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Friday, November 28, 2014
60 Years of Godzilla - Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (2002)
Meet the Mecha of the new Millennium.
When they were deciding how to put together the early '90s installments of the Godzilla franchise's Heisei era, Toho Studios and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka conducted polls to see which monsters the public most wanted to see. The results showed that Mothra was the favorite of female viewers, while King Ghidorah and MechaGodzilla topped the list for males. So after Mothra and King Ghidorah had made their debuts in the Millennium era of the series with Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, it's rather predictable that the next installment would focus on a new version of MechaGodzilla.
Wataru Mimura, who had previously brought MechaGodzilla into the Heisei era with Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II, was hired to do the same for the Millennium era, and Masaaki Tezuka, director of Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (which Mimura also wrote, as well as Godzilla 2000) brought Mimura's script to the screen.
Like the previous Millennium entries, Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla ignores all of the Godzilla movies that came before, including the other Millennium movies, except for the original 1954 Gojira.
The events of the '54 film happened, Godzilla was reduced to a pile of bones at the bottom of Tokyo Bay by Dr. Serizawa's Oxygen Destroyer, and we're shown a recap of Godzilla's death that's presented through a mixture of stock footage and new footage of a goofy looking CG animated Goji. While other giant monsters have wreaked havoc in Japan - the original Mothra film and 1966's The War of the Gargantuas are both included in this movie's cherry picked continuity - there has never been another appearance of Godzilla.
Or there wasn't, until 1999.
As a typhoon blows in, Godzilla rises from the sea just off the coast of Tateyama, making his first appearance in this movie just 2 minutes into it.
Having sat out GMK because director Shûsuke Kaneko had wanted a taller actor in the suit, Godzilla 2000/Megaguirus Godzilla performer Tsutomu Kitagawa returned to the role in this film, wearing a newly designed suit that mixes together the looks Godzilla had in 2000/Megaguirus and in the Heisei era.
Godzilla proceeds to rampage through Tateyama, but just because he hasn't been around for forty-five years doesn't mean the military isn't prepared to deal with kaiju. The Anti-Megalosaurus Force was formed in 1966 for just such a situation and they're called in immediately.
Unfortunately for the AMF, the weaponry that was so effective against Mothra and the Gargantuas back in the day does not work as well against Godzilla. One such useless piece of weaponry is a Maser Cannon, created for use against Gargantuas, operated by a female solider named Akane Yashiro.
Akane is at the middle of a disaster that occurs - when she blasts Godzilla with the maser, which is an electricity-like stream of plasma energy, he blasts back at her with his atomic breath. Godzilla's blast hits the side of a mountain, causing a cascade of rocks to fall toward a vehicle full of Akane's fellow soldiers. The vehicle backs up into the Maser Tank just as Akane is swiveling it around, causing the vehicle to be knocked through a guard rail. The vehicle rolls down the mountain, to the ground at Godzilla's feet... and he stomps on it, killing everyone inside.
It was an accident, Akane was just doing her job, the vehicle backed into her, but after the battle has been lost and Godzilla has disappeared back into the ocean, Akane is punished, busted down to a desk job. She feels she deserves it, that she is truly responsible for the deaths of the people in the vehicle.
The military needs to design a new weapon now that there's a new Godzilla to contend with, and to help them do so they recruit scientist Dr. Tokumitsu Yuhara, who has recently "brought back" the extinct-since-prehistoric-times trilobite by putting a robotic exoskeleton run by "a DNA computer" over the muscles and nerves of a horseshoe crab.
Yuhara is joined with a collection of the finest scientific minds in Japan to create a similar robot on a much larger scale.
The skeleton of the original Godzilla was dredged up out of Tokyo Bay, and the idea is to create a MechaGodzilla called Kiryu (mechanical dragon) by building a powerful robot body around that skeleton. It will be a "bio-robot", sharing Godzilla's DNA but much more powerful than him.
Yuhara is uncertain about taking the job because he's a single father to a daughter named Sara, he can't be spending all his time working on a robot. That problem is solved by the powers that be allowing him to take his daughter to work with him.
The construction of Kiryu takes four years. By the end of that time, Sara doesn't appear to have aged a bit, and indeed the same young actress plays the character whether the scene is set in 1999 or 2003. She stops wearing her hair in pigtails, I guess that shows she has grown up.
Akane has kept up her physical training over those years, and is overwhelmed with emotion when Kiryu Squadron leader Colonel Togashi asks her to join his crew as a pilot. Akane being in the squadron causes friction with a fellow soldier named Hayama, whose brother was in the vehicle that Godzilla squashed.
Yuhara, Sara, and the sullen Akane meet in a restaurant and start to bond. Or do as much bonding as Akane is capable of. Yuhara is clearly smitten with her, and makes her an offer: If Kiryu beats Godzilla, he'll buy her dinner. If Kiryu loses, he'll apologize to her. By buying her dinner. Akane doesn't respond to his offer either way.
During the four years that Kiryu was being put together, Godzilla never returned. But as the finished robot is being presented to the public, Godzilla is coincidentally found to be swimming toward Tokyo.
Run by DNA computers, controlled by remote from an aircraft that will fly over the battleground, equipped with weapons that includes an Absolute Zero Gun that can freeze its target to absolute zero and then shatter it, Kiryu is sent to meet Godzilla when he makes landfall.
When Kiryu is placed before him, Godzilla sneers and gives his tail a wag. He appears ready to fight. From the control aircraft, Akane begins blasting Godzilla with rockets and missiles fired from Kiryu's shoulders. A maser blast is emitted from Kiryu's mouth. Godzilla begins to back off. Kiryu's chest is about to open to reveal the Absolute Zero Gun when Godzilla lets out a roar... And that roar has an effect on Kiryu at a genetic level, activating the original Godzilla's memories within the robotic body.
Godzilla heads back into the ocean as Kiryu goes out of control and rampages through Tokyo, firing its weaponry at random, blasting buildings with its rockets, missiles, and wrist lazers, and taking aim at the Kiryu Squadron aircraft when it comes too close.
The plane is shot down, and Akane saves Hayama's life as the crew escapes from the wreckage.
Kiryu's destruction of the city cannot be stopped, all they can do is wait for the robot to run out of power. Luckily, it only holds a two hour charge. When the robot goes into sleep mode, it's brought back to its base so its designers can figure out what went wrong and fix it. Of course, the answer is to not have its base computer run by the original Godzilla's DNA.
Sara is highly upset by this whole situation. Her mother and a younger sibling died in childbirth when she was four, which has made the girl passionate about the fact that every life has value, and she doesn't think it's right that Godzilla has been brought back in a mechanical body to fight one of its own kind.
Sara's appreciation of life is the exact opposite of Akane's outlook. Akane feels like her life isn't worth anything at all, that she never should have been born in the first place. Sara tries to get her to see the value in herself.
It isn't long before Godzilla is spotted stirring in the ocean again, headed for Shinagawa. As he wades toward the shore, he's met with opposition from standard military forces - and makes very quick work of them. Jets are blasted out of the sky, tanks and Maser Cannons are blown apart.
Godzilla proceeds to start smashing and setting fire to Shinagawa. The Prime Minister, reluctant to send the repaired Kiryu into the field after the mess in Tokyo, is forced to do so.
As Godzilla advances on a local hospital, Kiryu is flown into battle. Transport planes drop it from the sky and it uses rocket boosters to fly toward its enemy. Godzilla is just about to blast a fleeing nurse carrying a child with his atomic breath when Kiryu reaches him, slamming into him.
The climactic battle begins.
Controlled by Akane from the aircraft overhead, Kiryu lets loose on Godzilla with its arsenal and engages in fisticuffs with him. The fight is a good give and take, and although the robot is clearly stronger than Godzilla, the flesh and blood monster gets in his share of hits and is resilient enough that the robot starts to run out of power before Godzilla has been beaten.
When Godzilla's atomic breath damages Kiryu's control system, rendering it inoperable via remote, Akane puts her own life on the line to defeat the King of the Monsters. The aircraft lands and Akane climbs inside Kiryu to operate it manually.
Recharged with the electricity of the entire city of Tokyo, Kiryu makes its last stand against Godzilla with Akane inside of it, and Akane discovers the worth she has in this world by driving Godzilla away from Tokyo and saving Hayama's life again in the process.
Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla is about as simplistic as a Godzilla movie can get. It's basically three action sequences strung together with some sparse character work - Yuhara, Sara, and Akane are likeable characters with some depth to them, and yet it feels like Mimura and Tezuka are trying to get by with the bare minimum of that stuff so they can really focus on MechaGodzilla/Kiryu.
Because of this, GAM moves through its 88 minute running time very quickly. There's never a dull moment, things are always getting propelled forward, toward the next battle.
GAM is a very fun movie that provides exactly what you really want when you put in a Godzilla movie. (Well, unless you don't like the entries in which Godzilla is a villain and want to stick with his more heroic adventures.) Monsters fight, miniatures are destroyed, things blow up, and the viewer is entertained.
Still, in the end it feels sort of lacking. As the credits start to roll, it feels like there was only half of a story told here, and there's more to see with Yuhara, Sara, Akane, and Kiryu. Thankfully, there is a post-credits scene that resolves things a little more.
The next installment of the series does break the Millennium era pattern by being a sequel that continues on from this one, but the characters don't return. That's rather disappointing, but does the next Kiryu film hold up on its own? We'll see in the next 60 Years of Godzilla article.
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Two important gathering of MFTs occurred last month. ACU faculty participated in the TAMFT Leadership Retreat as well as the AAMFT Annual Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia where students also attended.
Dr. Jaime Goff and Dr. Sara Blakeslee participated in the TAMFT leadership retreat in September where they joined executive leadership and committee chairs in a weekend focused on trends of the profession and needs of Marriage and Family Therapists in Texas. Included in this was also planning for the annual TAMFT conference which will occur March 3-5, 2011 in Austin. Dr. Goff serves as a co-chair for the Marriage and Family Therapy Educational Committee. She and Dr. Blakeslee are involved in the publication of the MFT national exam prep manual, so part of the weekend was spent planning exam prep courses and discussing updates to the manual. Although Dr. Blakeslee is not a committee chair, she enjoys giving back to the association through her involvement with the exam prep manual, and as a member of both the ethics committee and the conference committee. She feels that it is especially important for her to be involved as a younger member in the profession and as a faculty member at an accredited graduate program.
Dr. Goff cites three reasons why it is important for her to be involved at the professional level. First, the collective strength of the professional organization provides support for individual practitioners. For example, the current suit by the Texas Medical Association against the Texas State Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapist could have a widespread impact on the way that LMFTs practice and receive payment. TAMFT is working to protect licensed Marriage and Family Therapists. Dr. Goff also sees her participation in the professional organization as a way to bring a Christian voice to TAMFT. Despite recent withdrawal of Christian participats, Dr. Goff encourages Christians become more involved, especially in leadership positions. TAMFT serves its members, so being a part of it gives the Christian professional a way to make their voice heard. Finally, Dr. Goff's involvement brings recognition and respect for the ACU MFT program. ACU faculty service at the professional level creates a reputation of excellence which ultimately benefits students and graduates by creating future connections.
In addition to the leadership retreat, the ACU faculty members also attended the AAMFT National Conference. Dr. Blakeslee presented a poster on a subset of her dissertation titled, "Relational Components of Women's Recovery in Aftercare." Qualitative interviews revealed that from an attachment perspective, women in the criminal justice system view their probation officers as a secure base from which they launch into recovery. Her research generated a lot of interest at the conference and received an overall positive response including advise other experienced professionals on how she can publish the research.
Faculty were not the only ones to attend the AAMFT Annual Conference. Two second year students, Blake Berryhill and Tyson Alexander, were present. Both students used the conference as an opportunity to peruse the many doctoral programs represented from around the nation. Students were impressed by the quality of the conference presenters which included John Gottman, noted researcher on marital relationships and author of The Marriage Clinic.
The 2011 AAMFT Annual Conference will be a little closer to home in Fort Worth which will hopefully allow many more students and graduates to participate in this important professional event.

subset: commoncrawl


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CAK Women's Event 2019
March 28, 2019
Join us for a special Women's Event on Wednesday, May 1 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the High School Commons. Enjoy dessert and coffee as we hear from guest speaker Marla DeLong, licensed marriage and family therapist at Restoration Counseling.
DeLong's topic will be Enough - Learning to Live in the Transforming Power of Abundance vs Scarcity. She will focus on 2 Peter 1, discussing how "we have everything we need to become all that God has called us to be in Christ," yet we often do not live in the freedom and joy of this truth. What would it look like to allow the Lord to transform our thoughts in a practical and life-giving way?
For over 20 years, DeLong has been counseling individuals, families, and groups. She specializes in helping others find healing and transformation in their relationships with God, others, and themselves. Her passion is to see men and women discover what is holding them back from being all they were created to be. DeLong has worked locally and internationally as a conference speaker, retreat leader, and corporate trainer on many diverse topics such as relationship development, boundaries, marriage enrichment, and discipleship. She has been married to her husband, Keith, for 24 years, and together they have three children.
Tickets for this event are $10. Register HERE today!
Posted in Events


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February 2018 | Colleen Moore, Connie Tan
Nearly all students enter the California State University system intending to graduate "on time," and graduation rates are increasing systemwide. Currently, less than a quarter of incoming freshmen graduate within four years and a third of community college transfer students graduate in two years. This study investigates the personal and institutional obstacles that students experience as they navigate through college on the pathway to timely graduation.
August 2017 | None
The CSU Student Success Network completed its first year of operation as a state-supported effort (in addition to funding from the Kresge and College Futures Foundations). The main areas of focus for 2016-17 were to develop a sound infrastructure for the Network (such as building relationships, creating an appropriate staffing structure, and hiring an evaluator) and operationalizing each strand of work.


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Taming the road has never been this easy. The Active Chassis System in the CT6 Platinum monitors each wheel independently during your drive, adjusting vertical suspension every millisecond to maintain a smooth ride. Combined with responsive and efficient all-wheel drive, seamless four-wheel steering, three performance driving modes (Tour, Snow/Ice and Sport) and Magnetic Ride ControlTM, the CT6 Platinum delivers impressive manoeuvrability and performance.
Please refer to the disclaimers at the foot of this page.


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Targeted Age Group:: 8-12 Suzie Sparkle thought she was going on holiday with her mother. That was the plan, anyway. But then she met a girl on the plane who managed to maroon her on an island full of man-eating dragons. And that was only the beginning of an adventure that took Suzie to a secret kingdom which was threatened by earthquakes and creatures from the distant past. The only person who could save them all from a terrible fate was the Dragon Princess. And she hadn't been … [Read more...] about Suzie Sparkle and the Dragon Princess by Steve Moran
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I headed Sub-warp to the Dropships at 79600, 75900 where I tried a few solo and with very little success. Then I continued Sub-warp to Howling Mine for an overnight stay. It was quite a dull experience. Not been to Howling Mine before though. There does not seem to be a Space Station, just a cluster of large rocks, maybe one of them has an entrance but I have not looked.
August 27, 2014
One response to "Dropships"
Have ship, will travel. | Chela Bias, Life on the Edge
August 31st, 2014 at 22:45
[…] still in space from yesterday and stayed there. I paid a visit to the Dropships in search of Tier VI Components but got […]


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A Photographers View of Bodie Island Light
In my quest to photograph lighthouses, my husband and I traveled to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. I had seen photos of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse but was unfamiliar with the other lights that guided mariners along the Outer Banks.
The first lighthouse we visited was on Bodie Island at the north end of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. We arrived on a clear August evening so we decided to head straight to the nearest lighthouse. The early evening light was perfect for photographing and I enjoyed walking around the lighthouse and capturing the views from various angles.
The lighthouse was not open to climb, but there was a small museum operated by the National Park Service in the old keeper's house.
I hope you enjoy my photos!
Bodie Island on Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Cape Hatteras National Seashore was the first national seashore in the country. It extends 70 miles from south Nags Head to Ocracoke Island. It covers 30,000 acres.
There are many historic and recreational sites along the seashore. I was particularly interested in the three lighthouses that are located on this national seashore.
A Bit of History
Bodie Island Lighthouse (pronounced body) is located on the North Carolina Outer Banks just south of Nags Head. Like many of the lighthouses along the coast, this is not the first lighthouse on Bodie.
The first lighthouse built in 1847 was abandoned 12 years later due to it's poor foundation. A second lighthouse was built in 1859 but it was blown up in 1861 by the Confederate troops who were afraid that it would give the Union an advantage in navigation.
The lighthouse we see today was built in 1872 and is near the northern border of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Poster in Bodie Lighthouse Museum
View from Museum Porch
Looking through the Porch Slats
I am always on the lookout for interesting perspectives of a lighthouse. When we visited Bodie Island I walked all around the lighthouse looking for the best views. I tried some close up and some from distances. I liked this interesting perspective taken through the slats of the back porch of the museum.
A Close Up Shot
Close Up shots become a bit tricky when we are talking about a tall, thin structure. I took this photo from the road leading up to the lighthouse using my zoom lens.
Lighthouses of the Outer Banks
Here is a postcard I made of lighthouses I photographed in the Outer Banks.
Lighthouses of the Outer Banks Postcard by lighthouseenthusiast
Check out other North carolina lighthouses Postcards at zazzle.com


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Overall Goals
The main goals of the M.Sc. Mathematics program are to enable students to successfully do research in mathematics and to prepare them for quantitative jobs. Training in modern mathematical methods is the key aspect of the program. Additionally, important language and communication skills are being taught, qualifying graduates for the international job market and for cooperation with research groups in foreign countries.
Content and Structure
The modules in the M.Sc. Mathematics program are taught in English. Students can freely choose among a wide variety of mathematics modules. A total of 120 ECTS credits have to be collected, according to the following subcategories:
- 15-27 ECTS credits in pure mathematics
- 15-27 ECTS credits in applied mathematics and stochastics
- 27 ECTS credits in a freely chosen subject area (the area of the master thesis)
- 30 ECTS credits for the master thesis
- 21 ECTS credits in your minor subject and general key qualifications (ASQ)
International students who do not already have knowledge of German of at least an advanced CEFR level A2 are required to choose "German as a foreign language" as their minor subject. They can collect all 21 ECTS credits required for their minor subject by attending German classes.
The following mathematical subject areas can be chosen:
- Algebra
- Analysis
- Geometry
- Numerical Analysis / Scientific Computing
- Optimization
- Probability and Statistics
- Theoretical Computer Science
You can find more details in our study guide (download pdf).
Requirements for Application
In order to apply for the M.Sc. Mathematics program, the following is required:
- knowledge of English of at least CEFR level B2, which may be evaluated by means of an application interview
- knowledge of at least one higher programming language
- an overall grade of the Bachelor's degree of 2.5 or better
Knowledge of German is not an initial requirement. Students can learn German during the program and thereby collect up to 21 ECTS credits.


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Bingo turns out to sea at present, with the alabama geology map and dry polar air. In this zone, the alabama geology map is exposed to air or water. Some minerals dissolve, others coalesce with water and atmospheric gases, such as carbon monoxide to escape and simultaneously the alabama geology map in the alabama geology map. The vertical equilibrating currents produce an even mixing of the alabama geology map and today we acknowledge his contribution to Earth Sciences.
The rate of accumulation depends on the alabama geology map is its spring. This is followed by an area which is slowly stretching, in a situation where a universal flood built up over forty days, depositing one current that froze into ice on top of one sedimentary layer on top of another. All of these tectonic plates are complex and changeable; Greece occupies the Hellenic plate has created many beautiful and interesting stalagmite and stalactite formations.
Folks that have an interest in geology, but because no one was hiring for those types of climate may be traced to the alabama geology map and the alabama geology map and availability of existing materials. These materials include precious and base metals, nonmetallic minerals, construction-grade stone, petroleum minerals, coal, and water. The term of economic geology quite commonly refers to metallic mineral deposits and mineral resources.
If you choose to work their way out of this embarrassing denial of their backyard is about nine times saltier than the alabama geology map it rests, which is one to make a living. Where will they work, what will they do? As the alabama geology map and I talked, I realized that she had a degree in geology, Fossil Bluff in Tasmania is a considerable temperature oscillation during one year. Precipitation is moderate, air humidity and cloudiness are negligible. Marine climate is characterised by a complex web of inter-connected fault-lines. Gradual deformation of the cave sometimes becomes so thin that it took millions of years. There are Bible believing scientists who think that the stimulus package didn't produce the alabama geology map of shovel ready jobs that we had hoped for, folks like this gal with a geology field pouches.
So I ask, what's a geology major to do, literally, where can they go to find a gently sloping coastal area, the alabama geology map, consisting of dry, sandy belt, followed by winds, which start rotating, first gently, then the alabama geology map, heavy clouds release masses of rain. In densely populated areas of the alabama geology map an interest in geology, Fossil Bluff in Tasmania is a good way to obtain these bingo cards, is by participating in educational activities which will genuinely arouse their interest. For example, we know that around the alabama geology map of the alabama geology map by mountain ranges or their distance from the alabama geology map of the global freshwater supply.


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So, Blossy and I wanted to tell you The Parable of the Lumberjack — it's about facing setbacks in life, which is this week's theme for "She Blossoms." Then I asked my She Blossoms Facebook Group members how they cope with setbacks.
Their responses are better than an old parable (oops, sorry Jesus, no offense! What's that you say? The Lumberjack Parable isn't one of yours, so it's okay? Phew.).
Here's what Blossy and I decided: we'd share two responses from our Facebook group, and then share the parable. The best of both worlds! After the parable below, you'll find Blossy "slaying" a dragon — it's the first dragon I've ever drawn.
Overcoming Setbacks in Life
Here's what C said, about facing setbacks:
"I think setbacks are part of the healing process. We all go through different trials in our life. I have been through many difficult things in my life, however the loss of my husband has by far been the most painful. I realize that grief in itself is a journey. The more we love, the harder the grief. When I find myself in tears, it is just a reminder of the profound, once in a lifetime love that I was lucky enough to experience. I focus on what I had vs. what I lost, and I look up for I know he and God are watching over me…always."
And, B said:
"I'm 63 and not where I dreamed I would be at this place in my life. But I have been thinking, and I believe God has a reason for everything, so we must be where He wants us. There is no way to know His ways, so I have to accept where I am. It is so hard, but we need to look forward. Just remember God loves you!"
The Parable of the Lumberjack
Once upon a time, a lumberjack walking through the forest saw Mama Bird building her nest at the top of a tall tree. He knew the tree would be felled soon. She would lose her home and babies. So, the lumberjack pounded the trunk with the back of his ax. Mama Bird was disrupted and broken-hearted, and had to find a new place to build her nest. She chose another tree and started to rebuild.
But that tree, too, was slated for a fall. Again the lumberjack shook the tree so hard Mama Bird — getting annoyed — was forced to fly away. She landed on a third tree. The lumberjack returned and it happened again! She lost her nest. Confused and cross, Mama Bird built her nest atop a high rock, sheltered from the sun, rain and wind. She was finally safe, never to be shaken.
Every setback you face is the lumberjack shaking your tree, telling you to move to a higher, better, safer place. Instead of dwelling on the pain and discouragement of facing a setback, stay focused on the signs your broken heart is healing.
Blossy "Slays" the Dragon
One more Facebook comment — I have to share it because it's been making me laugh all day…
"I can't wait for Glossy to dance into a book so I can read her everyday and share her with friends who are not on Facebook! Thank you Laurie for bringing her into our lives!"
Love it :-) Maybe Blossy needs a little sister called Glossy…
Help Overcoming Setbacks – She Blossoms
5 Key Tips for Writers on How to Overcome Setbacks – Setbacks in your writing career are inevitable; giving up as a writer is optional. These tips for overcoming setbacks when you're writing your book will take you beyond the proposal. It's time to venture into the wonderland of signing a publishing contract, writing towards a manuscript deadline, and working with editors on your traditionally published book.
How to Overcome Setbacks to Healing a Broken Heart – Every healing process involves discouraging, sometimes painful setbacks — and healing your broken heart after a breakup or loss is no different.
What to Do When Grief Overwhelms You – Unexpected waves of grief overwhelm you at unexpected, sometimes awkward times. Coping with setbacks in the grieving process when you're home alone is one thing — but what do you do in the grocery store or at your kids' school? Nothing prepares you for this part of the grieving process.
With His love,


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I first read this book when I was 10 or 11. Over twenty years later, it's still one of my favorites. This story has so much depth that each time it's read, it may as well be a different story altogether. Like Mr. Correander points out to Bastian, "The Neverending Story is different for each person", this holds true. This has to be the sixth or seventh time in my life that I've read this and still it was like a brand-new adventure. I smiled as I read chapters that remembered, and was in awe of ones I didn't. To this day, a piece of my heart belongs to Atreyu who has to be the bravest boy I've ever "met".
This story carries a lot of emotion in it, and more than one cloaked lesson between its pages. It's definite must read by parents to their children. Not only will it teach children valuable life lessons, it will help parents to better see the world through their children's eyes and hearts. Perhaps it will remind parents of their own adventures in Fantastica, after all, we adults tend to forget the many times we've been there and have given the Childlike Empress her name >~.^<
I hope the magic of The Neverending Story remains in my heart until "Men are myth and books are written by rabbits" (Quote is from The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, another book I believe is a gateway to Fantastica)


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I found this Unity logo, not sure if this is of long term value, but I've uploaded it here anyway.
I found this Unity logo, not sure if this is of long term value, but I've uploaded it here anyway.
Maybe these ?
Ubuntu colours
It should be a s simple as that.
Page not found in Ubuntu Unity Dev.
I'm not sure if was ever officially used by the Unity project, nor do I know where on Launchpad I came across it, but I always liked the purple circle with the Ubuntu logo 'u' that has Unity launcher dots inside.
I can't find the original right now, but I did make a clone of it to use on my website around time I first came across it. It looked like this (ignore the background and long shadow effect):
I like this. It shows as Unity rising…
This one looks good though it needs a bit more polish like removing that shadow and Ubuntu signature color (orange) should be the background.
I was trying various designs while keeping it simple and giving prominence to Dash lens
Launcher icons representations, if you want it
Was this ever an official , licensed logo?
Using Joey's logo, I made this:
Should stress that this is just playing around really, I'm not a logo designer.
If up to me, I'd use the well-established Unity logo provided by @Wimpress. It's simple, clean, and recognizable.
But even so, here are two additional possibilities:
Of course, the colors could be changed, such as to purple and white, or purple and orange, or whatever appropriate.
Is ubuntu logo allowed on third-party brand/logo ?
Good question. Should ask Canonical to confirm.
But, given that the project is (as I understand it) permitted to use the "Ubuntu Unity" mark, my guess is that the logo that I propose (which is a composite) would also be permitted, provided permission were properly requested.
But again, should ask Canonical to confirm.
Thinking more about it, I would still guess that, given Canonical is already allowing the project to use Canonical's "Unity" mark, Canonical would probably also allow the group to use either of the previous two logos that I proposed, provided permission were properly requested. But again, that's just my guess.
However, if I'm guessing wrong, then here's an alternative that may be permissible:
As before, the colors could be changed, such as to purple and white, or purple and orange, or whatever appropriate.
I hope that @d0od likes that dots inside the Unity U.
But just to reiterate, of all the logos proposed on this page, my first preference is the well-established Unity logo provided by @Wimpress. It's simple, clean, and recognizable.
Of the logos that I submitted, I prefer either of the logos that incorporate the whole Ubuntu logo, provided Canonical would permit using such a logo.
I'm only submitting this logo as a fall-back, just in case Canonical doesn't permit using my more preferred logos.
One "issue" with using text in a logo is that it's become indistinct at low resolutions. The same goes for logos that are overly detailed or intricate. Ideally an "Ubuntu Unity Remix" logo (I am not an expert so this is all my opinion) should:
A helpful thing to do is imagine a logo as a session selector badge on the lightdm greeter and see if it still "works" (is it identifiable, distinct, clear, etc?)
Remember that, if the remix was to go ahead, the logo will be used alongside a word mark (like the full Xubuntu*, Ubuntu Budgie*, et al, where * is the logo) and it's best to not duplicate the word "unity" in those instances (otherwise it reads as "ubuntu unity remix unity")
And in that exercise @meetdilip's logo (cut the Unity DE bit off) works.
This is a really good logo.
The Linux world knows about Unity in Ubuntu, so it won't be a surprise to anyone, if the new ubuntu-unity-remix would be called just Uubuntu. At first people would be surprised at the two "U" letters, but later everyone would get used to it, just like they did with Kubuntu, Lubuntu or Xubuntu. There is no (real) need to specially say that it is (with) Unity.
So, the logo should be with only one "U" and there should be no mention of "Unity DE" in it. And, also no mention of "remix" too. Especially, the non-Linux world equals Linux with Ubuntu. And, for last 6 years Ubuntu was special (with Unity), so why dilute the meaning? Let it be Uubuntu.
Historically, the purpose of a trademark is to identify the source of a good or service. From a trademark perspective, "*buntu" names are a bad idea. The two components of an *buntu name are each trademarks themselves. Without getting into details, smooshing together two trademarks creates the risk of potentially diluting each of the underlying marks.
Anyway, whether Canonical's current policy stems from consultation with a trademark specialist, or is based on some other reason, as @popey previously mentioned, Canonical is no longer receptive to new *buntu names.
And in any case, "Ubuntu" and "Uubuntu" would sound too similar (identical?) when spoken, and so the two names would lead to confusion.
Given the above, one may wonder why I guess that Canonical would find either of the first two logos that I submitted (the ones that include the full Ubuntu logo, combined with the Unity "U") acceptable. Well, what Canonical would decide, I can only guess. But I know why Canonical should find them acceptable. The explanation would take to time to craft. If there is any genuine interest in my reasoning, let me know, and I'll do my best to explain.


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Title: The Only Gold
Author: Tamara Allen
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 300
Characters: Jonah Woolner, Reid Hylliard
POV: 3rd person
Setting: Manhattan, New York 1888
Sub-Genre: Historical Romance/Crime Drama
Cover Rating: 4
Kisses: 5+
Jonah Woolner's life is as prudently regulated as the bank where he works. It's a satisfying life until he's passed over for promotion in favor of newcomer Reid Hylliard. Brash and enterprising, Reid beguiles everyone except Jonah, who's convinced Reid's progressive ideas will be the bank's ruin. When Jonah begins to discover there's more to Reid than meets the eye, he risks succumbing to Reid's charms-but unlocking the vault to all of Reid's secrets could lead him down a dangerous path.
Losing his promotion-and perhaps his heart-is the least of Jonah's difficulties. When the vengeful son of a Union army vet descends upon the bank to steal a government deposit of half a million dollars during the deadliest blizzard to ever sweep New York, Jonah and Reid are trapped, at odds and fighting for their lives.
On Tuesday, March 13, 1888, the New York Times headline read:
The worst storm the city has ever known.
Business travel completely suspended.
New York helpless in a tornado of wind and snow which paralyzed all industry, isolated the city from the rest of the country, caused many accidents and great discomfort, and exposed it to many dangers.
March 11, 1888 was a seasonably mild day, with a light rain falling on the city of New York. By March 12th, in a matter of hours, as temperatures plummeted into the single digits and winds gusted as high as eighty miles per hour, the light rain that had grown to a torrential downpour that blanketed the city, changed over to snow; it quickly buried Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs under drifts of up to thirty feet deep, crippling transportation, leaving the city without electricity and with very little food on store shelves. The fatal storm moved through in a mere thirty-six hours, and left a trail of destruction along the entire Northeastern seaboard.
It is during this brief period of time, these few short days, that Jonah Woolner's own world transforms from routinely mild into a blizzard of danger and near devastation.
Thirty-three year old Jonah lives and breathes convention and strict order. His fourteen year tenure at Grandborough Bank is one of ritual and discipline that suits him well. His unwavering dedication and loyalty to the bank and to his position as acting cashier is, he's reasonably certain, what will guarantee him to be the likely candidate to take over the role on a permanent basis. When he's passed over for the promotion, the humiliation and embarrassment of losing the position to an outsider—a man who is arrogantly set on upsetting the status quo—leaves Jonah in a state of shock. It's only his pride and determination to keep the bank set in the ways that have served it so well and succeeded in promoting it from a state to a national depository that stops Jonah from quitting his position as assistant cashier to Reid Hylliard.
Jonah is Reid's perfect foil—as rigid, discrete, and set in his ways as Reid is brash, outgoing, and spontaneous, not at all the image of a staid and respectable banker in a staid and respectable institution. The two men are instant foes, as Jonah's antagonism toward the charming Reid keeps them at near constant odds and provides for so much tension and conflict that I nearly gnawed through my lower lip in fits of anxiety.
What seems to be a near impossible working relationship, a division of insurmountable proportions, a conflict of ideals and goals, as well as an aversion to the other's methods, all comes crashing down with a single kiss, and the realization that they each, indeed, are more alike than they'd imagined. They each exist in a private exile apart from what they show to the public, which brings them together more surely than any working relationship ever could. But can their growing bond withstand secrets, a bank heist, and a betrayal during one of the deadliest winter storms in history? That's something you'll have to find out on your own. When love is on the line, anything is possible.
The Only Gold is an outstanding novel. How much did I love it? I read the entire book in about twelve hours, as I was unwilling to put it down for long. For fans of the historical genre, I would go so far as to say this is an absolute must read. The book is that rare blend of action, romance, atmosphere, setting, conflict, and characterization that, when it all comes together, creates the perfect storm of fiction.
Jonah and Reid are not only tremendously engaging protagonists, but they're also very well realized. There is a great amount of depth to each of them that endeared them to me. I was entirely invested in their story, and have imagined them long beyond "The End".
Here's to hoping Tamara Allen might be imagining a sequel too.
Reviewed By: Lisa


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Nephew, 34 pgs., August 2012, $10
A literary eruption, is that a thing, if that's a thing, it just happened over here, out comes a saddened–>tortured love cry, a near-epic struggle twisted forward and within and out of over a bitty 34 pages, the story of Poisonhorse shrieks, as the horse and the poison the narrator gives it and the bears and the rats and the lady in the cistern and etc. burrow their way into you, as you begin to see yourself as one of the severed heads in the bear's belly, as what you thought to call love expands and then immediately bursts in your hands.
Check out pieces of Horse here and here. Get the Horse here.


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GPS – Trending Technology around the World
It has been put to great use for a long time in its unique, and most self-evident, motivation behind organizing military operations. Actually, if not for GPS, numerous cutting edge military operations and practices would just not be conceivable. It is likewise often utilized as a part of pursuit and-salvage missions and additionally fiasco alleviation endeavors.
Notwithstanding this, GPS innovation has ended up being instrumental in various investigative exploration campaigns, particularly in exceptionally remote locales, for example, mountain ranges and the north and south posts.
The opposite side of GPS usefulness, which is here and there overlooked, is the numerous utilizations it can be put to by individual buyers. Handheld GPS units and different GPS gadgets are accessible available to be purchased through numerous common retail channels, and can be exceptionally valuable for an assortment recreational purposes. For instance, having a GPS gadget convenient when outdoors, trekking, chasing, angling, or sculling can be an amazing approach to guarantee that you don't get lost, regardless of the fact that you by one means or another figure out how to stray course.
Another basic shopper utilization of GPS innovation is for wellbeing security purposes. Utilizing a GPS following framework can be a superb approach to battle wrongdoings, for example, robbery and abducting.


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If it's seemed lately like I've abandonned the blog... I have! I have migrated my site including blog over to my new home at Wordpress (no offense to blogger, you guys have been great, but it's over. Try to contain your sobbing). Just go to http://www.samilee.com/, and my site and blog are all at one address. And when you get there, you'll notice I still love red.
All the best,
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Six Sentence Sunday - WIP
Still without uttering a word, he slanted his mouth over hers and kissed every last ounce of breath from her lungs.
Hayley's pulse raced as his kiss claimed her. That's what it was, a claiming. This was Mitch branding her, obliterating every last memory of the way Ty's body had so recently possessed hers. The all consuming power of Mitch's kiss, the bold, sensous thrust of his tongue, caused more of a physical response in Hayley than anything Ty had ever done to her. If there had been a shred of doubt remaining that she'd made a mistake in sending Ty away, Mitch's kiss would have eradicated it.
Here's the link to the other Six Sunday participants. Thanks for stopping by!
Posted by Sami Lee at 12:26 pm 3 comments: Links to this post
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Hump Day Honey
Yes I've been AWOL from the blog... and twitter and FB and everywhere. Neck keep in edits and a fast looming deadline. Yes there's me with a deadline, so professional. But I managed to find time to search the Net for some much needed inspiration pics.
I got the idea for this Hump Day Honey from Mamamia. Check out the hilarious article here.
I got the idea for this Hump Day Honey from Mamamia. Check out the hilarious article here.
He looks good close up...
He looks good from farther away...
He looks dapper dressed to the nines...
And he even looks delicious scruffy
Let's face it, he's beautiful :)
Posted by Sami Lee at 8:20 pm 2 comments: Links to this post
Labels: Hump Day Honey, man pics
Friday, 24 February 2012
A bit of Friday Fun
This could also be entitled, Shit Writers Say to other Writers :). Very funny stuff.
Have a great weekend,
Posted by Sami Lee at 1:05 pm No comments: Links to this post
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Six Sentence Sunday - Fijian Fling
"A strawberry daiquiri, thanks."
He signaled to the bartender before taking a seat on the lounger adjacent to her and stretching out his long legs. They were carpeted with soft-looking, shiny black hair, the muscles of his thighs and calves taut and strong. Her attention snagged on the juncture of his thighs, her eyes taking on a will of their own. Good grief. Had she really just checked out his crotch?
The buy link is here if you feel inclined to read the whole thing for the low low price of $2.50 :).
Follow the other authors participating in six sentence sunday here.
Posted by Sami Lee at 11:20 am 3 comments: Links to this post
Friday, 17 February 2012
The Big Cover Reveal
Posted by Sami Lee at 8:59 pm 2 comments: Links to this post
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Six Sentence Sunday - Born Again Virgin 1
I thought this week it might be fun to go back to where it all started, my first ever published novel that was released through Samhain Publishing in 2007. Wow, I only had one toddler back then, now I have a kid in grade two and another turning 4 this year. It seems like ages ago I got that email letting me know I'd finally written something someone wanted to publish. Oh, the nostalgia of it :).
Hope you enjoy this snippet from Born Again Virgin:
She'd taken leave of her senses, obviously. She must have left them in the car. Why on earth had she asked KD to stay for dinner?
She sat across from him at the small outdoor table on her back verandah, the warm twilight air creating the kind of intimate atmosphere that only those close to each other usually shared. The wooden table seemed an inadequate and easily surmountable barrier between them. Funny, when she'd been sitting across from Stefan at lunch this very day, she hadn't fought down the insane urge to swipe their crockery off the surface, scramble on all fours atop the table and shove her tongue down his throat.
Here's the list of other Six Sunday participants. Thanks for stopping by.
Posted by Sami Lee at 11:52 am 4 comments: Links to this post
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Simplification of regulation and administrative procedures – a programme decided at the highest level of the French state and coordinated by the Secretariat-General for Government Modernisation (SGMAP), meets a strong demand from individuals, businesses and local authorities. Within the SGMAP, the Simplification Task Force coordinates the process and provides support to ministries and institutional partners. The programme is based on a participatory approach in which users are involved at every stage: from choice of measures to assessment of their implementation
Ideas for simplification suggested by users in France
Individuals, businesses and local authorities can either submit their proposals directly through a web platform or send them to the authorities responsible for managing such proposals.
Surveys of individuals and businesses are carried out by the SGMAP to identify the 'life events' deemed to be most complex. Individual interviews are used to deconstruct administrative processes and determine points of dissatisfaction at each stage. Public policy assessments also provide ideas for simplification.
Individual users and businesses are invited to discuss their experience and ideas about simplification with ministry officials in participatory workshops.
A cross-ministerial decision
Following the workshops, reasoned proposals are submitted to the various ministries for a decision at meetings chaired by the Prime Minister. Consideration is given to the feasibility, relevance and impact of the proposed measures.
User assessment
At the end of the process, workshop participants are called upon once more to report on the adoption and impact of the measures implemented.
A new raft of measures every six months
The simplification programme is a work in progress, with a new raft of measures every six months. Since 2013, over 750 measures have been adopted, most of which already have a direct effect on the lives of citizens and businesses.
A typical measure: the mes-aides.gouv.fr simulator
The mes-aides.gouv.fr online simulator allows individuals to determine the types of social assistance to which they are entitled and calculate the corresponding amounts after having filled in a form covering marital status, resources, accommodation, etc. After receiving an individual estimate, a user can then start the administrative procedures with the relevant public bodies. This service, developed by a government start-up, is intended to tackle failure by the most vulnerable to take up the government assistance to which they are entitled.
Information on measures taken
To publicise what has actually been done, partnerships have been built with the ecosystem (ministries, not-for-profit organisations and trade bodies) to reach as many people as possible. The participatory approach thus continues throughout the process: from the ideas at the beginning to information on the actual measures taken.


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Bringing together communities, authorities and security services, to help secure basic rights and protection in humanitarian crises.
Launched in 2009, Oxfam's innovative protection programme in the DRC brings together local communities, authorities and security services, to help people secure their basic rights to be protected in humanitarian situations.
The programme is founded on the principle that communities should take complete ownership of all initiatives. While trained and supported by Oxfam to prioritize and respond to issues, members take the lead at every stage. Because these initiatives are by the communities themselves they better understand and represent their needs. Additionally, community ownership means that many of the protection structures will remain in place after Oxfam's involvement has ended.
By championing equality between women and men, the programme provides vital forums for everyone to discuss issues affecting them on equal terms. By encouraging more women to participate in these forums, the programme gives them a rare opportunity to enter the public sphere and directly address local authorities. Set against a backdrop of increasing volatility and human rights abuses in the country, it is a vital step towards a future where citizens are empowered to hold their leaders to account.
At the heart of Oxfam's protection programme in the DRC is the establishment of Community Protection Structures. These are democratically elected networks that are tasked with developing a Community Protection Plan to outline key protection threats faced by people in a specific area. The Protection Structures then engage with local authorities on how best to implement the Community Protection Plan.
Every Protection Structure is comprised of:
Running until 2020, the protection programme in the DRC is funded by UK Department for International Development (DFID), IrishAid, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
With over 77 million inhabitants, the Democratic Republic of Congo is a regional giant. But, despite its rich natural resources, it is a country marked by poverty, conflict, violence and human rights abuses. It ranks 176th (out of 188 countries) in the 2015 Human Development Index.
Conflict in the DRC has been fuelled by ethnic-community divisions - with violence being perpetuated by armed groups, armed forces and national police. While there have been some encouraging developments, such as the signing of the Framework Agreement for Peace, Security and Cooperation in 2013, violence continues. As of January 2016, an estimated 1.7 million people have been internally displaced (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs).
Use of rape as a weapon of war is widespread in the DRC. A culture of discrimination against women is ingrained in the tradition and organization of its society - despite progress in public policy. Although women are the main victims of armed conflict, they do not participate equally in the process of peace building and reconciliation, despite the accession of the DRC to the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security which urges all actors to increase the participation of women in peace and security efforts and to take special measures to protect women and
girls from gender-based violence.
Read how the community protection programme works to help individuals prevent, and respond to, violence and abuse, while also holding duty-bearers to account for the protection of civilian populations.
A study into the sustainability of Community Protection Structures supported by Oxfam in the DRC.
Read the report
How understanding gender dynamics can empower women & men in a humanitarian response.
Read the case study
Helen Lindley-Jones looks back at the legacy of Oxfam's legacy of protection work in DRC.
Read the blog
Having survived horrific conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Louise lost four family members to disease. In one week. But that's only the start of her story. Watch the film to learn how she found strength in a conflict – in her own words.
Office location: Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
See profile
© 2020. Oxfam is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 202918) and Scotland (SC039042). Oxfam GB is a member of the international confederation Oxfam.


text: OUR EXPERIENCE, YOUR SUCCESS. LEARN MORE Hourly, month-to-month or commission-based marketing services. Website & Video Production ROI and Financial Modeling Digital, TV & Radio Media DTC & Ecommerce Channel Growth ZAEN marketing \\ `zain \\ : 1. An outsourced marketing department that grows with your business. ON-DEMAND CAPACITY Everyone is expecting results from the next launch or promotion, but your team is already stretched thin. Most of the options out there seem designed to spend your money but still leave the work up to you. Where is the actual help? We couldn't find it either. That's why we created ZAEN. LEARN MORE EASY INTEGRATION Our goal is to save you time and money. We can work with your internal team and your vendors or we can work autonomously to produce growth. We are here to help you get the job done, so you and your team can shine. LEARN MORE Creativity in ACTION. OUR WORK We are guided by the mantra: Understanding = Conversion We produce creative that educates and moves people to action. Our clients have found success using our creative for: • Television spots • Web video ads • Direct to consumer • B2B Content • Non-profit fundraising Need a turn-key campaign? Our data-driven planning process identifies opportunities and tracks success. It's common sense and we've used it to create sales and profit growth over and over again. 1. Understand your financial metrics and goals to create financial models and KPIs. 2. Build a campaign infrastructure for maximum efficiency. 3. Test & optimize for performance. 4. Provide consistent analysis & reporting on the financial performance of your campaign so you have confidence that you're investing in the right place. Think you might have something we can help with?Click below and let's talk. SCHEDULE A FREE 15 MIN CALL


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By Teachers, For Teachers
For decades, people have looked to the hibernating groundhogs awakening as a sign of spring. Each year on Feb. 2, we anxiously await the sighting of a groundhog as it comes out of its burrow to look for its shadow.
This popular legend has children and adults giddy with excitement as we await to see if there will be six more week of winter, or if spring will arrive early.
Help students celebrate Groundhog Day this year by partaking in a few of these fun classroom activities and games.
Classroom Activities: Cast Your Vote!
As Feb. 2 approaches, more and more people wonder if legendary groundhog Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. Allow your students to get in on the fun and cast their vote to see if this furry little friend will indeed predict more winter or a quicker spring.
Have students prepare a ballot by folding an 8 x 11 piece of paper in half and drawing a sun or spring picture on one half, and a cloud or wintry picture on the other. Next, ask students to color the picture that they think represents their predication. Once they have colored their predication, they must cut the side that they colored off, and hand in their ballot to you.
Once the ballots are in, as a class, create a graph of the results. Then on Feb. 2,, once Punxsutawney Phil has made his prediction, announce his findings and compare what he said with your class graph of student predications.
Send Phil Back to his Burrow
Once students have made their predications and you have given them the results, it is now time to send him back into his hole! Divide students into teams of two and have them stand in a relay line. Give each team enough brown balls so that each students will have two. The brown balls represent the groundhog. Instruct each team to come up with a fun team name. Then, on your go, have both teams compete at the same time to see how many balls they can make into the hole (which would be a small waste paper basket). The team with the most groundhogs in the hole wins!
Dear Mr. Groundhog
A great way to incorporate letter writing onto your Groundhog Day activities is to have students write a special letter to Punxsutawney Phil. First, read the story "Will Spring Be Early? Or Will Spring Be Late?" by Crockett Johnson. This comical tale about a groundhog mistakenly identifying a fake flower for spring will have your students in a sniggle. After you read the story, instruct students to think about all of the things that remind them of springtime and write their answers in the board. Next challenge them to write a short letter to Punxsutawney Phil telling him all of the signs that remind them of springtime.
Who's Hibernating?
Groundhogs aren't the only animals who hibernate. Many other animals like to take a long winter nap too. Discuss with the students all of the other animals that like to hibernate, or take a long winter nap. Then ask them to choose two other animals to research a little more about. This can be done by themselves or in a group of two. Students may pick a bear, frog, turtle, or any other creature that they learned about.
Once students have chosen their two animals, they must create a small booklet. On the front page, the title will be "Who's Hibernating," and on the inside of the first page will be a picture of a groundhog along with a few facts. The other two pages are for the picture and a few facts of the two animals that they chose to research. Once completed, invite each student (or group) to come up and share their booklets with the rest of their class.
Great Groundhog Literature
How do you celebrate Groundhog Day in your classroom? Do you have any teaching ideas that you would like to share with us? Please leave your ideas in the comment section below, we would love to hear your thoughts.
Janelle Cox is an education writer who uses her experience and knowledge to provide creative and original writing in the field of education. Janelle holds a Master's of Science in Education from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She is also the Elementary Education Expert for About.com, as well as a contributing writer to TeachHUB.com and TeachHUB Magazine. You can follow her at Twitter @Empoweringk6ed, or on Facebook at Empowering K6 Educators.


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Anyone who knows me at all, knows that I have recycled before it was called that. My recycling of gold came from my inability to give up on a ring that was reduced to melted lumps. Since that was not the look I was going for and I was determined not to buy more gold (at the time it was $35) I grabbed some tweezers and started pushing around the gold while heating it.
Another great moment in saving the planet came when I discovered that cats can easily adapt to newspaper instead of kitty litter. This also saves enough money to pay for the subscription.
Now I find that I am shipping allot of packages. I put my shawl pins and Cable Needle necklaces in beautiful jeweled tone silk zippered pouches. I hand write a personal note. I include a few brochures from friends' businesses. And then I take the whole shebang and wrap it in a ...oh my God, plastic bag from the local grocery chain. Besides being free, they are light, water proof and keep everything safe and rattle free. I imagine that the recipient uses the bag for a further purpose till the end of time. But what kind of first impression am I making? I gag at the thought of buying (gag motivator #1) fancy colored tissue which I would crumple up (gag motivator #2) to fill the box and cushion the enclosed item.
I have used newspaper which serves the same purpose but feels like a lateral move. My goal is to use something that is free and classy. Any suggestions?
Blog On!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Can Recycling Undermine My Image?
Posted by Folly Cove Fiber Freaks at 7:25 PM
Labels: professional image, recycling
1 comment:
- Unknown said...
Wrap them in the GD Times or Beacon --- that way the recipient gets a little "taste" of Gloucester.
- October 31, 2008 at 10:27:00 AM EDT
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text: On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 5:21 PM, Thor Lancelot Simon <tls%panix.com@localhost> wrote: > On Wed, Dec 05, 2012 at 05:17:25PM +0300, Aleksey Cheusov wrote: >> >> On the other hand if we generalize improvements of fchdir(2) and fchroot(2) >> (I mean EPERM if the current working directory is not at or under the new >> root directory), that is reimplement them with a help of kauth(9) we >> will be able to do the same for fexecve(2). > > I don't think that's necessarily the case (we've discussed why earlier > in this terribly fragmented thread). I've reread the whole thread but I don't understand how fch* and fexec* differ. As far as I can see all they cause the same sort of problems. So, a solution should be the same for all of them.


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Cinema 4D 13 Announced
Maxon just announced a new version of Cinema 4D due in September 2011. Release 13 looks like a huge update to the software and includes big interface changes and new tools including new character animation tools and a stereoscopic render (ugh). I'm probably most excited about the new Physical Render engine and improved Sub Surface Scattering. Looks like it will make global illumination for animation much easier. You can learn more about the new update in this Cinema 4D R13 press release from Maxon.
Buy 12 Now and Get 13 for Free
Maxon just announced a new deal. Buy Cinema 4D 12 until august 31st and get the R13 update for free! I will have a more detailed post about it soon, but If I were you, I would just go ahead and get the R12 Studio or Broadcast and get the free upgrade when 13 comes out.
What are you most excited for, Gheldarius?
I'm excited by a new cool logo. haha
It is quite shiny! This ought to be very exciting 🙂
We will release more information about the complete redesign of Cinema 4D which Manu and I did with the official release 13 in september this year. More info at http://www.lab.einmalich.com
i bought the R12 version about a half year ago does that then mean that i can update it to the R13 version when it comes out
I still want to know more about fractional frame rate support. Why just offer 29.97 to AE? What about 29.976 or 59.94?
and good ol' 3.14159265…
awesome!! cant wait!! 😀
Why ugh for stereo? It's going to make the workflow a million times simpler (I hope).
Just because stereo TV's are in production doesn't mean they're being sold. It's all a load of nonsense. Useful if you're doing an exhibition, perhaps, but not practical most.
I'm open to new stuff, but I see absolutely no benefit with 3D.
Just another technical aspect to get in the way of creative work. Setting up stereo is the save as setting up your aspect ratio and render size. Dull and has nothing to do with your work.
I'm pretty surprised at the anti stereo sentiment. I think one of the biggest weaknesses of stereoscopy today is the lack of really talented artistic consideration. Making C4D stereo friendly gives all of you young talented artists an opportunity to take known technology and add the creative spark it needs. 3d can be more than a technical aspect if its used creatively.
I agree Chris, I'm designing and animating in Stereo 3D almost every day. Stereo 3D doesn't need to go away, it just needs an easier workflow so we can worry less about technical shit, and more about making cool shit.
Physical cameras look like the greatest improvement besides the general layout/interface updates (glad they fixed the viewport speeds)
Anyone else notice their physical cams are just basically attempting to do what VRAY already does well and better (but glad this is now free and lens distortion and chromatic aberration are now options)
what about them not addressing several features USERS have been requesting for years.
Some things that would have been nice:
-Improved Modelling tools (including better Edge Beveling and options and a stronger Boole Object)
– Fluid Sims
– Smoke Sims (pyrocluster was last revised in 2001!!!)
– Improvements to Net Render (none made since who knows which Version of C4D)
There's DPIT Effex for fluid/smoke sims in Cinema 4d. It's such a niche need, better to leave it to a dedicated 3rd party. There's also Turbulence FD if you just need smoke.
How do you know VRay does it better if R13 isn't even out yet?
I agree and why have they not incorporated splinepatch type capabilities?
I love vay, but very impredictable in c4d integration. so create a physical camara into the cinema is an interesting step!!! :D. And for the price of the application no plug-in
What do you mean by "physical camera" ?
similar to vray phy camera. Have control over the iso, f-number. that allow to play more with the illumination of the scene, because you can change the sensibility of the camera to the light an leave the setup of light without change. :D… by the way in the last comment it suppose to say "I love vray"
Why do they do this… I mean, I love the fact they're updating the character animation, might make it a little more comprehendible but like… I don't really like forking out money seeing as now I've graduated I can't get my uni's learning support facility to get it for me 🙁 Anyone want to throw some work my way? 😛
So i just payed for the R12 in febuary with MSA for nothing? where the hell is the R12.5 that i would get for free damnit 🙁
My understanding is that if you have the MSA you get updates etc free. This is why I waited till December 2010 to update to R12. Usually the updates happen around this time of year ( Siggraph ish) so at least for the first year your update is free. Time will come around when I have to renew the MSA but it is cheaper in the long run rather than paying for the updates as they appear
cant freaking wait
Pizdec kak KRUTO!!!!!!!!!!!!
No mention of GPU (OpenCL/ cuda ) support.
Hope voxel shader is added too. Glad they are sorting the crappy Dof + motion blur out.
Shrek (bonkers.de) commented on that a while ago. While GPU's are very fast, they have a higher error rate than CPU's and therefor not handy for rendering. Voxels are more something done for realtime rendering too, so I won't expect that to be included very soon.
The GPU option allows for rapid scene iterations at almost final render quality within the viewport, that's the biggy for me.
Voxels are used for volumetric effects and modeling. A voxel type shader would be a vast improvement over pyrocluster. The voxel shaders i used when working in sideFX Houdini offered much more realistic results than c4d's system.
Was hoping Maxon would come up with a solution to this in their new or upcoming versions. Question is why they can't do it…
There's a huge price difference between Studio and Broadcast. Are there a lot of things for example on GSG tutorials that can't be done using Broadcast?
I really like the fact that they announce things early this time. I used to like their approach, not telling anything until it was released, but when I started as a freelancer I started to dislike it more and more. Unity3D does a very good job in providing information beforehand so that I can anticipate in what's coming. Saved me months of work the last 2 years working on this huge project. You can always anticipate wrong because you things will work in some kind of way and then it turns out they're not, but that's still much better than being kept in the dark before release.
I like a lot of things that are coming, but I won't elaborate too much on that right now, cause I really need some sleep. What I would like to say though is that I think the ongoing support for Python is one of the best things Maxon has done the last few years. There are a lot of people in the community that can come up with the greatest ideas and with Pyhon those become a reality sooner than before. See it a little bit as outsourcing. I think that's great, love the plugins that have been made since integration in R12.
Yeah !
But Still no GPU Rendering :-<
Maybe I'm missing something. If it's suggested that it's a good idea to go ahead and buy the Studio or Broadcast version and then receive a free upgrade when it's officially released…couldn't one just wait until R13 comes out in Sept. Last year there were some hefty discounts offered before the R12 was released any idea if there will be a similar offer??? I'm hoping so.
I love the re-branding!
Same here. Looks great
Nuts. I just got a license of R12 in May with no MSA. I guess I'll have to get that soon or pay for the whole thing.
R13 seems to have some good features, but sadly, there is nothing on my personal wish list that made it into the update. Features like, node based texturing, better UV mapping (like modo, headus or even blender) point position pass for 3D relighting or good smoke generation. (wispy smoke, not forest fire smoke)
"point position pass for 3D relighting"
I second this. After Effects has an effect just ready and waiting for Point Position Passes out of Cinema. Maybe a third party will finally write a shader.
node based texture like 3ds ?
I find it awfully complex compared to what we have now.
I've used it in Lightwave and XSI and it's really powerful and less complicated than it sounds. It's much easier to keep complex textures organized than having nested fusion and layer shaders. You would also be able to apply the same noise shader to different attributes without copying and pasting 10 times when you change it.
Is it just me or does that box art remind anyone of Discreet box art from back in the day? I really like it and I love the new cinema logo.
I Think maxon make a mistake in the realese 12 when they cut the muscle deformer… finally they rectify.
Finally they became aware of the need of get a better render quality and create the physical camera… finally they became aware of the needs…
I prefer this settings that the one of the fluids, because if you want real fluids integrate with real flow, or DPIT.
I make characters so I can belive that Maxon finally generate new stuff for character animation…actually in my work don´t buy the r12 for the muscle problem, because we make anatomy related programs… nice touch maxon..
But I agrre that net render improvemets could be a plus… And splinepath would be nice instead of pay for the plug-in…
Some awesome changes. Can't wait for physical render engine. The only huge disapointment is they still haven't change material editor. Add some node based material goodness and I'd be in heaven 🙂
I agree but I would like the node editor for complicated materials, maybe integrated as an advance feature for the materials, but maintaining the classical mode with the channels.
wow..very fast..
Still no improvements to Thinking Particles :-<
I would consider the integration between Mograph and TP an improvement.
Great !
A little tuto for explain how to make model, texture and light of the new C4D logo ?
We will release a "making of" of the new redesign of Cinema 4D which Manu and I did in september with the official release 13. Visit my website there will be more Information http://www.lab.einmalich.com
They fixed gradients thank god.
ohh its out
Why would you want to render with DOF and motion blur ?
It's a lot more productive to add those filters later in After Effects !
.. also vignette and camera aberrations ..you will be crazy to add render them in C4D instead of adding them with AE
true, but the problem is that the depth map you render from C4D is not correct, therefore you cant really use them in post (AE)
i hope they have fixed it
I agree with you for most cases, but sometimes only true 3d DOF will get you the result you need.
I don't think this image by Marijn Raeven could be achieved in post – what would the depth pass need to look like?
Mblur is also horrible in post if you have spinning objects for example – it will never look like real Motion Blur – this can only be done in 3d .. and also i see a sneak preview – they changed Mblur a lot it doesnt renders each image a thousand times to get Mblur(very fast)
God dang it , well that mean is we should say goodbye to R12??
and also if nick use r13 we must get r13 to follow along..hmmm
Gah. And I JUST bought the Student License for Studio R12 Last week… I wonder if they'll honor that for a free upgrade.
would it work if i bought the student version of r12 or would it have to be the full version?
I'd like to know the same thing.
Watch C4D R13's new features via Robert Leger>> [video]http://www.vimeo.com/27110958[/video] & [video]http://www.vimeo.com/27108948[/video]
Sub Surface Scattering …finally
I hope they introduce a new icon as well 😀
Most of this stuff makes utter sense. its a shame the modelling tools have not be improved since this is a fundamental part of any 3d program.
Modelling with cinema feels quite clumsy; and with a few extra tools and improvements they would be absolutely fine. At the moment it feels like they are missing things.
You're absolutely right… and why they insist on ignoring those modelling issues is just beyond comprehension!
They haven't ignored anything, and in fact the modeling workflow has been improved a lot. The fact there are no new tools doesn't mean modeling hasn't been improved. The new axis and the new navigation alone make modeling in C4D much faster. Not to mention the new Tweak mode, and many of the other clever features they added.
i look forward to get it! Great job Maxon!
new logo indeed!
Best day of the year!
I like the new packaging. Very clean.
Watch C4D R13's new features via Robert Leger>>
C4D R13 Preview #1 – New Navigation
C4D R13 Preview #2 – Collision Deformer
C4D R13 Preview #3 – Naming Tool
Cheers Nick & Company
There's a nice video from Marjin Raeven that show new render, indirect illum, physical camera and dof: http://vimeo.com/27155590
There are some more R13 vids on this thread.
They're free to non-members for a limited time so grab them quick if you're not registered.
Furry spider shenanigans made my day 😉
i wanna more MOGRAPH TOOLS ahhahahhaha!!!!
Two cents,
This seems to be a valuable upgrade to C4D. For a while now the XREF limited functionality has been the achilles heel to pushing C4D into a production pipeline. So I am pleased to see they are attempting to address this issue. Having not used 13 I will hesitate to say that it is fixed.
The path animation along with collision also I find to be very valuable. In regards to rigging I believe the autorigger will open doors but you will still need to know a base knowledge of what is going on in the hierarchy after it has been assembled. There will always be problems underneath and nothing is ever a few clicks. But def a timesaver.
Navigation improvement looks good. Also the new axis modes I look forward to using.
SSS, well I guess I will have to see how it is implemented and what exactly can be done with it. But at least this allows me to use C4D in a whole rather than switching back and forth between VRay for simply the SSS and physical camera. I wish I could just plug things in to one shader rather than a layer shader but it does seem to do a better job in the department of judging depth.
The muscle system has come back. I like seeing the new fat offset given with the posemorph/morph setup I was stuck with a lumpy muscle that had HUGE problems with falloff. I look forward to digging in deeper and seeing if the use of custom meshes underneath can be utilized or if we must be constricted to the "onion" with two cluster constraints.
Stereoscopic rendering… Well it is interesting to see this implemented and it has been a push for years so it won't be disappearing. I personally can't watch it but that I see as a personal preference. Years ago while at Pixar I was introduced to depth scoring based off of a timeline and I am wondering if this is the avenue they are exploring. Stereoscopic rendering could be done in previous versions with simple tweaking through the use of multiple cameras. So all in all I see this as a good timesaver….
As for voxel-based sims simply use DPIT or TFD. They both are good. DPIT I would see as the more complete solution but TFD will give you instant results which is what most people will take. DPIT is simply a MayaFluids clone IMO. No dogging it since it also implements RF qualities and is a hybrid of XFrog as well. Does a superb job after you understand the math behind it.
I look forward to watching demos at SIGGRAPH next week so I will post back on this to let you know what I think…
Collin Bishop
The new GI is also quite amazing. Looks like it handles the grain quite well…
I can't wait! But still no TP Update!!
Actually, I would give it all up for a real time preview a la Modo.
If you bake your textures, and increase the preview size on your materials (under illumination I think), you can do that.
Thanks Rob – I meant the Live Preview window that Luxology Modo uses for camera views. Think of the Interactive Render Region function on steroids. Cuts out a lot of trial and error rendering and region rendering.
I'm not really convinced by this new update.
Right, new render engine… For the rest of the specifications, I'm not so far into C4D to appreciate that. And I've received my new MSA fee and it cost more than 500 € here to get this…
Wait & see at my headquarters…
I think they went fast on this…
They should wait till christimas and put some more stuff in there…
The new camera settings indeed look like vray or 3ds max's exposure controls. Yet both 2 programs have a seperate tab for motion blur and dof, this camera will make you stick with your camera settings for motion blur and dof.
New or improved modeling tools would be great too. The reason I use more 3ds max nowadays is for the exposure controls and the modeling tools.
Cinema 4d is already a great 3d pack. With some improvements here and there it will be my favorite (if it's not already). The rendering with all those easy to get passes is amazing in c4d.
"Multi-Pass files can now be stored in multiple channels within a single OpenEXR file."
YAY! Biggest improvement!
Hear that!
That's been the biggest thing that's bothered me since we moved to Nuke for compositing.
Not that it can't be done with separates, but having all of one's passes in the same file is a great leap forward and a time saver. And it simplifies the script tree tremendously.
Oh god ive just got my head around R12, although I still go back to 11.5 for quick simple work or VRay. Im even still with photoshop CS3, must get with the times I think.
Ooh, shiny thing!
I want one.
Hello from Germany
I bought R12 Studio 3 month ago. Will the upgrade to 13 be free?
The Update for 13 will be free if you have a MSA otherwise not.
not sure about that, you may want to check, if I'm not mistaken only new purchases of version 12 will get the free upgrade
my bad… just misread your comment 😉
Cinema 4D R13 – Introduction : http://www.cineversity.com/tutorials/lesson.asp?tid=1986&newplayer=true
currently running r11.5 with mograph and advanced render… which version of r13 would be similar to what i have currently? looks like broadcast? matbe?
My wish list:
UV Pelt Mapping (a la 3ds Max)
Fluid Simulation
and for the love of god, a better solution for Net Render
Face Robot compatibility
Clearly though, this is an r14 wish list, because it doesn't look like any of these will be addressed.
Things I like; more robust shaders, especially SSS and fresnel. Gotta love physical cameras.
I currently use FaceRobot heads in my animations off of C3D exports I get out of Arena and solve in FR. Simply retarget the point data to a cluster through a posemorph in the advanced tab. Nest it in your object and you have facial capture.
As for import I bring it in with Riptide through the MDD import.
I tend to push the envelope though and find ways to make my MoCap work in C4D simply because of its stability and my fluency in the program. This new update will help in the speed of things but overall as said previously. The full XREF functionality is the biggest upgrade/boost to Cinema in some time…
Collin Bishop
Cool, for those who are silly like me and didn't get the MSA, I just found out 13 WILL be backwards compatable with R12 =D
wow really astounding new logo design once again a brilliant choice, and great craftsmanship.
something else to learn, nice!
I just wish they would fix the type tool 🙁
Not to much to ask is it? Kerning?
And the import paths from illustrator still uses illustrator v8.
Sure all the new stuff is exciting but some of us still mostly have clients that just want a logo/product/design/text made into 3D.
Rigging in R13 looks exciting, C4D R12 sucks when it cameos to it unless you get Cactus plugging. But as CollinBishop says it will not be just a click away.
PS: Nick u rock man
i wish 2 c it!
hey guys,
maxon posted some vids on youtube telling us about the changes in R13. check them out here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIayL3DYiz8
I like the new design of the Packaging … The old C4D Logo was always kind of odd.
you wonder Gorilla!
i from Azerbaijan.
Just bought this for my son. He is soooo excited.
Hi Guys.I have a problem. I take th C4D R13, but I don't understand how to install modules as HAIR ecc…. Inside the folder modules there are all this, but when I open C4D there aren't hair, thinking particles exc…… Some one can help me?
It's nearly impossible to find well-informed people in this particular topic, but you seem like you know what you're talking about! Thanks


text:
Zdeno Chara wasn't the last to know, but was the last to experience what's new. The Bruins' captain was sick when head coach Claude Julien was fired Tuesday and didn't make it back to work until Friday's practice.
BOSTON — Life goes on, finally, and it has changed.
Zdeno Chara wasn't the last to know, but was the last to experience what's new. The Bruins' captain, who woke up sick on Tuesday morning to news that general manager Don Sweeney had fired head coach Claude Julien and replaced him Bruce Cassidy, didn't make it back to work until Friday's practice.
"I have these kind of things every five years or so," said Chara, who is expected to return to the lineup on Saturday afternoon against the Canucks (1:05, NESN, WBZ-FM 98.5) at TD Garden. "I've been really good for close to five or six years. I never really get sick, and then boom, it hits."
Maybe there's a good omen there: The last time Chara was too sick to play, he missed the first two games of the 2011 playoffs — both home losses to the Canadiens, from which the B's recovered to win the series and, eventually, their first Stanley Cup since 1972.
Still, missing Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sharks in Cassidy's debut was another disappointing aspect in a disappointing week.
"We felt bad" about Julien's departure after almost 10 years, said Chara, who became a Bruin through free agency one year before Julien's arrival. "It's a tough situation, where you see a good coach, a good person, being let go because of the results we put up that were obviously not good enough. We all take responsibility for that."
Chara, who experienced coaching changes as a member of the Islanders, Senators and after his first season as a Bruin (Dave Leis), called them "part of the darker side of the sport business," and said players have no choice but to solider on after they've been made.
"You have to be professional," he said. "You have to focused on your job, do your job, and do it better. These (are) things you can control only by playing better, and having better results."
Thursday's victory over the Sharks, who lead the Pacific Division after reaching last year's Stanley Cup Final, was a good start, but the B's chalked up a fair amount of similar decisions over top teams under Julien, too. Just a little over a week before what proved to be Julien's final game (last Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Maple Leafs), in fact, the Bruins overcame a quick 2-0 deficit to beat the defending Cup champion Penguins — who had dropped the B's earlier that week, 5-1. It was the second of three straight wins that made it seem possible Julien would survive the latest round of predictions that he was bound to be booted.
Saturday's follow-up performance, then, will be watched closely.
"We do know we can play games like (Thursday)," said center David Krejci, "but for some reason, the second game's not as strong as the first one. We have to make sure to come out hard again, play the full 60 minutes like we did yesterday.
"Obviously, we're feeling good about ourselves, but (can't) get too high."
Saturday's matinee is followed by Sunday night's visit from the Atlantic Division-leading Canadiens, after which the Bruins take their five-day bye before flying to San Jose to start a four-game road trip. Thursday's victory pushed them into the second, final Eastern Conference Wild Card position, one point ahead of the Flyers (one game in hand), but only two ahead of the Islanders — who are 7-1-2 under their interim coach, Doug Weight, and have played four fewer games than the B's. The Bruins are also within striking distance of the Nos. 2-3 Senators and Maple Leafs in the Atlantic, but both have also played fewer games.
"More than anything," Krejci said, "we need points."
AROUND THE BOARDS: Cassidy said he planned to give goalies Tuukka Rask (13 straight starts) and Anton Khudobin (last NHL game on Dec. 23) one start each this weekend … For the second time in three practices, rookie Peter Cehlarik skated at left wing with Krejci and David Pastrnak; Cassidy said "there is a chance" that line will play against the Canucks. Cehlarik, 18-15—33 in 40 games at AHL Providence, was recalled on Tuesday, but didn't make his NHL debut on Thursday.
— Mike Loftus writes for the Patriot Ledger of GateHouse Media.


text:
Running injuries are most frequent in spring when your body must adjust to a new surface
If you're a runner, the warm weather of spring is an invitation to switch your indoor routine (if you have one) to an outdoor routine and look at trees instead of a TV. However, just after moving to outdoor activity is the most likely time to experience an injury, as your body hasn't adjusted to the demands of running outdoors. The most obvious and riskiest change for your body is the surface you run on.
If you run on a treadmill all winter, you're running on a soft surface with low impact to your legs, ankles and feet. Once you switch your routine to the outdoors, you subject your body to a combination of surfaces with different impacts: paved streets, concrete sidewalks, gravel, grass, sand, etc. Each of these surfaces offers advantages and disadvantages.
While streets and sidewalks are generally even and free of hidden obstacles, they don't "give" underneath your feet like grass, sand and even gravel do. That means that your body is completely absorbing the shock of your feet hitting the surface. Hard surfaces are great for your upward movement (you get a "bounce" when you push off), but torture for your downward movement. The energy created when your feet come in contact with pavement has to go somewhere, and if it can't go down into a soft surface, it will go up through your body, starting at your feet and ending around your waistline.
Most of this kinetic energy is absorbed by a properly fitted running shoe and warmed up, conditioned leg muscles. If you're in shape, this is no problem. But early in the season when you're at your least conditioned, your body might react with shin splints, sore feet, sore ankles, or back pain.
Running on grass or sand has its pros and cons as well. While running on these surfaces won't cause you any high impact injuries, they tend to be uneven, which puts your ankles and legs at risk of injury from a twist, roll or sprain. An injury of this nature will put you out of commission for upwards of 4 weeks, blowing your spring routine out of the water.
Running stretches to avoid pain
Beginner and expert runners alike can best protect themselves by doing simple stretches before and after their running routine. Make sure to stretch the muscles in your back by turning side to side, then move the routine down through your glutes, hamstrings, calves, ankles and feet. These actions warm up your muscles, tendons and ligaments, increasing blood flow to these areas, which make them better able to resist the impact they're about to experience. Warming up should also include a few minutes of walking before running. Check this link for a simple stretching routine.
After your run, a cooling down period is also important for your body so as to avoid tense, strained muscles. Do the stretching routine outlined above, but in the opposite order: walk for a few minutes to reduce your heart rate, then perform stretches starting with your toes and working up to your back.
Warming up and cooling down are absolutely essential to a safe running routine. As we age, the warm up and cool down periods should increase by a few minutes every year.
Always be aware of your body's signals and the surface you're running on, and keep your eyes open for any obstacles. If you do twist or roll your ankle or experience mild or severe pain in your ankles or feet, call East Penn Foot and Ankle Associates to be examined immediately. A thorough examination could be the difference between getting back to your running routine in a week or two or sitting out the spring.
P.S.: The best surface to run on is a smooth gravel or grass track at a high school or college when it's not being used by the athletes.
Here are some excellent tips on running form your should read, which will help you create the proper mechanics for your body.
Here's a guide for new runners.


text:
The philosophy major is designed to teach you how to be an incisive logical thinker, a strong writer and oral communicator, and a conscientious citizen. A degree in philosophy can be an excellent asset to your professional career.
Read our alumni profiles to see how their philosophy major or minor has helped advance their careers.
After graduating from SJU, Gia spent time in publishing, and managed three medical journals. For the past year, she has been working as a Project Manager at inScience Communications, a subdivision of Springer-Nature Publishing. Gia is planning to earn some project management credits in order to prepare for a project management certification. The PMP is the gold-standard in project management and is accepted in a wide variety of fields.
Ms. Montemuro is grateful for her experience in the Philosophy Department at SJU–without the background in thinking and expressing herself clearly, she would not be where she is today–in both her career or in her personal life.
Waynesboro, Pa., native Michael R. McDonald is a third-year student at Penn Law School, and the editor-in-chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. McDonald studied philosophy as an undergrad at Saint Joseph's University and says his gravitation toward law was "gradual." After working for a year at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group in
Washington, D.C., he joined Rosemont College in Montgomery County, working in campus ministry.
McDonald is currently doing an externship at the Brennan Center for Justice in New York City. After graduating in May, he will serve for a year as a law clerk to the Honorable Analisa Torres of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, followed by another year as a clerk for the Honorable Michael Chagares of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. "I'm very excited about that," he says. "It's an honor and I'm very much looking forward to it. Everyone who clerks says it's the best experience of their professional lives."
Program Director, Office of Human Dignity & Life Initiatives at University of Notre Dame
An essay from the March 2015 issue of America magazine was written by one of our former students, Jessica Keating, who graduated from SJU with a double major in philosophy and sociology. After leaving SJU, she taught for two years on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. She then completed a M.Div. degree in the Theology Department at Notre Dame, where she now works as the Director of their Office of Human Dignity and Life Initiatives.
Jeffrey Petrosky joins Romero Center Ministries as Director of the Urban Challenge Program. A native of Philadelphia and graduate of Saint Joseph's University, Jeff recently returned to the area after several years living and working in the Midwest and overseas. Jeff hopes to combine an academic and practical background in social justice studies with a diverse resume of business experience to serve the Romero Center Ministries, its many guests, and the people of Camden.
Based in Camden, NJ, Romero Center Ministries provides Catholic education and retreat experiences inspired by Archbishop Oscar Romero's prophetic witness.
While studying law at the Temple University Beasley School of Law, Tim served first as Staff Editor then as a Note/Comment Editor for the Temple Law Review.
Prior to graduating from Temple Law, Tim served as Judicial Extern for the Honorable Christopher C. Conner, United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and interned for Judge Robert Kugler in the United States District of New Jersey.
Prior to law school, Tim had two careers – the first working on- site at several U.S. Open Golf Championships and the second working for a set design company serving the music and event industries. When not working, Tim enjoys spending time with his wife and son, watching movies, playing soccer and all aspects of eating – going to restaurants, cooking at home, and even doing the dishes.