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The Future Is In Good Hands
Andy Jones-Wilkinson February 15, 2013 /47 comments
A decade or so ago longtime ultrarunner Ian Torrence penned a monthly column in Ultrarunning magazine that was geared toward "twenty somethings." In the column he would often profile a young ultrarunner or share collective ruminations about youth in the sport. It was always the first column I went to when I opened the magazine and I was a bit sad when Ian turned 30 and the column was discontinued.
Recently, I reflected back on those halcyon days of the late-'90's and thought about the youth movement that was taking place in the sport. Then, I realized that period was nothing when compared to what is going on now. Over the past five years, as ultrarunning has experienced exponential growth, the number of twenty somethings in the sport has exploded. And, along with that explosion has come increased marketing money, higher-profile events, and iconic runners who are inspiring a generation.
As a somewhat older, somewhat curmudgeonly runner, I have been intrigued by this development but also, frankly, a bit worried about what all these young whippersnappers might do to the sport. Would they get it? Would increased exposure and individual competitive drive threaten the egalitarian aspect of my beloved sport? Would ego trump our collective sense of community? And, perhaps most significantly, would this new generation of "elite" runners bring a different ethos to the sport and the events that make it so special?
After thinking about this for a while I am now comfortable in my realization that all will be right in the ultrarunning world. And, while there are many people I could turn to for confirmation, two guys in particular represent, to me, great hope for the future – Timothy Olson of Ashland, Oregon and Dylan Bowman of Aspen, Colorado.
Olson was attracted to the sport because it is simple, peaceful, and freeing. As someone attracted to like-minded, healthy and vibrant people, Olson found, in ultrarunning, a refuge from his past and place where he could excel at being the best human being he could be. Running has given him balance and perspective whether on joyful group runs with Ashland's finest or on long, solo jaunts that allow him to connect more deeply with his body, the earth, and his spirit. As Olson puts it, "I started running longer and longer to discover how my body and mind were connected and how far I could push them, testing their limits. I found that the further I ran, the more I was at peace and relaxed within myself, it turned into a form of meditation."
Bowman became transfixed by the concept of running 100 miles after reading Zeke Tiernan's article documenting his 2008 Leadville 100 race. Overwhelmed with intense curiosity, Bowman confronted an intense inner voice that wondered, "Could I do that?" At first, the notion of running 100 miles sounded absurd and impossible. But, as the voices in his head grew louder, running gave Bowman the opportunity to scratch a competitive itch that had been nagging since he completed his NCAA lacrosse career. As he noted, "Ultrarunning has satisfied, in me, an innate curiosity about my own limits as a runner and as a person."
Both Bowman and Olson find their greatest satisfaction in the 100-mile distance. Whether it is the joy of finishing that first one or the thrill of winning one (Both runners have several 100-mile wins on their resumes.) the shared experience of suffering and the sacred nature of covering 100 miles on foot have inspired both men to become tougher, more reflective, and grateful for the gifts they've been given. As Bowman says, "Running has taught me about discipline, dedication, and stubborn perseverance and has helped me improve as a man more so than as an athlete." And Olson notes, "I simply enjoy what I do. If I didn't, I would stop; my passion continues to grow and each day I look forward to getting up and playing in the mountains and forest."
Each have considered what the future holds for themselves and for the sport and both look ahead with cautious optimism. While Bowman knows that there will be inevitable growing pains he believes the growth is, by and large, good, "Better athletes are being drawn to the trails, more events are popping up, and more people are discovering the joy and health benefits of endurance training… I really don't think the 'professionalizing' of the sport will do much to corrupt its modest roots or affect the friendly atmosphere of the events." However, Bowman adds one word of caution, "I want to see drug testing in our sport soon. As more money comes into the sport, so, too, does the temptation to cut corners. It has been documented in every endurance sport since the dawn of time, so thinking we are immune would just be naive and destructive."
Olson strikes a somewhat more reserved tone in his observations and sees some challenges ahead, "I think the major challenge ahead is keeping the sport clean; clean from the use of performance enhancing drugs, pollution, arrogance and bigotry…. Hopefully, as present and future generations grow our sport, the collective voice will remain compassionate and conscious in thought and action."
I, for one, am thrilled that these two guys are carrying the torch for the new generation. While we have certainly come a long way since Ian's early columns, the foundation of our sport remains unchanged and if guys like Dylan and Timothy continue to thrive, particularly on some of ultrarunning's grandest stages, the future will be in good hands.
Bottoms up!
AJW's Beer of the Week
We'll have two beer of the week recommendations this week from our two featured runners. Dylan's choice is Independence Pass IPA from Aspen Brewing Company and Timothy is going with Portland's Omission Brewing Company and their gluten-free Pale Ale. I must admit I have not tried either but coming from these guys, they must be good!
Call for Comments (from Bryon)
What can the influx of youth add to our sport?
What perils does our sport face now (and in the future) with an influx of new athletes?
Tagged: Dylan Bowman Ian Torrence Timothy Olson Zeke Tiernan
Andy Jones-Wilkins finished in the top 10 men at the Western States 100 7-straight times. He's sponsored by Patagonia and Drymax socks and is iRunFar's editorialist.
View all posts by Andy Jones-Wilkins
There are 47 comments
thomas February 14, 2013 at 10:48 pm
i totally agree with your thoughts, for me Olsen and jornet show the the world where the limits are, in the past roes and jurek showed us what is possible, (I hope roes comes back), but now olsen and jornet, may be also TK and dakota represents the new generation of ultra running.
I hope we will see more of their awesome runs.
mtnrunner2 February 15, 2013 at 12:41 am
I've watched those guys tear it up lately, and it's been fun.
Even though they've been running for years, lots of runners are new TO ME, and it's great to be able to Google for blogs and bios to get the scoop — not to mention follow standings live on the web or on Twitter. Remember the days when you used to have to read a newspaper to learn a tiny little bit about an athlete?
I can vouch for the Independence Pass IPA, and appropriately I had my first ever after riding up that pass to watch the Pro Cycling Challenge riders come over. Thus far I've only seen it locally near Aspen.
Daniel February 15, 2013 at 2:12 am
Young runners in general don't get nearly the base of miles in their legs that alot of other countries youth does. (Way too many other things to be doing)
The cross-over of elite track/road athletes into ultra-running is scene rightly as a boost to the talent pool and an increase in Ultra competitiveness, but perhaps younger involvement in ultrarunning will change that, and perhaps a byproduct of that will be ultra-running having a bit of influence on the US ability to compete at the shorter (Relatively) distances on an international scale.
But first traditional coaching dogma about younger athletes has to be shed…
As long as there are still places I can climb/hike/Run to and pull out my flyrod without seeing a bunch of trash or other people…I say bring on expansion
J.Xander February 15, 2013 at 5:59 am
I'm ignorant to this: What is the traditional dogma regarding coaching young athletes?
Pete February 15, 2013 at 3:36 am
Expansion is always good for a sport. Sadly some of the older veterans stick their nose into the air to the newbies. That is the impression I have got from some of them. Seems to me that the ego surrounding some of the runners who have been doing this for a long time needs to be shed a bit. It is almost an arrogance. Not all of them are that way but some are.
Marc February 15, 2013 at 3:38 am
Great write up AJW!
Patrick February 15, 2013 at 3:56 am
Pete, unfortunately, I'd have to disagree with you. I've been running ultras since I was 20 and in my 4 years experience, I have yet to have any experience other than support from the "old heads." Most (or at least the one's here in VA) will even share their Jim Beam with you afterward. But I think that support would definitely change if the young guys came into their sport with arrogance, a lack of respect and no sense of humility.
I have personally witnessed some arrogance and some ego thats all. I am not gonna name names regardless trail running is a great sport and for the most part the veterans welcome people in for the most part.
James @RedDirtRunner February 15, 2013 at 4:31 am
I am far from being anything close to elite. In my experience I have had the good fortune to meet some of the better known athletes of our chosen sport. Karl Meltzer, Hal Koerner, Bryce Thatcher, Mike Morton, Ian Sharman, Luke Nelson and Krissy Moehl to name a few. I have found every one to be grounded, friendly and generous. But the future lies not only in the hands of guys like Olson and Bowman but in the hands of each of us. If we each accept the responsibility of being a good steward of the gift then the future is in good hands indeed.
My beer of the week:
O'Malley's Stout from the historic Weston Royal Brewery first established in 1842 at Weston, Missouri.
Dylan Bowman February 15, 2013 at 5:08 am
olga February 15, 2013 at 6:14 am
"the future lies… in the hands of each of us" is so well said, indeed.
Robbie Pike February 15, 2013 at 9:15 am
Defiantly well put!!!
Mel February 15, 2013 at 5:44 am
Another otherwise very good irunfar article that makes me sad, because it mentions zero women. Which is too bad, because one way of looking at the future of ultrarunning is not the top racers themselves, but the races offered. Many of the big and/or popular races are organized by women RDs.
While there are some fantastic young male role models (um, and women too) in the sport right now, always gotta look at the big picture!
AJW February 15, 2013 at 6:22 am
Mel. In no way did I intend to leave women out of this discussion. Rather, I chose to profile two men. A quick review of the Irunfar index will show plentiful examples of content focused on women. Nonetheless, you are right to suggest we keep our eyes on the Big Picture. AJW
Jason February 15, 2013 at 8:49 am
For the record, I think Ellie Greenwood is one of the most amazing runners (male or female, ultra or otherwise) currently competing. But then again, there are so many people doing amazing things right now. I watch with perpetual awe!
The future is indeed alright!
Mel February 15, 2013 at 1:48 pm
Thanks for your reply! Indeed this is a very nice profile of Bowman and Olsen. I read and greatly appreciate all the "content focused on women" produced by irunfar. One could perhaps argue that the future of ultrarunning is sites like these- you have the platform to shine light on the great people in the sport and spread information. I note, a quick tally of names mentioned in ~6 recent articles filed under Races are: 60 male names and 31 female names. Perhaps this is an artifact of less women racing, but whatever it is, at the moment, it is an observation. I certainly look forward to the future.
Jeff H February 15, 2013 at 6:01 am
Nice article. I really appreciate elite athletes with a spirit of 'keeping the sport clean' – especially clean from performance drugs and arrogance. I would hate to see this great sport and community overrun by the likes of other endurance sports (e.g. cycling, triathlon).
Also, I had the pleasure of seeing Dylan Bowman, Tim Olson and Hal Koerner on trail at Ray Miller 50/50 a few weekends back. I ran the 50K course and during the last 4 miles I was overcome by Dylan (1st), Tim (2nd) and Hal (3rd) as they were coming in for the 50 mile course – it was amazing to see how fresh, strong and happy they all looked while hammering out very fast long miles!
Evan February 15, 2013 at 6:55 am
I wonder what Old Man Torrence has to say about all this? I'm going to go find that guy at Flag Brew…
CJ February 15, 2013 at 7:07 am
"I want to see drug testing in our sport soon. As more money comes into the sport, so, too, does the temptation to cut corners. It has been documented in every endurance sport since the dawn of time, so thinking we are immune would just be naive and destructive."
Couldn't agree more with Dylan
Amy February 15, 2013 at 7:13 am
Drug testing is here, speaking from someone who is now in the USADA testing pool. At least for those that compete at world events. There's in-competition testing for races such as Comrades, World 100K, UTMB. And out-of-competition testing for at least a handful of us (in my case is a result of the World 100K).
CJ February 15, 2013 at 10:31 am
Would like to see it in the competitive trail races here in the US as well
Speedgoatkarl February 17, 2013 at 2:59 am
I don't see it happening soon with the D-testing in competitive trail races. Why? With the FS only allowing a certain amount of participants, the dollars collected just aren't enough to support all the testing. It doesn't pay, and most RD's could more or less care less about spending more money on testing. USADA and WADA have rules, and that's all good, but it particulary co-insides with USATF and their policies, which in trail running are essentially Moot.
What is interesting is with the Skyrunning series races taking off, they do say they drug test. Do they really? I haven't heard of it happening yet. I could be wrong, but has anyone been tested at Transvulcania, Calls De Vent (sp?), Speedgoat? No, there was noone present. I think the money is the issue. In cycling, there is ALOT more money to make it happen, in ultrarunning, big "sponsors" don't even throw in much cash, they throw in schwag, which is nice and all, but….it all comes down to money, in trail running in the US there is no money to support it, until the FS allows 1000 runners into Western….which we all know ain't happening.
Badwater can probably do it, but that's because they charge a whopping 1000 bucks to enter….and don't offer support on course. Money….
Excellent points, Karl.
True…so many things do come down to the cash
KenZ February 16, 2013 at 4:36 pm
Badwater site just updated its rules for 2013:
All racers must be willing to submit to a drug urine test before (at any point prior to the race, after being officially confirmed for entry), during (at any time), or after the race (up to 90 days after the conclusion of the race). If any WADA banned substances are detected, the racer will be disqualified from competition, listed as DISQUALIFIED FOR DOPING in the final standings of the race, and banned for life from any AdventureCORPS event. Refusal to submit a urine specimen upon demand will also result in the racer being disqualified from competition, being listed as DISQUALIFIED FOR DOPING in the final standings of the race, and being banned for life from any AdventureCORPS event. Additionally, any Badwater Ultramarathon finisher who fails a drug test within 36 months after competing in any edition of the Badwater Ultramarathon will be retroctively disqualified from any and all previous Badwater Ultramarathon races, removed from all Badwater Ultramarathon race results, as well as banned for life from any AdventureCORPS events.
Good for them…it's a start. I think most of us trail runners would like to think that there's nobody doping in our races but competition and the need to win is growing. Trail running is perhaps the fastest growing sport in the country
Dave M (the real one February 15, 2013 at 7:22 am
Domestically, it really is a bumper crop of runners instead of individuals: in addition to Bowman and Tim, Dakota Jones, Sage Canaday, and Tony are worth a mention to name a few; Ellie is still a spring chicken yet as well. Internationally, the list goes on and on a la Kilian, Forsberg, etc.
Bryon Powell February 15, 2013 at 7:41 am
Definitely the real Dave M. ;-)
Unfortunately, I (somewhat) agree with Pete. Some of the "veteran" elites seem to display arrogance. It's as if you haven't earned the right to be part of their club. Maybe this has nothing to do with their age – just their "elite" status.
I still love the sport and think it has a great future.
My personal, and therefore completely subjective, experience has been that ultra runners/races/scene/group runs/groups/elites/non-elites are a warm, friendly and inviting bunch of people. That's how I got into it. I was encouraged by these veteran runners 40-60 years old to come join the fun. They always are so encouraging.
Conversely, the mountain races and short trail races that I do are full of tons of ego. The machismo in the lead pack is thick! They all know each other and have a pretty tight click. Some folks are really nice but for the most part there is a lot of cockiness, preening and ego snorting going on. The mid and back of the packers are a friendly bunch though but there is no denying the elitism that is in the air.
Jimmy Mac February 15, 2013 at 8:08 am
I think another awesome thing about younger folks being involved in this amazing sport is the amount of access they grant to the average runner (i.e. "me"), mostly through social networking & technology- I've gotten replies from comments from both DBo (on the Twitter machine) & Timmy (on his personal website), so the fact that they not only embrace the technology but use it responsibly and are totally reachable in a way that other professional athletes aren't gives some insight to how egoless this sport really is.
Wyatt Hornsby February 15, 2013 at 9:18 am
OK, I'm curious. Where do I get Zeke's 2008 LT100 race report. I searched online for it and came up empty.
Wyatt,
It wasn't a race report, it was a newspaper article. Here is the link.
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20080818/NEWS/8…
Zeke is the man.
DBo
Thanks, Dylan!
Evan Honeyfield February 15, 2013 at 1:32 pm
Dylan and Timothy – two class acts. I love this from an apparent renaissance man:
"I think the major challenge ahead is keeping the sport clean; clean from the use of performance enhancing drugs, pollution, arrogance and bigotry…. Hopefully, as present and future generations grow our sport, the collective voice will remain compassionate and conscious in thought and action."
Zeke February 16, 2013 at 7:18 am
AJW – Nice article. You chose two stellar representatives of the young ultra community. I've only raced Tim once, during his other-worldly performance at western last year, and he is a true steward of the ultra ethos. Dbo is a training partner and close personal friend. Dylan too reflects the trail runner values that have been a hallmark of the sport for decades, which is good because I think his true potential is just starting to be revealed. Thankfully I'm taking 2013 off, cause I wouldn't want to toe the line with either of these monsters. They are fast! They look good doing it, and they spread the good ultra vibe as they shred the, "brown pow!"
AJW February 16, 2013 at 10:06 am
Zeke, thanks for checking in. And, while I know you're taking the year "off" I sure hope to see you out there. And, when you come back, I look forward to seeing you then, too. I've never seen a guy who looked like such crap at Robinson Flat finish like you did at WS 2012. Cheers brother! AJW
Zeke February 16, 2013 at 10:25 am
I think I'll will be seeing you in Silverton?
Indeed you will! Neal doesn't know what he's in for.
Max February 17, 2013 at 6:29 am
With the idols my generation of ultra kids (nice to have an article about us 20-somethings) looks up for inspiration I don't think egos are something to worry about. To paraphrase what Dakota recently wrote, we are all small people in very big places.
George Katsikaris February 19, 2013 at 5:29 am
We all just worry a little bit I think about the "tainting" of a sport that is so pure. Most likely the purest of them all. We tell ourselves it's the younger masses flooding in that will, if at all, put a negative connotation on our sport and strip away it's purity and our current easily available access to events. As I observed at Bandit 50K this past weekend there were no age limitations to the person that would spoil this experience for us. There was a large amount of newbies from 18-65 years old that obviously just did not share the shame passion and love for the trails as most ultrarunners do and riddled the mountain sides with trash and debris. The truth is, age is irrelevant, it's what's on the inside that determines the outcome of ultrarunning, it's the motives of an individual. I think it's our responsibilty as the experienced UR's to educate, come along side of, and set examples for the new ultra community of Ultra Etiquitte/Respect. So lets not let these minuscule details distract and deter us but lets use this nearing reality to reflect on our personal motives and help others achieve the peace and respect we all are acquainted with every time we set foot on the trail.
actually 2nd fastest growing sport in the US. first….stand up paddleboarding, yup, you heard it right
KenZ February 19, 2013 at 7:24 am
Quick… someone lock up http://www.ipaddlefar.com
CJ February 19, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Nice Ken :-)
Patrick McKenna February 20, 2013 at 3:30 am
The elites have been very kind to me in person, and have even taken the time to respond to every e-mail question I've ever sent them. Olson, Koerer^2, AJW, Karl, Bryon, Benna^2, Rivers^2, Maravilla, CW Smith, etc…
..Koerner.. (sp)


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Home » News » Indie MMO News
Category: Indie MMO News
Indie MMOs are 'independent massively multiplayer online games' that are commonly created by individuals or small teams of video game developers, often without financial support from well-known publishers. Find a new Indie MMO to play on our Indie MMOs page.
Legends of Aria Aims For Open Beta In June & Early Access In July
April 27, 2018 Nocturne Leave a comment
Indie developer Citadel Studios has updated their roadmap and announced that the plan so far for their upcoming sandbox MMORPG Legends of Aria is to move onto open beta in June. Early Access will begin in July and will include the Final Wipe of Legends of Aria. At which point those who backed the game as Kickstarters and Founders will begin their one week headstart and the land rush will begin. The Early Access will not be available on the Steam platform.
A specified month or date for the final Steam launch or big market push is not on the roadmap yet, but their target for that phase is this coming Autumn. That is still an impressive timeline if they release fully in Autumn considering that Legends of Aria's Closed Beta was only a few months ago in January.
Wild West Online Steam Launch On May 10 With Defined Conflict Faction PvP Changes
Wild West Online, the upcoming open-world MMORPG where players roam the untamed and often lawless lands of the American Wild West is finally leaving Early Access and will fully launch on Steam on May 10, 2018.
Wild West Online developer, 612 Games states that the live launch will include the addition of a rival faction global conflict to the world, major PvP events in the open world, more PvE missions and side events. Based on feedback from early alpha tests, the developers have given more structure to the PvP aspects of the game. The rival faction global conflict aims to provide a non-restricted open-world PvP with a defined conflict, so the experience isn't just players gunning everything down in their paths. More and improved side activities will be seen in the launch version and in updates to come.
Fractured MMO Releases First Pre-Alpha Gameplay Video & Aims For Kickstarter On June 1st
The Italian indie development startup Dynamight Studios is nearly ready to start their crowd-funding campaign for Fractured, the upcoming class-less isometric MMORPG with a fully interactable open sandbox environment. Their long-planned Kickstarter campaign will start on June 1, 2018. Just last month, they have also managed to raise over $100,000 from private investors to fund the development of the game.
In preparation, the team has shared Fractured's first pre-alpha gameplay video as seen below. This is the product of the work of a 7 person team with SpatialOS and Unity.
Camelot Unchained Prepares For July Closed Beta, Teases With New In-game Screenshots
April 23, 2018 Nocturne 2 comments
City State Entertainment, the developers of the upcoming MMORPG Camelot Unchained has given another new insight into what we can expect to see in the closed beta of Camelot Unchained on July 4th of this year. The team is well occupied with mountains of development hurdles that are being solved daily in preparation for the coming testing phase. While there was no weekend backer test this week, lots of work on item-de-cluttering, the UI Subsystem, VFX, Character Creation Renders, Traits Design and Animations were achieved and will all need to be tested in more weekend backer tests.
Correction: Camelot Unchained will go into Closed Beta, not Open Beta on July 4th.
Arcfall Will Be Free-To-Play On April 6 – Major Game Changes
April 2, 2018 Nocturne One comment
Arcfall is an isometric sandbox MMORPG that currently has a purchasable pre-alpha build available on Steam. The game's indie developers Neojac Entertainment has announced that the game will be leaving its buy-to-play model and switching to free-to-play in its next major update on April 6, 2018. Game currency will be given to Arcfall's founders as a form of compensation.
While we've got other MMOs like Wild Terra giving free trials during the recent holidays, Arcfall looks to be staying with a free-to-play business model even when it leave its alpha.
Wild Terra Is Free-To-Try Through April 3rd For European Players
April 1, 2018 Nocturne Leave a comment
In celebration of the holidays, Wild Terra, the sandbox open world multiplayer RPG is allowing all players from European regions to freely play on one of its European servers. Granted, this only allows you to try the game's test client. You will still need to purchase the game to access the live servers and live client. During this time, a 30% discount has been made available.
Ashes of Creation Will Be At PAX East With Playable Alpha Build & Brand New Cosmetics
March 31, 2018 Nocturne Leave a comment
The indie developer Intrepid Studios will be attending PAX East in Boston and allowing players to experience Ashes of Creation's alpha zero build. Similar to the PAX West booth, players will be playing in guided tours across various terrains that are likely different from the areas that were available in PAX West.
For those not able to attend, Intrepid Studios will be streaming live on their Twitch channel from 11am to 4pm EST on a daily basis throughout the entirety of the event (April 5 – 8).
Chonicles of Elyria Shows Off Current Character Creation System
Soulbound Studios has just revealed and shared the first iteration of the character creation process in the currently in-development indie MMORPG Chronicles of Elyria. They've showed an in-depth look at different parts of the character creator and explained many important and unique features that the game offers, like the effects of a character's birth date.
There's definitely a lot that other developers can learn from Soulbound Studio's take of varying character races and uniqueness of the character creation process. Watch the Twitch stream below to see all the varieties of their character creator for yourself.
Project: Gorgon Open Beta On Steam Receives Very Positive Reviews
Earlier this week, Elder Games Studio launched the open beta of Project: Gorgon on Steam on March 12, 2018. The game is known for staying true to classic gameplay experience, having little to no training wheels or hand-holding, as well as adult content and humorous quests.
So far the reviews are at the Very Positive level with most pros including the old school gameplay vibes, class-less progression, extensive crafting and adult humor. The cons are overwhelmingly about the graphics being outdated, but also lots of mentions of the $40 pricing being too high for what the game has to offer. Take into consideration that players have only had less than a week to play the game, so we will keep an eye and see how the ratings evolve. Keep an eye out as we will be doing an extensive review of Project: Gorgon's open beta as well!
Blue Protocol Is Bandai Namco's Online Action RPG In Development For PC
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Astellia Online Prepares For English Closed Beta Testing On June 25th
Moonlight Sculptor Is XLGames' Next Open-world MMORPG In Development
Upcoming MMOs Release Schedules

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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• Nicotine is an extremely toxic substance. Its extraction, storage and use in e-liquid pose a significant risk to the user and anyone who might come into contact with it.
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text:
Monteils (Aveyron)
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Johnson holds off strong field to win second 800 title
Ricardo Arguello
LA CROSSE — Few athletes get a chance to win an individual championship at the WIAA state track. Even fewer become multiple winners.
Clintonville's Allison Johnson is able to put herself in that select latter company after winning the Division 2 state championship in the girls' 800 run on Friday at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Johnson finished with a time of 2 minutes, 12.72 seconds, just a second-and-a-half ahead of Dodge/Mineral Point's Mary Hanson, who took second (2:13.23).
Freedom's Lauren Peters was third (2:15.51) and Rebecca Van Thiel of Brillion also made the medal stand with a sixth-place time of 2:16.98.
Johnson's confidence was evident as she held off the solid group of runners, especially in the final 200 meters where she made sure her kick outlasted Peters and Hanson.
Hanson, a senior, also finished second to Johnson last season.
"I was really comfortable with the girls behind Mary Hanson because they were all in my sectional," Johnson said. "So I was really focused on Hanson, the girl next to me because I knew she was going to push me to run my best time and I was just really looking forward to racing with her. I'm glad I raced with her because it gave us both really great times."
Johnson said winning the title last year helped quell some of her nerves on Friday.
"I was really super nervous last year because I was only a junior," she said. "So now I'm really happy that I came out of high school as the state champ again."
Peters, who also qualified for the 400 finals on Saturday, said she was pleased with how she performed.
"I'm happy with my race and I'm happy I could seal off third place," Peters said. "And running against Allie is incredible. She's the best. So it's just cool and a cool experience to run against her. I was happy to make it here."
Clintonville assistant track coach/distance Stacy Hohn said she was "extremely satisfied" with Johnson being able to repeat as a state champ.
"She had the potential in her and I believe she has a lot more in her yet," Hohn said. "From her sophomore year to now, she didn't have that confidence that she has now. She's confident to go out there and take the lead right away in the race and do what she needs to do."
Johnson says it was an interesting week leading to the state meet. She will be heading to Winona State this coming fall to compete in track.
"All my teachers and stuff were like 'I can't wait for you to get back and show us your medal' and I'm like 'I didn't win yet,' " Johnson said. "So I was so nervous but I had so much support and awesome friends and awesome family behind me. There wasn't so much pressure behind me, I just knew I had to go run what I could and I knew I could do it."
--Ricardo Arguello: 920-993-1000, ext. 558, orrarguello@postcrescent.com; on Twitter@PCRicardo


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Dedicated to helping clients find a commercial property solution that meets his/her requirements.
Because property is one of the most valuable assets you will own today, it is always wise to call on a professional when wanting to trade with any kind of property you own. Whether you are thinking about renting, selling or buying, the local estate agents in Wynberg know exactly what they are doing, and will ease the stress and frustration that comes with the paperwork and proceedings when buying or selling property.
As professional realtors, estate agents work in close connection with other related industries, such as banks, mortgage brokers and property solicitors, in order to simplify the process and ensure the successful sale or purchase of a property. Any transaction handled by the expert estate agents in Wynberg will proceed at a faster, more efficient speed and will also adhere to all legislation surrounding property in South Africa. Being such a popular green town, there are numerous local estate agents in Wynberg who can help you, whether you are looking to invest in a holiday apartment or a family home – they are more than happy and able to assist!
Realtors and estate agents work closely with their clients, and will listen to your housing or commercial property needs, and take you to properties that suit your precise requirements. To make your life just that little bit easier, why not browse through the listings below to find the perfect estate agent in Wynberg for your needs?


text:
package internal.org.springframework.content.rest.support;

import org.springframework.data.repository.CrudRepository;

public interface TestEntity9Repository extends CrudRepository<TestEntity9, Long> {}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
REACH RISK HOME
About REACH RISK
Principle Scientists
Laboratory Toxicity Testing
Ecological Risk Assessment
LR Shugart & Associates
Dr. Lee R. Shugart
L.R. Shugart & Associates
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-5564 USA
E-mail: lrshugart@nuvox.net
1965, Ph.D. – Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
1962, M.S. – Biochemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
1951, B.S. - Chemistry, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
Dr. Shugart is president of LR Shugart & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm established in 1995 to provide the scientific community knowledge and expertise in genetic ecotoxicology, a rapidly developing discipline in the environmental sciences arena. In addition he is an adjunct Associate Professor of both the University of Tennessee's Center of Environmental Biotechnology and The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. From 1965 through 1996 he was a Senior Research Staff Member and Group Leader in the Environmental Sciences Division at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he was involved with biological monitoring activities associated with environmental remediation and restoration. Dr. Shugart's professional training is in biochemistry and his research interests are concerned with elucidating the cellular mechanisms of environmental genotoxicants. He is considered an established authority on the use of the Biomarker Approach for evaluating the effects of contaminants on the health of environmental species and has conducted extensive research on the chemical modification of macromolecules by environmental contaminants on fish, rodents, and humans. His studies have focused on the development of new methodologies for quantifying the interaction of genotoxicants with DNA and proteins and he has published over one hundred articles in the peer-reviewed, scientific literature on such topics as protein biosynthesis, mechanisms of enzyme action, nucleic acid biochemistry, and the effect of genotoxicants on living organisms. He is the current and founding Editor-in-Chief of the international scientific journal Ecotoxicology, a member of the editorial board of Biomarkers and an Associate Editor for the 2nd edition of the Encyclopedia of Toxicology. He has serves as a Consultant to the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and as a Scientific Assistant to the Deputy Assistant To Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Matters/Counter Proliferation. Dr. Shugart served as a Line Officer in the U.S. Navy and is a veteran of the Korean Conflict.
Professional Affiliations:
American Chemical Society, 1962
Sigma Xi, 1965
American Society of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 1972
Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, 1987
Selected Publications: (Books and Book Chapters)
Shugart, L.R., C.W. Theodorakis, A.M. Bickham and J.W. Bickham. Chapter 41. Genetic effects of contaminant exposure and potential impacts on animal populations. In: Handbook of Ecotoxicology, 2nd ed., D.J. Hoffman, G.A. Rattner, G.A. Burton, Jr., and J Cairns, Jr., Eds. CRC Press, 2003, pp1129-1148.
Peakall, D.B. and L.R. Shugart. Biomarkers. In: Encyclopedia of Environmental Analysis and Remediation, R.A. Meyers, Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1998, pp. 732-755.
Theodorakis, C.W., and L.R. Shugart. Chapter 7. Natural Selection in Contaminated Environments: A Case Study Using RAPD Genotypes. In: Genetics and Ecotoxicology, Forbes, V.E., Ed., Taylor & Francis Publishers, Philadelphia, 1998, pp. 123-149.
Shugart, L.R. Chapter 11. Application of the Alkaline Unwinding Assay to Detect Strand Breaks in Aquatic Species. In: Techniques in Aquatic Toxicology, G.K. Ostrander, Ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1996, pp 205-218
Prospectus:
Southeast Environmental Research Center
Site hosted by L.R. Shugart & Associates, Inc.
Last Modified: Friday, September 12, 2008 2:50 PM


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Mana news: Volitility & Charts Shows Token Up 11% Last 24 Hours | Predicted to Reach $10+ by 2023
February 15, 2022 1 min read
Decentraland (Mana) is one of the most popular metaverses. It's native token MANA gained 11% in the last 24 hours. If you want to know more about it, whether it's a valuable investment and the best places to buy it, you've come to the right place.
Top places to buy Decentraland now
Binance.us has grown exponentially since it was founded in 2017 and is now one of, if not the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges on the market. MANA has seen steady growth over the last few years, pointing to the reality of the Metaverse platform.
The general idea is to acquire MANA through various means and then go to the marketplace and use your MANA to buy things. The easiest way to get MANA is to buy it. Go to your profile, click the plus symbol, and purchase MANA using traditional currency or swap another cryptocurrency.
The next most effortless way to get MANA is through play-to-earn games. There are casinos within the virtual Decentraland environment as well as mini-games. There are even quests, too. If you don't want to sink any of your money into Decentraland, you can invest your time instead.
Buy MANA with Binance today
Decentraland is a virtual reality platform powered by the Ethereum blockchain that allows users to create, experience, and monetize content and applications. It launched after a $24 million initial coin offering in 2017.
In this virtual world, users purchase plots of land that they can later navigate, build upon and monetize. They can create all kinds of experiences on their parcels of LAND, including interactive games, sprawling 3D scenes, and more.
Decentraland is one of the growing projects to use a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) structure for governance decisions.
As a result, MANA token holders control how the Decentraland world behaves. They propose and vote on policy updates, the specifics of upcoming LAND auctions, and the types of content allowed with the metaverse.
Should I Buy MANA today? MANA Price Prediction
Decentraland's token's value depends on the popularity of the game. Any shift in interest will reflect on the price.
Coin Price Forecast is optimistic about MANA's price. They predict Decentraland's token will trade for $6.68 by the end of 2022, up from $3.05 at present. In mid-2023, it will be worth $8.68 and $10.63 by the end of the year.
By 2024, its price will have gone up to $12.54. 1 MANA will trade for $14.42 at the end of the year, representing an upside of +371%.
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Unvaccinated, Homebound and Now Hospitalized With Covid in New York City
Fred Mogul
Dr. Leora Horwitz treats fewer and fewer covid patients at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. Still, she thinks there are too many.
And they almost all have something in common.
"I've only had one patient who was vaccinated, and he was being treated for cancer with chemotherapy," she said, reflecting recent research on the vaccines' limited effectiveness for cancer patients. "Everyone else hasn't been vaccinated."
While taking care of those seriously ill with covid, she asks patients, with sympathy and respect: Why not get vaccinated? A few of them told the internist and hospital researcher that they're concerned about vaccine safety. But mainly, she said, the responses break down into two groups: One comprises people who have been planning to get vaccinated but didn't get around to it yet. The second highlights a disturbing deficiency in the pandemic response: those eager to get vaccinated but unable to do so because they are homebound.
"For many of the older people, the people with chronic diseases, it's been very difficult for them to get out and get the vaccine," she said. And, since many such patients receive home visits from health care providers, she wonders why the vaccine wasn't brought to them.
"They're already connected to a health care organization that's coming to their home on a regular basis. It seems like that should be a strategy we should be using," said Horwitz.
Doctors in Denver, Cleveland and other cities have noted the same trend: The covid wards are filled with unvaccinated people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 76% of Americans ages 65 and older have been fully vaccinated, and about 87% have had at least one dose. Cities and states have slowly been rolling out programs to reach some of the nation's estimated 4 million homebound Americans, but the programs tend to have modest goals and target only a fraction of the people who likely need outreach.
To boost the financial incentives for vaccinating people in their homes, Medicare announced Wednesday it will be reimbursing shots delivered this way at $75 per shot instead of $40 per shot.
New York City in March launched a program for reaching the homebound by working with housing agencies, private health care providers, the city's Department for the Aging and teams of nurses from the Fire Department. By the second week in June, the program had reached 11,000 people, according to a City Hall spokesperson.
Horwitz and others say the city's program for reaching these people appears to be working, but not as quickly and efficiently as possible.
For instance, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, one of the area's largest home care providers, has a contract with the city to vaccinate people in Queens. Anyone homebound in Queens is eligible, whether they're a VNS client or not. But if you're in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island or the Bronx and get home care from VNS, it won't help you get vaccinated. You then must go through the central bureaucracy and get assigned to one of the other providers contracted to work in your area.
"The city and the providers we use are the primary entity for homebound vaccinations in the city," said Avery Cohen, a spokesperson for the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio. "This is a time-consuming and intricate operation, and we're doing our best to reach as many people as quickly as we can."
A spokesperson for the Visiting Nurse Service said that over the past 10 weeks its teams of nurses had administered 2,600 doses and vaccinated 1,700 Queens residents. The contract runs through the beginning of July.
About 75% of city residents 65 and up are partially or fully vaccinated, according to the city's vaccine dashboard. That's about 10 points lower than the national average. It's difficult to say how many of the remaining 25% are homebound, but advocates say it's surely many times larger than the 23,000 people the city is targeting in its homebound vaccination effort.
Defining and counting the "homebound" is problematic. Laird Gallagher, from the Center for an Urban Future, said there are 141,000 people 60 and older who live alone and report ambulatory difficulty in New York City. Susan Dooha, with the Center for Independence of the Disabled, using a broader standard for disability, estimates there are 422,000 city residents age 65 and up who are either fully homebound or significantly impaired, including 262,000 who are at least 75.
She said the city should cast a broader net in defining the homebound and then create a network of public and private care providers to meet the vaccination needs of this population. Some who remain unvaccinated despite a desire to get a shot may tend to some needs on their own. But they may be cognitively impaired and lack the organizational wherewithal to find a shot, Horwitz said.
After raising the issue for much of the past six months, Dooha was glad the mayor announced a program but was immediately dismayed by its boundaries. "I kept asking, What are the criteria?'" she recalled. "Under the [Americans with Disabilities Act], if you need a home visit — you don't have to be absolutely homebound by a disability — you deserve an accommodation."
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who sits on a panel overseeing the vaccine rollout in Manhattan, said she has not been able to get a straight answer from the city about how it defines "homebound" and then decides who gets targeted for home visits for vaccines.
"There's been a lot of back-and-forth and confusion," Brewer said. "It's like, 'Am I homebound if I go downstairs to get my mail, but don't go out?' The real issue is transparency, and we don't know what the rules are, and we don't have any data."
Dr. Zenobia Brown, a physician and executive with Northwell Health, the state's largest hospital network, anticipates a difficult slog getting the remaining New Yorkers vaccinated.
"What we find is that there's not a single barrier, or even a simple set of barriers," Brown said. "We're to the point where this is hand-to-hand combat, to understand what the individual barriers are and then create solutions for them."
NYC Delta COVID Wave Sends Relatively Few to Hospitals So Far
As delta variant spreads, New York City ramps up vaccination efforts among students
For instance, the parents of a 22-year-old man with autism wanted to get their son vaccinated, but due to very fixed routines could make him available only at limited times. Another patient, in his 90s, didn't want to trouble anyone to come to his sixth-floor walk-up apartment.
Robert Janz, 88, and his wife, Jennifer Kotter, 68, weren't shy about seeking help. As soon as city plans were announced to serve the homebound, Kotter tried to get an appointment for her husband, an artist and a poet who's bedridden due to what she describes as a "series of small medical failures," including back injuries from falling.
It took months before she could book her husband's vaccination — even though caregivers already come frequently to their fourth-floor walk-up apartment in Manhattan. One of them gave Kotter a phone number to call, which led to another phone number and then another, until she finally succeeded. On June 1, a nurse and an EMT arrived together and gave Janz the Johnson & Johnson single-injection vaccine.
Kotter has come to expect such delays as a caregiver. "When you're caring for a patient, you have to be patient," she said.
KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.
This story can be republished for free (details).
Subscribe to KHN's free Morning Briefing.
More from the Roosevelt Island Daily
Coronavirus, COVID Vaccine, COVID-19, Kaiser Health News, New York City
Is it expensive living on Roosevelt Island? Not when you know where to look
Roosevelt Island's Last Chance Canadian Geese Sanctuary


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Home Entertainment New work models: Hybrid workplaces drive hybrid cloud adoption
New work models: Hybrid workplaces drive hybrid cloud adoption
The business and consumer landscapes have evolved tremendously over the last two years, ranging from the way consumers interact with businesses, to how organisations manage operations and deliver value in today's remote environment. We have witnessed an acceleration in the adoption of new-age technologies, a result of increased demand by businesses prioritising streamlined operations, better speed to market, and seamless digital experiences for customers. Additionally, this has led to an increased focus on a robust IT infrastructure.
According to Gartner estimates, worldwide IT spending is projected to grow to $4.5 trillion in 2022, a 5.5% increase from 2021—said to be the highest YoY growth in the last decade. "Moving forward in 2022, we will continue to see an accelerated rate of digitisation and virtualisation of business and society; and as digital continues to gain momentum, one of the most impacted sectors will be the hybrid workplace," says Sumir Bhatia, president – APAC, Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG).
According to the LinkedIn Future of Work Survey, 86% of Indian professionals believe that the hybrid work model will provide them with an opportunity to strike a balance between their professional and personal lives. Such flexibility in working, innovating, and collaborating from anywhere and on your own appropriate time is on the horizon of digital transformation. "The hybrid workplace is poised to be the next big disruption. Hence, it will be important for CXOs and ITDMs to strengthen their IT infrastructure to enable unified experiences that positively impact a business and its workforce. For a seamless transition to a hybrid work model, CXOs will need to ensure that businesses have flexibility, on-demand support, and customisable solutions across the organisation. More importantly, it will be important for CXOs to strengthen their IT infrastructure to enable these seamless digital workplace experiences." says Bhatia.
Such a unified experience in a hybrid work model commands an infrastructure that can seamlessly manage data, applications, and workloads between connected computing environments—hybrid cloud will provide businesses with this opportunity. "A hybrid cloud approach enables businesses to combine several strengths and reduce complexities such as legacy system modernisation, limited IT management support, capital expenditure implications, etc., to further deliver an optimum experience," he adds.
Furthermore, Bhatia outlines how hybrid cloud will help businesses in 2022:
Flexibility: Deployment of hybrid cloud will only accelerate workflows, strengthen workforce collaboration, and improve budget flexibility for further infrastructural investments. Such flexibility is known to improve efficiency, lower costs, and enhance business agility.
Interoperability: Hybrid cloud strategy offers interoperability across on-site and cloud infrastructure making work environments more reliable through multiple deployments and backups that continue providing accessibility in case of obstacles.
Resource Optimisation: A hybrid cloud strategy can help businesses continue leveraging their existing legacy systems by making their system and data accessible in the cloud through hybrid integration.
Security: According to a new report, 99% of Indians moved to use varied combinations of hybrid cloud amid the rise of cyberattacks. With hybrid cloud, organisations will be able to enhance data protection and security to de-risk businesses by helping mitigate security-related challenges attributed to cybercriminal activities.
Scalability: Hybrid cloud adoption will ensure business scalability by opening doors to access unlimited resources to grow operations and infrastructure while capitalising on and integrating with existing infrastructure, thereby enabling cost-effectiveness.
In conclusion, Bhatia expresses that as the world continues to undergo rapid digital transformation, the potential for India to become one of the leading digital players is both exciting and believable. "India Inc's overall focus will be to integrate digital technology within businesses and the society to make a significant impact on future digital world trends. As we see businesses striving to grow themselves in a digital economy that is bouncing back, we believe that in 2022 enterprises will increasingly focus on implementing technological solutions such as hybrid cloud for better business growth in a hybrid workplace; and the role of IT infrastructure solutions will be crucial in enabling these organisations to achieve their business goals," he adds.
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Hi Victor, Ice maker water lines are one of the easiest plumbing lines to run, the line is very small and it is somewhat flexible. The main water line comes into a slab home in the slab, and will come out of the slab in a location such as where the water heater is located. From that point on, the water lines are usually in the walls, and sometimes above the ceiling. There are places where they are exposed, such as under the kitchen sink, at the dishwasher, or under restroom vanities.
If your refrigerator is on the same wall as your kitchen sink, or backs up to a wall where there is a bathroom vanity on the opposite side, running the line can be very easy. Ice maker line kits are usually available at home improvement stores. Even if your refrigerator is not located in an easy area, the ice maker plumbing can be pretty simple. There should be water lines in a kitchen wall close by, and a plumbing contractor can locate them. An experienced plumbing contractor should be able to fish the flexible ice maker line up the wall and across the ceiling to the supply line with a minimum of sheetrock damage. If they do run it above your ceiling, and you live in a one story home, make sure the attic insulation covers the line. It occasionally gets below freezing in Panama City, Florida, and you don't want a frozen ice maker line.
Even if your refrigerator is in a location where you can easily access a water supply line at the dishwasher or kitchen sink, I recommend you get a plumbing contractor to do the hook up, unless you have a lot of plumbing experience. You don't want to return from vacation to find water running out of your house from an ice maker line that leaked.


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The 4 Most Extraordinary Diamond Heists
Diamond heists are intriguing. Compared to other crimes, they involve a higher level of prowess, more intricate planning and carefully refined skills which leaves many of them unsolved for decades. Below you will find 4 extraordinary diamond heists which have marked history.
1. November 26, 1983 in London, United Kingdom
A gunshot rang out and Brian Perry slumped lifeless to the ground. He and more than 20 other people died from what some people call the "Curse of Brinks-Mat".
The curse began when Anthony Black a security guard for Brinks-Mat Security Company conspired with several other men to at a Brinks-Mat warehouse. The heist was simple. Anthony opened the door for his gang, they tied up the other security guards and loaded a van with $36 million dollars' worth of diamonds, cash and gold bullion.
In the following months, the police arrested several of the men and recovered part of the gold. The curse then began to take effect. Over the next two decades many of were killed. Their murderers were never found and the diamonds, cash and almost $14 million dollars' worth of gold were never recovered.
2. February 16, 2003 in Antwerp, Belgium
It was a cold Sunday morning. Snow crunched under the policemen's feet as they hurried to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. Inside ringing alarms and broken locks informed them that the Centre's vault had been the scene of the century's largest diamond heist.
Everything was normal in the months leading up to the heist. An Italian diamond broker rented an office on an upper floor at the Centre, but he seemed respectable. No one suspected that he was planning to outsmart the intricate security sensors and locks that protected the vault in the basement. From February 15-16th, he and several accomplices executed their plans flawlessly and made off with diamonds and other gems valued at more than $100 million dollars.
Authorities eventually uncovered DNA linking Leonardo Notarbartolo, the Italian diamond broker, to the heist, but his accomplices and the diamonds were never found.
3. March 5, 2004 in Tokyo, Japan
She was beautiful, well-dressed and she was just the type of woman that you would expect to wear diamonds – even the exquisite 116 diamond Comtesse de Vendôme necklace.
In reality, though, she was in Tokyo's Le Supre-Diamant Couture de Maki jewellery boutique not to buy diamonds, but to memorize the layout of the store and help steal them. Days later she kept watch while her two Serbian counterparts entered the store in broad daylight, immobilized the staff and less than a minute later left with the Comtesse de Vendôme which is worth $31 million dollars.
Tokyo police partnered with Interpol and after a long investigation caught the criminals. Evidence suggests that they were part of an international theft ring called the Pink Panthers. The Comtesse was never found. Most likely its diamonds, including the 125-carat center diamond, were re-cut and sold.
4. July 28, 2013 in Cannes, France
In May 2013 the Film Festival enlivened the city of Cannes. Film directors and musicians, as well as actors and actresses walked the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. Many of them wore diamonds.
All too soon the festival ended, but the brilliance and fire was not gone from the city for long. Two months later the Carlton Intercontinental hotel hosted an exhibition of stunning diamonds organized by the distinguished Leviev diamond manufacturers. The exhibition received many visitors, including a thief who arrived in the middle of the day. With his face concealed by a scarf, the thief used a handgun to dominate the guards and then left with 72 pieces of diamond jewellery valued at $127 million dollars.
A few days later, the insurer offered a reward for information leading to the whereabouts of the jewellery. The police also did their part to solve the crime by organizing an intensive manhunt, but the thief and the diamonds were never found. Local rumors suggested that Milan Poparic, a renown jewellery thief who had recently escaped from prison was the perpetrator, but this was never proven.
Advances in Security Technology
Every time a diamond heist takes place, security companies take the opportunity to study it and improve their own technology. Here are four important security advances that are keeping diamonds safer than ever:
Biometric Safes – These state-of-the-art safes can only be opened with fingerprint recognition. This makes them especially secure and convenient, since there's no need to carry a key orremember a combination
Relocking Devices – As if sophisticated locks weren't enough, the best security companies are also building more sensitive relocking devices into their safes. These mechanisms relock the safe at the slightest hint of danger.
Ultra-Sensitive Sensors – Vaults often include infrared and ultrasonic motion detectors, as well as seismic sensors which measure vibrations in the vault and its environment. As technology progresses, these sensors are able to detect abnormalities more quickly and alert the security centre or owner faster.
Wireless Technology – Years ago, thieves could break into a safe or vault by simply cutting the right wires. Modern security systems with their surveillance cameras and sensors are usually wireless. This makes it harder for them to be tampered with and allows them to be controlled and monitored from a security centre, personal computer or even a smartphone.
Security advances such as these go a long way towards preventing diamond heists nowadays.


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Home invasion suspects leave ID, wallet at the scene
By: Melissa Hudson Facebook | Twitter
Posted: Jul 30, 2018 1:19 PM EST
Robert Baker (L) Delron Patterson (R)
One of the suspects in a home invasion on Illinois Street became a person of interest when his ID card was found outside the home and he showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound, according to police. A short time later a second suspect's wallet with ID was found at the scene, police said.
South Bend Police were called to a home on Illinois Street on July 23 to investigate a home invasion and shots fired.
The victim told police two men entered through a closed front screen door with their guns drawn and said to, "Give [them] his [expletive deleted]."
After the victim raised his hands and dropped to the ground, several gunshots went off, reports said.
The victim crawled to the kitchen and his girlfriend returned fire.
The victim's girlfriend told police she believed she shot one of the suspects.
During the investigation, officers found an ID card near a white vehicle parked outside the home. The name on the ID was Robert Baker.
A few minutes later Baker showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound, reports said.
Baker spoke with police after being released from the hospital.
He said he and Delron Patterson went to the home on Illinois with guns to take marijuana from the residents, according to the probable cause affidavit.
During the investigation, the wallet with an ID card belonging to Patterson was found in the rear of the residence, according to reports.
Patterson has been charged with attempted armed robbery. Baker has been charged with armed robbery.
Patterson was arraigned on Monday. Baker will have an initial hearing on August 1.


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Ron Gutman
All Hands on Deck to Protect against Coronavirus
Managing Personal Risk by Understanding the Threat
One of the most fascinating conversations during our recent Live Long & Flourish (LL&F Club) event at Stanford University last week was on Coronavirus. Dr. Gary Schoolnik, a Stanford Professor emeritus of infectious disease (who's working recently on the rapid development of diagnostic tools and antivirals for the threatening Coronavirus and following the topic closely with his colleagues at Fudan University and with the Shanghai CDC) shared insights about the virus, its trajectory, and the magnitude of its threat. With a very engaged group of Club members we also discussed a bunch of science backed Healthy Hacks⁺ that can help members and people everywhere avoid the Coronavirus. To shed some light on the global view of the threat, Dr. David Katzenstein, another Stanford Professor emeritus of infectious disease, joined our conversation by video from Zimbabwe, and Dr. Ziad Khatib, an Epidemiologist and Associate Professor of global health at the Karolinska Institute, joined from Vienna.
Dr. Schoolnik started his presentation by telling us that the new Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) likely originated from bats and that the first human infections can be traced to the exotic animal market in Wuhan.
Researchers are testing the assertion that there was another animal host that the bats infected that transmitted the virus to humans (likely the Pangolin). Once people are infected (now mostly by other people), Coronavirus typically manifests in a runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, and fever. Dr. Schoolnik shared with us that in average, for every 100 people who are infected, about 80 of them experience mild respiratory infections, 15 of them are sick enough to be hospitalized and 5 of them need to be admitted to the ICU. If you're curious to learn more, here's what Coronavirus does to the body.
According to an Online tracker by John Hopkins CSSE (data compiled from WHO, CDC, ECDC, NHC and DXY) the number of people infected with the 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is more than 71,902. The death toll is more than 1,775, and the number of patients who recovered is now more than 11,396 (as of 02/15/2020). Interestingly, a modeling study published in The Lancet on February 3rd estimated that up to 75,800 individuals in the Chinese city of Wuhan alone may have been infected as early as January 25th. Dr. Schoolnik explained that based on data from previous epidemics, for every one documented case there are approximately 10 undocumented cases, therefore the actual number of people carrying the Coronavirus in China right now is likely to be around half a million people.
Click for LIVE dashboard
We also learned that (non-surprisingly), the Coronavirus is spreading, how shall we say… virally… The spread of the virus is quite rapid: every individual infected infects on average ~2.5 other individuals (which is a much higher rate than the spread of influenza for example, where the infection rate is only ~1.1.)
A precise estimate of the fatality rate is very hard to calculate at present. However, according to the available data, the worldwide fatality rate of Coronavirus ranges between 2% (according to the WHO) and 15%. Even according to the more aggressive approach, the fatality rate outside of Mainland China is only 3.5%. The first fatality from the coronavirus in Europe was recently reported in France and the first case of an infected individual in Africa was reported in Egypt.
To put things in perspective here are some numbers from previous epidemics:
What's Really Done to Tackle the Spread?
According to Dr. Schoolnik it seems that the Chinese authorities are doing a lot of work and investing heavily in the containment of the disease. In addition, LL&F Club members agreed that it would be good to have all the best experts/expertise, regardless of country of their origin, come together to find the best solutions. Global collaboration on the ground close to where the epicenter of the epidemic is, as well as remote collaboration, will help China and the world stop the spreading faster.
Also, it was clear in the conversation that there's a dire need for more rapid and more accurate diagnosis of the disease, as well as the development of new curative and preventive solutions. Dr. Schoolnik told us that Gilead Pharmaceuticals has developed two compounds that can help fight HIV and may be repurposed to battle Coronavirus as well. Johnson & Johnson is also conducting a major effort to create a vaccine (and so is Moderna and another dozen smaller pharmaceutical and biotech companies who have engaged in a similar effort since January.) J&J expects this process will more closely resemble its response to the Zika virus, which took one year between initiation and beginning human trials, than its response to Ebola, which took six months.
Dr. David Katzenstein, who joined our LL&F Club event by video livestream from Zimbabwe shared with us that the scientific and medical communities are very concerned about the potential spread of Coronavirus into Africa and to India. Dr. Katzenstein mentioned a press conference last week where the WHO declared the 2019-nCoV as a global health emergency. The WHO cited not only what's happening in China, but also it's serious concern that the virus is spreading to countries with ill-prepared, "weak" health systems.
It might be controversial, but it appears that the heavy-handed Chinese response has somewhat limited the spread of the disease. In contrast, at that aforementioned press conference, the WHO expressed its concern of the disease spreading to countries like India and Africa, which are quite unprepared to contain a potential spread. This concern has certainly contributed to the WHO's decision to declare them as A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
What Can I/You/We Do?
In the vibrant conversation we had during the event at Stanford after the experts shared their opinions many LL&F Club members were interested to know what can be done on an individual level to try and avoid the Coronavirus. Dr. Schoolnik had addressed some of it in the conversation when he shared a few Healthy Hacks+ including the importance of disinfecting surfaces that multiple people touch (Healthy Hack+ #1), and regular (thorough) handwashing, and not merely using disinfectant gels like Purel etc. (Healthy Hack+ #2.) Apparently, there's some debate about the efficacy of hand sanitizers, which fits well with our LL&F culture, and caused us to park this topic for now and revisit it in one of our upcoming events.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends a few important Healthy Hacks⁺ everyone should consider in preventing the spread of Coronavirus and other viral epidemics:
Covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing (Healthy Hacks⁺ #3)
Thoroughly cooking meat and eggs (Healthy Hack⁺ #4)
Avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing" (Healthy Hack⁺ #5)
Dr. Ziad Khatib who joined our video livestream from Vienna mentioned that an early cluster of Coronavirus infection in Europe (Germany) was apparently transmitted by a Chinese traveler from Shanghai who flew in from the Mainland for a meeting and appeared to be asymptomatic (but it was clarified later that she actually was symptomatic, and the researchers had not spoken to her. However they did eventually send a clarification message to the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) to correct this information.)
Although there isn't yet scientific evidence that asymptomatic people can transmit the Coronavirus (just like they can in the case of the flu) many experts, including Dr. Schoolnick, say it's very likely the case.
Given all of that, and the fact that Risk Management is an important Pillar of the LL&F Club, it's worth taking a more in-depth look into additional scientifically proven Healthy Hacks⁺ that we're happy to share with you here:
To explain further Healthy Hack⁺ #2, it's recommended to wash hands for at least 20 seconds in order to fully rid your skin of germs (it's also quite fun to discover the science behind washing hands published here by the CDC.) In addition, the CDC advises to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Can wearing a regular surgical mask protect from the Coronavirus? According to Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious-disease specialist at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee the answer is "no"! And he's not the only one thinking that way. However, the more robust N95 respirator may be more effective in protecting against Coronavirus (Healthy Hack⁺ #6.) But here are two things to remember:
It is very challenging to wear face masks for long periods of time, and may impose its own health risks!
Health care specialists go through annual training on how to properly fit the N95 respirator around the nose, cheeks, and chin to ensure wearers don't breathe around the edges.
And a quick backpedal to the plain surgical masks — they actually CAN protect against the common flu (influenza virus.) According to the CDC, between October 1 2019 to February 1 2020 there have been at least 12,000 flu deaths in the U.S, while there have been no deaths as a result of the coronavirus in the country. Therefore, simple math and common sense can make a case for protecting against flu by wearing a plain surgical mask where risk is higher.
Surface & Objects cleaning
Healthy Hack⁺ #5: clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. This is very easy to do, and during the conversation we had at the LL&F Club event members particularly recommended this tactic when flying in commercial airplanes and other forms of public transportation, in high turnover restaurants, and when using shopping carts.
Not all "hacks" are created equal, and we see our role at the LL&F Club as distilling the evidence based substance from the pile of unsubstantiated myth. We're happy to share a few myth busters that the WHO published about the Coronavirus:
Is it safe to receive a letter or package from China?
Yes, it is. According to the experts who joined our LL&F event the Coronavirus can only survive on a surface outside of the body for a few hours.
Can pets spread the new Coronavirus?
We talked about this at the event as well: currently, there's no evidence that pets (dogs/cats) can be infected. However, it is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. This protects you against various common bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella that can pass between pets and humans.
Can rinsing nose with saline help prevent infection?
Can gargling mouthwash protect from infection?
And, on a lighter note:
Can eating garlic / rubbing sesame oil on your body prevent infection?
It might make your body more flavorful, but the Coronavirus wouldn't really mind that…
More resources for those who want to dive deeper
The Lancet has put together a comprehensive Coronavirus Resource Centre "to assist health workers and researchers working under challenging conditions to bring this outbreak to a close."
A research paper published in Jama about the epidemiology and characteristics of the Coronavirus.
A research paper published in the NEJM by Chinese researchers about the Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China
Real-time online tracker of the spread of the coronavirus by John Hopkins CSSE
In-depth statistics by WorldOMeter on the number of infected people and the number of deaths
MORE ABOUT THE LIVE LONG & FLOURISH CLUB (LL&F)
The LL&F Club is an invite-only gathering of curious people discovering and trying the most effective and scientifically validated Healthy HACKS⁺, Motivating TRICKS* & Science MAPS^ that can help everyone flourish by living happier, healthier, and longer lives.
Like in the Homebrew Computer Club and in the Leather Apron Club, members of the LL&F Club convene regularly to learn, teach, get inspired, and have fun! Together, we're creating a database of Healthy HACKS⁺, Motivating TRICKS* & Science MAPS^ we choose to try and validate, the ones that actually work, and for whom and when they work best. Feel free to read more about our values and our credo here and let us know if you'd like to join us in living life at its healthiest best!
Live Long & Flourish!
Inventor, investor, serial technology & healthcare entrepreneur, Stanford lecturer. Constant learning smiling and caring for others help me remain an optimist
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If you look for drums for sale, you must first decide between the three options available on the market: electronic, acoustic and hybrid.
Launched for the first time in 1976, electronic drums offer more freedom of expression, allowing you to interpret a wide variety of sounds generated by different types of drums and other instruments. They also allow for the incorporation of pre-recorded segments in interpreted tracks, the addition of processing effects such as delays or reverberations. Last but not least, they also offer you the opportunity to play in any place and at any time using the headphones. So, if you plan to practice in an apartment or in any space surrounded by noise-sensitive neighbors, an electronic drum set is exactly what you need. This option is also lightweight and takes up less space than an acoustic drum set.
In these circumstances, what does the acoustic version offers you? Besides the direct way your body feels the vibrations generated by acoustic drums beat and the higher level of sound quality, if you are a beginner you must know that an acoustic drum set is the best for learning how to play. Besides, the best drummers in the world perform on this type of percussion instruments. Acoustic drums are also more affordable than electronic ones, but they are really difficult to use if you do not have access to a space where you can play without having to worry about generating too much noise.
Hybrid variants are a combination of the two basic models presented above and offer the best of both versions. You can buy them as a set with all the necessary components, or if you already have some years of experience in playing drums, you can add the electrical components to the acoustic version that you already work with.
Drums for sale – how much will you pay for them?
Although the price depends on many factors, it is safe to say that a drum set is quite expensive, so it is natural to look for sales, when you want to buy one. The internet allows you to browse through shops and offers, which is efficient to compare results and find the best deal.
Typically, you can expect to pay $200 and more when looking for drums for sale. If you purchase from an online shop situated in another corner of the country or even of the world, you should also be ready to pay a large sum of money for shipping and import fees. This sum is typically higher than the cost of the instrument itself, so you should carefully analyze your options before placing an order.
If nothing listed "for sale" satisfies your preferences, you might want to consider buying a second hand drum set. Actually, most people advise you to look for a used instrument before hurrying to buy a new, all-inclusive set. Drum kits that are set-up and go include heads, shells, hardware, sticks and other things you need, but you may soon realize that they are of poor quality both sound and construction wise. If you opt for a second hand instrument and do some searching effort, you can get a kit that sounds better, is way more resistant and also cheaper.