text:
Ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) associated to arboreal nests of Nasutitermes spp. (Isoptera, Termitidae) in a cacao plantation in southeastern Bahia, Brazil
450 Santos et al.
Ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) associated to arboreal nests
of Nasutitermes spp. (Isoptera, Termitidae) in a cacao plantation in
southeastern Bahia, Brazil
1,2 3 2,4 2,5 1 Pollyanna Pereira Santos , Alexandre Vasconcellos , Benoit Jahyny & Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus–Itabuna, km16, 45650-000 Ilhéus-BA, Brazil. 2 firstname.lastname@example.com 3 Laboratório de Mirmecologia, Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau, CEPLAC, Caixa Postal 7, 45550-000 Itabuna-BA, Brazil. firstname.lastname@example.com 4 Departamento de Botânica, Ecologia e Zoologia da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970 Natal-RN, Brazil. firstname.lastname@example.com 5 Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris XIII, 93400 Villetaneuse, France. firstname.lastname@example.com Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus–Itabuna km16, 45650-000 Ilhéus-BA, Brazil.
ABSTRACT. Ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) associated to arboreal nests of Nasutitermes spp. (Isoptera, Termitidae) in a
cacao plantation in southeastern Bahia, Brazil. Ants are among the most common arthropods that colonize termite nests. The aim
of this study was to identify the ant fauna associated to termite nests found in a cacao plantation in the county of Ilhéus, Bahia,
Brazil, with emphasis on the fauna that uses the nests as foraging and/or nesting environment. For this purpose, 34 active, decadent
and abandoned nests of Nasutitermes corniger, N. ephratae and Nasutitermes sp., with different volumes and degrees of activity,
were dissected. A total of 54 ant species, belonging to 23 genera and five subfamilies, was found in the constructions. The active,
decadent and abandoned termite nests presented, respectively, six, eight and 48 ant species. Crematogaster acuta and Ectatomma
tuberculatum were the most frequent species in the active and decadent nests, respectively, while the most frequent species in the
abandoned nests were Solenopsis pollux, Thaumatomyrmex contumax and Thaumatomyrmex sp. Twenty-six ant species had true
colonies within the termitaria. The Formicidae species richness in the nests was inversely related to the degree of termite activity
in the nests. The occurrence of living, decadent or abandoned termitaria of Nasutitermes spp. in cacao plantations foments the
heterogeneity of habitats available in the plantations and favors the maintenance of high diversity of organisms that use obligatoryor opportunistically this substrate. KEYWORDS. Agricultural forest system; diversity; nesting; Theobroma cacao.
RESUMO. Mirmecofauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) associada a ninhos arborícolas de Nasutitermes spp. (Isoptera, Termitidae)
num cacaual do sudeste da Bahia, Brasil. As formigas estão entre os mais comuns artrópodes colonizadores de ninhos de térmitas.
Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar a mirmecofauna associada a ninhos de térmitas encontrados em um cacaual no município
de Ilhéus, Bahia, Brasil, com ênfase na fauna que utiliza os ninhos como ambiente de forrageio e/ou nidificação. Para tanto,
34 ninhos ativos, decadentes e abandonados de Nasutitermes corniger, N. ephratae e Nasutitermes sp., com diferentes volumes
e graus de atividade, foram analisados. Um total de 54 espécies de formigas, pertencentes a 23 gêneros e cinco subfamílias,
foi encontrado nas construções. Os ninhos de térmitas em atividade, decadência e abandonados apresentaram, respectivamente,
seis, oito e 48 espécies de formigas. Crematogaster acuta e Ectatomma tuberculatum foram as espécies mais freqüentes nos
ninhos em atividade e em decadência, respectivamente. Nos ninhos abandonados, as espécies mais freqüentes foram Solenopsis
pollux, Thaumatomyrmex contumax e Thaumatomyrmex sp. Vinte e seis espécies de formigas possuíam colônias verdadeiras dentro
dos termiteiros. A riqueza de espécies de Formicidae nos ninhos mostrou-se inversamente proporcional ao grau de atividade dos
térmitas nos ninhos. A ocorrência de termiteiros ativos, em decadência ou abandonados de Nasutitermes spp. em cacauais amplia a
heterogeneidade dos habitats disponíveis nas plantações e favorece a manutenção de uma elevada diversidade de organismos queutilizam obrigatoriamente ou oportunamente esse substrato.
PALAVRAS-CHAVE. Diversidade; nidificação; sistema agroflorestal; Theobroma cacao.
Ants and termites are among the most abundant to ants and termites, among other rare biological groups invertebrates in the tropical regions of the planet (Wilson (Lavelle et al. 1997). 1987). This high abundance, when combined to feeding, Nest construction to shelter the colony represents one of foraging, and nest construction habits, makes ants and the striking characteristics of many termite and ant species. In particular, termite nests are structural elements characteristic termites important organisms for energy and matter flows in of most of the ecosystems in the tropical region (Noirot 1970). tropical and subtropical ecosystems, which strongly influence the chemical and physical composition of soils (Hölldobler In the forests of the Neotropical region, the Nasutitermitinae & Wilson 1990; Martius et al. 1994). The intense activity subfamily, especially species of the Nasutitermes genus, of these insects in tropical ecosystems can greatly alter the represents the taxon with the greatest number of species that availability of resources for other organisms, justifying the construct conspicuous nests (Martius et al. 1994; Vasconcellos name of "ecosystem engineers" that is sometimes attributed et al. 2008). In addition to the constructor termites, many
Ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) associated to arboreal nests of Nasutitermes spp.
Between the ants found in the termite nests, several species were represented only with a single or a few workers and were then considered foraging species, since they are supposed to frequent the nests in search of nutritional resources. The others were considered as forming true colonies in the termitaria, whether they consisted of an isolated founder queen or structured societies with eggs, larvae, workers and queens.
these authors sampled specimens from two other subfamilies, the Cerapachyinae and Dorylinae, that occur respectively rarely or not at all in the Neotropical region. The greater Myrmicinae richness in our samples may have been related to both the high number of species belonging to this subfamily and their very versatile habits (Fowler et al. 1991; Fernández 2003).
Cubitermes spp. nests in African tropical forests. In addition,
the subfamilies Dolichoderinae, Formicinae, Myrmicinae, Ponerinae and Ectatomminae. Of these, the Myrmicinae subfamily was the best represented, with 29 species, followed by the Ponerinae subfamily with 12 species (Table I). These data follow the proportions observed by Dejean et al. (1996, 1997) when they analyzed the ant population that lived in
Nasutitermes nests analyzed, they belonged to 23 genera of
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Fifty-four ant species were collected from the 34
richness was affected by the nest activity degree (abandoned, decadent or active). The Mann-Whitney U test was used to verify whether species richness was affected by nest location (still in contact with its original substrate or fallen on the ground). In addition, the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test was used to verify whether the frequency of ant colonies varied among active, decadent and abandoned nests. Non-parametric tests were used because the data did not present normal distribution and homogeneity of variance. All tests were performed using the software Statistica 6.0 for Windows.
posteriori, was performed to verify whether the ant species
The Pearson correlation was used to compare the ant species richness per nest with nest volume and height from the soil. The Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test, with Dunn test a
Each nest was categorized according to its degree of activity, as follows: (a) active nests: termite nests where the occurrence of the constructor species queen was verified, along with eggs, juveniles, soldiers and workers in large numbers; (b) abandoned nest: total absence of imagoes or immature termite individuals; (c) decadent nests: all those where there was a variable amount of termites, but eggs, immature individuals or the royal couple were absent, while workers occurred although in small number compared to the soldier caste.
451 other organisms use the active and abandoned nests as sites for nesting, predation and temporary or permanent shelter (Wheeler 1936; Grassé 1986; Martius et al. 1994; Dejean & Bolton 1995; Dejean & Ruelle 1995).
The ants were identified according to Bolton et al. (2007). Specimens were deposed in the collection at the Myrmecology Laboratory at CEPEC/CEPLAC (CPDC), under reference number #5509.
In the laboratory, all the nests were sliced into 5 cm thick sections and each section was analyzed successively. All the sampled fauna (ants and eventual other organisms) was fixed in 80% alcohol in labeled flasks, with a reference number relative to the termite nest and the section in which it was present.
sampled. These termitaria were different in size, shape, stage of maturity and degree of activity, and were found from ground level up to 3.5 m in height. The following measurements were taken in each one of the nests collected: length (cm), width (cm) and height (m) from the ground. The volume of each nest was estimated according to its shape, using the mathematical formulas of ellipse or hemi-ellipsoid. The nests were then carefully removed from the substrate, labeled, placed in plastic bags and transported to the Insectarium building at CEPEC.
Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky, 1855), Nasutitermes ephratae (Holmgren, 1910) and Nasutitermes sp., was
A total of 34 termite nests belonging to three species:
The experimental station is formed by a planting system where the cacao trees are shaded by exotic legumes (Erythrina fusca and Erythrina poeppigiana, Fabaceae) and fruit plants (Artocarpus heterophyllus, Moraceae, and Musa spp., Musaceae). Every three months the area chosen goes through a system of hoeing and pruning. Procedures such as fertilization or insecticide or fungicide application are rarely practiced in this area and were not recorded during the year that anteceded our observations.
September 2007 in the experimental areas (Quadrant I, 14º45'16"S 39º13'50"W) of the Cacao Research Center (CEPEC/CEPLAC), Ilhéus county, State of Bahia, Brazil.
MATERIAL AND METHODS The experiment was carried out from May 2006 to
The ants are among the main secondary occupying animals of termite nests (Wheeler 1936; Grassé 1986; Eggleton & Bignell 1997). Several studies have recently presented many data on the presence of these organisms inside the termitaria (Delabie 1995; Dejean et al. 1996; Cunha & Brandão 2000; Diehl et al. 2005). Ants have a natural tendency to install their colonies in termite nests, whether active or abandoned (Wheeler 1936), probably because of the numerous cavities available that offer the shelter of a semi-permanent structure. The aim of the present study was to identify the ant fauna associated to the arboreal termite nests of the Nasutitermes spp. found in a cacao plantation in the county of Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil.
The ant species richness was negatively and significantly related to the termite nest height up to the ground (r= -0.43; N= 30; P<0.05), but there was no relation between the construction volume and the ant species richness (r= -0.19; N= 30; P= 0.31). This absence of correlation is possibly linked to the life story of these structures. Some factors such as the nest desertion time and sun exposition may influence the ant diversity living in. Abandoned nests and fallen on the floor for a long time, have more chance to have been colonized. When
Santos et al. 452
Nasutitermes longipennis (Hill, 1915) nests and attributed the lower ant incidence to defensive termite behavior.
Pachycondyla villosa (Fabricius, 1804) Prionopelta antillana Forel, 1909 Thaumatomyrmex contumax Kempf, 1975 Thaumatomyrmex sp.
Number of species
06 1*
1 1* 1 3*
48 Table I. Cont. Subfamily/ Species Kind of activity in the termitaria AT DE AB
the ant assemblage was analyzed in function of the degree of nest activity, it was observed that 48 ant species were collected from the 17 abandoned nests, while the three decadent nests and the 14 active nests sheltered, respectively, only eight and six ant species. The ant richness was significantly different in according with the degree of nest activity (Kruskal-Wallis test: H= 18.1; df=2; N=34; P<0.01). Abandoned nests had significantly higher species richness than the active and decadent nests, corroborating the results reported by Holt & Greenslade (1979) in Australia where a greater frequency was observed of ants in abandoned Amitermes laurensis (Mjoberg, 1920) mounds (87%) compared with active mounds (37%). Similarly, Holt (1990) studied the ant fauna associated to
Seven of the abandoned nests were located on soil and sheltered 28 ant species (Table I), found exclusively in this habitat within the context of this experiment. The most frequent among the species were Solenopsis pollux,
Thaumatomyrmex contumax and Thaumatomyrmex sp., occurring in three nests.
Ants of the genera Gnamptogenys, Hypoponera,
Apterostigma, Prionopelta, and Thaumatomyrmex were found
exclusively in the abandoned nests that had fallen on the soil surface. This characteristic may be a reflection of the biology of these groups that include species nesting in the leaf litter, some of which use available cavities or rotting wood (Lattke 2003; Jahyny et al. 2007).
Eleven ant species were sampled exclusively in abandoned nests, but still aggregated to the original substrate, and
Crematogaster limata and Wasmannia rochai were the most
frequent. Some species were present both in nests abandoned at soil level and some still adhering to the substrate, of which Azteca chartifex spiriti, Cyphomyrmex transversus;
Odontomachus haematodus, Rogeria subarmata, Strumigenys borgmeieri, and Pheidole sp.1, were the most frequent. The
ant richness in abandoned nests that were still attached to the substrate was much lower than that of abandoned nests in contact with the soil (U=1.5; Z= 2.87; P< 0.01). Only one species of these ants, Pachycondyla constricta (Mayr), was also found during an ant survey in termite-abandoned nests studied during a flood period in the Amazon region (Martius
et al. 1994).
In the active nests, Crematogaster acuta was the most frequent ant, occurring in five of them, while in decadent nests, the most frequent ants were Ectatomma tuberculatum
1 1* 1* 5*
Table I. Number of observations of Formicidae found in Nasutitermes spp. termitaria: active nests (AT) (n=14), decadent nests (DE) (n=3) and abandoned nests (AB) (n=17); *: nesting species.
1 2* 4* 1*
Subfamily/ Species Subfamily Dolichoderinae Forel, 1878 Azteca chartifex spiriti Forel, 1912 Azteca paraensis bondari Borgmeier, 1937 Linepithema pulex Wild, 2007 Subfamily Formicinae Latreille, 1809 Camponotus angulatus Mayr, 1870 Camponotus novogranadensis Mayr, 1870 Camponotus trapezoideus Mayr, 1870 Paratrechina sp. 1 Paratrechina sp. 2 Paratrechina sp. 3 Paratrechina sp. 4 Subfamily Myrmicinae Apterostigma sp.
Crematogaster acuta (Fabricius, 1804) Crematogaster brasiliensis Mayr, 1878 Crematogaster limata F. Smith, 1858 Cyphomyrmex transversus Emery, 1894 Lachnomyrmex victori Feitosa and Brandão,2008 Mycocepurus smithii Forel, 1893 Octostruma iheringi Emery, 1887 Octostruma rugifera Mayr, 1887 Pheidole gertrudae Forel, 1886 Pheidole sp. 1 Pheidole sp. 2 Pheidole sp. 3 Pheidole sp. 4 Rogeria foreli Emery, 1894 Rogeria subarmata Kempf, 1961 Solenopsis pollux Forel, 1893 Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius, 1804) Solenopsis sp. 1 Solenopsis sp. 2 Solenopsis sp. 3 Solenopsis sp. 4 Strumigenys borgmeieri Brown, 1954 Strumigenys elongata Roger, 1863 Strumigenys saliens Mayr, 1887 Strumigenys spathula Lattke y Goitía, 1997 Strumigenys sublucida (Brown, 1953) Strumigenys (Pyramica) sp. Wasmannia rochai Forel, 1912 Subfamily Ectatomminae Ectatomma tuberculatum (Olivier, 1792) Gnamptogenys minuta (Emery, 1896) Gnamptogenys striatula Mayr, 1884 Subfamily Ponerinae Hypoponera opaciceps (Mayr, 1887) Hypoponera sp. 1 Hypoponera sp. 2 Odontomachus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1758) Odontomachus sp. Pachycondyla arhuaca (Forel, 1901) Pachycondyla constricta (Mayr, 1883)
Kind of activity in the termitaria AT
1 5*
1 1* 2*
3* 1* 1* 1*
1 1* 1 1*
1 1* 1 2*
1 1* 5* 3*
4 2*
1 Pachycondyla stigma (Fabricius, 1804)
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Diehl, E.; L. K. Junqueira & E. Berti-Filho. 2005. Ant and termite mound coinhabitants in the wetlands of Santo Antonio da Patrulha, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Brazilian Journal of Biology 65 : 431−437. Eggleton, P. & D. E. Bignell. 1997. Secondary occupation of epigeal termite (Isoptera) mounds by other termites in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve,
Southern Cameroon, and its biological significance. Journal of African Zoology 111 : 489−498. Fernández, F. 2003. Subfamília Myrmicinae, p. 307−330. In: F. Fernandez (ed.). Introducción a las Hormigas de la Región Neotropical. Bogotá,
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Ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) associated to arboreal nests of Nasutitermes spp.
taken as responsible for the ant low incidence (Holt 1990), since in this genus, the soldiers excrete via nasus a substance well known as an effective ant repellent.
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Nasutitermitinae). Sociobiology 37 : 593−599. Dejean, A. & B. Bolton. 1995. Fauna sheltered by Procubitermes niapuensis termitaries of the African rainforest. Journal of African Zoology 109:
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453 and Solenopsis sp.2 (n=2). In termite nests hanged on coconut trees in New Guinea, Camponotus sp. was the most frequent ant species (Leponce et al. 1999).
In a study on the ant fauna associated to Nasutitermes
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longipennis nests, the defensive behavior of the nasute was
The number of nesting ant species was smaller in active termite nests, where only C. acuta appeared forming true colonies and seems to be the single ant that usually nests in Nasutitermes constructions in the region. In all of these nests, the C. acuta societies were established in external galleries of the construction, isolated from N. corniger and
The species that most frequently installed itself in the termite nests was Rogeria subarmata, that accounted for 12.5% (n=6) of the colonies formed. It is emphasized that only isolated females of this species were found and it is probable that this ant uses termite nests exclusively for foundation, migrating after the emergence of the first adult workers to install itself in a new substrate where a greater quantity of resources would be available, such as, for example, leaf litter. The ants belonging to this genus, for which there is practically no natural history data, are usually collected from leaf litter samples, rotting wood or very occasionally from soil samples associates to epiphytes (Kugler 1994; Delabie 2003).
Of the 54 ant species found in the termitaria, 28 (52%) were considered foraging species, while the other 26 species (48%) formed true colonies (Table I), consisting of isolated founder queens or structured societies. Forty-eight ant colonies were found in the termite nests examined. The active nests sheltered five of these colonies, the decadent nests six, while the abandoned nests sheltered 37 colonies. There was a significant difference among active, decadent and abandoned nests regarding the number of true ant colonies (Kruskal- Wallis test: H= 15.6; df=2; N=34; P<0.01), with the number de colonies significantly higher in abandoned nests than in active nests.
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Nasutitermes sp. that occupied the internal galleries. Howse
The permanence of Nasutitermes nests in cacao plantations is determinant for the maintenance of the biodiversity in these areas, because these structures result in an increase in the heterogeneity of the area and positively affect the occurrence of obligatory or facultative termitariophile organisms or those that simply depend on the nest structure for shelter, food or reproduction, or opportunistically use it.
Acknowledgments. The authors thank FAPESB for the grant to the first author; CEPLAC institution for making available the collection area and the support laboratories; Adrienne Toledo for the English translation; José Crispim Soares do Carmo and José Raimundo Maia dos Santos for help in the field collections. JHCD and AV hold productivity grants from the CNPq.
(1984) suggested that this kind of division inside the nests may characterize a mutual relationship based on the common defense of the nests. The costs and benefits to each one of these groups in this type of association, however, are not very clear.
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Received 04/04/2009; accepted 15/07/2010 Editor: Sonia Maria Noemberg Lázzari


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I'm no stranger to Belgo's Lobsterfest. Taking place every June, the Belgian restaurant chain stops pushing their 'moules et frites' and goes full-on crustacean. I've been invited the past two years to take part, and every year it gets better.
This time, DQ and I were invited to a Belgo Lobster Quiz* in celebration. Yes, an entire quiz solely about lobsters. Despite my lobster research just hours before dinner, we lost. Badly.
Luckily the food was much more of a winner. I started out with the Lobster Bisque (£6.35):
Creamy, rich, buttery and more creamy…Usually I have trouble finishing a bisque because of those, and this was no exception. However, I take that as a good thing.
DQ, not being a fan of pretty much anything creamy, started with the Warm salad of smoked bacon, shredded duck, eggs & black pudding with garlic croutons and a Dijon mustard dressing (£6.50):
I really really really liked this, and luckily he did too. The saltiness of the black pudding was a perfect complement to the mustard dressing. Highly recommended.
And on to the main event: lobster
We tried the two mains available during Lobsterfest: Surf and Turf (£21.95) and Whole Lobster (£24.95)
With any lobster, you can't expect to go in and not get your hands a little dirty. The more buttery and rich, the better, right? Both lobsters were tender, sweet enough and deliciously messy. Naturally, Belgo provides a ridiculous amount of napkins and wetwipes, though, so no complaints there.
For dessert, naturally some nibbles of Belgian Waffles with white and milk chocolate dipping sauces:
The main waffle dessert on the menu is £5.50 and comes with ice cream as well. Trust me, it's a lot better than the waffles you get on Oxford street (no matter how good they smell)
Lobsterfest 2011, goes on through the end of the month
*I, along with about 20 bloggers, was a guest of Belgo for the Lonsterfest event

subset: commoncrawl


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Some skeptics like to attack the traditional authorship of the gospels by arguing that the gospels couldn't have been written by anyone close to Jesus, because they were all illiterate. The impression I get from the skeptics is that they think that illiteracy was widespread in and around ancient Israel.
But then, in the radically leftist New York Times, of all places, there is news about a new peer-reviewed study:
Eliashib, the quartermaster of the remote desert fortress, received his instructions in writing — notes inscribed in ink on pottery asking for provisions to be sent to forces in the ancient kingdom of Judah.
The requests for wine, flour and oil read like mundane, if ancient, shopping lists. But a new analysis of the handwriting suggests that literacy may have been far more widespread than previously known in the Holy Land around 600 B.C., toward the end of the First Temple period. The findings, according to the researchers from Tel Aviv University, could have some bearing on a century-old debate about when the main body of biblical texts was composed.
[…]The new study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, combined archaeology, Jewish history and applied mathematics, and involved computerized image processing and the development of an algorithm to distinguish between the various authors issuing the commands.
Based on a statistical analysis of the results, and taking into account the content of the texts that were chosen for the sample, the researchers concluded that at least six different hands had written the 18 missives at around the same time. Even soldiers in the lower ranks of the Judahite army, it appears, could read and write.
[…]The study was based on a trove of about 100 letters inscribed in ink on pieces of pottery, known as ostracons, that were unearthed near the Dead Sea in an excavation of the Arad fort decades ago and dated from about 600 B.C. That was shortly before Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah, and the exile of its elite to Babylon — and before many scholars believe the major part of the biblical texts, including the five books of Moses, also known as the Pentateuch, were written down in any cohesive form.
The Arad citadel was small, far-flung and on an active front, close to the border with the rival kingdom of Edom. The fort itself was only about half an acre in size, and probably would have accommodated about 30 soldiers. The wealth of texts found there, recording troop movements, provisions and other daily activities, were created within a short time, making them a valuable sample for looking at how many different hands wrote them.
[…]One of the longstanding arguments for why the main body of biblical literature was not written down in anything like its present form until after the destruction and exile of 586 B.C. is that before then there was not enough literacy or enough scribes to support such a huge undertaking.
But if the literacy rates in the Arad fortress were repeated across the kingdom of Judah, which had about 100,000 people, there would have been hundreds of literate people, the Tel Aviv research team suggests.
That could have provided the infrastructure for the composition of biblical works that constitute the basis of Judahite history and theology including early versions of the books of Deuteronomy to II Kings, according to the researchers.
I just heard a debate on the weekend in which atheist historian Bart Ehrman made the argument that around the time of Jesus, almost no one was literate. Therefore, it's unlikely that anyone who was an eyewitness to Jesus' would have been able to write anything down about it.
I think this evidence does have some bearing on that question, because it shows that literacy of at least Hebrew was more widespread in the area than previously thought. That means that the people around Jesus are more likely to be able to keep their own notes, and then pass those notes off to a writer of Greek. Instead of having stories being circulated for the 30-35 years between the death of Jesus and the writing of Mark (note: I think Mark was written much earlier than that), you would have written notes by the eyewitnesses that could then be translated into Greek.
But there's more interesting stuff about Bart Ehrman's charge of widespread illiteracy. Consider this post that I found on Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin's blog, where he makes the case that Bart Ehrman is even wrong about his estimate of illiteracy. And when I say wrong, I mean it looks like Ehrman deliberately misrepresents a primary source that he quotes in order to make his point. Maybe that will be fixed in a future edition of his book, but it wasn't fixed in the debate on Saturday – he used the same botched quote then.


text:
Photographer's Note
Amir Kabir (امیرکبیر in Persian), also known as Mirza Taghi Khan Amir-Nezam (میرزا تقیخان امیرنظام), (c.1807 January 9, 1852) was the chancellor of Persia under Nasereddin Shah. He was born in Hazaveh, a province of Arak.
His father, Karbalaee Ghorban (کربلائی قربان in Persian), was a cook for Gha'em-Magham Farahani, a previous chancellor, which made Mirza Taghi Khan learn many skills of the court.
Amir Kabir was sent to the Ottoman Empire to represent Persia in negotiations for an end to a hundred years of war between the two empires. He also helped Nesereddin Shah to receive the throne, so the shah made him his chancellor and gave his sister to him in marriage.
Government expenditure was slashed, and a distinction was made between the privy and public purses. The instruments of central administration were overhauled, and Amir Kabir assumed responsibility for all areas of the bureaucracy. Additionally, Amir Kabir curtailed foreign interference in Iran's domestic affairs.
Amir Kabir started many reformistic movements in Persia. He founded Darolfonoon, the first European-style college in Persia. He also supported the foundation of the first Persian newspaper, vaghaye al etefaghiyeh, and lapsed the huge salaries that members of the royal family were receiving from the national treasury, which caused the royals, led by the shah's mother, to invent allegations against him. These people convinced the shah to dismiss Amir Kabir and send him into internal exile in Kashan.
It is said that the Russian embassy offered him a refuge in Russia, which Amir Kabir declined. Later, when the shah was drunk, the shah's mother and her aids asked him for an order to execute Amir Kabir, and executed the order very quickly in Kashan's Fin Bath, before the shah could rescind the order.
The Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran today is named after him in his honor.
Nobody marcou esta nota como útil
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- Date Submitted: 2006-05-20 8:15


text:
The holiday season is a time when giving and sharing is on everyone's mind. And that is especially true of volunteers who give their time and share their skills with numerous organizations in the community year-round. So many organizations rely on volunteers for not only day-to-day upkeep tasks such as touching up paint or mending fences but running the programs that make a difference in people's lives.
So how do you find the right place for you? Resources such as the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, a 300-member organization that assists nonprofits with tools, training and connections or volunteermatch.org provide lists of organizations in the community that are always looking for helping hands. Another great resource is United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area, which runs our community's Volunteer Center. The center manages www.cvillevolunteer.org, where individuals seeking volunteer opportunities are matched with local needs.
The best place to start is to think of what you love doing: reading, gardening, acting, raising a dog, cooking, working with children—and then find an organization that matches that. Any hobby or professional skill can translate into the volunteer arena. Here are few groups that rely on their army of volunteers as well as the people who donate their time and talents to give back to the community.
Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department
In one word, volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician Laura Hedger describes the environment at the Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department: "robust."
After an intense workout in the station's gym and an impressively quick shower, she sits down at a long, marble table to talk emergency response while the rest of her crew prepares a company dinner in the kitchen behind her. The energy is boundless, and Hedger makes it clear that all the funny business that happens behind those walls has its time and place.
"We joke and play a lot," she says. "We'll laugh and there's pranks that are pulled, but at the same time, when it comes to any sort of call, [you'll see] an entirely different side of the crews."
Hedger says dealing with people's lives on a multiple-times-per-day basis seems to have that effect on people. Describing a recent traffic fatality incident—her first call responding as an EMT rather than a firefighter—she says, "You just immediately go into everything you've trained for" when that station siren starts to wail. In this case, that meant treating a patient found lying on the road while her fellow responders ripped the doors off a wrecked car in which two other people were trapped. One of those people died that night, and Hedger says you never get used to that kind of call.
"There's a difference between someone who's sick and you know they're going to pass away and someone who's immediately been taken from you," she says.
With five crews of about 15 people each rotating every 12 hours during the week and working 48-hour shifts every fifth weekend, Senior Volunteer Firefighter Sean O'Connor says Seminole Trail is the busiest station in the county—and possibly the city, too—though their station covers the smallest response area. The volunteers have the same certifications as Albemarle's paid firefighters, and out of about 80 members, around 50 percent are UVA students. This station has also recruited a higher percentage of females and minorities, he says, thanks to "forward-thinking chiefs."
Hedger says she wishes more people realized that anyone can become a volunteer firefighter and that the intensive training is worth it. Though doctors and physicists have come through their station, you certainly don't have to be one to join the team. After all, O'Connor says, you just have to "put the wet stuff on the red stuff and stay safe." —Samantha Baars
Volunteers: 80
Calls per year: 2,000
Calls per day: 6
Hours of training for
basic-level volunteer
firefighters: 210
Years the station has been
in existence: 38
Number of fire engines: 3
Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle
Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle serves 265 meals five days a week to homebound and in-need clients in Charlottesville and Albemarle County with the help of approximately 40 volunteers each day. Totally funded through donations, grants and fundraising, the nonprofit currently helps people from the age of 23 to 96—there's no age or income limit on who can receive the meals, although 80 percent of clients are at or below the poverty level. Food accounts for half of Meals on Wheels' budget; clients are charged for meals on a sliding scale based on income. About 70 percent of the meals are completely subsidized by the program.
The meals are prepared at UVA Hospital through a contract with the University of Virginia Health System, and a dietitian oversees the menus. Clients can choose diabetic, vegetarian, low-salt and other specialty meals as needed. After the food is prepared, it is brought each morning to the Meals on Wheels facility on Rose Hill Drive, where the food stays warm in a steam oven while volunteers pack the meals, seal them and organize them in cooler bags for the drivers to pick up.
But the organization does more than deliver food. It delivers cards and presents to clients on their birthdays, and it also gives Christmas presents and "blizzard bags" that contain non-perishable food in case of inclement weather. After receiving her birthday card, one client called to say how grateful she was—it was the only birthday wish she received that year.
"At the end of the day you feel like you've done something worthwhile," Executive Director Leigh Trippe says.
Volunteer Kevin Kollar, a retired emergency room doctor, delivers meals four days a week (he averages about five routes a week). On this morning, it's his first day back after returning a few days earlier from Haiti, where he volunteers at an outpatient clinic with the Haiti Mission Foundation.
At each stop Kollar not only delivers meals but chats with everyone, asking them how they are, if they need anything. When one client doesn't come to the door, he makes a note to tell Meals on Wheels when he returns to the facility so staff can follow up. At another stop, he takes a woman's garbage out for her. He knows which people on his route request meals be left in coolers by the door and which ones want him to come in for a moment to chat.
One elderly woman breaks into a big smile when she sees Kollar coming through the door after announcing himself. She knew he was going to Haiti and thought he wouldn't be back for a few weeks.
"I'm so happy to see you!" she exclaims.
At another stop he listens as one of the clients explains that he's a vegetarian but also is on a low-sugar diet and can't eat the pasta that's often included in his meal. Kollar assures him he'll let Meals on Wheels know so they can accommodate his request.
"I do it because it needs to get done," Kollar says about volunteering. "People are important." —Jessica Luck
Lunches delivered each day (Monday through Friday): 265
Delivery routes each day: 32
Current volunteer base: 250
Cost per meal: $5.50 (most clients receive meals for free or at a reduced cost)
PB&J Fund
Kids in the advanced cooking class at the PB&J Fund say kabobs, calzones, omelets, soups and bangers and mash are just a few of their favorite dishes they've learned how to prepare over the years.
At their home base—a full-sized professional kitchen on East Market Street—and several locations throughout the city, volunteers teach five different types of creative cooking classes for kids in an effort to help them learn their way around the kitchen.
Executive Director Emily Wampler says volunteers are crucial to the nonprofit, which started its cooking program in 2009, and each one brings a unique perspective or ability to connect with the students.
Volunteer Lisa Sheffield, for example, has served the organization for two years. She has a longtime interest in health and nutrition, along with encouraging kids to try new foods and make smart choices when it comes to their diets.
"I was frustrated at my children's friends' eating habits," she says, calling their nourishment "the usual PB&J/mac-n-cheese/pizza diet." In an effort to expose the children to new diverse choices, she'd prepare dishes made with foods such as leeks and beets. Now that her kids are grown and she has extra time on her hands, Sheffield says she was thrilled to find a way to get back in the kitchen with kids.
Rebecca Vang, a volunteer and global public health major at UVA, says she loves working at the PB&J Fund because her concentration at the university is childhood nutrition, and she's passionate about cooking, too. Her favorite part about the gig is getting bossed around in the kitchen by the kids—"playing sous chef," as she calls it.
"Some of my favorite memories are when he tells me what to do," she says about one of the students in her class. "So he reads the recipe and is like, 'Chop this,' 'Do this,' and it's cool to know that he's growing and gaining confidence."
At the most basic level, an Explorer starts to learn about culinary arts, nutrition, cooking math and kitchen safety, and by the time he has tested up to a level three, he's running the show under close supervision by volunteers.
"I think we're losing a lot of these basic life skills, like how to cook for yourself, how to plan a menu, how to have intuition in the kitchen," says Vang, "and that a lot of times intimidates people from even going into it in the first place." —Samantha Baars
Students per week: 113
Volunteers per week: 28
Weekly classes: 9 (five different skill levels)
Recipes learned in 15 weeks of Explorers class: 21
The Paramount Theater
If you've ever seen a show at the Paramount, odds are you've been greeted by a friendly face who takes your ticket and perhaps helps you to the last coveted seat in the balcony section. What you might not have realized was exactly how paramount these individuals are to the theater's success in thriving as a cultural hub for Central Virginia.
The historic Paramount Theater was originally constructed in 1931 as a grand movie palace and downtown destination. Roughly 40 years down the road, the Charlottesville landmark began to struggle and closed its doors in 1974. Fast forward to 1992—a group of community members purchased the building (under threat of demolition at the time), and the Paramount's journey to restoration was underway.
Thanks to the efforts of these committed individuals, the theater was reopened in December 2004 as a nonprofit performing arts center. "The Paramount was truly brought back by the community, for the community," says Director of Marketing Katherine Davis. "The vision [for the Paramount] was to again offer the theater as a home to our community, from high-caliber arts to educational programs for youth."
This vision continues to be realized, with events that attract regional, national and even global attention while continuing to serve the local community. Of course, none of the theater's triumphs would be possible without the continual support of community members—particularly the volunteer base.
"We could not put on any of the 250-plus public and private events that are held at the Paramount each year without the help of volunteers," says Front of House Manager Jenny Hoye. "They are the first people to greet you as you walk through the doors of the theater, and they assist you with every aspect of your experience."
Luckily, there are citizens such as Gene Haney and his wife, Evelyn, who are eager to be a part of the arts community and add another aspect of delight to every show-goer's experience.
After retirement, the couple moved in 2009 to Charlottesville from Chicago to be closer to their grandchildren, and started volunteering at the Paramount the same year. The Haneys' list of volunteer duties includes ushering, taking tickets, greeting patrons, serving concessions, assisting with mailings and often hosting donors and guests in The Founder's Room. "We also several years ago assumed the responsibility for periodic cleaning of the two popcorn machines," says Gene Haney. "We are known for that gig."
The Haneys agree that making friends is a huge perk of the volunteering gig (Gene fondly remembers a chat with his idol, Kris Kristofferson). "Meeting new folks, hearing their stories, seeing the reactions of visitors to the grandeur of the theater, contributing to a very worthwhile endeavor—it's all pretty terrific." —Sherry Brown
Age of the Paramount Theater: 84
Number of children served by Arts Education Program: 16,000 annually
Number of events since 2004: 1,300-plus
Active event volunteers: 200-plus
Number of events at the Paramount per year: 250-plus
Number of popcorn machines: 2
Live Arts
Ever wonder how much work goes into creating the elaborate worlds produced onstage? With everything from designing sets to making them, from ushering for shows and bringing them to life, there is a lot of work to be done. Enter: the dedicated and creative hands and minds of Live Arts volunteers.
Live Arts, which recently began its 25th anniversary season, is a volunteer-driven community theater that has given a home to various forms of drama, dance, comedy, music and performance art since its founding in 1990. The theater strives to put on high-quality shows in hopes of not only entertaining, but also forging and sharing a bond with the local community.
In its very nature, Live Arts is the community. Tracie Skipper, director of engagement at Live Arts, emphasizes the necessity of local participation in the company. "Live Arts would not exist without volunteers," she says. "Directors, designers, builders, actors, visual artists, board technicians, ushers and teachers are all volunteers."
With Live Arts' commitment to the community, there's little wonder that the volunteers return the sentiment with equal fervor and enthusiasm. Take Daryl Bray, for instance. She's been a Charlottesville resident for about 25 years and a volunteer at Live Arts for just more than two. A long-held desire to paint sets and curiosity about the world of theater prompted Bray to take part in the monthly volunteer orientation at Live Arts one weekend. Bray was immediately comforted by the buzz of artistic chaos and an inviting atmosphere that she felt had been lacking in other theaters.
"Other attempts around the world of joining a theater always hit a dead end when it felt [like] a small clique-like crowd ruled the theater and outsiders felt like intruders," she says. "Not at Live Arts! Tracie Skipper met us in the lobby and made everyone [feel] so welcome."
Bray says that like most volunteers at Live Arts, she does a slew of tasks in assisting with shows. "I tend to stick close to the workshop and help with set design, construction and lots of painting," she says. "Presently I am the property designer for the upcoming production of City of Angels, a 1940s detective comedy. [It's] been fun and challenging collecting period pieces [like] old typewriters and large black telephones." —Sherry Brown
Productions since founding: 224
Current active volunteers: 250
Annual volunteers: 1,000
Age of youngest actor: 4
Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA: Pet Therapy Program
There are few things in life that do as good a job in cheering a downtrodden soul as the calm and loving presence of an affectionate furry friend.
The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA's Pawsitive Pet Therapy Team was founded in 2012 with the mission to provide professional and experienced pet-assisted activity to a number of places in the local community including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, assisted-living facilities, youth development centers and many others in the area.
Volunteer members and their certified therapy animals (dogs, cats and even rabbits) visit these facilities as a team after passing a Canine Good Citizen class and being approved by an accredited organization. "The SPCA PTT strives to provide services that will enhance the physical and psychological well-being of clients, as well as improve patients' communications with family, fellow patients and staff," says Chelsea Mitchell, marketing and promotions coordinator. "It's a great way to bring animals and people together."
Mitchell is part of one of the 15 teams in the growing program. "My therapy dog is a sweet 8-year-old Chihuahua mix named Duke who I adopted from Richmond Animal Care and Control five years ago," she says. "We have been a certified team since the beginning of this year, and we love visiting local libraries and nursing homes."
The certified SPCA Pet Therapy Teams brighten days at a number of approved care facilities and also provide fun and reading support at local libraries and schools. In doing so, the teams establish personal connections with clients and leave lasting impressions.
Mitchell recounts one visit to the local library where she and Duke met a little girl named Annie, who was terrified of dogs. "Her mom sat her down next to Duke and started petting him as Annie read with her mom. As the story progressed, Annie became more and more confident. Very cautiously Annie began to pet Duke and quickly realized that it was okay," she says. "After finishing the story, Duke was sitting in Annie's lap, and she told her mom that she was no longer afraid of dogs." —Sherry Brown
Therapy teams: 15
Years in operation: 3
Facilities in the current rounds: 12
Madison House
When UVA students hear "volunteer" they think of Madison House, a brick building on Rugby Road complete with white columns. A small sign with a bright yellow sun differentiates it from the fraternities and sororities that line the street, and serves as a calling card for all students looking to volunteer in the community.
Madison House was founded in the wake of Hurricane Camille in 1969 and since then has been the go-to place for student volunteers, who can choose activities at 168 different organizations, including walking dogs for the local SPCA, spending time with a younger "sibling" in the community, helping Latino immigrants learn English or helping out at a nearby hospital.
Rachel Winters, the director of community engagement at Madison House, has plans to add even more community partners in the coming year and says the organization's most meaningful work is to connect UVA students to the community they live in.
"It gets them out of their academic bubble and gets them working with organizations that are tackling societal issues in a real way that are just down the way from us," Winters says.
Charlottesville Area Riding Therapy (CART) and Let Me Run are two lesser-known opportunities through Madison House that nevertheless make a big impact on those involved.
CART provides therapeutic riding to members of the community with mental or physical disabilities, teaching them fine motor skills and developing trust with animals and volunteers. Both Kate Ferner and Catherine Green, the UVA student program directors for CART, began volunteering their first year at UVA and share a deep commitment to the program.
"It made me feel good to be doing something that I love and working with horses and knowing I was helping people a lot," says Green. "It's also really beautiful out there [in Crozet]. It just felt like an escape from UVA and just a good way to give back to the community."
An average session lasts about an hour, and activities range from steering around cones, playing games such as Red Light, Green Light, completing memorization and concentration tasks, giving the horses a treat (a class favorite) and even singing songs from the Disney animated film Frozen.
Ferner says her favorite part of the program is seeing the students grow. "It's very cool to watch how confident they become," she says. "I think one of the most important things you can give somebody is confidence."
Let Me Run, which just partnered with Madison House this year, is also closely tied to confidence and hopes to empower young boys through a seven-week training program.
Brian Lee, the student program director, says he chose to volunteer with the new program because he saw how valuable it was to local kids in the area.
"It's just super beneficial to kids in need," Lee says. "It not only gets them outside and encourages them to exercise daily, it also provides them with valuable life skills."
With Let Me Run volunteers, the boys stretch, play active games and go for a run together. At the start of the year, the boys were running only a half-mile a practice, but they finished out the program November 7 at 3.1 miles by running in the 5K Run/Walk for Shelter for Help in Emergency. The seven-week cycle is set to restart in the spring.
"It was a great experience," Lee says, "just seeing that all of these students really care about giving back. It's encouraging to me that people are still that kind and generous to participate in volunteer service."—Cara Salpini
Different programs offered by Madison House: 168
Madison House volunteers per year: 3,179
Hours served by Madison House volunteers per year: 111,135
Horses in the CART program: 11
Boys participating in Let Me Run: 11
This article was changed on November 25 to correct Daryl Bray's name.


text:
Hiwa Omer Ahmed1, Ako Ibrahim Muhemad2
1 College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, 2 Sulaimani Teaching Hospital Kurdistan Region\ Iraq
Background; postoperative pain remain the most common dilemma for surgical patients, there are many
methods for control of pain, either by conventional postoperative analgesia or preoperative analgesia.
The aim; is to evaluate the benefit of Diclofenac as pre-operative analgesia in comparison to the
postoperative conventional treatments.
Methods and Patients; this study includes patients of different age and sex groups, underwent different
elective and emergency surgical operations,
They divided in to two groups:
- Group A (100 patients): controlled group, were received pre-operative analgesia.
- Group B (100 patients): compared group, were received the conventional analgesia.
Results; thirty eight percent of patients in group A have significant pain versus eighty six percent of the
patients in group B (P value 0.0000)
Preoperative analgesia as single dose of Diclofenac is more effective in control of postoperative pain
than conventional postoperative analgesia.
Conclusion; we could say that the pre-operative (pre-emptive) analgesia is safe, feasible, well tolerant,
less costly and more effective for the control of different types of the surgical pain.
Keywords; pain, pre-emptive analgesia, conventional analgesia. Diclofenac.
1. Ronald D. Miller; "Anesthesia" .5th edition; 2000; 3; P 2323, by Churchill Livingston,. New York
2. Russell. Bailey & Love" Short Ppacice of Surgery" 24th Edition 2004, 52, 1446-1448. Anold,
3. Mark C. Horattas et al. /Pre-empetive analgesia The American Journal of surgery 2004, 188, 271-276.
4. Jale Bengi Celik, Niyazi Gormus, Zulfikare Isik Gormus, Selmin Okesli and Hasan Solak:,treating postoperative pain by preventing the establishment of central sensitizationThe Journal of Cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia,2005,19(1),67-70.
5. Allan Gottschalk: Up date on preemptive analgesia anesthesiology;2003,7, 116-121. 6. Gottschalk A, Smith DS: New Concepts in acute pain therapy: Preemptive analgesia Am Fam Phys 2001; 63:1079-1084.
7. Holger Holthusen, Peter Backhaus, Frank Boeminghaus, Maria Breulmann, and Peter Lipfert: Preemptive Analgesia: No relevant advantage of preoperative compared with postoperative intravenous administration of morphine,ketamine, and clonidine in patients undergoing transperionial tumor nephrectomy: Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 2002, 27(3) , 249-253.
8. Chandra K.Pandey,Shio Priye, Surendra Singh, Uttam Singh, Ram B. Singh, Prabhat K. Sigh; Preemptive use of gabapentin significantly decreases post operative pain and rescure analgesic requirement in laparoscopic cholecystectomy; Can J Anesthesia 2000 ,51( 4) 358-363.
9. Puura A, Puolakka P, Rorarius M, Salmelin R, Lindgren Etoricoxib pre-medication for post-operative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2006,50(6):688-93.
10. Slingsby LS, Murison PJ, Goossens L, Engelen M, Waterman-Pearson AE. A comparison between pre-operative carprofen and a long-acting sufentanil formulation for analgesia after ovariohysterectomy in dogs.Vet Anaesth Analg.
2006 33(5):313-27
11. Bonaventura MA, Vallejo MC, Phelps AL, Sah N, Romeo RC, Falk JS, Johnson RR, Edington HD,Keenan ,DM Preemptive analgesia with bupivacaine for segmental mastectomy.Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2006 ,31(3):227-32
12.MSParina Bajaj,MDChetna,Comparison of the effects of parecoxib and diclofenac in preemptive analgesis,Current Therapeutic Research, 2004, 65,issue 5,:383-397,


text:
November December,
History Meets High-Tech
Wesco and White take their
boots into the 21st century
By Kurt Glaeseman
a couple of loggers what their favorite boots are and you're liable to start an
argument — it's like asking a guy to defend his politics or religion or choice
of pickup trucks. No one is neutral, and there's a good reason: Logging boots
have evolved to serve a particular industry, where rugged performance is
expected to coincide with long-day comfort. Only the best survive.
Today tight safety and insurance requirements, changing job strategies, the
availability of new materials, and some breakthroughs in design and comfort are
torquing a new look for the twenty-first century logger boot. Wesco celebrated
their 85th anniversary in 2003…and reported heavy sales of their "Firestormer" —
available for firefighters and forest workers in a standard 10" height with
either a lace-to-toe or plain toe model. A good Wesco seller but slightly more
traditional for the logger is the popular Jobmaster, standard at 10-inch height
but available on special order from four to 32". The oil-tanned uppers are
available in black, redwood or brown; the sole is a Vibram 100 with the block
heel; and both plain toe and lace-to-toe models are available. And Wesco still
offers a complete line of the calked timber boots, available in heights up to
Roberta Shoemaker,
granddaughter of the original West Coast Shoe Company founder. She is the
present President/ CEO of the company.
Another old-timer in the logging boot industry is White's Boot Company. Started
in 1902, when Otto White moved his boot business from Virginia to Idaho, Whites
have made a name for themselves with calked boots, Smokejumpers and the very
popular packers. According to Gary March, one of the owners, the sale of "corks"
is down. One of the hottest selling boots is the traditional 10-inch Smokejumper
with the lace-to-toe. This 7.5 to 8 ounce leather boot with block heel has
always been popular with loggers, firefighters and Forest Service workers, but
the addition of lace-to-toe means a boot that is easier to get into and, because
it flexes more readily, is easier to break in. This seemingly minor change is
redefining the old Smokejumper look.
The very popular White's
10-inch Smokejumper with the lace-to-toe. These show the rough side
(leather) on the outside, the deep lug Vibram sole, and the arch-ease heel
set well forward for maximum walking comfort. These are very popular with
firefighters, Forest Service workers, hunters, heavy equipment operators,
truck drivers and hikers.
Saving those favorites
But nothing says you have to part with your old favorites. Many boots can be
rebuilt time and again, and visitors to both factories are often most impressed
with the transformation of an old, beat-up pair of boots. One Oregon logger
summed it up: "By golly, they convinced me they could save the old dogs. I sent
'em in, waited about a month, and got 'em back as good as new. My old boots on
my old feet again, ready for another ten thousand miles. They just might outlast
•A steel "toe plate" may be installed to
protect the front of the sole; a row of "shot head" (hobnails) may line
the bottom perimeter of the sole and heel; a steel "side plate" may give
extra sole protection for climbers; and "tricounis" (metal grippers from
Swiss mountain climbing boots) may be installed around the edge of the
sole to give solid footing on very steep or rocky ground.
•If "corks" are not used, the sole of the
boot may be Vibram, a brand name for a deep-tread lug sole. The
traditional logger heel, often called a block or a woodman's heel, is a
high, heavy heel built wider than the heel on a cowboy boot. An
alternative to the block heel is the "spring heel," the bottom of which is
a one-piece, taping sole.
•Early logging boots were almost always
made with the smooth or hair-side of the leather on the outside, but the
newer "rough out" is now very popular. The coarser side of the leather
gives the boot a suede look, but it also provides very practical benefits:
the rough-out doesn't nick or scratch as easily as smooth leather; the
stitching sinks deeper into the leather and protects the seams; and some
people simply prefer the smooth side of the leather against their legs.
•Finally, the "false tongues," often
called "dust-guards" or "brush-catchers," are six- to eight-inch strips of
leather laced into the bottom eyelets of the boots. They're designed to
protect the laces and deflect brush from the lace area, and also give an
added layer of protection to the top of the foot. Loggers with an artistic
bent (or maybe just too much time on their hands!) often customize these
brushguards with distinctive notches and cuts.
This page was last updated
Wednesday, December 29, 2004


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04 Mar Second Life can benefit corporation's real life
Some articles on Second life (SL) have been coming lately, highlighting the way companies are using the virtual space in a corporate way. Networking, hosting meetings or conferences and especially when travel is difficult this alternative not only saves time but allows geographical boundries to disappear. The National Science Foundation highlights how many organizations see SL "as a win-win scenario, saving not only time and money but also carbon emissions".
Mayo Clinic was recently recognized for the work we are doing too; so thank you Paypabak Writer, for allowing us to repost your blog post from Moonletters, January 29th to our own CFI blog. Since the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation is one of the places at Mayo Clinic that participates in SL, it only seemed fitting to share it here too. Enjoy!
Orignally posted on January 29, 2011
"Being in SL Is not a Stretch", written by Paypabak Writer
It was a year ago, January 30 to be exact, that I wrote "Is There a World-Renowned Medical Institution in the House?" This weekend, I returned to the Mayo Clinic sim and found they have expanded! Three sims, two are public facing, the other requires Mayo Staff group tags. With two more sims on the way, Svea Morane, the Web Admin of Mayo Clinic and the estate manager of its SL presence, concluded his chat with me with this statement: "Mayo Clinic has a long history of innovation in patient care and other related areas, so being in SL … is not a stretch." What came before this statement is a testament to the power of Second Life as more than a game but as a social network and education delivery platform.
Last year, as described in my article, Svea Morane (a Mayo employee's avatar) was completing the process of a proof-of-concept sim. It succeeded and has now gone into what he calls "pilot" mode, bringing Mayo staff on board for further exploration of ways it can be used to address various missions of the clinic. To date, close to 100 staff have avatars and at least twenty spend several hours a week inworld, doing work. For instance, the Nursing School of the University of Delaware is a strategic partner, having it's own SL initiatives and groups. Virtual nursing education is a shared goal. Amazing!!
One of the big things Svea is proud to point out is that the budgeting of the work going on is not just out of his IT department but from five business units, meaning there is significant buy in. While there are plenty of skeptics at the clinic, serious stakeholders are putting their money where their mouths are. The main building we depicted in our article last year, the public facing part of the Mayo cluster of sims, was funded by the Center for Innovation. This serves as a place for orientation for any visitors and staff, a chance to virtually tour the main building before going there in first life. The book store that was in the lobby has been moved "down the hill" to another region and is now a resource center for purchasing books online (link takes you to Web-based bookstore for purchase; enter "2Life" code for extra 10% discount!) as well as perusing free materials and subscribing to a weekly newsletter.
Further down the hill is a conference center built across the border of two sims so it can readily accommodate 100 people. It is used every week. Working with Dusan Writer and Metanomics, they are involved with the SL community as well as building their own staff awareness and audience. (Paypabak Writer: I always try to claim that he's my brother! Svea Morane: Dusan is a good guy…Canadian… In Unison: …but we forgive him.) Svea has been a Met volunteer for a couple years and that partnership is paying dividends. The conference center has five breakout rooms that are sound isolated so chats (voice and text) can be conducted without interfering with each other. Online medical education is conducted on a regular basis, including student nurse presentations.
The sim boasts a lovely park with a wide variety of flora and fauna. I saw that a breedable horse package was decanted, awaiting "birthing." Svea and staff have chosen very nice sculptures to accent the park, in keeping with the clinic's tradition of supporting the arts in first life environs. There are gazebos with swings and places to practice yoga and tai chi, with a very peaceful overall effect. Svea still uses the services of Oura Scribe in the design and building of all the new structures and habitats.
Mayo staff is learning and exploring the uses of the SL environment to meet the mission goals of the clinic. I put my WASP wings on and flew up to their staff lounge at 1040m, past a number of "sandbox' areas where members are allowed to experiment without detriment to the public places. The lounge had a pool table, swimming pool, and dart board as well as a few offices. Essential to orientation is the ability to let people play and experiment. The result is a remarkable number of active staff, with numbers growing slowly but surely.
Publicity of what is going on has been very positive. Reports from The Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune and MedCity News. Despite the positive publicity and the prestigious imprimatur of the Mayo Cinic, Linden Lab hasn't contributed to this success story. When asked about this, Svea replied, "I was not expecting [much support] after the community development people were let go." As mentioned, he has made excellent strategic alliances from within the SL community to get this job done. The blog article listed below is dated November of last year and marks the kind of progress Svea Morane envisions.
Finally, last year I wasn't able to provide a landmark to what was really a sim for staff. Today I can. Do go and see what this world-renowned medical institution is doing in our virtual neighborhood!


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Reinforcing our Internal Strength is our Secrete
Tuesday, 20 December 2011 13:56 |
In the month of December 2009 and the same month in the year 2011, two resolutions 1907 and 2023 were consecutively adopted to sanction Eritrea. But the architects behind as well as the goals they intend to reach are fashionably outdated.
Where do all the Groundless Accusations against Eritrea Emanate From?
Friday, 16 December 2011 08:37 |
In the last edition, examples were cited of how the baseless and false accusations, which are only intended to tarnish the image of Eritrea, were fabricated and disseminated. Another tangible example follows.
"Resolution 2023": A decision that underscored the need for radical UN reform
Friday, 09 December 2011 12:23 |
In continuation to the sanctions resolution imposed upon Eritrea in 2009, another resolution 2023 has yet again been adopted to sanction Eritrea. Needless to say, the resolution is indeed the Washington administration's decision in a United Nations Security Council disguise.
Where do all the Groundless Charges against Eritrea Emanate from?
Tuesday, 06 December 2011 11:54 |
Flagrant campaigns and tenuous fabrications linking Eritrea with al-Shabaab and other extremist factions have continually been in the spotlight against the people and Government of Eritrea. The justification that these baseless accusations could have stemmed from lack of knowledge of the exalted Eritrean history and the lofty tenets and values of its trailblazer Front is tantamount to simplicity. Needless to say, it is self-evident that anti-Eritrea forces are building up these trumped-up charges in an attempt to preclude the challenges by this sole state in the Horn region against erroneous and adventurous policies, as well as to cover up fiascos.
"Occupy" Movement: The Ever-Flaring Spark
Friday, 25 November 2011 14:07 |
Following the end of the Cold War era, the collapse of the Communist bloc, as well as the demolition of Berlin Wall, Prof.Francis Fukuyama–economist and Historian–spelled out the new world order in the early 1990s as 'the end of history'.Elucidating the nonviability of Karl Marx's theory of "dialectical materialism",which prophesies that Socialist and Communistsystems would hold sway after capitalism, he tried to expoundon the irreplaceability of corporate greed afterwards.


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After below average temperatures of a long winter, a nice dip in the pool seems like an unachievable dream, but with the proper naples pool service, maintenance and education, it becomes a reality. Here are some tips on seeing to it that your pool stays clean, healthy and inviting so your family and friends will enjoy spending time relaxing.
Remove all debris
Leaves, twigs, bird droppings and other contaminants end up in pool water and pose a health risk to your family and guests. Use the long handled net tool to retrieve these items and follow up with filtration and proper chemical mixtures.
Use the pool vacuum system
A vacuum system for your pool is as vital as breathing air because while you slept, floating debris fell off the trees, blew in with the wind, or just fell off critters that happened to walk by the pool. A vacuum system reaches all the way to the bottom and sucks up everything in its path. Filtration is still necessary as dust particles mix with the water and remain as a film on the pool sides.
Maintain circulation
Water flow is of vital importance because stagnant water is a health hazard. Unimaginable microbes grow in the stillness and without sufficient flow, they assist the growth of mold and mildew. Ask your dealer about the recommended schedule for running the pump and what other tips they have to minimize this problem.
Filtration is crucial
When the pool pump is operating, it forces the water to circulate and helps minimize harmful growth, but filtration must follow along with the effort to remove those contaminants. Otherwise, the water will get dark and murky more often and cause health issues to your loved ones.
Correctly measure the chemicals
Your swimming pool dealer carries a full line of products intended for healthy pool living and is the source to contact about which of them is best. Ask for detailed instructions on who to read test units and make sure you use the correct measurements. Too many chemicals burn human skin, and if swallowed could cause death!
Purchase a pool cover
Among the smartest investments in life is a pool cover because it keeps the majority of the debris and airborne dirt out of the water and minimizes the time spent screening, vacuuming and changing filters. It also decreases the amount of chemicals needed to maintain a healthy environment for humans to enjoy floating and playing pool games.
If the time it takes to manage your pool is not in sync with your schedule, here are some additional services and what they include.
Full-Service Pool Dealer
- Brushing all sides and bottom of pool
- Tile Scrub
- Checking and balancing of chemicals
- Equipment check
- Skimming the water debris
- Emptying of your skimmer basket
- Vacuuming (monthly)
- Filter cleaning (monthly)
Chemical Only Service
- Checking and balancing of chemicals
- Double Checking the readings
Full Service with Weekly Vacuuming
- Brushing
- Tile Scrub
- Checking and balancing of chemicals
- Equipment check
- Skimming
- Emptying of your skimmer basket
- Vacuum weekly
- Filter cleaning (monthly or sooner if needed)
- Phosphate Removal Included
- Algae Prevention Treatment Included
- Free Service Call Every 3 months
Pressure Cleaning
- Decks
- Sidewalks
- Patio
- Driveway
- House Exteriors
- Screen Enclosures
- You name it
The above information provides the primary services and can easily include or omit those features not needed. However, for the best advice concerning any size pool, your local full-service pool dealer is the team to contact. Ask about their free two week services with NO contract deals and where they hang their certifications. The following are three of the most used and necessary pool services that save you time and money. Grand Slam Pools motto is the best pool services never cut corners but rather strive for gaining quality.


text: I posted earlier on my Redline R530. Finally got some parts in for it. I had my LBS build up the wheel due to lack of time on my part. The front hub was sourced from WorkCycles in the Netherlands (many thanks Richard!) after unsuccessful attempts to get Shimano USA to even admit that such a hub existed! Headlight is a gorgeous IQ Fly from B&M. Got every thing hooked up and waiting on night fall. For beam pictures see Peter White's page. I wish these things were easier to source in the US. Next will be a basket, panniers, pedals and probably a generator powered tailight with stand light.


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Lady Gaga premiered her new single, "Applause," this week after an early leak. The song wasn't supposed to be released until August 19, a week before Gaga's scheduled performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards in Brooklyn, NY. "Applause" is the first single from "ARTPOP," Lady Gaga's forthcoming studio album, slated for release on November 11.
However, Gaga's new single doesn't come without it's share of controversy. When I first heard the song, I thought the first ten seconds sounded very familiar. I knew it was from a Madonna song, I just couldn't think of which one. Then, I realized it was the beginning of "Celebration," Gaga's song is just sped up a bit. Some Madonna fans are also saying it sounds like "Girl Gone Wild." I agree, and I also hear elements of the Benny Benassi remix of "Celebration" in there as well. Now, this would be all well and good if only Gaga gave credit where credit is due. If you ask Gaga about her influences, she will never voluntarily say Madonna's name. She has to be asked about Madonna in order to talk about her. And while it was nice of her to mention Madonna in the "thank yous" of her debut album, it's just not enough. Lady Gaga does her best to ignore Madonna. Britney Spears always talks about how Madonna influenced her, and she remains a successful icon over a decade after her first single was released! Saying Madonna is an influence of her's won't hurt her, so what is Gaga's problem?


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RV Rentals
Rent an RV and Stretch Out
We make it easy for you to stay with us. We have a number of quality RV rentals available for any visitors to our RV Park. Whether you are going to be staying with us for a long or short time, we make it easy to stay with us and rent an RV. We are prepared to meet your needs.
Renting with us is a much more affordable option than staying at a hotel or local in the San Antonio area. We have 10 RV vacation rentals available. This is a perfect option for any families or retirees looking to stay in the San Antonio area for any period of time. Give us a call and talk to us about your plans. Whether you are looking long term RV rentals or something for a couple days, we will find the right RV for your needs.
We are different than other kinds of RV parks within the San Antonio area. We are locally owned and operated and we treat every one of our guests like we would treat family. Our RV park has wide open spaces that are shaded with our large Oak trees. We give you the room to spread out and relax in our quiet country atmosphere. We are still close to the heart of San Antonio, so you can have the best of both worlds. Contact us today to begin booking your stay!


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This issue of eLearning Papers is dedicated to the thriving work around Open Educational Resources (OER) by committed individuals, institutions and user communities. Five selected papers by the guest editors investigate the organisational, social, cultural, pedagogical and technical aspects of implementing OER.
Open Educational Resources for Management Education: Lessons from experience
Cécile Rébillard, e-learning project manager, Grenoble Ecole de Management
Jean-Philippe Rennard, Professor, Grenoble Ecole de Management
Marc Humbert, Professor, Grenoble Ecole de Management
Read more...
Reflections on sustaining Open Educational Resources: an institutional case study
Andy Lane, Director, OpenLearn
Read more...
OER Models that Build a Culture of Collaboration: A Case Exemplified by Curriki
Barbara (Bobbi) Kurshan, Executive Director, Curriki
Read more...
Simplicity and design as key success factors of the OER repository LeMill
Tarmo Toikkanen, Researcher, Learning Environments Research Group, Media Lab, University of Art and Design Helsinki
Read more...
Applying Software Development Paradigms to Open Educational Resources
Seth Gurell, Graduate Assistant, Center for Open and Sustainable Learning
Read more...
Enjoy reading these articles!
Source: eLearning Papers


text: South africa selects saab and british aerospace Press release 18 November 1998 SOUTH AFRICA SELECTS SAAB AND BRITISH AEROSPACEGripen and Hawk win preferred bid negotiations The Government of South Africa today announced the selection of Saab andBritish Aerospace as the preferred bidders to supply multi-role defence andtraining aircraft to the South African Air Force ( SAAF).This first export success for the Saab - British Aerospace joint venture -which was announced at the Paris Air Show in 1995 - is also a major milestonefor Gripen, the world's first fourth generation, highly agile, multi-roleaircraft in operational service. It is now in service in the Swedish Air Forceand currently under consideration by a number of air forces in Eastern Europe,South America and Asia Pacific.British Aerospace has offered Hawk, the world's most successful jet trainer,asthe ideal combination with Gripen for the capability, versatility andreliability demanded by the South African Air Force.Hawk, recently selected by Australia and Canada, will give the South AfricanAir Force an advanced jet trainer to match the outstanding performance of theGripen. Hawk is the most cost-effective fast jet trainer available and over750 aircraft have been ordered or selected by 17 customers worldwide.British Aerospace Chief Executive John Weston said in a statement today :"Thisimportant development in the bid to supply a recognized front-line air forcewith the best equipment package available reconfirms our belief in thebenefitsof partnerships and is a valuable endorsement by a very sophisticatedinternational customer."With the South African Government we will now develop our earlier discussionson industrial participation which will bring added advantages to our companiesas suppliers of solutions to the most demanding customers, and to South Africaas an emerging high technology industrial partner."British Aerospace and Saab are both confident that detailed contractnegotiations will also begin in the very near future.""This very welcome confirmation by the South African Government comes afteroneof the most sophisticated, detailed and exhaustive tendering processes we haveexperienced. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with SouthAfrica."Saab Chief Executive, Bengt Halse, said: "This is a significant package whichsupports the South African government's ambition to boost trade andinvestment,revitalize South Africa's economy and create thousands of jobs.""It is my understanding that this is the most comprehensive single trade andinvestment package ever proposed to South Africa coupled with the provision ofan appropriate and cost-effective defence solution." Press kit and photos are also available on www.gripen.saab.se. For furtherinformation, please contact:Jan Ahlgren, Vice President Communications and Public Affairs (Saab) +46-13-1839 07 +46-70 518 39 07 (mobile) email:email@example.com Locksley Ryan,Director Corporate Communications (British Aerospace) +44-1252 373 836 LindenBirns, (PR Consultant, Plane talking +27-21 789 29 77 (office) 082 568 8031(mobile)------------------------------------------------------------Please visit http://www.bit.se for further informationThe following files are available for download:http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1998/11/18/19981118BIT00370/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1998/11/18/19981118BIT00370/bit0002.pdf This information was brought to you by Cisionhttp://feed.ne.cision.com/client/saab//Commands/File.aspx?id=13443The following files are available for download MSWORD PDF Last updated: 23 January 2015 • 14:43


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A great big thank you to presenters Lacey Hart and John Goodman, as well as everyone else who participated in last Thursday's webinar: Southeast Minnesota Beacon–Community Collaboration for Healthcare Transformation! The National Telehealth Resource Center Webinar Series is the perfect way to stay up-to-date on telehealth best practices and solutions.
Did you know that you can access past webinars from gpTRAC and the National TRC Webinar Series on the gpTRAC website?
Just go to gptrac.org > News and Events > Webinars
"A Soothing Salve for Wound Healing: Telemedicine"
"Is Your Organization Ready for Telehealth?"
"Healthcare Reform and Telehealth"
"Telehealth is the Answer!"
"How Telepharmacy Can Help Bend the Healthcare Cost Curve"
Click here to be redirected to the gpTRAC webinar page.


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Many ladies in the present day's had subscribe to health magazine because their are more well being acutely aware besides well being magazine not only discuss health, its also covers fitness and weight loss programme and wonder reminiscent of pimples pores and skin. Entry is open to all residents of Australia aged 18 years or over, who subscribe or renew their subscription to a number of journal title available on Magshop by one of the methods outlined in clause 7 or buy any product out there on Magshop () throughout the promotional period.
Aspen Wintersköl is a 4-day festival at which Girls's Well being and Males's Well being toast the winter season by means of exciting actions just like the annual Soupsköl competitors, après-ski parties, a Snow Jam live performance, elaborate fireworks celebration, mountain-prime yoga, and more.
Additional, train makes a wholesome heart, will increase flexibility and likewise helps in dealing with causes of low stamina You needn't interact in very intense exercise, just a delicate form of train the place you'll be able to transfer many of the body muscles is nice for health.
Since then, greater than a dozen scientific research printed by such peer-reviewed medical journals as the Journal of the American Medical Association, Archives of Ophthalmology and the American Journal of Scientific Vitamin have continued to indicate an association between lutein intake and various long-term eye well being advantages.
Individuals which are at current using prescription treatment or maybe completed operations want to talk to medical physician just before burn up this supplement since chia plant seeds destructive results could well irritate the well being and wellbeing Scientific research in addition have discovered that decrease blood pressure ranges individuals have to stay away from having chia plant seeds since it can much more decrease diastolic blood strain ranges.


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Home | Members | Meeting Dates | Bylaws
View the Student Advisory Council's Diversity Video
What & Why:
The Maryland Higher Education Commission Student Advisory Council was created in 1988, in response to a legislative directive. Its purpose is to advise the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) on the concerns, perspectives, and experiences of students attending Maryland institutions. Furthermore, this council and its members promote student perspectives through analyzing these concerns and recommending or initializing new approaches to address them.
Mission/Goals: The mission of the Student Advisory Council is to ensure a student voice is provided to the Maryland Higher Education Commission on the issues in Maryland higher education. The key goals of the Maryland Higher Education Commission and the Student Advisory Council are:
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments please contact the Student Advisory Council at firstname.lastname@example.com .
6 North Liberty Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: (410) 767-3300
Toll Free: (800) 974-0203 (If calling outside of the Baltimore City area)


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It's that time again - rumor time. This one's from our favorite "industry sources" rumor-monger, the venerable Digitimes. They're saying that, according to industry sources, Google is making two new models of the Nexus 7 that are expected to be thinner. Sounds credible.
They're also saying these two new tablets will be priced at $199 and $99, respectively, and will hit the market by the end of 2012.
Listen, we know Digitimes is incredibly hit and miss about this kind of stuff. In fact, we frequently discount a lot of what they publish, because it's usually picture-less, often credited to no-name sources, and littered with conditional language. But these stories are low-hanging fruit, especially when the topic of discussion is anything Apple or Google.
Here's the thing - there are simply too many reasons not to believe this rumor, at least as things stand right now.
First, Google just released the Nexus 7 in July. In fact, Google just introduced the Nexus 7 last week in Japan. They haven't even finished making this thing available internationally. Launching a new version by the end of the year wouldn't make much sense. It would also make it look as though Google wasn't actually ready to make a tablet when it released the original Nexus 7. Like it was a rush job (we know it was, to some degree).
Google has stuck to what has basically been an annual release cycle for Nexus devices. If a Nexus 7 follow-up is indeed in the works, it's incredibly unlikely we'll see it by Christmas.
But what if it's just a slight refresh? This is the angle most people have been choosing to take the story from. Google won't release a new piece of hardware, per se, rather, it will simply be a slight variation on the original. This is possible, but again, doesn't seem all that likely, not at the $99 price point. Now, we have heard rumblings of a 3G-enabled Nexus 7 coming down the pipe. We've seen nothing of it since that story, though.
Would a 3G Nexus 7 make sense? Definitely. I kind of expect it at this point. But would it make sense at $199, or even $99? Probably not. Google simply wouldn't be able to make money on it. In fact, they'd probably lose a lot, enough that post-sale content purchases probably wouldn't even be able to close the gap. But what if it's carrier subsidized? Well, that'd also be pretty unlikely, as all four major US carriers have dropped the subsidized tablet model after finding it didn't do much of anything for revenue. Yes, Amazon has a deal of sorts with AT&T on the Fire HD 8.9 LTE, but the hardware itself is totally unsubsidized at $500. The only thing that's special about it is the plan.
The final argument is "OK, so what if they just made all the components cheaper? Like a lower-end Nexus 7." Let me be frank: that's a horrible idea if there ever was one. The Nexus 7 is already low-endish. It's based on NVIDIA's Kai platform (presumably), which is by its very nature designed to be cheap. I don't want a cheaper tablet than this. Unless some massive advance resulting in cost-cutting during the manufacturing process has occurred, a $99 tablet just isn't going to be very good, knowing where display and processor technology stand right now.
Is this rumor just patently false, then? I wouldn't go that far. There is a remote possibility that Google, unimpressed with sales numbers for the Nexus 7, wants to supercharge its install base during the holidays. It's the sort of crazy idea that only Google would come up with (well, maybe Microsoft, too). They'd have to make up hundreds of millions of dollars lost at the sale if a $99 Nexus 7 came to pass, though. Play Store content purchases would never be enough. How could they do it?
This is my harebrained theory on how a $99 Nexus 7 could work. First, take a page from the Amazon book: sell the lockscreen. Google has a massive ad business - they are an advertising company, after all - put text or display ads on that thing. Or, in-app ads for Gmail and Google Maps. That could make serious cash. The problem with this idea is twofold, though. First, you're ruining the stock Android experience by commercializing it. I just don't think that's a very "Google thing" to do. Second, ads on a lockscreen could just be avoided by installing a custom lockscreen or launcher. Or flashing a non-subsidized Nexus 7 ROM, thereby removing any sponsored content entirely. I just don't see it happening.
The alternative is pulling a Microsoft and bundling paid services with heavily subsidized hardware. A Google Music or TV subscription service? Again, it just seems unlikely. And I doubt a single service would be enough to make up for the lost cash. Google doesn't have an Amazon Prime or an Xbox Live Gold to rely on. In fact, Google has come to live and die on the model of free services for consumers. It wouldn't be something I could see a company like Google doing.
So, take all this stuff with a massive grain of salt (including what I say, because hey, what do I know?). We'll keep our ears to the ground, but we'll definitely be wearing our skepticism hats full-time as the holiday rumor season draws closer.


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MARE Meet & Greets (formerly called MARE Match Parties) are unique events that provide prospective adoptive families the chance to interact face-to-face with many of Michigan's waiting youth. It allows them to see past the labels, diagnoses and case histories that mask the personalities of each child. They also provide the children a chance to enjoy a fun day filled with various games and activities. These events are held throughout the state at various churches and community centers. They are typically held on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and lunch will be provided. It is our hope that many matches will be made in an effort to find our waiting youth their forever families.
Please Note: It is MARE policy that only prospective adoptive parents attend these meet & greets. We ask that you do not bring your children/teens with you.


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Houston millionaire sued in fatal Florida crash adopts girlfriend
In the strangest wrinkle yet in a legal drama that pits the state of Florida and a car crash victim against a polo-obsessed Houston millionaire, the girlfriend of John Goodman is now his daughter.
The heir to an air-conditioning fortune, Goodman, 48, has legally adopted 42-year-old Heather Laruso Hutchins, whom he has been dating since 2009. The adoption, which took place in October 2011 but was not publicly disclosed until Tuesday, potentially allows Hutchins to control a third of the assets of a trust fund he set up for his two other children.
A Florida judge called the action "surreal" and a step into a "legal twilight zone" in a recent related ruling. The purpose of the adoption, however, is likely rooted in practical financial matters. Because of her age, Hutchins can avoid the legal stipulation that does not allow beneficiaries to take from the fund until they are 35.
Lawsuit, criminal case
Whether the move could have any effect on a civil trial brought by the parents of Scott Wilson, killed in a collision with Goodman's Bentley in February 2010, is uncertain. An engineering graduate, Wilson was 23 when Goodman allegedly ran a stop sign and knocked Wilson's car into a drainage ditch. He drowned.
Wilson's parents filed a wrongful death suit against Goodman that is set for trial in late March. The state has charged Goodman with vehicular homicide, claiming that Goodman had a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit when he allegedly ran a stop sign and ran into Wilson.
That trial, too, is scheduled for March. Goodman, also charged with driving under the influence manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident, faces up to 30 years in prison.
Florida Circuit Judge Glenn Kelley ruled in October 2011 that the civil jury should not be told of the trust fund, saying it might encourage jurors to impose a larger financial penalty than they would otherwise, even though Goodman has no access to the irrevocable trust.
A jury award inflated by awareness of the trust might end up bankrupting Goodman, the judge ruled, and that would violate Florida law. Lawyers for Lili and William Wilson have appealed that ruling.
How the adoption might affect the exposure of Goodman's assets to a potential jury award is unclear, as the trust money already is off limits. It's also a matter of speculation whether a future probate court will recognize Hutchins as a legitimate trust beneficiary.
Kelley said that for the purposes of the civil trial, he will recognize the adoption as legitimate. One effect that seems apparent is that Goodman has the potential to achieve some immediate benefit of the money set aside for his children. The trust reportedly requires disbursement of 70 percent of the sum to which the beneficiary is entitled once they turn 35.
"By way of this adoption, John Goodman now effectively owns one third of the trust assets," the William Wilsons' attorney, Scott Smith, told the Palm Beach Post. "It cannot go unrecognized that he chose to adopt his 42-year-old adult girlfriend as opposed to a needy child."
Investment stability
Dan Bachi, Goodman's civil attorney, told the Post the odd maneuver was undertaken to assure the stability of investments.
"It has nothing to do with the lawsuit currently pending against him," Bachi said.
Kelley called the adoption "unprecedented," though legal experts have cited cases of adult adoption, most done for reasons pertaining to inheritance and estate planning.
Goodman's wealth came courtesy of his father. Harold V. Goodman founded the Goodman Manufacturing Co. and pioneered the use of flexible ductwork, later becoming a major manufacturer of air-conditioning systems.
John worked for the company after gaining a marketing degree, but business interested him less than polo. Over the last two decades he has been one of polo's largest American benefactors.