that we can monitor our own use and manage them. It is critical that during the time you or a family member is prescribed, the prescribing physician explain in detail the dependency that's associated with each drug. If you or a loved one are already predisposed to developing an addiction, you should be highly aware of this before opting to take prescription drugs. Prescription drugs should only be taken under necessary circumstances during times of illness if needed.
Symptoms and behavior changes:
- Memory loss
- Chronic fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Speech problems
- Muscle spasms
- Periods of increased energy or the complete opposite
- Spectrum mood swings
- Frequent unnecessary hospital visits
- Isolation
- Extreme weight loss
These symptoms vary with each prescription drug addiction and if they are in combination with other addictive substances. If you are experiencing these symptoms related to the list of drugs above, call to speak with an intake counselor at Genesis Recovery and let's get you started on a treatment plan to stop the addiction.
How We Treat Prescription Drug Addiction
At Genesis Recovery, our clients range from their late teens to men well into their fifties and beyond. A combination of treatments are required to help any addiction, and prescription drug addiction requires a variety of behavioral therapy methods. To begin treatment, we start with an introductory counseling session to learn more about the individual and their particular lifestyle, needs and addiction type. Once counseling is through, and all prescription drug addictions are known, we can begin a thorough detoxification treatment.
Because there are a variety of prescription drug types, the withdrawal symptoms will vary and so will the detox steps required. During your consultation, our medical team will talk you through the steps and answer any questions you may have before beginning treatment. After detox is successfully completed, we work to incorporate group therapy and individual creative therapies that will cater to personality and need. Mindfulness and meditation, yoga and art therapy are among some of the effective alternative treatments that can allow an individual to focus on their body, mind, and spirit.
These treatments will help the individual ween themselves off of the addictive prescription drug and to find what their triggers are for use emotionally and physically. We look to offer alternative holistic methods to replacing the need for these drugs and to understand better where addiction comes from. At the core of addiction, we find the cause and treatment.
Call Genesis Recovery today to find out more about our prescription drug treatment program. There are treatments available, and it is possible to see recovery!


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Previous Issue
Next Issue
Appearing in "Public Relations"
Featured Characters:
- Thunderbolts
- Hawkeye (Clint Barton)
- Jolt
- Atlas (Erik Josten)
- Songbird
- Meteorite
- Mach-1 (Leaves team)
Supporting Characters:
Other Characters:
Synopsis for "Public Relations"
Who leaves the Thunderbolts? Who joins? Find out here as the U.S.Agent returns to take down the T-Bolts! In the aftermath of last month's clash with the Avengers, a Thunderbolt surrenders to the law to atone for his past misdeeds!
But don't worry, the T-Bolt's new leader has a new candidate for membership - one that doesn't sit well with the rest of the team! Plus: appearances by the Jury and Charcoal, the Burning Man! And waiting in the shadows: the new Citizen V!
See Also
- Write your own review of this comic!
- Discuss Thunderbolts Vol 1 23 on the forums
- 3 Image(s) from Thunderbolts Vol 1 23
Links and References
|Like this? Let us know!
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


text:
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Pages tagged "ACL National Conference"
Why we invited Bill Shorten to our National Conference
Posted on
· October 30, 2014 11:00 AM
I'm grateful to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten for speaking at our national conference at the weekend.
Enormous pressure was put on him to stay away, such is the antipathy to free speech of many of those seeking to redefine marriage.
When this failed, a vicious social media campaign was organised to have the venue, the Hyatt Hotel, cancel our conference.
Thankfully Hyatt staff acted professionally and did a great job assisting us with what became our best conference yet.
Mr Shorten showed courage to stare down the vitriol.
His speech, however, raised eyebrows.
His characterisation of Christians as people who invoke God and Bible to attack blended families and demonise people for who they love was wide of the mark.
The debate about changing the definition of marriage has certainly been robust at times, but I have never heard anyone from our side use this kind of language. ACL certainly has not.
I was able to politely tell Mr Shorten this during the Q&A session.
The disappointing thing is that mainstream media lapped up his comments with very little reporting on the social media hate campaign against ACL and the Hyatt Hotel.
The ANU's John Warhurst commented yesterday in the Sydney Morning Herald that "the free speech credentials of the marriage-quality lobby" had been "threatened" by the actions of those seeking to shut down our conference.
After years of difficult struggle in this debate, I'm glad this is finally coming to light.
These tactics have successfully scared many Christians, and even leaders, away from participating in the public discourse on marriage.
Mr Warhurst also commented that: "ACL is now established in the top echelon of lobbying groups".
This may be overstating things but we give God glory nonetheless and we thank you, our supporters, for helping us to achieve a measure of political effectiveness.
ACL does not agree with every political leader it engages. But it is vital we engage, especially those who aspire to lead at the highest levels, as Mr Shorten does.
Apart from our disagreement on marriage, Mr Shorten was warm and genuine. I believe he has the best interests of our nation at heart. We look forward to continuing engagement.
The Soul of the West - Dr Vishal Mangalwadi
Posted on
· June 17, 2013 10:00 AM
Dr Vishal Mangalwadi recently spoke to Simon Smart at the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX) about
'The Soul of the West: The Bible as the foundation for modern freedom.'
You can watch the interview on the CPX website
Dr Mangalwadi is an international lecturer, social reformer, political coloumnist and the author of thirteen books including
The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization
. He argues that it is the Bible that has provided the basis for the freedoms that we enjoy in the West.
He will be touring Australia in August, hosted by Family Voice Australia, and will speak on '
What Good is Christianity?'
For information on tour dates and time, visit the
Family Voice Australia website
Dr Mangalwadi was also a guest speaker at ACL's National Conference in 2011, where he shared about the Christian basis of Western civilisation, and spoke about educating kids in a truthless society. Follow this
to listen to his speeches.
Vishal Mangalwadi to tour Australia in August
Posted on
· June 06, 2013 10:00 AM
Vishal Mangalwadi, international Bible teacher, cultural and political columnist, and author of thirteen books, will be touring Australia in August, and you are invited to attend. The event is hosted by
Family Voice Australia
in celebration of its 40th anniversary.
Mr Mangalwadi has explored why some nations are more successful than others, and what the Bible says about this. To him, the evidence is overwhelming: the Bible has sown unique seeds in western culture allowing science, technology, human rights and families to thrive. This lead to his best-selling book,
The Book That Made Your World.
Mr Mangalwadi was also a guest speaker at ACL's National Conference in 2011, where he shared about the Christian basis of Western civilisation, and spoke about educating kids in a truthless society. Follow this
to listen to his speeches.
Join Family Voice this August to hear his story and inspiring insights as he examines:
- What has shaped Australia into the nation it is today?
- Has Christianity done any good in our culture?
Tour dates:
8 August, 7pm: Public forum, Mueller Performing Arts Centre, Rothwell, QLD
9 August, 10am: Christian leaders seminar, Beenleigh Baptist Church, Beenleigh, QLD
12 August, 7pm: Public forum, Scots Church, Wynyard, Sydney, NSW
13 August, 10am: Seminar, St Anne's Anglican Centre, Ryde, NSW
15 August, 7am: Breakfast meeting, National Press Club, ACT
16 August, 7:30pm: Public forum, Melbourne School of Theology, VIC
17 August, 10am: Christian leaders seminar, 1330 Auditorium, 1330 Ferntree Gully Rd, VIC
20 August, 7pm: Public forum, Hobart City Church of Christ, Hobart, TAS
21 August, 7pm: Dinner, Fogolar Furlan, Felixtow, SA
22 August, 10am: Seminar, Edwardstown Baptist Church, St Mary's, SA
24 August, 7pm: Dinner, Perth Town Hall, Perth, WA
Please visit this
for more information.
Prof Greg Craven: 'Remember, politicians are people too'
Posted on
· December 16, 2012 11:00 AM
As we wrap up this political year we are probably at best deflated by the manner in which politics has been conducted in 2012 and at worst, and perhaps more likely, infuriated and disappointed. The savage attacks on individuals on both sides of the parliament and issues in the public domain seems to have reached a new level inflamed by the anonymity of social media.
Keynote speaker at this year's ACL National Conference Professor Greg Craven gave words to this widely held frustration as few could in his recent
article in The Australian,
and I think we would all agree with his concluding remark "I just want this to stop."
Chelsea Pietch's speech at the ACL National Conference 2012
Posted on
· October 25, 2012 11:00 AM
Chelsea Pietsch is a lawyer and the executive officer of the Freedom 4 Faith group. She spoke at the ACL National Conference about her work with the group. Click
to listen to her speech.
Paul O'Rourke's speech at the ACL National Conference 2012
Posted on
· October 24, 2012 11:00 AM
Paul O'Rourke is the CEO of
Emily's Voice
, an organisation which seeks to reduce abortion in Australia. He was formerly the CEO of Compassion Australia. He spoke at the ACL National Conference about the work of Emily's Voice. Click
to listen to his speech.
Jim Wallace's speech at the ACL National Conference 2012
Posted on
· October 24, 2012 11:00 AM
Jim Wallace is the Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby. He addressed the ACL National Conference 2012 about religious freedom and the importance of a Christian influence in modern society. Click
to listen to his speech.
David Wilson's speech at the ACL National Conference 2012
Posted on
· October 24, 2012 11:00 AM
David Wilson is a senior consultant with
Sophia Think Tank
, an initiative of the Bible Society Australia. He spoke at the ACL National Conference 2012 about work of Sophia Think Tank and its work to repair the social environment in Australia. Click
to listen to his speech.
Dennis Shanahan on The Political Spot
Posted on
· October 23, 2012 11:00 AM
Dennis Shanahan is a journalist and the political editor of The Australian. He was one of the speakers at ACL's National Conference, addressing the topic of religious freedom in a secular democracy from a media perspective. Here are some of the highlights from his speech. Click
to listen to his whole speech.
Dennis Shanahan's speech at the ACL National Conference 2012
Posted on
· October 23, 2012 11:00 AM
Dennis Shanahan is a journalist and the political editor at The Australian. He spoke at the ACL National Conference 2012 about religious freedom in a secular democracy from a media perspective. Click
to listen.
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_birdwell Does anyone enjoy designing shirts? We are in need of a design for @EdCampStilly #oklaed #design
EdCampOKC We emailed out our certificate of attendance for #EdCampOKC via EventBrite, w/ info about @EdCampTulsa @EdcampKS @EdCampStilly & #playdate14
I made good progress planning center activities / curriculum for a #STEM Kitchen Chemistry unit that starts Tuesday! j.mp/1fvCWBt
excellent, free #security plugin for #WordPress: Better WP Security j.mp/1bALK9P by @ithemes via @kevinhendricks
iReading: WordPress Password Security: How to Protect Your Life j.mp/1e7L37p by @kevinhendricks @ithemes
"For some adults, nostalgia can get in the way of understanding teens real relationship to social technologies today" by @zephoria
"utopian and dystopian rhetoric (extremes) both rely on technologically deterministic worldviews" by @zephoria in "It's Complicated"
EpiscopalCotR Mark your calendars on 3/12 for our Community Dinner, 6:30. Glad to welcome @wfryer - Internet safety and social media. @stpaulsokc
@plnaugle wonderful - thanks so much! Safe #GIEsummit travels to @alicebarr
iReading: Decline of bees forces China's apple farmers to pollinate by hand j.mp/1fKFc4m (from 2012) #nature
"The most important thing if you want to be a beekeeper is to be CURIOUS!" - Beekeeper Bob instagram.com/p/kw6MzgOgAG/
Persistence, visibility, spreadability & searchability: all unique characteristics of "networked digital publics" by @zephoria
Many adult anxieties over teen social media use derive from reluctance to let teens fully participate in public life paraphrase of @zephoria
Free 2Learn: Why Unleashing Instinct 2Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, & Better Students 4Life j.mp/1bzt5v9
iReading: Reimagining Teacher Credentials Using Digital Badges j.mp/Mktgyc by @DigitalPromise
"Over 80% of US teens in 2010 had a cell phone" by @zephoria in "It's Complicated" #SocialMedia
iReading: Five Myths About Young People and Social Media j.mp/1jXCfBs in @PsychToday citing new book by @zephoria
eBook2read: It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens by @zephoria j.mp/MkllBe #edchat
iReading: Be Glad for Our Failure to Catch Up with China in Education j.mp/1jYvXo4 via @YongZhaoUO @BradLatzke #edpolicy @OklaEd
iReading: Cut Off Harvard to Save America j.mp/1e5kMqn by @Bloomberg via @BradLatzke (interesting take on endowments)


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Lori is responsible for client services at Zimsen Partners Keysborough office. She finished her Associate Diploma of Business in Office Administration. Lori is quite experienced in customer service, secretarial affairs, reception and administration work.
Lori is committed to helping clients in any way she can to meet their needs and requirements and always enthusiastically greets clients making them feel welcome and comfortable at Zimsen Partners Pty Ltd, Smart Financial Advisory Pty Ltd, Leaf Lending Solutions Pty Ltd & Your Local Accountant.
Lori is fluent in Visayan and her interests are in gaining more knowledge, walking, cooking & watching movies.


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Sunday night and this morning I was watching one of the many SD Charger analysis shows, this one called Chargers Game Plan. Josh Lewin is the Chargers' radio guy, while Chris Chandler describes himself as an NFL analyst. They had a couple of players who had quotes or who stopped by. Their perspective was predictable, in many ways - they were talking about the Broncos team as it had been prior to the bye. That's perfectly reasonable - they aren't always up on the Denver Broncos' changes, and they showed minimal film from the KC game. They had a lot to say about what the matchups were, though, and that's what drew my attention.
The Chargers' faithful were very clear that in their opinion, they have a far superior defense. That's understandable. Denver made a lot of changes in the last game, and it slammed the door on the KC running game. Sure, KC had to try to move to the passing game sooner than they wanted to, as they fell farther and farther behind, but their attempts at running were mostly met with immediate tackles and players flocking to the ball. They also talked about how the Broncos are vulnerable to the long pass, and that they were shocked that Brandon Lloyd was leading the league in receiving yards. They granted that Kyle Orton was being effective, but made it clear that he wasn't capable of putting a game on his back. Nice to know - don't tell Tennessee or Kansas City.
On the other hand, they were highly respectful of the Broncos' receiving corps. They didn't know that Eddie Royal may not play tonight, and didn't mention his potential replacement. I haven't seen the lineup, but two options present themselves to me - Jabar Gaffney at the slot, and Demaryius Thomas taking the outside, doing what he does well - going long. He needs to improve his catching - letting a TD pass bounce off his fingers by not extending his arms was a bad mistake in the KC game, but he's a rookie and he's still learning.
The other option, of course, is getting Eric Decker on the field. He is, in may ways, potentially a perfect slot receiver. He may not have Royal's quickness and slashing style, but he's very strong, doesn't mind taking big hits and is fearless going over the middle. He's also gifted with incredible hands, and dropped three passes in college - in his entire career there. Personally, I hope that both rookies get playing time. This is the kind of game that makes me miss Matthew Willis, but he's going to be back next year. Another speed merchant who is developing good hands and is nearly unstoppable on the go route is a great addition. If he and Orton develop a connection to add to the one Kyle has with Brandon Lloyd, they could light up the scoreboard like fireworks on the 4th of July.
The most embarrassing gaffe on their preview was that they are still listing Russ Hochstein as the left guard and Zane Beadles as the right tackle, with no mention of Ryan Harris. They gave a nice little discussion of the talent, skill and power of Ryan Clady, but even after talking about the Kansas City game, they ignored Harris. Somehow, I doubt that Norv Turner or Ron Rivera have made the same mistake. You'd think that the return of an All-Pro right tackle and the emergence of Beadles as a very good left guard would be worth a quick mention, but it wasn't to be.
The play of the Broncos' linebacking corp against KC was covered in some detail, praised highly, and Mario Haggan's work led the spot. They didn't notice that he'd moved back to OLB, but that's fine - this is the kind of sloppy journalistic work that is common among TV personalities. There are, happily, some exceptions.
I've watched Ron Jaworski over the years, and 'Jaws' has matured from NFL quarterback to perhaps the best-informed commentator that I've seen at this time. Jon Gruden is engaging and far more amusing. He's also a very knowledgeable fellow, but Jaws seems to take a more specific and thorough approach to whatever he's asked to handle, looking deeper into his subjects and studying film almost constantly. One such aspect came up this morning with the Broncos, and the subject was that Kyle Orton, the #4 QB (based, in this case, on yardage - with one less game, he's still tied for first in the league at throws over 40 yards with 10, and is second in the league at throws over 20 yards with 22).
Jaws actually took the time to examine the stats that fans often do not have access to, such as Orton's exact numbers on play action. Kyle learned to handle the basics of play-action plays at Purdue under Joe Tiller and continued to develop his moves in Chicago. But if you go back to 2008 and watch his games and compare that to 2010, it's obvious that he's learned a few things during that time. Orton has completed 52 of his 77 play-action passes this year for 927 yards — 17.8 yards per completion — and a 120.0 passer rating. This, with the Broncos' bottom-dwelling running game. Orton's going to be using play action frequently tonight and his work to date indicates why he's been so successful this year. He has the play-action fake down to a fine art, and teams have to respect it.
By the way - even though he's been used sparingly so far, fullback Spencer Larsen had a few plays in the KC game that I've been hoping to see since training camp. Larsen lined up in the I-formation on one play and instead of leading the blocking, received a quick handoff from Orton and slashed into the line, shedding two tacklers before another two brought him down after an 8-yard gain. KC was caught totally off-guard, never having seen him used that way before. Larsen also caught his first TD pass, as well as throwing a massive block on Tim Tebow's rushing TD.
I'm aware of the feelings of many fans regarding the numbers that Knowshon Moreno has put up, and I'm no more thrilled with them than they are. I do feel that a certain level of rational balance is appropriate - Moreno has been fighting through injury all year, and the KC game was the first time that he's stepped on the field healthy. Fans who point to the fact that he's played through the injury as evidence that he wasn't injured haven't been following the statements that have been made regarding those injuries. I see that as a statement on his toughness, while others simply consider it unacceptable performance. Opinions vary, but his first 100-yard game should be added to the factors.
So is the fact that last weekend was the first time that he was running behind the offensive line that Denver had hoped to start the season with, and you could quickly see why. He was hit in the backfield on exactly one play, as opposed to 2009 when he was hit behind the line on a high percentage of his runs. I haven't seen the exact numbers on the first half of the season for that issue, but he certainly wasn't running unencumbered. Things changed when the blocking did, and being healthy helped.
This may be one of the more important issues with regard to this game. While I don't expect that the Chargers are as feckless as the commentators from the Chargers Game Plan show seemed to be, Ryan Mathews, the oft-injured running back from Fresno State has 87 carries for 382 yards, which is a long way from what San Diego believed he would produce when they drafted him. He's likely out for this game, and Moreno is healthy and running behind the reunited Denver offensive line. This gives the Broncos the potential for something that SD won't have - a balanced attack.
This isn't to say that SD won't have a decent runner - they will. Human bowling ball Mike Tolbert, originally a fullback at 5'9" and 243 lb, will be their dominant ball carrier. Denver won't be underestimating him - he has the same 87 carries as Mathews, but has outgained him with 395 yards. He's quicker than most fullbacks, is hard to see behind the scrum of the LOS and hits the hole with power and authority. However - It's still true that this game is far more likely to be a question of whether Denver can limit Philip Rivers' production in terms of points, and whether Denver can match and exceed that production. With a healthy running attack and offensive line, the offensive side has a good chance. What about the defense?
Andre' Goodman is still out, and Perrish Cox will continue to replace him, a situation that may not change when Goodman gets healthy. Champ Bailey will be tested - Malcom Floyd had been as much an afterthought as Brandon Lloyd was, but he, too, has blossomed into an excellent receiver this year as Vincent Jackson and SD had been unable to rectify their differences. Legedu Naanee, a 4th-year, 6'2" receiver out of Boise State has also been making the best of his chance to shine. Due to injury he only has 11 receptions, but a 16.9 yards per reception average.
I think that what interests me the most out of the game will be watching for Wink Martindale's approach to trying to limit the SD offensive attack. It's his first year as an NFL defensive coordinator, but he has a lot of experience in the field and he's watched SD before as the linebackers coach. With Doom on IR, Denver will turn to Robert Ayers, who is likely to be very limited in his number of plays as he returns from a broken bone in his foot, Mario Haggan at OLB will try to reprise his 3-sack total from last week's game and Jason Hunter, who has been an all-around solid player for Denver will probably be at the weak side. DJ Williams is definite at RILB, but it remains to be seen if Wesley Woodyard or Joe Mays take the dominant number of snaps at LILB. I'd expect Woodyard, who has more coverage experience, but Gates is probably out for tonight, so Mays may get more playing time, especially if Tolbert begins to gain traction in the running game.
The final story on tonight is going to be special teams play. If Eddie Royal is out, Denver will be using Perrish Cox and probably Syd'Quan Thompson or Demaryius Thomas as returners. SD has the immensely talented Darren Sproles, but he, too, has struggled with an injury. The Bolts have also had 5 punts blocked this year. Norv Turner has sworn that it won't happen again this year, but he won't be out on the field - a guy can dream, can't he? Games like this often swing on special teams play, as last year's Monday Night contest in SD proved. Eddie Royal returned both a punt and a kickoff for TDs - and that was the game. Nate Kaeding, the Charger's excellent kicker, has been hampered by an injury himself, but hopes to handle the kickoff and FG responsbilities tonight. If he can't, Kris Brown will do the honors.
It's a gorgeous day in San Diego, with bright sun, temperatures in the 60s and light breezes. It's Monday Night Football, with a division rivalry on the line and quite possibly, the chances of each team making a wild card or even division title being decided. If you don't look forward to this, you don't like Denver football.
Go Broncos!


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SuperFly shadowing inaccurate away from scene origin
Also this floating point error given a far away camera.
The answer to the question in the previous link (which I will deliberately refrain from reposting here, as that's impolite and may infringe on the poster's rights) mentions the I-Novae (previously Infinity) Render Engine as having chosen to solve these particular scale and precision problems. I concede that their scope of operations is way beyond what Poser's is presented as, but still presents the possibility of a way forward.
Of course, none of this is directly relevant to Clothing, Prop or Figure Vendors and their livelihoods, but it still presents a potential difficulty for Poser Artists, which I (perhaps without justification) still consider myself.
I can confirm the issue for both GPU and CPU render.
Here i used EzDome + one inf. light:
@nagra_00_ thank you for the confirmation. I shall submit a report, though I'm sure this will be even more onerous to fix than a core-rewrite to eliminate mesh group breaking.
Now, at least, I can change the script I was working on to delete hundreds of building-related figures in my scene to test whether they were affecting the render shadow artifacts, to one which parents them all to a groupingObject and reverse the constraint effects to move the whole environment so that the camera target figure is at the origin, rather than the other way around. Grrr! Unfortunately, until that's done, I can't do any more human renders by the Dream Home's pool side. Everything will have to be done in the main street of town! [Oops, blush! Sorry X-/]
BTW, can you confirm what distance from the origin your figure is? It might be nice to derive a distance from the origin in PNU that scene renders have to remain within to avoid these precision underflow artifacts. It's quite tragic that all of the world builders' environments are essentially useless in SuperFly renders (not that this necessarily eliminates a similar problem in FireFly renders) unless they're translated so the subjects are at or near the origin.
***=NSFW content (Black Eyes! Broken Teeth! Render Shadow Artifacts! Strawberry Apron!)***click to show
Here's what I was trying to fix, without success, yet. Imagine having let that run for a day or two, with sufficient samples to kill all the fireflies, only to discover spinach between your teeth, and that the mascara was supposed to be around your eyes, not in them!
There's also some stupid clipping plane thing happening round the forward knee! What?
Here we go, i made some tests moving the character along the x-axis. The artifacts start at about 49 PNU. Adding some security it should be safe as long as you are within a 40 PNU area around the origin.
Good point about this issue is that it can be worked around unlike others ;-)
@nagra_00_ Cheers!
I was so pleased that I'd worked out that all the room positioning poses I'd spent days populating the Dream Home pose library with weren't wasted, when I incorporated it into a remote location in the WorldBase-Xtreme set. Just parent the figure to a constraint which reset the origin an y-rotation to match the architecture and apply the original poses directly to the figure to place it in any room. At least that will still work. I think the whole mansion will be within a 40 PNU radius of the origin. I just have to work out the logistics of using the constraints to move the rest of the scene so the mansion's centre comes back to the origin.
This all reminds me very much of the era, decades ago, when everyone was scaling their scenes up 1000x to overcome some problem or other. I think it was to do with the scale of bump units, but I can't remember exactly, and I'm not prepared to waste hours trying to find old threads at Renderosity in the hope that they're still there. All was good until it was subsequently discovered that the bump scale fix didn't replicate in reflections. Ah, the good old, bad old days! Might have even been pre-FireFly, but I don't think that can be right, since we didn't have ray traced reflections prior to that.
@nagra_00_ looking back through some other SuperFly renders in my cache, I've just realised that I still have weird render artifacts in a scene that I know for certain is at the origin, so they're not all strictly related to floating point underflow.
The area round the knee of this figure looks similar to features I was seeing in a render I was trying to complete about two months ago, and posted in the SuperFly Renders thread the artifacts I was seeing there:
In the current scene I had to completely abandon the second skin I was using for water droplets on leaving the pool, as it rendered completely black due to the origin offset problem, but that curve on the knee in the previous post looks just like the insanity that occurred where the figure passed through this arbitrary plane.
I've left out the explanations from the screen shots which were in the SuperFly Renders thread from two months ago, but the one observation that stands out as related to both problems, is the use of an Infinite Light. I've vivid (but not necessarily accurate) memories of one of @bagginsbill 's comments that the SuperFly raytracer has trouble finding infinite lights.
Perhaps there's a better solution for outdoor, daytime SuperFly renders that a single, infinite sun light.
AFAIK the problem with infinite lights is related to caustics only. For non-caustic Cycles does use MIS that means the render engine sends a shadow ray directly to the light source as it does know where the light actually is. For caustic related issues Cycles does not use MIS and sends random rays. Its obvious that i has a really hard time to hit a small infinite light in that case. Thats why we have the tricky glass shader;)
I wonder if the origin related artifacts are a result of using 32-bit floats in a 64-bit application.
@nagra_00_ I read recently that the OpenEXR file format uses half-floating point precision to store HDR information for pixels as an intermediate between 32 bit binary RGBA and full floating point as used by TIFF, in order to present the dynamic range required without using the full storage requirement of full floating point representations, so OpenEXR files are smaller than TIFF. The article went on to say that this half-precision floating point was also adopted for internal GPU use as a memory saving measure. No doubt it also speeds calculation when less bytes have to be moved around, though I'm less certain that calculating with a smaller mantissa would be any faster. If such is the case, it may be that expediency has dictated that Poser's internal calculations are less precise for the sake of speed of calculation. [This is speculation only. I have no information which upholds or refutes this supposition]
I long ago ran into underflow territory with parameter angles in Poser's interface when trying to aim something precisely. Nothing smaller than 0.01 of a degree is significant as a parameter value. I seem to remember a brief flirtation with lower precision for the sake of performance ages ago, but that quickly got rolled back when inaccuracies were too blatantly obvious for users to accept. I suspect that Poser's transition to 64 bit code had no impact or influence on the precision it calculates with internally. I would have to ask those who know what the code base uses.
All of my current renders have caustics enabled, as there's usually water in the scene somewhere, even if it's only tears ;-).
Going to crash now. Back in a Morpheus.
@anomalaus Ok, when you are using refractive materials and do rely on Cycles caustic calculation you have to life with its limitations. Or in other words, shadow rays are terminated when they hit a surface with refraction and can therefor not collect lightning information through this optimization pass. What the tricky glass shader does is: You are a shadow ray, fine for you i am transparent.
Don't know about performance for 32 versa 64 bit floats on a CPU. Back in the day when we had the x87 FPU everything was calculated internal with 80 bits. With SSE this changed as we now have native 32 and 64 float support.
About storage size, thought the smallest memory allocation for a variable on a 64 bit app is 64 bit. But i can easily be wrong here as i am out of such compiler internals since a long time.
shvrdavid last edited by
The only suggestion I have is this
Put your hrdi on the background material, not a sphere.
Use an area light for the sun.
There has been discussion that a sphere doesn't have all the render info with it.
I'm not entirely sure of all the details, but it makes sense that if a sphere leaves out render info it would mess up.
@shvrdavid any further clues on what topic that would have been discussed under, so I can search for it?
That's also going to be difficult if I want to have a cloud sphere casting sun shadows.
@shvrdavid while I was thinking about the transition from an infinite light to an area light, which I'm reluctant to do, since area lights are exclusively rectangular in the first instance, unless you meant to make something with geometry into a light emitter, I ran across an old post from @bagginsbill on Rendo in 2006 regarding a Light Meter. None of the links currently work, but the concept should be an excellent tool for matching the different lighting levels which result from area lights/mesh emitters vs infinite lights.
Prior to setting up the color ramp nodes which the light meter consists of, I made a quick and dirty replacement, turning off the infinite sun light and slaving it's colour and intensity parameters to a cycles emission node plugged into the cycles root on the pre-existing sun sphere in my scene, which was already a light emitter, but was only using volumetric scatter and a glassBSDF node to give a nuanced image of the sun's disc when viewed at the horizon. With a prop as an emitter, the preview isn't illuminated (no big deal since I can change the preview mode), and the light isn't anywhere near as strong (due, no doubt, to inverse square light propagation being applied to the mesh light which wasn't applied to the infinite light), but the far-from-origin shadow artifacts are still evident, as they were when I'd made all of the environment spheres invisible in a previous test, so I don't think switching to the background for scene lighing will help at all.
***NSFW content***click to show
Still the full complement of shadow artifacts at 406m from the origin. Sun Sphere at 2.77 intensity.
@shvrdavid Uhhh, no. Area Light for Sun doesn't work for me at the distance it needs to be to give sharp shadows (and subtend 0.53°) and approximately parallel rays.
***NSFW content***click to show
I probably went overboard with the emissive sphere's intensity (2765 = 1000 x the infinite light intensity), but it's a lot closer than the overcast appearance in the previous render, which admittedly is mostly clear of fireflies. Can't win. Can't break even. Only thing left is to get out of the game D-X.
Miss B last edited by
@anomalaus said in SuperFly shadowing inaccurate away from scene origin:
@shvrdavid while I was thinking about the transition from an infinite light to an area light, which I'm reluctant to do, since area lights are exclusively rectangular in the first instance, unless you meant to make something with geometry into a light emitter, I ran across an old post from @bagginsbill on Rendo in 2006 regarding a Light Meter. None of the links currently work, but the concept should be an excellent tool for matching the different lighting levels which result from area lights/mesh emitters vs infinite lights.
If you're talking about BB's Light Meter, you'll find it as the 4th item on this page of this "File Cabinet" --> https://sites.google.com/site/bagginsbill/file-cabinet
@miss-b cheers! I would have looked there eventually, but I was a bit distressed that I couldn't find a single thread older than August 2018 on Renderosity with their search, despite google finding the thread which mentioned the light meter. Of course all of the links within the thread were dead, hence my question.
@nagra_00_ well, turning the groupingObject hierarchy on it's head did what I needed, bringing the scenery to the character, within close proximity to the origin and making the shadow artifacts go away.
***NSFW content***though, of course, I still need to deal with render quality issue, but that re-enters the realms of possibility when the shadow artifacts are gone. The Sun angle's slightly different, but I think I can live with this solution.click to show
In truth, I really only need the sun sphere prop if I intend the sun to be in frame, such as a dawn or dusk situation, or when I want low angle "God rays" from cloud shadow.
I'll have another go at the main render, and see if any of the other issues like the second skin water droplet figure rendering completely black has gone away too.
Side note: You can control the light fall off for light emitter by using the LightFallOff node. Something like this:
However i doubt that an emissive sphere works better with caustics. Placed in the distance it can be considered to be small and Cycles will have the same problems to hit it by random rays.


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If you find yourself looking for a great spot to grab some delicious food you're your family or group of friends, Ironside Kitchen Pizza & Café is the perfect spot. Serving up authentic Italian favorites like bruschetta, pomodoro fresco pasta and a large selection of delectable Neapolitan-style pizzas. Each and every dish is crafted using the freshest ingredients possible like organic produce, homemade cured meats, and specially selected Italian products.
Located in the Upper Eastside, Ironside Kitchen is situated in a flourishing urban center that is home to showrooms, studios and a variety of other artistic disciplines. Ironside Kitchen has a wonderful atmosphere if you are looking for a relaxed evening with your significant other or a night out with friends.
One of their best items on the menu to start off a delicious Italian meal is their Tagliere or sharing platter of perfectly paired Italian cheeses and meats. With the option of choosing your choice of three or five items, you can feed any number of people. The choices of cheeses or "formaggi" are burrata, mozzarella fiordilatte, parmigiano, gorgonzola, and ricotta. The choices of meats or "salumi" are prosciutto di Parma, parma cotta ham, nduja calabrese, and salame. This great platter is perfect to share with your family and friends and most of the meats and cheeses that are offered may be a new taste experience for you as well.
Head over to Ironside Kitchen Pizza & Café the next time you and your group are hungry for authentic Italian cuisine. To see their full menu, visit https://pizzaironside.com/italian-pizza-ironside-miami/.italian cheeses, italian mezze platter, mezze platter, sharing platter, tagliere


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I'm so excited to share with you todays post. Not only because Mackie Boy looks beyond adorable, but because I've teamed up with Coca-Cola to share with you some photos of my family and I during our holiday nights. For as long as I can remember Coca-Cola drinks have been included in our household for every special occasion. It's part of my childhood and every time I drink it, it brings back so many wonderful and happy memories growing up with a big Dominican family. My fiancé also comes from a big family, it's really nice that we share a lot of the same traditions. A few months ago my fiancé and I decided we were going to move across the country from New York, the city that never sleeps to slow paced Los Angeles, California. It has been the best decision we have made and we are thrilled to start this journey. Let me know in the comments below how you celebrate the holidays drinking Coca-Cola with your family and friends. Can't wait to hear your stories!
With Love,
What I'm Wearing:
Diana Pajamas: HERE Jose Pajamas: HERE
This post was sponsored by Coca-Cola and ShopStyle.


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Home Workout Tips That Would Give You Ripped Belly
The gym is not necessarily the only place you can work on yourself and get that killer shape and body, you can also workout at home, by yourself and achieve the same good results.
All you need is having a good knowledge of what you are supposed to do, follow the instructions and nobody would know you didn't get your fit and trim body in the gym.
This article is to show you that you can achieve those flat and ripped belly at home, all by yourself.
– Skipping/Jumping ropes: this is both the ideal warm up program as well as a very effective fat burner itself. With just 20 minutes with your jumping ropes, you can burn off the calories from a candy bar. That's got to be something right? Well get yourself a jumping rope today and get started. Jumping ropes puts stress on the ankle, hips and knee, so there are certain precautions you need to take before starting
You will need an athlete's training shoe that fits properly, which also has good bouncy sole to reduce the impact of the jumps on your ankles and knee.
The surface on which you would be jumping is an important factor too. The best surface to jump is on a wooden surface as it reduces jumping impacts. With good athlete shoes and a good floor, you are good to go. And oh, remember you would need space above your head.
– Crunches: a very effective way of flattening your stomach and getting that solid and rock hard abs. There are variations of Crunch, all equally effective but each targeting a specific side of the stomach muscles. Get in the crunching position and let someone throw a ball at you, as you raise your upper body to catch the ball, make sure your abs are contracted for maximum effect. Increase your repetition as the weeks go by.
– Sit-up: an abdominal training that builds and strengthens the muscles of the abdomen. A bit similar to crunches, but targets different sets of muscles and on a different range of motion. Doing a great number of sit-ups would leave your belly flat and totally ripped. You can't help but feel your belly tighten up each time you want to do a simple chore in the house. Feels beautiful doesn't it?
– Kick Boxing: this is an effective exercise that hits abdominal muscles. As you kick and punch on the punching bag, the muscles on your belly contract. With intensive punching and high kicks, your abs is sure to get the pressure.
– Plank: this too is an effective workout program for strengthening the stomach muscles and developing them even further. Planks could be very challenging for beginners. An endurance exercise that gets you shaking on your hands and elbows the first time, but when mastered, it is just a sweet challenge. There are varieties of the plank exercise, all targeting same goal but through different methods.


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July 27, 2015
1. Faster Processor
I couldn't tell you how bad I want this. Apple introduced it's newest MacBook with a 1.1 Ghz dual-core Intel Core M processor which is configurable at order to 1.2 Ghz or 1.3. This is probably caused by the fact that the new MacBook is completely fanless, so the Cupertino company probably thought that any faster would burn up the computer very fast. And that's understandable. But for $1299 I'd like an entry level 1.3 Ghz processor in my new laptop.
3. Another USB C Port
Ah yes, the infamous single USB Type C port, capable of both data transfer and charging. Its also compatible with dongles, dongles, dongles! If you wanna make any normal data transfer between your new MacBook and say a USB Type A flash drive then you'll need the $20 USB Type C Male to USB Type A Female adapter from Apple. If you wanna charge you're laptop while transferring all that new content to your flash drive then you'll need the $80 adapter Apple also sells. See what I mean? If Apple doubles the USB C ports on their thin and light portable computer then this would be a major game changer for consumers and the new MacBook.
2. Better Webcam
I know, I know. "They couldn't fit a better webcam into the top lid of the computer because it's way too thin." Well, truth be told, I wouldn't mind if the MacBook were a little thicker if it meant that we'd get a 720p FaceTime HD webcam. The webcam on the MacBook is horrible. I mean it's doable, but not ideal. If you plan on not video chatting any time soon with this machine (gadget?) then you're in luck. You have nothing to worry about. But the rest of us do. And we want a better webcam. Period.
4. A Clickier Keyboard
C'mon, you've gotta admit you love that satisfying clicky sound when you type on a mechanical keyboard. If you're like me and you're coming from a regular MacBook keyboard, then chances are you probably won't like the new keyboard Apple packed into the MacBook. The MacBook is so thin that they actually had to reinvent the entire keyboard by making the keys much bigger and changing the mechanism under neath the keys. So now when you type on the keyboard, you can't really tell you typing. It just sounds like your tapping your fingers on the keys. So with generation 2 of this computer, Apple, if you need to make the computer slightly thicker to add a regular keyboard, by all means do so.
5. A Lower Price!!
When the iPhone came out, it's price was $399 with a 2-year contract. Everyone complained how they couldn't afford it. The 2nd generation iPhone (the iPhone 3G) was the same price it is today, $199 with a 2-year contract. A lot of people are hoping they cut down the price of the Apple Watch 2 just like they did with the iPhone. And a lot of people are hoping Apple cuts down the price of the MacBook too. Currently, if you get the base lie model (1.1 Ghz dual-core Intel Core M processor, 8GB memory, 256GB storage) it's gonna run you $1299. You can get a much more powerful MacBook Air 13-inch for just $999. If Apple can cut down the price of the new MacBook to starting at $1099 and the better model at $1199 or something similar to that, then they'll sell more of their thin-and-light laptop.
Knowing Apple, if they had to choose anything off this list to take into action on the MacBook, they'd probably choose #5. Because that's just what they do. If they do come out with a gen 2, then they'll make that the same price as this one is today and drop the cost of this MacBook a couple hundred bucks. Of course they could just simply surprise us with something unexpected, but if that doesn't happen, expect something similar to what they've done in the past with their products.


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- Description
DetailsAlthough recently separated, Mirna Hernandez was the very talented wife of Tavo Silveira, who took the top prize (Galardon - Best in Show!) in the 2012 and 2018 pottery competition sponsored by the government in Mata Ortiz, and has won a prize in almost every competition around. Mirna works side by side with Tavo, helping him craft his famous work. Most pieces are signed by both artists as a result. But Mirna Hernandez is a talent that can very much stand on her own. She has won several awards for her work, and is a truly talented second generation artist. Her painting technique is incredible and she has a great eye for symmetry and all the fine details, while still being painted by home made paint brushes crafted of long strands of human hair.. I really enjoy the graphic nature of this piece. Truly eye catching! And the pot itself is so lightweight! This is the ultimate sign of quality in a Mata Ortiz pot. This is a small version with a tall lip, and it is signed by the artist. Approximate Measurements: 5" high x 3 5/8" wide (11 1/2" circumference at it's widest point)
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