I don't often lose my cool.
I don't cry during movies or those gut-punch animal abuse montage videos. Sure, some people can make me super angry but those are few and they're incredibly consistent in their ability to light my angry fuse. Celebrities generally don't impress me, either — they're just people and, let's be honest, I don't like most people so I don't see why some people obsess over people they don't know. I am, unfortunately, fairly nonchalant about most things in life unless an anxiety attack is hitting.
I still enjoy things, I just don't show it. It worries Logan to no end; he's always asking if I'm enjoying myself at concerts and shows or curious if I want to leave early, even if I'm having a blast.
Today, I've been the equivalent of an ear-piercing, shrieking, pre-teen girl.
Add this to my book as FanGirl Experience #3. The Nightmare Before Christmas playing with a live orchestra and the original singing cast *including* Danny Elfman (Jack), Catherine O'Hara (Sally), and Ken Page (Oogie Boogie)!!!
My childhood is coming to life on stage! …and it's not going to be some miserable hack!
I'm sooooooo excited!!! I've been running around the house, butchering songs and spazzing out all day.
What were my other two fangirl moments?
I was the definition of deer in the headlights. I couldn't even talk to him at first. Logan had to physically drag me over to say hello when I spotted Peter S. Beagle sitting all alone. …so then, being the absolutely amazing man that he is, he just grabbed hold of my hand, and began chatting and telling me about the time he was afraid to meet HIS favorite author but he did so anyway, and how she was dead now, so he was so glad he'd always went up to say hello to her. Half an hour later, he signed my copy of The Last Unicorn (somebody tell me I'm not the only person that carries books around all the time?!) since it has been one of my favorite novels since I can remember. I'll take the chastisement since I did say hello in the end and did get to meet him, even though I was being super shy. Besides, it makes for a hilarious book inscription and a good reminder.
My second fangirl moment was also well deserved.
So well deserved that I'll even post a photo of myself from 2015. My favorite band ever playing their last show EVER.
Falconer had just announced that year that they were becoming a studio band only. They've never toured much, playing only a handful of shows in their long history as a band. I've been a fan pretty much since the beginning. The only other show they'd ever played in the United States was while I was an IFYE Ambassador in Austria in 2003 — so ships passing in the night. I was going to go see a show of theirs while I was an IFYE Representative to Denmark back in 2007, but my Dad was getting more and more sick and I ended up coming home early; too early to hop over to Norway for the festival they were playing.
I was able to say hello to them, though! I learned my lesson! They were all super awesome and nice and signed a few things and then somebody asked if we wanted a photo with the singer. Uh, of course! I hate my picture taken but I'm not passing that one up.
Favorite band, favorite author, now favorite movie live….I guess that's deserving.
Today was another dreary, rainy day here.
We're drowning in water. We're so saturated that we're having to have our drop line for our cable (internet, we don't use it for anything else) replaced because the signal is dying a horrible death every time it rains. It's not pretty.
That's the front yard, where it's normally dry as a bone. I honestly think I could kayak in my backyard right now.
The white stuff in the yard isn't some cute little woodruff or clover either, we had a raging thunderstorm that dumped up to quarter sized hail on us this afternoon.
That's our back deck with the door wide open. The deluge overwhelmed our gutters and it was dumping rain like a sheet of water. I had some of my indoor plants out sunning on our little patio table and they got battered because the storm hit out of nowhere, but I'm sure they'll recover quickly enough.
Rainy days are good for two things though: cooking and crafting!
One of my cousins is a north-south half-breed; her father lives way up in Plattsburgh and her mom is one of my cousins in Virginia…and this cousin now lives in Georgia with one of my husband's best friends — funny how things work, they met at our wedding. 😛 This week, she finally got her grubby little paws on her grandmother's top secret Michigan recipe…and bless her pea-pickin' heart, she shared it with her southern (technically Appalachian – "latchun", not "layshun") cousin that turned traitor and moved north: me! 😀 I guess she knew I'd appreciate it and I'd keep the recipe locked up safe and warm. Plus, I can generally cook.
That's a pot of the delicious Michigan sauce! We, unfortunately, couldn't find any red hots locally, but I'll nab some next time we're in the north country and ferret them back down here. Hot dogs are good, but they're just not red hots.
I'm going to freeze the left overs in ice-cube trays and that way we can have individual hot dog serving sizes when we want it. Logan is a bit obsessed with hot dogs.
To prove that hot dogs point: Logan begged for them this week. Pleaded for hot dogs. He wanted them soooo badly. Specifically, he wanted hot dogs on Wednesday;today.
His work had "Hot Dog Day" today.
He loves them so much that he wanted to cheat the system and have them twice in one day.
Actually, the real pisser about Hot Dog Day was that he volunteered ME, not him, but ME to make potato salad for said party at his work. He told everybody that I'm southern, so I make a potato salad that's worth eating — not the crap in the stores like you find here — so I'd make enough potato salad for everybody as his contribution.
If you made a food contribution, you didn't have to buy your hot dogs.
So I had to make potato salad for TWENTY (!!!) people…so he didn't have to pay ONE DOLLAR for a hot dog KNOWING that we were having hot dogs for dinner tonight.
I meal plan a week in advance. He KNEW. He PLANNED this.
Happily, the potato salad apparently went over well. Logan said there was so much food that they're having hot dog day again tomorrow but without potato salad because there is no more. Logan said that one guy came back for thirds calling it the "pure essence of what potato salad should be" and that then a loosely vegan guy even ended up eating it because everybody else wouldn't shut up about it? I'm pretty sure they're all insane where he works…not just the physicists that think there are werewolves on the lower level.
Since dinner was a slow cooker kind of day and it was too rainy to do anything else, I got to craft! Hooray!
I finished Chapter 4 of the scarf knitting RPG. Finally, right?!
Now I get to invert all the charts and make my way down the other side to finish the adventure. Officially half way done!
Does anybody know the proper name of that quilt block?
Kamelot is coming to the U.S.!!!
I've enjoyed them for years, but since Tommy Karevik took over as vocalist. Mmm, drool worthy. So far, just two dates have been announced but one is in the City (the other is in Cali), so I guess I'm sucked into going there again.
It's like a black hole. I never seem to be able to escape New York City or Atlanta. Every year, I get sucked back into both, mostly for concerts. At least I've never lived in NYC (and living in Atlanta for a little over a year was waaay more than enough for me!); it's exhausting just to visit for an event. Fun…but exhausting.
There's no way Logan will let me wait until Kamelot announces other cities and tour dates before buying tickets though; we don't normally get too many things near us. They're one of his big three bands. If one of our big three comes stateside, we go see them regardless of where we have to go. We went to Atlanta to see mine. We've been to Birmingham to see one of his.


Hello autumn vector banner design with colorful maple leaves elements and text greetings for fall season. Vector illustration. This vector was designed with 3D realistic looks and rich in details which is well suited for autumn seasonal design projects for both web and print use.


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Executive Functioning & Organizational Challenges
Executive Functioning and Organizational ChallengesIntegrated Support for Elementary, Middle & High School Education
Executive functioning refers to the way the brain manages, plans, organizes and sets goals to complete tasks in a timely and thorough way. Before coming to McLean, many of our students got easily overwhelmed and struggled in these areas — and at one time may have been labeled as uncooperative or even lazy, when the reality is their brains haven't yet developed an ability to consistently and reliably connect the dots. Similar to ADHD, students with challenges in Executive Functioning often present as highly creative, outside the box thinkers who have so many wonderful ideas but are challenged to necessarily see them through.
Watch one way our Middle School experts support student growth in executive functioning skills with a concept she titles the Learning TRY-Angle.
At McLean, we work closely with all our students on expectation setting, time management, and accessing the many tools available or required that can help them meet their goals. Self-reflection is an important aspect of executive functioning: the ability to assess one experience to inform the next. Sticky notes and signs are valuable visual cues for students who struggle with sequencing or keeping details straight — and we use these techniques with all of our students so that no one feels singled out or somehow less capable than their classmates. In fact, these strategies are so seamlessly integrated into how we teach, it's hard to imagine a classroom any other way!
Our approach of scaffolding and gradual release builds confidence and resilience along with important learning habits. For example, in Upper School, a 9th grade study guide might include explicit test-taking strategies such as 'here is how to approach multiple choice versus open response'; in 10th grade, there's a shift away from specific recommendations to reminders; in 11th grade, students receive help developing their own study guides; and by 12th grade, it's just a natural part of their own test preparation — and a skill they will carry with them to college.
Here's the key, which also gets to the most common misconception about McLean: the content of what we teach isn't simplified… but the process of how we teach it is. And that's what enables these bright students to really shine.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Two new randomized trials challenge the view that vitamin D and fish oil supplements hold any real benefit in the fight against chronic conditions, such as cancer and heart disease.
Do fish oil supplements really protect the heart?
The results of the first and second trial were presented at Scientific Sessions, held by the American Heart Institute (AHA) in Chicago, IL, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Vitamin D and fish oil supplements have lately been the subject of much hype in the medical research community, mass media, and among the general public, due to their alleged benefits in combatting cancer and heart disease.
For example, recent studies in mice found that vitamin D benefits heart cells and suggested that the vitamin may prevent cardiovascular blockages.
Other studies identified persistent links between a lack of vitamin D and the development of breast cancer and bowel cancer.
Experts also believe that omega-3 fatty acids — which are in seafood, some nuts, and seeds — benefit the heart. The AHA, for example, recommend an intake of at least 2 servings of fish every week for optimal cardiovascular health.
As a result, many Americans have turned to omega-3 fish oil supplements to stave off heart disease. A survey carried out by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that almost 19 million Americans are taking fish oil supplements.
But do vitamin D and fish oil supplements really work?
The two new studies were randomized, placebo-controlled trials led by Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, the chief of the division of preventive medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA.
The trials examined the effect of a daily intake of vitamin D and omega-3-containing fish oils on the prevention of heart disease and cancer.
The studies involved almost 26,000 healthy adult participants, 20 percent of whom were African-American. None had a history of heart disease or cancer. The men in the study were at least 50 years old, and the women were at least 55.
Some participants took a daily dosage of 2,000 international units of vitamin D and 1 gram of fish oil.
Other participants received the same dosage of vitamin D plus a placebo, and others took the same daily dosage of fish oil with a placebo. The final group received two dosages of placebos.
Dr. Manson and the team followed the participants for 5 years. By the end of the study period, they had found no overall benefits.
Does fish oil stave off heart attacks?
Dr. Manson and the team did find a link between fish oil and a lower risk of heart attacks, particularly among people who did not eat fish regularly, as well as among African-Americans.
Overall, fish oil supplements reduced the risk of a heart attack by approximately 28 percent. Among African-Americans, fish oil supplements lowered this risk by 77 percent, compared with participants who took only a placebo.
Finally, the researchers found that no supplement involved in the trial led to severe side effects, such as bleeding, excessive calcium, or gastrointestinal problems.
They continue, noting that other large randomized trials of omega-3 fatty acids do not support these findings.


The wait is over, J.I.D has officially arrived!
Although he already had a few quality projects under his belt (including 2013's Para Tu and a trilogy of projects with his Spillage Village comrades), J.I.D really started to catch the attention of people once he signed with Dreamville in early 2017.
From there, he released The Never Story and continued to raise his stock with a couple freestyles, an inclusion in the XXL Freshman class, and tours with J. Cole and EarthGang.
It's J.I.D time now, though. With all eyes on the him, the ATLien comes through with his highly-anticipated DiCaprio 2 project—a sequel to 2015's DiCaprio project (which we definitely highlighted when it dropped).
Locked in at 14 tracks, including the Verse of the Month-earning "151 Rum" and "Off Deez" with Kendrick Lamar J. Cole, DiCaprio 2 features 6LACK, Method Man, Joey Bada$$, Ella Mai, A$AP Ferg, and BJ the Chicago Kid; over production from Cole, Elite, Christo, the late Mac Miller, Hollywood JB, and more.


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Q: Is it possible to use navigator.getUserMedia in a UIWebview I'm trying to capture video that I embed in the page and overlay canvas on top of it. The example I'm playing with http://auduno.github.io/clmtrackr/face_mask.html
It works fine in the browser but when I use PhoneGap to make it into an iOS app the camera request does not appear. I looked at a couple camera plugin examples but I don't see any that will actually embed the video in the video tag. So I'm trying to figure out how to stream the camera with HTML5. Is there a way to grant permission on the UIWebview to do this?
    navigator.getUserMedia(videoObj, function(stream) {
        video.src = stream;
        video.play();
    }, errBack);

A: It seems that it is not currently possible to directly access the camera from a UIWebView. I've been trying to do this as well, but there's nothing that I have found to work.
FYI See: Access iPhone's camera from UIWebView using HTML 5
Edit: digging a little deeper, it looks like people have managed to get the video into the UIWebView, but they're not using navigator.getUserMedia
https://github.com/arasbm/DemoNativeToJS

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Maximum kids regardless of the region they belong to are much addicted to pasta as it consists of many sauces that provide it a delicious taste and flavor. So, in order to get your kids friendly with high protein vegetables you can include few of them in pasta such as carrots. It becomes almost impossible for the kids to avoid them in the pasta and they consume it very happily. You can also use other frozen or fresh vegetables in the same to provide your children with the proper benefits of them.
It is also seen in many cases, where the kids do not like any particular vegetable due to the taste of it hence you can allow them to choose the other vegetables that will be having the required nutrients for your body. But here you have to be sure that you are only offering vegetables as an alternative that means you have to be strict regarding the foods like candies, fast food dishes and others which are not good for the health of your child.
You can also explore various new dishes and also use vegetables in them that are fresh and also supportive for the digestion system of the children.


This post was written by Christina Avramakis, Project Assistant for our Sense of Place project.
My role at MERL has been to accession and catalogue new objects coming into the Museum, and so I have been very lucky to get up close and personal with many interesting objects and stories. For this reason, it was difficult to choose just one object and in the end I have settled on two horse-related accessions (although the queen honeybee artificial inseminator was very tempting!).
The objects I have chosen are a 'check rein' (object number 2012/387) and a set of blacksmithing tools (object numbers 2012/455/1-3 – 2012/459).
I think that the check rein is particularly special as this style of driving horses on the farm was very rare, only employed in a small part of Yorkshire, near Hull. The check rein was used by Ron Creasey, who was one of the last horselads (as the men who worked with the horses on the farm were known), working with horses on the farm from 1946, at the age of 17, until 1960.
Common horse reins consist of two lines which the driver uses to direct the horses or stop them. A check rein only uses a single line and so the driver controls and directs the horse using the rein in combination with verbal commands. Depending on the pull on the check rein, the horse will turn right or left, but the horse will only stop at the verbal command of the driver. For this reason, the horselad had to be both highly skilled to handle the check rein to ensure that the horses moved in the right direction at the right time, and sufficiently commanding that the horse would respond to its orders. It was for this same reason that the use of the check rein did not spread further; because of the reliance on verbal commands to manage the horses, some farmers simply considered it too unsafe, for if there was an emergency and the driver could not use his voice, there was no other way to stop the horses.
The blacksmithing tools, specifically a number of pincers and cat's-head hammers, were used in Hampshire. They are just a small selection of blacksmith tools, but I like them for four reasons – their testament to innovation, sustainability, skill and endurance.
The pincers appeal to me for their ridged texture; but they have these ridges because of the way that they are made. They are an excellent example of innovation and recycling – they are made from used, worn-out rasps which, as they were no longer fit for their original purpose, have been fashioned into something different and given new life.
The cat's-head hammers have a small prominent bulge on each side of the head which, it has been suggested, almost have the appearance of two ears, and so may be where the name comes from. One of the small bulges is used to create clips on the horseshoe, although the use of these hammers is now uncommon. For me, the skill, dexterity and precision required to shape the metal by striking it with just this small bulge is highly impressive.
Finally, what struck me as I learned more about these tools and their makers, beyond the specialised skills involved, were the unbreakable links between these people through a system of apprenticeships and mentoring that extended from the early 20th Century to the present day. Particularly at a time when there is a greater emphasis on an academic l education at school and university, it is both fascinating and reassuring to know that the traditional and unique skills and knowledge of the countryside have not yet been lost but have endured, with generations of blacksmiths passing on the tricks of the trade.
The wood engravings of Clare Leighton (1898-1989) were among the most exceptional examples of the art form produced during the revival of the art of wood engraving in the 1930s. She illustrated numerous books, several of which she had also written, and wrote a manual on her craft entitled Wood-Engraving and Woodcuts, published in 1932. Leighton was born in London and studied at the Brighton College of Art and later at the Slade. In 1922 she attended classes at the Central School of Art and Design where she discovered wood-engraving under the tuition of Noel Rooke (1881-1953) who was a major influence in reviving the practice of wood engraving in the twentieth century. His students also included Robert Gibbings and Eric Gill. Through Rooke's classes, Leighton discovered a career in which 'head, heart and hand might join' in the words of her poet grandfather. Her engravings have a very powerful sculptural and monumental quality and are very recognisable. The natural world and rural people and their working lives were key themes in Leighton's work. Along with her contemporary, Agnes Miller Parker, Leighton played a part in raising the popularity of wood-engraved book illustration on rural life and the natural world and improving aesthetic standards in popular book illustration.
The book is divided into monthly sections, with striking and exquisitely rendered engravings of flowers, fruits, birds and animals, many drawn in her own garden in the Chilterns, to accompany her commentary. The text is a personal and anecdotal celebration of Leighton's enjoyment of nature and of her garden which she had created from a Buckinghamshire meadow, with observations such as "I mow the lawn. How many people know the right way it should be done? Feet should be bare; grass should be slightly damp. The cold, moist clover strikes up from the mower upon my bare feet, and blades of cut grass and bits of slashed weeds stick between my toes".
One of my favourite engravings from Four Hedges is her illustration of two women gathering apples in the 'September' chapter [see image below]. As with many of Leighton's illustrations, it has a beautiful composition and strength of form. As the writer Joanna Selborne observes, "[the] figures are monumental and rhythmic, as epitomised by the swinging body of the apple gatherer".
Other works and items relating to Clare Leighton held by the University of Reading Special Collections and the library of the Museum of English Rural Life include two copies of The farmer's year, a copy of Leighton's manual, Wood-engraving and woodcuts, and a proof-pull print entitled The quay held in the Miscellaneous Prints Collection. All of these items can be viewed at the Special Collections Service reading room on request. A further two publications Country Matters (1937), a collection of essays on country people and their occupations, written as "a record of an enduring world" and a catalogue for an exhibition of Clare Leighton's work at the Ashmolean Museum in 1992 have been ordered to add to our holdings of material relating to this gifted artist.
Clare Leighton. The farmer's year : a calendar of English husbandry, written and engraved by Clare Leighton.
Many thanks to David Leighton for his kind permission to reproduce some of the illustrations from Four Hedges.
written by Claire Smith, Weekend Supervisor/Learning Assistant. To learn more about Claire, see her previous post.
Before the invention of the lawnmower in 1830, grass would be cut with a scythe, or animals would be allowed to graze on the lawn to keep it short. From the 1850s, horse-drawn lawn mowers were introduced. In order to prevent the horse's hooves from damaging the lawn as the mower was pulled, the horse was fitted with lawn shoes, or slippers. These could also be made to measure for donkeys and ponies. The horse's feet were simply strapped into the leather overshoe. This spread the pressure of the foot more evenly and prevented the shape of the horseshoe from being imprinted over the lawn.
There are several pairs of lawn shoes in the MERL collection, mainly for horses, but also some smaller ones which were probably used for donkeys or ponies. The pair shown above are made from leather, and padded on the inside with wool. They would have been strapped around the horse's hooves and fastened with the buckles.
Horses are not the only animals to have shoes – when turkeys made their three month long walk to market, they would wear special leather boots to protect their feet. Pigs would wear knitted boots with leather soles. Geese wouldn't allow themselves to be shod, so their feet would be dipped in tar and covered with sand. Sadly we don't have any examples of pig or turkey shoes in the museum, but I think the horse slippers are lovely enough to make up for it!
The first in our series of favourite objects chosen by MERL staff, volunteers and visitors, is written by Fiona Melhuish, MERL Librarian.
In my work with the Special Collections rare books and MERL library I get lots of opportunities to spotlight my favourite items from our wonderful book collections through exhibitions and Featured Items on the Special Collections website, so for this post I am going to choose one of my favourite objects from the Museum's collections – a Yattendon Guild copperware vase (MERL 2009/24).
This vase was purchased by MERL in 2009 as part of the Collecting Rural Cultures project which aimed to acquire material to build a picture of the countryside in the twentieth century. It was made at the Yattendon Metalworking Class, or Yattendon Guild, an evening class for local men and boys, organised by Elizabeth Waterhouse (1834-1918), the wife of the architect Alfred Waterhouse, whose buildings include the Natural History Museum in London. Alfred designed several buildings in Reading including East Thorpe, a Grade II listed building, which is now the home of MERL and Special Collections. The Waterhouse family purchased the Yattendon estate in West Berkshire in 1878, and Alfred built Yattendon Court (now demolished) as their family home.
Between 1890 and 1914, the class met weekly at Yattendon Court and developed into a thriving village industry. The class produced items in repoussé brass and copper mostly from Elizabeth's own designs – she also taught her pupils how to beat the copper and brass. The metalworker Colin Pill (who has an interesting website devoted to Arts and Crafts metalwork) has pointed out that "the handle construction on [Yattendon] vases and tankards as well as the shallow nature of the repoussé and background punching or grounding are very distinctive". Yattendon metalware does not appear to have been stamped with a maker's mark but some pieces occasionally bear pen inscriptions.
The class became affiliated to the Home Arts and Industries Association (HAIA) which was established in 1884 to increase skills in craftsmanship among the working classes and to promote the revival of rural craft industries. Similar metalwork classes were set up in Newlyn in Cornwall and in Keswick in the Lake District.
The Yattendon Class established a reputation for good design, and produced items including plates, jugs and lanterns in an Arts and Crafts style. The decorative motifs were inspired by plants and flowers, whilst others featured peacocks, fish, deer and leopards. The class produced over 5,000 items and sold their wares in a local shop, whilst other items were sold at Liberty's in London. In 1895 the art and design journal The Studio praised the Yattendon Guild's "fine show of repoussé copper, excellent in its design and thoroughly characteristic of the metal". This vase was featured in an article in The Studio in 1899.
The vase is one of several items with a Waterhouse connection held by MERL and Special Collections. The Museum also has a tankard made by the Guild (MERL 68/506) and Special Collections holds books written by Elizabeth, correspondence and watercolours by the Waterhouse family. Neither the tankard or the vase are currently on public display in the Museum at the moment but please contact us if you would like to visit to see them!
Objects made in the Arts and Crafts style have always appealed to me, with their designs drawn from natural forms. However, what I think is particularly special about this object is the numerous links it has with different parts of our collections, from the building in which our collections are housed to local history and to the rural life and craft traditions which the Museum seeks to document and celebrate. The design of the vase has a simple beauty and a very satisfying symmetry, with the stylised plant/seed head motif gradually reducing in size as the vase tapers upwards – it would look wonderful in an Arts and Crafts-style fireplace filled with teazels!


What Can I Expect From Voice Therapy?
Discussion of relevant occupational, social, emotional and medical factors contributing to your voice difficulty.
Counselling regarding vocal misuse and the importance of caring for your voice.
Direct work on your voice through vocal exercises.
Discussion regarding stress management, relaxation skills and/or relevant emotional issues.
We will aim to increase your awareness of how you can make changes to your voice and lifestyle so that your voice can be more efficient, effective and functional.
Your Voice Therapy Programme will aim to eliminate or at least minimize your voice symptoms, improve the quality of your voice, reduce that annoying cough, eliminate that tight constricted feeling in your throat and teach you to project without strain or effort. This will improve the function and the physical condition of your larynx if it has been damaged or strained and improve the sound of your voice.
If you have not already consulted an Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist it may be recommended that you do so. This is important so that we can be sure that there are no serious medical conditions affecting your larynx.
Most subsequent sessions are weekly or fortnightly and last approximately 60 minutes.


The harem was the ultimate symbol of power and wealth of the Sultan. His ownership of women and eunuchs, mostly as slaves, showed his wealth and prowess. The institution of the harem was introduced in Turkish society with the adoption of Islam, under the influence of the Arab Caliphate which the Ottoman's sought to emulate.
Most of the men and women within the harem were bought as slaves to ensure obedience, however some remained free. The main wives, especially those married to solidify personal and dynastic alliances were free women. Slaves and free men and women alike were given an education within the harem. At the end of their respective educations, the men and women would be married off to each other. Subsequently, the men would be sent to occupy administrative posts in the empire's provinces.


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Inbox: Green Bay is his Gotham
There's an art to kicking in the cold
LB De'Vondre Campbell
Lori from Brookfield, WI
Wes, what is the best beverage to consume while writing II?
It's 9:45 p.m., Lori, and we're drinking a Starbucks flat white that I picked up on my way home from the office after realizing Friday's Inbox wasn't quite done yet after all.
Mike from Baraboo, WI
The Davante Adams trade news was shocking to me in how fast it took place. What is your take on if the Packers made a good trade?
I don't have a take right now, Mike. There have been a series of deals that have fallen through in recent days, so I'm going to pause and wait for some confirmation on all this stuff before commenting on what the future holds for the Packers and Davante Adams. As I stare into this laptop, I do have a lot of thoughts fluttering through my mind. But they're mostly memories. Whether I was working at the Press-Gazette or for the team, Davante always has been cordial to me and pretty much everyone on the beat. I remember I gave him a D-minus in my 2015 grades at the Press-Gazette and then started working for the team three months later. Awkward. But Davante never held it against me. Fans see the All-Pro receiver, but Adams is also one of the friendliest guys I've met in the Packers' locker room. There was one time a few years back I was in there during off-hours for an interview when Davante called my name from across the room. I darted over to his locker because I thought he needed something. He just goes, 'Nah, I'm just saying what's up.' That's Tae. Over the years, we got to know more and more about his upbringing and backstory. What you learn is Davante is a young man who overcame a lot of adversity to get where he is and I think those humble beginnings shaped him into the man he is today. The profile I did on him for the 2017 Packers Yearbook remains one of my favorite stories I've written since coming over to packers.com. So, if there's a contract out there that's going to make Adams the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, I'll be the first to say congratulations and that he deserves it. All the other football analysis can wait. I have two more Inboxes to knock out before Spoff is back. For now, my only comment is just a simple thank you to Davante. Thanks for being cool. Thanks for treating us reporters with respect. Thanks for giving us a peek into your world the past eight years.
Ethan from Iowa City, IA
Joe Schobert was released by the Steelers. I was a fan of him on the Browns and would love to see him get signed and paired with De'Vondre Campbell. What kind of market do you think he would demand? But, as a counterpoint, how do you feel Krys Barnes has developed?
Schobert has played so much football relative to his young age (28), so I think he'll continue to have a good market. At the same time, I felt having Campbell in the every-down role brought out the best in Barnes last year. Remarkably, Barnes has 161 career tackles on just 947 snaps. He's a smart, savvy player who plays faster than whatever time he was clocked at. And I'm excited that Campbell is back, too. I feel like the Packers and Campbell were meant for each other. Last year, Campbell talked about this being the first time he's been allowed to be "Batman" in a defense. Well, Batman is here to stay and Green Bay is his Gotham.
Kyle from Pittsburgh, PA
With so few high draft picks at O-line over the years, but almost perennial success across that front, it's clear that our O-line coaches are effective teachers. It's too easy to suggest other teams just missed on all these guys. Our coaches are transforming hidden potential into success! How much will Adam Stenavich still be able to work with the linemen as the O Coordinator this year? Or does he have to basically hand the reins to Luke Butkus and trust in having "taught the teacher?"
GMs, head coaches and quarterbacks have changed, but the one constant has been Green Bay having talented offensive linemen – and offensive line coaches. James Campen and Stenavich are two of the best in the business. Stenavich and Butkus have a great rapport and working relationship. While Butkus will handle the day-to-day development of the offensive linemen, Stenavich is still an O-line coach at heart. He'll continue to work with that unit in some fashion.
Evan from Marquette, MI
I am so proud to have Randall Cobb on our team! This man is an undoubtedly loyal weapon for the Green and Gold. We've had to endure the developmental stages and drops for years of our other wideouts, but Randall has wowed us from the very beginning. We should all be excited and grateful to have such a talent here simply because he wants to be a Packer and not the millions of dollars that could be made elsewhere.
Cobb's interview with Taylor Rogers on Packers POV near the end of the season was powerful and reinforced what everything it meant to the veteran receiver to come back to Green Bay. Because even though Cobb is a pro athlete, I think most of us have been in a situation at some point in our lives when you'd like a second chance. Cobb got that last season with the Packers and he proved to be an excellent addition to this roster on and off the field. You can never have enough Randall Cobbs on your roster, especially now.
Nathan from Philadelphia, PA
Good morning, Mike! After the past week-plus, I never want to hear again how the Packers are unwilling to go all-in to chase a championship. Also, looking at your free agency article got me wondering, since other teams aren't necessarily as cautious in how they break "news," what source do you need to see before you report that another team has signed a Packers' free agent?
There are three sources I go off: another NFL team's website, confirmation from a GM or head coach, or the NFL transaction wire. That's important now more than ever with everything that's happened over the past few days.
Tom from Douglassville, PA
Now that Za'Darius Smith backed out of his Ravens' deal, any chance we sign him to a one-year prove it deal? He is coming off the big injury year.
I doubt Z backed out of a four-year deal with Baltimore to take a prove-it deal elsewhere. Edge rushers are making serious money this offseason. I'd imagine there's a bag of cash awaiting Z on the open market.
Bret from Hertel, WI
Dear Wes, what was the biggest surprise for you during this early part of free agency for the Packers? With the cap issues, could the Packers use 2023 draft capital to improve or provide extra players in this year's draft? Thanks for leading us through this exciting week!
The Packers reportedly signing Pat O'Donnell. If everything checks out, it would be the first time since 2000 Green Bay signed a punter during unrestricted free agency (Tom Hutton). It again shows Green Bay's commitment to improving on special teams. To the other part of your question, I don't see the Packers moving 2023 draft capital. Not only is that something Green Bay rarely does but the team also has a bevy of picks at its disposal in this year's draft.
Shannon from Ovilla, TX
Wes, please tell us the new punter is one of the two external free agents you predicted on Thursday. At least he has a lot of experience punting since he was with the Bears for so many years!
Again, nothing's official until it's official but I've been a fan of O'Donnell for a long time. Punting in Green Bay and Chicago is a different animal. There's an art to kicking in the cold. I think that's a big reason Mason Crosby and Robbie Gould grew so close. It's a unique fraternity. Kicking in Lambeau and Soldier Field in December and January is as difficult as it gets. While a native Floridan, O'Donnell adopted the cold and has been one of the league's most consistent punters. He's also an experienced holder who can handle kickoffs in a pinch.
Joseph from Combined Locks, WI
Hi Wes. Hope things are going well for you. When I was a concierge for the Packers for almost 25 years, I was asked many a times by some of the Packers fans why the players participating in the combine aren't required to wear a NFL full uniform (Helmet and all) before participating in the combine. Some of the Packers fans felt that by not requiring the combine participants to wear an NFL full uniform diminishes the accuracy of the combine players true talents. What do you say…Thanks Wes!
If you're fast, you're fast. When we talk about how guys play faster than they're timed, it's not because they're more athletic in a helmet and pads – it's because of their football IQ. Plus, one of the things I like most about the combine is it takes the helmets off the players and you get to see the real person – both on the field and at the podium.
Mark from Canton, GA
Aaron Rodgers signs an extension with the Packers. Russell Wilson traded to Denver. Tom Brady comes out of retirement. Deshaun Watson is cleared on criminal charges and meeting with teams. Is there anything better for football writers/pundits than an offseason with consecutive stories regarding star quarterbacks?
Quarterbacks are king. What else is there to say?
Greg from Deadhorse, AR
Has the howl of wolves been calling Julio Jones' name in the inbox yet?
Yep, and they were howling even louder on Thursday night.
Andrew from Clearwater, FL
Trying to understand the void years better. If the player has three void years, ($3 million/void year) does the $3M go on the cap each year or all at once in the first void year ($9M)?
If the player is on the roster, yes. Once the player is released or his actual contract runs out, then those void years accelerate to that year's cap.
Mike from Manitowoc, WI
Just wanted to let you know, I was going to Photoshop an image of Mike in the PTO lifeboat being lowered from the sinking Titanic. Wes, gentleman that he is, goes down with the ship with a group of violinists wearing No. 88 jerseys, a buffet of high-priced free agents (and the sign-everyone crowd), oglers staring at the bow's laser goalposts wondering what will happen when they touch water. The only comfort Wes has is he's still holding his lunch. It's the thought that counts, right?
That analogy crossed my mind again before going to bed on Thursday night.
Dave from Lake Zurich, IL
Soda is not good for you. It's loaded with sugar and chemicals. On the other hand, beer (in moderation) is a healthy beverage. It's very un-Wisconsinlike for Wes not to drink beer.
There are so many better ways to waste carbs, Dave.
Kevin from Jacksonville, NC
What a great Paul Harvey reference. The days of him telling "The rest of the story" on AM radio are the days of old that I reminisce about to my early adult years with my dad and stepdad. Now, we got that outta the way, I was curious to know if the guys on the practice squad get a shot at making the roster during training camp, and if they make it, are they offered a new contract? Love the II, would love to buy you both a beer on my visit to Lambeau!! Best read in all of sports. GPG!!!
How that works is practice-squad players sign "future" contracts once the season is over. That's the contract they'll play under if they make the 53-man roster (e.g. Robert Tonyan). If a player is cut at the end of camp and comes back on the practice squad, then he signs a new contract.
Jessi from Sterling, KS
During the next edition of Outsiders can you "designate" a day for those of us who are just fellow root beer drinkers? We need to know we are not alone Wes.
Outsider Inbox is a full week now. We have the time.
Chad from Gold Coast, Australia
Hey Wes, I'm a bit over a year sober. I'm wondering if what you guys call root beer is what we call ginger beer over here. I'm more partial to a kombucha these days though.
I'm also a big kombucha guy, Chad. Congrats on your sobriety.
David from Riverside, CA
Wes, I loved your Paul Harvey reference to close out Thursday's Inbox. My dad and I used to carpool to work together when I was just starting my career and we both lived and worked near one another. "The rest of the story" would come on the radio during our drive home every afternoon, and we enjoyed listening to, and then discussing each story as we inched toward home through the gridlock. Thanks for this wonderful reminder. I am calling dad tonight. Memories make us rich, indeed!
Same deal for me. My dad used to listen to Paul Harvey all the time and I grew to enjoy him, as well. I also enjoyed paging through YouTube Wednesday and listening to old clips. That was a stroll down "Memories make us rich" lane.


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Google smartwatch news
Is Google working on a watch or not? New job listings suggest yes
Maggie Tillman · 8 February 2019
- Something must be happening, right?
Google is trying to make some interesting hires, indicating it has some major hardware ambitions for wearables. Or does it?
Android Police noticed two new job listings at Google for a "Vice President, Hardware Engineering, Wearables" and "Wearables Design Manager, Consumer Hardware". Pair this with the fact that Google recently spent $40 million on wearable technology from Fossil, and it's safe to assume the company wants to develop some sort of wearable device to show off Wear OS, which, apart from "fashion timepieces", lacks serious hardware.
Wear OS: Your complete guide to Google's smartwatch OS
There are many other leaks and hints we could add up to determine whether Google is developing its own smartwatch, but none of the information available has been confirmed by Google. Rumors about it making a "Pixel Watch" have been swirling around for years, and yet, last August, Google's director of engineering for Wear OS, Miles Barr, said: "To think of a one-size-fits-all watch, I don't think we're there yet...Our focus is on our partners for now."
No Google Pixel Watch this year after all
Still, the rumours won't die, probably due to even more recent smartwatch clues spotted in code. So, what does it all mean?
Is Google making its own smartwatch, or not? Who knows, honestly.
We doubt it'd hire a "VP of Hardware for Wearables" if it had no plans at all, but then again, wearables could also mean things like headphones.
It's anybody's best guess at this point.
Source: Google Careers
Sections Google Smartwatches


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Ambode declares Sanwo-Olu unfit, American felon
AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARY NEWS September 30, 2018 FEATURED, GLOBAL, LEADERSHIP, NEWS, POLITICS, TRENDING
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Sunday afternoon literally went for broke, throwing all his arsenals into the ring ahead of the governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress taking place Monday.
He said he is ready for a free and fair primary elections, but he warned party thugs to keep away from the wards.
He said he would ensure security at all the wards.
The incumbent believed to have the support of Aso Rock then threw in the bombshell: his only rival in the primary, Babajide Sanwo-Olu was once arrested in the United States for spending fake dollars in a night club.
In addition, he said, Sanwo-Olu, who is being backed by APC national leader, Bola Tinubu and some special interests in the state, has psychiatric issues and is not well.
Sanwo-Olu is not a fit and proper candidate for the position of Lagos governor, Ambode said.
"He has been arrested for spending fake US dollars in an American night club. He lacks competency and health wise, he has gone through mental rehabilitation.
The governor disclosed that Sanwo-Olu served time in US prisons in connection with a string of counterfeit bill-passing incidents in the country.
At the press conference in Lagos the governor said he is under no illusion about the battle ahead in the APC primary for governor, but said " We shall overcome."
By AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARY NEWS on September 30, 2018