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The Freak Angels broke the world via...
They were shown causing earthquakes, freak weather, and breaking the Earth's magnetic field. This would probably cause a worldwide EMP, so any electronic device in use at the time, including every power plant in existence, broke at once. They may have also affected the moon, causing freak tides and thus worldwide flooding.
- They also broke time itself.
The American military is the real Big Bad.
Throughout Mark's return, it's been hinted at he's seen something that the Freakangels should be afraid of. His whole purpose in returning was to protect himself from this threat, a threat which ultimately results in him getting a stroke in two weeks that he will not break out of. Then the last panel here indicates the problem. The fact that a functioning American military helicopter survived the Freakangels apocalypse, plus the tendencies of militaries in post-apocalyptic settings, make for the obvious conclusion.
- Or, they'd think the army is the big bad and attack them, only screwing everything up. It'd fit with the general theme of the comic.
- ... Nope, once the Freakangels fix the country and leave the Americans help rebuild.


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Estate Tax Valuation Expert Witnesses
Search our accounting & valuation expert witness and consultant directory that includes expert listings for business valuation, accounting fraud, lost earnings, audits, business interruption, lost profits, Estate Tax Valuation and more. Browse our list of categories or use our search tool to find the right accounting & valuation expert witness or consultant for your case.
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A unique opportunity to own a stunning brick home w/ a huge detached garage/workshop on over 5 acres not far from Mint Hill, Matthews, & 485! Perfect for reunions, gatherings or car enthusiasts! On a beautiful lot w/ mature trees, a patio, koi pond, & a waterfall, this home has gleaming hardwoods on the main & upper floors & tile in all the baths. It offers great spaces for gathering in the formal DR & in the great room open to the breakfast room, sunroom & kitchen featuring a breakfast bar & two ovens, including a Jenn-Air! Main floor is complete w/ an owner's suite plus two bedrooms & a hall bath. The second floor is spacious w/ two bedrooms separated by a shared bathroom, a huge bonus room, an office/music room, a rec/hobby room, a half bath & storage areas. 2,737 addtl. heated square feet in the detached 4 car garage w/ kitchen, fireplace, full bath & bonus room above is a super workshop/entertaining space w/ a covered porch, built-in BBQ oven, & a huge driveway/parking pad!
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Highlands has the vision to be the world's most respected mortgage brand. To accomplish this, we have created a culture that supports our team members, so they can deliver unmatched service and products to our customers and industry partners, while fulfilling the American Dream of homeownership.
Our Mission is to provide superior quality service that employees are proud of, customers refer to their family and friends and Realtors/builders recommend to their clients. We are committed to bettering the lives of our employees, our customers and communities – while inspiring others to do the same.


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Top Rated Mortgage Broker In Fort Lauderdale FL.
Premier Lending Corp is located on 12525 Orange Dr #713, Davie. From Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) head northwest toward Terminal Dr/Upper Terminal Dr and use the middle 2 lanes to turn slightly left. Then continue straight onto Lower Terminal Dr/Terminal Dr and keep right to stay on Lower Terminal Dr/Terminal Dr. Next, use the right 2 lanes to keep right at the fork and follow signs for Departures and use the right 2 lanes to continue toward I-595 W. After that keep right at the fork, follow signs for I-595 W/I-95/Florida's Turnpike and merge onto I-595 W. At this point merge onto I-595 W and use the right 2 lanes to take exit 2-3 toward Hiatus Rd/Flamingo Rd/State Rte 823. Merge onto FL-84 W and use the left 2 lanes to turn slightly left to stay on FL-84 W. Finally, use the left 2 lanes to turn left onto S Flamingo Rd and turn right. Turn right and Premier Lending Corp will be on your right.
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Every 2nd and 4th Monday of each month 11:30am to 12:30pm
This yoga class is free of charge and is open to anyone aged 14+ with a sensory impairment. You must provide your own communication support, and family, friends, carers and guide dogs are welcome!
Westgate New Church68b WestgatePeterboroughPE1 1RG
0121 415 2759 Extension: 1759
Club 73 choir
Wednesday evenings (mainly term time) 6pm - 7pm
Club 73 Choir Club 73 is a not-for profit community organisation, offering social and leisure opportunities for adults (18 years old and over) with learning and/or social disabilities who live in Peterborough and the surrounding areas. You don't need to be able to sing to…
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We meet every Tuesday from 9 am and finish at 3 pm. The day centre caters for around 70 people and is run by volunteers. The drop in session includes: tea & coffee a 2-course lunch more tea & coffee bingo activities knitting
The Italian Community Association - Fleet WayHigh StreetFlettonPeterboroughCambridgeshirePE2 8DL
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Cambridgeshire Deaf Association - Peterborough Deaf Drop-in
Every week on Wednesday from 12.30-2.30pm
Peterborough Drop-in is usually buzzing with BSL conversation and chatter every-week. Based at the City College in the City Centre, Peterborough Drop-in is a place to meet friends or new people, see interesting talks or get support from CDA or Social Services. (Peterborough Social Services…
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Families First Sunday Lunch and Bingo -
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Come along to the Grove. Free hot meal for the homeless, elderly or lonely.
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Come along to our Stroke Information Cafe Group for support, conversations and advice.
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Reduce the Stress of Aging and Improve Quality of Life with Meditation
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.
"if we can delay the onset of memory loss by five years, we can reduce an individual's chance of developing Alzheimer's by 50 percent. Moreover, if you can keep your memory strong and vital 10 years longer than expected, you can forget about ever getting Alzheimer's." – Dharma Singh Khalsa
Human life is one of constant change. We revel in our increases in physical and mental capacities during development, but regret their decline during aging. As we age, there are systematic progressive declines in every system in the body, the brain included. This includes our mental abilities and results in impairments in memory, attention, and problem solving ability. It is inevitable and cannot be avoided. Aging also results in changes in mental health. Depression is very common in the elderly. The elderly cope with increasing loss of friends and family, deteriorating health, as well as concerns regarding finances on fixed incomes. All of these are legitimate sources of worry. In addition, many elderly experience withdrawal and isolation from social interactions. But, no matter how reasonable, the increased loneliness, worry and anxiety add extra stress that can impact on the elderly's already deteriorating physical and psychological health.
Mindfulness appears to be effective for an array of physical and psychological issues that occur with aging. It appears to strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation. It has also been shown to be beneficial in slowing or delaying physical and mental decline with aging. and improve cognitive processes. It has also been shown to reduce anxiety, worry, and depression and improve overall mental health. Since the global population of the elderly is increasing at unprecedented rates, it is imperative to investigate safe and effective methods to slow physical and mental aging and improve mental health in the elderly.
In today's Research News article "Effects of Meditation versus Music Listening on Perceived Stress, Mood, Sleep, and Quality of Life in Adults with Early Memory Loss: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial." See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5649740/, Innes and colleagues recruited older adults (over 50 years of age) with mild cognitive impairments and randomly assigned them to either relax and listen to classical music or practice Kirtan Kriya meditation for 12-minutes, once a day for 12 weeks. They were measured before and after treatment and again 3 months later for perceived stress, sleep quality, positive and negative moods, psychological well-being, health-related quality of life, memory, and cognitive ability. Retention of participants was high as only 8% dropped out of the study.
They found that after 12 weeks of practice both the music listening and the Kirtan Kriya meditation groups showed significant improvements in psychological well-being, mood, including anxiety, depression, confusion, anger, and fatigue, sleep quality, and health-related quality of life, including mental health, energy, and emotional well-being. These improvements were sustained 3 months after the conclusion of formal practice. Importantly, the Kirtan Kriya meditation group had significantly greater improvement in perceived stress, mood, psychological well-being, mental health-related quality of life than the music listening group.
These results suggest that relaxation in general produces sustained improvements in the well-being of older adults with mild cognitive impairments. But, Kirtan Kriya meditation practice produces greater improvements. The fact that there was a music listening control group suggests that it was the meditation per se and not just the relaxation inherent in meditation practice that was responsible for the improvements. This suggests that meditation practice is very beneficial of older adults with mild cognitive impairments improving their mental health, perceived stress, and well-being and that these improvements are sustained at least for 3 months. Since, these factors are associated with further cognitive decline, the results suggest that meditation practice may slow age-related cognitive decline.
So, reduce the stress of aging and quality of life with meditation.
"One of the major difficulties that individuals with dementia and their family members encounter is that there is a need for new ways of communicating due to the memory loss and other changes in thinking and abilities. The practice of mindfulness places both participants in the present and focuses on positive features of the interaction, allowing for a type of connection that may substitute for the more complex ways of communicating in the past. It is a good way to address stress." – Sandra Weintraub
CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies
This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts and on Twitter @MindfulResearch
Study Summary
Kim E. Innes, Terry Kit Selfe, Dharma Singh Khalsa, Sahiti Kandati. Effects of Meditation versus Music Listening on Perceived Stress, Mood, Sleep, and Quality of Life in Adults with Early Memory Loss: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. J Alzheimers Dis. 2016 Apr 8; 52(4): 1277–1298. doi: 10.3233/JAD-151106
Older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) are at increased risk not only for Alzheimer's disease, but for poor mental health, impaired sleep, and diminished quality of life (QOL), which in turn, contribute to further cognitive decline, highlighting the need for early intervention.
In this randomized controlled trial, we assessed the effects of two 12-week relaxation programs, Kirtan Kriya Meditation (KK) and music listening (ML), on perceived stress, sleep, mood, and health-related QOL in older adults with SCD.
Sixty community-dwelling older adults with SCD were randomized to a KK or ML program and asked to practice 12 minutes daily for 12 weeks, then at their discretion for the following 3 months. At baseline, 12 weeks, and 26 weeks, perceived stress, mood, psychological well-being, sleep quality, and health-related QOL were measured using well-validated instruments.
Fifty-three participants (88%) completed the 6-month study. Participants in both groups showed significant improvement at 12 weeks in psychological well-being and in multiple domains of mood and sleep quality (p's ≤ 0.05). Relative to ML, those assigned to KK showed greater gains in perceived stress, mood, psychological well-being, and QOL-Mental Health (p's ≤ 0.09). Observed gains were sustained or improved at 6 months, with both groups showing marked and significant improvement in all outcomes. Changes were unrelated to treatment expectancies.
Findings suggest that practice of a simple meditation or ML program may improve stress, mood, well-being, sleep, and QOL in adults with SCD, with benefits sustained at 6 months and gains that were particularly pronounced in the KK group.


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Special restrictions apply to make deliveries to the U.S. Capitol.
All delivery vehicles are required to report to the Off-Site Delivery Center for the US Capitol Police, located at 4700 Shepherd Parkway S.W. for inspection before proceeding to the Capitol Building via the North Barricade on Constitution Avenue, N.E., the loading dock of the Senate Office Buildings located on D Street, N.E., the loading dock for the Ford House Office Building on Virginia Avenue, S.W., or the Delaware Avenue, S.W. access point for the Rayburn, Longworth, and Cannon House Office Buildings' loading docks.
No deliveries will be accepted unless the vehicles have been processed at the Off-Site Delivery Center. The hours of the Off-Site Delivery Center are 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.
In order to gain access to the loading docks for the Capitol, House and Senate Office Buildings, you are required to have a letter on file with the United States Capitol Police. The letter must be on company letterhead accompanied by the signature of the owner, president or manager. Please print or type the names, in alphabetical order, of persons requesting access. Requests for access must be renewed three (3) times per year: April 30th, August 31st, and December 31st, and should contain the following information:
- Name of Company
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- Social Security Number of each Driver/Employee
- Date of Birth of each Driver/Employee
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This information must be provided to:
United States Capitol Police
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Washington, DC 20032
Fax: 202.563.5140
Any questions can be directed to the Off-Site Division of the United States Capitol Police at 202.224.0202.


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The red carpet of the stars and the sublime evening dresses of stars on the Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February. This ceremony is awarded annually in the United States the best artists in the musical field. At the same time, it is the undisputed appointment for the stars to scroll on the red carpet and show their most beautiful outfits, their magnificent evening dresses.
Striking evening gowns at the Grammy Awards
The red carpet at the Grammy Awards, a fashion show of dresses
As every year, the red carpet at the Grammy Awards has promised a true fashion show where the stars and famous singers showed their beautiful dresses. Some stars are demarcated with their sublime evening dresses, here are some models.
The most beautiful dresses are followed. There are a few stars like Rihanna, Kat Graham, Taylor Swift and more. The colors and styles of dresses perfectly reflect the feminine modern trend of this year 2015 among celebrities.
Beautiful evening dresses on the red carpet at the 2015 Grammy Awards
This is evening dress has chosen the singer Rihanna at this ceremony. This is an evening dress with a very remarkable very puffed a pink style. The volume of the skirt has not gone unnoticed before journalists and photographers. It must be said that it is may be the only time that Rihanna dresses covering almost her entire body.
Kat Graham almost transparent evening gown also drew attention. While keeping one side elegant and chic, her dress hides a sexy black corset. We see the reasons in white flowers on almost the entire surface of the long dress that has long sleeves also.
This Taylor Swift asymmetric skirt evening dress has sublimated the ceremony. Spring Green, her dress appeared with elegance. The singer was able to marry her dress to the morphology of young woman, and the result is satisfactory.
Well on, cannot forget the stunning diva Beyonce sexy dress. The Queen of music opted for a sexy short black dress to the Grammy Awards ceremony. Her dress is decorated with shiny sequins and has long sleeves with closure. This style highlights perfectly the beautiful body of the star.
The evening dress or the holding of Kim Kardashian did not go unnoticed either. The style of her dress looks like a gown very chic. Her outfit is a golden long-sleeved and royal decoration. In brightness, the star puts forward her femininity and her bust to display a unique look.


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Why do we read? T.S. Eliot offered three reasons: the pleasure of entertainment, the enjoyment of art, and the acquisition of wisdom. But when it comes to young adult literature, more particularly young adult readers, I would add two other factors for readable stories: one is, as Michael Cart terms it, "the shock of recognition," the realization that there are others out there like you. The second is fiction's use as a life road map, or a shelf of social masks to try out and on, for teens to better understand the world they occupy. This is especially true for homosexual teens. In young adult literature, heterosexual teens have a lot of varied examples of how to live life successfully and unsuccessfully. Homosexual teens have . . . less than that. There were approximately 4,000 YA titles published in 2010. That same year, only eleven LGBT YA titles were published. That amounts to 0.2% of YA books. The numbers the following year weren't much better, which means: Less than 1% of YA novels have LGBT characters.
Does young adult literature have the power to expand and shed light on the usually complicated lives of teenagers, particularly for those whose sexual orientation differs from relationships portrayed in over 99% of that literature?
First, consider the amount of bullying LGBT teens face. Gay and lesbian teens are two to three times as more likely to commit teen suicide than other youths. About thirty percent of all completed suicides have been related to sexual identity crisis. In a school setting, where most abuse and bullying of gay teens happens, discussion about sexual orientation can be brought into the classroom in the same way as any other multicultural issue: through literature, discussion, and writing.
Young adult literature—any literature really—has the power to elicit empathy, and meaning can be doubly heightened for a young reader when he/she reads (or doesn't read) about themselves when their self-identity is considered the minority. Fiction, particularly in novel form, is an unequaled medium for the exploration of human social and emotional life. There's evidence that the brain treats interactions among fictional characters as something like real-life social encounters. Earlier this year, an article in the New York Times described recent neuroscience research that showed that reading enables us to better understand and empathize with other people. Dr. Keith Oatley, a professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto, told the New York Times: "Just as computer simulations can help us get to grips with complex problems such as flying a plane or forecasting the weather, so novels, stories and dramas can help us understand the complexities of social life."
Malindo Lo, YA writer and LGBT activist, has added: "For teens (or anyone, really) living in a real world where they're unable to be themselves, or where they're struggling to figure out who that self is at all, reading can be a wonderful way to imagine different possibilities. That's why books can be so important to teens coming to terms with their sexual orientations, particularly if they're not in environments that are supportive to them." But are teens able to find these role-models they seek? There's already a shortage of LGBT YA books, and from those, it's still harder to find accurate, nonjudgmental, comprehensive information about homosexuality. It's difficult for teens to find positive role models in fiction either written and published expressly for them or – if published for adults – relevant to them and to their lives.
The LBGT market is saturated with stereotypes and gay characters who are in various ways punished for their sexual orientation. Until the early 90's, LGBT YA fiction was limited, and some of its pioneers like Annie on My Mind and I'll Get There, It Better Be Worth the Trip were cultural shockwaves. Now, however, the subject matter is less taboo and it's easier to find books written for children and young people that portray LGBT characters, from authors like Nancy Garden, Jacqueline Woodson, Julie Anne Peters, David LaRochelle, David Levithan, Ellen Wittlinger, Aidan Chambers, and Alex Sanchez. But even within this influx, there's prejudice. As of 2011 50% of LGBT YA books were about boys (most of them white), with only 25% about girls, which is somewhat disheartening, considering the predominant readership of YA is female. The remaining 25% featured adult, transgender and undetermined protagonists.
The typical gay male is portrayed in one of three ways: fashionable and funny, and sometimes a bit camp; supposedly feminine, tending to like musical theatre and often described as weak and womanly; or the athlete, "butch," with a muscular, fit body, and usually pretends to be heterosexual, which sometimes involves dating girls, in order to get along with his coach and teammates. The girls are similarly typecast and fall into two categories: the "butch dyke," the sort of girl who often plays sports, might use a male name, probably has short hair, and not too concerned about fashion; the angry, humorless feminist, who might annoy or bore other characters with her mini-lectures about the patriarchy.
And what about Artie, a supporting character in Judy Blume's 1975 novel Forever? Judy Blume is to be admired for her courage in depicting sex in such a frank way, but then there's this brilliant teenage actor who fails to have sex with his girlfriend, Erica, who in turn tries to help him find out whether or not he's gay. He also fails at killing himself, and his parents have him institutionalized—a sharp reminder that until 1973, only two years before Forever was published, the American Psychiatric Association continued to list homosexuality in its official Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders.
But are these reminders and agenda-filled novels really helping gay teens come to terms with their sexual identity? In making a character's sexual identity his/her most defining trait, these authors are demeaning gay teens' true value of self. In presenting teens with LGBT literature, the focus should be about gays in regard to community and culture, and not gay sex. Happily, more novels are emerging with deep, rounded, insightful characters . . . who happen to be gay, instead of a Gay Character whose life revolves around his/her sexual and romantic activity. Some, like Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat and Klein's My Life As a Body, have begun to deproblematize the gayness of gay characters, but most focus on the larger social and personal implications of sexual identity.
Young adult readers need more good books that provide role models to homosexual teens and offers the knowledge that they're not alone. And not just them—we, as a conglomerate reading mass—need more good books that that express gay sexuality in less emphasized terms, so that teens will feel they can be more than their sexual identity; more good books that also inform the minds and hearts of non-homosexual readers, helping them gain insight and empathy by shattering stereotypes and humanizing their LGBT peers. To ignore this literary market, to limit it, is an invitation to ignorance, which leads to fear, and as a consequence, demonizing instead of humanizing, which will continue to lead to violence and bullying—not only physically, but in a spiritual and emotional way as well. There is much to be gained by an increase of both quality and quantity of LGBT YA literature, regardless of your belief system. As one of Garden's characters states in Annie on My Mind, "Don't let ignorance win."


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Bikers Hit at Reynolds and S. Lexington
Police have it taped off and there is a Jeep in the middle of the road. Looks like a parent and kid possibly, big bike and smaller mountain bike. News is on scene now.
I hope that isn't the father and son pair we known from Flock/other rides
I'm pretty sure they travel around that area
buffalo buffalo
As an aside, what is it with KDKA comment sections? Maybe it's just me, but they seem to have the most consistently blatantly offensive commenters of any of the major media outlets in town…
buffalo buffalo
WTAE has it as the kid was riding with friends: http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Child-hit-by-vehicle-while-riding-bicycle-in-Point-Breeze/-/10927008/19851036/-/sssh1vz/-/index.html
Trib has it kid riding with parent & sibling: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/3891141-74/police-vehicle-campbell#axzz2RF0vyztp
PG and WPXI are MIA…
Wow, I rode by that area just now, and saw police cars, one at Reynolds at Lexington and the other blocking off Reynolds by the circle. Hoping for the best…
buffalo: looks like kdka deleted them but i saw them earlier – that was some truly disgusting stupid racist crap.
"critical condition" per the Trib, and the fact there are still cops on the scene according to Ian gives me a bad feeling… hope I'm wrong and the kid is ok.
Bloody hell, that's right by the park. :( Cars should be at crawl speed along there.
I'm getting a sense of malaise with the probable fact that with the warmer weather and more riders, the more of these stories we're going to see until next fall
I was walking by and saw it happen (from about 100 yards away in the park) but it looked to me like it was a dad and two kids. The kid was underneath the vehicle. Fire/Police came very quickly.
I've been working on traffic safety with the neighborhood associations in Park Place and Regent Square. Seeing that today really scared me because I consider Reynolds to be one of the safer bike passages in the area and am on that all the time with my 3 year old in a trailer.
Do we have a record of all crashes where a cyclist is seriously injured or killed by a motorist? If not what's preventing one from being put together?
I hate to say this, but there are so many of these that I don't know how to invest myself in the cause at a personal level unless it really is someone I know.
But organized data > disorganized data, that much I do know. Someone with more info on what's out there please share and/or if there are plans to improve things PM me and let me know if there's any way another programmer might help the cause.
story is on cw news now. A cop interviewed said it was a parent and 2 children although they showed 3 bikes propped against a cop car with another one lying mangled in the street. helmet looks reasonably intact. they also said residents did CPR on the kid before paramedics arrived. not much else in the way of details.
In the article linked below, a neighbor (she's referred to as a neighbor in another article) had this to say:
"People drive over here to avoid Penn Avenue," Maryanne Loebig said. "To see another bicycle accident should give city planning people and residents pause to think about traveling through this neighborhood."
Translation: People on bikes shouldn't be traveling through this neighborhood.
"It's so sad. Neither the driver nor the family expected this to happen. That poor woman. I want to go put my arms around her."
I think she's referring to the female driver. WTF? Seriously shocking.
Can we please get a straight story on who was involved, what happened, and how? Too many variants, not enough information, to draw any conclusions.
This is a block beyond the Frick Art Museum, right? How do you even get to any speed along there?
I won't speculate too much about what I think happened, since I was kind of far away, but there were a ton of people around. I'm glad nobody tried to interview me…I was so shaken up who knows what would have come out of my mouth. It was truly one of the most awful things I have ever witnessed.
Stu, the "Parent and his 2 children" thing came straight out of the mouth of a cop on TV who appeared to be at the scene, so I think that's the most accurate information available. I saw 4 bikes in the video, but one could have been a passer-by or something.
The driver (who they showed multiple times, "looking distraught") was a middle aged woman, the vehicle she was pacing around was a white Jeep SUV. I got the plate number but I thought the better of posting it.
Here is the video I saw: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video/8800166-8-year-old-hit-trapped-under-car/
Also, Rachel, that is messed up – "That poor woman"?
A friend of mine also witnessed this and said the driver was turning from Reynolds onto Lexington. My friend said it was a boy with his father and sister.
The Post-Gazette story has N. Lexington, but it was S. Lexington.
I rode by the scene at about 6:30 but didn't poke into it much (I detoured through the park since the road was closed). Since there's a sharrows bike route along that road I know Google Maps uses it a lot on the bike directions (at least between my house and lots of East End destinations).
Rachel, I read the Trib article and given that they put that quote right after talk of Penn Avenue being dangerous for cyclists I interpreted it to mean that cars shouldn't be shortcutting and maybe city planning should do something about that. I know that Regent Square has made some streets one way to minimize that kind of traffic on the residential streets near S. Braddock.
I shouldn't speculate either. I will say that I am furious about the coverage of this story. They report that the driver "stayed at the scene" and "looked distraught" as if that has any bearing on her culpability or lack thereof.
I believe they are pre-emptively excusing her, because they're imagining being in her shoes (rather than being in the shoes of the poor child who was hit).
buffalo buffalo
"they're imagining being in her shoes (rather than being in the shoes of the poor child who was hit)."
This is about 2 blocks from Sterret Elementary.
Nearly content-free WTAE video: http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Boy-8-hit-by-SUV-while-riding-bicycle-with-family/-/10927008/19851036/-/format/rsss_2.0/-/ql8l7v/-/index.html
I know it's hard to imagine, but just maybe the kid that got run over and his parents are more shaken up than the person who inflicted the injuries?
[…] the incident shook up many who watched the aftermath.
Perhaps none more shaken than the driver herself, visibly distraught outside her grey Jeep, and understandably upset on the sidewalk as she spoke to investigators about the young victim.
Oh, and I see the driver apparently admitted guilt – except, stupid me, I forgot, "I didn't see someone right in front of me in broad daylight" is a valid excuse, no wrongdoing implied.
Police say he was riding his bike — with a parent and a sibling also on their bikes in front of him — but that the driver didn't see the boy when turning from Reynolds onto South Lexington, pinning him under her SUV.
buffalo buffalo wrote:"they're imagining being in her shoes (rather than being in the shoes of the poor child who was hit)."
Media empathy for the driver is a lot like media sympathy for the
men rapists convicted in Stuebenville, their lives ruined, their potential squandered; they might have played in the NFL someday! The humanity.
But they've got dramatic pictures of an emotional person, and they don't have any pictures of the victim, so it becomes a story about Driver Pathos instead of Driver Pathology.
First of all, I've praying for the boy, his family, and yes, the driver.
I don't see the media empathy for the driver, at least not what I've read. Pointing out that the driver was visibly upset and shaken is simply reporting the news, because she clearly was. At least she didn't drive away, like the other drivers last year. I don't see "pre-emptive excusing" or really any media slant–they stick a microphone in someone's face, who says "that poor woman" and we're ready to slam the media outlet?
When I read the quote about drivers avoiding Penn Avenue, I interpreted it the same way as ErinK–the city needs to engineer the area to keep cars out.
We don't know much of what happened. In my opinion, the media coverage is fair. Let's see what tomorrow brings, when we know more…
The police better get the driver's cell phone, text, and email records for that time, at a minimum.
Horrible story.
The police better get the driver's cell phone, text, and email records for that time, at a minimum.
@ajbooth Other media outlets got more varied quotes than the Trib article did – I'm too tired right now to go through it all.
And yes, I'm definitely fine with criticizing a media outlet that quotes "that poor woman" in reference to a driver who hit a little boy, especially when the story is more about the driver than the boy. The media reports tons of people were there at the scene – there were a lot of people they could have quoted. There are a lot of ways that article could have been written, and the Trib chose to go for the "sympathizing with the driver" slant – very insensitive.
It will probably be re-published differently tomorrow anyway, so we'll see.
I am just trying to figure out how anything could occur at a T intersection with one side having a stop sign and one other being a dead-end street.
It was my son. He was riding towards the Homewood cemetery to do some safe hill repeats. Single file, three riders, together, helmets and long finger gloves. A driver missed my husband and daughter,his twin sister, and hit him full on with a LEFT hand turn onto Lexington.
Good job Bike PGH, but this is far from a bike friendly city. My husband and I commute. I have been hit twice at the Reynolds Roundabout.
Actually, I feel for the driver, shit happens, but don't label her as probably most distraught of all. My husband and daughter heard it, saw it. My husband dragged his near lifeless body from beneath the SUV (single driver). Who is distraught?
I'm so sorry furchtbar, I so hope your son recovers.
I saw the 11:00 report, the news coverage of this is sickening. I'm shaking right now with anger. Bullshit on the "poor distraught woman". Sorry but I don't feel shit for the driver, that she wasn't actually in handcuffs is not acceptable to me. If a person can't operate a motor vehicle in broad daylight on a dry sunny day on a residential street with a speed limit of 25 without hitting someone, they should be disallowed the privilege of operating a vehicle. Pure incompetence. This driver should face charges and lose her license and vehicle permanently.
Some people die in a random terrorist act and people are ready to accept government surveillance and modification of our justice system in a futile reaction, and yet 30,000 to 40,000 people die every year as a direct result of vehicle crashes, and society writes it off as "shit happens". And bullshit on the term "accident" as well, it's overwhelmingly driver error. Sickening.
Edit: just looking at google maps – if she was going down Reynolds and making a left on S. Lexington, 5:00pm+-, unless she lives in the neighborhood, it's almost a lock she was using it as a shortcut past Penn. Miserable POS. I wonder if investigators will take that into account.
@furchtbar, I am sorry, and I pray that your son is going to be OK. Thank you for checking in.
Furchtbar, my prayers go out to you and your family, and for your son to fully recover from this atrocity. I won't call this an accident or a tragedy, because for what you describe, if that woman driver had been driving with all do-caution and observance of all traffic laws and safety, this would not have happened.
I don't know what else to say, except that I know that I, and as I know other fellow cyclist on this thread and community, are with you and your family if you need us.
While I know the the stupid-ass woman driver probably never in a million years meant to do this, it is clearly she is at fault, and if it had been me I would have taken her to jail for negligent driving.
And f'k the local media for once again their reporting is bias and insensitive -it is!!!! I'm so tired of it!!!
This makes me sick…..
@furchtbar, My heart goes out to you and your family. I feel so so sad for what has happened and I hope that your son recovers fully, and that your daughter & husband recover as well. Be strong.
While the bike community here is very eager to find out what happened, please limit the info you post on the internet until you speak with a lawyer. And if you havent done so already, please get in touch with the leaders of bike-pgh since unfortunately they have experience with car/bike collisions and are good people.
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4 Mins Read
Lead image credit: Airinum.
Lead image credit: Airinum.
Sonalie Figueiras is the founder and editor-in-chief of Green Queen, Hong Kong's largest eco wellness media platform, advocating for social & environmental change using original, inspiring content and the founder and CEO of Ekowarehouse, the global sourcing platform for certified organic products created with a mission to make organic farming accessible & affordable for the whole planet. With over a decade of experience in publishing, SEO, digital marketing, organic trade and health journalism, she is a eco/wellness industry veteran with a keen eye for market trends and a regular on the speaking circuit, sharing her experience on stages across Asia and beyond. She recently launched a brand new podcast series about the Zero Waste Movement in Hong Kong. When she is not working, Sonalie is usually dreaming up new plant based recipes in the kitchen for her family.


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Civilizations rise, decay and die. Time, as the ancient Greeks argued, for individuals and for states is cyclical. As societies become more complex they become inevitably more precarious. They become increasingly vulnerable. And as they begin to break down there is a strange retreat by a terrified and confused population from reality, an inability to acknowledge the self-evident fragility and impending collapse. The elites at the end speak in phrases and jargon that do not correlate to reality. They retreat into isolated compounds, whether at the court at Versailles, the Forbidden City or modern palatial estates. The elites indulge in unchecked hedonism, the accumulation of vaster wealth and extravagant consumption. They are deaf to the suffering of the masses who are repressed with greater and greater ferocity. Resources are more ruthlessly depleted until they are exhausted. And then the hollowed-out edifice collapses. The Roman and Sumerian empires fell this way. The Mayan elites, after clearing their forests and polluting their streams with silt and acids, retreated backward into primitivism.
As food and water shortages expand across the globe, as mounting poverty and misery trigger street protests in the Middle East, Africa and Europe, the elites do what all elites do. They launch more wars, build grander monuments to themselves, plunge their nations deeper into debt, and as it all unravels they take it out on the backs of workers and the poor. The collapse of the global economy, which wiped out a staggering $40 trillion in wealth, was caused when our elites, after destroying our manufacturing base, sold massive quantities of fraudulent mortgage-backed securities to pension funds, small investors, banks, universities, state and foreign governments and shareholders. The elites, to cover the losses, then looted the public treasury to begin the speculation over again. They also, in the name of austerity, began dismantling basic social services, set out to break the last vestiges of unions, slashed jobs, froze wages, threw millions of people out of their homes, and stood by idly as we created a permanent underclass of unemployed and underemployed.
The Mayan elite became, at the end, as the anthropologist Ronald Wright notes in "A Short History of Progress," "… extremists, or ultra-conservatives, squeezing the last drops of profit from nature and humanity." This is how all civilizations, including our own, ossify and die. The signs of imminent death may be undeniable. Common sense may cry out for a radical new response. But the race toward self-immolation only accelerates because of intellectual and moral paralysis. As Sigmund Freud grasped in "Beyond the Pleasure Principle" and "Civilization and Its Discontents," human societies are as intoxicated and blinded by their own headlong rush toward death and destruction as they are by the search for erotic fulfillment.
I was waiting for it to go up at Information Clearing House but it doesn't look like that's happening anytime soon.


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For updated information on the threat of coronavirus/COVID-19, visit orlando.gov/covid19.
Are you looking for after-school programs for your elementary or middle school student?
City of Orlando neighborhood centers offer high-quality programs, homework assistance and other enrichment activities, such as music or dance, Mayor Buddy Dyer's Book Club, Cooking Club, and many more.
City of Orlando Residents: $40 per child per month
Qualified residents and city employees may be eligible for their child to attend for free through our Community Support Program.
To qualify for our Community Support Program you must apply in person at the community center that you wish your child to attend. Bring with you proof of EBT(food stamp recipient) and proof of city residency.
Non-City Residents: $120 per child per month
If you already have an account, just sign in with your username and password. If you don't remember your password, click Forgot your password? on the sign-in page.
Create an Account
After school programs are listed as individual activities. Click on an activity to see details about price, location and when it's offered.
Select Your After School Activity
Click on the after school program you'll be registering for. The registration packet will be in the sidebar in the section titled, "Extra Details".
Add the activity to your shopping cart and checkout. During checkout, you will also be asked to agree to a waiver, make a down payment and agree to a monthly payment plan.
Please arrive 20 minutes before your first day to allow time for your packet to be processed.
City Hall
400 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, Florida 32801
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Contact Us
City Directory
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The City of Orlando strives to make our online services accessible for everyone. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please email your request to email@example.com.


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Charles Owens – tenor saxophone
Kris Monson – acoustic bass
Corey Fonville – drums
recorded live at Balliceaux in Richmond, VA 2-17-16
Marcus Tenney – trumpet on Chasin' The Trane and Impressions
recorded by Zach Fichter
Charles Owens – tenor saxophone
Kris Monson – acoustic bass
Corey Fonville – drums
recorded live at Balliceaux in Richmond, VA 2-17-16
Marcus Tenney – trumpet on Chasin' The Trane and Impressions
recorded by Zach Fichter
Here's my quartet live at Balliceaux last night with Kelli Strawbridge on drums, DJHarrison RVA (Devonne Harris) on Wurlitzer electric piano, and Andrew Randazzo on bass.
Charles Owens Quartet demo recorded at Jellowstone Studios in Richmond, VA 2015
Charles Owens – Tenor Saxophone
Devonne Harris – Fender Rhodes
Andrew Randazzo – Electric Bass
Kelli Strawbridge – Drums
Bandcamp: https://charlesowens.bandcamp.com
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-day-with-us/id1042851573
Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/album/6xe4RzualRlhJkXKPuL1p1
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016K6ED64/
Tidal: http://tidal.com/album/54140751
Check out this stellar review of the record!
This record is called "A Day With Us" because It was recorded in one day with just Devonne, Andy, and Me alone in Jellowstone studio. Devonne would press record and walk from the control room to the studio to sit behind the drums and play. It was a beautiful day and the three of us opened up and played from our hearts. This music comes from years of performing together and forming our sound over time. I feel it to be an accurate representation of what it would be like to come hear us play in person. I would like to thank Devonne for building Jellowstone Studio, engineering the record, mixing the record, and of course for his amazing drumming and musicianship. I couldn't have done this without you. Thank you to Andrew for your masterful bass playing. Andrew and Devonne you are the best friends and best band anyone could ask for. I Love you guys! Thanks to Richard Christopher Patterson for the artwork for the cover. "Playing With Scraps In A Sea Of Blue" is so beautiful. It looks like music to me. Thank you to Reggie Pace and Devonne for welcoming me into the Jellowstone family. Thanks to all the great musicians and great music scene in Richmond. Thank you Cary Ralston for your impeccable design work.Thanks to Adrian Olsen at Montrose Richmond for the great job on mastering the record. Thank you to BJ Brown and the Richmond Jazz Society for the continued support and confidence. Thank You to my wife Vijay for always being by my side and believing in me more than I believe in myself. Finally thank you the listener for digging what we have to say.
Just a little clowning around….


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This page collects Appearance Codes that unlock various Pokemon in Pokemon Conquest.
Pokemon 'Appearance Codes'
The following passwords create rare Pokémon appearances in Pokémon Conquest. These creatures must then be linked to by warriors, during battle, that are already in your existing party. To enter the passwords, tap Menu or press START on the Ransei map screen and select Password. You can only unlock these Pokémon after conquering your fifth kingdom.
Password-based Pokémon appear during the next in-game month, after you enter the password in, somewhere in your kingdom. (An in-game cutscene will tell you where to look.) These Pokémon will ONLY stay in their kingdom for ONE month - then they disappear.
Remember to watch your warrior's 'affinity' for a Pokémon by looking for bronze, silver or gold medallions above wild Pokémon when on the battlefield. (You must have a warrior's creature selected, which will then display any applicable medallions.) Gold represents a stronger affinity, which allows your warrior (through your on-field Pokémon) to quickly bond with another creature.
Each code can only be used ONCE. These passwords are case-sensitive.
- Eevee - 2rz3XFCKmR (Nintendo Power)
- Dratini - Sr5Z5GqAgR (In-game)
- Gyarados - mq2xRVNgRL (IGN Exclusive)
- Cinccino - vVALFrGTXX (Nintendo World Store)
- Oshawott - frCLRpXG88 (Official Site)
- Gible - LTb3n3RYJ8 (Official Site)
- Gible - J3mmJr9rX8 (Official Site)
- Pansear - niE33w9rwM Toys 'R' Us)
- Panpour - CNZF3wpq3x Toys 'R' Us)
- Sneasel - Rc338MpqLx (Gamestop)
- Darmanitan - pK5RgzqLG8 (Gamestop)
- Larvitar - Lpu3ggCYk8 (Gamestop)
- Beldum - CMqkZRRSRX (Gamestop)
- Axew - BqWxXEK3xg (Gamestop)
- Emolga - Jnm3kqgN8X (Gamestop)
- Lapras - GfV33RVN3F (Gamestop)
- Scyther - 8GV3LMGrnM (Gamestop)
- Riolu - SHw8mxRAJR (Gamestop)
- Pikachu - FZP8GqRZRR (Gamestop)
- Pikachu - urALRZwvRg (Nintendo of Canada E-mail)
- Croagunk - LKpk8FRQR8 (Nintendo)
- Pansage - 6xSG8UCAZR (Toys 'R' Us, Canada)
- Pansage - q5wwwxHD8n (Toys 'R' Us, USA)
- Musharna - iMYXwqtHgl (Aussie Nintendo)
- Larvesta - yQAx81qxGR
- Chimchar - DNB3x2gCgk (Official Site)
- Chimchar - RKGBxzC2n8 - Official Site)
- Deino - 8rf3XPwvJw (Official Site)
- Deino - PKSRGpCPZJ (Official Site)
- Lilligant - RwGxLbHRRk (Nintendo Zone)
- Misdreavus - mnKX3qwrZR (Official Site)
- Snivy - XyADXkr138 (Official Site)
- Zoroark - 6iYmwq1Y8w (Toys 'R' Us)
Unreleased Passwords
More Pokémon passwords will be released according to a schedule found here.
Release Date: 6/17
Location: Nintendo World Store Launch
Release Date: 6/17
Location: Nintendo World Store Launch
Release Date: June
Location: Official Website
Release Date: July
Location: Official Website
Release Date: August
Location: Official Website


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If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.... IT IS A DUCK!!!
I have a number of friends who are or used to be cops, and they profile ALL THE TIME! They are trained to look for certain oddities, habits, and people who look suspicious, and perhaps 90% of the time they are right. What on earth is wrong about being right and logical and using your brain? Here is yet another valid point how the WH and Libby Congress are actually helping to hurt and destroy America. Most honest folks in our country who are savvy-- know that there are certain places a girl should never go after dark in some big cities, and medium sized town. If you stay out of harm's way there is a pretty good chance you will grow up to reach old age.
I also know plenty of combat Veterans who revert back to their military skills and training when they enter certain areas-- and they go into a "defensive mode." The Bible has plenty to say about keeping safe by obeying God's Word and standards. And Christians look forward to a time when they can let down their guard FOREVER, after the Rapture! I would venture to say that MOST people don't even have the foggiest idea what the 'Lord's Prayer' means, or even where to FIND IT in the Bible. The term 'Christian' now days is nothing more than a buzz word. Sorry, I am speaking the truth from my heart, even if it's 'politically incorrect.'
Thank you all for your many prayers and well wishes. Sharon and I love and appreciate every single one. Please pray for my good Christian friend, Robby B. from Kenosha, WI., and his 'junk yard' hips. And Dick, from Hawaii too.
Posted: 30 Nov 2010 12:38 PM PSTBy Robert Spencer Jihad Watch As horror stories from the TSA become an ever-expanding genre, it is important to remember that the entire roiling controversy over airport security has come about solely because of the government's refusal to acknowledge the true nature of the threat we're facing. While it is theoretically possible that a wheelchair-bound, eighty-year-old Baptist grandmother from


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We can also help you plan, write, launch and analyze a survey–let us know how we can help you amplify your story!
Google Forms (Mountain View, CA, USA)
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- Can customize logo, colors and survey URL
- Can export to use with Excel or PowerPoint
- Some skip logic and piping, depending on package
- Does not have a discount for non-profits


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The deep copper bronze patina finish of this LED wall lamp will look strikingly bold mounted against a wall with light-colored paint.
Additional Info:
From the George Kovacs lighting collection comes this sleek LED swing arm wall lamp with a low-profile round head. The design is smart and contemporary with energy efficient LED lighting and three easy options for controlling the light output. It comes in a copper bronze patina finish and adjusts easily at the joint on the arm, making it a great option for task or reading lighting. Plug-in style design is easy to install; simply mount on the wall, plug the cord into any standard wall outlet, and turn on! Can be converted to hardwire. With an average lifespan of 30,000 hours, this LED lamp is designed to last.


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For a successful scientific career, presenting your work effectively is almost as important as obtaining results in the lab. But climbing onstage to showcase your results can be terrifying, especially for those who lack experience. And while scientists spend many years training to obtain scientific results, they're largely on their own when it comes to delivering an effective presentation -- and dealing with the anxiety it provokes.
"Pick a couple of positive statements that are personal and meaningful and repeat them over and over in your mind."-- Richard Keegan
So, how do you make your scientific talks less terrifying for yourself and more effective and enjoyable for all? The first step is to change the way you think about them. Here's how Luisa Le Donne, a theoretical physics masters student at Sapienza University of Rome, approaches her scientific presentations: "Talks are opportunities to learn," she says. "I really appreciate sharing knowledge, and I think the best way to handle a talk is to think of it like chatting and not like an exam." That's just one approach, but it's representative of a broader piece of advice: Thinking positive leads to positive results.
Feeling nerves
Most scientists feel nervous about the prospect of having all eyes on them as they present their research. And that's OK.
"When you get to the podium and your heart rate is going and the butterflies are in your stomach, just accept that [as] perfectly natural," says Gareth Mitchell, a science communication lecturer at Imperial College London and presenter of Click, a technology-focused radio show on the BBC World Service.
But even if accepting this nervous reaction helps, you still should work to reduce and channel your nerves. It's a challenge scientists share with athletes, actors, and others who perform for a living.
"One way of overcoming performance anxiety is the use of visualization, which is seeing and hearing yourself performing well in the situation you are apprehensive about," says Aidan Moran, a professor of cognitive psychology at University College Dublin. Moran, who has worked with many of Ireland's top athletes, says you should not picture yourself winning the race. It's better, he says, to focus not on the end result but on the various actions you need to take to get there. "Focus on preparation and completely ignore things outside of your control, like how people might react to what you have to say, which is the main cause of anxiety."
If you find it hard to think in pictures, "pick a couple of positive statements that are personal and meaningful and repeat them over and over in your mind" before the presentation, suggests another sports psychologist, Richard Keegan of the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. Keegan works with clients in businesses as well as international athletes.
The right frame of mind can get you only so far. "There's no substitute for practice and knowing your stuff," says Keegan, who recommends listing all the things you need to do to prepare for your talk and then checking off each task as you complete it. Preparation has both direct effects -- making you the master of the material you're presenting -- and indirect effects. "Knowing you've met your goals can provide a useful confidence boost," Keegan says.
Preparing means rehearsing. "I reckon you need to rehearse any talk or presentation out loud at least three times, because you need to check your structure, your timing and pace, and your delivery," says Sue Nelson, who, as co-founder of Boffin Media, runs communication skills courses for university students in the United Kingdom. "Rehearse any presentation out loud and ask for honest but constructive criticism from a friend or colleague," she says.
Breaking the ice
The first few minutes of a talk can help you win, or make you lose, an audience, so try and find ways to get comfortable quickly. "To perform consistently well, it's crucial to develop a pre-performance routine. You'll find experienced people check out the venue, arrive in time, and go through their preparation systematically because they've done it every other time they've spoken and it has gone well," Moran says.
It can be useful to get a feel for who your audience is before starting. Bosnia-based remote-sensing consultant Aled Rowlands, who does a lot of public speaking, says he learned to combat his nerves by pitching his subject matter appropriately. "Try to speak to people in the audience beforehand to gauge their background and knowledge," he advises. "You can then tweak your talk slightly." Knowing that your talk is pitched right can make you more relaxed and your audience more receptive.
Thinking funny thoughts can have a similar effect. "When I get nervous before a live broadcast, I recall something ludicrous so it makes me smile. If you smile, your facial muscles and vocal chords relax. So think of something funny and you're not going to sound shaky," says Nelson, who is also a BBC Radio 4 and World Service science presenter.
Staying calm during the presentation
Some people worry about going blank or panicking halfway through their talk. What works for Nick Howlett, a physics Ph.D. student at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, is handwriting a script. "Writing down a sentence is a very effective way of remembering it," he says. But don't read line for line in your actual presentation, Nelson warns. Instead, she suggests taking a small card into your talk with a handful of prompt words written on it. "A presentation should be exactly that," she says. "It's about engaging people, which is hard if you are just reading notes or slides."
Better Presentations
In the coming weeks, Science Careers will be publishing a series of articles focused on improving the scientific presentation. This is the second article in that series. The first article profiled Leticia Britos Cavagnaro, a former biologist who co-founded a creative thinking company and isn't afraid to defy convention in scientific presentations.
To avoid getting flustered in the middle of a talk, Kayleigh Dodd, a medical genetics Ph.D. student at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, uses a simple prop. "Audiences can be quite intimidating if they have been working on the same stuff for a lot longer than you have," Dodd says. "On my first talk, I was really nervous and a bit shaky, and I kept forgetting to breathe! So I now like to take a bottle of water with me, and if I find I'm getting a bit flustered, I have a sip and take a deep breath."
Question time
One aspect of presenting that many scientists feel concerned about is the question-and-answer session at the end; after all, this is the only part of the presentation that you can't script. Bruce Sinclair, director of teaching in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom, recommends asking a practice-run audience of colleagues -- students, postdocs, and faculty members -- "to suggest a range of questions that might come up. You can then discuss those as necessary with appropriate advisers."
Also try and see questions as an opportunity to improve your research or your skills, not as a grilling. "Before my first presentation, I felt concerned about having critics in the audience who knew more about the topic than me," says Torsten Lüdge, a computational neuroscience Ph.D. student in the Department of Physiology at the University of Bern. "Now I feel more confident and try to use questions constructively instead of taking them as an attack."
And that may be the most important shift in perspective of all: No matter how exposed you might feel when delivering a scientific talk, you need to understand -- to feel in your bones -- that it's about the science and not about you. "You need to try and separate out your own self-worth from the arguments you are making," says sports psychologist Keegan. "If there is an issue with the theory or the data, it doesn't make you a bad person." As Le Donne suggests, a research talk -- and especially the Q&A portion -- is basically a chat about your research. So stay focused on the science, smile, remember to breathe, and you'll be fine.
More Presenting Tips
Actor and development coach Gary Bates and voice and communication skills trainer Philip Bliss, who sometimes work together, share their tricks for an effective presentation. Bates is an account director at Steps Drama Learning Development in London, and Bliss recently created an online resource for lecturers, academics, and students at Brunel University in London.
Before the presentation:
-Practice your talk's bullet points in your mind at random times of the day.
-Imagine seeing everything that might go wrong in your right palm. Focus on these disastrous moments for a while. Then close your fingers, scrunch up the negatives, and throw them away.
During your presentation:
-Articulate the consonant ends of words with a little more energy than in everyday speech to improve diction, ensure you don't go too quickly, and increase your energy and projection.
(CREDIT: Phil Bliss/Bliss Voice Training)
-Breathe from the belly and not from the chest. This slows you down, helps you articulate clearly, enriches your voice, and enhances your mental focus.
-Ensure the throat is relaxed and wide by dropping the shoulders and resisting tucking the chin down.
-Speak slower than you think you should.
-Make eye contact with as many people as you can, particularly at the far sides and front and back of the audience. Your voice will naturally travel to these focal points.
-Pause at the end of a major thought to allow the audience time to digest it.
-If someone interrupts, they may feel excluded. So make eye contact and really listen to their point. If the comment is their point of view, throw it back to the group, asking, "What do others think about this?"
Sharon Ann Holgate is a freelance science writer and broadcaster in the United Kingdom.


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Here's everything you need to know about the Blackboard Open LMS 2.9 Maintenance Pack 1 release.
Date Available
The release is available on the following date at 3 AM - 5 AM according to time zone.
- North America, Central America, and South America, excluding Brazil (Virginia, USA data center) -Clients will be upgraded according to their time zone:
- Eastern, Amazon and Newfoundland-Labrador time zones: February 4th, 3 AM - 5 AM ET
- Central time zone: February 4th, 3 AM - 5 AM CT
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- Australia and New Zealand (Sydney, AU data center): February 4th, 3 AM - 5 AM AEST
- Brazil (Rio de Janeiro data center): February 4th, 3 AM - 5 AM BGT
Downtime will be required for your production AND non-production sites during this window.
Non-Production Sites Upgrade Schedule
To improve the quality of the upgrade process and shorten the production upgrade window, non-production (sandbox) sites will be upgraded on Tuesday, February 2, 2016, between 8 AM - 5 PM EST.
Plugin Reviews and Updates
Updates to plugins you are already using will be made available on your site automatically; you do not need to request it. Plugins you are not already using will not be available automatically and will need to be requested in a support ticket.
Updated Plugins
- Kaltura® - 2015122708
- McGraw-Hill® AAIRS - 2015051104
- Scantron Class Climate® - 2015062301
- Turning Technologies® - 2015070800
- Turnitin® Moodle Direct (V2) - 2016011101
Bug Fixes and Minor Enhancements
- General Features
- Added Traditional Chinese translation
- Resolved Lori API calls from Publisher cloud failing with a 400 Bad request
- New: Updated translations
- Advanced Forum
- Resolved error displaying when listing groups in Advanced Forum
- * Added "Post a copy to all groups" checkbox option to Advanced Forums consistent with Moodle Forums
- Campus Vue Integration
- * Resolved CampusVue attendance automated export format changing after 2.9 upgrade
- Folderview
- Resolved ability to delete sections not available in folderview
- Joule Grader
- Resolved Joule Grader comments taking excessive time to process
- Joule Reports
- Resolved question mark in Admin Reports SQL throwing error
- Moodle Core
- Added Moodle Core 2.9.4 Security Fixes
- MDL-52078: Resolved Natural Aggregation -Student view of grades not matching the teacher's view
- MDL-51483: Resolved inserting media in assignment via "online text" causes page to cease loading
- Personalized Learning Designer
- Resolved release code restriction being case sensitive
- Snap
- Resolved focus not properly providing visual cues
- Resolved Page/Book module titles displaying after description
- Resolved single section at a time mode displaying improperly in Snap
- Resolved conditional flag and restricted information on activity/resource displaying for student even though the restrict access conditions were met
- Resolved editing is turned off automatically when assignment is added in snap folder view course
- Resolved screen Reader not announcing content changes in "Next Section"
- Resolved students unable to print book
- * Resolved a conditionally restricted asset link with no anchor being rendered as a broken link in Internet Explorer
- * Added media object focus indicator when navigating with a keyboard
- * Resolved focus and linking of "Move here" link when navigating with a keyboard
- Third Party Plugins
- Resolved Attendance grade update triggering when settings changed
Release notes marked with a star ( * ) were added after the original announcement on February 2, 2016.


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